“Get you hands off me,” I say as I re at her. I’m getting fed up with her manhandling me han this.

*Listen here you little shit,” her face is so close to mine, spittlends on my cheek and I recoil instinctively “If you don’t sign these goddamned papers. P send you off to some godawful boarding school in the middle of nowhere where they still believe in corporal punishment

The viciousness with which she hurls those words at me makes me realize she’spletely lost the plot and believes she can just throw me away Sake a piece of rotten food.

“You’d need money to do that, and without me signing those documents, you have no finances of your own to make that happen. And by Michael’s reactionst night to you being abusive to me recently, I don’t think he’ll sponsor that little endeavor of yours.”

I don’t see the hiting. But in the next instance, my right cheek stings as if stung by a thousand bees. The force of her p is so intense that I stazzes backward and lose my footing. The next thing Iprehend is my head hitting the corner of my desk as I’m falling to the ground

Everything goes ck for a few seconds, and I can hear a faint ringing in my ears. I hold out hope that my mom will realize what she’s done ande my rescue. But I’m shit out of luck.

I hear her huff at me, probably aggravated at me for having the audacity to fall and hurt myself. She then stomps off – mming my door behind hert with enough force that the artwork on the wall next to it rattles.

Thanks so much, Mom.

I slowly push myself up into a sitting position and lean against the leg of the desk so I can orient myself somewhat.

My head’s swimming and I can feel nausea creeping up on me. Not trusting my legs to walk just yet, I crawl over to the toilet in the ensuite and em stomach from what I ate earlier tonight. Gross.

I sit back against the tub’s side when it doesn’t feel like blood leading from where I fell to where I am.

my insides want to climb out anymore, flush the toilet, and then realize that there is a trail of

Tentatively I touch my fingers to my forehead. There’s a nasty gash right at my hairline and it’s slowly but steadily dripping ruby red blood. Just great!

I try to stand up so I can have a better look, but my legs feel like Jello, and I copse almost instantly.

How the hell do I get myself out of this messb? /bI don’t want to call Moira because she’ll be in bed already seeing as it’s past midnight. One iof /ithe guys maybe? It’s worth a shot.

Going to my recent call list, Hunter’s name is at the top and I instinctively press the dial button, not having a preference about whoes to help, I just need isomeone /ito show up.

As it rings in my ear, I realize two things:

One

–

What if he’s asleep and I wake him up?

Two How do I let him into the house? It’s not like I can go down and open the front door for himb. /b

As I go to end the call, it connects, and a faint shuffling noise can be heard before the person speaks.

Lab?/bb” /b

“Hunter, sorry to bother you sote, I hope you weren’t sleeping already?” I ask tentatively, hopeful that he bwon’t /bbe upset about me calling thiste.

“It’s Xavier speaking, Hunter left his phone downstairs when he bwent /bto bed. *

The fact that I’ve never spoken to Xavier over the phonebined with my suspected concussion is most likely the reason I mistook his voice for bHunter’s/b,

I immediately feel dejected. Maybe Cade or Al is avable though.

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Chapter b39/b: La POV

“Oh okay. Thanks, Xavier, I’ll btry /bone of the other guys then.”

Before I can pull the phone away from my ear and end the call, his voice filters through again.

What’s wrong La?”

I honestly don’t know if I should tell him. I don’t have the strength or mental capacity to deal with his douchery right now.

But before I can answer, he says in amanding voice,

La, talk to me.

Not wanting to prolong this, I answer him quickly and ashamedly, “I fell in my room and hit my head. There is some bleeding, but I can’t seem to make my legs work so I can have a look at how bad it is.”

His answer is sinct and catches me off guard.

I’ll be right there.*

Before I can tell him that he doesn’t have toe, that he can just ry the message to one of the guys, the phone disconnects in my ear, making me grunt

in irritation.

This should be interesting.

I must have dozed off because when I open my beyes/b, Xavier is crouching in front of me with a look of anger and confusion. Maybe a bit of concern as But that can’t be true. Xavier hates me. I’m probably hallucinating from the concussion.

“Hey,” Imely say because all my energy has deserted me. I just want to get to bed and then sleep for about three weeks. Is that too much to bask/b?

“What the fuck did you do Lab?/b” Xavier basks /bas he scowls at

“Can we just not do this right now Xavier?b” /bI ask, tilting my head back and closing my eyes.

“One, don’t close your eyes. If you have a concussion, which I suspect you do, you can’t fall asleep anytime soon.”

“And two?”

“Two, what don’t you want to do right now?” he asksb, /bsounding dumbfounded

; as he tilts his head like ba /bpuppy.

“This,b” /bI wag my finger in the space between the two bof /bbus/b. “bUs /b– fighting, verbally sparring, insulting each other, whatever you want to call it. I just can’t right now.”

I open my one eye to see what his reaction’s going to be and he surprises

me when he gives me ba small /bsmile while saying, “Deal.”

“Oh, thank God,” I bsay /bbrelieved/b, my whole body rxing with the knowledge that I don’t have to be on guard with him right now.

“Let’s get you up Princess bso /bbI /bcan tend to that nasty wound on your head. Do you have any other injuries?” he basks /bbas /bhe stands and holds out his hands for me to take.

“Not that I know of,” I murmur bas /bIy my hands in his big palms. The sudden jolt of awareness that runs through me like ba /bblive /bwireb, /bmakes me bpause/b. But I refuse to look at him to bsee /bif he felt it too. That’s a can of worms that can be opened another day.

bMy /blegs feel unsteady, like they might betray ne at any moment, but Xavier’s strong grip keeps me upright as I slowly rise to my bfeet/b. His hands bare /bbsteady/b, reassuring, and he watches bme /bwith a careful eye, as if gauging whether I’ll copse the second he lets go. When he’s satisfied that I bwon’t /bkeel overb, /bbhe /bgently guides me across the room toward the bathroom vanity.

Out of nowhere, Xavier’s hands find my hips, and before bI /bcan bprocess /bbwhat’s /bhappening, he lifts bme /bwith effortless strength, setting bme /bbon /bbthe /bbcountertop /bbnext /bto the sink. A startled squeal bescapes /bmy blips/b, my hands instinctively grabbing his shoulders for bnce.

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Chapter 39: La POV

A little forewarning would have been nice. The brute.

Without a word, he turns to the sink, twisting the faucet until lukewarm water fills the basin, the soft rush of it the only sound in the mall, brightly bi /bbathroom. He rummages through the cab beneath the sink, pulling out a mini first–aid kit with a practiced ease that makes me wonder how eltes bes done this. Stepping between my knees, he moves closer. My breath catches, but I force myself to stay still.

Nonchntly, he steps in between my knees, wets a cotton pad, and starts cleaning around toy wound. After wetting another cotton pad, he wipes the dried blood from the side of my face.

We don’t say a word during the whole process, probably because neither of us is willing to break thefortable silence that surrounds us. It’s a novelty that I wouldn’t mind recreating in the future because I don’t like fighting with Xavier. He’s the one that always has ia /istick up his butt when he’s around bme/bb. /b

At some point, his left hand finds my upper thigh, resting there with a casual weight that sends a jolt through me. I try to ignore it, but I can’t deny that it feels… nice. Comforting, even. His fingers are warm, grounding, and I catch myself leaning into the touch just a fraction.

Seemingly satisfied that all the blood has been cleaned up, he finds an alcoholic wipe as he says, “This might sting a little, but I don’t want you to get an infection.”

He leans closer, and gently wipes the pad around the wound, making me hiss out a breath as it burns somewhat. Surprising the fuck out of me, he starts lightly blowing on the area he just cleaned to help ease my difort.

Not only does the pain dissipate, but my beyes /binstantly bsnap /bto his emerald ones when my skin erupts in goosebumps iand /ian involuntary shiver runs down my spine.

The look of bewilderment that bI /bsee reflected in his eyes suddenly morphs into somethingpletely different when his pupils start to dte, his breat hitches, and the hand on my thigh suddenly tightens its hold on me.

bChapter /bbComments /b

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