"Fine?" Connor asked. "Good. See? You can make good choices after all."
If the words came out condescending, he didn't notice, too busy thinking through how he was going to check to make sure she'd done as he asked when he returned to the suite. All that petal-soft skin roughened by blood vessels and--he curled a length of damp cinnamon locks around his index finger. Son of a bitch. It was going to be bad enough having to wrap her up. "I'm trusting you to do this thing."
Only because seeing that his command was followed involved smoothing his hands over her skin. And he wasn't sure he could avoid it. Resist it. Her. Tonight, he may yet thrust himself even more firmly in the monster category.
His free hand curled into a fist as if to keep those fingers from preemptive motion.
He shifted back and at her question, one blond eyebrow rose. Connor's lips curved at the tone in her voice, the dimple digging deep. "Perhaps far more than they'll be able to the second time." He tugged lightly at the hair he'd kept hostage. "But maybe you'll surprise me."
The words were out before he had a chance to really think them through, and when he did, he wasn't altogether certain he knew what he'd meant. Surprise him by sitting still? Using her obviously intelligent mind to secure a hiding place he'd have to work to find? That he'd let her have a 'second time'? He shifted off the bed in one smooth motion, one palm up to deflect any more personal shots against his body. Piper seemed as though she'd expended her frustrated energy, but he knew all too well the power of deceiving your enemy into believing you were weaker than you actually were.
He didn't bother warning her what might happen if she wasn't on the bed when he returned. He didn't bother reassuring her that he'd be back. Connor simply collected the mess on the bed with economic movements, leaving the medical supplies from the tray on the bedside table then balancing the tray on one arm as he padded toward the door with bare feet. His body shielded a keypad that he used to unlock the door and slip through.
The fingers of his free hand grabbed a caramel from the basket that looped around the banister, out of habit unwrapping it as he took the steps two at a time. "Lilly?" he asked as he passed the second landing. "What are you still doing up?"
"I was hoping you would get me an update before you turned in for the night." Lilly rubbed the corner of one eye and frowned at him. "Do you require my services?"
"Bandages." He popped the caramel in his mouth and dragged in its flavor like a balm. He'd thought to spar with the guards tonight, but with the need to protect the new mistress of the house riding him so hard, it was obvious he wasn't going to be able to leave Piper alone.
Her eyes went into thin slits as she relieved him of the tray. "She is bleeding, then?"
Connor sighed and answered around the candy, "It's my fault." He paused when Lilly's eyes closed, then filled her in on what had happened in the room since he'd arrived home. He added quickly, "I couldn't stop Piper from--I didn't hurt her--"
"I would never think that, cub." She got that expression on her face that always said if her hands weren't full she'd be smacking him upside the head. "I am glad you were able to convince her to wash up." There was no censure in the statement; Lillian didn't offer to help on that front the next time, should assistance be needed. Piper was his. Under his roof, he took care of what was his, and she would never presume to step past that boundary. "The things your Family must have put her through...I imagine she's quite distressed." Lilly hummed in irritation. "I have a mind to head over there with my knife block."
He chuckled. "You'd put fear in them, too." He pushed the swinging door open, his arm over her head. "It's handled. What I need is you here, Lil, so the Mistress can meet you at breakfast."
"Ah. I thought it might be like that. Only...why her?" she asked, a curious tone in her voice as she walked to the second pantry in the kitchen--a fully stocked first aid station.
The thing was like a stationary ambulance. Floor to ceiling every size bandage, brace, ointment, and emergency medical device was in storage. Befitting, for a former combat nurse. Lilly had emptied out such inane bachelor necessities as instant coffee makers and dozens of small "quick cook" appliances that she didn't allow in her kitchen and replaced them with oxygen masks and tanks, bags of saline, needles, blood testing kits.
Connor scrubbed a hand over the shadow of scruff on his jaw. "Would you believe I don't know? I can't explain it. I just...She's smart. Real smart." He cocked a grin at the chef. "Definitely a firecracker."
Lillian studied him closely, this woman who knew him like a mother and took him to task when he needed, but somehow never stepped past the boundaries of house rules. "You are certain this is not because you're seeing her as a broken toy? Someone to be fixed, Connor?"
He'd wondered the very thing himself, but no. His gut raged against that thought, rejected it outright. "Piper is far from broken."
She loaded his arms with material and tape. Far more than he actually needed. "She's not bleeding to death, old woman. Just some scabs that came open."
A sound of disgust. "Patch up our Mistress and then restock your own shelves, fool boy. You're saving someone else a trip. Plus, this way I don't need to win a hand of poker to get one of the maids to do it."
"You wouldn't need to," Connor pointed out. "They all want to meet her."
"But there'll be other chores that need done more. Like as she's bleeding, no doubt laundry will come up. And the poor thing needs clothes. You hauled her here in a blanket."
"You called the Tailor?"
"Of course. As soon as I saw what had gone wrong."
He nodded tightly, hugging the supplies to his chest. "She won't like him. At all."
"From the look on your face, I can't say you'll fancy it much either." She gave him a warm smile that crinkled the corners of her eyes. "Perhaps a bit of hazard pay wouldn't be amiss. Or you can work out that fine body of yours while he gets business done."
"I would never leave her alone with him." His lips twitched. "Anyone, really. So I suppose we'll need an impartial third party."
Lilly snorted loudly. "You think any one of your family will be any more enamored with that session?"
"No," Connor admitted, "but they might at least consider holding me back." The Tailor could be very...hands on. He was a mad genius in the clothing world, worth every dollar, but he wasn't what the mundane populace would call "normal". Not many incubuses were. Connor turned to go, the caramel a distant memory as he thought about the injured woman several floors over his head, saw red again. "We'll get through it."
"You'll have to."
If the words came out condescending, he didn't notice, too busy thinking through how he was going to check to make sure she'd done as he asked when he returned to the suite. All that petal-soft skin roughened by blood vessels and--he curled a length of damp cinnamon locks around his index finger. Son of a bitch. It was going to be bad enough having to wrap her up. "I'm trusting you to do this thing."
Only because seeing that his command was followed involved smoothing his hands over her skin. And he wasn't sure he could avoid it. Resist it. Her. Tonight, he may yet thrust himself even more firmly in the monster category.
His free hand curled into a fist as if to keep those fingers from preemptive motion.
He shifted back and at her question, one blond eyebrow rose. Connor's lips curved at the tone in her voice, the dimple digging deep. "Perhaps far more than they'll be able to the second time." He tugged lightly at the hair he'd kept hostage. "But maybe you'll surprise me."
The words were out before he had a chance to really think them through, and when he did, he wasn't altogether certain he knew what he'd meant. Surprise him by sitting still? Using her obviously intelligent mind to secure a hiding place he'd have to work to find? That he'd let her have a 'second time'? He shifted off the bed in one smooth motion, one palm up to deflect any more personal shots against his body. Piper seemed as though she'd expended her frustrated energy, but he knew all too well the power of deceiving your enemy into believing you were weaker than you actually were.
He didn't bother warning her what might happen if she wasn't on the bed when he returned. He didn't bother reassuring her that he'd be back. Connor simply collected the mess on the bed with economic movements, leaving the medical supplies from the tray on the bedside table then balancing the tray on one arm as he padded toward the door with bare feet. His body shielded a keypad that he used to unlock the door and slip through.
The fingers of his free hand grabbed a caramel from the basket that looped around the banister, out of habit unwrapping it as he took the steps two at a time. "Lilly?" he asked as he passed the second landing. "What are you still doing up?"
"I was hoping you would get me an update before you turned in for the night." Lilly rubbed the corner of one eye and frowned at him. "Do you require my services?"
"Bandages." He popped the caramel in his mouth and dragged in its flavor like a balm. He'd thought to spar with the guards tonight, but with the need to protect the new mistress of the house riding him so hard, it was obvious he wasn't going to be able to leave Piper alone.
Her eyes went into thin slits as she relieved him of the tray. "She is bleeding, then?"
Connor sighed and answered around the candy, "It's my fault." He paused when Lilly's eyes closed, then filled her in on what had happened in the room since he'd arrived home. He added quickly, "I couldn't stop Piper from--I didn't hurt her--"
"I would never think that, cub." She got that expression on her face that always said if her hands weren't full she'd be smacking him upside the head. "I am glad you were able to convince her to wash up." There was no censure in the statement; Lillian didn't offer to help on that front the next time, should assistance be needed. Piper was his. Under his roof, he took care of what was his, and she would never presume to step past that boundary. "The things your Family must have put her through...I imagine she's quite distressed." Lilly hummed in irritation. "I have a mind to head over there with my knife block."
He chuckled. "You'd put fear in them, too." He pushed the swinging door open, his arm over her head. "It's handled. What I need is you here, Lil, so the Mistress can meet you at breakfast."
"Ah. I thought it might be like that. Only...why her?" she asked, a curious tone in her voice as she walked to the second pantry in the kitchen--a fully stocked first aid station.
The thing was like a stationary ambulance. Floor to ceiling every size bandage, brace, ointment, and emergency medical device was in storage. Befitting, for a former combat nurse. Lilly had emptied out such inane bachelor necessities as instant coffee makers and dozens of small "quick cook" appliances that she didn't allow in her kitchen and replaced them with oxygen masks and tanks, bags of saline, needles, blood testing kits.
Connor scrubbed a hand over the shadow of scruff on his jaw. "Would you believe I don't know? I can't explain it. I just...She's smart. Real smart." He cocked a grin at the chef. "Definitely a firecracker."
Lillian studied him closely, this woman who knew him like a mother and took him to task when he needed, but somehow never stepped past the boundaries of house rules. "You are certain this is not because you're seeing her as a broken toy? Someone to be fixed, Connor?"
He'd wondered the very thing himself, but no. His gut raged against that thought, rejected it outright. "Piper is far from broken."
She loaded his arms with material and tape. Far more than he actually needed. "She's not bleeding to death, old woman. Just some scabs that came open."
A sound of disgust. "Patch up our Mistress and then restock your own shelves, fool boy. You're saving someone else a trip. Plus, this way I don't need to win a hand of poker to get one of the maids to do it."
"You wouldn't need to," Connor pointed out. "They all want to meet her."
"But there'll be other chores that need done more. Like as she's bleeding, no doubt laundry will come up. And the poor thing needs clothes. You hauled her here in a blanket."
"You called the Tailor?"
"Of course. As soon as I saw what had gone wrong."
He nodded tightly, hugging the supplies to his chest. "She won't like him. At all."
"From the look on your face, I can't say you'll fancy it much either." She gave him a warm smile that crinkled the corners of her eyes. "Perhaps a bit of hazard pay wouldn't be amiss. Or you can work out that fine body of yours while he gets business done."
"I would never leave her alone with him." His lips twitched. "Anyone, really. So I suppose we'll need an impartial third party."
Lilly snorted loudly. "You think any one of your family will be any more enamored with that session?"
"No," Connor admitted, "but they might at least consider holding me back." The Tailor could be very...hands on. He was a mad genius in the clothing world, worth every dollar, but he wasn't what the mundane populace would call "normal". Not many incubuses were. Connor turned to go, the caramel a distant memory as he thought about the injured woman several floors over his head, saw red again. "We'll get through it."
"You'll have to."
Dreams come in a size too big so we can grow into them.
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