Hmm… I like where this is going,” I tease her, then I add, “I first need to shower.”
“Ah…”
I let out a burst of laughter and decide to take it easy on her. “Just set the clothes on the bed. I’ll come find you when I need help with the buttons.”
“I’m going to get dressed then. I’ll be back in a couple of minutes.”
Before she can leave, I say, “Thank you for wanting to help me.”
There’s a pause, then Fallon murmurs, “Thank you for letting me.”
It takes me a couple of minutes longer to get through my morning routine. I’ve even managed to brush my teeth without any help, although I got toothpaste on my left hand.
After stepping into my pants, I shrug on the long sleeve button up, then walk to Fallon’s room. As I knock on her door, Jade comes out of her and Hunter’s room, and she teases, “Loving the new look. Do you need help?”
“I’m good, thanks,” I say quickly. Just then, Fallon opens her door.
“Oh, wow,” she whispers as her eyes lock on my chest and abs. “Ah… let’s go to your room.”
I follow Fallon back to my room, and shutting the door behind me, I go to stand in front of Fallon and grin down at her.
Lifting her hands to my shoulders, she first adjusts the shirt before she begins to do the buttons. Feeling her fingers brush against my chest makes anticipation grow inside me. Every inch she moves down increases the electric current that’s forming between us.
Thank God the attraction is still there.
By the time she reaches the last button over my abs, I have to fist my hands at my sides, so I don’t grab hold of her.
“Anything else you need help with?” Fallon asks, her voice low and husky.
Hearing how affected she is by me sends my blood rushing through my veins.
It takes a lot of effort to stay in control and to not give in to my need for Fallon. “Socks,” I murmur. “And shoes.”
“Oh, right,” Fallon breathes, and then she walks back to my closet. I go sit on my unmade bed while I wait for her.
When Fallon rushes back, and she kneels in front of me, I say, “I can do this myself.”
“I don’t mind.” She slips my socks onto my feet, then helps me stand so I can step into my shoes. “Let me just grab a sweater for you.”
I haven’t been dressed by a woman since I was a kid, but knowing my girl is a control freak, I let her have her way.
She comes back and pulls the sweater over my head, then arranges my collar. Brushing her hands over my shoulders, she says, “All done.”
I lift my hand to her left cheek, and leaning down, I press a kiss to her forehead. “Thank you.”
“Uh-huh.”
“So, we have a date later?” I ask.
“What?” she gasps.
“Arranging my clothes by color,” I remind her.
“Oh, sure.” I can swear I hear a sliver of disappointment in her voice. I’m still thinking about ordering us food so we can have a picnic on my bedroom floor while working, but before I can mention it, Fallon darts to the door. “Have a good day. See you later.”
For a minute there, I thought things were better between us, but it’s clear Fallon’s still awkward around me.
What did you expect? One day of being nice to her isn’t going to make weeks of heartache disappear.
Patience, Kao.
Chapter 17
FALLON
Things are weird. I hardly slept, replaying the kiss and Kao telling me he loves me over and over. It feels surreal like I’ve slipped into a dream to avoid my devastating reality.
And then this morning. Seeing Kao’s abs in all their hard and hot as hell glory made me feel overly aware of him. Helping him button his shirt was a new experience. Yeah, needless to say, it was super hard focusing on the job and not giving in to my desire to run my palms all over his chest.
A soft smile plays around my lips as Kao runs circles in my mind.
I feel frazzled… and awkward. It’s like our friendship from before the accident is a distant memory. We used to be comfortable around each other, and yeah, there was attraction, but nothing compared to what I felt while helping Kao get dressed.
Maybe it’s because I almost lost him?
My smile fades as a new worry begins to worm itself into my heart. I want to be with Kao… so desperately, but the scars.
My heart is torn in two. If Kao was scarred in the accident, I wouldn’t care at all. I’d still love and want him.
But it’s hard to think Kao would feel that way about me.
Ugh, it’s such a struggle.
“Are you ready?” Mila asks, drawing me out of my thoughts.
“Yeah.” I pause when I see Noah rush into Kao’s room. “Give me a second.” I walk down the hallway, and when I push the door open and step inside, I see Noah give Kao medication. “Is everything okay?”
Noah glances at me. “Yeah, it’s just a migraine.”
Concerned for Kao, I move closer. “Is there anything I can do? A cool cloth?”
“Sure,” Noah answers.
My gaze flits worriedly over Kao, where he’s sitting with his head resting in his hands. I go to his bathroom and rinse the washcloth under the cold water.
Rushing back to Kao, I say, “Lie back.”
Gingerly he moves, and once he’s lying down, I place the cloth over his forehead. I remove his shoes, and then I take a seat next to him on the bed. “Can I try something?”
“Sure,” he whispers, an intense look of pain tightening his features.
Leaning over Kao, I press my fingers to his temples and rub slow circles over his skin.
A minute or so later, Kao murmurs, “That’s helping.”
I glance up at Noah, “Can you get me a bowl with some ice in it?”
Noah nods and heads out of the room.
“On a scale of one to ten, how bad is it?” I ask.
“It was nine, but now it’s seven.”
“Good,” I whisper. “Hopefully, it keeps getting better.”
When Noah comes back, I ask, “Can you add some water?”
Noah gets some from the bathroom, and when he sets the bowl down, I remove the cloth and soak it in the icy water.
“Stay and rest,” Noah says, “I’ll go through the work with you later.”
“Thanks,” Kao says, his voice sounding strained.
Mila peeks into the room. “Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, Kao has a migraine. I’m going to stay with him. Will you take notes for me?”
“Of course.” Her worried gaze darts to Kao. “I hope you feel better soon.”
Once they’ve left, I say, “Can you stand up? I want to get you into comfortable clothes. Maybe if you sleep a little, you’ll feel better.”
Kao climbs off the bed, and I work quickly to get his sweater off. I rush through the buttons and pull the shirt off, then I run to his closet. I grab a t-shirt and sweatpants. Hurrying back to him, I hardly take in his body as I help him out of his pants. Once I have him in the comfy clothes, I say, “Lie back down.” I press the water out of the cloth, then gently brush it over his forehead. “Tell me if it’s too cold.”
“It feels really good,” he murmurs. The corner of his mouth lifts slightly. “Never thought the first time you undress me would be like this.”
A burst of laughter escapes me and wanting him to feel better, I tease, “I hardly got to take in anything. I feel cheated. We’ll have to do a repeat once you’re better.”
Kao chuckles but instantly stops, and a flash of pain tightens his features again. I rinse the cloth and let it rest over his forehead so I can massage his temples.
After a couple of minutes, Kao says, “I haven’t had the eyedrops yet. Will you be able to help me?”
“Of course.” I glance at the three bottles next to his bed. “Is there a specific order?”
“No.”
Reaching for the first bottle, I uncap it then lean
over Kao. Feeling nervous, I whisper, “Tell me if I do something wrong.”
I drop the liquid into his eyes and watch as he blinks. Sitting back, I put the bottle down on its place, then I ask, “For how long do you have to use the eye drops?”
“The doctor didn’t say. It all depends on the healing, but it will probably be for a year or more.”
“I’ll have to get used to this then,” I tease, and it makes the corner of Kao’s mouth lift again.
I administer the other two bottles, waiting a couple of minutes in between like Noah told me. When I’m done, I ask, “How do you feel?”
“If I say bad will you stay?” Kao asks, making me grin at him.
“I’m already late for class, so I have nowhere to be.” I glance at his closet. “I might as well arrange your clothes now.”
“That sounds like a good idea,” Kao chuckles. “Then I can take you for dinner later.”
I instantly freeze, feeling a tremor of shock.
My silence has Kao saying, “If it’s too soon, we can wait?”
I shake my head, then stammer, “Are… are you asking me on a date?”
“Yes, and seeing as the first attempt was such an epic fuck up, I have some serious damage control to do.”
I still feel the embers of heartbreak, but my hope of being with Kao keeps growing by the second, and it makes me feel over-emotional.
We were so happy together.
Now Kao’s fighting to get his sight back, and I have hideous scars.
“Fallon?” Kao whispers. His eyes soften on me, and he reaches a hand up, taking hold of my arm. “Are you okay?”
I shake my head. “It’s so unfair,” I whisper. “I can’t… believe what happened to us.”
“We’ll be okay,” he murmurs, and sitting up, he pulls me into his arms.
I’ve heard those words from everyone and never believed them for a second. But hearing Kao say them is really all I needed.
KAO
Not wanting to let go of Fallon, I say, “We didn’t get much sleep last night. Wanna nap with me?”
She nods, and I quickly move to the middle of the bed.
“Just taking off my shoes.”
When she’s done, she first drops the cloth back in the water, and it has me saying, “You can leave it off. The migraine is starting to fade.”
“Good.” Fallon slides into bed next to me, and I hold my right arm open so she can lie down against me. When her body curls into mine, I bring my left hand to her head and press her down on my shoulder.
She stiffens for a moment, and knowing why, I murmur, “Don’t worry about the scars. They don’t bother me at all.”
After a couple of seconds, Fallon whispers, “I can’t help but think of them. They’re hideous.”
Turning on my side so I can face her, I hold her tightly to my chest. “You’re still the most beautiful woman to me.”
Fallon presses closer to me, hiding her face against my chest.
Feeling she needs to understand how important she is to me, I admit, “I never got to tell you, and if it’s one thing this whole ordeal taught me, it’s that tomorrow is not guaranteed.” I pull a little back, and as my eyes try to focus on her face, I wish my sight would return this moment so I can see every detail of her and the color of her eyes. Pushing my own struggle to the side, I continue, “You are the most important person in my life, Fallon. You’re my beginning and end. That’s why I lost my shit when I heard you got hurt. If anything were to happen to you because of me, I wouldn’t survive.”
“But it wasn’t your fault. The truck driver fell asleep and crashed into us,” Fallon reminds me.
“Still, it’s my duty to protect you, and I feel like I failed you.”
“You didn’t,” she whispers, emotion welling in her voice.
We’re moving off-topic now, and I need to bring my point across. “No matter what you look like or what happens in the future, I love you, and I always will. I’ll never let you down again. I promise.”
I hear her breath hitch, and then she asks, “Do you pity –”
Before she can finish the sentence, the words burst from me, “No!” I bring my hand to her chin and nudge her face up until I feel her breaths fluttering over my jaw. “I absolutely hate that you got hurt.” I shake my head. “I respect you too much to pity you, Fallon.”
Her fingers wrap around my wrist. “Thank you, Kao. I needed to hear that.”
Having Fallon in my bed and feeling her breath on my face makes anticipation begin to build in me.
More than anything, I want to kiss her right now. Yesterday it happened suddenly, and it was so emotionally charged, I didn’t get to savor her.
I inch a little closer and whisper, “Can I kiss you?”
A tense moment passes before she nods. “Yes.”
Getting her permission, I focus on her breaths warming my face, until there’s nothing but Fallon. Slowly, leaning in, my lips brush against hers. I pull back and breathe in her exhales as they speed up. My eyes drift shut as I press my mouth to hers. Using my body, I push against Fallon until she’s flat on her back. I tilt my head and breathing in her intoxicating scent, my lips begin to move.
Fuck, it’s hard to keep the kiss slow.
My tongue brushes against her bottom lip, begging for entrance, and the moment she opens for me and I get to taste her, my self-control slips. The kiss becomes more intense, our tongues exploring each other. A soft moan drifts from Fallon, robbing me of all my senses and the urge to consume her overwhelms me.
My teeth scrape over her bottom lip before my tongue plunges back into the warmth of her mouth. It feels like our lips are melting together, and I can’t get enough of how good she tastes.
I always knew kissing Fallon would change my world, but I never knew how much. She’s become my every breath, and I know I won’t survive a minute without her.
Even if my sight never fully returns, I won’t be able to let go of her.
My hand slips over her cheek and into her hair, and wanting to show her that I love every inch of her, even the scars, I break the kiss and feather kisses over her cheek.
Chapter 18
FALLON
When Kao’s lips brush over the scars, it takes every bit of strength I have not to pull away. A war erupts in me, half of me wanting to hide my disfigurement from him, and the other half needing to feel that he accepts me as I am.
Kao’s mouth comes back to mine, and he presses a soft kiss to my lips before pulling back. “I’ll never be able to let you go again.”
His words make tears push up my throat, but I swallow them back down and whisper, “Promise?”
“I promise.”
Kao pulls me against his chest, and I feel his breath on my forehead, then he lets out a chuckle. “God, now that I’ve kissed you, it’s all I want to do.”
“You took your sweet time,” I playfully chastise him. “I know you said we should take things slowly, but I never thought you meant this slow.”
My teasing draws another chuckle from him. “I’m done taking things slow.” He pauses for a moment, then asks, “Can I take you to dinner tonight? It won’t be any place spectacular, just the campus restaurant.”
Grinning, I nod as I wrap my arm around his waist. “I’d love that.”
We lie in silence for a while, then I ask, “How’s the migraine?”
A mischievous smile spreads over his face. “Instantly cured, the second your lips touched mine.”
We grow quiet, and I try to process everything that’s happened between us. From the heartache to the kiss, my life feels like a coin being flipped in the air, and God only knows where it will land.
Lying in Kao’s arms, and feeling the warmth from his body, makes me swallow hard on the emotions whirling in me.
I really thought I lost him. It’s scary how convincing he was.
“What are you thinking?” Kao whispers, his arms tightening around me.
Hesitant to bring it up again, I say
, “Nothing.”
Kao pulls back a little. “I can feel you thinking.”
“It’s just…” still feeling apprehensive, I have to force the words out, “you were really convincing when you told me you only wanted to be friends.”
Kao brings his hand to my right cheek, and I instantly cringe, but he doesn’t let it stop him from tenderly brushing my hair back and tucking the strands behind my ear. “I just wanted to protect you. In hindsight, I was stupid as fuck.”
“You got so angry with me,” I murmur, my brows drawing together as the residual heartache clenches my heart. “I’ve never seen you behave that way, and it was scary,” I admit.
Kao presses a kiss to my lips, then says, “I’m sorry.”
I lift my eyes to his, and my throat closes as I say, “Please don’t hurt me again.”
“Never.” His eyes caress my face, and there’s only love shining from them. “I promise.”
“It’s so frightening how much power you have,” I admit my biggest fear to him. “You control my happiness.”
Kao kisses me again. “I’ll protect you every day of my life, even from myself.”
KAO
Having Fallon be so honest with me about her feelings only makes me feel more protective of her. Control is everything to her. Knowing she’s laying her future happiness in my hands is a task I take seriously.
I brush my fingers over her hair and press another quick kiss to her mouth. Pulling an inch apart, it feels like we’re caught in our own little world.
My hand moves to her cheek, and my fingertips carefully caress her scars. I can feel the raised skin unevenly stretching all the way from her cheek down to her collar bone.
When she squirms under my touch, I whisper, “I love you, Fallon.”
I hear her breath hitch, and then she buries her face under my chin. Her voice sounds fragile as she says, “It looks like my face and neck shattered.” A soft sob bursts over my chest, and I wrap her tightly against me. “It’s red and… all angry.”
I push Fallon onto her back and pull her face away from my chest. Using my thumbs, I brush the tears I feel on her cheeks away. “You’re still the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.” Leaning down, I caress every scar with my lips.
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