The evidence of his arousal pushes up against my ass, but he doesn’t grab me. If this were Eneko, he would throw me down, taking this as enough of a hint to fuck me, and do as he pleases.
Ra’Sawaits.
Growing angry, I pull back.
His mouth remains slightly puckered as the gem in his chest glows and his eyes open.
“Melisa,” he says gently.
I shake my head. He just told me he cared for me, but he does not act like a man who desires a woman. He needs to want me.
“If you do not want me, I will leave you be,” I say crossly, fully pulling back.
“Wait,” he calls out, reaching for my face.
Good. Let him chase you.
When I extricate myself from his lap, I fall backward and roll over. Pain spreads through my side, and I cry out.
“Maldita sea,”?2 I curse.
Large hands scoop me up, and a brighter spell light glows to life above us. Ra’Sa looks down at me with wide eyes and a slightly parted mouth.
“Shit. Don’t move,” he says.
“Don’t touch me,” I bite out when his hand reaches toward me.
My brain is foggy, stuck in a place where I’m more instinct than sensation. I hurt. I don’t need him making it worse.
His hand retreats like lightning, and I swallow hard.
“Forgive me. I merely wished to help care for the wound,” he sputters.
When I look down, I see a nasty gash caused by the stone dagger I’d left near my bedroll. Blood soaks into my dress.
I’d been careless.
“Fuck,” I sputter. “There’s so much blood.”
“May I? I will move slowly,” he coaxes.
My hand presses to the bleeding wound as I pant.
“I did this to myself. You don’t have to fix me,” I say through gritted teeth.
Ra’Sa’s nostrils flare in the dim light. “Melisa, please.”
That word.It causes a crack to bloom up the walls to my heart. I sigh and angle my body so that he can approach.
“If you must.”
Ra’Sa doesn’t speak as he nears. Just slowly lays his hand on my ribcage so that he can see the wound better. I hiss as his thumb prods at it.
“Gentle,” I growl.
He makes a clicking sound with his tongue.
“You do like to goad me, don’t you?” he says at last. “Remember, I’m helping.”