Moonlit Bonds

Chapter 465: Lisa: Taking Care of Him

"Is it too fluffed? | can flatten it a bit." | punch at Kellan’s pillow again, trying to get it just right. "Sorry, I'm not

used to hospital pillows. They're always either too flat or too lumpy."

His eyes followas | circle the bed, adjusting his blanket for the fifth tin twenty minutes. | separate the

orange slices I've peeled into perfect little crescents, arranging them on the napkin like a sunburst. He hasn't

even touched the first one | sat out fifteen minutes ago.

"Here, you should eat something," | say, pushing the tray closer. "Unless you don’t like oranges? | can find

something else. Maybe the cafeteria has—"

"Are you okay, or are you trying to smotherwith kindness?" Kellan asks, his voice completely flat.

I blink at him, frozen mid-orange adjustment. "You saved my life. Am | not allowed to be a little doting?"

Kellan narrows his eyes. "You don’t dote. You sass. I'm concerned."

My cheeks heat. Caught. I've never been good at this whole caretaking thing. I'm all sharp edges and attitude.

But seeing him lying there, bandaged and bruised because ofhas twisted something in my chest. The weird

compulsion | felt earlier has faded, but the guilt lingers.

Besides, the thought of returning to an empty room with nothing but my nightmares feels unbearable. I'd rather

stay here and make a complete fool of myself trying to show Kellan how much he means to me.

As you can see, it’s not going very well.

"| sass people | don’t care about," | say, too brightly. "You clearly need a gentler approach."

"Uh-huh." He doesn’t look convinced. "What did Dr. Beaumont give you? Did you get into my pain meds?"

| roll my eyes. "Shut up and drink your water."

There. Now | sound more normal, right?

| reach across him for the water cup on the nightstand, but my balance is off—whether from exhaustion or

lingering adrenaline, | can’t tell. My hand misses the cup entirely and | pitch forward like an idiot, falling across

his body with a soft "oof."

Kellan grunts, pain flashing across his face. Before | can scramble away, his arms wrap around me, pinning me

against him.

"| didn’t mean—wait, are you—does it hurt?" | stammer, mortified I'm crushing his wounds.

"Not as much as you moving would," he murmurs, his face buried in my neck.

He holdsfirmly but gently against him, our bodies pressed together from chest to hip. | can feel his heartbeat

against mine, steady but quick. His breath hitches against my skin, warm and damp, sending a shiver down my

spine.

| go very still, afraid to cause him more pain. But as the seconds tick by, | becaware of something else—the

subtle but unmistakable hardness pressing against my thigh. My heart pounds so loud | swear he must hear it.

No, this is ridiculous. He's injured. He's in pain. I'm probably imagining—

But I'm not.

I've been dancing around him forever, afraid of what giving in would mean, how it would change things. And

here he is, bandaged and bruised because wolves and vampires are fighting over territory.

Over me.

I'm not worth this kind of pain, but he seems to think | am.

He's the best thing to ever happen to me. Maybe—maybe

—I'd even choose him over Ava. Mostly because she has Lucas and Selene and Grimoire to help her keep going.

But Kellan?

He only has me.

And me? | only have him.

Well, and Ava. And | guess he has Lucas, too. But it doesn’t sound nearly as romantic when | start delving past

the emotions of the moment.

"You don’t have to pretend with me, you know," | say softly.

"Lisa." He says my nlike it physically hurts to hold it in, like it’s been trapped behind his teeth for hours. The

two syllables elongate until it sounds like my nis a lot longer than four letters.

| lean back just enough to meet his eyes. They're dark, pupils wide, watchingwith such intensity, heat pools

low in my belly. It’s a familiar feeling. One | normally welcwith open arms.

A good attitude toward sex opens your whole life up—at least, that’s my motto. Or belief. Or something.

The point is, sex? Not afraid of it. Would do it again with Kellan in a heartbeat.

But he’s injured.

So... normal sex is out.

But it doesn’t mean there aren't other options.

My voice is quiet as | force myself past a strange wall of embarrassment and say, "Do you wantto take care

of you?"

He blinks, surprise flickering across his face. There's hesitation there too, like he’s afraid to believe what I'm

really asking.

He's about to decline. | can already see it in the way he glances toward the door, how his lips turn down in the

faintest frown.

| don’t give him tto overthink it.

| press my lips to his, soft and

reverent at first, then with growing

hunger. This isn't {He feahtic Stash

weve shared before, when | was

desperate to feel anything but deep,

horrible emptiness. The content is on

novelenglish.net! Read the latest

chapter there!

This is deliberate, an answer to all the questions I've been avoiding.

It's my claim this time. Not his.

I'm the one biting at his lip until he

opens his mouth ih lets medn( Tn

te Aradidn By ngue against

his, listening to his breath hitch. The

content is on novelenglish.net! Read

the latest chapter there!

My seduction isn’t as polished as his, my aggression tempered with hesitation, but he doesn’t take over. Doesn't

interrupt my offering.

When | pull back, his breathing is ragged. His hands cup to cup my face, thumbs brushing my cheekbones.

His voice is pure gravel when he speaks.

"Only if you mean it."

| nod, feeling my cheeks flush, but | remind myself it's one-hundred percent normal for women to enjoy sex and

even initiate, damn it.

Of course, telling myself that is one thing. Doing it—with Kellan—is another.

Flirting with other men? Easy.

With him? It's so much harder.

Sex with him isn’t just bodies touching. It isn’t casual.

"I've never meant anything more."

His eyes darken further at that, and

something primal flickers in their,

depths. | press arp KisS 6 his

55 Ben Hig jawline, then the hollow

of his throat, feeling his pulse jump

beneath my lips. The content is on

novelenglish.net! Read the latest

chapter there!

Carefully, I slide down, pulling his blanket with me, my hands trailing down his chest with determined gentleness.

Kellan’s sharp inhale is my reward, his fingers tangling in my hair as | move lower.