Chapter 480
[ 558 words ]
Chapter 480:
He leaned back against the tent pole, his right arm still locked across his chest in the heavy brace, his splinted left hand resting stiffly against his thigh. He looked no less arrogant for being physically restrained; if anything, the stillness made him worse. “We spent half the night doing the most intimate things two people can do. I think I can handle watching you put on a shirt.”
A hot blush spread up her neck. “That’s different! It’s daytime now, and… I can’t change with you watching me!” It was a last, desperate stand for a sliver of privacy, a final boundary.
He studied her stubborn expression, a flicker of amusement in his eyes. He seemed to enjoy this little power play. Finally, he tilted his head toward the tent wall in a gesture of surrender rather than raising his hands. “Fine,” he said, a smirk playing on his lips. “I’ll turn around.”
He turned his back to her, facing the tent flap.
She watched him for a long moment, suspicious. Convinced he wasn’t peeking, she quickly stripped off the clothes she’d slept in. She had just pulled on her bra and was reaching for her clean scrub top when she heard a soft rustle of fabric behind her.
F𝗂𝘯𝘥 𝗻𝘰𝗏𝗲𝗅 P𝖣𝖥𝘴 𝗼𝘯 𝘨аl𝘯оv𝖾𝘭s.𝖼о𝘮
She spun around. He had moved. He was leaning against a stack of supply crates, his braced arm still fixed against his torso, his injured left hand hanging uselessly by his side, watching her with an expression of pure, unadulterated appreciation. His gaze roamed over her body, slow and possessive, like an art collector admiring his most prized acquisition.
“You!” she gasped, snatching the scrub top and holding it in front of her like a shield.
A low, rich chuckle rumbled in his chest. He pushed off the crates and closed the distance between them in two long strides. He came up behind her but did not wrap his arms around her waist. He couldn’t. Instead, he stood close enough for the heat of his chest to press along her back, careful to keep the hard edge of the brace from digging into her. He lowered his chin near her shoulder, his eyes meeting hers in the small, cracked mirror hanging from the tent pole.
“Don’t be angry,” he murmured, his voice soft, the teasing gone. “I just wanted a few more seconds of looking at you.”
The quiet sincerity in his voice, the undisguised sadness, extinguished her anger like a candle in the wind. This wasn’t a game. He was memorizing her. He was truly, deeply reluctant to leave.
The atmosphere in the small tent shifted, the playful intimacy replaced by the heavy, unavoidable weight of their impending separation. She leaned back against him, her body relaxing into the narrow contact he could still offer. They stood like that for a long moment, silent, watching their reflection in the mirror.
Finally, he pressed a gentle kiss to her cheek. “Alright. Get dressed. We should go.”
He stepped back instead of handing her the scrub top, giving her the space and privacy he should have given her in the first place.
She dressed quickly, and together they stepped out of the tent. The camp was a hive of activity. Soldiers were forming up into ranks, engines were rumbling to life, and the air was thick with the smell of diesel and the palpable energy of departure.
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