Chapter 389
[ 500 words ]
Chapter 389:
“Don’t lie to me,” she said, her voice quiet but firm. The pieces were clicking into place. K.C. Bell, in the car. He was injured a while back. Took some shrapnel. She hadn’t pressed for details then, too overwhelmed by everything else. Now, it was the only thing that mattered.
She kept her hand on his chest, her expression softening into a playful smile. “Come on, soldier. Let me see.” She gave his chest a light, teasing tap with her palm, the kind of playful gesture any girlfriend might make.
But the moment her hand made contact with the area near his right shoulder, his entire body recoiled. A sharp hiss of pain escaped his lips, and his face went pale beneath the grime and stubble. It was an unconscious, undeniable reflex.
He was caught.
𝗧h𝖾 𝗯𝖾𝗌𝗍 𝗿𝗲a𝖽i𝘯𝗴 𝖾𝘅𝘱𝖾𝗿𝘪eոс𝖾 𝗈𝗇 𝗴𝗮𝘭𝘯𝗼𝘃е𝗹𝘴.𝖼𝗈𝗆
The smile vanished from Caroline’s face. Her heart felt like it had dropped into her stomach. “You are hurt,” she said, her voice flat. She pointed to the spot on his chest where she had touched him. “Right there. What is it?”
Jarrod let out a long, weary sigh, the fight going out of him. He was a terrible liar, at least with her. “It’s nothing. Just some stitches. It’s already been treated.”
“Stitches for what?” she pressed, her nurse’s instincts taking over. She knew a wound that could provoke a reaction like that was far from nothing. Her fingers went to the top button of his dusty combat shirt. “Let me see.”
He caught her hand, his left grip firm but not painful. “Caroline, don’t.”
“I’m a nurse, Jarrod. Let me see the wound.”
“I said no.”
His refusal only hardened her resolve. He had seen her at her most vulnerable; she would not be denied the same privilege. It was about more than just a wound now. It was about reciprocity. About trust.
“If you don’t let me see it, I’ll call Julian in here to check you over,” she threatened, knowing it was an empty bluff, but hoping it would work.
“You wouldn’t,” he growled.
“Try me.”
They were at an impasse, his left hand clamped around her wrist, her eyes blazing with stubborn determination. A silent battle of wills.
Caroline suddenly changed tactics. She leaned forward, and before he could react, she opened her mouth and gently sank her teeth into the fleshy part of his forearm, the one holding her wrist.
She didn’t bite down hard. It was just pressure, a clear and unambiguous signal. Her eyes, wide and serious, locked with his over his captured arm. The message was clear: Let go, or I will make you.
A low, rumbling sound started in Jarrod’s chest. It was a laugh of pure, unadulterated defeat. A slow smile spread across his face, transforming his tired, grim features into something boyish and utterly charming. He was beaten.
“Alright, you win,” he conceded, his voice laced with amusement. He released her wrist, slowly raising only his left hand in a gesture of surrender.
He sat back, giving her complete control, a silent acknowledgment of her victory.
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