Page 52 of Adversary to the Villain

And Tatianna felt wretched.

Chapter 24

Gideon

“What are you doing, sir knight?” Keeley’s voice was a welcome sound in his current state. Sweaty, shirtless, a little dirty.

All things he would love to be as a result of her attentions, instead of due to manual labor.

He spared her a glance, attempting nonchalance, as if he were so taken by his task that he barely noted her presence. A farce, really. Her presence wasallhe noticed. Not the task before him, and barely the anxieties around his little sister’s impending flight on Fluffy.

He needed to stay focused for when they returned. Tatianna, Clare, and Blade would never allow anything bad to happen to Lyssa. And if not them, Rebecka Erring was tagging along as well, which, in Gideon’s opinion, meant the only people in danger were the ones who might get in her way.

“Damn!” Gideon gritted out, dropping a slab of wood next to the cart, gripping his shoulder, and glowering at Captain Catastrophe. “Almost ripping my arm in two, apparently.”

Keeley stared at his injury, forcing him to flex his biceps—or urging him to. But it only caused the gash on his arm to bleed worse. There was a cost, apparently, to his vanity.

The captain stepped forward, her gloveless fingers brushing around the edges of his wound. “I’m sorry,” she said softly. “Are you all right?”

Gideon gaped. “I think I hit my head.”

Keeley jumped, panicked. “What? When?”

“I thought I just heard you apologize. I must be near death.”

She blew out a frustrated puff of air that made Gideon woozy. “I am trying to be helpful, but once again you make it as difficult as possible. Come here and sit.” Without ceremony, Keeley dragged Gideon by the uninjured arm and forced him to sit on the stones of the back courtyard, tugging out tools to sew him up. The sun was beginning to set upon the horizon: the ideal time to attract the guvres’ attentions, under the cover of night.

Gideon was running himself ragged—self-inflicted punishment for all the mistakes he’d made. With…well, everything. It felt like since he’d returned he’d been doing his best to make amends for his absence, for his selfish and poor choices.

Regret didn’t assuage guilt, unfortunately.

It burned it brighter and unbearable.

As did Keeley dumping a clear liquid over his wound, stinging the ever-loving shit out of him. “Deadlands, Captain!” He tried to pull his arm away, but she was already dabbing the wound dry with a clean towel, preparing a needle and thread to close the two sides of the ugly gash together. “You enjoyed that,” he accused, faltering when her rose-colored lips tugged up at the sides.

“I did,” she agreed unapologetically, tugging the thread through in careful pulls, so concentrated on her task that it gave him an unobstructed view of her face. Her pert nose perpetually pointed up, her full lips, the dimples at her cheeks that looked like a perfect place for his mouth.

He narrowed his eyes in suspicion. “You’re being abnormally kind to me.”

She choked on a laugh. “I told you I enjoyed hurting you. How is that kind?”

“Because you smiled,” Gideon said casually, so as not to startle her with too intense a compliment.

She startled anyway, her head snapping up, the setting sun turning her honey-colored hair into a gleam of golden strands as she tied off his stitches. “Gideon.” His name on her lips sounded indecent, and it was all he could do to restrain himself. He was filthy, smelled like sweat, and was hardly in fine form to charm anyone.

“Do you think…” she began carefully.

Did he think what?

That she should kiss him again?

Marry him?

Clock him over the head with a rock?

Pour alcohol on his wounds for the rest of his days?

Yes to any, to all, as long as she said his name like that while doing it.