Becky laid on her front on the bed, stripped to the waist and biting her lip to hold back the noise she wanted to make. When she had hit the floor her back had hurt so badly she wanted to scream, but she had managed to keep any sound from escaping. Now it hurt even worse as Glenn tended to her, his mutterings almost amusing as he cleaned her back and redressed it.
She gave a deep sigh of relief when he had finished and he left the room, and she was hoping he wouldn't come back. But he did, only a few minutes later with a glass of water and some painkillers.
"Becky," he said, his voice rough. She turned her head reluctantly and looked at him, her face still pale. "Sit up and take these, they'll make you feel better," he told her, holding out the two pills in his hand.
"I need to put something on," she said, her voice husky sounding and weak. She winced as she tried to move and then just lay still.
Glenn put the glass and pills down on the bedside table, reaching for her robe and draping it over her back, then gently pulling her up so she was sitting with her back to him. He knew she couldn't move properly now and he carefully held the sleeves out for her to put her arms into, his eyes averted so he couldn't see any of her tempting naked flesh. When he felt her tug the material out of his hands he moved away and picked the glass up again. "Will you take these now?"
"Yes, thank you," she answered, strangely subdued now.
"Why did you run?" he asked her, surprising her into looking up as she put the pills in her mouth and took a sip of water. When she looked down again and shrugged he sighed and ran a hand through his hair, trying not to get angry again. "You may as well tell me, I'm not leaving this room until you do," he said eventually and she slumped slightly, feeling trapped. Glenn reached out and lifted her chin up, his face softening unexpectedly. "Rebecca, talk to me."
The sound of her name on his lips made her shiver and she looked up at him slowly, her whole posture wary. "I can't go through with the deal," she whispered, pressing her lips together when she had spoken.
Glenn looked silently at her and then nodded, sitting down on the side of the bed. "I thought as much," he murmured. "So why did you agree to it in the first place?"
Becky's face changed from wary to belligerent in the blink of an eye, and Glenn found his mouth twitching with amusement at the sullen look she gave him. "Why did you ask?"
"I asked because I wanted you," he admitted, and was amazed at how little it bothered him to open himself up to her. "I still want you."
Becky blushed and looked away from him again. "Oh, I see."
"Do you? I wonder," he murmured, tilting her face back up to his. "You ran because you couldn't bring yourself to sleep with me. Well, that isn't exactly a surprise." His voice was deep and sounded almost...defeated, Becky thought, frowning up at him.
"Why isn't it a surprise?" she asked reluctantly.
"You know why," he said mockingly, one finger running down his scar.
Becky instantly felt sorry for him and it showed in her expressive face. "Do you....do you think I'm pretty?" she asked quietly, feeling embarrassed to voice such a question.
"No," Glenn said, frowning as he tried to work out why she had asked that. "I think you're beautiful."
Becky's mouth fell open and it took her a second to remember what the point was that she was trying to put across. "And my back? It's going to scar isn't it?"
Glenn nodded, still frowning. "Yeah, it'll scar. But it won't make any difference, you'll still be beautiful."
"So why can't you see that you're a handsome man, even with a scar?" she asked softly, her eyes tracing his features with approval. He was very good looking, and if he hadn't acted like a pig and made her such an awful offer, she was sure she would never have run away.
Glenn stared at her and his frown relaxed, his lips pursing. "If I'm so handsome, honey, how come you tried to run away?"
"Because I don't want to be forced into anything...you know, like that," she said, biting her lip and looking down again.
"What the hell makes you think I was going to force you?" he asked, scowling.
"Well....weren't you?" she asked hesitantly, meeting his eyes again.
"No!" he said indignantly and then rolled his eyes, smiling. Of course she would think that, he hadn't given her any reason to think anything else. "I wouldn't force myself on anyone. I just..." he broke off and shrugged, giving a derisive smile, "...I just wanted someone to come to me willingly, even if it was only because they were getting a safe haven out of it."
Becky stared at him, hearing a wealth of emotions behind his words, and she knew he had been badly hurt in the past by women rejecting him. She reached out and gently touched his face, shocking him into looking at her again. "I would have come to you willingly, if you....if you had been as nice as I thought you were."
"I haven't been 'nice' to anyone for years, except to my friend Mark. You're the first person who ever saw that in me and it unnerved me. I shouldn't have said the things I did, and I shouldn't have hurt you. But you need to know what I'm really like." He gave another deep sigh and rolled his shoulders, feeling tense. "Look, I'm not going to take you home, I know how they'd treat you and I wouldn't do that to you. No matter what I said. And I won't throw you out either, so you don't have to worry about that."
"What about the deal?" she asked.
"You can pretend it never existed, okay?"
"But...I can't stay here can I?"
"You can stay, I won't make any advances," he told her, looking ashamed of his previous behaviour.
"I have to earn my keep though, I can't just let you keep me," she said, hoping he would let her stay but not wanting to sponge off him.
"Well, maybe you can cook and clean, I am kind of untidy and I don't cook very many things. You can forget about the other part of the deal," he muttered, running his hand through his untidy hair again.
Becky looked up at him and bit her lip. "Maybe I don't want to forget about it," she murmured, then went red as she realised she had said it out loud.
"What?" he said, his breath exploding out of his chest as her words got through to him.
"Oh...er...nothing," she murmured, looking down at the bed.
"It wasn't nothing, you said you didn't want to forget about it. Becky, do you want me?" he asked her, feeling a little uncomfortable voicing that question, but needing to know.
"I don't know," she answered honestly, swallowing the huge lump of embarrassment in her throat and trying to be truthful. "I liked it when you kissed me."
Glenn found himself smiling at her discomfort. "You liked that, huh? Want to try it again?"
"I never said that," she grumbled, annoyed that he was finding this amusing when she was only trying to be honest and make him feel better about himself. Her eyes widened when he moved closer to her and framed her face in his large hands, his touch incredibly gentle.
"Maybe not, but I want to try it again," he murmured and then bent to her mouth, nudging her lips apart with his and delving inside, letting his tongue slip out to taste her unique flavour again. He groaned into her mouth as she responded, and his hands moved from her face to gently hold her against him, careful not to touch her back. His brows drew down as he savoured the kiss and after an eternity he drew back, looking down into her drowsy eyes.
"Will you stay?" he asked her, his voice husky. Becky nodded, not trusting her voice after the devastating kiss. "Good, that's a start," he murmured, bending to her once more and forgetting about everything lese.
****
Mark sat on the side of the bath and stared at the young woman he had married, carefully cleaning up the scratches on her face as the bath filled with hot water. He didn't stop to analyse why he was being so caring all of a sudden, and he didn't worry about it. Things were changing and he wanted to see what would happen.
Ellie's eyes were closed as he rubbed the cotton gauze over the small scratches, enjoying the feel of his big hands taking care of her. When she felt him stop she opened her eyes and looked at him, watching him put the cotton to one side and stop the water in the tub, swishing it about and testing the temperature.
She was already a nice glowing red from where he had stripped her clothes off her and wrapped a big towel around her body, and now he grabbed that same towel and tugged it away from her.
"Come on, get into the bath, it will make you feel better," he said softly, looking into her eyes, his face unreadable.
Ellie did as she was told, sinking beneath the bubbles quickly so she could cover herself up. It was unnerving to have a man stare at you when you were naked, she thought. Mark watched her soak for a few seconds and then left the room, going in search of Lizzy.
He walked into the kitchen and found her busy preparing dinner, and she turned to him to give him a hard glare. "Well, I suppose you're here to ask me to tend to that poor girl again? What did you do to her this time?"
Mark was taken aback by her question, then grimaced. "I didn't do anything. She's in a nice hot bath, relaxing. I thought maybe you could make us some hot chocolate?"
Lizzy grinned and dropped the potato she had been peeling onto the counter. "That would be my pleasure!"
Mark smiled reluctantly and sank down into a chair at the big table, folding his hands in front of him. "You like her don't you?" he asked suddenly, staring at his hands.
"Yes. What's not to like? She's polite and she seems like a nice enough person. Of course, we haven't gotten to know her properly yet, but I imagine she'll turn into quite a lovely young lady given the chance," Lizzy said, setting out mugs on a tray.
"You mean if I let her alone?" he asked, giving her a knowing look.
"That would help, yes," she told him, turning to face him again as she waited for the kettle to boil. "It felt good though, didn't it? Being kind to her?"
Mark looked sullen and shrugged, making Lizzy hide a smile. "It was okay I suppose." He rolled his shoulders and then sneezed, looking shocked that he had as he reached for a tissue and wiped his nose.
Lizzy frowned and came around the table, touching his clothes and shaking her head. "You're soaked to the skin! Didn't you think to change your own clothes at all?"
"No, I was...er....taking care of her," he said slowly, looking embarrassed. He looked down at his own clothing and grimaced. "I guess I'd better change."
"Yes, you damn well better or you'll be getting a cold, I've no doubt. Get upstairs and I'll bring the chocolate up when it's ready," she said, watching him go with a sigh. Sometimes she felt as if he were still a child. If only he were as easy to manage as one.
Mark got to his bedroom and started stripping off his wet clothing, frowning when he realised he hadn't even noticed how soaked he was. He got a clean pair of boxers and slid them on, then put a robe over his naked torso, shivering as he finally felt the cold. He went into the bathroom to check on Ellie, a reluctant smile touching his mouth when he saw her laying against the back of it, fast asleep. Without any conscious thought he lifted her out of the tub and started drying her off, seeing her open her eyes drowsily and then go red as he rubbed the towel over her skin.
"I can do that," she squeaked, trying to take the towel from him, but he slapped her hands away and continued in silence until he was happy that she was dry.
"Go and get dressed," he told her, dropping the towel and letting her go. "I'm going to take a quick shower."
Ellie nodded wordlessly and almost ran from the room so she could hide her nakedness from him. She didn't really trust his change of attitude, but she wouldn't dare say that to him, and she quickly slipped into some clothes and started trying to get a comb through her hair.
A few minutes later Mark came back in the room with just a towel around his waist, looking dead sexy and Ellie had to tear her eyes away from him, not before he noticed her looking however. A smile curved his mouth and his eyes narrowed as he closed the distance between them. "What were you staring at?" he murmured, bending so his face was on a level with hers.
"N-nothing," she stammered, her gaze held by his glittering eyes.
"Hmm, that so?" he said softly, his eyes dropping to her lips. He was just moving in to kiss her when there was a knock at the door and he jerked back, cursing under his breath at the interruption. "Come in!"
Lizzy walked into the room with the tray of hot chocolate and placed it on the bedside table, smiling as she glanced from one of them to another, sensing the tension in the room. She could tell they hadn't been about to fight and she gave a small gleeful smile as she left the room, winking at Mark as she went. He felt a stain of colour touch his cheekbones and it shocked him that he could be embarrassed. His eyes fell on Ellie again and she was no less red than him, that fact making him grin.
Ellie caught that grin and she couldn't help but stare. She hadn't seen him smile like that yet, and she couldn't believe how handsome he looked. She found she couldn't tear her eyes away and he couldn't fail to notice her rapt stare. His eyes narrowed and he tilted his chin arrogantly, stalking across the room towards her until he had her backed up against the wall, where he could put his hands out and trap her. "You're staring again, little girl," he murmured and she shivered at the depth of his voice, the way he was looking at her. His mouth lowered and this time she didn't try to avoid it, her eyes closing as his lips touched hers and he kissed her gently, his hands falling to frame her small face and tilt it at an angle. He instantly deepened the kiss as her lips parted, taking advantage of her weakness and plundering her mouth. Ellie was shocked when he drew back abruptly, but then he put his hand over his mouth and sneezed violently, cursing again when he did so.
"Are....are you okay?"
"I'm fine dammit," he said, annoyed that the cold had gotten to him. His tone of voice stopped her from saying anything else and in the end she just sat on the side of the bed and sipped her chocolate, trying to ignore the glowering man in the room.
The next morning she was woken up to the sound of someone coughing violently next to her and she opened her eyes to see Mark laying on his side and trying to bring up a lung, by the sound of it. His hair was damp with sweat and his face was flushed, and she bit her lip as she reached out a hand to feel his forehead.
"Oh dear," she muttered, sitting up and looking at him while he coughed. When he had stopped and was trying to take just one deep breath, she slid out of the bed and pulled on her robe.
"Where are you going?" he croaked out, groaning as he started coughing again.
"I'm going to get you some aspirin," she said, slipping on some shoes and looking at him worriedly. "And some cough syrup, if there is any."
"I don't want any damn aspirin," he growled at her, his eyes watering as he gave her his best glare.
"Maybe not, but you do need some," she replied, squaring her shoulders and looking down her nose at him. She waited to see if he would say anything else, and when he remained silent she nodded and left the room, going straight down to the kitchen.
Lizzy looked up as she entered the room and frowned. "What's wrong, darlin'?"
"He's...er..Mark's not well, I think it's just a cold. Do you have any aspirin? Maybe some cough medicine?"
Lizzy shook her head as she searched through the medicine cabinet. "I knew he'd catch a cold, he didn't even change out of his clothes! Stupid boy. Here," she said, turning and handing Ellie a bottle of aspirin and a big bottle of some foul looking syrup. "I know he can be an ogre when he's ill, so make sure you give him plenty, just to knock him out if nothing else! And don't let him shout at you, make sure he knows you'll leave him there to die if he does."
"I couldn't leave him alone, not when he's ill," Ellie said.
Lizzy stared at her for a moment and then beamed, giving her a glass of water. "Good, I'm glad you can't. But don't let him know that, okay? Men are like children when they're ill, just remember that and treat him accordingly."
Ellie gave a small laugh and left the room, rushing back upstairs to take care of her husband. The way he glared at her when she entered the room almost made her turn around and head back out again, but she swallowed her fear and sat on the bed near him. "Take these," she said, shaking out two tablets and handing them to him.
"I don't damn well want them, I told you!" he shouted as loud as his voice would allow, throwing the tablets on the floor and glaring again.
"I don't care what you want, you will take them!" she said sharply, taking two more and holding them to his mouth. She had a problem not laughing when he clamped his lips together and refused to take them. Treat him like a child, Lizzy had said, so Ellie followed her advice and pinched his nose, waiting until he had to take a breath. It took longer than she had expected, but eventually even he needed air and she pushed the tablets inside his mouth as soon as she could, drawing her fingers back quickly when he tried to bite them. As an afterthought she closed her hand over his lips, and it was just in time as he was about to spit the tablets out. His eyes told her what he thought of her, but he was actually too weak to do anything about it. "Do you want some water to wash them down? Or are you going to try and spit again?"
She could see him debating that question in his head and he gave a slow nod, the taste of the aspirin almost burning through his tongue now. Ellie lifted the glass to his lips and removed her hand, watchful in case he tried anything, but he obediently took a few sips of water and then laid back, sighing.
"Now, how about some of this cough syrup?" she asked, looking at the label and then uncapping it.
"No," he said sullenly, not looking at her this time.
"I think you should have some, your cough sounds awful," she said, looking at his averted face and feeling a rush of sympathy.
"You've already thrust those damn aspirin down my throat....I don't want anything else!" he growled, looking at her again.
Ellie could see that he wasn't really angry with her, more angry at being helpless for any amount of time. "Please, Mark, you're throat will just hurt you if you don't. I don't want to see you in pain, take some for me?"
He stared at her and the hard lines on his face suddenly dissolved at her show of concern, and he found himself nodding and opening his mouth for the spoon. Even the bitter taste of the medicine didn't bother him as the warmth of her care flowed over him, and he let her tuck him in and bathe his forehead, his eyes only leaving her as his weak body gave in to sleep.
