Chapter 27 CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Scarlett’s POV
Coming to felt like floating.
The world was soft, white, and blurry at the edges. I felt like I was lying on a bed of clouds, my body weightless and my mind muddy. For a few seconds, I couldn't remember where I was or why my head felt so heavy. Then, the memories started to trickle back in—leaving Bellamy in the van, the warm hospital air, Blue’s face right before they wheeled me away.
I instinctively tried to reach down to pat my midsection, wanting to feel the wound, but my arms felt like they belonged to someone else. I couldn't feel any pain, which I knew was only temporary. The doctors must have had me on a heavy drip of painkillers. I could only hope they’d keep pumping them into me because the moment they wore off, I knew I was going to be in big trouble.
I blinked, trying to clear the fog from my vision, and looked around the room. It was nice, private and quiet. But then my eyes landed on the large sofa in the corner, and my heart dropped into my stomach.
Blue was there. He wasn't alone.
A curvy, well-blessed nurse was standing right in front of him, and his large hands were resting loosely on her waist. She was leaning into him, her face tilted down, and for a horrible, heart-stabbing second, I thought I was witnessing something I shouldn't have.
At first, I couldn't even process it. Here I was, literally recovering from surgery, barely even conscious, and he was already finding ways to have fun with someone else. Men are such funny, frustrating creatures. They save your life one minute and break your heart the next.
Our eyes met. Blue’s eyes widened considerably, a flash of something that looked like guilt, or maybe just surprise, crossing his face. He didn't hesitate. He shoved the nurse away from him with enough force to make her stumble.
"Get out," he growled at her.
The nurse didn't need to be told twice. She straightened her shirt, shot me a look that was half-pity and half-annoyance, and bolted for the door. Now it was just the two of us.
Blue cleared his throat, shifting uncomfortably on the sofa before standing up. "How do you feel?"
"Why do you care?" I snapped. My voice was scratchy and weak, but the bite was still there.
Blue’s expression hardened instantly. He took a step toward the bed, his shadow looming over me. "I have told you before not to give me that attitude, Scarlett. You are in no place to feel hurt by my actions. You don't own me."
He paused, and for a split second, his gaze flickered toward the door where the nurse had vanished. As if it were an afterthought, he added, "I wasn't even going to do anything with her."
I let out a cold, dry laugh that made my side twinge. "You’re right. You’ve given so much—you got me out and treated. I shouldn’t be greedy. I'm just a property that belongs to you, right?"
I turned my head away, staring at the white wall. "Let me know when you want me, Blue. Actually, the second I’m healed and we’re back at Bellamy, let’s just do it. It’s all I’m good for anyway. I should probably start holding up my end of the bargain."
I heard his heavy footsteps as he walked right up to the side of my bed. He didn't say anything at first, but I could feel the heat radiating off him. He leaned down, lowering his voice until it was a dangerous, piercing whisper.
"I don't approve of you speaking that way about yourself," he said. His eyes were locked onto mine, grey and stormy. "Remember that you are mine. If you say something like that again, I’ll spank you so hard you won't be able to sit for a week. Do you understand?"
I glared at him, my stubbornness rising to meet his. "Do you understand? Do you understand? Is that all you know how to say? You think you can just order my feelings around?"
Out of nowhere, he leaned in further. Before I could even gasp, I felt the warmth of his lips fall on the corner of my mouth. It wasn't an actual kiss, but it was so close to it that I could feel the ghost of his breath on my skin.
I froze. I think I blinked at least twenty times in a row, my brain short-circuiting as I tried to process what had just happened. My heart, which had been heavy with anger a moment ago, started to gallop like a wild horse.
I looked at him slowly, my voice barely a whisper. "Did you... did you just do what I think you did?"
Blue straightened up, his face returning to that unreadable mask, though there was a slight tension in his jaw. "Yes," he said. "It’s a 'you did well' kiss. For surviving the surgery."
He cleared his throat again and looked toward the window. "The doctor said you’re healing fine. In three days, we can return to Bellamy. You need to get your strength back."
He started toward the door, pausing with his hand on the handle. "I’m going to go find something you can actually eat. You haven't had anything in over twelve hours so you must be hungry."
The door shut behind him with a soft click.
The second he was gone, the tension left my body. I stared at the ceiling, my fingers trembling as I touched the corner of my lip where he had kissed me. A wide, uncontrollable grin started to take over my face. I tried to bite it back, tried to tell myself to be serious and stay angry, but I couldn't stop it.
He kissed me.
Blue actually kissed me.
I lay back against the pillows, the grin still plastered on my face, waiting for him to come back.