Broken but not lost

Chapter 17, BRIAR

I take my tank top off, tossing it to the side, then lower my bra strap under my arm so he can get to my wound easier. Why do I always end up half naked in front of this man?

"Fucking hell." I shout as he peels the bandage away from my wound. All Flynn does is laugh.

That motherfucker.

"Oh, so my pain is funny to you now?" I ask, shooting daggers from my eyes.

He laughs again, "No. Just laughing at how much you curse. And in case you're wondering, that was probably the worst part." He begins pouring water onto my wound and then hands me a cloth. I look at him expectantly. "Cover your front with it to slow the bleeding while I stitch the back."

I do as he says and hold it tight while he puts a clean shirt on. It's a little small on him and I can see every trace of muscle through the shirt. He walks around me, needle and thread in hand. Right before he begins I ask, "You do know how to do this right?"

He scoffs, "Briar, we live in a time where everyone gets shot. Yes I know how to do this."

I roll my eyes and sit up straight. He touches my lower back with one hand, then brushes against my scar on my upper back and begins stitching with the other. I try hard not to move but his touch makes me feel things. I cross my legs hesitantly, trying to hide the fact that I only did it because of how he's touching me.

I squeeze the cloth that I'm holding to my shoulder tightly and suck in a breath as he continues onto the middle of the wound.

"Are you alright, love? Do you need me to stop?" He pauses, wrapping his arm around me to my waist. I let out a strangled breath.

"No, no. Keep going."

"Are you su—" "Keep going Flynn." I cut him off, practically shouting. I could feel his eye roll as he continued stitching.

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Once he finally finished my back, he covers it with a bandage and gets ready to start on the front.

"We've been gone for over a week and we're already almost out of bandages. Why do you always get hurt?" He says, trying to irritate me.

It worked.

"Me? You're the one who got shot twice and you're the one who gave me some of these injuries, might I add." I scoff.

He chuckles as he begins sewing the front of my shoulder.

"Asshole." I mutter under my breath. He hears and lifts my chin up with his left hand, holding the needle in the skin with his right. I try to keep my eyes from looking at his but they keep wandering to his lips.

Fuck me, just look at his eyes, Briar.

He brings his mouth close to mine and I hold my breath. "Say it again." He whispers.

I clench my jaw and pull my face away before I can do anything stupid. He chuckles again and finally pulls the needle the rest of the way through and continues sewing.

He finished and before he can pull a bandage out I take a look. "You're awful at this." I shove him with my foot and laugh at his terrible stitching.

"I said I knew how to do it, I never said I was good." He says with a smile that actually reaches his eyes. I can't help but smile back.

But once I realize he's still smiling at me I clear my throat and look back to the awful workmanship.

"I'm never letting you stitch me up again." I say as he gently covers it with one of the last bandages.

"Just don't get hurt again and I won't have to." He challenges.

I bite my tongue to keep myself from saying anything stupid and quickly stand up. Too quickly because I grow lightheaded and lose my balance.

He stands and grabs my elbows to keep me steady and I shake myself out of it. Weak, I tell myself. "We really need to keep moving before we lose the sun."

"You're joking right?" He drops his arms to his sides, asking with ruffled brows. I shoot him a confused glance. "The sun is already going down and we were both shot. We need to rest for as long as we can."

I scoff, trying to hold back any tears. "We can't waste any more time, Flynn."

He seems to notice my frustration. He sighs. "You need rest, Briar." He steps towards me and takes hold of my hand, I just can't seem to pull away from his touch. "They've got to rest too. They won't be much further than they are now tomorrow. Look, if we stop and rest now, we can get up before the sun rises and get a head start. But you know as well as I that we both need rest." He stares deeply into my eyes, making it difficult to look away.

Why does he always make me hold my breath when he's around me like this?

I let out the breath, trying to be inconspicuous and failing as I see him grin. "Fine." I pull out of his grasp and brush around him to get some water.

While I'm taking a sip I feel his presence behind me, his heat radiating onto my back. I shiver from his body heat touching my cold body. How was he always so warm?

I lower the water bottle and don't dare turn around as I feel his lips touch my ear. "Are you cold?" He asks.

I close my eyes, savoring his closeness. I hum my answer, not trusting myself to speak, and he seems to know it's a yes.

He lowers himself, his hands trailing along the sides of my body as he does so. He reaches around and pulls something out of one of the bags.

He slowly rises, not letting his hand leave my body, then gently places a jacket over my shoulders, careful of my wounded one.

As soon as he backs away, I'm cold again, even with the jacket that smells like him.