Deceitfully Yours

22.

Waking up, it felt like Thor had dropped his hammer on my head and left it there.

Vaguely aware of my surroundings, I slowly began to sit up and place my hand on my throbbing head. Tristan was right, last night was hell. You'd think the years spent being a nurse would've better prepared me for the pain but all through the night, I kept on turning and crying and praying for the pain to ebb but it kept singeing.

I rubbed my bleary eyes and yawned but my yawn instantly turned into a gasp of horror when my vision sharpened and revealed a pair of emerald eyes staring at me.

I jerked back on the bed, bringing the sheets to my chest. She was petite with dark hair and she was sitting on the chair, her hand on her thighs, watching me.

Her young face broke into a weary smile. "Good morning, Mrs. Larsen, I am Coco." She said in an accented voice. "I'm sorry if I scared you." She got up, dusting her hand down her cream loose blouse that somehow still managed to showcase her curves. "I am a staffer here. Mr. Larsen insisted I stay here and watch you sleep."

I blinked. "You stayed here all night?"

She nodded, smiling. "Yes."

Why would he do that?

Where was he?

"Did you have a nice sleep?" She asked me in return, bringing my train of thought to a halt.

"Yes, I did," I told her despite the clanging in my head. "Do you have any idea where Tri-my husband is?"

She shook her head but kept smiling like she was programmed to do so. Poor thing, her eyes were groggy with sleep. Tristan was an asshole for doing this. "Your bath has been drawn. Is there anything else you would like me to do for you?"

I shook my head. "No, not at all."

"Alright, I'll give you some privacy."

"Thank you," I said, smiling ruefully at her. "And please get some sleep."

She merely smiled. "I will, ma'am."

When she left, I released a breath and dragged myself out of bed. Tristan never came back last night. It got me thinking about where he slept.

Shaking my head, I pushed my thoughts to the back of my mind and entered the bathroom. It was steamy and the deep marble bathtub had petals of dried marigold flowers floating around it.

Taking a deep breath, I retrieved my toothbrush from one of the armories, and in front of the wide mirror, I brushed my teeth. When I finished, I took off my clothes and sunk into the bubbly bathtub.

Twenty minutes later, I felt a little better. The heat relaxed my knotted muscles and soothed most of my body aches but my head still throbbed.

I lifted myself slowly out of the tub and clutched a towel around my chest. Inside the room, I walked to my side of the wardrobe and was just about to search for what to wear when the room door opened.

I had half expected to see Coco walking in again again but to my surprise, Tristan emerged, looking showered, shaved, and unreadable.

He frowned when his eyes found mine. I knew why. He walked over to me and a lump lodged in my throat when he pushed my hair back gently and inspected my head. "It's wet." He scolded.

Yeah, a little water got into my dressing. "It was a mistake," I said primly, holding my towel tight to my chest. "I was trying to wash my face when it happened."

His sigh was a disapproving one. He brushed his thumbs over my temple, a gesture I found oddly satisfying, too satisfying. "You had one job, Sienna."

"And I said it's a mistake." I bit, hoping he didn't see the flush in my cheeks.

He shook his head. "I'll be back. Stay there." He instructed and disappeared into the bathroom, returning a few minutes later with a first aid kit.

He placed everything on the table and turned to me. "Come over here."

His command was calm and controlled and it sent shivers running along my spine. On its own accord, my legs moved and I found myself walking toward him, stopping in front of him.

"Sit."

I sat.

He was towering over me in this position, making me feel too small. Aware of his heated gaze, I looked down. My white towel had rolled up, showcasing a bountiful amount of my inner thighs. I crossed my legs together and swallowed. He could've at least let me dress first.

He stepped forward into my space, killing the distance between us. He smelt so good it made my brain fuzzy. My body stiffened when I felt a finger beneath my chin.

He lifted my head up to meet his gaze. "Does it still hurt?"

I bit my lip. "Not that much."

A look of relief washed over his face. He unwrapped the padded gauze from my head and went to work dressing my wound with a tenderness that seemed out of place on a man of his caliber.

"You didn't come back last night." I started, watching him work.

"I know."

"Why?"

"I had important things to take care of."

Or you just wanted to avoid me.

It was clear he didn't want to talk about what happened.

"Where did you sleep then?" I asked further, gauging him.

"At a nearby hotel."

"Alone?" The question was out of my mouth before I could stop it.

He stopped and glared at me. "Sienna."

I pursed my lip. "Sorry."

With a grunt, he returned to work. He cleaned around my stitches in silence and added some antiseptic cream, dabbing it against my head. When he finished, the stinging pain had given way to a duller ache.

"You should get dressed." He offered.

Yeah, no figure.

I got up. "Thank you."

He didn't move.

I waited.

He still didn't move.

He looked like he had something to say but didn't know how to. Then he reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a black card.

He cleared his throat. "Here."

I retrieved the card, staring at his name written in bold gold. "What's this for?"

"Get whatever you want with it."

I blinked. Huh?

He glanced away, looking like he was visibly struggling with his words. "I have a meeting and some other things to take care of. I might be gone for the day. Don't stay in all day, go out, do some shopping and get yourself something nice."

Oh woah.

Tristan Larsen had just handed me his card and told me to get whatever I wanted with it.

My shock was palpable.

Was this his way of apologizing?

I stared down at the card and stared back at him. Barely able to contain the oddly giddy feeling rising in my stomach, I said. "Thank you, Tristan."