Ewan inhaled sharply, pain coursing through the nerve endings around his back as he tried to towel that area of his body.
Damn! He mused, gritting his teeth when the offending towel brushed against a burning spot. He gave up the drying process, choosing instead to let the old looking fan in the room do the rest of the work.
’I’ll just have to stand in front of it,’ He decided, ignoring the dull pounding pain in his head.
He wound the towel around his waist, made a stable knot, and walked out of the bathroom.
Hopefully, by now, the agents would have brought in the medical kit; if not, he saw no way he would be sleeping with his back burning like this, with his head pounding as if a carpenter were furnishing wood inside his skull.
Another hiss of pain escaped his lips when he stepped out of the room, as the wounds decided to torture him again. He felt dizzy and woozy and had to hold onto the bathroom’s doorframe to remain steady on his feet. He needed aspirin, food, and a good rest.
Looking up with a face contorted in pain, he finally noticed Athena standing a couple of feet away from him, with the medical box in one hand and a bottle of water in the other—probably for the aspirin.
The pain faded to the background, and his face relaxed into its natural contours without his knowledge when he realized that she was gaping, that she was checking him out, her mouth slightly open in shock.
He remembered then that he was ripped and bare, and that he hadn’t dried off properly. A smile touched his lips.
Ignoring the pains ransacking his back, he flexed his arms and stomach subtly, almost purring in pleasure when her mouth opened wider and her eyes traveled from his head to his toes slowly—surely taking their time to savour the goodness.
"Like what you see?" Ewan almost slapped his mouth shut for such corny words. ’Couldn’t I have blurted something more classic, yet blush-worthy?’
He, however, maintained a teasing demeanor while Athena cleared her throat and pointed to the second bed without another word.
"My body is still wet, so I will stand before the fan for a while..." He continued, already walking toward the fan, pretending indifference while aware that she was still staring at him.
"Oh my God..."
He finally heard her croak out, and realized that she could now see his injured back, seeing as he was standing before the fan, which faced the beds.
"Ewan..." Her voice sounded hoarse, like she wanted to cry. He didn’t want her to cry.
He tried to turn, to tell her that he had been in worse situations, that he had been scalded before, but then he felt her light touch on his back and knew there was no need.
He inhaled sharply, his heart beating out of rhythm when he felt her tracing her fingers around his scarred back. Pain mixed with pleasure flooded his bloodstream.
He was not sure if he should tell her that her touch was making the pain a bit more sensitive or let her continue. The latter suggestion won.
His breath caught when her fingers dipped lower, reaching toward the tip of the towel. ’What was she doing torturing him more?’
He cleared his throat, stopping the movement of her fingers.
"You did well not letting water touch the wounds," Athena started, finally getting her voice steady, even though she wasn’t sure how he had managed to do that; he hadn’t even taken as much time as she had thought. But the fact remained that he must have been in deeper situations than this.
"Yet turn, so that it can dry out a little. Then you can join me on the bed."
Ewan’s heart and mind went into overdrive over that last statement, as it took on another meaning. Oh, how he wished things were so different...
He obeyed and turned, giving Athena another view of his ripped body.
Athena lost her words, but this time she turned with an insane amount of speed and fled to the bed in question, her breath irregular as she took her seat and busied her hands with the contents of the medical kit.
"Your clothes are over there..." She said after minutes of keeping her head down, ignoring the pain budding around her neck.
She heard Ewan moving, her breath hitching as he came to stand before her, still wrapped in a towel.
"What are you doing?" She asked, mentally cursing the raspy state of her voice. She sounded like a woman needing something, and she didn’t like it.
She also cursed her mind for not remembering the beautiful state of Ewan’s naked body; if she had remembered, she would have left instructions for him and then left the room.
A relieved sigh escaped his lips when he saw the agents behind the door.
"We spoke to the receptionist, and she mentioned that the food will be ready in a few minutes. But they sent us ahead with some desserts. Do you think it will be enough?" Hank asked, releasing his hold on the trolley, his eyes focused on Ewan’s, a blank expression on his face as if he wasn’t seeing the almost-nakedness of Ewan.
"Thank you very much, Hank, Dillion..." Ewan said, pulling the trolley gently into the room. "Have you reached Aiden?"
The two agents nodded.
"But Doctor Athena doesn’t want him here. She wants him to focus on his own mission instead, seeing as they are working on the mole and his threads." Dillion answered.
Ewan nodded slowly. "Alright then. I will see you guys later. Thanks again."
The agents nodded their acknowledgment and walked out of the room.
Inside, Ewan opened the plate that had been used as a cover; it was cake and some fruits. ’That can serve,’ He thought, taking an apple and munching it.
The action halted midway when the bathroom door opened, and Athena stepped out.
Athena had stayed in front of the broken mirror in the bathroom for a couple of minutes, checking one too many times if her nipples weren’t visible through the yellow sun-dress since she had disposed of her bra with her clothes—her breasts were no longer as small as they had been when they got married earlier; childbearing had changed a lot.
No panties either...
She had never wished so much for the company of a female agent until then.
"Like what you see..." Athena almost barfed at her own words.
She had decided to throw Ewan’s words back at him, even though she wasn’t sporting a towel around her frame. Yet, she was still the one feeling nervous.
"Oh yes, I love what I am seeing," Ewan replied, his eyes shades darker.
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