Abby hops up onto the high bed, sits in the middle with her back toward me, sweeps her hair over her shoulder, then tugs at her tank top to reveal the bandage. I set the bag of food on the dresser and head over to join her. Don’t miss that I’m about to get into a bed with Abby.

I take the bandage from her and begin the process of peeling the old one off. “You’re doing this to scare me off, but it won’t work.”

“Just need help, Logan. I’m not nearly as manipulative as you think.”

Bet she’s more. “You have a trained nurse downstairs who could do this better. You’re trying to prove being around you is dangerous.”

“It is,” she says simply.

I focus on trying not to hurt her when removing the bandage, but the fastest and most human way is a quick rip. Abby sucks in a breath as she straightens and my fingers lightly massage her skin. The wound is smaller than I would have expected. Raw, light red, and the skin surrounding it is bruised.

Memories of the first few months of diabetes shots and how sore I was causes me to lean forward and kiss her soft skin an inch above where she hurts. Abby’s breathing hitches again, but this time, it’s not from pain.

Over a week ago, Abby and I kissed and we were supposed to kiss more later that night. It all feels like lifetimes ago.

“Paying me back for the reverse striptease?” she asks.

More like giving in to temptation. I press the new bandage on then place both of my hands on her shoulders. My hands look huge against her body and my heart skips a beat with how smooth and hot she is under the pads of my fingers.

“What are you doing?” Abby asks in a hushed voice.

“Touching you.” My fingers dig into her skin, not too rough, but enough that it penetrates her tight muscles and Abby’s shoulders roll forward with the massage. A low moan also escapes from her lips and the sweet sound causes my longing for her to intensify.

“That feels good,” she whispers.

Having my hands on her also feels good. Too good. Too right. I continue to push my fingers into her muscles and she continues to relax under my touch. With each stroke though, the flame flickering within me grows and begins to slowly burn my blood.

Abby kissing me the other night was hotter than anything I’ve ever experienced and I crave the sensation of her lips against mine again. My fingers brush her hairline and Abby leans into me. Her back against my chest. Both of our breaths coming out faster and shorter.

My blood throbs with the need, the desire...kiss her...kiss her...kiss her.

I skim my nose down her neck and my mouth opens—a kiss behind her ear and Abby’s hand reaches back and squeezes my thigh.

A huge adrenaline rush and I’m off the bed before I follow my urges and ruin the plan Isaiah and I had created. I retrieve the bag of food as Abby gazes at me with lust-glazed eyes from over her shoulder. Damn she’s beautiful and I’ve got to get my head in the game.

“Let’s eat.”

Abby’s eyes sparkle as she stands to join me. Being unpredictable, she sits cross-legged on the hardwood floor. Abby’s a dream in a pair of slim-fitting drawstring pants, that tank, and wet hair. With soft curves and a spark of attitude in her eyes, Abby’s the type of vision every guy imagines falling asleep and waking up next to for the rest of his life.

I sit across from her and offer her two tacos and chips with queso. When I pull out a grilled chicken sandwich, but take the chicken off the bun, Abby raises her eyebrows. “For real? I’m eating crunchy goodness from heaven and you’re eating that?”

My glucose levels were close to being normal earlier today, which means I have a chance of not feeling like shit for a few minutes so yeah, I’m going with pure protein. Gotta admit though, it’s moments like this that make having diabetes complicated—when my healthy choices seem more insane than drag racing cars.

I do what I do best, ignore the question, start eating, and let the silence build. Learned a long time ago that trying to come up with explanations for my parent’s divorce, for my Dad’s choice to work third shift, Mom’s fascination with crazy crap, for anything related to my diabetes was fruitless. Lying sucks, made-up explanations only cause people to ask more, and often the truth seems like a lie. Silence kills anyone’s curiosity.

One of the things I like about Abby, she takes my nonanswering in stride. Eats one taco after another like she hasn’t seen food in months, then digs into the queso.

There’s no TV in her room. No speakers for an iPod. No computer or laptop. Besides the old television in the living room, can’t remember seeing much in the way of electronics at all in the house.

Like the rest of her home, this room seems frozen in time, belonging to a small child, not the methodical girl I know. Streams of pink fabric are strung from the tips of the massive four-poster bed. The peeling wallpaper is also pink with white and green flowers. Large and small stuffed animals are scattered along the bed, on the dresser, and in an organized pile in the corner—each of their smiling faces sticking out.

On the bed is a quilt and each square contains a little girl with a bonnet on her head. Her clothing different colors, but they all face the same way, except for one rebel at the end. She’s facing toward us. My eyes narrow in on that square as I eat my last bite of salad.

“Grams made the quilt for me,” Abby says. “She did the last girl on purpose. To remind me to be different.”

“It worked.”

Abby bitterly smiles. “Maybe a little too well.” Then the smile dissolves. “Or maybe it didn’t work well enough. My dad was a drug dealer.”