Chapter 42
CHAPTER
FORTY-TWO
EMERSON
“Family of Colter Donovan?”
“We are,” I said, standing up.
The doctor nodded and approached us. “He’s doing well. There are first-degree burns on one side of his body. He sustained a concussion and two broken ribs. Your friend is lucky. If he’d been any closer to the vehicle, he might not be waking up. We’re going to keep him overnight for observation, but he’ll be able to go home tomorrow if everything goes well.”
I sagged in relief. I hated that Colter was hurt, but this we could manage. “He’s been asking for Mer.” I raised my hand, and the doctor nodded. “Two of you can visit for a short period before we move him to a room.”
“We’ll wait here,” Rose said.
Holden and I followed a nurse down the hallway. Chills ran over my spine, and I glanced back, but nothing was there. Holden tugged me to follow, so I picked up my steps.
“You have about twenty minutes before his room is ready.”
“Thank you. ”
Holden stood frozen at the door, his eyes wide as he swallowed. Squeezing his hand, I pushed it open and stepped into the room. Two other patients lay in beds, but I only had eyes for the man lying in the last one.
“Hey,” he rasped. Colter gave us a soft smile. He sat up, still covered in soot and in the clothes he’d worn earlier. They were charred black in spots and cut away in others where gauze now showed. His dark blond hair was flattened on one side and stuck out in every direction on the other.
I wanted to wrap him in a hug but held myself back from running to him so I didn’t injure him further. Carefully, I rested my head on his chest as he cupped the back of my head.
“I’m so sorry,” I cried.
“Shh, it’s not your fault, Mer.”
“It was him, Col. It is my fault.”
He lifted his hand and nudged me back. His eyes were hard, and he gripped my chin with his good hand. “Stop. The only one responsible is him.”
My lip trembled, and I admitted the fear I’d been carrying. “It should’ve been me.”
“Fuck that. He was watching, Mer. I don’t remember much, but he was there. He stood over me. I don’t know if he would’ve detonated it if you were driving or if he would’ve done it at school after you got out of the car. He wouldn’t have done it with you in it because he wants you. Killing you doesn’t serve his purpose.”
“I don’t know why he wants me.” Tears streamed down my cheeks. I was so sick of crying.
“You heard the detective, Wildcat. His reasoning isn’t founded in logic.”
I nodded, wiping my cheeks. “Why can’t I have good things?”
“You can. He can’t take that away from us,” Colter said .
“I’m sorry. You’re the one in a hospital bed, and I’m making it about me.”
“Exactly. I deserve some first-class care here. Will you wear a sexy nurse outfit and nurse me back to health?” Colter laughed, wiggling his eyebrows. I giggled, and he smiled.
“My dad wants us to move into our house. It has better security.”
“Wait. Me too?” he asked, his eyes bouncing between me and Holden.
“Yep. I’ll pack you some clothes. Anything else you might need?” Holden answered. He sat on the end of the bed, his eyes focused on his best friend.
“Just my computer and textbooks for now. Shit, I need to call Sandy.” He patted his body. “I don’t know where my phone is.”
I placed my hand over his. “I already told her, emailed your professors, and let the team know.” Colter sighed in relief. “The only people I didn’t tell were your parents. Holden said to wait.”
This time, he grimaced. “Yeah, let’s not.” I nodded in understanding.
“Mr. Donovan, your room is ready.” The nurse stepped into the room. “We’ll be in room 439. Once we have him situated, you can head there in twenty minutes.”
I nodded and stood from the bed, kissing Colter on the cheek. Holden squeezed Colter’s leg, and they stared at one another. It seemed like a whole conversation had passed between them. Holden nodded and took my hand, ignoring the nurses as they stared at the three of us. When we stepped into the waiting room, we froze at the sight before us.
“Peanut! Is Colter okay? Your poor car!” Cody jumped up and rushed over to us. It looked like the entire football team filled the waiting room seats.
“Um, yeah. I mean, no, but he’ll be okay. They’re moving rooms.” The team sighed in relief. I noticed a few glances between Holden and me, our hands still entwined. If Holden noticed, he didn’t care, because he only pulled me closer to him. Coach Moore walked over, his face grim.
“What’s the verdict, Captain?”
Shit. I hadn’t even thought about whether Colter could play. Would he lose his scholarship if he couldn’t?
“Broken ribs, concussion, and first-degree burns. They’re keeping him overnight.”
“Shit.” He pulled off his cap, rubbing his balding head. “Do they know what happened?”
I opened my mouth to answer, but Holden squeezed my hand hard, and I stopped. “Something with the car. They’re investigating.”
“Dammit.”
I wanted to yell at him for being more concerned about the game than his player, but thankfully, Holden did it first.
“This better not be about the game.” His voice came out all growly, perking up my arousal. I had to scold myself. This was not the time or place.
The coach reared back like Holden had slapped him. “Of course not! Donovan’s a hell of a player, but he’s not the team.” Holden relaxed slightly. “It’s still early in the season, so I don’t want the school to take away his scholarship.”
And there was my fear.
“Is that possible?” I asked.
“If he’s not able to play the rest of the season, it’s possible,” Coach said glumly.
“Fuck. I didn’t...” Holden shook his head, pulling his hair. “We’ll figure something out. I don’t want him to worry about this.”
Coach nodded. “I won’t say anything. I’ll push off the athletics department as long as I can.”
“Thanks, Coach.” Holden reached out and squeezed his shoulder. The older man nodded, patting his hand. “He’s being moved up to room 439, but he can’t have a lot of visitors.” His eyes scanned the team; brotherhood and admiration filled his eyes.
“No worries. Just let Donovan know we’re here,” a big guy said. A few others nodded in agreement. Cody hugged me, whispering to update him on the hand-holding situation later.
“Fuck. Who knew broken ribs would hurt so much?” Colter cursed, clutching his side. We’d only made it up four steps.
“Do you want me to?—”
“Nope. I’ll make it. Just let me whine about it,” he teased, winking at me.
Twenty minutes later and about four more stops, we finally entered my room. Sweat beaded along his brow, and his face was red from the exertion. He collapsed onto the bed, panting as he caught his breath.
“Damn. This bed is nice. Why have we been sleeping in my crappy one?”
“Because your crappy one was sans nosey parents.”
“Ah! Right. That is a good reason.”
I helped him prop up against the pillows and snuggle onto his non-injured side. Holden was already on campus since he had a test this morning he couldn’t miss, and Art had been canceled. He’d used Hope’s car, and I’d ride with Rose this afternoon so I could get Colter situated.
“Your room is nice, Merbear.”
“Thanks. It’s not really my room, though. Hope took mine when she moved in.”
“Seriously?”
“Yeah. In the end, though, I’m kind of glad. If Holden and I hadn’t shared a bathroom, we might not have ended up here.”
“I don’t believe that. You two were destined. ”
“Maybe. But I’m glad about how things turned out. I just wish you hadn’t gotten hurt.” I tilted my head up to look at him. Colter was already staring at me. He lifted his hand to cup my cheek, his thumb sweeping back and forth.
“I’d get hurt a million times if it meant you didn’t, Mer. You know, it’s funny. The doctor said if I’d been closer to the car, my injuries would’ve been more severe.”
My forehead creased. “Why were you so far away? Weren’t you getting in?”
Colter shook his head. “I’d unlocked it and realized I’d forgotten something very important. So I’d stopped on the sidewalk and relocked it to come back in when the blast hit me.”
“What did you forget?”
His eyes softened as he smiled down at me. “To tell you that I love you.” I sucked in a breath. I hadn’t been expecting him to say that. “I know it’s only been two months since we met, but I fell in love with you in small doses every day. When I realized it, it hit me so hard that my feet stuck to the pavement, and I knew I needed to tell you right then. I didn’t quite make it, but your love saved me, Mer.”
“Colter,” I whispered. I pulled his face down, kissing him. “I love you, too. I still don’t feel like I deserve you both?—”
“Nonsense.”
“It’s not that I think I’m not worthy. I feel greedy.”
“Be greedy, Mer. I don’t want to live without you. I could. But life will be so much better with you in it.” He kissed me harder, his tongue seeking as he speared it into my mouth. Desire raced up my spine, and my pussy throbbed with need. His kiss was desperate, the need clear in each stroke to feel okay, and I wanted to answer.
“I love you so much.” He peppered kisses along my jaw and neck, squeezing my breast. I moaned, my panties already wet, but I pushed against his chest, stopping him.
“We shouldn’t. ”
“Why? Because I’m injured?”
“Exactly.”
“I’m confident in your ability to be creative, Mer,” he teased. “Especially if you do all the work.” He lifted his arm behind his head, the one with burns staying by his side. He scooted down onto the bed more, sighing into the pillows. “Use me, woman. Nurse me back to health with your magical pussy.”
“You’re ridiculous, Col.” But I blushed all the same.
“Sexy ridiculous. I was promised a sexy nurse. Make me feel better.” He pushed out his bottom lip. It was so ridiculous, but I was unable to ignore his plea. I’d be careful, and if he showed any signs of pain, I’d stop.
“Where does it hurt?” I asked, biting my lip. I lifted my shirt over my head, displaying my breasts to him. My bra was lacy and sheer, giving him a good view of my nipples.
“God, you’re sexy, Mer.” Colter licked his lips, his eyes trailing over me. He pushed up his hips, his dick tenting his pants. “It hurts here. Can you help?”
“Here?” I asked, gripping him. “How’s this? Any better?”
He groaned, his eyes rolling back, and he nodded. “A little. More.”
I pushed his joggers and boxers down to his thigh, his cock happily greeting me at its release. Wrapping my hand around his length, I stroked him up and down, paying particular attention to the piercing. Colter’s breathing became labored, and his cheeks flushed as I stroked him.
“That’s good, sweetheart. But I need some special attention.” He smirked.
“Yes. You’re right.” Unhooking my bra, I bent forward and squeezed my breasts around his dick, and moved up and down.
“Ah, yes, fuck, Mer. That’s sexy as hell.” His hips thrust forward, and I stuck out my tongue, tasting the bead of precum on the tip. His movements became quicker, and I sucked him into my mouth. Bobbing over him, I stroked him with my tits while sucking him. I couldn’t take him very far, and my back wasn’t a fan of the position, but I ignored it as Colter lost his damn mind. His hand came down to thread through my hair, tugging me further onto him.
“Just like that. So good,” he praised. His thighs tensed beneath me seconds before he stalled, spilling down my throat. At this angle, I couldn’t swallow him all, so cum trickled out of my mouth onto my breasts. Colter panted, staring at me in awe.
“I wish I could take a pic of this and send it to Holden. You look so goddam sexy with my cum on your tits, Merbear.” His thumb wiped some from my lips before pressing it into my mouth. I sucked on his thumb, his cum salty on my tongue. Licking my lips clean, I sat up.
“Does my patient require anything else?”
“Cuddles.”
Smiling, I nodded and climbed off the bed to clean the mess off my chest. I pulled my shirt back on and snuggled up to Colter. He’d pulled his pants up and wore a contented smile as he kissed my forehead. Our legs intertwined, and I turned on the TV. I didn’t pay attention to what was on it; I was just happy to be here with him.
Love was awesome.
The alarm I’d set went off sometime later, and I grumbled as I pulled out of his arms. He’d fallen asleep, so I brushed his hair across his forehead and kissed him before climbing off the bed. I changed from the shirt and leggings, pulled my bra back on, and dressed in jeans and a sweater. It had gotten colder, and a t-shirt would not cut it when walking across campus.
The drive to campus was quiet, Rose leaving me to my thoughts as I replayed the past two days. There had been so much good. I hated that some asshole had tried to ruin it. I just had to keep reminding myself Colter would heal and that the police were finally taking me seriously. At the thought, I peered back and spotted the cruiser that followed.
“You’re riding back with Holden?” Rose asked after she parked.
“Yeah. I have a shift tonight, so he’s going to drop me off there.”
“I’ll check on Colter when I’m home, then.”
“Thanks, Rose.”
She hugged me, and we said goodbye, going in different directions. Students glanced at me as I passed, their stares wary. Gone was the misplaced hero worship, and in its place was skepticism. I caught a few hushed whispers, but nothing I could make sense of.
Stepping into the building, I headed for the bathroom first. I needed a minute to myself before I stepped into Astronomy. Sitting on the lid, I took a few moments to deep breathe. The door opened, the noise from the hallway seeping in as two sets of feet entered.
“I can’t believe she tried to kill Colter. He’s so nice.”
I froze at the mention of Colter. Staying as still as possible, I peeked through the crack in the door. Two girls with familiar Greek letters on their bags stood at the sink, primping.
“The nicest! I heard he found her cheating on him with Holden and then tried to set him on fire.”
“No way! First, she tried to kill Hope, and now Colter. Who’s next? Holden better watch out.”
“She won’t be a problem much longer if Hope does what she’s supposed to.”
“Do you honestly think she’s going to follow through? Hope’s been wavering this past year. Stasia was on the brink of kicking her out until that video.”
“If she wants to stay a Zeta, she’ll come through. She knows what she has to gain and lose if she doesn’t.”
“Is it bad I kind of want her to fail? Watching Hope Adler fall from her throne has been the highlight of my year. Seeing her stay down would be the icing on the cake.”
“The bitch never deserved to be on her throne to begin with. But we’ll see, she’s come through with everything so far. Either way, it will be entertaining.” She applied lipstick, turning to look at herself. “God, I love being rich. Did I tell you about the new Mercedes Daddy’s getting me?”
“Shut up. He agreed to the S-Class?”
“Yep. I’ll be the envy of the entire school.”
They packed up and headed out the door, the noise from the hallway quieting as the door shut. The information tumbled in my head as I opened the door, and I felt completely numb.
Once again, Hope had pulled one over on me. I’d thought she’d changed, but she was still the same selfish bitch.
Anger built throughout class, plans of revenge at the forefront. I wouldn’t let Hope win this time.