THIRTY-THREE
THE HOSPITAL’S REAR stairwell got her to the third floor without seeing anyone. Knowing where the room was, she snuck through the hallways, while trying not to look like she was sneaking, just in case.
Darroch’s door was closed. Good. Without making a sound, she opened it and slipped inside, closing it just as quietly. The curtain was pulled around the bed too, another bonus. The more barriers, the more protection they had from prying eyes.
Finding the split, she slipped between the fabric edges. His eyes were closed, though as she slipped off her shoes and laid her bag on the chair, his head rolled her way. She couldn’t even tell if his eyes had opened at all, but the curve of his lips betrayed she’d been made.
“Scoot,” she whispered, picking up the sheet to slip in next to him. He shifted a little across the bed and put an arm around her to hold her against him. She tucked the covers around them and relaxed. “God, you feel good.”
“What took you so long?”
It hadn’t been much more than an hour since she’d last been in the room. “Your brothers took me home. I had to get changed.”
“I liked the dress.”
“I put it on for you.”
“For me to take off?” His mouth moved in her hair. “Come up here.”
Laying a hand on his chest, she rose to meet his eye. “If I kiss you…”
“What?”
Just admiring those lips was enough to draw her breathing deeper. “You know what.”
One inch would lead to a mile. Man, the stirring of need and gasp of want, her inner muscles clenched. Being in bed with this man was risky.
“We’re allowed, I’m your guy.”
“I’m sorry.”
“For…?” he asked, his hand sliding up to clasp the back of her head. “The apology should come from me, I stood you up.”
Dinner? Old news. “I don’t want us to be broken.”
He guided her mouth to his. “We’re not broken.”
His lips were sure, so familiar and every promise her heart craved.
She eased away. “I held back from us, for so many reasons, which I can’t even remember now.”
With his grip still on her head, he angled her a little for the next kiss. “What matters is where we are now.”
“You have to rest.”
“You’ve got something on your mind, beautiful,” he murmured and kissed her again. “What do you want to say to me?”
Because tonight had proved they may not always have time to waste.
“You make me feel like—I’ve never felt like this, the way I feel when I’m with you.”
“I told you, it feels right.”
“It does and I—that scared me, I think. I didn’t want to be the stupid airhead tripping over myself for the GQ model, but I—I am tripping over myself for you, Darroch Breckenridge. I want to be with you.”
“You’re my girl.”
“I want us to do this. Together. Us. I want to be your partner, to face whatever the future has for us, together.”
His next kiss was a smile. “Baby, I’ve been yours since before you offered me your cherry.”
“Even if the sex sucks, we’ll work through it.”
His quiet laugh vibrated through her. “The sex won’t suck.”
“But we’ll work through it, won’t we? I don’t want us to lose each other, to give up, because something isn’t perfect or there’s a flaw that—”
“Partners,” he said, his fingers digging into her skull. “It’s what we both want. You know what I come with, my ridiculous family—”
“I come with no family. None I’d be proud to share with you.”
“Perfect doesn’t matter. Real matters,” he said. “Family, work, whatever we do in our spare time, our friends, future family, partners are united. All we have to do is listen to each other.”
“Respect each other.”
“Exactly.”
“Like your mom and dad?”
Her smile bred another laugh from his lips. “Yeah, just like them.”
“You know, thirty-five years isn’t a bad innings.”
“No, it’s not.”
She squinted. “Not sure about the sixteen kids though.”
“It starts with one, we’ll go from there.”
“That’s about ten steps ahead of where we are,” she said and breathed out, closing her eyes as she rested her head against his face. “I thought we were all screwed up after Jeremy called.”
“You thought we were done? That why you thought I’d ditched out on the move?”
“I thought we were in a fight.”
“Even if we were, it doesn’t change the foundation of us. We’re still together. Our commitment remains solid. We just make up and have lots of sex after we’ve calmed down.”
“Oh, do we?”
“Yep. New policy. We keep our word and follow through. We always follow through.”
His hand went from her hair to her hip and before she could object, he’d boosted her on top of him.
“Darroch—”
“Shh,” he said, squeezing her hips to pull her higher. “Forget about the hospital—”
“And the head injury?”
“And that.”
“And the drugs in your system?”
“They’ve got to be gone by now.”
“Want to tell your cock that?” she asked, wriggling against him in case the eager erection had escaped his notice. “You’re under the influence of a date rape drug. This isn’t the right time.”
“This is the perfect time,” he said, pelvis rising. “Know how easy it would be to—”
“I am not telling our future children…” She gripped his waist to slide back to her previous position next to him. “That you were high the first time we had sex.”
“You going to tell our kids about our first time?”
“Maybe. Anyway, remember your mom’s rule we’re not allowed to do it until after—”
“There’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you,” he said, pinching her chin to bring it up. “Marry me.”
“Ha, ha, very funny,” she said, slithering higher to kiss him slow. “I will not accept a marriage proposal while you’re high either.”
“Not ideal, I know, but I’m a little behind. When my mom made that rule, my dad proposed the next day.”
“That’s true, you slacked off, you waited days. A sign you’re not all the way sure?”
“I wanted to find the perfect ring first.”
The warm, comforting heat of him joined her aura, blending them together. With an arm across his middle, she pulled herself tighter into him. “Thank you for inviting me to come back.”
“I need a protector.”
And that chilled her mood. “Did talking to the cops bring anything back?”
“Only that Niddrie’s an asshole.” The next time their eyes met, hers were unimpressed and he sighed. “I don’t remember, baby. I want to remember. I was at work, I took a shower, changed. There was a call right before I walked out the door. I was pissed because I didn’t want to be late.”
“And then?”
“Nothing,” he said. “It’s fuzzy, I don’t even remember much about the call, just that it happened. Next thing was us kissing and Tripp telling us to have class.”
So he didn’t even remember waking up. “It’s normal. Axon said in the car that head injuries can lead to memory loss.”
“Docs said it might come back.”
Might was no guarantee.
“Acre thinks it’s possible you could’ve been targeted. Do you think you were? Have you been fighting with anyone?”
“Only crossed words were with the Germ.”
“I gave Axon Jeremy’s information. Told him everything I could about anyone we’ve interacted with.”
“Good girl.” He smoothed her hair and used the move to pressure her head to his shoulder. “As long as you’re safe, I’ll be fine.”
“How do you think that works for me?” she asked, stroking the cotton on his torso. “Anything could’ve happened… I don’t think Jeremy’s got the balls to target someone like you, and he never cared enough about me to really be jealous, but… If this was anything to do with me, with your connection to me… I’ll never forgive myself.”
“It was random.”
Except BHQ wasn’t in a rough area, the service alley not some place people might stumble across to hang out in. There may not be cameras behind the structure, but security guards patrolled the building. How could someone be there, meaning harm, at the exact moment Darroch was there too? Especially if he was late leaving. Could it just be one of those things? Maybe. That didn’t make her feel better or any more secure about his safety.
“You should take Ferguson,” she said.
“Where?”
“Anywhere. Everywhere. All the time.”
“My head is harder than yours. If anyone is going to take the blows, it’s me. You’re more important.”
“Than you? I am not.”
When she tried to lift her head, his strength held it down.
“Let’s not fight about it.”
There, in the hospital, they had to keep the volume down. And they should both be safe with security and so many other people in the structure. For someone to come to the room to finish the job, that would be more than random and even more than targeted, that would be someone with a serious vendetta.
“Darroch?” she murmured, closing her eyes.
“Yeah, baby?”
“Partners?”
He kissed her head again. “Partners.”
She shouldn’t be there and would have to sneak out before morning. Being with him justified the bending of hospital rules. She wasn’t there to hurt him or to push him. More than anything, she wanted him to be better, back at full health. If he needed her with him to speed that process, she’d stay at his side for as long as it took.