28. Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Eight
W ithout meaning to, North had scared the hell out of his entire band. He didn’t remember a thing. Not the seizure, not biting his tongue—a small bite which apparently bled a lot and terrified Tate even more. All that and North felt fine. Good enough not to be stuck in the hospital with an IV and a heart monitor, on medication to counter the drug cocktail that had been in those fucking gummy bears.
He didn’t even like gummy bears.
Drunk him though? That dude was a fan.
The drugs hadn’t even been anything out of the ordinary, a few he might’ve considered trying when he’d been less careful, but the doctor said for some people it only took once. His brain had reacted to the toxic mixture, triggering a seizure which could either be a one-time thing or reoccurring, there was no way of knowing until it happened again.
Which meant he wasn’t touching anything . Ever. Not even weed.
Or…well, maybe weed. The doctor had mentioned cannabis didn’t increase the risk for seizures and told him he might be a good candidate for a prescription when they’d gone over the different legal—and illegal—substances North had taken in the past.
Considering North’s experiences with health care providers, this one had been pretty damn cool. He hadn’t even bitched when the doctor told him to stay. Though he was regretting that decision now.
Tate stretched out at his side was nice, but lying here while his band surrounded him was weird. They all looked like they’d been crying. As though he was at his own funeral, only not dead. And no one had told them.
“Stop it.” North laughed and shook his head as Kace sniffed, using the sleeve of the huge grey hoodie he was wearing—which definitely wasn’t his—to wipe away his tears. “I’m okay, see?” He held out his arms, snagging his IV tube on the bedrail. The sharp pain in the back of his hand made him wince. “Oww.”
Annette let out a watery laugh and came over to kiss his forehead. “You’re such an idiot.”
“Ha, love you too.” He gave her a one-armed hug. “Seriously though, y’all are making me sad. Not a single one of you brought flowers?”
Quinton smirked at that, one brow raised. “And candy?”
“ Hell no.”
Kace didn’t seem to find the exchange as amusing as everyone else. He pulled the sleeves of the hoodie over his hands, the space between his eyes furrowing. “Are you gonna be in here long enough for flowers? Vanessa’s with a doctor now, but maybe one of the other security guards wouldn’t mind taking me to get some? And some balloons?”
North frowned, looking around the room at his bandmates, who all suddenly found the walls and floor very interesting. “Wait, why is Vanessa with a doctor? Do you mean mine?”
Surprisingly, Orion was the one who answered him. The broody bassist shoved his hands in the pockets of his jeans as he stared out the open shutters of the window. “Someone grabbed Oakley and she rescued him. Got roughed up or something. Connor swung by while you were still out of it and gave us a brief rundown.”
Annette patted North’s hand. “But he also said she and Oakley are okay and there’s nothing to worry about.”
Something about what they were telling him had a whole bunch of holes, but he suspected Vanessa hadn’t given out any details about Tate’s involvement. Other than the stalkers, Ray was the only one who’d have a reason to grab Oakley, considering Oakley had gotten all that info on him in the forum.
Which meant Ray was close.
He pushed himself to sit up, careful not to wake Tate who was still fast asleep at his side. “I need to go talk to her. Do you know what room she’s in?”
Every one of his bandmates protested as he swung his legs over the side of the bed, but it was the hoarse, but firm voice speaking over them all that stilled him.
“Don’t you dare.” Vanessa approached the bed, smiling at him even though she had to be in serious pain. There were bruises on her neck and dark shadows under her eyes. But she hid her discomfort well as she glanced over at Annette. “Would you all mind giving me a minute with North and Tate?”
Confusion in her eyes, Annette nodded and gestured for the rest of the band to follow her out.
Vanessa pulled out a chair and sat with a heavy sigh. “You’re going to want to wake him for this.”
Reaching out, North gently shook Tate, grabbing him before he could roll off the other side of the bed. He held him steady until Tate rose, rubbing his eyes and sitting cross legged in the space near North’s bent, blanket covered knees.
With the door to the hospital room closed, everything had gotten very quiet. There was still the faint sound of the band speaking in the hall, along with the usual hospital beeps and announcements and wheels being rolled on beds and wheelchairs. He inhaled slowly, hating the damn sterile scent, somehow noticing it more now that all the distractions from his band were gone.
The long silence was starting to drive him a little crazy as Vanessa sat there, her expression telling him she was choosing her words very carefully. He did his best to be patient though.
He had a feeling whatever she was about to tell them was important.
“Tate…” Vanessa cleared her throat, then winced and brought her hand to her neck. “Ray is dead.”
Looking at Tate, North could see several emotions cross his face. Everything from shock to fear to disbelief to guilt. He shook his head.
And abruptly sobbed, burying his face in his hands.
Completely stunned, all North could do at first was stare. Was Tate sad that Ray was dead? The idea made him sick, but being stuck with the man for so long might have messed with Tate’s head a bit.
Either way, North would comfort him and try to be understanding. And not celebrate.
In front of Tate anyway.
Drawing Tate into his arms, North rubbed his back, speaking to him softly. “I’m sorry, drummer boy.”
Tate stiffened and lifted his head, laughing even though there were still tears streaming down his cheeks. “Sorry? Why the hell would you be sorry? He can’t go after you or Connor anymore and I’ll never have to…” He rolled his eyes, blinking fast as though to hold back more tears. “I don’t know why I’m fucking crying. Not because I’m upset, just…fuck. It’s really over?”
“It’s really over.” Vanessa had tensed when Tate started to cry, but relaxed after he explained himself. She didn’t seem happy. More relieved than anything. “Oakley saw a post from Ray about dropping a package at the hotel for you and watching from the café across the street. He got close enough to use his hacker skills to somehow lock onto Ray’s phone and clone it. Distracted him long enough that Ray managed to grab him and drug him. He’d planned to use Oakley to force you to leave with him.”
Shit, Oakley must have been freaked the fuck out. As much as North respected the man, their tour manager wasn’t a fighter and wouldn’t have had any defenses against Ray. “But you found him?”
Vanessa inclined her head. “Took some work, but Oakley sent all the info to Balthazar.” Her lips thinned. She obviously wasn’t impressed by that decision. “He didn’t trust me not to come alone.”
Tate snickered. “Which you totally would have.”
Shooting him a dry look, Vanessa shrugged. “Irrelevant. We needed to bring the cops in after because Ray was in the goddamn hotel and there was no way to pinpoint the room. Confrontation happened. I convinced Ray I’d bring him to you. Trade-off, I stopped a gunfight, he tried to strangle me, and I snapped his neck. The end.”
The matter-of-fact way Vanessa laid out the series of events didn’t seem to fit how worried she must have been about Oakley, or what killing a man must have done to her. Maybe it was a coping method she’d learned in the military, but there must be some impact from what she’d gone through. North had quickly come to consider the XVI Hours head of security a friend and he wished there was some way to comfort her, but all he could do was hope she knew she could talk to him if she needed to. If compartmentalizing things was how she was dealing, he didn’t want to mess with that by making a big deal out of what had happened.
Tate inhaled roughly and leaned over to take Vanessa’s hand. “I’m just fucking happy you and Oakley are okay. I’m sorry I’ve been so much trouble.”
“You’re worth it.” Vanessa squeezed Tate’s hand, then nodded toward North. “Make it up to me by taking care of this one. You break him again and we’re gonna have words.”
Not cool. North frowned at her, but she stood, giving them both a mock salute before slipping out of the room. Leaving North to make excuses for her acting like any of this was Tate’s fault.
“Don’t mind her, she’s still getting used to the job and I haven’t exactly made it—”
Tate held up his hand and shook his head. “She’s a good friend, North. And I treated you like shit.”
“But I get why you did.”
“So?” Tate brought his knees to his chest and hugged them. “I thought I was doing the right thing by pushing you away, but I pulled you back in every chance I got. The idea of you with someone else hurt so fucking much. But…then I figured having someone else would be the perfect solution. I manipulated you, I messed with your emotions, and if I loved you half as much as you deserve I would’ve let you go. I’m sorry.”
Well that explained a lot. North pulled Tate’s arms from his knees and tugged him over so he was laying with his head on North’s chest. Being able to hold him like this made everything, all the pain, all the uncertainty and the fear, seem like such a small price to pay.
“You survived, Tate. Whatever your reasons for being in that fucked up situation, you managed to survive and it couldn’t have been easy. And you came back to me.” North stroked Tate’s shoulder, trying to make sense of his jumbled emotions, not sure he’d be able to any time soon. But talking to Tate about all this shit felt good. “If I was the man I’d been for years, I don’t think you would’ve. You’d have been dealing with a selfish fuck who wouldn’t have been able to do a damn thing for you.”
Tate tipped his head back, a slanted smile on his lips. “Like telling Vanessa and Oakley everything I’d asked you not to?”
North made a face. “Yeah, like that. But I don’t regret it.”
Scooching up the side of the bed so he was lying on his side, facing North, Tate brought his hand up to North’s cheek. “I’m glad you did it. I didn’t see any way out and you found one for me.”
“So I’m not a bad boyfriend after all? Look at me go!”
“Jackass.” Tate laughed as he leaned forward to kiss North, a mischievous look in his eyes. “And who said I wanted to be your boyfriend?”
North smirked as he rose up and dragged Tate under him, pinning him to the hospital bed. “I said.”
“Hmm, not very convincing.” Tate’s expression of mock boredom switched to one of need as North slid his hand down his stomach. He let out a soft moan. “Cheater.”
“Uh huh.” North moved lower, freeing Tate’s dick from his jogging pants, awkwardly maneuvering his IV so it wasn’t in the way. He curved his hand around the base and circled the head of Tate’s swelling cock with his tongue. “Pretty sure this is where it all started.”
“With my dick in your mouth?” Tate brought his hand to North hair, already breathing hard as North began to take him in deeper. “You were making up for ditching me on the dance floor with another man… With Ray.”
“Don’t think of him now.” North held Tate’s gaze as he moved over him, slowly so Tate could watch the head of his dick slide over his tongue and disappear into his mouth, keeping Tate’s attention on the erotic sight. On the pleasure. There were plenty of bad memories to get lost in, but he’d give Tate good ones to overpower them, no matter how long it took.
A few more not involving one of them in the hospital would be ideal, but he’d work with what he had.
Hands on Tate’s hips, he angled himself until he could lower his mouth all the way, swallowing as the head of Tate’s cock hit the back of his throat. The way Tate was gripping his hair made him grin as he came up for air, moving down a little faster until that needy little noise Tate made when he was trying to be quiet filled the room.
The sound disappeared as Tate’s hand left his hair and North snickered when he saw Tate had grabbed one of his pillows to bite into and muffle the sound.
Much too easy.
Letting his saliva drip down over Tate’s balls, North slicked his fingers and trailed them over the soft skin behind them, pressing them into Tate in one smooth motion as he took Tate’s dick back in his mouth. He curved his fingers and even the pillow couldn’t muffle Tate’s cry as he thrust up and came, his whole body tensing as North lazily licked his length so he didn’t miss a single drop.
He climbed over Tate to shove the pillow aside and kiss him, ignoring his own erection because that look in Tate’s eyes was everything he needed at that very moment.
Satisfaction. Happiness.
And love.
“Fuck, you’re amazing, North.” Tate whispered against his lips. “You were supposed to be all kinds of bad for me. You weren’t supposed to be this perfect.”
“Not perfect, but I’m working on it.”
Tate laughed and shook his head. “You gonna find new ways to blow my mind?”
“Maybe.” North kissed Tate again, pretty sure he’d never get tired of how incredible it felt to be able to do this, whenever he wanted. But there was something else he wanted to give Tate.
Something to give them a chance to start over and have what they could’ve in the beginning.
“But first I owe you one more dance.”