Chapter 4
HARPER-RAYN
My best friend barges through my hospital room door, rage flashing in her bright blue stare. “Again?” she demands as though I had a choice in ending up here. “What the fuck is wrong with you?”
My jaw drops, and I gape at Izzy, knowing damn well I haven’t had a chance to find my phone in the pool of blood left behind in the parking garage to send her a quick text, explaining that some asshole left me for dead again.
I let out a breath and turn my furious gaze on the most delicious piece of man-meat beside me. “You told Izzy?”
He cringes, his face scrunching with guilt. “Yeah. And your brother.”
“And my br—WHAT? Are you insane?” I demand. “You told my brother? Is everything alright up in that ridiculously bossy brain of yours? Because surely you must be missing a screw or two.”
“I couldn’t not call him,” Knight says, more than ready to defend himself. “He cares about you and deserves to know that his sister was going through emergency surgery. Besides, it’s not as though I called your mom like I did last time.”
“He’s got a point,” Izzy says, striding around the side of the bed to where Knight sits and holds up her hand. She waves him away, flicking her wrists with the universal sign for Move your bitch ass before giving him a wide smile. “Be a darling and grab us something to eat, would you? I’m starved.”
Knight stares at Izzy as silence fills the room, and all she does is stare right back, all while my gaze ping-pongs between them with fear.
I’ve always feared the two great loves of my life going head-to-head, and I’d hate to break it to Knight, but while he might be the hero every woman dreams of, if anybody is going to crush him, it would be Izabelle Grace Davenport.
It turns into an intense showdown, each of them waiting to see who’ll break first, and as the tension climbs to impossible heights, my hands start to shake.
Then, just when I think Knight is about to get to his feet and crush my best friend like a bug under his boot, he simply lets out a sigh. “What do you want?”
Izzy arches a brow as if she didn’t expect the win. “Uhhhh. A burger,” she says.
“And fries,” I add before reconsidering. “Actually, you better make it a double.”
Knight gapes at me, and I’m sure he’s wondering if it’s even safe for me to eat such a large meal so soon after surgery, but he’s also not about to tell me no, especially not after the hell I’ve already suffered through.
He’ll just be sure to be here when said meal is wreaking havoc on my body and hold my hand through the pain of my mistakes.
Seeing that I’m not about to change my mind, he simply shakes his head before striding out of the room, and I don’t doubt that when he returns, he’ll come bearing two strawberry shakes along with the burgers and fries, and a goofy grin on his perfect face, knowing he did good.
Fuck, I’m so in love with him.
Izzy immediately takes the space beside me, kicking her feet up as she drags her laptop out of her bag and sets it up on her lap.
“Are you up to date on The Summer I Turned Pretty?” she questions, already bringing it up.
“Because tough shit if you are. We’re starting right from the beginning, and don’t even try and give me that Team Jere bullshit.
I won’t stand for that kind of blasphemy. ”
I get comfortable, scooting down in my bed as best I can while silently worshipping the morphine gods, because shit.
This stuff deserves to have its dick sucked every damn day.
It’s been at least five or six hours since I woke up after surgery, and ever since Celia hooked me up, I’ve been floating through the pain like a pretty little butterfly on crack. It’s wonderful.
Izzy and I get halfway through the first episode when a knock sounds at the door, and I glance up to find Amelia striding in.
She came and checked on me a little after I first woke from surgery to give me the rundown of how everything went.
As she told me about the damage inflicted on my large intestine and my kidney, all I could think about was the way she climbed on top of me, slammed her hands against my waist to stop the bleeding, and told me that I was not dying today.
This woman saved my life this morning, and I will always be grateful.
Amelia makes her way deeper into the room before pausing and glancing around, her brows furrowed. “Shit. What happened to the big dude? I thought his hand was permanently attached to your ass.”
I snort a laugh. “It usually is, but occasionally I have to eat , and when that happens, he’s all too happy to oblige.”
Izzy grins beside me. “I kicked him out, and he went running with his tail between his legs like a little bitch.”
“Watch it,” I mutter. “I don’t know how he does it, but somehow he’ll find out that you said that, and when he does, you’ll be up shit creek without a paddle.”
Izzy scoffs. “Oh, I can handle Knight Slater.”
Both Amelia and I scoff right back at her, and while Amelia has only met both Izzy and Knight once before, even she knows that nobody, not even me, can handle the one and only Knight Slater.
It’s an impossible task. He’s a hurricane, and the only way to survive him is to ride out the storm right along with him.
Amelia quickly checks on my meds and takes a glance at my bandages before dropping into the armchair on Izzy’s other side. Within minutes, she’s just as consumed with The Summer I Turned Pretty as we are.
We get almost to the end of the first episode when my stomach grumbles, and it occurs to me that a particular giant SWAT officer never returned with my burger and fries.
Then, just as I go to curse him out, the devil himself strides through the door with take-out bags hanging from his skilled fingers.
“Here,” he says, tossing a phone onto my lap before putting the take-out bags down and sorting through everybody’s lunch. “I figured you could use a new phone. Your last one was . . . Well . . . You don’t want that one back.”
My brow arches, trying to recall what the hell happened to my phone.
The last time I had it, I was speaking to the 911 operator, but then Amelia and her trauma team showed up, and I passed out.
I had to have left it at the scene, most likely in the puddle of blood, and in which case, Knight is right. I certainly don’t want that phone back.
I scoop up the brand-new phone and look over it, and as I unlock the screen, I find everything exactly the same as my old phone. My photos, contacts, and apps are all there waiting for me.
My gaze lifts to Knight’s. “You bought me a new phone.”
He simply nods, his face a mask of indifference, acting as though it’s not a big deal, but the way his eyes soften gives him away, letting me know how happy it makes him to do these things for me. “I love you,” I tell him. “You know, I’d shank a bitch for you.”
“Love you too, doll. But please, if you’re going to shank a bitch, make sure I’m on call because if any of those other fuckers get to be the one to cuff you, I’ll fucking kill ’em.”
I can’t help but laugh. “You don’t need to wait for an arrest warrant to cuff me. You know you’re welcome to do that anytime you want.”
Knight laughs and brings me my burger and fries before scooping up my strawberry shake and handing that over, too.
He presses his fists down on either side of my thighs and leans into me, his lips brushing over mine.
“Believe me, Morticia. I’m more than aware of your desire to be cuffed to my headboard and turned into my own personal little cream pie. ”
“Ooooh. Please and thank you.”
I lift my chin and kiss him back, and just as his lips really start to move with mine, Amelia’s curt tone cuts through the small hospital room.
“Ahhh, no. There will be absolutely no cuffing and cream pies until you’ve been cleared for vigorous activity.
I don’t need you popping a stitch mid-blowie.
Not on my watch, girl,” she says before swiveling her gaze to Knight, a stern warning in her stare. “Keep your dick in your pants.”
I choke back a laugh and turn my attention back to Knight. “She said nothing about putting that tongue to work.”
He nuzzles into the side of my neck, breathing me in before trailing said tongue across my sensitive skin. “My thoughts exactly.”
“Uh-uh,” Izzy says, not bothering to lift her gaze away from her laptop screen. “If you’re about to start putting it down on my girl, then you better be prepared to fuck all three of us because you are not about to get me all worked up like that.”
Knight groans and pulls away from me before pinching one of my fries and tossing it at Izzy. “Cock block.”
“Too right,” she laughs.
Amelia’s pager goes off, and she lets out a frustrated groan before getting to her feet. “Duty calls,” she announces before fixing me with a hard stare. “Remember. No funny business. Otherwise, I’m not clearing you to return to work.”
“What?” I gasp, my eyes wide. “For how long?”
“Indefinitely.”
Well, shit.
Amelia strides out of the room, leaving me with just Knight and Izzy, and as I glance back up at him, I can’t help the stupid smile that stretches across my face. “Who knew a good tongue lashing could get a girl into so much trouble?”
Knight scoffs. “When it comes to you, I’m not surprised.”
I grin, and just as I reach for my burger, my brand-new phone rings on my lap. I glance down with furrowed brows. The only people who tend to call me are already here, and as I read the name flashing across the screen, I let out a heavy sigh and scoop it up.
“You owe me for this,” I tell Knight, showing him who’s calling before finally hitting accept and lifting the phone to my ear. “Hey.”
“Hey? That’s all I get?” my brother, Jonah, demands. “What about a sorry for not answering any of the thousand texts that I’ve sent over the past six hours? I mean, fuck, Harper! What the hell happened? Knight said you got stabbed in a fucking parking garage.”
“Yeah, that about sums it up.”
“I . . . uh . . . The fuck? That’s all you’ve got to say about it?”
“Well, I mean, no. But it’s not as though you’re really giving me a chance to talk. You’re too busy being offended by my lack of texting. Though, to be fair, I only just got a phone. My old phone got a little drenched in blood.”
Jonah huffs as Knight makes his way around the room and drops into the empty armchair. “Fine. Whatever. Just tell me what happened.”
“It’s just as you said,” I tell him. “Some random guy jumped out at me after my shift and got me straight in the guts.”
“Fuck’s sake,” he mutters. “Do you have to put it like that?”
“I don’t know how else to put it. That’s what happened.”
He lets out a sigh, and I can just picture the scowl stretched across his face right now. “Just . . . Are you okay?”
“Yes.”
“And have you told Mom?”
“Fuck no. Why would I go and do something stupid like that?”
“You’re so fucking impossible,” he says. “Do you want me to let her know? I thought things were getting better between you guys.”
My face scrunches, and I consider it for a moment.
Things were kind of getting better after I was jumped and put in the hospital.
She would sit by my bedside and attempt to keep her snide comments to a minimum, but as soon as I was back home and no longer a tool to use for sympathy from her hoity-toity country club friends, all bets were off.
“Ummmm . . . nah. I don’t need her hanging around and pretending to play the hero. I already have one of those.”
My gaze flicks to Knight across the room to find his dark stare already locked on mine, and the moment our gazes collide, a wave of goose bumps spreads over my skin.
A dorky smile pulls at my lips, but when Jonah’s next words fly from his mouth, my fluttering heart drops to my feet. “Wait. A hero? Who?”
Fuck. I’ve said too much.
My eyes widen in horror, and I stammer out an awkward response. “I, ummm . . . Izzy,” I say. “She’s here with me. Totally rescued me from the hospital food. She’s my hero.”
Jonah scoffs, not buying my bullshit for even a second.
“You know, it’s peculiar,” he says, a deep suspicion in his tone.
“Knight was the one who told me you’d been attacked.
But he’s the head of the SWAT team. They take active shooter and hostage situations.
He wouldn’t have been responding to your case, so how the fuck did he know about it? ”
Panic surges through my chest, my eyes wide as I frantically search for something to say. “I, ummm . . . ahhhh. Oh shit, the doctor’s here. I gotta go.”
“Holy fuck. Harper! What the hell is wrong with you? Mom is going to murder you when she finds out that you’re screwing Knight. He’s your fucking step-uncle!”
“Byyyyyyye.”
“Don’t you fucking dare ha—”
I end the call and toss the phone as far across the bed as I can possibly manage and simply stare at it as though it’s about to grow little phone arms and legs and attack me in my sleep.
“The fuck is wrong with you?” Izzy mutters as Knight watches me through a narrowed gaze.
I glance up at him, a cringe stretching across my lips. “So, uhhh . . . Jonah knows about you and me.”
“Fuck.”
“Yeah,” I say with a pained sigh. “That’s exactly what I thought.”