“Let’s go to bed.” Eli’s words are mixed with double meaning.
I smile at him. “I’d like that.”
We both get ready for bed in the massive bathroom. I internally laugh at how vastly different this is from my house. I have one sink in my bathroom, and the double vanity occupies three quarters of one wall.
Once we’re done, we settle into the king-size bed. As much as I love the space, I kind of like that we snuggle in my smaller bed. Eli puts his arm out, and I nestle into his side. “I like when we’re close like this.”
He makes a low rumbling sound in his chest as I drape my arm over him. “I never realized how much I like it until it felt like you were miles apart on your side.”
“Aww, you like being close to me,” I say, teasingly.
“I like being very close to you.”
I grin and kiss his torso. “I like that you like that.”
“Are you trying to seduce me, Officer?”
I look at him through my lashes and bat them. “Me?”
He twists, hoisting me so we’re even. “I don’t mind if you are.”
“Are you seducible, Mr. Walsh?”
Eli’s lips move to my ear so he can trace the shell with his tongue before gripping it in his teeth. “Maybe you should find out.”
I move my hand under the covers, skimming over this hard body, until I find his erection. I love that he’s always ready and I never have to wonder if he wants me. There are many benefits to sleeping naked, this is one.
Eli groans as I wrap my fingers around him and my lips find his. He roughly grips my hips, digging into my flesh as I start to jerk him off.
My phone rings in my bag across the room, but I’m too lost in his touch to care.
His moan is low, and I swallow it as we kiss. I feel his hands on my breasts, kneading the skin and pulling at my nipple. The sexual chemistry we share is unlike anything I’ve had before. I’m not the most experienced lover, but Eli pushes me. I want to please him. I love knowing it’s my body he’s seeking, claiming, and worshiping.
“You make me crazy,” Eli admits before his mouth is on mine again. His hands exploring my body until his fingers brush my clit.
The phone goes off again. “Maybe you should get that,” he practically growls against my lips, and I groan.
I drop my head on the pillow and curse the phone. “Don’t go anywhere,” I warn and hop out of bed. I glance back at him as he rests his head on his hand, watching me as I prance across the room.
My phone has six missed calls from a number I don’t know. I didn’t realize it rang that much. Something is wrong, I can feel it in my bones. No one calls me that much unless it’s an emergency, and my dumbass ignored the call. “Hello?” I ask with a shake in my voice.
“Heather, it’s Anthony.”
“Anthony.” My eyes shoot to Eli’s, and he’s already tossing the covers off him. “What’s wrong?”
He pauses and dread fills my body. “You need to come to Tampa General. Please don’t wait.”
“Is she—” I choke the words as Eli’s hands grip my shoulders. I can’t say the words. I can’t ask if she’s gone, because if he says yes, I’ll lose it.
“Just get here.”
The phone drops to the floor, and Eli’s arms encircle me. Everything I thought I knew about how I’d handle this moment is false. I feel my body start to protect itself. My mind goes to a place where I can’t feel or do anything. I’m not sure how I got to the bed. I don’t know how my shirt is on my body. Nothing is real right now. It’s as if time has ceased to exist for me.
I feel hollow and lifeless.
Eli lifts me in his arms, carrying me like a child down the stairs. He barks orders to someone as we move to the car. He must be on the phone, but I truly can’t process anything around me.
The car is moving, but I can’t see anything passing by. I didn’t need Anthony to tell me she died and I wasn’t there with her. I can feel it.
My world is without my sister.
I’m alone.
Chapter 19
Heather
“We did everything we could, Ms. Covey. I’m truly sorry for your loss.” The doctor explains as I stand with a steady stream of tears trekking down my cheeks and dripping off the tip of my chin.
My sister has drawn her last breath.
Three days ago, we were at an amusement park. We were laughing, enjoying our time together, and now she’s dead. No warning, no time to say goodbye, nothing but agony.
Now I stand in a cold, stark room while they try to give me some kind of answers.
“How did this happen so fast?” I ask. “I thought there would be a warning, something to tell me it was coming.”
Anthony comes forward. “She begged us not to tell you.”
“Tell me what?”
Dr. Pruitt touches my arm. “Stephanie was being treated for pneumonia after her seizure. It’s why we kept her a few extra nights. The antibiotics weren’t working, but she demanded we stop all treatment and discharge her. We did the best we could with the parameters she set.”
Anger floods my veins, searing the pain in every limb. She chose this? She knew? They were lying to me? Don’t they know what this cost me? My chest heaves as I struggle to understand how this could happen.
I look to Eli and then back to the doctor, and I erupt, “I don’t understand! How could no one tell me? How didn’t you think I should know?” I scream at them. “I was her caretaker! She wasn’t thinking straight! I’m her sister! I should’ve known.”
Eli pulls me into his embrace, and I wail. I smack his arm and then his chest, angry at everyone. Angry at him because I was with him when this happened. Angry at Stephanie because she didn’t tell me. I could’ve had another three days with her. If they’d kept me informed, I never would’ve allowed her to come to a fucking amusement park. I would’ve pushed her to have treatment, not let it kill her. There were so many things I could’ve done, and now, it’s too late.
My rage turns to Anthony. “You knew!” I rage at him. “You knew she was sick, and you brought her out!”
His head drops, and when he looks back at me, his eyes are brimming with tears. “I know you don’t believe this, but I cared about her. She asked me if I would help to keep her stable so she could have that day with you. She wanted one day of normal with you. Your sister knew she was dying and didn’t want to drag it out. I was there with her, holding her hand, and giving her what she asked for.”
“You knew her for what, a week? I was there every single day throughout the last seven years! I should’ve been the one beside her. You took that from me.”
A lone tear falls down his face, but there is no room in my broken heart to feel anything but hatred for him. “Believe me, your sister loved you so much that she wanted to spare you. It was all from love.”
I hate myself. I hate him. I hate everyone, and I can’t breathe.
I gasp for air as Eli rubs my back. “Easy, baby.”
I look to him, his image blurry. “She’s gone and I didn’t say goodbye. I wasn’t there, Eli. I wasn’t with her.”