But it seemed as though she’d hurt Wolfe when she hadn’t meant to.
“I’m sorry for leaving, Wolfe,” she whispered.
He licked the spoon clean. Jeez Louise. Why did that look so sexy? And how could she think of anything as sexy when she was in the state she was in?
He reached for another spoon and pulled out a tub of raspberry jello. Tearing off the top, he dug some up and held it to her mouth.
“Open.”
She figured it was pointless to argue so she opened her mouth and let him feed her.
“Why do you suppose they feed sick people jello?” he wondered. “It has no nutritional content.”
“I guess because it’s easy on the stomach. I don’t know. Why are you here? You told me when I broke up with Aleki that I better not come crawling back because you’d do everything you could to destroy me.”
“I remember what I said.” He set the spoon down and leaned forward, looking right at her with those obsidian eyes. His eyes pierced her, as though he could see into her soul. “Thing is, it looks like you’ve already been destroyed.”
She winced. She got it. She was a shell of who she’d once been.
He leaned forward. “Tell me why you really did it. Why you broke up with him. You could have made it work. If you wanted it enough. But you didn’t want it enough. Why? You know what I think? I reckon if he’d been rich and white, you’d have been all over that.”
Shock filled her face. “You really think that I cared about money or the color of his skin? Really?”
He shrugged. “Convince me differently.”
“Why? Why should I convince you differently? I didn’t ask you to come find me. And if that’s what you think of me, maybe you should just leave.”
There she was. The girl he remembered. He’d thought she might be gone for good.
Sweeping his gaze over her, he took her in. Too thin. Weak. Helpless.
He didn’t do well with helpless things. He didn’t know how to look after them. Before, she’d been strong. Not as strong as him or his brothers, of course. But tougher than this broken woman before him.
Broken.
It was a good word to describe her. Maybe there was still strength inside her but at the moment she was close to shattering. And Wolfe might just be the catalyst. The final hit that broke her irreparably.
And he found himself surprisingly reluctant to drop the hammer.
When did he decide that he no longer wanted to hurt her? To make her pay? Had he forgiven her?
No.
They wanted her. Aleki and Caleb. He could see it. It seemed Caleb had never stopped wanting her. Aleki was more difficult to work out. But Wolfe didn’t think the other man wanted to hurt her.
But Wolfe couldn’t forgive what she’d done. And he had to know the truth. To see if there was a part of her worth their time.
Tears filled her eyes. “I would never . . . could never . . . I loved him.”
“Loved him? Or love him?”
She blinked. “I don’t think you ever stop loving the love of your life.”
He leaned forward, staring at her fiercely. “Then why?”
“I broke up with him because I loved him.”
“That makes no fucking sense. Make sense damn it,” he snarled.
“I was keeping him safe.”
“From who? Who was threatening him?” She still wasn’t making sense and it was frustrating the hell out of him.
She wiped at her cheeks. Her nose was running. Her cheeks blotchy. She wasn’t a pretty crier.
Unable to take it any longer, he reached for some tissues and held them out to her, resisting the urge to clean her up himself. She didn’t deserve his care. It was something a Daddy might do. Wolfe wasn’t her Daddy.
Wolfe wasn’t entirely sure he could be anyone’s Daddy.
Although he liked the idea of making rules. Things he could enforce. Maybe he would be too controlling. He could definitely be a bastard. But he had Caleb and Aleki to ensure he didn’t take things too far.
But rules. Consequences. Yes, he could get into that. Aleki and Caleb could take care of their Little’s emotions. Her feelings. Aleki could indulge. Caleb could support. He could discipline.
It seemed a perfect arrangement in many ways.
For him, it meant he didn’t have to worry that he was emotionally detached. That he might hurt any woman they took as theirs.
What if Aleki and Caleb wanted Genevieve? Could he live with that? Could he put the past behind them?
Maybe.
She closed her eyes with a grimace.
“You’ll give yourself a headache.”
“Too late,” she whispered.
“I’ll call the doctor.” He stood.
Her eyes shot open. “For a headache?”
“It’s hurting you, isn’t it?”
“Well, yes. But I don’t want to be a bother.”
He stared down at her curiously. He didn’t think the daughter of one of the richest, most powerful men in the state would concern herself with being a bother.
“It’s his job.”
“Yes, but . . . it’s fine. It will go away soon.”
He shook his head and reached over to grab the buzzer, pressing down on it. The doctor and nurse were employed to care for her and only her.
The nurse walked in quickly. “Can I help?”
She was an older woman with kind eyes that invited you to trust her.
Wolfe wouldn’t be falling for that.
“She’s in pain.”
The nurse looked at her watch. “I’m sorry, Mrs. Pierce, you’re not due for any more painkillers for another hour.” If she thought it odd that he was watching over her rather than her supposed husband, she didn’t say anything.
Smart woman.
“That’s unacceptable,” Wolfe told her, crossing his arms over his chest.
Bravely, or foolishly, she met his gaze. “I’m sorry, sir. But I can’t give her anything more until then.”
“She’s in pain.”
“Is your arm hurting?” she asked Genevieve.
He slid between them, the urge to protect her too strong to ignore.
“Her head is hurting,” he said before Genevieve could speak.
“Wolfe, just leave it. I’m fine.”
“Hush, Genevieve. I’m handling this.”
She sighed. Loudly.
“Perhaps I can get something else for her,” the woman said, staring at Wolfe. “But it would help if I could actually talk to her.”
He frowned. Why was he acting like this? For some reason, he didn’t want the woman talking to Genevieve. He wasn’t sure exactly why.
“Wolfe,” Genevieve said more firmly. “Let me talk to the nurse.”
Wolfe grunted but he stepped to the side. Slightly. Why did the thought of someone else hurting her make him feel so ill? He could hurt her but nobody else could? What the fuck?
If he’d been Aleki, he’d never have let her leave. No matter what he had to do to keep her.
Fuck. Stop.
He was watching over her for his brothers. That was all. They weren’t here. He was. He was in charge.
Sometimes, leaving him on his own wasn’t a good idea.
“Where does it hurt, dear?” the nurse asked. She seemed kind and caring. But it could still be an act. So Wolfe remained close. On alert.