“I don’t want you to feel obligated––”
“I could never feel obligated to be with you.”
My heart cracks as I take in the vulnerable man beside me, making me want to climb into his hospital bed and pull him close, but I restrain myself. Instead, I carefully lean forward and press a gentle kiss against his lips. “I love you. You. Not your body. Not your muscles. You. You could look like an ogre, and I’d still love you, River.”
“Promise? ‘Cause ogre might be a pretty apt description after all of this.”
His sense of humor brings a smile to my lips before I reprimand, “One, don’t say that. It hurts me to hear that you’d think so low of yourself. And two, trust me. Even all busted up and in a hospital bed, I’d still jump your bones if I wasn’t afraid it would hurt you.”
And for the first time since he woke up, a genuine smile threatens to peek through his damaged façade. “Are you telling me that my cock survived the fire?”
I laugh and look at the thin hospital sheets covering his half-mast erection. “I assume? But if you’d like me to take a closer look, I’d be happy to oblige.”
“Way to take one for the team, Floozy.”
“I’m thoughtful like that,” I quip.
As I scoot a little closer, he turns his head toward me then winces. “I, uh, I might have to take a rain check on that, though.”
Forcing my pity aside, I reach for his good hand and squeeze it softly. “You okay?”
“Yeah. My neck is just…” His voice trails off before reality hits us both square in the chest. He has a long road to recovery, and it isn’t going to be pretty. It’s going to be painful, and overwhelming, and likely filled with a crippling loss that he’ll have to learn to accept. But I’ll be here for it.
All of it.
“Get some rest, Sex God/Master of Orgasms.” I press another kiss to his forehead. “And remember, chicks dig scars, okay?”
“Is that right?”
“Uh-huh. We love ‘em. Now, go to sleep. We’ll chat with the doctor when you wake up.”
“Love you, Floozy.”
I close my eyes and commit the sound of his gritty voice to memory. For a minute, I was afraid I’d never hear it again. His words are a balm to my aching soul. And with all the guilt eating me alive, I was positive that even if he came out of surgery okay, his love for me would be tainted, and the potential for our future would’ve been burned up in his truck, leaving only mistakes to keep us warm at night.
And I’ve made so many mistakes. But now, I’m going to fix them. And I’m not going to take a single second with my Sex God/Master of Orgasms for granted. Because I now understand what it’s like for them to be taken away in an instant.
“Love you too, Riv.”
His lids flutter closed, then the worry lines framing his eyes soften, and he loses himself in sleep.
A few minutes later, there’s a soft creak near the doorway, and I turn toward it.
“Oh. Hi,” I greet River’s dad. “Sorry, I didn’t know you were standing there. He woke up and seemed pretty lucid, all things considered.”
“I saw that,” he notes. “I apologize for eavesdropping. I’ve been here for a few minutes, but I couldn’t help it. I needed to hear his voice and make sure he was okay.”
“I get it. I’m going to go stretch my legs for a minute. I’ll be back in a few.”
“Sounds good.”
Pushing up from the chair, I walk toward the exit when he stops me.
“And Reese?”
“Yeah?”
“Thanks for being here for him.”
“Trust me,” I murmur before glancing back at a sleeping River. “I’m not going anywhere.”
46
River
The television in the corner of the room drowns out the silence. This bed is uncomfortable as shit, but I don’t bother finding a better position. The constant ache that covers my left side has finally stopped throbbing for a minute. I’m sure as hell not going to risk it returning by shifting in the bed.
“Hey,” a voice calls. Milo lifts his chin in greeting, hanging out near the doorway of the hospital room. It’s been almost a week since the accident. Everyone has come to visit with one exception.
Milo.
Rumor has it that he’s been hanging out in the waiting room. But I don’t know for sure.
He looks like shit.
“Hey,” I return.
“Can I come in?”
With an amused chuckle, I challenge, “Since when have you ever asked permission for anything?”
“Since I feel like shit from the last time we talked.”
But the bastard doesn’t bother to wait for my permission. He just saunters over to the cushioned chair next to my hospital bed.
I hit the mute button on the remote.
Then I wait.
Resting his elbows on his knees, Milo sits there.
The silence is suffocating. But the bastard doesn’t say a word.
“I don’t need your pity, man,” I mutter, voicing the only possible reason I can think of as to why he’s here.
“I know.”
“So, stop giving it to me.”
His mouth ticks up on one side. “I’ll work on it.”
Silence.
Scratching the side of my jaw, I glance over at him. He’s staring at the television.
“So, they’ve arrested her?” he asks, keeping his attention glued to it.
I slide my gaze toward the television. My mom’s face flashes across the screen. Her hands are cuffed behind her back as they escort her to a police car surrounded by paparazzi. They’re busy snapping pictures and video footage to document the scandal of the year. The news stations have been eating the story up ever since they questioned Javier, her assistant. Squealing like a pathetic little pig, he explained everything. The plot. The money. The botched story. All of it.
“Yeah,” I answer Milo. “They arrested her a couple of hours ago.”
“Have you talked to her?”
“Nah.”
“Don’t blame you,” he consoles. “She gonna make bail?”
“I’m sure she will.”
He turns to me. “Do you want her in prison?”
I shake my head. “She’s already been hit where it hurts. Her image is ruined. Even if she gets away scot-free, she’ll never get another role after this. So, honestly? I don’t give a shit about what happens to her. As long as she stays away from Reese and me, I’ll be happy.”
He nods but doesn’t comment.
More silence.
“Reese went home to shower,” I offer after another minute. She hasn’t left my side until today. I finally joked that she was starting to smell and needed a hot bath or something. Reluctantly, she gave in to my suggestion but promised to be back in a few hours.
Milo nods again. “I know. Figured we could use the privacy.”
Ah, so that explains the timing.
“Why are you here, man?” I ask.
He rubs his hand over his face roughly. “Because we need to talk.”
“Then you should probably start talking.” I laugh.