Her climax went on and on, until I could no longer hold out. I thrust up into her, aching to touch the most secret part of her, to possess her, and I released into the woman I loved.

She fell against my chest, her skin warm and covered with a sheen of perspiration. We clung together, both still releasing, warming within each other, joined, as we should be.

We both breathed rapidly, the scent of sex thick in the air. She made no move to get off me, so after a few minutes I leaned down, pulling her onto the bed so we were both lying down, still joined.

“I love you,” I whispered against her forehead.

I didn’t know if she’d heard me. Her eyes were closed, and she didn’t say anything. She needed sleep. I held her, basking in her, for about a half an hour more before I moved myself away from her. Gently, I lifted her and covered her with the sheet and blanket. I brushed my lips softly over hers. “Good night, my love,” I said. Then I went to the other side of the room.

I got into bed. I missed Jade’s warm body next to mine, but I was not going to sleep with her until I knew there was no chance I would have a dream and try to hurt her again. I was a little apprehensive about even sleeping in the same room with her, but I couldn’t allow her to wake up and find me gone. Not tonight.

Today—or rather yesterday—had been a major breakthrough for me. I’d told Dr. Carmichael something—admitted something to her in the actual words—that I’d never told anyone before, not even my brothers.

The time had come to open up to my brothers. And to my sister. Jonah was right. Marjorie had the right to know why she never got to know her mother. I texted all three of them, asking them to come to the ranch house on Sunday, where we could all have a talk. Then I texted just Jonah and Ryan.

It’s time to tell Marj.

Chapter Five

Jade

I bolted upright in bed. Something had woken me. Where was Talon?

I sat, my mind jumbled and confused. Then a pounding on the door. Was that what had woken me?

I stumbled out of bed, naked as a jaybird. Luckily this was the Carlton, and lush white robes hung in the bathroom. I threw one on and then went to the door and looked out the peephole.

Talon.

I opened the door. “Where have you been?”

“I’m sorry. I went down the hall to make a few phone calls. I didn’t want to disturb you. Forgot to take a key.”

My heart raced. “How could you leave me? You knew I needed you.”

“Baby, I was in the next bed. I was on alert all night. I just left for a little while.”

“What time is it?”

Talon smiled and walked into the room. He went to the curtains and opened them. The bright sunlight nearly blinded me. Was it morning?

“It’s one o’clock in the afternoon, Jade. You slept for twelve hours.”

My heart popped out of my chest. “What? No.”

“Yes. I had to call the front desk and get a late checkout. We don’t have to be out of here until three.”

I ran around the room, picking up my clothes. “But my mother. I have to go see my mother!”

“Blue eyes, your mother’s fine. I called the hospital this morning and got an update. She’s still unconscious, but she’s stable.”

I felt a little more relieved. “Still, I need to go to her.”

“Do you want me to book you a room for tonight?”

“My father’s coming today. I don’t know what his plans are.” Hurriedly, I grabbed my phone. Yep, sure enough, there was a text from my dad.

Should be at the hospital by three p.m., sweetie.

I turned to Talon. “He’ll be here in a couple hours. He’ll meet us at the hospital.”

He shook his head. “I have to get back to the ranch, blue eyes. I wish I could stay.”

My stomach dropped. “Please. I can’t be alone.”

“You won’t be alone, Jade. Your father’s coming. I’ll stay until he gets here.”

Tears clogged my throat. “No. I need you, Talon. You.”

He sighed and pulled me to him, stroking my hair. “All right, blue eyes. If you need me to stay, I’ll stay for a little while.”

“Thank you.”

“I want you to take a shower. I’m going to get us some food, okay?”

I shook my head. “No, we have to get to the hospital.”

“I told you, there’s been no change. She won’t even know you’re there, baby. Please, you have to take care of yourself too.”

He was right. I nodded against his shirt. “All right. But it will be a quick shower. I want you back here in fifteen minutes.”

He mock saluted me. “Yes, ma’am.”

After Talon left, I started shaking, my nerves overcoming me. No, Jade, keep it together. I shed my lush robe and took a quick shower, letting the tears fall. I probably looked like shit anyway from crying yesterday, so what did it matter? Talon would see me at my worst. I’d obviously seen him at his worst, and I still loved him more than anything.

I hadn’t brought a change of clothes, so I had to wear the ones I’d worn yesterday. Icky, but I had no other option. Once I got dressed, I went back to the bathroom and combed through my wet hair, deciding against the blow-dryer. I’d let it air dry. Then I grabbed my purse and put on a little bit of lipstick. That was it. I didn’t have the energy for anything else.

Talon returned on schedule with burgers and fries. They tasted like sawdust, but my stomach appreciated it.

As much as I wanted to grab him and take him back to bed, lose myself and escape reality, I held myself in check. I had to get to my mother.

Once we got there, though, I found that Talon was right. She was stable, and there’d been no change. The most I could do was sit with her for a few minutes. They wouldn’t let Talon in with me, so I sat alone, holding her hand that had a pulse oximeter clipped to it.

I wanted to say something to her, even though I knew she couldn’t hear me, but I didn’t know what to say. We’d never been close. She’d never cared enough to be close to me. The one time she’d come back, when I was fifteen, her second husband had cheated her out of her entire fortune from her modeling days. She came back to my father and me stone broke, and neither of us wanted anything to do with her.

I’d never regretted that choice. She hadn’t been there for me during my formative years when I needed her. She had chosen her career over me, and that still burned. But she was my mother, and I did not want her to die.