Author: Olivia Cunning

Eric sent Sed a disapproving stare, shook his head, and then pushed off the wall. “I’m going to go see Trey.”

Jessica turned into Sed’s bare chest and wrapped her arms around his waist beneath his leather duster. “Trey’s going to be okay, isn’t he?” Her voice sounded small, igniting his need to protect.

He pressed his lips to the top of her head. “He’ll be fine. I guarantee it,” he murmured against her silky hair.

The elevator at the end of the hallway dinged, and repetitive squeaking advanced toward them. Jace slid around a corner and raced in their direction. Sed hadn’t known the dude could move so fast. Winded, Jace skidded to a stop in front of Sed.

“Just got. Eric’s. Message.” He gulped several breaths of air. “Trey?”

“They’re prepping him for surgery right now.” Sed nodded toward the open door to his left.

“Surgery?”

Eric came out of the room, followed by the rest of Trey’s visitors.

“Took you long enough.” Eric reached over and peeled something off the side of Jace’s neck. “What is this? Wax? What have you been up to, little man?”

Jace flushed. “Can I see Trey?”

“We got kicked out,” Brian said. “We’re supposed to wait in the waiting area until he’s out of surgery.” He nodded toward the lounge area near the elevators.

“Surgery?” Jace repeated. Typically a master of hiding his emotions, Jace looked like someone had punched him in the stomach, knocked him flat on his ass, and then pissed on his forehead. “I can’t let him go into surgery without seeing him.”

He didn’t wait for permission. He just barreled right into Trey’s room. “What the… You can’t be in that bad of shape if you can do that.”

Sed turned his head toward the open door. Do what?

Dare suddenly jetted across the hall and grabbed a tiny woman, who was dressed in green scrubs, in an enthusiastic embrace. He lifted her off the floor and bounced her up and down in his arms. “Dr. Angelo. Thanks for rushing here so quickly.”

She smiled. “My pleasure, Darren.”

Sed had the urge to demand the woman’s credentials before she went mucking around with Trey’s brain. As hard as it was for Sed, he knew he had to stand back and not interfere.

“You okay?” Jessica asked.

Sed nodded. She kissed the center of his bare chest tenderly, her fingers splayed over his rib cage. His heart thrummed against her lips.

Eyes on Jessica, Brian made a sound of frustration and stalked off toward the waiting area with Myrna on his heels. What the fuck was he so pissed about?

Dr. Angelo entered her patient’s room.

“Dr. Angelo!” Trey’s voice carried into the hall.

“Why haven’t you shaved his head yet?” Dr. Angelo said sternly. “And who are you? You have to leave.”

“S- Sorry.” Jace came out into the hallway, his face red.

The doctor’s sudden, no-nonsense attitude made Sed feel a hell of a lot better. He smiled and took Jessica’s hand. “Trey is going to be fine,” he said as they walked toward the waiting area.

“Of course he is.”

“Let’s go, little man.” Eric grabbed Jace in a headlock and hauled ass down the corridor.

When they entered the waiting room, Brian turned his back on the group and wiped his damp face on the hem of his T-shirt. Sed had never seen Brian cry and they had been through some seriously horrible shit together. Brian’s earlier nonchalance, his teasing, had all been an act for Trey’s benefit. Sed’s heart sank. If the levelheaded one of the group had come undone, things were pretty bad.

Myrna took her husband’s head between her hands, her fingertips curled behind his ears, and pressed her forehead against his. She murmured to him, “He’ll be fine, sweetheart. You have to believe that.”

“But what if he’s not?” His voice cracked.

“Don’t let yourself think that way.”

Good advice. Sed just wished it was easier to follow.

Brian took a deep breath and crushed Myrna’s body against his chest.

Jessica placed a timid hand on Sed’s belly and he looked down at her.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” she asked.

Why did she keep asking him that? Since when did she give a shit how he felt? And, no, he wasn’t okay. He didn’t know what to do. There was nothing he could do. He wanted to climb the sterile, white walls just to occupy himself.

“I’m here for you,” she whispered, her jade-green eyes watery with tears.

If ever a woman had said the right thing at exactly the right moment, that was it.

Whatever it took to make her love him, he’d do it. To hell with what Brian or anyone else thought. He refused to give up on her this time. She would be his again. And not just in body. That would never be enough for him and he knew it.

Sed drew Jessica against his chest, hugging her close. She hesitated and then her arms stole around his body beneath his leather duster. Her small hands splayed over his bare back and she snuggled close to his chest. His heart throbbed beneath her ear—so full he thought it might burst inside his chest.

Dare entered the waiting room. “Okay, which one of you started that fight so I know who to destroy if Trey doesn’t make it through this in perfect health?”

All eyes turned to Eric, who blanched. “Me? What about Sed? He’s the one who pulled Jessica off the stage and got the bouncers all riled up.”

Sed nodded. “He’s right. I started it.”

Dare sank into a chair with a heavy sigh and rested his forehead in both hands. “It had to be the big guy,” he murmured. “One more reason to pray the little pain in my ass makes it through this.”

Chapter 14

Jessica started awake and lifted her head from Sed’s shoulder. When had she dozed off? Sed’s hand squeezed her wrist until she grabbed his fingers to alleviate the pressure. “Ow.” She glared up at him and decided he didn’t realize he was hurting her. She followed his troubled gaze to the doorway. Dr. Angelo stood at the threshold.

Jessica sat up straight in the uncomfortable chair and gaped at the splatter of blood on the right sleeve of the doctor’s surgical gown. Trey’s? She forced her attention to the woman’s face.

Looking weary but not defeated, Dr. Angelo pulled her surgical mask down around her neck. “Trey made it through the surgery.”

“Thank God,” Dare said.

He grabbed the nearest person, who happened to be Jace, in a bone-crushing hug. Jace winced in pain and offered Dare an awkward pat on the back.

“But there were a few complications.”

Jessica held her breath. Sed’s hand tightened on her wrist again.

“I removed the clot, drained the excess blood, and cauterized the damaged vessels, but Trey was in worse shape than his MRI indicated. Apparently, his seizure caused a secondary hemorrhage and increased the pressure on his brain far more rapidly than we predicted.”

Dare hauled himself out of his chair. “But he’s okay. Right? He’s okay?”

“He will live. I have no doubt about that. They’ve taken him to recovery. He’s still unconscious. In serious but stable condition.” Dr. Angelo lowered her gaze before straightening her shoulders and meeting Dare’s eyes again. “I’d like to say he’s going to be back to normal in no time, kiddo, and I’m hopeful that he will be—he’s young and strong—but we can’t know for sure until he wakes up. The swelling on his brain might have caused permanent damage. Brain injuries are… tricky.”

Jessica took Sed’s free hand and offered a comforting squeeze. She knew he felt responsible for causing the bar fight. He always tried to take responsibility for everything—as if it was his life’s mission to carry everyone’s burden on those broad shoulders. That’s what Myrna had been trying to tell her back on the tour bus. Maybe he didn’t try to take care of her because he thought she was incompetent and weak. Maybe he tried to take care of her because…

No. She’d made her decision about him and she was going to stick to it. Sed Lionheart was poison. An addictive poison, but not someone she needed in her life permanently. Just someone she needed between her thighs on a regular basis.

“When can we see him?” Sed asked.

The doctor glanced at him and shook her head. “He needs uninterrupted rest for several hours. He’s heavily sedated, so he won’t wake for a while anyway. Why don’t you all go get some sleep and come back in the morning? We’ll know more by then.”

“Someone needs to stay here in case he wakes up,” Dare said. “I’m not going to leave him here by himself.”

“I’m staying too,” Jace said.

“So am I,” said Brian.

Dr. Angelo smiled. “I’m glad he has so many people who care about him. He’s going to need you all during recovery, but you aren’t going to do him any good if you’re sleep deprived.”

“Why don’t we take turns staying with him?” Myrna said. “Split the time into four hour blocks. When he wakes up, a phone call will get all of us here quickly.”

Jessica had to admire Myrna. She had this group of egos eating out of the palm of her hand.

“I’m staying first,” Dare said.

“I’ll stay with him,” Jace said. “I’m wide awake.”

“Me too,” Eric said.

“Okay, Brian and I will come back around…” Myrna checked her watch. “Eight a.m.”

“Then Sed and I will come at noon,” Jessica said. It earned her a glare from Brian, who obviously despised her on a visceral level, but Sed squeezed her hand.

“Sounds good,” Myrna said, elbowing her husband in the ribs.

Dr. Angelo smiled. “They’ll bring him back to the ICU after his anesthesia wears off. I do have high hopes for his full recovery. There was some slight bruising to his brain tissue, but I didn’t see any necrosis. That’s a good sign.” The doctor gave Dare a gentle hug. “Take heart, kiddo,” she whispered.

Dare nodded. Dr. Angelo cupped his cheek, her mouth set in a grim line, and then left.

Jessica stood and pulled Sed to his feet. “Let’s go to the hotel and get some sleep. You look zombified.”

Sed nodded slightly.

Brian refused to look at either of them. He clasped hands with Dare, Jace, and Eric, but turned his back on Sed and grabbed Myrna’s elbow. He directed his wife from the room. Over her shoulder, Myrna mouthed to Sed, “I’ll talk to him,” just before she disappeared from sight.

“Brian is pissed as hell,” Eric said unnecessarily.

All four men glanced at Jessica.

Jessica’s heart dropped. “Yeah, I know. It’s all my fault. I should just stay away.” She released Sed’s hand and crossed her arms over her chest.

Why did they all hate her so much? What had she ever done to them? She could understand if Sed hated her for leaving, but why the rest of the guys? It made no sense.

Sed headed for the exit and Jessica followed him against her better judgment. Waiting near the elevator, Myrna had her arms around Brian, talking into his ear in a hushed tone. Jessica wished they’d already left. Brian seemed to be the source of everyone’s animosity toward her, but now wasn’t the time to confront him.

“I know,” Brian said to Myrna. “I just can’t deal with it on top of everything else.”

Myrna leaned away and cradled Brian’s face in her hands. “We’ll sort it out when Trey’s better.”

He nodded and she kissed him tenderly.

Sed shifted Jessica behind his back as they approached. Annoyed, Jessica scratched her head behind her ear. Did he think they’d forget she was there if they couldn’t see her?