“What’s up with Bentley?”
“Hell if I know.” He scrubbed his hand over his face and suddenly looked impossibly weary. “I think he hit some financial issues in Vegas. Why he’d move there is beyond me and the company he’s been keeping? I wouldn’t trust them to muck out one of the horse stalls. I don’t know where we went wrong with him.”
There was a shout from the hall and they both turned their heads toward the sound. “Sir, you can’t be in here. I’m calling security.”
“It’s my brother!”
“Bentley,” his father stated, nostrils flared. “I thought he’d gone back to Vegas. I’ll take care of this. I don’t want to wake up your girl. Your mom will be in later.”
“You should know I had Red take him off the approved visitor list.” Sully searched his face and wasn’t comforted by not only acceptance in his expression, but also agreement.
“I understand. I’m not sure what happened in this hospital room when Bentley was visiting, but when your woman laid into him, I didn’t like his reaction. Me and your mother questioned him, and he swears up and down he didn’t try to harm you. Still, we told him not to visit again until you were home. I’ll send himon his way. Just focus on healing, Sullivan.” His dad crossed the room and shut the door behind him. The older man’s voice was audible, but only briefly before the commotion died. His father had a commanding presence. One Bentley would never stand up to.
“What’s going on?” Jane startled, pushing up onto one elbow. Her hair was mussed, and her eyes held a sleepy allure.
“My dad was visiting.” He eased her back against him. It felt so fucking good to hold her, just like on the boat. They’d come out of the water clinging to each other, and he wasn’t embarrassed when they continued to huddle close when they were out of the river. “He just left. He likes you.”
A self-depreciating chuff left her lips. “Right. Because every parent’s dream is to be reamed out by their son’s…er, friend.”
He gave her a questioning gaze and thought of his father’s words. Yes, technically they’d just met, but they’d shared something profound. He’d gone his whole life without feeling this kind of connection with a woman, and he wasn’t one to question the authenticity of his feelings. “I don’t consider you just a friend.” He held still, gauging her reaction.
“Oh?” Twin lines formed between Jane’s brows. He wanted to smooth away the indentation with his fingers, but the arm that wasn’t looped around her shoulders was still tethered to an I.V.
“Jane, I consider you my future. So, yes, we’re friends, but I want so much more than that. Your trust, your secrets, and that big heart of yours. I’m not going to let you question the depth of my feelings toward you, especially when you put your life on hold to be by my side, so I’ll tell you exactly what I want to happen, and then you can let me know if you’re on board or if I’m coming on too strong.”
Her dark eyes widened with an incredulous stare. “We only just met and most of that time you’ve been unconscious.”
“From the first touch, we’ve flowed together like water. Tell me I’m wrong.”
“Sometimes people instantly click only to discover that the other makes obnoxious sounds when they chew, or walks frustratingly slowly through the mall, maybe they leave shitty tips, or look down on certain careers,” she stammered, posture stiff.
He chuckled and it felt damn good to laugh. She was adorable all flustered, playing the Devil’s advocate.
“I don’t give a fuck if you chew like a goat who’s got ahold of a tin can. You could crab walk through the mall for all I care, and I know you would never leave a bad tip or look down on someone for trying to make an honest living, because you’re not that kind of person. On the other hand, I’ll inevitably do things that annoy you, but all you have to do is tell me and I’ll make a conscious effort to change whatever habit is pissing you off. As far as the other things, I’d rather show you with my actions than give you my word that I’m not a prick.”
Her tongue darted out to lick her lips and he swore he saw a flicker of cautious hope shining through the depths of her eyes.
There was a stirring in his chest, and a sense of rightness settled over him. “I’m not sure what the doctors have planned or when I’ll be discharged. It’s not fair of me to ask you to wait any longer than you already have, but when I leave, I want you to come with me.”
She let out a shaky breath and looked up at him. “Where?”
“Home. To Coronado.”
“Sully, you’ve been conscious for one day. Now’s not the time to make hasty, life-altering decisions you might regret.”
“The only thing I’ll regret is not giving you my honesty. Not letting you know that I’ve never felt closer to another human being. You might need time. I recognize that and you are absolutely worth the wait. Worth a long-distance relationship.I’m not going to pressure you to give me an answer. Think on it, though. Yeah?”
She nodded and held his gaze. “Yeah.”
He couldn’t hold back the smile or still the quiver in his gut. For now, he’d bask in the fact she hadn’t told him no outright.
“Rest.” He leaned in and kissed her temple. “I want to make sure you’re taking care of yourself as well as you’ve been taking care of me.” Satisfaction swelled inside him when her body relaxed into his side.
“You make it easy.” Her voice was quiet, but he could hear the weight behind her words. “To care. To hope for something I thought I’d never have.”
While he couldn’t comprehend why a woman so beautiful inside and out never thought she’d find love, now wasn’t the time to probe. She’d already agreed to think over his words, and for now, that was enough. Someday, she’d share her secrets with him, but only when she was ready.
*
