“Not happening,” Kreed told her, his voice hard and final.
I lifted my eyes from the floor to look at him. His jaw was set in a tense line, and his expression was begging her to argue with him. And if she did, it wouldn’t end well. Kreed wasn’t the CEO of a very successful gaming app company for nothing. He’d built the first app when he was in college, had launched it on his own, and it had grown so much, he now owned an entire company based off that single game. He might have come from a wealthy family, but that didn’t mean he didn’t create his own wealth.
“Sir—”
“He stays,” I croaked before Kreed could open his mouth. “Or I leave.”
The nurse scanned me from head to toe then flattened her lips, nodding once. Obviously, I looked shitty enough that she chose not to argue. I didn’t know whether to be happy or a little peeved that she thought I looked like absolute dog shit.
“Take a seat.”
I dropped into the chair she gestured to and sat still as a rock while she took my temperature, my blood pressure, and asked the standard questions. Kreed stood a mere foot from me, forcing the nurse to work around him. I knew he was getting on her nerves, but I was infinitely grateful for his presence.
“Alright. We’re going to put you in room three,” the nurse told me. “Come on, hon.” When she held out her hand to help me up from the chair, I blatantly ignored her.
Kreed cleared his throat.
“Excuse me,” he murmured then held out his hand to me once she moved out the way. I slipped my hand into his, and he pulled me up, not even commenting on how sweaty my palm was. We silently followed the nurse, and once we were in the room with the door shut, with the terrifying promise the doctor would be in shortly, I laid back on the bed.
Kreed silently covered me with the provided blanket then dimmed the lights. “It’ll be a while before the doctor comes,” he told me quietly. “Try to rest.”
“I can’t,” I rasped. My eyes burned, and I was so fucking tired. My body was weak, and already, so much energy had been drained out of me. But I was terrified of sleeping in this fucking place. I was vulnerable when I was asleep. Unaware of my surroundings.
Kreed slipped onto the bed beside me. “Come here,” he murmured.
I rolled onto my side to face him. He curled his arm around me, tugging me closer. I rested my head on his shoulder, sinking into his warm side. He stroked his hand up and down my arm. “Now sleep. I won’t move, okay? You’re safe. You’re always safe with me, Hudson.”
I swallowed thickly, which only sent me into a coughing fit. Once it passed, I croaked, “I know. Thank you. I’d say I’m sorry for being a dick earlier…”
He chuckled, his chest vibrating. “You’re not.”
A small smile tilted my lips. “Nope,” I whispered, sleep already tugging at me. “I’m still planning to make you mine, Kreed.”
He hummed. “I know, Hudson.” He pressed a kiss to the top of my head, and I felt as if I were drowning in happy endorphins. “Now sleep.”
I was already passing out, almost feeling like his somewhat-agreement was already the beginning of a dream in which everything I wanted became mine.
Even if it wasn’t true, I clung to it with both hands and held on tight.
Chapter Ten
Kreed
* * *
I stayed by Hudson’s side the entire time he was in the emergency room. They kept him for hours, monitoring his oxygen levels and his fever. And even when his fever began to come down, they still kept him until they deemed he was hydrated enough.
He slept through most of the stay, only waking long enough to watch every doctor, nurse, and radiology technician who came into his room. But as promised, I never left his side, keeping him safe, so he could rest. Rest would be the best thing for him if he wanted to get better quicker.
By the time Hudson was released with a whole list of medications to take, it was morning. The sun was peeking over the trees, and the day was already getting warm, as was typical in southern Florida.
“I feel like I could eat a horse,” Hudson rasped as he dropped into the passenger seat. He turned to look at me. “I want a waffle.”
I chuckled as I turned on the car. “I’ll stop by Waffle House and get you a waffle.”
He grinned, but it was full of wicked intent. My gut clenched, and my heart skipped a beat. Clearly, he was feeling a little better with prescription meds in his system rather than over-the-counter meds, and not just because he now had an appetite. He was back on his bullshit, but I honestly didn’t mind. Because he had no idea I planned to let him have whatever he wanted.
Including me.
