Willa
Dean has barely leftmy side since I’ve been in the hospital. Nurses stopped trying to kick him out days ago when they realized it wasn’t going to work. The only reason he’s venturing out today is out of necessity. The court hearing deciding the ranch’s fate is tomorrow, but Tate and Kincaid want to talk first.
I doubt it will change anything, but it’s good to see Dean trying.
“I’ll be fine,” I say as Dean frowns at me again.
“I hate leaving you.”
“Because you’re overprotective and won’t stop fussing over me.” I squeeze his hand, and he sits on the bed.
“Oh, you have no idea, princess. I’m sticking a tracking device in you when we get back to Vegas. Never letting you out of my sight again.”
“You do realize that kind of comment makes you a walking red flag, right?”
He grins. “And you’re the bad girl who loves that about me.”
Dean’s lips land on mine, and I don’t care if he’s a bad idea or if life with him will certainly always come with some danger. I choose him regardless.
“I do.” I wrap my arms around his shoulders, pressing our foreheads together. “But you only get to inject a tracking device in me if I get to inject one in you as well.”
“Whatever gets you off, princess.” His hand drags down my throat, gently caressing my arms and pausing at my IV line. “I hate leaving you when you’re like this.”
“Soul and Venom are both going to be in the waiting room, looking out for me. Besides, I’m stuck in bed and boring as hell. Nothing fun here.”
“You’re still in pain.”
“Getting shot will do that, apparently.” I frown. “It hurt worse than I thought.”
“Did you expect it to feel good?”
I shrug. “I don’t know what I expected, but I’ve seen your scars, and you survived getting shot once or twice.”
Dean holds up four fingers.
“You’ve been shot four times?” My eyes widen.
“Comes with the job.”
“Clearly you weren’t joking about the danger part.”
“Second-guessing your decision?” He cups my cheek.
“Never.”
This time, I’m the one who pulls him in for a kiss. I’m starved, desperate for his touch. Now that he’s given me one kiss, I can’t get enough of them. Every time his lipsgraze mine, I crave more. Dean woke something inside me, and I’ll never lock it away again.
When he pulls back, I can barely breathe. His dark eyes take all my thoughts away.
“I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
“I know.” I brush my fingers down the back of his neck. “Good luck with your brother.”
Dean leaves, and I close my eyes, listening to the bustle in the hallway. It’s quiet this early in the morning, with only the occasional commotion of people rushing around if something happens. I’ve never liked hospitals. But after saying goodbye to my mother in one, I’ve avoided them at all costs. Hospitals might be a place for healing, but they’re also a place of loss.
I lay my hand over the bandage on my side, considering how much worse this could have been. For a moment in the cabin, I saw the light at the end of the so-called tunnel. I felt myself fading. Dean’s voice pulled me back.
My phone rings on my nightstand, and I reach over to grab it, seeing a video call from Aimee coming through. When I answer the call, the faces of all four girls fill the frame. Tempe and Reagan are on the couch at Reagan’s house, while Luna and Aimee crouch behind them.
