“Because you need help.”
Shoving to sit up, her nostrils flared in irritation. “You didn’t want a relationship before, but now you won’t leave me alone. Just go away!”
“Not a chance in hell.” Scooping her up in my arms, I ignored her yelp as I settled her across my lap. She fought back, slapping me and even got a hit across my jaw, but I didn’t bother to argue with her. She’d wear herself out soon enough.
“I hate you!”
“You do not. You’re just pissed that you’re laid up.”
“I’m pissed because everyone is taking over my life! I told you, I can do things on my own.”
“And now you have me to help you,” I said, grabbing her chin and forcing her to look at me. “And I’m not going anywhere.”
“Yeah, until you need to leave.”
She wasn’t wrong to assume that. In truth, I hadn’t totally come to grips with this strange feeling inside me. And I wasn’t about to make her any promises when I hadn’t decided one way or another. I wouldn’t get her hopes up when I knew well enough that I might freak out and decide to leave.
It would break her heart, and in turn, make me feel like shit.
“I’m not offering anything more than I ever have. You know that.”
She nodded, looking away from me. “I know.”
“I get why you don’t want me here, but you can’t stay alone. Not while you’re recovering, and not while Austin is still out there. He tried to kill you.”
“I’m aware of that!” she snapped. “I don’t need the daily reminder.”
“Obviously, you do if you think you can stay here alone. If he broke in here, how would you defend yourself?”
“That’s not his style.”
“No, he also likes to hire gangs to shoot up people’s houses like he did with the Parkers. And he likes to set fire to apartment buildings. You know, Archer and Cheyenne nearly died in that fire.”
“I know,” she sighed. “You don’t have to remind me.”
“Apparently, I do. Because the only way that Archer and Cheyenne are connected to the Parkers is through friendship. And yet, he still went after her.”
“You don’t know that for sure.”
The argument died on her lips the moment she finally looked at me. We both knew that the night she was run down, those other incidents weren’t a coincidence. Austin planned to take out as many of us as he could. He just hadn’t considered that we would beat him at his own game.
“You’re not getting rid of me that easily. And if you don’t want me staying in your room, I’ll sleep out here so I’m out of your hair. But you are not staying alone. End of story.”
She didn’t like it, but didn’t argue further.
“How’s your stomach?”
“Fine.”
Quirking an eyebrow at her, I waited patiently for her to lift her shirt. The stitches from where she’d been sliced open by glass were healing nicely. But it still had to hurt like a bitch.
“Looks better. You need to rest.”
“I’ve been resting for days.”
“I doubt staying in the hospital equals rest in any way. Trust me, I’ve been in the hospital before. Nurses coming and going at all hours, prodding and poking you…I’m sure you’ll sleep much better now that you’re home.”
“Whatever.”
