Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 91864 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 459(@200wpm)___ 367(@250wpm)___ 306(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91864 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 459(@200wpm)___ 367(@250wpm)___ 306(@300wpm)
“Just the people who deserve to see it,” he admitted with a subtle smile. I couldn’t tell if it was from my remark or because he was just happy to be there with me.
“Speaking of which,” he said, “my grandmother came in to see you.”
“Oh…um…but I guess you can’t give me hell about it because I’m injured,” I said, playing my wounded card.
He chuckled. “I’m not mad about it. It meant a lot knowing you did that. We finally had a talk that needed to happen a long time ago. You weren’t wrong when you said she looked guilty the day you saw her, and…she was only human. We were both hurting so much back then. But thank you for that. Although you gotta watch out for that hero complex of yours. One day it’s going to get you into trouble.”
He glanced me over, obviously teasing about my current predicament.
I laughed, but just as I did, pain radiated through my body.
“Oh, shit,” I said.
“Are you okay? Do you need me to call the nurse?”
“Just stop hovering over me and get in this bed with me.”
“I’m not allowed to.”
“I’ve already seen you sleeping next to me. Now get your ass in this bed, Ethan Harris.”
He didn’t hesitate. It was like he’d been wanting to ever since he’d arrived.
He moved close, and it felt good having him near me. But it wasn’t close enough.
I wanted so much more. I wanted to be giving him pleasure and for him to be doing the same for me, but under the circumstances, that wasn’t really an option.
He rested on his side and put his hand to my face, stroking my jawline with his thumb.
With him so close, I noticed the bags under his eyes. “You need sleep.”
“I can sleep later. Now stop acting like I’m the one who needs to be taken care of. It’s my turn to be the hero, Ninja.”
I chuckled, and he shook his head. “What am I going to do about you?”
“Clearly, it’s going to be hard to keep me out of trouble.”
“That’s not what I meant. I don’t think I realized until all this happened just how much I want to be with you.”
“I mean, I know you’re all cocky about what you’ve got, but I’m kind of incredible, too, you know?”
He chuckled before it turned into a laugh, I could tell easing the tension he’d been carrying with him still.
“Yeah. You’re a little more than kind of incredible, Sean.”
“Where is this coming from? No witty comeback? No teasing? If my arm wasn’t in a cast, I’d take your temperature ’cause you must be sick.”
He chuckled, and as his lips curled upward, I noticed his short five o’clock shadow, which was usually clean-shaven.
“You should grow that scruff out a little more,” I noted. “I kind of want to feel this against my face.”
“Well, that’s something I can do for you.” He sat up and leaned over me, pressing his hand down on the opposite side of me as he lowered himself for a kiss.
I didn’t realize how much I needed his lips until that moment—when the pain in my body and the grogginess all seemed to fade into the ripples of arousing sensations that funneled through me.
As he pulled away, I said, “Don’t stop. This is better than the fucking drip.”
He submitted to my request, kissing me again…and again…and again.
I set my hand on the back of his head, allowing my body to fill with the rush that having him near me like that again provided.
Ethan was the medicine I needed right then.
He finally pulled away again. “I told you not to stop.”
“I need to adjust a little,” he said as he grabbed his crotch and shifted his dick in it.
“Well, I’m glad to know in my worst state, I’m still fuckable to you.”
“You’re more than fuckable to me, Sean. And right now, I want to appreciate having you back in my life when I thought I’d almost lost you. Not going to take this for granted, you know?”
“We can’t take things like this for granted,” I added. “We both know that all too well. Brady, your parents, they taught us that.” I hesitated for a moment before blurting out, “I had a dream about him.”
“About Brady?” And it was nice hearing Ethan say that. It assured me that, even in the short time that I’d known him, he got me.
“Yes,” I said. “It reminded me of what’s important in my life.”
“Which is?”
“Mom and Dad…and you. I don’t want to go another day without you really knowing that, truly understanding how much you mean to me. You’re so special, Ethan. I’ve never met anyone like you before.”
“I feel the same way about you. And I know what you mean. The fact that I almost lost you—that we all almost lost you—scared me to death. If you knew how much that would have devastated me…how much it would have hurt.”