Total pages in book: 44
Estimated words: 40484 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 202(@200wpm)___ 162(@250wpm)___ 135(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 40484 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 202(@200wpm)___ 162(@250wpm)___ 135(@300wpm)
El rolled his eyes, but kept them on Trig. “I’m not dead, so that counts for something.”
“You were lucky,” the doctor said. “An inch in the other direction, and the cut could have been lethal.”
Trig swallowed. “I have you covered. Don’t worry.”
El opened his mouth with a scowl, but then took a deep breath and his shoulders sagged. “Thank you.”
Trig hadn’t known how tense he’d been before his body loosened. He hoped to eventually win back El’s trust, but considering the bitter breakup five years back, he’d assumed it would take lots of time and effort. Yet here El was, saying that he was grateful.
Maybe he had matured on the inside too?
“I’m done,” the doctor said, leaving them both at a loss as she approached a cupboard and pulled out a bottle of pills. “Three times a day for four days.”
“Thank you,” Trig said in a flat voice, so very desperate to focus on his reunion with El that she needed to show him the inside of her palm in order to get the money she was owed for the discreet procedure. Such services didn’t come cheap, but she must have realized they needed some privacy and excused herself as soon as the wad of cash was in her purse.
El’s face still had the complexion of a sheet and he wobbled back into the seat just after trying to rise. “Gimme a sec. I’ll find a way to pay you back.” But his gaze drifted off to the cabinet of meds.
Trig exhaled and scooted down next to El’s chair. The sharp odor of disinfectant still hung in the air, but when he leaned closer, there was another, much more pleasant scent he could discern.
Armani Diamonds. Stupidly pricey for someone who often couldn’t afford food, but then again El had always stolen his favorite perfume. Trig had so often made fun of his expensive taste, but it was comforting to know that he hadn’t changed all that much.
“I told you I got it covered.”
El’s fingertips danced over Trig’s forearm, making all the hairs on his body bristle. He couldn’t believe they were touching again when for so long he’d lived without hope of that ever happening again.
“I’ve been thinking…”
A statement that often led to nothing good when it came to El, but this time Trig chose not to worry without hearing him out first, and gently squeezed the elongated hand he still remembered so well.
“Mhm?”
“So… why were you hiding in my attic?” El nudged him with the tip of his red combat boot.
Trig stiffened. He’d always known watching his ex through holes in the ceiling was a crazy thing to do, but he couldn’t help himself. He’d only meant to do it once, to check up on El and see if he was okay, but he’d returned over and over, until the trips from Detroit had become a part of his schedule. Trig’s biker brothers all agreed it was unhealthy to be so hung up on one guy, but Trig couldn’t let go. El had transformed his life and had been the first person who ever loved him. Their bond had formed over years of hardship faced together, and couldn’t be easily broken by time.
He was worried that El might hate him once he found out the truth, but their connection had always been built on sincerity, so he rubbed the cool hand with his thumb. “I was worried about you.”
“So my life’s no bed of roses, but I’m trying to handle it the best I can. I never wanted to drag you into any of my shit, and now I don’t even know what you’ve witnessed. How long has this been going on?”
From the very beginning, Tooth, the president of the MC, believed the stalking was the reason why Trig had never gotten over his ex, but if El took him back, then maybe it wouldn’t have all been a giant waste of time and effort. “It doesn’t matter what I saw. I still want to take care of you.”
Ants crawled up Trig’s spine when El continued playing with his hand. He had such slender fingers, tattooed with a variety of symbols all the way from the wrists. A big diamond on one hand, a compass on the other, black spades along all his knuckles. He usually painted his short nails to match his hair, but this time they were plain black.
A little smile ghosted over El’s pierced lips. “Were you there when I tried to cook meatballs in the can, and it exploded all over my kitchen?”
Trig chuckled, encouraged by the teasing. “No. But I wish I were.” He stalled, watching El’s stormy gaze soften. Hope flickered at the pit of his stomach, and he took a deep breath. Even the hospital room felt intimate now. “But there were many times when I was there and really wished to show myself to you.”