Total pages in book: 76
Estimated words: 75699 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 378(@200wpm)___ 303(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75699 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 378(@200wpm)___ 303(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
“Caroline Gallo? She’s having bypass surgery.”
“Are you family?”
Am I? Technically, I guess so. “Yes. She’s my brother’s mother-in-law.” Or she will be, once Falcon and Savannah get married.
That must be good enough, because she looks at her computer screen. “She’s out of surgery but still in recovery. Your brother is probably in the waiting area on the second floor. You can—”
I stop listening and race toward the elevators. I’ve been to this hospital before. It’s not where I had most of my leukemia treatment, but I had some tests done here. I know my way around.
By the time I reach the elevators, Jared has caught up to me.
Of course he has. He’s being paid handsomely to be my bodyguard.
I don’t speak.
He doesn’t speak.
He knows why I’m here, and God bless him, he’s not asking questions.
Good. His only job is to follow me and ensure my safety. Knowing the inner workings of my heart isn’t part of his contracted obligations.
We get to the floor, and I read the signs that show me to the waiting area.
And there he is.
Vinnie.
His eyes are sunken and sad, his hair mussed, his suit rumpled. He’s probably been here all night. Falcon and Savannah are there as well.
“Vinnie!” I rush toward him.
He widens his eyes slowly as he sees me. At first he doesn’t move, but then he snaps to his feet, grabbing onto me. “Raven, my God. You shouldn’t be here.”
“Where else would I be? Your mother is having surgery.”
“But—”
I take his face in my hands. “I know all the ‘buts,’ Vinnie. Why we can’t be together. Why you’re no good for me. Right now I don’t care. I love you, and my place is here at your side in this time of crisis. Is your mother okay? I heard she’s out of surgery.”
He blinks. “She’s stable. Yeah.”
“What can I do for you? A drink? Coffee?”
He grabs my hand and ushers me out of earshot of Falcon and Savannah. “You need to go, Raven.” Then he looks up at Jared—my bodyguard the size of a tank—and raises his eyebrows.
“Falcon hired him,” I say.
“Good. I need you to go. You’re not safe with me.”
“We’re in a hospital, Vinnie. Nothing will happen to me here.” I sigh as I realize what I just said. “That’s a lie if I ever heard one. A hospital is where I found out I was sick. Where they pumped poison into my veins, and it didn’t even kill the cancer raging inside me. God, I hate hospitals.”
“Which is another reason why you shouldn’t be here.” He gives me a gentle push away from him. “Live your life, Raven. Please. I need you safe. I need to know you’re happy.”
“I’ll be happy,” I whisper, “as long as I’m with you.”
“Fuck.” He rubs his forehead. “You’re killing me here.” He grabs my hand and leads me down a hallway, checking doors.
We end up in a janitorial closet, the smell of cleaning products sharp in the air. He closes the door behind us and flips on the light. It feels cramped, but in this moment, I welcome the closeness.
“Raven,” he starts, his voice rough. “I can’t do that to you. I can’t let you suffer because of me.”
“But I am suffering, Vinnie,” I say, my voice breaking. “Every day away from you is agony.”
He runs a hand through his hair. “It’s not about just you and me anymore,” he says quietly. “You know that. It’s about something so much bigger.”
“I—”
But I stop talking when his mouth comes down on mine.
The kiss is raw and passionate, and I return it with all the love I feel for him.
I know what he’s doing.
It’s an escape mechanism. He was faced with his mother’s mortality, and now he wants to feel his own life. His own heart beating.
After a moment, he pulls back, looking into my eyes, his own dark orbs overflowing with a million unspoken words. He cups my face, the rough pads of his thumbs catching on my cheeks. “I don’t want you to get hurt, Raven. I can’t bear the thought.”
“But Vinnie,” I plead. “We need each other. More than ever.”
He lets out a long sigh and then his face softens. He pulls me against him, wrapping his arms tightly around me.
“I know,” he says quietly after a few moments. “But I have to protect you…even from myself.”
“We’ll figure this out.” I nestle closer to his chest, inhaling the familiar scent of him—a mixture of fresh air and spice.
Jared is likely listening right outside the door, but I don’t care.
Honestly, it wouldn’t kill us to have someone keeping a lookout for janitors or other hospital staff that might come into this closet.
Vinnie slides his fingers over my fuzzy head. “It can’t be figured out. Don’t you get it? I’ve done things. Terrible things. Things I can’t ever take back. Hell, I don’t even want to take them back. My life is going to get volatile. It’s already volatile. I have a duty to Savannah, to my mother, to the memory of my brother. I have to—”