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“I need you to tell me what’s really going on.” When he sat on the edge of the bed, he realized she was shaking. It took every bit of strength not to pull her into his chest and comfort her.
“I would if I could.” She looked away.
What the hell did that mean? He’d been exposed, firsthand, to people in trouble. Make no mistake about it, Lisa was drowning. He couldn’t do anything to help her unless she gave him something to hang on to.
If he’d learned one thing from trying to save his brother, it was that people helped themselves. Sure, sometimes they needed an extra pair of hands. Ryan never hesitated to be there for a relative or friend in need to offer support. But drowning people were notorious for pulling others down with them. Ryan had learned to keep a healthy distance until they took those first few strokes on their own.
“Why can’t you?” Seeing her looking so small in that damn oversize gown overrode rational thought. He fisted his hands to keep them at his sides.
Didn’t work. He brushed the hair from her face, ignoring the urge building inside him to hold her until she stopped shaking.
“Believe me, Ryan, you’re the only one I would tell if I could, but this is...complicated and innocent people will be hurt if I don’t play this right.” Her words broke at the end and sobs racked her shoulders.
Ryan didn’t debate his next action. He just hauled her into his arms, where she buried her face. “I’m here. It’s okay.”
He half expected her to push him away and tell him she was fine. She didn’t. Instead, she pressed deeper against his cotton T-shirt while he whispered reassurances in her ear he couldn’t guarantee.
There was no worse feeling than watching someone he cared about in pain and not being able to help.
Against his better judgment, he told Lisa he would do whatever she needed.
She broke away and stared him directly in the eyes. “If you really want everything to be all right, take me home with you.”
Hold on a minute. She couldn’t leave the hospital. The determination in her bluish-green eyes said otherwise. Maybe he could talk her off the ledge.
“Is that wise?” He glanced at the bruises on her arms.
“I’d walk out of here on my own if I could,” she said, and he had no doubt she meant it.
Could he convince her otherwise?
“The doctor wants to keep an eye on your head injury.” Was it safe for her to leave the hospital against medical advice?
“I can’t stay here. He’ll come back, or send someone. I’m in danger here. You’re the only one I trust.”
“Did you tell the nurse?”
“Yes, I did. She didn’t believe me. She’s most likely calling in a psychiatrist. I won’t make it that long. He’ll slip right back in and...” She bit her bottom lip as if to stop if from forming the next words.
“Tell me exactly what happened.” They were running out of time. Security would burst through that door any second now. Ryan believed something had happened and he needed to know more. Whatever it was had scared the bejesus out of her. But how could it be the same guy who’d attacked her earlier? That was supposed to be a random occurrence. Ryan had been sitting in this very room when she’d given the deputy her statement.
“Maybe he works here.” Her shoulders sagged and she looked to be in considerable pain every time she moved. “That’s impossible, isn’t it?”
“Security will be here any second. What if we explain what happened to them? Maybe we can get them involved.”
“It’s no good. The nurse will tell them not to believe me.” She held her arms up as though she wanted him to inspect them. “She thinks I’m crazy and she’s sending me for a psych evaluation. End of story. It’s the middle of the night and my doctor isn’t here, but what would she do, anyway?”
She gestured toward her arms again.
Ryan didn’t want to say the bruises could’ve been from the earlier attack. She needed to hear that someone believed her. Otherwise she’d jump out of her own skin if someone sneezed. “I see what happened and I believe you. I won’t let him get to you again. I promise.”
He didn’t say that might not be an option if he was booted out. He’d figure something out. Lisa had been afraid before, but there was a grasping-at-her-last-straw quality to her voice now that didn’t sit well with him.
Touching her was a bad idea because his emotions started taking over his logical thought. Nothing good could come of that.
There was more than her reaction that bugged the hell out of him. The persistence of this guy was unsettling. It took guts to attack at a well-staffed hospital even in the middle of the night. Then again, dress in scrubs or a maintenance uniform and he might blend right in. Ryan needed to get into contact with their friend Dylan, who owned a personal security company. He might have enough contacts to get hold of the footage at the hospital.
The questions of the day were...who was doing this and why was he being so persistent?
Lisa had never been a liar, but one look at her said she was at the very least holding back something that could get her hurt or killed. Plus, she’d practically forced her sister out of town for a few days. A storm was brewing and Ryan needed to know just how big this squall was going to get.
“Take me out of here. Please.” The way Lisa emphasized the last word shredded Ryan’s resolve. This was a bad idea. Being there was sketchy enough. Walking her out the front door in her condition was borderline insanity.
Leaving her there, alone, was out of the question.
Voices down the hall neared. Security would walk through the door at any second. Ryan had about two seconds to make a decision. All of his experiences, instincts railed against doing what he was contemplating. He’d be stepping in a boot full of sludge trying to justify this.
Not to mention the fact that his feelings for her clouded his judgment. Logic told him to bolt, to let authorities handle this. And yet she hadn’t trusted them enough to tell them everything.
Only a fool or someone in serious trouble would do that.
“What if I stay here with you? I’ll stay awake and keep watch.” He’d be irresponsible if he didn’t put that out there as an option. The fear widening her eyes said she wouldn’t take the offer.
“So he can come back and kill us both?” She sank deeper into the bed like a deflated airbag. “I didn’t consider this before, but I’m putting you in danger. You can’t be here. I didn’t think this through all the way. I’m sorry. Forget I ever called you.”
Wait a minute.
Was she kicking him out?
“Fine. Where’s your stuff? I’ll grab a bag.” He stood as she stilled, staring blankly at him in disbelief. “We need to get moving. Several people are going to come through that door and none of them are going to be happy to see me in here.”
“I can’t let you do this. It was a mistake to get you involved.” She stared toward the window, blankly.
“You’ve already told me the risks. Consider me informed. I’m going to take you home with me, but we gotta go now.”
The door opened so hard it smacked against the wall.
A guy close to Ryan’s height wearing a blue security uniform with a squawking radio filled the frame.
“Sir, I need to ask you to leave,” he said. His polite words were delivered with a clipped tone. “You can come back to visit between the hours of eight a.m. and seven p.m.”
“My wife is ready to go now,” Ryan said, folding his arms across his chest as he assumed a defensive stance. The name on the security officer’s badge read Steven. If Steven wanted to go a few rounds, Ryan had every confidence in his own fighting abilities. That said, he preferred to save his energy for more important things. It would be up to the big guy which path they took. “I’m not walking through that door without her, Steven.”
* * *
“I’M LEAVING.” With great effort, Lisa pushed off the bed and stood. Ryan was by her side, urging her to lean on him for support before she lost her balance again. All kinds of heat fizzled through her where they made contact, but she pushed it out of her thoughts.
“You heard her. She’s ready to leave.”
Steven glanced at Alicia.
“That’s not a good idea,” Alicia said. “Let’s all settle down and think this through.”
“You’re assuming I haven’t already.” Lisa winced as she took a step forward. Ryan was there to catch her as her knee gave out, his steadying arm around her the only thing keeping her from falling flat on the floor. “You aren’t keeping me safe here.”
“I’m afraid I can’t allow you to go. Doctor’s orders.” Alicia’s resolve was steady.
Panic overwhelmed Lisa. Ryan couldn’t help her and deal with the big security guard at the same time. The air in the room was thinning. Her heart thumped wildly in her chest in part from stress and the very real feeling of contact with Ryan. What was it about him that could calm her and send her body into such a pinball machine of awareness all at the same time?
Trying to take another step toward the door, she faltered.
Ryan hauled her against his chest and made a move to kiss her.
He was giving them a show. She understood that on some level, but his hand guiding her lips toward his sent heat rocketing through her.
Ryan’s moment of hesitation—a brief pause to catch and hold her gaze for a split second—sent her heart soaring and caused a hundred somersaults to flip through her stomach.
His lips, tentative, barely touched hers. Her breath caught and she could’ve sworn she’d heard him groan right before deepening the kiss.
She tilted her head back to give him better access as she parted her lips for him. For one dizzying moment when his tongue slid into her mouth her pain disintegrated and all she could feel was his lips moving against hers and how right it felt to be in Ryan Hunt’s arms.
The thought was startling. She didn’t belong there.
Breaking away first, she forced her mind to the present because for a moment she got lost—lost in the moment, in the feeling of awareness, in the feeling of life being right for just a second.
Turning toward the folks intent on keeping her in that room, Lisa put one hand on Ryan’s shoulder and the other on her hip. No way could they push past Alicia and the big guy. Ryan was not small, nor was he incapable of handling himself. She was the weak link. She was the liability. Anger surged through her for being the one to hold them back. “Do you have a court order keeping me here, Alicia?”
The nurse’s lips thinned as she shook her head.
“Then I suggest you step aside.” The look of approval on Ryan’s face, the way he smiled out of the side of his mouth shouldn’t make her this happy. It did. She told herself it was because he was putting himself on the line for her. She owed him this at least.
He squeezed her waist and more of that fiery electricity shot through her, warming her in places she didn’t want to think about with him standing this close. Or maybe it was just that she didn’t want to go there with other people in the room.
Her thoughts couldn’t be more inappropriate under the circumstances. Because that kiss made her wonder if Ryan was feeling more for her than he’d let on.
And what exactly was she supposed to do with that? Her life was a mess and he deserved so much more than she could give him.
In times like these, Lisa had to remind herself to take it one moment at a time.
“Well?” she asked point blank. Her confidence had returned.
“We can’t keep you here against your will. However, I would like to ask you to stay, anyway,” Alicia said flatly.
They couldn’t keep her safe. They didn’t believe her. They gave her no other choice.
“I’m fine.” She looked up at Ryan. “Let’s go. They can throw away the rest of my things for all I care. There’s nothing in here that can’t be replaced.”
He gently leaned her against the bed and she missed his warmth as soon as he took a step away from her.
“Hospital regulation requires her to leave in a wheelchair,” the nurse said. “Will you at least sign the paperwork and let me take you out?”
Lisa nodded. “As long as it’s quick.”
The nurse disappeared, taking the security guard with her.
“My clothes are over there.” She motioned toward the tall cabinet next to the wall-mounted TV. “That’s all I have with me other than my cell, which is nearly out of battery.”
Ryan retrieved her folded-up outfit of shorts and a halter top along with her underclothes.
She hoped he didn’t see her cheeks warm with embarrassment at the idea of him handing her underwear to her.
Once they got outside, she’d breathe much lighter. As it was, tension threatened to crack her already bruised and hurting shoulders.
“I can step into the hallway for a minute to give you privacy while you dress if you’d like.” Ryan placed the clothes on the bed next to where she stood.
“Here’s the thing. I’m going to need your help.” She smiled weakly.
His gray-blue eyes darkened to steel. An almost-pleading look crossed his features for a nanosecond. Then he half smirked. “I guess it would be weird for a husband to leave the room while his wife dressed.”
“Hadn’t even thought of that. It shouldn’t take too long and I probably only need help getting things over my big size eights.” Did she just complain about her shoe size? Was she rambling? The thought of Ryan in the room with her while she was completely naked was almost too much.
“I happen to like your feet.” He helped her ease onto the bed and then he pulled the blanket over her, covering her midsection. With athletic grace he moved around to the other side of the bed, behind her, and then untied each bow on her hospital-issued gown.
Gently, he rolled the material down her arms. His breath was so close it warmed the sensitive skin along the back of her neck.
The white cloth hit the floor in front of her. She secured her sheet as Ryan moved in front of her. She was so aware of just how naked she was beneath her cover and how thin the material was that kept her cloaked. She white-knuckle gripped the seam with one hand while she reached for her clothes with the other. Thankfully, her ribs weren’t broken, just a hairline fracture on one, the doctor had said, but the pain was still excruciating.
Without saying a word, he bent down and then cradled her ankle in his hand. He slipped her black lace panties over one foot, then two and she could’ve sworn she heard him groan.
Her body went rigid trying to fight the attraction overwhelming her senses.
His hands moved up the sides of her legs, his eyes trailed and when his skin touched hers it blazed a hot trail.
She lifted her bottom long enough for him to slide the panties around her hips. He didn’t immediately move. His hands rested on either side of her.
Lisa couldn’t remember the last time she felt this intimate with a man. Maybe never.
A few seconds later and with similar ease, Ryan slipped her shorts on.
At least for her bra he stood behind her and she couldn’t see his intense expression—intense because they both had to know deep down that anything more than friendship between the two of them would be a bad idea.
After her bra and then halter had been secured, he moved to her side, eyes down. Was he thinking about the kiss they’d shared, too?
He lifted his head and made a move to speak.
The door opened, interrupting the moment. And that was probably for the best. The last thing Lisa needed to hear was just how much he regretted their lips touching. Or worse, an apology.
The nurse pushed a wheelchair in front of her. She helped Lisa into the seat and then handed her a stack of papers on a clipboard. The words Against Medical Advice had been scribbled in huge letters across the first page.
