A second later the door to my room burst open and I flinched, ready for the yelling and hatred to pour off of Jared, for getting in a car wreck with his sister.
Instead, his voice cracked and a tear slipped down his cheek, "Kitten?"
My lower lip trembled. I needed him.
"Oh baby," Jared said, falling to his knees beside my hospital bed. "Karlie called me, oh G.o.d, I"ve never felt like this in my entire life. I think my heart stopped when she told me you were hurt."
"Is she okay?" I asked, my voice cracking.
He reached for my hand but just before he touched me, he stuffed his hands in his pockets.
"She"s fine, just a scratch on her cheek from a piece of gla.s.s. She didn"t even need st.i.tches, she"s just shaken up, that"s all. You, on the other hand," he laughed humorlessly, "are hurt. Three bruised ribs and your wrist is broken. You"re going to be sore for a while.
I met his eyes. "The scars and bruises on the outside, in no way, compare to the ones on the inside. It"s the scars you can"t see that hurt the most, Jared."
He reached out again, to touch my cheek. His fingers hesitated, millimeters away. "I need to touch you," he choked. "I need to make sure you"re really alive."
"Touch me," I whispered.
He gasped, eyes wide.
"Touch me," I repeated.
His fingers lightly touched my cheek and he moaned. "G.o.d, your skin is so soft."
I leaned my cheek against his fingers so that more of him was touching me and soaked in the heat radiating off of him.
Nothing had ever felt so good as Jared touching me.
This, in no way, compared to the night at the club where he held my hand.
This was a hundred, no, a thousand times better. It felt so intimate, when really, it was a just a simple gesture.
He moved his fingers, skimming them along my jaw line, and I moaned in pleasure. My cheeks instantly flared red.
"Don"t ever be embarra.s.sed by your reactions to me," Jared breathed, his face near mine. "I want to hear what I do to you. I need to know that you"re as affected by me, as I am by you."
He leaned his forehead against mine, barely touching. I flinched at the sudden contact, but then realized it felt really good. Maybe, that"s what I had been afraid of, since Preston raped me. Maybe, I"d become afraid of someone touching me and actually liking it, because in the back of my mind I felt like I was ruined.
"Please, don"t stop touching me," I begged, my voice barely a whisper.
"Trust me, kitten, I never want to stop touching you," he rumbled.
The doctor came in and cleared his throat.
Jared pulled away and I reached out for him.
"Hold on, kitten," he crooned, grabbing a chair and positioning it beside my bed. He reached for my hand and intertwined our fingers.
The doctor glared at Jared. "Only family is allowed at this time."
"I"m not going anywhere," Jared said, jaw set and I knew he was giving the doctor his steely eyed gaze.
The doctor huffed, obviously exhausted and not up for a fight. He gripped the end of the hospital bed tightly in his hands, like it was the only thing keeping him standing.
"Ms. Spencer, you"re a lucky lady."
"I don"t call three bruised ribs and a broken wrist, lucky," Jared growled.
The doctor narrowed his eyes on Jared. "Trust me, kid," he sneered, "it could have been a lot worse. Ms. Spencer is lucky to be alive."
"How long have I been here?" I asked.
The doctor looked at the clipboard attached to the end of the bed. "Only two hours, we kept you sedated to help with the pain. It wore off faster than it should have, though. Are you in any pain? I can get you something for it."
"No," I insisted, even though I was starting to ache. I had never been a pill-popper and had no plans to start now. I"d deal with the pain.
"Katy," Jared said, sweetly, hesitantly brushing my hair from my face, "if you"re hurting, you should take something."
"I"m fine, really," I squeezed his hand.
The doctor straightened up. "You should be okay to release in the morning. In the meantime, if you need anything, just push that blue b.u.t.ton next to your bed and one of the nurses will be here. I"m Dr. Michaels," he came around to shake my hand.
I flinched and burrowed closer to Jared.
Jared told the doctor that I was just shaken up and then I heard the man"s steps as he left the room. The door closed behind him.
"You should go home," I told Jared. As much as I wanted him to be here with me, I knew it wasn"t right for him to stay.
"I"m not going anywhere, kittycat. Don"t start, please," his eyes darkened, daring me to kick him out.
"What about Karlie? She has school-"
"Shhhh, Katy. Don"t worry about that. Karlie"s shaken and I"m not letting her go in. I called Holden to pick her up and stay at my house with her. She"ll be fine," he crooned.
"Can I see her? Before she leaves?" I asked. I needed to see with my own eyes that she was fine.
"Sure," he released my hands. "Holden shouldn"t be here, yet, he said he"d text me when he got here. I"ll be right back."
As the door closed automatically behind him, I suddenly felt very small and very alone. Part of me was afraid that he would never come back. I knew it was an irrational fear, but I was the kind of person that believed some things were too good to be true and I was convinced Jared was one of those things. In my mind, he was perfect, but deep down I knew that wasn"t the case, especially with as many times as he had alluded to his past. I know that no one is perfect, but Jared... he comes pretty darn close.
The door opened and a tear stained Karlie entered the room.
"Katy," her voice cracked. "Are you okay?"
"I"m fine, sweetheart," I said, wanting to comfort the girl that was hardly younger than me.
She let out a sob and came to stand beside me. "The- the car slammed into your side and there was nothing I could do. You were bleeding and- and- I thought you were dead," she dissolved into tears. "I called 911 and everything happened to fast. I completely forgot to call Jared, until my phone started ringing non-stop and I saw that it was him. I was so scared, Katy."
Jared pulled her into his arms and she gripped his shirt tightly in her fingers.
Her cries echoed through the small room.
Jared"s phone buzzed and he removed it from his pocket. "Holden"s on his way up."
Karlie pulled away with a look of disgust. "Holden? You called Holden? Why didn"t you call mom and dad?" she questioned.
Jared sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "It"s late, Karls, I didn"t want them to worry. You"re safe, that"s what matters, but I knew they"d get upset."
"I guess you"re right," Karlie huffed. "I just wish you hadn"t called Holden. I"d rather someone else take me home... or even a taxi."
"Well, a taxi driver isn"t going to stay at my house and babysit you," Jared explained to her.
"What?" Karlie"s jaw dropped open. "Babysit me? You mean the p.r.i.c.k isn"t dropping me off, he"s staying?"
"Watch your mouth, Karlie," Jared growled. "Holden will just watch TV and you can go about your business."
"But he"s so annoying," she whined.
"This isn"t open for discussion, Karlie. I"m staying with Katy and Holden will stay with you until I get home tomorrow."
"I understand," Karlie sighed.
"Good," Jared crossed his arms over his chest.
"Maybe, you should go home, Jared," I croaked.
"Don"t start, Katy, I mean it. I"m staying here, with you. Karlie is just acting like a brat," he smiled; lessening the blow those words might have had on his sister.
His phone buzzed again and Jared typed out something.
A minute later there was a small knock on the door and Holden opened the door.
"Hey," he said to Jared. He gave me a small smile.
"Thanks for coming," Jared said.
"You smell like cigarettes," Karlie told Holden.
Holden"s blue eyes swiveled to survey her. He seemed relieved to find her in one piece.
"It"s nice to see you too, kiddo."
Karlie rolled her eyes at him and then came over to me.
"I"m so happy you"re okay, Katy," her lower lip started to tremble again. "I"ll see you soon, right?"
"Of course," I said, my voice beyond hoa.r.s.e.
She tried to smile at me, but failed. She hugged Jared and then brushed out the door.
"Keep an eye on her," Jared warned Holden.
"You know I will," Holden clapped Jared on the shoulder and followed Karlie out.
Jared came back to my side and sat down. "Do you need anything?" he asked. "Water? Ginger Ale? Medicine? Food?"
"Ice water would be heavenly," I said.
"You got it," his fingers brushed mine as he stood.
He returned with a white Styrofoam cup and a bendy straw.
I reached for the cup but he held it away from me.
"I"ve got it," he said, positioning the straw near my mouth.
I clasped my lips around the end and the cool liquid hit my dry throat. In no time at all, I had managed to drink every last drop.
"Thank you," I told Jared.
"Welcome," he said, placing the empty cup on the tray beside the bed. "You should get some sleep."
"I don"t know if I can," I whispered.
"Are you hurting?" he asked, settling his tall frame into the too small chair.
I nodded.
"I"ll go get a nurse," he said, and started to stand again.
I grabbed his hand, and mine zinged. "I hate medicine."
"It will help you sleep, kitten," his brown eyes a.s.sured me.
"Okay," I said.
"I"ll be right back," his lips brushed against my forehead with his words.
A nurse came in with a small, clear cup that held two white pills. In her other hand, she had a fresh cup of water. "This will make you feel better," she smiled.
She waited until I took the pills to leave.
She brushed past Jared, who was standing there with a cup of coffee.
"Sorry, I would"ve been right back but I saw someone with a cup of coffee and had to get some for myself."
"Not a problem," I smiled. I could already feel the drugs. .h.i.tting my system. My limbs were growing heavy and it was hard to keep my eyes open.