While I expect Colt to follow my brother out the door to back him up as he lays down the law, he stays with me instead. The giant beefcake of a man is hovering. I may be plenty annoyed with the fact that both of these men are dead set on driving me straight into the crazy house, but I have to admit that he looks so much better doing it than Donnie. Colt looks damn good doing anything.

Which can be unbelievably frustrating when trying to appear unaffected.

My eyes drop to his boots before raking up to his faded blue jeans, the denim stretched taut over his thick, muscular thighs. The damn things look like tree trunks. Continuing to stare openly, my gaze lingers on his silver skull belt buckle, and the very impressive bulge below it, a lot longer than I care to admit before moving up his torso. The white t-shirt he has on beneath the patch covered leather fits over his body like a second skin. He is huge and I am unable to forget how every rock hard inch of his tattoo covered body felt beneath my hands the night he was shot last year.

“You feelin’ okay, Hen?” he asks, snapping me from my haze. “You look flushed.”

“Think so.” Clearing my throat, I force myself to meet his eyes. “Probably the meds.”

Yanking the chair as close as he can, Colt drops into it and attempts to get comfortable. It is laughable seeing this big ass man sitting in the ridiculously tiny chair. It is a true to life Goldilocks story; except this Goldilocks is bigger than the bears, has a beard, and rides a Harley. I also don’t imagine any woman would be complaining if she found his gorgeous ass in her bed.

I sure as hell wouldn’t.

Leaning in, his fingers slide up the inside of my hand, his thumb circling my wrist, before stopping on my pulse point. I suck in a breath. Not in pain, but in shock at the way his touch affects me. It both calms me and unnerves me. The look in his eyes says he knows it too.

Colt and I have been dancing around this building sexual tension bullshit for the better part of a year. Every time our paths cross, my stomach flips, and every cell in my body aches to be close to him. Hell, let’s be real. What I ache to do involves us being close enough for me to strip him down and ride him so hard neither of us would be able to walk afterward. I have no doubt the amount of fuck the man has in those hips carries the risk for potential paralysis.

Though it never goes beyond a little shameless flirting and a few stolen glances. Not that I don’t think about what it would be like to mount that big fucker and ride him harder than a rodeo steer. I have my reasons why I haven’t pushed it.

“You sure you’re up for this?” Leaning forward, he studies me carefully. “I can tell ‘em all to fuck off.”

“Seriously?” I ask, blinking slowly.

“Yes, ma’am,” he answers with a wink.

The little bite of southern twang when he says ‘yes, ma’am’ makes my stomach flutter. Damn. Why does everything he do hit me straight in the gut? “That go for Donovan, too?” I ask, forcing my voice to work.

“Yes, ma’am,” he replies without hesitation. My stomach does more wonky shit when he smiles. “Whatever it takes to keep your ass in that bed.”

“Okay,” I grin, happily prepared to use this little agreement to my advantage the next time my brother gets on my last nerve. “When I start fearing for Donnie’s safety, I’ll say the word jellybean,” I explain, nodding my head in satisfaction. “Then, you get him the hell out of here before I put him in his very own bed across the hall. Sound good?”

Yanking his fingers through his long blonde hair, he huffs out a laugh. “Christ, woman. You’re too fuckin’ much.” Reaching inside his shirt pocket, he retrieves a Twix bar. Ripping the wrapper open with his teeth, he tugs one of the sticks free before extending the wrapper with the other piece still inside for me to take. “Want some?”

“I probably shouldn’t,” I reply, knowing the hospital’s protocol is for meals and drinks to be on a certain schedule, or be cleared with the staff beforehand, in case of procedures and administering medications.

“Hen,” he says, his smile widening. Inwardly, I curse that fucking beard for hiding most of it. I have a running bet with myself that there are the sexiest pair of dimples behind all that fuzz. I’d give my left tit for a razor and the strength to hold him down right now to prove it. Taking my hand, he places the candy in my palm. “Live a little. Take the damn chocolate.”

“Fine.” Wrapping my fingers around it, I point it at him. “You just make sure you run Donnie out of here when you go. I can’t sleep while he sits there staring at me.” My eyes drop to the chocolate bar in my hand. I snort, completely amused with this whole situation. “It’s almost as creepy as taking candy from guys I don’t know.”

“Darlin’.” His brows arches, disappearing behind the veil of sandy blonde hair surrounding his face. “Night we met, you straddled me on a pool table with a sewing kit.” He licks his lips and I feel every inch of that long swipe in ways I will be taking to my grave. “We’re not strangers.”

Taking a bite, I nod thoughtfully at his comment. “If I remember correctly, you didn’t leave me much choice. Did you?” Truth be told, I don’t need him to remind me of anything about that night. I spend far too much time thinking about it. Not that he needs to know that.

Leaning back in the chair, he scratches his chin. “You sayin’ I’m stubborn, woman?”

A giggle bubbles out of me, and though it stings like a bitch, the smile that spreads across his face is well worth the bite of pain. “I think that goes without saying, Beefcake,” I reply, causing him to laugh.

“Henley,” Donnie blurts, clearing his throat. “This is Officer Fowler.”

Looking up, I groan. Levi fucking Fowler, my train wreck attempt of a one-night stand that won’t fucking go away. Dammit. The last thing I want is to deal with this guy. Two to one odds he will be picturing me naked the entire time he talks to me. Or, even worse, trying to figure out ways to get me naked again.

Ugh. I would rather wear a porcupine pelt thong than let that man anywhere near my vagina again.

“And God kicks a bitch when she’s down,” I mutter, wishing I could crawl in a hole and die. “Levi and I know each other, Donnie,” I say, trying to be as polite as possible. “He lives in my building.”

“Henley and I know each other very well,” he greets, flashing me one of his trademark million-dollar smiles. “Don’t we, sweetheart?”

Shit. As if I need Donnie latching on to any of this bullshit. My sex life is not something I want to discuss with my brother. Ever. Leave it to Levi to think this is the perfect time to walk in and start sprinkling hints about the one time I was desperate and drunk enough to let him in my panties. Does this moron not realize this is worse than dropping nuclear bombs on starving third world countries?

Great job, Henley. You managed to bang a guy who doesn’t know what hit it and quit it means.

My brother and Colt exchange a look, before both of them look to me. I swallow hard. “Donnie said you have questions for me?” I ask, starting to regret my decision to talk to the police already. I should’ve known Levi would take it as an opportunity to stick his nose in my business.

“I do,” he nods.

My brother leans back against the wall, his eyes staying transfixed on me. The room feels too fucking small. And hot. It feels like hell is preparing to rain down on me for my bad choices. The day I gave in to all the stipulations Daniel’s lawyer had for the divorce agreement, and signed those damn papers, will officially go down in infamy.

Along with the bed sheets and underwear I had to burn the next morning...

“Okay.” I swipe at my forehead with my hand. “Ready when you are.”

“I, uh,” he stammers, tugging at the collar of his uniform shirt. “Thought we could talk privately. You know?”

“No,” Donnie and Colt snap in unison.

“It’s fine,” I reply, dismissively. “Donnie’s my brother and Colt was there when it happened. They can stay.”

“You’re sure?” he asks, tilting his head as he studies me. “I really think—”

“If it’s all the same to you,” I begin, shutting him down before he can finish. “I’d like to get this over with.”

“Well.” Levi steps toward me. Tilting his head to the side, his eyes soften. “I’ve been worried about you. How are you feeling?”

“I was run down and left for dead in the parking lot like a stray cat,” I blurt, unable to bite back my frustration. “I’ll live, but I’m pretty sure I won’t be doing that 5k next weekend in Knoxville.”

His brows knit together. “Right,” he replies, pulling a pen and small notepad from his pocket. “From what Dr. Gage told me, it sounds like you were very lucky.”

“Lucky?” Donnie and Colt say in unison, both sounding as shocked as I am with his choice of words.

“Yeah,” I deadpan. “I was just telling Colt I should play the Powerball this weekend.”

“Sorry,” he says, apologetically. “I guess I just don’t like that you were walking to your car alone so late at night. You could’ve called me.”

“If I wanted to debate what ifs, I’d go back a lot further than last night,” I bite out, driving home my point by waving around the candy in my hand. “No offense.”

“I want some of whatever she’s on,” Colt chuckles. Snatching the candy from my fingers, he tosses it into his mouth. “This is fuckin’ great.”

“I assume she’s been heavily medicated,” Levi says, nodding his head.

“Obviously not enough,” I mutter, rolling my eyes. “How about we cut through the shit and you ask what you need to know to catch the asshole who hit me?”

“Did you see anything before—” he stops mid-sentence, clearly second guessing the delivery of his question.

“Before I was flung ass over hood?” I finish for him, my hand squeezing into a tight fist. If this dumbass were five feet closer, I would punch him in the balls. The pain in my ribs and shoulder afterword would be worth it. So would the felony charge I’d catch for assaulting a police officer. Colt chuckles again, while my brother looks like he wants to slap me upside the head. However, at this point, I couldn’t give a shit. “I saw headlights. Two of them.”

“Henley,” Donnie bites out in warning.

Levi sighs heavily. “This is awkward,” he admits, looking from Colt to Donnie, before meeting my eyes again. “Don’t let our personal relationship interfere with me finding the people responsible for hurting you.”

“Fuckin’ hell,” Colt growls under his breath.

“Look.” Adjusting in the bed again, I sit up as straight as my body will allow. “The only one making this awkward is you. We,” I continue, gesturing between us with my index finger. “Don’t have a relationship, Levi. Never will.”

Reminding myself to breathe, I attempt to rein in my temper. It’s no secret that I have a short fuse and a bit of an anger management issue. Especially when I have to deal with Donnie fussing over me for long periods of time. Or moronic fucking men like Levi Fowler. Things like that tend to make my patience snap like a rubber band.

“No bullshit.” Taking a deep breath, I blow it out slowly, trying to gather my sanity and composure. “I remember talking to Colt and the guys, then started walking to my car. I barely managed to whip around in time to see the lights before they hit me. I honestly didn’t see anything else.”

“Is there anyone you think would have reason to hurt you?” Levi asks. “Maybe an enemy with a score to settle? If not with you, maybe the club?”

“Excuse me?” I ask, gaping at him slack-jawed. The last of my patience officially fizzles. As much as I want to cooperate and make sure whoever who put me in this bed gets his very own spot on the prison block, I am having a hard time not wanting to take all my frustration out on this cock-knocker who, apparently, thinks that random hit-and-runs are everyday occurrences around here.

Colt growls, pushing from his chair at the same time Donnie shoves from the wall. They look murderous, causing Levi to take a step back toward the door. “Levi, I don’t know what you think you know about me or my involvement with the club my brother is in, but I don’t make it a habit to go out and make enemies. I work sixty plus hours a week sometimes. I don’t really have time to stir the shit pot.”

“I understand what you’re saying, Henley,” he says, sounding skeptical. “I have to ask these questions. Especially, since we have footage from the cameras across the street showing the car in question had been parked there for nearly half an hour before pulling into the hospital lot.”

“What?” I mutter, unable to believe what he just said. My eyes shoot to Colt who doesn’t look shocked. He looks mad as hell. When I see Donnie’s expression matches Colt’s, a chill rushes over my skin. “They knew what time my shift ended.”

“We believe so,” Levi nods.

“This wasn’t an accident, was it?” My question hangs in the air, slapping me in the face with a hard dose of reality. Shaking my head in disbelief, I look at Colt. “Someone tried to kill me.”

“That’s enough for now,” Donnie snaps, stepping between Levi and my bed when he attempts to come toward me.

“Fine.” Shifting, Levi meets my eyes. “If you think of anything, Henley, I want you to call me. Day or night. You’ve got my cell number. I’ll be in touch.”

“Better yet,” Donnie blurts before I can answer. “How ‘bout you tell Dobbs next time he has questions for Henley, he puts down the remote and brings his lazy ass out to ask them himself.”

Without saying another word, Levi turns and stalks from the room. The moment the door closes, Donnie erupts like a volcano. “You and him, Henley?” he barks, making my entire body tense. “Are you fuckin’ kidding?”

“Drop it, Donnie,” I sigh, letting my eyes close. “We’re not doing this.”

“What the hell did you see in that clown, Henley?”

“I could tell you what I saw in him, but some topics should be off-limits between siblings, don’t ya think?”

“Are you insane?” he roars, getting louder. “Fucking around with a cop is never a good idea.”

“True story,” I mutter, nodding my head thoughtfully. “Sadly, my vagina can’t see the future.”

“Henley this is serious,” Donnie argues, not amused by my joke.

“Calm down. Levi’s harmless,” I fire back, opening my eyes to stare him down. If he wants a dose of truth, I’m about to make this little heart to heart moment very uncomfortable for him. “The guy can’t find a clit with a GPS and neon signs. Pretty safe to say he’s a shitty cop, too.”

“Ouch,” Colt blurts, earning him a dirty look from Donnie.

“Goddammit, Henley,” my brother groans, swallowing hard. “That’s not what I meant and you know it.”

Son of a bitch. I can’t get out of this bed and home soon enough. At least in my apartment I can lock Donnie out and ignore his existence when he is this goddamn irritating. Taking a deep breath, I blow it out slowly, feeling the damn meds working to pull me toward oblivion. I can’t think of anything better right now than to go to sleep and ignore all of this shit happening around me.

“Colt?”

“Yes, ma’am?” I can hear the amusement in his voice. I have no doubt he knows where this is going.

Licking my overly dry lips, I smile. “Jellybean.”

“You got it, babe.” His words wash over me like warm whiskey. Or maybe it is the drugs. I prefer to believe it’s him.

Like he said he would, Colt tells Donnie it’s time to go. As expected, my brother argues, but ends up giving in much easier than I thought he would. The last sounds I hear before I drift off is their hushed voices and the door closing.