Chapter 2
Kate
My heart had finally stopped pounding in my chest as I pulled open the blue patterned curtain separating Claire from the rest of the hospital. I hadn’t realized how long I had been back there. It was strange, really, how it was just a curtain, but it felt so private.
Ian was probably reeling from boredom. It’d been at least an hour since I’d left him sitting in the waiting room.
I shivered. The air seemed a lot colder on the other side of the curtain. As I stepped out, I felt goosebumps start to prickle at my upper arms. I could even see them starting to form as I closed the pale blue curtain behind me. When I turned to look out into the hallway, I caught a glimpse of the gorgeous blond-haired man turning toward me — almost like he was in some sort of a panic.
Ian.
I smiled, fighting the urge to throw my arms around him and pull him close to me. I’d just been thinking about how much I wanted to get back to him. He was far more comfort than my father was. Maybe having Ian there for a little more support was all I needed at the moment… a little more than the ton he’d already given me.
I needed that comfort. No matter how glad I was that my dad was actually there, his presence wasn’t calming and there were still residual feelings that somehow I knew would be soothed away by Ian’s presence. There was something about him… he just made me feel calm. I couldn’t explain it.
Maybe it had something to do with my father. Dad’s demeanor and attention made me feel like a giant weight was on top of me, suffocating me. Each and every day I had to fight for his time with work, or just fight him in general.
With Ian, there hadn’t been any disappointments. Not yet, anyway. It was also a different sort of feeling. Whereas, with my dad, I was constantly fighting to bring him into my life, Ian had already completely penetrated my life without any sort of battle.
And here he was with me now, even when he didn’t have to be. Hell, even when I’d told him not to be.
Dad had basically been guilted into being here and fighting tooth and nail the whole time. He almost hadn’t come at all.
Thankfully, he’d stayed in the cubicle with Claire. As soon as she’d woken up, he was the first person she saw. Her eyes squinted open, and he was there, holding her hand, looking down at her.
It was strange to think of it as something beautiful, given the circumstance, but it was. Claire’s smile had been bright and glowing. Her grin was so large, dimples formed in her paled cheeks. My heart thudded with emotion, especially when Claire flung her arms around Dad. It was like she’d gathered up all of her energy for that hug. I could do nothing more than watch as she closed her eyes in a sort of contentment, almost in bliss. For her, having Dad there when she woke up meant he cared. And, somehow, I imagined that was all she wanted to know . . . that he cared.
I heard sniffles from behind me as I’d closed the curtain. I almost thought I heard two separate sniffles. But that would mean Dad was showing some of his softer side, and lately I wasn’t so sure he even still had one. I knew Claire could hardly believe Dad was actually here. Hell, I could barely believe it myself — and he’d let her down a whole hell of a lot more than he had me. Because of that, I still had a little more faith in him than I probably should have and certainly more than Claire did. Not that it was warranted; after all, I’d watched him let my little sister down time and time again. He probably didn’t deserve even the small amount of hope I still held out for him to be the kind of father Claire needed him to be. But, even a terrible day could sometimes have an unexpected happy ending.
With a deep breath, I focused my attention back on the man in front of me. A man who did deserve the faith I had in him. Ian looked a little worried as he stood there. He reached up and gently brushed away a tear from my cheek with his thumb.
“I’m fine. I swear!” I dabbed at my eyes and cheeks. “I’m just happy that Claire is okay.”
He looked confused for a second just before giving me a soft smile and taking another step toward me. I couldn’t stop myself from smiling back at him. I felt a little guilty that so much happiness was washing over me when my sister was just behind the curtain, hospitalized because she was so unhappy.
At least Dad was there for her. But, with my dad, who knew how long it would last. He’d never been the most dependable man in the world. I doubted that he ever would be. That might have been fine if I were only concerned with me, but damn it all, I had Claire to think about too. Of course, I didn’t really know with Claire either. With her mental state, who knew if she’d even want to be around much longer herself. And where would that leave me?
I felt my breath catch in my throat. Before I could even say anything else, I felt Ian’s warm fingers wrap around my hand and pull it to his lips.
I shuddered. He was so damned perfect. A little too perfect. Everything he did was pure magic.
His lips felt like hot silk gently on my skin, and I felt light all of a sudden. I didn’t feel weighed down with that sort of nauseous feeling I always seemed to have when I was dealing with Dad or Claire drama.
I couldn’t fight my draw to Ian anymore. I needed the warmth of his comfort. I launched my arms around him, pulling him close. His clean and intoxicating scent wafted over me. Spicy. Fresh.
I took a deep breath, vanilla and spice still filling my senses, continuing to calm me. The problems with Dad and Claire would always be there. I had no way of knowing if the comfort of Ian’s presence would be. I needed to take advantage of it while I could. Dad and I had always had our differences, and Claire always seemed to get into some sort of trouble that I had to handle. It was a never-ending, and incredibly cruel, cycle. As soon as I thought it was getting better — boom. Something came up with one or both of them again. This relationship that was happening with Ian, though, it was helping me . . . calming me. I hugged Ian tighter as a little more of the anxious weight pressing down on my chest shifted.
I lingered against him, reveling in his warmth. Breathing in his scent. Feeling his heart beating hard and fast against me. I even enjoyed the feeling of his clothes against my skin.
I took a deep, longing breath, and closed my eyes as I found myself taking in a final and deliberate whiff of vanilla and spice. I had to pull myself together. But when I pulled away, my gaze met his, and I melted. He was looking right into my eyes with a tender expression and his eyes were glistening.
How was I supposed to pull myself together when everything he did — even when he did nothing at all — melted me like a snowman in Miami?
I smiled despite my inner battle to play it cool. I hoped more than anything that I wasn’t making it awkward between the two of us. I hoped he hadn’t noticed the fact that I had just been breathing in his sent, or that I was melting by merely looking at him.
The last thing I wanted was to appear desperate. He gave me a faint smile and reached up slowly with the smooth tips of his fingers and wiped the remaining tears from my eyes. I smiled, leaning into his palm, which simultaneously cupped my cheek. He was taking care of me — when he was clearly upset about something himself.
“Are you okay?” I whispered.
He nodded. “Just work stuff. The usual bullshit. Besides, I should be asking you that.”
We shared a look, and it was like we were bonded together. Like each of us felt what the other felt. I couldn’t believe how much emotion I was feeling for him — a man who was basically still a stranger.
“I’m fine. Really,” I assured him, breaking the silence.
“I have a work emergency and have to get back to the office,” he whispered.
I could tell he didn’t really want to break the news to me. He seemed worried about how I’d take it. It wasn’t just that, though, I could also tell that he was disappointed.
“I’m so sorry, Kate,” he continued, his voice cracking. “I wish I didn’t have to go.”
I smiled, trying to reassure him. “No, don’t be.”
“Are you going to be okay here?” he asked. “I can come back later, once all this stuff is settled at work.”
“No,” I laughed. “Don’t be silly.”
“I’d like to—” he started, but I couldn’t let him finish.
“No, really, that’s sweet of you,” I said, “but not necessary. They’re about to start the discharge process — and then we just need to take Claire to her therapist.”
“And then home?” he said with a smirk.
“God, yes!” Home sounded so good, even with the tension I knew would fill the air. It was a thousand times better than this hospital.
I’d been lounging about, taking a quiet morning at home for granted, when I’d gotten the call. Now, all I could do was hope to get back to the house that I’d been bitching about ever since school ended. That dungeon, I’d sometimes called the apartment.
“You seem ready for it,” he said, laughter in his voice.
“Words cannot express how much I want to be home,” I said with a wistful sigh. “I can only pray that tomorrow will be a little less eventful than today has been.”
I watched his head fall down to look at his feet. I wondered if he was feeling as nervous as I was all of a sudden. But then, he smiled and glanced up at me.
Inside, I swooned. Part of me would have sworn that the look he’d just given me had to have been some sort of tactic he’d done it so perfectly. Some move he’d developed over what I could only assume had been his many, many female conquests. It was a look I was certain could have broken down the Great Wall of China. A woman’s defenses didn’t stand a snowball’s chance in Hell.
He nodded his head down the hallway with a devilish smile, clearly gesturing for me to take a walk with him. He pivoted on his foot, never breaking eye contact and walked away with a cocky spring in his step. He knew I’d be on his heels. I almost didn’t follow him because of it. But I couldn’t resist.
I also couldn’t help but stare at him as he walked. His head was up, his chiseled jaw parallel to the floor. He walked smoothly, with confidence, and probably more tenacity than I felt any one man should possess.
After a few steps, I was walking next to him. He slipped his hand around mine and we continued on in silence until we were back beside the chairs we’d sat in earlier that day.
I released his hand and crossed my arms in front of my chest. He moved so that he was standing in front of me, but he still didn’t speak. Instead, he slung his arms into his overcoat and pulled it close to him.
“You know, you’re not what I expected,” I found myself saying, breaking the silence between us.
He studied me for a minute. “You’re not quite what I expected either.” His voice was throaty. “I didn’t expect to like you so quickly, for one thing.”
I smiled at the sentiment, realizing that I really wasn’t alone in it. Not that I should have ever questioned it. He was standing there. He was in the hospital, waiting with me for hours, skipping out on work just because he wanted to offer me comfort.
“Thank you,” I said softly.
“For what?” He raised an eyebrow curiously.
“Everything,” I said. “For leaving work, coming here, being with me. You didn’t have to do any of that.”
“Of course I did,” he scoffed. “When you care about someone, you do have to be there for them.”
I was sure he was the type that had all sorts of barriers up. I bet he rarely showed who he really was. There wasn’t any need for that in the business world, I’d learned. My dad was the best example, because he hardly even acted like he even knew he really was.
Yeah. I was sure Ian was the type to protect himself from the outside world. Careful to never show too much. Never to become too human. Too personal.
“I really am sorry that I have to go,” he offered.
“It’s all right, really. We’re almost done.”
“Still, I’d so much rather stay here.” His voice was deep and husky and it sent a shudder straight through me.
His mouth was crooked up to one side resulting in a smirk on his face. A devilish, devilish smirk. He knew exactly what he was doing.
I closed my eyes and pressed my hands on my cheeks, trying to cool the blush I felt growing there. “Stop looking at me,” I said with a laugh.
“I don’t think that’s possible. I like you too much.”
With my stomach in knots, I responded, “I like you, too.”
It wasn’t the boldest, most beautiful declaration I’d ever made, but dammit, it was the truth.