CHAPTER EIGHT
Lake
I watched the nurse place an adhesive bandage where the IV needle had been in my hand a few seconds before.
“There. All done.” She patted my arm. “The doctor will be back in to talk to you shortly.”
I sat up on the portable bed and rubbed my eyes. When I’d arrived at the emergency room, I’d been disoriented and didn’t remember much after that until I’d found myself in a room, looked over at the chair after who-knows-how-long, and saw Blaze Harrington sitting there. I’d freaked out and told him to go home.
I realized all he’d been trying to do was help me, but I was fucking mortified. As soon as Blaze had left, I’d called Cal at work and asked him what the hell had happened.
He’d told me I’d passed out cold, “Like a chick from the 1800’s,” and Vince of all people had caught me before I hit the ground. Oh, yeah, and Cal had seen “the hot biker” carrying me to the back. God. So fucking embarrassing. The nurse told me I’d been severely dehydrated, and the doctor wanted to keep me overnight, but I refused. I was getting out of there as soon as possible.
The curtain around my cubicle rustled and a middle-aged Hispanic woman walked in. Her salt and pepper hair was pulled back in a bun and a stethoscope hung around her neck. A pair of stylish glasses balanced on the tip of her nose as she looked over what I assumed was my chart. When she finally turned her attention to me, she smiled.
“Well, you are certainly looking better now than when you came in. Do you remember me, Mr. Adams?”
I shook my head. I knew she must be my doctor, but I didn’t remember seeing her earlier, which was scary.
“I’m Dr. Rodriguez, the physician who examined you when your friend brought you in. You were pretty out of it then. Confused, disoriented. He told me you passed out at work and that your paleness and rapid pulse had convinced him to bring you to the hospital. He made the right choice. Severe dehydration can rapidly lead to kidney failure and death.”
My heart began to hammer. It had been that bad?
The doctor perched at the end of my bed and looked me in the eyes. “Your blood work didn’t show any underlying infection causing the dehydration. Have you been vomiting excessively? Had diarrhea? A fever?”
“No,” I said. “I guess I just haven’t been drinking enough. And I had to walk kind of far today. I’m a little run down.”
“You’re slightly underweight. I suggest you rest, eat, and drink more, Mr. Adams, or you’ll be right back here again.”
I nodded. “Okay. Thank you.”
“We’ve put plenty of fluids in you, but when you get home, drink a large glass of water before going to bed. Your urine was very dark when you came in, but the last sample looked much better.”
I hadn’t been with it enough to remember the catheter going in, but I certainly remembered it going out and suppressed a shudder.
“Keep an eye on that and how you feel. Your body will tell you when it’s in trouble. You need to listen to it.” The doctor looked up at the clock on the wall, and my eyes followed. I was shocked to find it was after two AM.
“I’ve been told you don’t want to stay overnight.”
“I don’t,” I said. “I don’t have insurance.” The words tasted bitter in my mouth. I felt like a failure being my age and without insurance.
“I think you’ll be okay to go home as long as you’re careful.”
“I’ll call a cab,” I said, looking around in hopes of finding my wallet and cell phone.
“That won’t be necessary. Your friend who brought you here is waiting for you.”
I stilled. Blaze was still there?
Dr. Rodriguez talked to me a few minutes more and then told me I could get dressed, revealing the bag with my clothes inside that had been tucked beneath the bed. I’d been wearing my uniform when I’d passed out, but the bag contained my sneakers and a pair of sweatpants. As I was tying my shoes, the nurse returned with my discharge papers.
I dreaded walking out of the room and facing Blaze. My cheeks flamed with embarrassment at what had happened and that he had been there to witness it. Would I rather have had Vince be the one to take me to the hospital? He was nice enough, but I knew he wouldn’t have stayed there like Blaze had. In fact, Vince would have called an ambulance, and that would’ve been something else I’d have to pay for.
Tears smarted in my eyes. When was it going to be enough? When would the universe get tired of pounding me into the ground?
God, how dumb was I not to have been drinking enough water? A five-year-old knew when he was thirsty. And I couldn’t blame it on my current financial status as water was fucking free! I’d brought all this on myself, and now I was going to have hospital bills I couldn’t pay. To top it off, I didn’t have money for food. How long before I collapsed because of that? Thank God Khan and Stephen would be home in a couple of days. I’d gladly listen to Khan’s lecture in order to eat one of Stephen’s fantastic meals. Hell, I’d listen to it just to get a bologna sandwich.
Straightening my spine, I lifted my chin and walked out of the room, immediately spotting Blaze in the waiting room, slumped in a chair and obviously asleep. A kid sat next to him, running a toy truck around the edges of the chair, occasionally gliding it over Blaze’s arm while a woman who I assumed to be his mother tried to calm a screaming infant. How could Blaze sleep through that? My heart softened looking at him.
The gorgeous fuck was leaning sideways against the wall, eyes closed, face lax and chest rising and falling with each even breath. It occurred to me I could sneak out without waking him, but even I wasn’t that big of an asshole. I approached and shook his shoulder.
“Hey.”
Long, dark lashes fluttered and opened, revealing the stunningly blue irises rimmed in black that never failed to take my breath away. He sat up.
“You okay? Should you be walking?”
“I’m fine. Uh, sorry I was such an ass before. You didn’t have to stay.”
“You need a ride home.”
“I can take a cab.” Lie. Couldn’t afford one. It would definitely be the bus.
“I left my bike at The Yellow Banana, and we took a cab here. Ax and Matteo brought the SUV to me. It’s parked outside.”
I rubbed my eyes. “I don’t remember being in a cab.”
“You were pretty out of it.”
Blaze walked me outside. I had to go pretty slow, as I still felt rocky on my feet, but Blaze was really nice about it.
“Here, sit on the bench, and I’ll get the car and bring it around,” he said.
I didn’t argue. I sank down and leaned against the building, watching Blaze’s spectacular ass perfectly filling out his jeans as he strode across the dark parking lot.
When he brought the SUV around, he climbed out to help me in. I’d never felt so well taken care of. Well, except with Khan, but Khan parented me. Blaze made me feel special.
“Why are you doing this?” I asked him when we’d pulled out onto the main street.
He glanced at me. Jaw covered in dark stubble and hair rumpled, he looked sexy as sin.
“Helping you? Why wouldn’t I?”
I shrugged. “We aren’t exactly friends.”
“We’re going to be seeing more of each other, aren’t we? You’re Julianne’s PA, and I’m going to be working with her.”
“You decided to merge with Steel and Velvet?” I asked.
Blaze nodded.
“Julianne must be over the fucking moon.”
“She seemed calm when I told her.”
“Yeah, well, she’s a professional. Trust me, she peed her pants when you hung up. She’s excited to work with you.”
“Goes both ways,” Blaze said.
Leaning against the head rest, I watched the streetlights play over Blaze’s face as he drove. How in the hell did he look so good in the middle of the night after sitting in a hospital waiting room for hours? I was sure I looked like shit warmed over.
“I don’t know where you live,” Blaze said at the first red light. I gave him the address, and he programmed it into the SUV’s GPS. I felt like I ought to try to make conversation since he’d gone to so much trouble for me that night and I’d been a prick and kicked him out.
“You’re in a motorcycle club with Dante, right? And the new bartender—Axel?”
“Yeah. We call him Ax.”
“What’s the name of the club?”
“The Hedonists.”
I nodded. “Cool.” God, I was lame. What did I know about motorcycle clubs? “I like your tattoo.” Wow. Congratulations, Lake. Another stellar comment. How obvious must it be that I’d led a sheltered life growing up?
“Thanks. I’m glad you like it.”
Wait. What did that mean?
“Fuck,” I said, looking at the time as Blaze pulled up to my building. It was after four in the morning. I was going to have to deliver the papers. The realization made me want to crawl into a hole and weep.
“What?” Blaze asked.
“Nothing. Just remembered something I need to do.”
“You should rest today.”
“I can’t.” I opened the car door.
“Let me help you get to your apartment.”
“No need.” I climbed out.
“Lake…”
“Seriously. I’m fine. You’ve done enough. Thank you again for your help.” I shut the door and jogged toward my building.
Mistake.
I hoped Blaze didn’t see how I had to stop and lean on someone’s car for balance. Thank God an alarm didn’t go off. I walked more sedately the rest of the way, climbing the stairs slowly because of course the elevator still hadn’t been fixed.
Leaning against the door to my place, I fumbled in my pocket for my keys, which someone had thoughtfully remembered to remove from my locker at the club. I was so fucking tired. All I wanted to do was crawl into bed and sleep for a week, but I wouldn’t even get an hour. I didn’t dare drop off, or I’d risk sleeping through. Did I even have any coffee? I fumbled the keys, and they fell on the scuffed floor.
“Need help with that?”
I almost jumped out of my skin at the sound of the familiar voice. What the fuck was Ron doing up so late?
“Leave me alone,” I said hoarsely, shooting a glance his way before carefully fitting the key in the lock. Ron was in his underwear, as usual, his beefy body bulging grotesquely like something huge squeezed out of a tight tube. I swear, paint him green, and he’d be The Incredible Hulk.
“What kind of neighbor would I be if I didn’t help out?” Ron asked, plucking the key ring from my shaking hand and easily opening the door. I almost fell inside, as I’d been leaning against it.
“Careful now,” Ron said, grabbing my forearm in a grip that hurt.
“Uh, thanks. Please close the door on your way out.”
My mother’s voice rose in my mind: You’ll get yourself into trouble, just like you did in school, and don’t come crying to us when you do.
I raised my eyes, and the look in Ron’s terrified me. For all his homophobic slurs, I knew he wanted to fuck me unconscious, and the way I felt just then, that wouldn’t take long.
“I think I should get you into bed,” Ron said, the intent in his tone turning my knees to jelly. “You’ve been out awfully late. Get fucked good and hard? Gangbang maybe?”
I covered my fear with snark. “Let me guess. You think all gay men are whores.”
“No, just you, pretty boy. I think you’re a whore, and I’m tired of watching you flaunt that ass. Guy or whatever, you’ve got a hole, and my dick’s going in it.”
“Get out!” The intended shout came out a pathetic rasp. “I’ll wake up the whole damn building if you don’t.”
Ron chuckled and started to close my apartment door with him on the wrong side of it. I panicked, heart thundering in my ears, the wave of fear breaking over me bringing back memories I didn’t want to acknowledge. I’d always been afraid of this. I should have been on guard. Why hadn’t I let Blaze escort me up to my place? Why did I always have to be so damned independent and surly, even with people I trusted? I knew why: because I was determined to prove my parents wrong about me. Now it looked like they’d been right.
Ron advanced, and I backed away, but he gripped me hard, meaty fingers pressing into the tender skin under my arm.
The door slammed open again, bouncing off the wall so hard it left a dent in the wall. For a second, I didn’t know what was going on until I realized Blaze was in the apartment and had Ron by the throat.
“What the fuck is going on here?” Blaze’s fingers tightened around Ron’s thick neck when he didn’t immediately get an answer. Regaining my senses, I stepped forward and kicked Ron in the nuts.
Ron’s loud oof stifled by Blaze’s fingers around his throat made me feel better than I had in days.
Blaze shot me a look of approval before slamming Ron against the wall.
“I asked you a question, you big bullfrog. What’s going on here?”
“Who the fuck are you?” Ron managed to get out. Tears ran from his eyes as he tried and failed to double over from my kick. His face was turning purple, and I hoped his balls were too.
“I’m a friend of Lake’s. Now, who the fuck are you, asshole? And you better tell me fast.” Blaze squeezed tighter.
“I-I’m his…neighbor. R-Ron.”
“Well, Ron, what exactly were you doing when I walked in here?”
“We were enjoying each other’s company.” Ron tried and failed to loosen Blaze’s grip from his throat.
Blaze looked at me.
“He pushed his way in here. He told me he was going to take me in my room and fuck me.” The words tasted bitter. I was so angry with myself for letting my guard down and having to be rescued for the second time in twenty-four hours.
You’re weak. You’ll never make it on your own. My father’s voice this time.
Blaze’s eyes lit with fire and he tightened his hold around Ron’s windpipe. With a jolt, I realized he was seconds away from committing murder. For me.
I grabbed Blaze’s arm.
“Stop. He’s not worth a prison sentence.”
“Oh, I don’t know about that.” Blaze looked fucking scary, and for a minute I didn’t think he was going to listen to me.
“Blaze, please.”
Suddenly, Blaze let go of his grip on Ron, and the big man sank to the floor, gasping for air.
“Get the fuck out of here,” Blaze told him, and I got a tremendous amount of satisfaction watching Ron half-crawl, half-walk out of my apartment. Blaze slammed the door and locked it.
Hand to my chest, I stared at him. “I can’t believe you did that.”
“You need to file a police report against him.”
“Thank you. Again.” It was possibly the most heartfelt thank you I’d ever given. My heart was still racing. If Blaze hadn’t parked and followed me up after I’d told him to leave, I had no doubt I’d be facedown at that moment with Ron’s dick in my ass and his hot, stinky breath against my face. A little dizzy, I made my way to the couch.
Blaze followed. He didn’t look angry anymore, just concerned. “You okay?”
I shook my head. I wasn’t fucking okay, and I didn’t have it in me right then to pretend otherwise. I wrapped my arms around myself, trying to stop shaking.
Fuck, I was going to fall apart. Right there in front of the delicious man who obviously felt sorry for me.
I stared dazedly in front of me, rocking on the couch like a traumatized freak. I heard Blaze walk away. I wouldn’t blame him if he left, but a minute later he returned with a glass of water. I tried to take it from him, but my hands were shaking too badly to get a grip on the glass. I’d come to that moment—the one when I couldn’t hold it together any longer. I was done.
“Let me help you,” Blaze said softly and lifted the glass to my lips, his other hand warm at the back of my head, thumb brushing sensitive skin. I drank, embarrassed at the tears rolling down my face, but I couldn’t stop them.
“It’s okay,” he said. “You’re okay now.”
I nodded, chin trembling. I licked tears from my lips and avoided his gaze. “Th-thank you.”
“And you can stop thanking me. Do you want to call the police?”
Squeezing my eyes shut, I shook my head. The last thing I wanted was to admit Ron had attacked me.
Fucking Ron. Of course he’d pick the night I was weakest to make his move.
“Here, why don’t you lie down? I’ll find a blanket.”
Even though I wanted to do that more than anything, I shook my head. “I can’t. I have to deliver the papers.”
Blaze looked confused. He probably thought I was delirious. What twenty-six-year-old man had a newspaper route?
I swallowed. “And then I have to go to work.”
“With Julianne? I can call her—”
“No, at the coffee shop. I work there until two.”
I could feel Blaze watching me, but I couldn’t move. My body felt weighted down, I was so damned tired. I realized there was no fucking way I was going to be able to get myself off the couch to deliver those papers. The thought of riding a bicycle in my current condition was ludicrous, and I’d be lucky if I made it to the coffee shop afterward. I was going to lose all my jobs and then I’d be living on the street.
Stop being such a drama queen. You know Khan and Stephen wouldn’t let that happen.
God, I didn’t want to see the pity in my friends’ faces when I told them.
A chuckle escaped my throat. And another. I laughed until I wasn’t laughing anymore, but crying hard, ugly sobs.
Blaze drew me into his arms, the leather of his jacket crackling as I clung to him. It felt so fucking good to have someone hold me—to have him hold me—I didn’t know what to do. I sobbed like a baby while he rubbed my back and murmured into my hair like no one had ever done for me before, not even my own mother.
“I have to deliver papers, and I just…I just don’t h-have anything fucking left in me.” I buried my nose in Blaze’s shoulder, and upset as I was, I couldn’t help noticing how good he smelled. “I’m going to lose my jobs. All of them.”
“Tell me what your route is,” Blaze said. It took a moment for the words to sink in.
“What? Why?”
“I’ll deliver the papers. That them over in the corner?”
I nodded. Tried to pull myself together. I wanted to tell him no, but I knew I couldn’t do it by myself. He was still holding me in his arms, and I never wanted that to stop.
I made myself pull away.
“I-um. If you’ll drive, I’ll throw the papers.” I wiped at my tears with shaking fingers.
“No, I want you to stay right here and get some sleep, even if it’s just an hour. I can manage a paper route.”
“You haven’t slept—”
“Are you kidding? I had a good two hours in the waiting room.” He gently pushed me onto my back, and for a split second I imagined what it would be like to have him doing it for an entirely different reason.
My cock made a valiant attempt to stir before drooping in exhaustion.
Blaze found the throw I’d knocked onto the floor at some point and spread it over me.
“Tell me your route.”
I did, thinking there was no way he’d get it right, but what the fuck choice did I have? I repeated it again, and he took up the bag of papers and left the apartment.
My head buzzed as I lay still on the couch with my eyes closed. I really didn’t think I slept. I heard the refrigerator click on. Someone talking as they passed my door. But I must have slept, for the next thing I knew, Blaze was standing over me with a McDonald’s bag and two steaming cups of coffee.
I blinked up at him. “Are you back already?”
Blaze’s smile was wide. “Yep. And I brought breakfast.”
My stomach clenched. Gingerly, I sat up, realizing I felt a little better.
Blaze opened the bag and pulled out several breakfast sandwiches. My stomach growled, and he grinned at me.
“Hungry?”
I could only nod before biting into egg and cheese heaven. I moaned and took another bite. And another.
“Slow down. You’ll make yourself sick.” Blaze handed me a bottle of water. “You have fuck-all in your refrigerator. You’ve got to eat and drink to stay healthy, you know.”
I scowled around my next bite. “I know that. I’ve just been busy.” And penniless. Thank God Khan and Stephen would be home soon.
“I’m just saying, you have to take care of yourself. Do you want me to do a grocery run for you?”
“No, I’ll take care of that. Anyway, don’t you have someplace you have to be?” I asked, adding, “You’ve done enough for me. Really.”
Blaze shrugged. “I called Kevin—he’s one of my directors—and told him I wouldn’t be in until this afternoon.”
I licked egg off my lips and took a drink of water. “Well, I have to be at the coffee shop…” I looked at my phone. “In an hour.” I finished the sandwich and looked longingly at the second one.
Lounging on the other end of the couch drinking coffee, Blaze said, “Eat it. I had hashbrowns on my way back here.”
I bit my lip. “I’ll take it for later, if that’s okay with you.”
“Sure.”
I stood up, teetered, and Blaze reached out to steady me.
“I’m okay,” I said. “Thanks again. Really. But I’ve got to go take a shower and get ready to leave.”
“Want a lift to work?”
I shook my head. “Subway’s fine. It’s a short trip.”
Blaze finished his coffee. “Okay. I didn’t see any sign of your neighbor earlier. I really think you ought to give a police report.”
“I’ll think about it,” I said.
When Blaze had gone, I hurried to the bathroom to shower.