The pain in my hand woke me up, but finding myself wrapped in Rylan's arms, my head on his chest, I found it difficult to want to move. Thanks to my past, I actually had a high tolerance for pain, but broken bones were never pleasant. I started to pull myself out from Rylan's embrace when I felt him move.

“Sorry,” I murmured as I tried to sit up without jarring my hand.

“I was already awake,” he said as he helped me sit. “Here.” He held out a small white pill. Once I took it, he reached back to the bedside table and handed me a bottle of water.

I swallowed the medicine gratefully and gave him back the water. I sighed as I leaned back against the pillow, waiting for the pain killer to kick in.

“Yesterday,” Rylan started to speak, hesitated and then continued. “I didn't actually ask you if you still wanted to move in here with me.”

I looked over at him, surprised as much by his tone as I was by the words. “Do you love me?” I asked him the same question he'd asked me on the drive from the hospital.

“Yes. You know I do.”

“Do you want me to leave?”

“Of course not.” He reached down and grasped my good hand.

I smiled at him, lifting our hands so that I could press my lips against the back of his. “Then I'm home.”

He leaned forward and gently kissed me. “Good.” He released my hand and climbed off of the bed. “Now, you stay right there and I'll go make you breakfast.”

I rolled my eyes and shook my head. “It's a couple broken fingers and some bruises. I'm not an invalid. We'll eat in the kitchen.”

He chuckled. “That's my girl.”

The words warmed me and did more for diminishing the pain in my hand than the pill had. I watched him walk into the bathroom, admiring the length of him, the muscles flexing under his tanned skin. Desire hit me hard, twisting all of those things low inside me. Not for the first time, I wondered if it would fade over time. Would there be a point where I could look at him and not want him?

I hoped not.

There was something soothing about sharing the morning rituals, like it was what we'd always been meant to do. We both dressed simply. Him in a pair of sweatpants, me in one of his shirts and a pair of boxers. As I brushed out my hair, he came up behind me and slid his arms around my waist, his hands moving under his shirt so that he could place his palms against bare skin.

“Have I mentioned recently how much I love seeing you in my clothes?” He nuzzled behind my ear. “Even more when I know you're not wearing anything underneath them.”

“Which reminds me,” I said, leaning back against his warm, broad chest. “We need to talk about getting my things moved over here. Specifically, my clothes.”

“Nope.” He shook his head. His reflection showed the laughter in his eyes. “I like this better.”

His hand slid down, moving underneath the elastic waistband. I sucked in air as his finger parted my folds.

“Easier access.”

I would've made a smart comment but I was having difficulty thinking with his finger rubbing my clit. The hand still around my waist moved up and he cupped my breast. It didn't take him long to bring me to orgasm and he held me there, his teeth and tongue teasing my ear as he whispered all of the things he wanted to do to me today. By the time he took a step back, I had to put my hand on the dresser to keep from falling and his sweatpants were doing little to conceal how much he'd enjoyed himself.

“Give me a minute,” I said as I waited for my legs to steady. “And I'll return the favor.”

To my surprise, he shook his head. “Breakfast first. Then, if you're feeling up to it, a trip to our playroom?”

Heat flooded through me at the last two words and my stomach clenched, both at the thought of food and at what would come next.

He made pancakes while I sat at the kitchen table and watched. We made small talk as we ate, discussing plans to have my things packed and brought here as well as my return to Archer Enterprises. We were just finishing up and getting ready to head into a completely different sort of conversation when we heard the front door open.

Rylan shrugged when I gave him a questioning look and got up to see who it was. I had a pretty good idea since I knew of at least two people who had keys and no problem walking in unannounced.

Rylan was partway to the hall when Zeke appeared. His light brown hair was a mess and he had dark circles under his eyes, like he hadn't slept for a couple days. He looked at Rylan and then at me.

“I went to get coffee this morning and there were some cops in line talking about how this girl had been kidnapped.”

I had the fleeting thought that I hoped he'd gotten decaf. Zeke looked wired and about ready to explode. Things had reached a breaking point for him.

“They're saying how she's this hero because she managed to get free and save some girl. Then they said the CEO of Archer Enterprises showed up in her hospital room and wasn't it so sweet.” He looked at Rylan again and I could see the pain in his eyes. “How could you?”

If I hadn't been sure of how Zeke felt about Rylan before, I would've been now.

“What are you talking about?” Rylan, however, appeared to be completely clueless. “You know how I feel about her.”

“She left you!” Zeke shouted. “She left and you still want her! I've been there for you! Through everything! Through Lara and all those women who didn't give a damn about you! Then you meet her and I tried to tell you she was the same as the rest, but you wouldn't listen. Not even after what she did.”

“I love her, Zeke.” Rylan still looked at a complete loss. “You're my best friend. I thought you'd understand.”

“I don't want to be your best friend!” Zeke's voice cracked and Rylan took a step back.

“He's in love with you,” I said softly. I stood and moved to stand next to Rylan. I didn't touch him, knowing it'd just make Zeke angrier, but I needed to get his attention away from Rylan. Something bad was going to happen. I could feel it.

“What?” Rylan looked at me, startled.

“Aren't you, Zeke?” I didn't answer Rylan.

“That's impossible,” Rylan said. “Zeke dated Suzette.”

“Because she's your sister, I'll bet.”

Zeke glared at me, confirming my suspicions.

“We've gone on double dates,” Rylan continued to protest. “We even hooked up with girls in the same room. He had sex...” His voice trailed off and I could see him processing things, things that he'd once found platonic, things he hadn't wanted to recognize for what they were.

“Rylan, I wanted to tell you.” Zeke was pleading now. “But I didn't want to lose you.”

“You're my best friend, Zeke,” Rylan said. “I don't care if you're gay. It doesn't change anything.”

Zeke looked at Rylan and then at me. His expression hardened. “No, it doesn't, does it? You love her. Not me.”

“Not like that, no,” Rylan's voice was gentle. “I'm sorry.”

“You're sorry.” Zeke laughed. “I've always been there for you. I picked you up when your heart was broken and who do you choose? Her.” He turned around, running his hand through his hair. “I thought about just ending it.”

I glanced at Rylan and saw that his face had drained of color.

“But then I thought, why should I do that? Let the bitch who hurt you get to have you?”

Rylan tensed and I put my hand on his arm, shaking my head. I didn't care what Zeke said about me. He was on the edge and one wrong move could push him over.

Zeke turned back towards me and that's when I saw the bulge under the back of his shirt. I opened my mouth to say something, anything, but he was already pulling out the gun and pointing it at me. His hand was shaking and I froze.

“Then I figured I'd just kill her.” He looked at Rylan. “But you'd never forgive me for that, would you?” His arm moved until he was pointing at Rylan. “So I thought, you can't hold grudges after death, right? So if I kill you and then me, we'll be together. Forever. Right? Leave her behind to suffer.”

I didn't even think about. I just moved, two quick steps and I was between Rylan and the gun.

“Not him,” I said firmly. I felt Rylan try to move and Zeke's hand twitched.

“Jenna,” Rylan said.

I could hear the desperation in Rylan's voice, but I didn't look at him. I couldn't get distracted.

“If you have to kill someone, let it be me. Not him.” I kept my voice even. “If you love him, you can't kill him.”

“I love him,” Zeke said, his eyes filled with angry tears. “But I can't have him. Why should I let you?”

“I'm offering myself in his place, Zeke. He can't get mad at you for that.”

“Like hell,” Rylan muttered, his breathing was harsh and ragged behind me.

It didn't look like Zeke had heard him. There was a desperate light in Zeke's eyes, and I was hoping it meant I was getting through to him. At least enough that if he shot someone, it'd be me.

“If I'm out of the way, you won't lose him.” I took a step closer to Zeke, my heart pounding in my chest. I needed to be sure that if he fired, I was the only one getting hurt.

His hand began to shake and I knew I had to do something. I could keep trying to talk him down and hope he'd lower his gun before he accidentally pulled the trigger. Or, I could try to take the gun. I was close enough to reach him. I just didn't know which action would put Rylan in the least amount of danger.

Zeke's eyes narrowed and his jaw clenched, the gun growing more steady. “You're trying to trick me.”

I took another step, putting myself less than a foot from the barrel of the gun.

“Jenna...”

I heard Rylan move behind me and knew he was trying to figure out a way to get me away from Zeke. I couldn't let that happen. I couldn't let Rylan risk his life. I continued to speak to Zeke in the same calm voice. “I'm not tricking you.” I spread my arms wide. “Go ahead.”

“No!”

I saw movement out of the corner of my eye and Zeke shifted his attention. The gun started to move and I acted. I grabbed Zeke's wrist, twisting it and squeezing, hoping he'd drop the gun. He yanked his arm back, pulling me close, and for one full, eternal minute, we struggled, the gun between us. Rylan was there, reaching for us, and then, a muffled bang.

Our feet tangled and we fell. I could feel hot liquid soaking my shirt and wondered if I was in shock, if the vague sensation of heat was all I would feel until my brain processed what had happened. It had to be bad if I couldn't feel it. I'd read somewhere that people rarely felt an initial killing wound.

“Jenna.” Rylan's voice was frantic.

I felt his hands on my shoulders and he pulled me off of Zeke. I looked up at him, my heart twisting at the pain on his face.

My hand hurt.

The realization hit me. My hand hurt. There was a faint pain in my side, but nothing new, nothing sharp.

“I'm okay.”

Rylan pulled up my shirt, his hands moving over my stomach, looking for a wound.

“Rylan, I'm okay.” I put my good hand over one of his and the touch seemed to break through his panic. He looked at me. “I'm okay. It's not my blood.”

Shit. It wasn't my blood.

I saw the relief on Rylan's face immediately change into horror as he realized the same thing I did. I hadn't been the one who was shot.

As Rylan released me, I scrambled to my feet and headed for the phone. Unlike most techies, Rylan still had a landline for emergencies. I dialed 911 as I came back over to kneel at Zeke's other side. Rylan's hands were pressed against Zeke's abdomen.

I barely heard myself giving the dispatcher the address. Zeke's face was pale, a sheen of sweat glistening on his skin. His mouth was moving as if he was trying to speak, but Rylan kept telling him to be quiet. I put the phone down, ignoring the dispatcher asking me to stay on the line. I reached across Zeke and put my hand over Rylan's. He glanced at me and then looked back down at his friend. He wrapped his hands around Zeke's.

“I'm sorry,” Zeke said.

“Stop trying to talk,” Rylan said sharply.

“No.” Zeke grimaced. “Let me talk.”

Rylan's lips flattened, but he stopped protesting.

“I'm sorry,” Zeke said again. “Sorry I never told you. I've been in love with you for so long. I thought you'd see it one day. See that I was best for you. And then you met Jenna.” He looked over at me. “I was jealous because he loves you in a way he never loved me. I'm sorry. Please, forgive me.”

“We can talk about that later,” Rylan said.

“Please,” Zeke begged, looking back at his friend. “I can't die knowing you're mad at me.”

“You're not going to die,” Rylan said firmly.

“Rylan.” Zeke's voice sounded weak. “Jenna, please.” He spoke to me, but didn't take his eyes off Rylan.

“I forgive you,” I said.

“I do too,” Rylan said.

With my hands on his side, I could feel the relief go through his body. And then the tension went with it. Shit. I looked at Zeke's face and saw his eyes starting to close.

“Stay awake,” I ordered. I wanted to shake him, but I couldn't take my hands away from where I was pressing against his wound. “Dammit, Zeke! You are not allowed to die, you hear me!”

Rylan leaned over his friend and grabbed his shoulders. “Zeke! Wake up, dammit! You don't get to do this!”

I could still feel the blood beneath my hands, but I wondered just how long it was going to last.