An Exceptional Twist (31 page)

Leah’s loud gasp brought him back to
reality. They were not in a romantic movie, and he could see the
horror in her face. He was a monster.

She was trying to look everywhere but at
him. Of course she was. He looked hideous. Grunting in irritation,
he fought the urge to punch the wall behind him.

Abby glanced back and forth between them.
“I’m sorry to just spring this on you, but Leah’s agreed to help
out, and I can’t turn her down.” Abby shifted from one foot to
another, biting her lip nervously. Hearing her friend’s response
seemed to have her second guessing this plan. “I need to go talk to
Caleb. Are you guys all right if I leave the room?”

No. Don’t leave.
Though he felt like a baby thinking it, he
couldn’t stand Leah seeing him like this. After everything he’d
done to her, the last thing he wanted was to be alone with
her.

“We’re mature adults, Abby,” Leah said
weakly, twisting her fingers. “We’ll be fine.”

Stefen blew out a sigh of annoyance,
sneering at her turned face.

I can read between those
damn lines. She means that she is mature enough
. They both watched Abby leave the room.

“Why are you here? It was nice of you, but…I
can manage,” he finished bitterly. He couldn’t manage. That was the
fattest lie he’d ever told, but he had to know her reason for being
here.

Was she going to rub his nose in the fact
that he couldn’t take care of himself, or did she genuinely care
about his recovery? Maybe she just wanted to see what a freak he
was now.

Finally making eye contact, Stefen
recognized the cold mask she wore. He’d worn that same disguise
many times himself.

Raising her eyebrow, she answered, “Don’t be
mistaken. I'm not that nice. I'm only doing it for Abby. Besides, I
wouldn't leave an injured dog in the street, either.”

Well, that makes sense.
She’s only here to help her best friend.
That thought stabbed at his heart.
Of course she isn’t here for me. I’m the villain in this
story.

Using his good arm, he rubbed his forehead
with the palm of his hand, then ran his fingers through his hair.
Without any thought, his words came tumbling out of his mouth. “I
really screwed up, Leah. You must hate me.”

Honestly, she had every right to, but that
fact didn’t soften the blow.

She rolled her eyes. “Do you really want me
to answer that?”

He pulled the blankets higher to cover his
bare chest and visibly wounded shoulder. “No, not really.”

Leah pinched her lips together, then slapped
her hands down on her legs. “Okay, then. First things first. What
do you need help with?”

Great, pity help.
Whatever.
As much as he didn’t want to, he
needed her help getting dressed. “Can you hand me a shirt?” He
pointed to the dresser behind her. “Third drawer to the
left.”

As he watched her stroll to the bureau, he
let his eyes wander to his favorite part of her body— her curvy
ass.

She looked over her shoulder, narrowing her
eyes at him.

How does she always
know
? He almost laughed at the
thought.

Placing her hands on her hips, Leah scoffed
at him, “Really, Stefen? Haven’t you grown tired of that game?”

Game?
This wasn't a game. He just loved her voluptuous
rear.

A small smirk made its way onto his lips as
she turned back to the dresser. He still loved her feistiness, but
decided not to answer as she pulled a T-shirt out of the drawer and
threw it at him with a little more enthusiasm than necessary.

The shirt landed just out of his reach,
making him stretch farther than was comfortable, but he refused to
let her see him suffer.

This was the first time he’d put a shirt on
by himself, in front of another person. But he didn’t want her help
if he could just manage to do this on his own. He pushed forward,
yanking his arm halfway in, while his head got tangled. Frustrated,
he cursed under his breath. “Mother fu—”

“Are you going to be this stubborn about
everything, or are you actually going to let me help?”

He couldn’t see her through the material but
imagined she was amused and had a smart ass smile on her beautiful
lips.

Pay back is a
bitch
. But he hoped Leah would cool the
attitude, at least until he felt better.

Humiliated, he slumped his shoulders in
resignation and peeked through one of the arm holes. “Can you
please help me?”

Stefen watched Leah sashay toward him,
certain that it was out of pity. He didn’t deserve her help. As she
came close, he discreetly breathed in her unique floral scent.
Damn, did he miss her.

She leaned over him, tenderly leading his
head and arm through right holes, when something captured her
interest. He pulled the shirt down to cover his stomach and
followed her line of sight. She’d noticed the souvenir he’d bought
at the airport and placed on his bedside table.

“Why do you have that?” She pointed to the
dancing flower pot identical to the one in her apartment.

He shrugged his shoulder, embarrassed that
she spotted the knickknack. “It reminded me of what you said.”

Her eyes widened as she jerked her head
back. Astonished, she spoke softly, “And what was that?”

This was his chance to
switch the mood, so he decide to tell the truth.
The whole truth.
“You
said that it was the little things that could brighten up even the
worst days.” Unsure of how she would react, he added, “I wanted
something to always remind me of you. No matter how big of an ass I
was, you constantly cheered me up.”

She took in a noticeable swift breath. “You
remember that?”

Did her lip just tremble?

Looking down at the comforter, then back up
at her, he shrugged. “Of course I do, Leah. I memorized every
moment we spent together, every word, the movements you made, and
how you always smell like flowers.”

Backing up a step, Leah gulped loudly, her
chest rising up and down. Caleb chose that moment to storm into the
room.

Nostrils flaring, he raised his finger,
throwing it accusingly between them. “Oh no, uh-uh. This is not
happening. No way, Leah. We’ll figure something else out.” Clearly
upset, his fists clenched by his side.

She whipped her head in
Caleb’s direction, and Stefen swore he heard her grunt softly.
“It’s fine, Caleb. This is what Abby and I do. We help each other
out. Stefen can’t even put on a damn shirt, and poor Abby is either
puking her guts up or knocking out at the drop of a hat.”
Well shit.
“I have time
right now. Expect to see a lot of me.” She crossed her arms
stubbornly over her chest.

Ha, yeah Caleb. What she
said.
Damn he loved her sassiness when it
wasn’t aimed toward him

Since his shirt was righted, she stepped
away, taking her intoxicating aroma with her.

Placing his hand on Leah’s
forearm, Caleb said, “No.
Really
. This is not your
responsibility. You’ve dealt with enough.”

Shut the hell up, Cuzz, and take your hands
off of her please.

A little embarrassed that Leah just made him
out to be an invalid—even though he was—Stefen didn’t want Caleb
pushing her away.

Since everything was out in the open now, he
decided to speak up, repeating Leah’s words. “Just because we slept
together doesn’t mean we can’t be mature about this.”

Caleb looked shocked, then mad as hell. His
face literally reddened.

Oh shit.
Stefen shrank against his pillow.

Caleb snarled. “You
slept with her
!”

Stefen turned to Leah for help, but she was
looking at the floor, her face redder than that sexy ass dress she
owned. Frantically, she whispered, “I didn’t tell him we slept
together, Stefen.”

Fuuuuuuck!
Stefen blinked hard.

“Wait?” he pleaded with Caleb. “Why the hell
were you so pissed at me, then? I thought you knew, especially
after that look you gave me when the doctor pointed out the bite
mark on my shoulder.”

Leah’s face went another shade darker, now
covering her face with her hands.

Caleb’s nostrils flared even more. “I knew
you pulled some shit, but I never thought she’d actually let you
sleep with her.” Caleb addressed Leah. “I can’t believe you did
that. As long as girls like you give in to whatever he wants, he’ll
never change.”

The expression on Leah’s face was enough to
make Stefen’s blood boil. He felt the adrenalin rushing through his
veins, wishing with every bone in his body that he could leap out
of bed and throttle Caleb.

With a little effort, he did manage to get
out of bed and go face to face with his cousin.

Stefen puffed up his chest
the best he could before spitting out, “Don’t you
ever
speak to her like
that again, do you understand? This is all
my
fault.
I’m
the asshole here. Don’t you dare
take it out on her.” His body vibrated with anger, his chest
heaving while he tried to remain calm.

Attempting to hold back the sucker punch he
wanted to give his much taller cousin, Stefen began to feel a
little dizzy. This happened a lot lately. He backed up a few steps
and grabbed the footboard.

Caleb swallowed, looking somewhat
remorseful. He stood in front of Leah, making an effort to lift her
chin so she’d look at him, but she kept her concerned attention on
Stefen. “Sweetie, I didn’t mean that as an insult to you.”

Leaning forward, Stefen braced his hand on
his thigh and exhaled. “How the hell was that not an insult?”

Caleb glared at Stefen,
then turned and spoke directly to Leah. “I’ve been trying to get
Stefen to change for years now. I meant that he does this to sweet,
unattainable girls. Once he gets the better of you, he moves
on
every
time
. I didn’t want him to break
your heart, too.”

Pressing his hand to his dizzy forehead,
Stefen reminded them, “I’m standing right here, ya know.”

Leah was still watching him, clearly
concerned.

“I know,” Caleb snapped. “And there’s a lady
present. Put some damn pants on.”

Glancing down, Stefen had
forgotten he was standing in the middle of the room, wearing only a
T-shirt and his boxer briefs.
Nothing she
hasn’t already seen.
He wanted to both
laugh and kick his own ass at that thought.
Damn, I feel dizzy.

Abby appeared from the hallway, giving each
of them a questioning look. “Sorry, I got sick again. What’s going
on?”

Caleb, Stefen, and Leah glanced back and
forth between each other. They all knew this had to happen for
Abby’s benefit.

Finally, Leah said
lightly, “Nothing much. We just decided that it was a good idea for
Stefen and I to make a truce, move on, and for me to help
you
with anything
you
need,
Abby.”

Stefen stayed silent, waiting to see what
Caleb would say while his wife handed Stefen some athletic shorts.
She rubbed his back, “You okay?” she whispered sweetly. He nodded,
not wanting her to know what they’d actually been talking
about.

Leah was a genius, pointing out that the aid
was really for Abby’s sake. Caleb’s one weakness was his wife’s
well-being.

“Sounds like we all agree, then.” Caleb
stepped between Abby and Stefen, then moved her away. He placed his
hands on the side of her face. “Anything you need, love, please let
us know. You can’t do it all yourself, and even though Stefen needs
a lot of help, none of us wants you killing yourself, either. We
can all work together.” He gave Abby a quick kiss on the forehead,
shooting Stefen a heated glance.

Abby sighed and leaned into him, oblivious
of the tension still in the air.

Leah smiled through her
eyes at Stefen, acknowledging her victory.
Thank god I’m on your team right now.

As he watched Caleb and Abby, Stefen had to
admit he was an envious beast.

Caleb was right. All he had to offer a
woman, like the one in the room that set his blood on fire, was a
broken heart.

And Leah was right. He leaned on his looks
to get woman and now that those were gone, he was a lesser version
of himself. He would love to be different someday, able to offer
someone what Caleb gave Abby, but he highly doubted that would ever
happen.

“Well,” Stefen headed toward the bathroom
with his shorts in his hand, “I think I’ll get dressed if you guys
will excuse me.” He stepped into the bathroom and looked at himself
in the mirror.

He was an absolute mess. No wonder Leah
gasped when she saw him. The bruises were gone, but four weeks
after the attack, his sunken eye was still jacked-up, and his skin
still had a sickly tone after taking all of the meds he was
prescribed. They’d reset his nose, but it was still a bit
crooked.

Feeling a void in his heart, he mourned the
man he used to be. He would never again be the good-looking guy
Leah first met. Pulling the collar of his shirt to the side, he
examined the puckered pinkish scar on his clavicle. His stomach
turned, realizing Leah must’ve seen it too when she helped him with
that damn shirt.

Probably thinks I look
like a monster
.

The cast on his arm was scheduled to be
removed during his first visit to UCLA Medical Center next week.
The pain had gone down. He hoped at least that was healing nicely.
He couldn’t wait to shower without a plastic bag on his arm.