Deadly Obsession (19 page)

“Not so good,” he grunted. “Tired, nauseous. What day is it?”

“Friday evening. You’ve been here since early this morning.”

Nic stared at the doctor in shock.

“Do you remember anything?”

“Not much. I went to Taylors last night to meet Summer Rayne. The next thing I remember is Vivian finding me.”

“Your test results show you ingested Rohypnol along with some alcohol.”

Nic narrowed his eyes at the doctor. “Rohypnol? The date-rape drug?”

The doctor maintained a serene expression. “The police suspect Ms. Rayne gave it to you without you knowing.”

Nic’s breath caught in his throat.
Fucking bitch!

Vivian put her hand on his shoulder. “Darling, do you remember what happened at the bar?”

A muscle jumped in his jaw. “Everything’s a big jumble.” He closed his eyes as a hazy memory began to surface. “I bought us some drinks and we danced.” He paused. “We talked for a while but I don’t remember what we talked about. The rest is a blank until Vivian found me.”

Dr. Jacob nodded. “Rohypnol, especially when mixed with alcohol, is known to cause anterograde amnesia. Your memory may return, but it is also entirely possible that you may never remember what happened.”

“Have the police questioned Summer? Are they sure she’s the one who did this?”

Vivian answered this time. “I spoke with the detectives assigned to your case. Summer hasn’t been located yet. But they retrieved packets of Rohypnol from her apartment.” She sat on his bed and held his hand in her lap.

Nic turned away. He didn’t want pity; he wanted to rip Summer’s fucking head off. Adrenaline surged and his heart started to pump like a locomotive. He bolted upright, yanked his hand out of Vivian’s grip, and swung his legs off the side of the bed.

The fucking bitch had drugged him!

The doctor rushed forward, pushing a hand against his chest. “Mr. Lamoureux, I know you’re angry. You have every right to be, but you need to calm down.”

Nic’s molars ground together, and he spoke through clenched teeth. “With all due respect, doctor. Get out of my fucking way.”

“Darling! Please.” Vivian shot an apologetic look at the doctor, pissing Nic off even more. “Lie down. You’ll hurt yourself.”

“What? You mean I might pull out my IV?” He grabbed hold of the tube on his forearm and yanked out the needle. “Like this?”
Fu-u-u-ck!
Maybe he should’ve thought that through.

Vivian gasped. Dr. Jacob pulled a square package out of a drawer and ripped it open as he approached the bed. “We need to stop the bleeding.”

Nic straightened to his full height, towering over the smaller man, and snarled. “Don’t fucking touch me.”

Dr. Jacob bristled and threw the gauze into the trash beside the bed. “Let me know when you get yourself under control.” As the doctor stormed out of the room, Nic heard him mutter something about Hollywood divas.

Vivian pointed to the tube sticking out from under his hospital gown and arched a brow. “Are you going to pull the catheter out too? I hear it’s quite painful.”

Nic looked down at his crotch and sighed. Pulling a tube out of his arm was one thing, but pulling one out of his
dick
was something else entirely. He needed to switch tactics. “Get the doctor to release me. I want to go home. Tonight. And where’s my phone? I have to call Kaden.” He needed someone on his side.

“Here.” She handed him her phone. “Kaden has yours. I’ll talk to the doctor, but I really think you should stay here, at least until morning.”

“Why?”

“Thousands of your fans are holding a vigil for you right outside this hospital. How do you think they’ll feel if you sneak out and go home?”

He shrugged. “I can speak to them first.”

“I understand how you feel. I hate hospitals, too.” She laughed bitterly. “Here’s the thing. If you stay tonight, we’ll get you released properly, have a press conference, and then you go home. Everyone will leave you alone to recuperate. If you sneak out now, the media and the fans will follow you and stake out your loft. Is that what you want?”

He blew out a breath and fell back against the bed.
Christ
. Vivian was right. “I’ll play this your way, but come morning, I’m out of here. Make sure the doctor knows.”

“Of course, darling.”

“And get a nurse in here. I want this fucking catheter out. I refuse to be tethered to this place by my dick.”

She smiled, then leaned in close and whispered in his ear, “Don’t worry, darling. Everything will be all right. I’ll make sure of it.” After patting his hand, she left the room.

Nic smashed his fist into the mattress. He didn't need Vivian to clean up this mess. As soon as he got out, he'd find Summer, he'd find the stalker, and he'd find out what the hell was going on.

And then he'd put an end to this fucking nightmare.

From the doorway of an empty room, Lauren watched Vivian walk toward the elevators. She didn’t want to deal with her tonight. She simply wanted to sit by Nic’s bed and hold his hand while he slept away the last lingering effects of the Rohypnol.

When she entered Nic’s room, she had to catch her breath. Even with mussed hair and a sallow complexion, he was still the most beautiful man she’d ever laid eyes on. And he was awake! More than awake. He stood, staring out the window in his hospital gown. She could hear his fans calling out to him.

When he leaned forward to wave to the crowd, the back opening of his gown shifted, revealing a tantalizing glimpse of a muscular, perfectly curved butt cheek. Using all her willpower, she forced her eyes to move up his body. When her gaze landed on the new bandage around his arm, she gasped.

He spun around, his intense gaze fixed on her. “You
are
here,” he said, disbelief evident in his voice. Lauren froze. Why was he acting so surprised?

His face darkened and his eyes narrowed. His voice sounded cold, harsh even. “Why the hell aren’t you in Seattle?” She could practically hear his teeth grinding. “I thought I made it clear we couldn’t see each other again.”

Lauren’s stomach plummeted to the tiled floor. Nic continued to watch her, lips pressed into a tight line. They came from different worlds, and nothing lasting could come of their attraction for each other. She got that. But she’d honestly thought that they were becoming friends, that he’d want her here.

“My mistake,” she said, heading for the door.

“Lauren… wait.”

Keeping her back turned to hide the tears that threatened to spill, she massaged the pain in her chest with her hand. “I don’t think there’s anything else to say.” She was so stupid. He didn’t need her. He had Vivian.

“I’m handling this badly. Come, sit for a minute.”

Irritated with herself, she wiped the corners of her eyes before turning around. Nic sat on his bed and motioned to the chair in front of him. Slowly, she walked over and perched on the edge of the seat, staring at her hands folded in her lap.

“Lauren. Please, look at me.” Hearing the ache in his voice, she lifted her gaze but kept her mouth clamped shut. He’d have to do the talking.

“I was caught off-guard and my head hurts like a motherfu—” He stopped himself and swallowed before continuing. “But that’s no excuse. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have spoken to you that way.”

She nodded but remained silent. He’d apologized for the way he’d spoken to her but not for what he’d said.

“When did you get here?”

“This afternoon.”

“Why?”

“Kaden called and told me what was going on. He thought I could help. So, I jumped on a plane and came here.”
Fool that I was
.

When he raised a hand to scratch his cheek, she again saw the bandage. “What happened to your IV tube?”

“I pulled it out.”

“What? Why?”

He shrugged. “I wanted to leave.
Christ
. I still want to leave, and I would if it weren’t for all my fans outside. I don’t know if this mess with Summer is connected to the stalker, but I’m going to find out.”

“Shouldn’t you let the police handle this?”

He snorted. “You saw how much help they were last weekend.”

“But it’s different now. The detectives were the ones to push for the predator drug testing.”

“Yeah, well. I bet that’s only because it’s a crime to sell Rohypnol, and they want to know where Summer got it.”

“I don’t think you realize how much pressure is on them from the press and your fans to solve this.”

Nic turned to her. “Listen,
chérie
, I appreciate you wanting to help.” He paused and she was struck by the regret in his eyes. “But it would literally kill me if anything happened to you or Jason.”

Lauren’s heart stalled. “Do you really think he’s in danger?”

“Anyone associated with me is in danger.”

She didn’t agree with him but she could at least reassure him about Jason’s safety. “Jason’s fine. School lets out tomorrow, and then he’ll be with my parents for a few weeks. My father’s a former policeman on Chicago’s South Side. Believe me, Jason couldn’t be any safer. My dad won’t let anything happen to his grandson.”

Visibly relieved, Nic let out a long sigh. Hope sparked deep in Lauren’s chest. Maybe she’d misread his reaction to seeing her?

Looking at her as if puzzled by something, Nic asked, “You said you arrived this afternoon? Have you been in my room before now?”

Where was this going? “I was here when you woke up earlier.”

“Did I see you?”

“For a few minutes, yes.” Oh God. A thought hit her like a punch to the gut. What if he’d been acting affectionate because he’d still been under the influence of the Rohypnol? She was such an idiot.

“And you weren’t here last night, right?”

Nic’s question took her by surprise. Did he think she had something to do with his being drugged? “What’s this about, Nic?”

“Nothing.” He turned away quickly.

How she wished she could read his thoughts. “Come on, you can tell me.”

“Everything’s all confused in my head. I don’t know what’s a memory and what’s a hallucination.”

“If you tell me what you think you remember about me, I can tell you if it really happened.”

He stared out into the dark expanse of the room’s single window for a full minute. Afraid to spook him, she remained silent, her expression carefully blank. He turned and peered at her.

Lauren sank into the blue of his eyes, metal to his magnet. The doubt and confusion on his face compelled her to press her hand on top of his where it lay on the mattress.

Turning his hand up so they were palm to palm, he held her fingers and raised them to his lips. While maintaining her gaze and his hold on her hand, he murmured, “In my mind, I see us making love.”

Lauren blushed as her fantasies rushed through her mind. At the same time, she felt ridiculously pleased.

Nic
was
attracted to her.

His earlier words were a lie. He’d been putting on an act to protect her. Excitement thrummed in her veins. “In my mind, I’ve seen us making love many times.”

Nic’s eyes widened and a grin spread across his face. Then all too quickly, his expression turned serious again. “But then, what? Was it a dream? A hallucination? Or did I actually…?” He shook his head and clamped his mouth shut.

Reaching over, she cupped their entwined hands and raised them to her own lips. “It doesn’t matter. Just think about tomorrow, think about going home.” Nic groaned and pulled his hand from hers, leaving Lauren disappointed. “What is it?”

“My loft. It’s going to smell like someone died in there. I’m not sure I can deal with that yet. Maybe I’ll stay with Vivian until I can get a service to clean the place up.”

The thought of Nic staying with Vivian, even for a few days, made Lauren squirm. Vivian may have saved his life, and she was his best friend. But Lauren definitely wanted Nic for herself.

“Don’t worry. I already cleaned it.”

Nic’s brow wrinkled. “How did you get in? How did you even know where I live?”

Uh-oh
. Those weren’t exclamations of joy. “I suggested it to Kaden, and he went with me. I wanted to surprise you.”

A flurry of expressions flashed across Nic’s face. Was his address some kind of state secret? For a few dollars you could get a tour passing by movie stars’ homes. Then again, his definitely hadn’t been the luxury Beverly Hills mansion she’d been expecting. Although large and well appointed, Nic’s loft was actually in one of the more industrial parts of town and probably not a stop on any tour.

He let out a long ragged breath. “No one’s ever been to my home except Vivian and Kaden, and now… you.” And no doubt Summer had been there too, but Lauren wasn’t going to bring it up. Nic would come to that conclusion on his own, when he was ready to accept what had happened.

Nic yawned and Lauren chuckled at his little-boy-well-past-his-bedtime look. “Why don’t you get some sleep?” She smiled and turned to leave.

“Stay.” He held out his hand. “Until I fall asleep…” When she moved to sit down in the chair, he tugged on her fingers, pulling her to the bed. “Not there. Here.”

Lauren wrapped her arm around his waist, holding him tight. The beat of his heart and the sound of his steady breathing soothed her. Once again, she was exactly where she wanted to be, where she needed to be.