Uncrushable (Forehead Kisses #3) (22 page)

“I know, baby.”

She stared at me silently, massaging different parts of my body and giving me gentle kisses.

“Do my parents know?”

“No. I wasn’t sure if you wanted me to call them.”

“No,” I said immediately. “I don’t want them to worry for no reason. My mom will cry for days and then I’ll have to tell them what I do for a living.”

“You should tell them anyway.”

“Yeah, but not like this.”

“The guys are in the visitors lounge.”

“They are?”

She nodded. “They’ve been here all week.”

I was touched. “They are good guys.”

“They are.”

“I’d like to see them, Scotty especially.”

“You got it.” She gave me another kiss before she left my room. When I was alone, I let the anxiety wash off of me. Keira was okay and didn’t have a scratch on her. That was something I was grateful for. The injuries I had were painful, but that burden was nothing compared to the thought of someone striking her.

The door opened and the guys came in.

Scotty came to my side first, concern in his eyes. “You look better than the last time I saw you. But you still look like shit.”

“Thanks,” I said with a light laugh.

He placed his hand on mine. “I’m glad you’re okay, man.”

“Me too. Thanks for taking care of Keira.”

He smirked. “She didn’t need my help, actually.”

“She saved my ass.”

“Yeah, she did.” He gave his cousin a fond look before he turned back to me. “It looks like you guys are always saving each other.”

“We’re a team,” I whispered.

He patted my shoulder. “Is there something I can get you?”

“A beer.”

He laughed. “I can’t get you that, man. Sorry.”

“It was worth the shot.”

He stepped aside and let Bran come to me.

Bran was holding a boutique of flowers. They were white and purple. “Uh, I didn’t know what else to get you…”

“So you get me flowers?” I asked incredulously.

He shrugged. “My mom always used to bring them to my grandma.”

“Do I look like an old lady?” I demanded.

“Well, actually you do…”

I glared at him. “You’re lucky I can’t kick your ass right now.”

Keira grabbed the flowers from Bran. “They are beautiful and we love them.”

“You can put them in that garden of yours,” Bran said. “Because you’re a girl and all.”

I laughed. “You got me there.”

“So…you okay?” The worry was etched all over his body.

“Yeah, I’m okay, man.”

“I’m sorry we left you like that…”

“It wasn’t your fault,” I said immediately. “Don’t do that.”

“I’m still sorry anyway.” He stepped aside and let Tony come near.

“Well, for what its worth, I did get one of those girls into bed.”

I laughed. “I’m glad something good came from this tragedy.”

“And she was awesome in the sack.”

“Even better.”

Tony laughed then grew serious. “I’m glad you’re okay.”

“Me too.”

“If I ever needed a protector, I’m going to hire Keira,” he teased.

“My lady is a badass.”

“That she is.” He nodded. “I know Scotty won’t bring you a beer but I can.”

“No beer,” Keira said firmly.

“Never mind,” Tony said. “The wife said no.”

“And what the wife says is what goes.” I patted his arm. “Thanks for stopping by.”

“Stopping by?” he asked with a raised eyebrow. “We’ve been living at this hospital for the past week.”

“And we want recognition for that,” Bran said.

“It’s acknowledged and greatly appreciated,” Keira said. “But now it’s time to go. Liam needs to rest.”

“Okay,” Tony said. “We’ll stop by later.”

“And when you’re allowed to have beer, we’ll get the good stuff,” Scotty added.

Keira held the door open and chauffeured them out. After she shut the door, she pulled the chair next to my bed and sat down.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

“Sitting next to you.”

“Lay with me.” I pulled the blankets back.

She eyed my body. “I could lay with anyone else but you. You take up the whole bed.”

“That’s why you lay on top of me. Now come on.”

“I really shouldn’t.”

“Please.” I’d beg if I had to. “It’s what I want right now.”

She saw the desperation in my eyes. “Okay.”

Chapter Twelve

Keira

When I saw Liam being beaten to death by Crow and his cronies, I didn’t think. My body automatically reacted. I didn’t think about what would happen to me if I intervened. I didn’t care that there were five of them and only one of me. All I cared about was saving Liam, sacrificing myself so he would survive.

The rage inside me took over, and I granted no mercy to any of the men I faced. It was do or die. The red color blurred my vision and all I wanted was vengeance for their cowardice attempt at cornering Liam.

It was disgusting.

When I drew blood from their faces, I felt no sympathy. When I kneed them in the groin, they got no empathy from me. If they died, I wouldn’t have cared.

I still don’t.

When I got close to Liam, I saw the degree of the damage. His face was so bloodied I hardly recognized him. His mouth was bleeding profusely, his lips were cracked, and one of his eyes was swollen shut. Every time he took a breath, he winced like something wasn’t right. A pool of his blood was on the turf and he was growing weaker by the second. I was scared he wouldn’t make it.

It was the single scariest moment of my life.

When Finn beat me until I blacked out, I was terrified. I didn’t know if I would live to see another day. But the thought of losing Liam was a million times worse. I would much rather die than live without him.

When the doctor told me he was going to be okay, I broke down in tears. I feared for the worst when he was in surgery. He had some internal bleeding and I thought it would be too late to repair the tear. He lost a lot of blood so he needed a transfusion. But luckily, he pulled through.

I stayed at his bedside the entire time. I slept in the chair near the door and kept an eye on him. The only time I went home was to shower and change my clothes. The doctor insisted he’d be asleep for days and there was no point in hurting my back sleeping on a steel chair, but I refused to leave him. There was nowhere else I’d rather be.

The moment he opened his eyes, I put on a brave face for him and hid all the sadness, all the pain. Seeing him look at me and finding comfort was all I wanted. He’d been through so much. I couldn’t even imagine how brutal his attack was. I was grateful I only saw a glimpse of it.

The last day Liam was in the hospital, he looked much better. The bruises were almost completely gone from his beautiful face. The cuts on his lips were healed, and his lungs were back to full capacity. He still needed to wear a wrap around his ribs for another week, but other than that, he was as good as new.

“I can’t wait to go home,” he sad quietly.

“All you’re going to be doing is laying in bed anyway.”

“But I need to start training—”

I gave him the most threatening look I could muster.

“I mean, yes, ma’am.”

“That’s better.” I stayed in the chair beside his bed and held his hand.

He rubbed the wrap covering his ribs. “I feel a lot better.”

“Good. I’m glad to hear that.”

“I don’t know what would have happened if you hadn’t been there…” His eyes were full of fondness.

“But I was so it doesn’t matter.” I didn’t like thinking about it.

“You’ve come so far, baby. I can’t even begin to explain how impressed I am.”

“Well, I had the best teacher in the world.”

“I may have helped you but you did the work on your own. You can’t give the credit away.”

“I still couldn’t have done it without you.”

“Now that I’m feeling better, I realize how hot it was.” He gave me a dark look.

“You aren’t getting any from me until you feel better.”

Disappointment came into his eyes. “But I am feeling better…come on, it’s been two weeks.”

“We’ll talk about it when we go home tomorrow.”

He sighed in annoyance, acting like a child.

I liked the playful side of Liam. It hardly ever came out. The past few weeks he’d been quiet and brooding. Since his ailments were better, he was in a much brighter mood. It was nice to see that.

“Baby?”

“Hmm?” I set the book I was reading on my lap.

“You should go home tonight and get some sleep. You’ve been here for weeks.”

“Where you go, I go.” I crossed my legs and sat straight.

“I’ll be fine. I’m just going to be sleeping anyway. Take a hot shower, make a home cooked meal, and relax. Come back in the morning and get me.”

Sitting in this metal chair was getting old. And the hospital food was borderline disgusting. I could go for a California burrito right now. But I felt guilty for leaving him. What if he needed me?

“Keira, I’m not asking. I’m telling.” He gave me a firm look.

“You’re the one in a hospital bed, so you don’t get to call the shots.”

“I always call the shots,” he said darkly. “You deserve a break.”

“I really don’t mind staying here with you.”

“I have a feeling I’m going tonbe on house arrest when I get home, so you should enjoy a break while you can. Seriously, I’m just going to be sleeping.”

“But I love watching you sleep.”

His eyes softened. “I know, baby. But I want you to get some rest—real rest.”

I’d been sitting vigil by his side for two weeks. It would be nice to sleep in a real bed. “Are you sure?”

“Very.” He brought my hand to his lips and kissed it. “Now go.”

I sat at the edge of his bed then gave him a gentle kiss. His hands moved to my hips and pulled me as close as possible. His fingers dug into me, desperate to cling to me. I knew he missed me in a way that wasn’t acceptable in a public place, and I missed him too. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Okay,” he whispered.

I kissed his forehead. “I love you.” We hardly said those words to each other, but because we didn’t want to dilute the meaning. I wanted to say it now because I almost lost him.

“And I you.” He pecked my lips again and let me get up. He watched me go, a look of longing on his face.

I’d come to the house every day to shower and change my clothes. As a result, my garden hadn’t been tended to, there was no food in the house, and the laundry hadn’t been done. The place was a ghost palace.

I walked into the kitchen then tossed my purse on the counter. Tonight, I was making a home cooked meal instead of eating out for once, and I hoped there were fresh vegetables in the garden I could use. But then again, I hadn’t been watering the plants so they may not have survived.

I headed to the back door then stopped when I realized it was open. A small crack was visible, meaning the door was unlocked. My heart pounded in my chest while I stared at it.

Did I leave it unlocked?

Did Liam?

Had it been like that the whole time?

Maybe Scotty came over and watered the plants…

I wasn’t sure. I came closer then stared at the doorframe. It didn’t look like it was tampered with. Quietly, I shut the door and locked it. Then I tested its sturdiness.

“Keira.”

My hand froze. Even though I was slightly cold from the nighttime air, I suddenly broke out in a sweat. My hands became clammy, slipping on the handle. I remembered that voice, had never forgotten it. It had the same sinister ring to it, a tone heavy with loathing and irritation. It was hard to recall a time when he didn’t sound like that.

I didn’t turn around. I kept my position, trying to see his reflection through the glass.

“Your man toy hasn’t been around lately.”

He must have been watching the house. How did he know where I lived? He must have followed me the last time I visited Scotty. The first thing he wanted to do with his freedom was destroy me.

The panic set in. I remembered the way he tormented me, manipulated me with his misplaced affections. He never loved me. All he wanted to do was control me, to use me when he needed something. And when he didn’t get his way or I defied him, he hurt me. I was so weak against him, so small. Numerous bruises marked my body, most of them not visible with the naked eye. They went down deep, far into my soul.

I heard his footsteps as he came closer to me. “Jail wasn’t fun. Thanks for asking.” The disdain leaked in his voice.

What do I do? Should I open the door and run? I was fast but was I fast enough?