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He looked away, and she saw a muscle in his cheek jumping, his jaw was tight. No, that didn’t sit well with him.
Then he turned back to her, his eyes blazing hot. “You should have gotten yourself to safety. What the fuck would I have done if something had happened to you?”
She gulped. “What do you mean?”
“What the hell is that nonsense about me not caring about you? I fucking care about you. Do you think I would have taken over guardianship of you if I didn’t care about you?”
“You’r
e doing it for Lana,” she pointed out to him. “You couldn’t help her, so you’re helping me instead.”
He reared back. Confusion filled his face for a moment. Then he leaned in. She might have shied back if she had anywhere to go.
“Please tell me you don’t believe that bullshit you just spouted off.”
“It’s not bullshit. You feel guilty for the way you treated me. And because Spencer beat me, even though that wasn’t your fault at all. You couldn’t help Lana. So you’re trying to help me.”
He ran his hand over his shaved head. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me. That’s really what you believe? You think I did all this, slept on your goddamn floor, took care of you, just because I feel guilty over what happened to Lana?”
She paused for a moment and thought that through. He’d taken things further than she would have thought. “What are you saying?”
He leaned into her. His hands rested on the pillow, on either side of her head. “This isn’t about Lana. Maybe in the very beginning it was. And maybe part of it was me feeling guilty. But, believe me, guilt wouldn’t lead me to spend the night sitting in this chair, watching over you, listening to you breathe, to that little snoring noise that you make.”
“I don’t snore.”
“Okay, baby. Whatever you say.”
“So if it wasn’t for Lana because of guilt, then you really do care about me?”
“Nope,” he snapped at her. “I fucking love you.”
It was by no means a sweet, romantic declaration. In fact, he sounded kind of angry about it. And so, she didn’t react right away. She didn’t know what to say.
“This is where you say something back.” Anger flooded his face, and confusion filled her for a moment before she realized what he was waiting for.
“I love you too, but—”
His mouth slammed down on hers. Not soft. Not cajoling. This was total domination. A claiming. And she melted.
“Hey, West,” she heard someone say.
West growled at the interruption.
“Never mind,” they called back cheerfully.
West leaned back. “Damn it, we need to do this when there are no interruptions.”
Do what? Make love? Was this really going where she thought it was?
“You love me?” she asked breathlessly.
He narrowed his gaze. “Yep.”
“You don’t sound all that happy about it.”
“Got a call yesterday telling me my woman and my brother had been shot at. Raced back to find my brother covered in blood, my woman practically catatonic. Got them both to the hospital. Got her checked over while my brother was in surgery. She wouldn’t take the stronger painkillers, even though I knew her shoulder was killing her.” He gave her a stern look. “Then she went into a deeper state, where she shut everybody out. There I was, terrified, no idea if my brother was going to make it or how to reach my woman. And, then, she damn well collapses on me and ends up in a hospital bed overnight. She’s exhausted, dehydrated, hasn’t been eating, hasn’t been taking care of herself, which wouldn’t have happened if I’d pulled my damn head out of my ass and told her I loved her, and fucking well taken care of her myself.”
She just blinked at him. “Your woman?”
