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Once we’re a good distance from them, I stop her in the middle of the corridor to ask, “You all right?”
She looks up at me and nods, weariness written all over her. “I will be. I need to talk to the doctor. See what Dad needs and—”
“Lana,” I say quietly. When she looks up, I wait a beat. “Why don’t you let me handle this? I can call in a specialist. Arrange for your father to have the best care possible.”
When she doesn’t say anything, I add, “Only if you want. I won’t push you, but I don’t want you going through this alone.”
She seems torn. The prideful woman before me wilts. “You’ve already done so much for me.”
“If I was in your shoes, you’d have done the same or even more,” I murmur. “I love you. Your pain is physical torture for me. This is just me being selfish.” I put my arms around her neck, forcing her to look at me. “Or do you prefer I suffer by watching you be miserable? I never took you for a sadist.”
“Wait, what?” Incredulously, she says, “How did this turn into me being the bad guy?”
I muster up my most aggrieved expression. “It is what it is.”
She yanks at my tie, making me grin, then pulls me close so our faces are mere inches apart. “Don’t think I don’t know what you’re trying to pull here.”
I sigh. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. It’s just getting really hard to work these days. All I can think about is how troubled you are. But I understand. You prefer I suffer with you. I’m sure Caleb will understand. No wonder I’ve been so tired lately—”
She growls, “Fine! Fine. You’re horrible. Stop making me feel bad.”
I grin, leaning down to peck her lips. “Excellent! I’ll get in touch with Terrance. He’s a friend of mine.”
“Terrance?” she echoes, suddenly struggling to keep up with me as I start walking.
“He’s a pulmonary specialist. One of the tops of his field. He has the most success rates. I’ll ask him to take over from your father’s current doctor. He’ll have to be moved, of course.” I stop in my tracks, and she nearly bumps into me. My tone is serious, and I take her hand. “Your father will be given the best of care, Lana, if you wish it. If you want to leave him as he is, I can do that as well. It’s up to you. I’ll do whatever you want.”
Her fingers tighten on my hand. Grief flashes in her beautiful eyes, her voice hoarse. “Help him.”
Dragging her close using the hand I’m holding, I kiss her. It’s a deeply intimate kiss, one of gentleness and love and a raw emotion that neither can name. When she finally pulls away, I lean my forehead against hers, whispering, “As you wish.”
I drive her home afterward. She is silent in the car. When I park my car outside, I ask, “Do you want me to come upstairs with you?”
She shakes her head, but she doesn’t get out of the car.
I don’t bother her. Letting her gather her thoughts, I play with her hair, always fascinated by the wildness of it.
“Do you think I’m making a mistake?” she finally asks. She shifts toward me, and I know she isn’t the type to second guess herself.
“Why do you ask?”
She turns around in the seat until she’s facing me completely, one leg tucked under her, the other dangling from the edge. There is a determined expression on her face. “I’m not happy with them. I don’t forgive them. But I can’t watch my father suffer.”
“Then you’re not making a mistake.”
She studies me, and I blink. “What?”
“I don’t know what to do about you.”
Her words take me by surprise, then I slyly grin. “I can give you a few ideas. They all involve you taking me upstairs, then getting me getting you out of your clothes.”
She bats my greedy hands away, now laughing. “Hands off, you pervert!”
Seeing her eyes dancing with mirth makes me
feel better. She laughs harder now. If I compare the woman before me to the one who barged into my office all those months ago, the difference is stark. Lana is more relaxed now, the wariness she wore like a cloak has almost dissipated. I’ve changed as well. I came here as an angry, bitter man with my heart frozen solid. Lana amuses me, intrigues me, draws my attention, ensnares my heart. I adore her. I love her.
When I lead her to bed, she comes willingly.
