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“I hate to break up the party and all, but I’d like to go over the plan of attack with you both.”
“Sure.” Quinn nodded. “Just go away for a little bit first.” He directed his attention back to Alex.
“Excuse me?”
“You heard me, Buchanan,” he said, not taking his gaze off her. “Go away.”
There was a moment of silence, then Joe cleared his throat. “Uh, yeah... Okay then...” He mumbled under his breath as he exited the room, pulling the door closed behind him.
“Don’t worry, sweetheart. I’m not going to jump you.” He grinned at her, and amusement danced in her eyes. “I just wanted to kiss you without an audience.”
Pushing her hair away from her face, he brushed his fingers over her bruised cheek. Her wince was barely perceptible. But he saw it. He replaced his fingers with the softest of kisses.
“It kills me that he hurt you,” he murmured. “I know we haven’t known each other very long, but the time doesn’t matter. Because this? You and me? It’s right. You’ve become as vital to me as air. I love you, Alex.”
Radiating trust and affection, she watched him with a sweet smile. Everything inside him clicked into place. Taking care to be gentle, he kissed her with everything he had.
So... this was love.
CHAPTERTHIRTY-THREE
The hum of the machines in the hospital room provided a soothing white noise. Alex pulled the thin, scratchy blanket tighter around her and rolled to burrow deeper into the bed.
A sharp fire blazed along the right side of her body. The air left her lungs in a tormented gasp.
Her eyes darted around the dark room, confusion muddling her mind. The beeping on the machines went wild when she spotted a man in the corner. He stood in the shadows, hidden from the light.
As he stalked toward her, she sprang off the bed. The swift motion ripped the IV from her wrist, but she paid no mind to the sting or the blood trickling down her arm. She raced for the door, and the monitor cords attached to her skin stretched taut. With little pops, the adhesive gave way, and the cords fell to the floor, setting off an unbearable, high-pitched squeal. Before she could yank the handle, the man snagged her by the arm and slammed her face first into the door.
Pinning her against the cold steel, he rubbed his erection against her. Hissing into her ear, he said, “Don’t you remember lesson four, darling? Never run from me.”
Her skin went ice cold.
Preston slowly turned her to face him.
“I want to show you something. It’s another lesson, darling.” His tone was conversational now. He pulled her from the door, deeper into the room. “Natalie, you belong to me, and this is what happens when you run.”
He released her arm and stepped away, switching on the overhead light.
She recoiled from the sudden brightness, willing her vision to adjust. When it did, when she saw the form lying on the ground at her feet, her stomach heaved. Staggering backward, she whipped her hands to her mouth, revulsion and disbelief numbing her face.
Covered in blood, Quinn stared back at her with dull, lifeless gray eyes.
The room spun, and menacing, hysterical laughter filled her ears. A sob wrenched from her throat as she sank to her knees.
Alex shot up from the bed. She ignored the tears streaming down her cheeks, the aches triggered by her heaving gasps, the sharp pain pinching below her right shoulder. All of it.
Frantically scanning the dark room, she froze when her gaze fell over the silhouette of a man slumped awkwardly in a chair at the foot of her hospital bed. She let out the breath she’d been holding.
Quinn.
She’d recognize him anywhere. Pushing the button that controlled the bedside light, she heaved another sigh of relief. No blood. He was okay. The steady rise and fall of his chest drained the remaining tension from her. It had only been a dream. Another awful, too-real-for-comfort dream.
Pressing another button, she adjusted the hospital bed so she was sitting. Then, watching Quinn, she memorized every feature and angle of his face, every contour of his body. And a serenity settled within her. In such a short period of time, this man had come to mean more to her than she’d ever expected.
After a while, his eyelids fluttered open. Squinting against the light, he sat up and massaged his neck.
“Hey, gorgeous.” His voice was raspy from sleep, and he rolled his neck from side to side. “What are you doing up?” He glanced at the clock. “It’s only five thirty. Are you in pain? Do you need me to get a nurse or the doctor?”
