Page 11 of His to Keep

When he reached the door to Zane's room, two burly men stood guard outside. Their eyes followed his every movement, but Liam refused to be intimidated.

They didn't try to stop him, either. They must have been told to let him in.

Perversely, that made Liam even angrier. With a determined stride, he stormed past them and threw open the door.

Inside, Zane Thorne lounged in his bed, casually flipping through a newspaper. A few days of transfusions had done him well; the color was back in his cheeks. He glanced up at Liam's sudden entrance, one eyebrow raised in silent question. "Ah, Dr. Parks," he greeted dryly. "Nice to see you again under slightly better circumstances. What brings you here?"

But Liam barely spared Zane a glance. His attention was fixed on Colt, who stood nearby. He'd been talking to one of his men, but they'd stopped talking the instant he'd marched in.

And he knew exactly why Liam was there. Colt smirked. "Enjoy your vacation, Doc," he drawled, leaning against the wall with an insufferable air of self-assurance.

The words hit Liam like a slap, igniting the fire within him even more. "You think you can just waltz into my life and rearrange everything?"

Colt's amusement only seemed to grow at Liam's anger. "I thought you could use a break," he responded nonchalantly. "You work too hard. It's not good for you. Learn to take a break."

"Learn to take no for an answer!" Liam snapped, his patience worn thin. He could feel the weight of Zane and Colt's gazes onhim, but he couldn't bring himself to care. All that mattered was making it clear to Colt that he had no right to interfere.

His life was small, and kind of boring, and, okay, yeah, some nights he felt so alone that it was like he was at the bottom of the ocean…

But it was his life. No-one else's.

Colt pushed off the wall, closing the distance between them until they were mere inches apart. His dark eyes bore into Liam's, daring him to back down.

Liam's breath hitched at their proximity.

"Let's talk somewhere private," Colt suggested, his voice low and tense. He stepped outside, as if taking for granted that Liam would follow him.

Liam's cheeks flushed. Without looking over at Zane, he shamefacedly followed Colt.

"Okay, Doc, let's get some things straight," Colt started— but Liam stopped listening.

Footsteps were approaching.

Shit!The last thing Liam needed right now was any of his colleagues seeing him in a private talk with a Thorne man. Hospitals were hotbeds of gossip; if someone saw them talking, everyone would know by lunchtime. His heart raced.

"In here," he hissed, and quickly grabbed Colt's arm, pulling him into a nearby maintenance closet. The space was cramped and filled with the scent of cleaning supplies, but it would have to do.

Colt was easily twice his weight. If he'd refused to move, there was no way in hell that Liam could have dragged him inside.

But, thankfully, Colt went with him. Once inside, Colt crossed his arms over his broad chest, the muscles beneath his shirt straining against the fabric. He towered over Liam, his imposing presence filling the tight space. "What do you think you're doing, bossing around a Thorne man?"

Liam hesitated, suddenly aware of the danger he had placed himself in. Colt was taller, stronger, and infinitely more dangerous than him. A shudder ran down his spine as he realized the intimacy of their situation – alone together in this small, dark space.

What had he been thinking?

"Look, I just…" Liam began in a low whisper. He struggled to gather his thoughts. He could feel the heat radiating from Colt's body, making his own temperature rise in response. "I don't want your gifts, okay? I don't want you interfering in my life."

"Is that so?" Colt asked, his deep voice sending shivers down Liam's spine. The air felt charged between them, electric with tension and unspoken desires.

Liam tried to focus on his anger, but the close proximity to Colt made it difficult. He swallowed hard, trying to ignore the way his pulse quickened in response to Colt's nearness. "Yes," he managed to say. "Butt out of my life."

"Really?" Colt countered, his eyebrow raising in challenge. The dim light filtering through the slats of the closet door cast shadows across his face, emphasizing the intensity in his eyes. "A vacation wasn't enough for you?"

Liam groaned. "It's not about that!"

"The Thornes pay their debts," Colt replied, slow and even. He pushed off the wall, stepping closer to Liam. "If you don't want money, or prestige, or time to yourself... then whatdoyou want, Parks?"

Liam's breath caught as he realized just how close Colt was now. The heat from Colt's body seemed to surround him, and the masculine scent of his skin was intoxicating.

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