Total pages in book: 50
Estimated words: 46500 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 233(@200wpm)___ 186(@250wpm)___ 155(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 46500 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 233(@200wpm)___ 186(@250wpm)___ 155(@300wpm)
I shook my head. “I’m scared to sleep,” I confessed in a whisper. “I’m terrified that when I wake up, you’re no longer going to be here.”
He grabbed my hand with his free one, linking our fingers together on his thigh. “I will still be here,” he promised. “Sleep, Jessie. Take pity on me this one damn time, please, and don’t fucking fight me.”
I nodded, giving in. “Okay.”
He pressed his lips to the top of my head, holding them there. “I love you,” he murmured.
I squeezed my eyes shut, more tears burning in my eyes. “I love you, too.”
Ink
Alejandro quietly stepped into my hospital room with Joey once Jessie was passed out next to me. I arched an eyebrow at him. I was tired as fuck, and I wanted to sleep as well, but I knew Alejandro was going to want to see me.
Joey was definitely a surprise, though.
“What are you doing here?” I asked my president.
He smirked. “What? I don’t get a hey, thanks for coming to see me—nothing?” he teased.
I rolled my eyes. “How fucking long was I out?” I demanded to know.
“Good six hours before my men couldn’t hold Jessie back any longer and she got her ass to the hospital,” Alejandro informed me. “She was here in two hours after that. So, surgery took about seven to eight hours. Add another four to that for you to come off the sedatives.”
I shot him a dark look. “Could have just given me a number,” I deadpanned.
Alejandro only smirked at me. He reached up and rubbed his chest. “You owe me.”
I arched an eyebrow at him. “For?” I asked.
Joey smirked. “Apparently, my little sister almost beat the hell out of him.” Alejandro scowled at Joey.
“Jessie was in a fragile state of mind,” he corrected. “And she felt that what happened to you was my fault.” I frowned. It was all a big fucking accident. It was no one’s fault but the person who pulled the trigger. “She took her frustrations out on me—that’s all.”
“How bad does your chest look?” I asked him.
He shrugged. “It will heal.”
Joey quietly laughed. “She did a damn good job,” he said, pride shining in his eyes for Jessie. I tightened my arm around her shoulders. “Alejandro’s got some damn good bruises popping up.”
“She also threatened to shoot one of my guards with his own gun if he touched her,” Alejandro remarked. And he looked downright amused at that.
I grinned. “She’s a strong one.” Pride swelled inside of me. I glanced down at her. In such a short amount of time, she was already coming such a long way, and I was so fucking proud of her for it.
Alejandro grabbed a gun out of his blazer and handed it to me. I slid it under the blanket where it was easily accessible but concealed. “Joey and I will be on the lookout for whoever fucking did this to you. We’ll keep you informed with what we find out. There are two guards stationed outside of your door. Two more are on standby in case Jessie needs to go somewhere.” I nodded in thanks. “Four more are stationed around this floor, and there are a dozen more throughout the hospital and parking garage. You’re well protected while you’re healing and so is Jessie.”
I inclined my head to him in both thanks and respect. Without another word, he strode from the room, quietly shutting the door behind him. Joey leaned over and pressed a kiss to the side of Jessie’s head. “Whatever you’ve done, Ink, thank you,” Joey said quietly, his dark eyes meeting mine. He swallowed thickly. “When I came here, she was on the verge of screaming and completely losing her mind.” He rubbed his chest. “She actually let me console her. So, thank you.”
I nodded once at him. He left the room after.
I looked back down at Jessie. She was sleeping peacefully, her tears now dried.
Joey would never have to thank me for saving his sister. I was determined to do it whether he wanted me to or not because Jessie Dirks was the center of my fucking universe.
Without her, I ceased to exist.
12
Ink
These four white walls were beginning to wear on my nerves. I was antsy and more than ready to get the fuck out of this bed.
And Jessie wasn’t making it any easier. She was determined to have me follow the doctor’s orders to a fucking T. If I didn’t love the woman so damn much, I’d have kicked her out of the room already.
But to be honest, she was the only thing keeping me sane and keeping my temper in check. Because if another nurse or doctor told me to keep my ass in bed, I was going to lose my fucking mind.
I slowly pushed myself further up on the bed, gritting my teeth against the pain. I’d refused morphine, which the nurse had argued with me on. I needed to be alert if something happened, and morphine made me drowsy as fuck. I was tired of sleeping all goddamn day.