Total pages in book: 46
Estimated words: 42128 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 211(@200wpm)___ 169(@250wpm)___ 140(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 42128 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 211(@200wpm)___ 169(@250wpm)___ 140(@300wpm)
Hadley squeezed Delaney’s shoulder gently and smiled. “You’re doing really good.”
By now, the adrenaline that had carried Delaney this far was clearly fading. Her pale face looked softer with exhaustion, her lashes heavy while she fought to stay alert through the last of the bandaging. After taking a blood sample to make sure there weren’t any drugs in her system, Cage finally peeled off his gloves and tossed them into the trash before glancing toward me.
“Mostly superficial injuries. She’s dehydrated and exhausted more than anything else.” His mouth twitched faintly as he added, “And she needs sleep more than she needs you breathing down her neck every five seconds.”
“I can do both,” I muttered.
Hadley rolled her eyes. “Men.”
Cage ignored her while grabbing a folded set of navy scrubs from a cabinet nearby. Then he handed them to Delaney. “Here, you can change out of those clothes before you crash completely.”
She blinked twice, then looked down at the filthy, torn dress she was still wearing like she’d only just remembered the condition she was in.
Hadley stepped closer gently. “C’mon, sweetheart. I’ll help you change.”
Delaney hesitated, her gaze darting toward me again like she needed reassurance before agreeing to let me out of her sight. That possessive heat surged hard through my chest all over again at the realization that she trusted me instinctively.
“You can go with Hadley,” I told her quietly. “I’ll be right here when you come out.”
Some of the tension visibly eased from her shoulders at my words.
Hadley offered her a small smile while holding the scrubs out toward her. “We’ll only be a minute.”
Delaney slid carefully off the hospital bed, wincing faintly when her bandaged feet touched the floor. Instantly, I moved closer, my hand settling automatically against her waist to steady her before she could stumble. Her fingers curled briefly into the front of my shirt, the tiny movement hitting me hard enough that my chest physically tightened.
“I’ll be okay,” she whispered, though it sounded more like she was trying to convince herself than me.
My knuckles brushed lightly against her cheek before I could stop myself. “I know.”
Hadley guided her gently toward the attached bathroom, keeping her pace slow while Delaney leaned slightly into her side. Just before stepping inside, Delaney looked back at me one last time, those striking hazel eyes still filled with lingering fear and exhaustion.
Then the bathroom door closed softly behind them.
4
REV
Several minutes later, every muscle in my body tightened instinctively before I even fully looked up. Delaney stepped out slowly beside Hadley, swallowed whole by a set of navy scrubs that had obviously been made for someone bigger than her. The loose cotton pants had been rolled twice at the ankles, and the top hung off one shoulder, exposing the pale line of her collarbone.
Her strawberry-blond hair was still damp from where Hadley had helped clean her up, the soft locks wavy around her face now instead of hanging tangled and wild with dirt. Even bruised and wrapped in borrowed clothes, with exhaustion still clinging heavily to every movement she made, she was still one of the prettiest fucking things I’d ever seen in my life.
The moment Delaney stepped through the doorway, those striking hazel eyes swept the room, searching until they locked onto mine. My reaction was so fierce, it almost knocked the breath from my lungs.
There wasn’t any hesitation in the way she looked for me either. Her gaze went straight to mine like some instinct buried deep inside her had already decided I was safe, and the tiny release of tension that softened her shoulders once she found me did dangerous things to my head. The realization wrapped itself around every protective impulse already burning through my bloodstream.
Mine.
Damn, that word was becoming a fucking problem.
That possessive certainty had clawed through me ever since she stumbled out into the road and threw herself into my arms, but seeing her look for me like that only rooted it deeper.
I crossed the room toward her without hesitation. The second I reached her side, she visibly relaxed beneath the oversized scrubs. Hadley noticed it too, if the knowing smile tugging at the corner of her mouth was anything to go by.
“She’s trying real hard to stay awake,” Hadley murmured.
“I’m fine,” Delaney whispered. But she barely made it two steps before exhaustion visibly hit her again, her body swaying faintly.
“Easy there, angel,” I murmured, sliding one arm around her waist before she lost her footing completely.
The second my hand touched her, she melted toward me while her arms looped loosely around my neck. It was as if she had already learned I’d catch her before she hit the ground.
The oversized scrub top shifted a little when I lifted her, exposing more smooth skin along her throat and shoulder. The sight damn near made my mouth water despite the situation. Fuck me.