the hallway?” Trish asked.
Crap, Lea had hoped to get away before anyone asked about him. “Um . . .”
“Isn’t that Max Payton? Alec’s roommate?”
Nick rustled the covers and if her boyfriend hadn’t just gotten beaten up, Trish would have been on the receiving end of some Lea death glares.
“Max Payton? What the hell is he doing giving you a ride to the hospital?” Nick asked, anger evident in his tone.
Max really needed to work on his reputation. Lea turned to Nick. “I was in the gym when Trish called. I was upset and Max offered to drive me. Honestly, it was really nice of him, so I don’t want to hear it.”
Nick’s facial expression was hard to read past the swelling, but his eyes blinked, like he was trying to figure her out.
Why she felt the need to defend Max was a mystery to her. “How long will you be here?”
“Probably only until tomorrow. They are worried about some swelling in my brain or something and want to monitor me.”
Lea scowled. “Well, get tons of rest and I’ll bring you some guilty-pleasure food when you get discharged. Maybe a dirty magazine or two.”
“Thanks for stopping by, Lea.” Nick shifted his eyes to Trish, and Lea knew he was worried about her.
She hugged Trish and smoothed her hair behind her ears. “He’ll be okay, all right?”
Trish nodded. “Thanks so much for being there for us.”
“Anytime.”
When Lea stepped outside of the room, her body sagged, her leg pulsing with pain from standing on it too long, keeping it tense and not stretching it.
But Max was there, like a silent, warm pillar. He didn’t pick her up, which she appreciated, but let her cling to him as she hobbled down the hall to the elevator. And then he carefully lowered her to a chair in the lobby of the hospital, whispered that he would be right back, and then sped off to get the truck. She saw his headlights and as she made it outside, he was already out of the truck, opening her door and helping her inside. He covered her with his filthy blanket, apologizing for it again, but she snuggled into it. Because it smelled like Max and was given to her with care.
And then, to a low country song and the hum of his engine, she curled up in a ball, closed her eyes, and floated where there was no pain and no cousins in hospital beds.
Chapter 6
W AYNE’S P U R R S O U N D E D like a broken jet engine. It rattled from his throat on Max’s face, where the cat sat, licking Max’s hair while they both lay in bed.
Max tried to shove him off, but the cat probably weighed twenty pounds and didn’t like to be budged.
“Seriously, asshole, get off me,” he grumbled, pushing again, this time successfully rolling the cat onto his side on his pillow, his claws taking a chunk out of Max’s chin.
Max rolled his head to the side and looked into the yellow eyes. Wayne’s lids were half closed, and he licked his lips.
“You know that’s weird, right?”
Wayne blinked.
“It’s weird to eat my hair.”
Wayne heaved a sigh and looked away.
A chuckle came from the doorway and Max raised himself up on his elbows.
Cam stood with his arms crossed, a grin tugging at his lips. “That sounded like really sweet pillow talk.”
“Shut up,” Max said and flopped back onto the bed.
“Hey, Zuk and I were heading to the diner to get some breakfast, you wanna come?”
Max checked the time on his alarm clock. “Nah, can’t. Gotta head to my dad’s.”
Cam raised one dark eyebrow. “On a Friday?”
All the guys knew Max avoided his dad as much as possible. “Yeah, my brothers need some help clearing out a dead tree.”
And that was the last thing he felt like doing. He was exhausted after spending a large portion of the night at the hospital with Lea.
And then his body heated under his covers when he remembered how peaceful she looked sleeping in his truck. How right it felt to help her stumble groggily to her apartment.
How he wished he could have crawled into bed with her.
Crap, Lea had hoped to get away before anyone asked about him. “Um . . .”
“Isn’t that Max Payton? Alec’s roommate?”
Nick rustled the covers and if her boyfriend hadn’t just gotten beaten up, Trish would have been on the receiving end of some Lea death glares.
“Max Payton? What the hell is he doing giving you a ride to the hospital?” Nick asked, anger evident in his tone.
Max really needed to work on his reputation. Lea turned to Nick. “I was in the gym when Trish called. I was upset and Max offered to drive me. Honestly, it was really nice of him, so I don’t want to hear it.”
Nick’s facial expression was hard to read past the swelling, but his eyes blinked, like he was trying to figure her out.
Why she felt the need to defend Max was a mystery to her. “How long will you be here?”
“Probably only until tomorrow. They are worried about some swelling in my brain or something and want to monitor me.”
Lea scowled. “Well, get tons of rest and I’ll bring you some guilty-pleasure food when you get discharged. Maybe a dirty magazine or two.”
“Thanks for stopping by, Lea.” Nick shifted his eyes to Trish, and Lea knew he was worried about her.
She hugged Trish and smoothed her hair behind her ears. “He’ll be okay, all right?”
Trish nodded. “Thanks so much for being there for us.”
“Anytime.”
When Lea stepped outside of the room, her body sagged, her leg pulsing with pain from standing on it too long, keeping it tense and not stretching it.
But Max was there, like a silent, warm pillar. He didn’t pick her up, which she appreciated, but let her cling to him as she hobbled down the hall to the elevator. And then he carefully lowered her to a chair in the lobby of the hospital, whispered that he would be right back, and then sped off to get the truck. She saw his headlights and as she made it outside, he was already out of the truck, opening her door and helping her inside. He covered her with his filthy blanket, apologizing for it again, but she snuggled into it. Because it smelled like Max and was given to her with care.
And then, to a low country song and the hum of his engine, she curled up in a ball, closed her eyes, and floated where there was no pain and no cousins in hospital beds.
Chapter 6
W AYNE’S P U R R S O U N D E D like a broken jet engine. It rattled from his throat on Max’s face, where the cat sat, licking Max’s hair while they both lay in bed.
Max tried to shove him off, but the cat probably weighed twenty pounds and didn’t like to be budged.
“Seriously, asshole, get off me,” he grumbled, pushing again, this time successfully rolling the cat onto his side on his pillow, his claws taking a chunk out of Max’s chin.
Max rolled his head to the side and looked into the yellow eyes. Wayne’s lids were half closed, and he licked his lips.
“You know that’s weird, right?”
Wayne blinked.
“It’s weird to eat my hair.”
Wayne heaved a sigh and looked away.
A chuckle came from the doorway and Max raised himself up on his elbows.
Cam stood with his arms crossed, a grin tugging at his lips. “That sounded like really sweet pillow talk.”
“Shut up,” Max said and flopped back onto the bed.
“Hey, Zuk and I were heading to the diner to get some breakfast, you wanna come?”
Max checked the time on his alarm clock. “Nah, can’t. Gotta head to my dad’s.”
Cam raised one dark eyebrow. “On a Friday?”
All the guys knew Max avoided his dad as much as possible. “Yeah, my brothers need some help clearing out a dead tree.”
And that was the last thing he felt like doing. He was exhausted after spending a large portion of the night at the hospital with Lea.
And then his body heated under his covers when he remembered how peaceful she looked sleeping in his truck. How right it felt to help her stumble groggily to her apartment.
How he wished he could have crawled into bed with her.
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