HH02 - A Reclusive Heart (35 page)

warm skin. For a little while there it had been ice cold and he'd been scared to death that he was going to lose her. Thanks to

surgery and donated blood she was going to pull through. Several times he had to fight back the urge to go hunt down the blood

donors and get on his hands and knees and thank them. They'd never know what a precious gift they'd given him.

"Just sore," she said, shifting her hand in his until she could entwine their fingers together.

He watched her look around the room curiously. "Are these all for me?" she asked, sounding unsure and shy and

absolutely perfect.

"Yes," he said, smiling when her glance turned predatory as she looked over the flowers, bowls of fruit, teddy bears and

hundreds of cards that were taped all over the walls. "I had the nurses lock up the chocolate," he said, chuckling when her

bottom lip jutted out.

For a moment she didn't speak and he was content to just sit there and enjoy being with her. He still couldn't believe how

close he'd come to losing her. If it hadn't been for the fast thinking of the police officers she probably wouldn't be here now.

While he'd been too busy begging her to wake up, an officer applied pressure against her stomach and bought her a little more

time.

When they loaded her into that ambulance he felt as though his heart was being ripped out of his chest. He wanted to ride

with her, to hold her in his arms, but they wouldn't let him. Rick and a few officers had to hold him back when they drove off

with her. He would have killed the bastard, but he needed the man to take him to the hospital.

Once he made it to the hospital no one would tell him a damn thing because he wasn't family. They ended up throwing him

out a few times when he flipped out, but he came back each and every time demanding to see her. She was
his
and he'd be

damned if he let anyone tell him otherwise.

When they called her ungrateful family in he'd had a hell of a time keeping it together. Thankfully Edward and Rick had

the presence of mind to grab a hold of him before he could beat the shit out of her lying heartless father. The only one who

seemed shaken was Jamie's brother-in-law, which appeased him somewhat until he realized that the man had feelings for his

little recluse. That was confirmed when he shook his head in disgust when her sister made a cruel comment that set Dana off.

Dana was one of the best women he knew. She was kind, considerate, liked everyone and everyone loved her. It took a lot

for someone to upset her never mind piss her off, but Jamie's sister had his best friend seeing red and going for her throat.

Edward barely managed to grab his wife around the waist and yank her back, but that didn't stop Dana from telling the woman

in minute detail what she thought of her.

The only decent thing her father did as far as he was concerned was sign over Jamie's medical proxy to him. Nick calmly

thanked the man before he walked him outside. Once they were in the parking lot he decked the son of a bitch, breaking his

nose in the process. He did it for all the years the bastard happily ignored his little recluse. While the man's wife had treated

Jamie like nothing because Jamie was the reminder of her husband's infidelity her father had ignored her because she was the

reminder of what he'd done to a sixteen year old girl who sure as hell didn't know better. He also did it for keeping Jamie's

mother out of her life.

"Did my family visit while I was sleeping?"

She asked the same question every day and every day it nearly broke his heart. They only came once and that was to see

how bad she was and to sign over her care to him while she was unable to do it for herself. Other than that they didn't visit or

call. They were done with her and it was all because of him.

He'd given bastard the choice of telling her the truth or getting the hell out of her life. He'd chosen to get out of her life and

save his own ass. It was his loss. Jamie was a beautiful person inside and out and brought nothing but joy into his life. If the

son of a bitch had looked at her, really looked at her for even one moment he would have realized what a precious gift he'd

been given.

"No, baby, I'm sorry," he said, wishing like hell that things were different for her. She deserved a family to love and take

care of her, but that didn't seem to be in the cards for her.

At least not yet.

"It's okay," she said with a forced smile as she peered around the room. "Do you know if my doctor's here yet?"

"I haven't seen her yet."

"She's very pretty," she pointed out conversationally.

"I guess," he said slowly, wondering where she was going with this.

"I, um, think she might be interested in you," she said quietly while she looked down at their entwined hands.

Shit
.

His little recluse was jealous. Was she worried that he was interested in her doctor? He wasn't and he hated the idea of

her being hurt because some woman was showing him interest. Not that he was bragging, but it happened a lot and if they were

going to give this a chance she was going to have to realize that he wanted her and no one-

"Do you think you could maybe flirt with her a little bit? Maybe take her out for a coffee?" his little recluse asked,

sounding hopeful as she shot him a quick glance.

What. The. Hell?

"You want me to sleep with another woman?" he asked, shocked beyond words. Why in the hell would she want him to

sleep with another woman? Was she crazy or was she doped out of her fucking mind?

Jamie rolled her eyes, giving his hand a playful slap. "No, I don't want you to sleep with another woman," she said in an

exasperated tone. "I just want you to butter her up a bit and then maybe when she's putty in your hands you could maybe ask her

about the chocolate?"

"You're willing to whore me out for chocolate?" he demanded as he came to his feet and pulled his hand away from hers.

She rolled her eyes as she settled her hands in her lap. "No, I was just kind of hoping that you'd use that pretty smile of

yours to get me some sugar."

"Pretty?" he spat out in disgust.

"Well, yeah," she said, shrugging. "You have a very pretty smile."

"
Pretty
?" he couldn't help repeat in disbelief. His smile wasn't
pretty
. It was charming and boyish, but pretty? Hell no. By

all rights he should have stormed out of the room, but he was still too shaken up to leave her side for more than five minutes at

a time so he decided to sit in the chair and settle on glaring at her.

When she sent him a cute little wave and a hopeful smile he had to struggle not to smile back. It was difficult but he

managed to do it. Her willingness to whore him out for chocolate pleased him immensely, not because she was fine with using

him, which he was, but because she wasn't jealous. His shy little recluse knew that he loved her and would never have to

worry that he would hurt her.

He sure as hell hoped at least.

"I'm not asking, Jamie," he said firmly.

"But-"

"No."

"Maybe-"

"No."

"You won't even hear me out. I-"

"You're not having any chocolate until your doctor says so, so let it go, baby," he said, smiling when she let out the cutest

little frustrated growl he'd ever heard.

"Fine. Then let's talk about something else," she grumbled, settling back against her pillows as she glared up at the ceiling.

"What would you like to talk about?" he asked, deciding that he'd punished her for traitorous ways long enough. He moved

back onto the bed and took her hand into his. With a sigh she stopped glaring at the ceiling to smile softly at him.

"Any luck on the job front?" she asked, nibbling her lip nervously.

He inwardly winced when he realized that there were a few things that he'd failed to tell her, but in his defense when she

wasn't passed out she was drugged out of her mind. Today was the first day that she'd been with it enough that he could actually

talk to her.

"I'm staying with Rerum Publishing, sweetheart. After you left we sorted it out and realized that Holly was behind the

firing. We're actually pretty sure she was the one behind the complaints as well," he said, giving her hand a comforting

squeeze.

"Oh," she said, frowning. "Do I still have a job?"

"If you want it, it's yours," he said casually as he silently prayed that she stayed. He loved working with her, but more

importantly he loved being with her.

"Will they still let you handle my books?" she asked, worrying her bottom lip.

"Yes," he said, knowing that if they tried to assign anyone else to her that he'd quit for real. J.L. Lewis was
his
and the key

to his happiness. As long as he handled J.L. Lewis he would be the lucky son of a bitch that spent time with Jamie. He'd do

anything to be with her. She was the key to his happiness, his heart, his soul and the only woman he would ever love.

"Then I'll sign the contract, but there's something you should know," she said, looking close to tears.

"Are you okay?" he asked, concerned that the painkillers were wearing off and leaving his little recluse in pain. He'd

rather die than see her suffer.

"I'm fine, but the two books I wrote were destroyed. Holly did something to my computer and I think it's dead," she

mumbled with a little sniffle that damn near broke his heart.

He leaned in and pressed a kiss to her lips. "It's okay, sweetheart."

"No, it's not, Nick. I really liked the books and they were due next month and I'm afraid I won't be able to replace them."

"Shhh, baby, you don't have to," he said soothingly as he gently cupped her face in his hand.

"Yes, I do. I signed a contract and now I don't have the books so they're going to-"

"You have the books, baby. I installed software onto your computer that automatically backed your files online. It's all

there, sweetheart. Everything's fine," he said, pressing a kiss against her mouth. "Everything is fine."

"Oh," she said against his lips.

When he pulled back just enough to look at her he couldn't help but smile as she pursed her lips up in thought. "Is there

something else, Jamie?"

"I was just wondering if we were going to get a chance to finish the tour. We never got to go to Vegas, Hawaii or do the

rest of the things on the list."

He bit back a smile as he asked. "Is there something in particular that you wanted to do, sweetheart?"

She shrugged in indifference, but he wasn't buying it. "What do you want to do, sweetheart? You know that we don't have

to wait for the tour to do it."

"I just don't want to go back to being the old boring Jamie that's all," she muttered shyly.

He chuckled as he leaned forward and pressed a kiss to the tip of her nose. "You were never boring, sweetheart, but you

should know that we can do whatever you want, sweetheart. Anything you want to try we'll try and I will be right there by your

side."

"Promise?"

"I promise, Jamie. Anything you want," he promised, moving his lips back to hers.

"Then can I have chocolate?" she asked, sounding so damn hopeful that he couldn't help but laugh.

"No yet."

"I hate you."

"You love me."

"No, I love chocolate. I hate you," she clarified even as she smiled so damn sweetly up at him.

"Really?"

"Mmmmhmm, really," she said, nodding solemnly.

"What if I sneak you in a double chocolate milkshake, hmm? Will you love me then?"

"Will it have a shot of hot fudge?" she asked, appearing to think it over.

"It will have anything you want in it, sweetheart."

She reached up and cupped his face. "What if I want you? Can I have you?"

"You already have me, Jamie," he swore, turning his head to press a kiss against her palm.

"In that case I'll take a double shot of hot fudge in it," she said, grinning impishly up at him.

He chuckled as he leaned down and kissed her. "I guess it's too bad that I lied then, huh?"

"I really do hate you," she said, sighing against his lips as she kissed him back.

"Too late, Jamie. I already know that you love me."

"Do you love me?" she asked, shyly.

He moved back just enough to look into her beautiful caramel eyes. "So much that it hurts, Jamie. You're my world."

"I think you should prove it with chocolate."

"I just bet that you do," he said, chuckling as he leaned in to cut off her protests with a kiss that probably wasn't

appropriate for a hospital room, but he couldn't help himself. The little recluse set him on fire and holy hell did he burn for her.

Chapter 32

Three months later.........

Ten miles outside of Hershey, Pennsylvania

"Is my surprise a visit to heaven on earth?" Jamie asked, trying not to sound too eager and failed. All she knew was that he

better not have brought her this close to the Hershey factory without any intention of bringing her there.

Nick's deep chuckle relaxed her somewhat as he picked up their entwined hands and pressed a kiss against her knuckles.

She noticed that he did that a lot, kissing her that is. He couldn't seem to be around her without touching her or kissing her. It

made her happy and helped ease the anxious part of her that waited everyday for him to break her heart when he decided that he