Sweet Affliction [Sweet Awakenings 4] (Siren Publishing Classic) (31 page)

“Nick…you’re awake.”

She was beside him and taking his hand before she even finished. Taking his hand, she asked him if he was okay, was he hurt, did he have any pain. She riddled off so many questions and spoke so fast he couldn’t even get a word in to answer her.

Damn she was cute. He watched her mouth as she spoke rapidly and remembered what her plump and gorgeous lips had felt like against his skin.

“Shh…” He interrupted her. “Come closer.” His words came out in barely a whisper.

She leaned in closer to him. “What’s wrong? Do I need to get the nurse? Is it pain?”

“Closer.” He persisted and waited until she leaned farther down toward him.

Perfect
. Her mouth was finally close enough. He raised his head just enough to press his lips to hers. His breath had to taste like the aroma found in a septic tank. Being a selfish son of a bitch wasn’t normally one of his traits, but at the moment kissing her seemed tons more important than his breath.

He felt her lips smile against his, and he opened his eyes. She was a beautiful woman, this was a fact, but being so close he saw something in her eyes that he didn’t like. That spark that always stared back at him so often was dull and fading. There was a faint hint of a dark circle under each eye, and she looked so tired.

Lifting his tired and drug-riddled arm, he brushed the backside of his hand against her cheek.

“You look so tired. You need your rest, sweetheart. I don’t want you running yourself ragged and getting sick.”

He was surprised when she laughed at his statement, but not sorry. Seeing her laugh was like watching angels sing the most beautiful melodies.

“What’s so funny?” he asked, not really caring what the answer was, just so glad to see the glint in her eye when her face lit up.

“You. I’ve been worried sick about you and you wake up after giving me the biggest scare of my life and you tell me I need to get my rest.”

The sweet and grandmotherly nurse came back in the room, interrupting them. “Well there she is. Hello, dear, you had this one here in quite a tizzy.”

She handed a cup to AJ and reached for his wrist. Staring at her watch she was obviously testing his pulse the old-fashioned way as she stared at her watch. Apparently she didn’t trust the machines, which beeped in sequence with his heartbeat.

“Those my ice chips?”

She released his wrist and patted his hand while giving him a motherly smile. “Indeed they are, young man. Now, would you talk to this sweet child and tell her that you’re fine? The poor thing hasn’t left your side except to tend to her father, poor thing. She hasn’t even eaten or gotten a wink of sleep in the past twenty-four hours.”

Nick looked at AJ with concern as the nurse left the room.

“Sweetheart…oh Jesus. Your dad. Please tell me I didn’t miss his funeral.”

“No…no. I had to sign for release of his body to the mortuary. Rex and Shelby took me. They’ve both been so very nice to me.”

His brothers. He blinked his eyes and shook his head against the fog that lingered around him. He’d forgotten to even ask how everyone was, and pieces of his memory told him Jack and Adam had been shot.

“How is everyone? Did we all…” He closed his eyes, praying the answer she gave would be a good one. “Is everyone all right?”

AJ turned away from him and reached for the nearby chair. Pulling up to the bed, she sat and took his hand in hers.

“Everyone is alive. Adam’s wound was minor and he will probably be released by tomorrow. Jack’s wound was more serious though. He lost one of his kidneys. He’s fine now, but they say he crashed on the table.”

“Jesus.” Nick closed his eyes and silently thanked God for watching over them.

The suspense was killing him, and he had to know more. “And Broderick? Did we get him?”

She nodded and dropped her head down. “Yes. He’s dead.”

He didn’t miss the crack of her voice when she said the words. She was upset, and the sniffle he just heard told him she was crying.

“Hey...” Reaching over to her with his thumb and forefinger, he lifted her chin. “What’s the matter?”

She let out an exaggerated laugh and wiped her away her tears as she shook her head. “Nothing. I just…” She took a deep breath. “I’m not used to this kind of stuff. I don’t stay in the basement of a safe house as a gun fight goes on above my head. And you were sick. God, Nick, you were so sick. Your wound. The wound
I
was supposed to take care of was infected. You almost died!”

He watched as what must have been days of pent-up emotion rolled off of her shoulders and flowed. Tears flowed freely and he wished he could make them stop, but he had a feeling she needed to get all this out.

“I’m so sorry, Nick. I’m not a doctor. Heck, I’m not even a nurse. I had no business trying to care for you like I even knew what I was doing. My dad told me what to do, and I thought I could handle it, but obviously I can’t. I failed. I wasn’t able to save my dad, and he’s gone. He’s gone, and I miss him so much.”

She got up from the chair and walked over to the window. Quiet surrounded them, and he could tell from the gentle shakes of her shoulders that she was trying so hard not to cry.

“Sweetheart, baby, you have to know that it is not your fault that my wound became infected. You pushed me to take a look at it and clean it. I ignored you. I was too focused on taking down Broderick for what he did to Tom. For what he was trying to do to all of us.”

She said nothing. Her shoulders calmed, and he hoped it meant she was no longer crying, yet she remained silent.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you when you had to tend to your father’s remains.”

He hoped she knew just how much he meant that. He’d promised himself he wouldn’t make her go through any of that alone, but he did. A fact he would always regret.

“It’s okay.”

She turned back toward him now and showed him her red eyes, swollen and tired.

“You needed to rest. You almost didn’t make it. The antibiotics did their job while the painkillers knocked you out. I was just glad you were finally getting the care you needed. I don’t know what I would’ve done if…”

“Well, would you look who decided to wake up from his nap?”

Rex walked in the room and gave AJ a wink. The casual gesture might’ve pissed Nick off if he hadn’t known Rex to wink at women as often as he took a breath.

“How you feeling, brother? You still sucking up all the sympathy from this sweet gal? Man up, dude. You were shot, it’s not like you lost a limb.”

He knew Rex was chiding him in the way he would if the situations were reversed. His words made him think of Jack, and he wondered if he was really as okay as AJ claimed. She was sweet and considerate and would sugarcoat the truth if it meant he would stay in this bed and take care of himself.

“How’s Jack? Really?”

Rex sat in the chair that AJ was in and scooted it back against the floor. Propping his feet up on the side of Nick’s bed, he shrugged.

“You know him. He’s a tenacious son of a bitch. A missing kidney won’t stop him from being a pain in Tamara’s ass.”

He laughed and cringed as tightness in his side reminded him that despite his pain medication he still had a hole in his side.

The look on Rex’s face told him there was more to be told.

“So, AJ tells me Broderick is dead. Did I deliver the kill shot? I remember aiming at him, but it all goes black after that.”

Smirking, Rex answered him. “Yeah, man. You took him out. Took your ass long enough, too. He was about to fill my head with lead when you finally got off your ass.”

Nick nodded and continued to listen as Rex informed him of the news of the past day. It seemed Broderick wasn’t very careful and left a paper trail through bank transactions and letters regarding his plot to take out all the survivors of that mission all those years ago. The bloodshed and casualties from the Gulf of Mexico to the Hollywood Hills went down officially as a covert operation performed by Department of Homeland Security with the cooperation of the United States Navy. Unofficially, however, the navy was twenty shades of pissed off that they were kept out of the loop and all of what happened went on under their nose and without their knowledge.

Even more surprising was that his commanding officer apparently sent Rex with the message that when he was well he would be partaking in a round of golf with his superior, and drinking some beers. All in all it sounded like everything worked out. Except for Tom. His thoughts went to his old friend and brother who was killed all because years ago he did his job and never left a brother behind.

“Well, I need to get back to Shelby. We’re going to tag team Tamara to join us in the cafeteria for some dinner. I’d ask you to go, AJ, but something tells me I couldn’t tear you away from this room even kicking and screaming.”

“And you’d be right.”

Nick couldn’t help but grin as she smiled at him, and he winked back.

“Figured as much, darling. You take care of this old guy. The nurses tell me he can be a big baby.”

Nick gave his buddy a nod as he left and closed the door. Then he turned his attention to AJ, who was still standing by the window. He patted the bed next to him, indicating for her to sit.

She sat down and gave him one of her beautiful smiles. Even with her exhaustion and red eyes she was gorgeous. There was so much he wanted to say to her. Words were on the tip of his tongue that he never thought he would say to anyone.

“You know I promised your dad I would take care of you. Always.”

“That was sweet of you. I know in the end he worried about me. But you don’t…”

“Stop, AJ.”

He cut her off before she said something completely foolish that would knock down the courage he was trying to build up.

“It wasn’t sweet. It was selfish. Liam was worried about you, yes. That part is true, but he was mostly worried because he saw the way I looked at you. He saw how I felt about you before I even knew what I was feeling.”

Her eyes came to life. He saw the spark, which was dull, reignite and start to smolder.

“You see, AJ. When I said I would take care of you always, it was a promise but also a wish.” He shook his head and started to laugh. “Unbelievable. If you would’ve told me two weeks ago I’d say these words to anyone, I’d tell you you were crazy.”

“Say what, Nick?”

He reached for her hand and grazed her pulse. It was racing. Was she as nervous as he was? Damn, should he be this nervous? He didn’t get this way around women, ever. AJ always had been different from every woman he’d known since the moment he laid eyes on her, though. That was a fact that surprised him several times in the past week.

“I love you, AJ. I don’t know how it happened or when it did, but you have me.”

Her eyes widened and stared back at him in apparent shock. He wanted to chide himself for making such a huge declaration so early, but after everything they’d been through he didn’t exactly want to wait to start his life. If he learned anything it’s that life is too damn short and can end when you least expect it.

“Baby, you gotta say something. I’m kinda dying here.”

She shook her head and opened her mouth, but no words came out. It pained him how frozen she looked, and for the first time he couldn’t read a thing in her smoldering eyes. It pissed him off that he felt so vulnerable. It wasn’t a feeling he was used to.

“AJ, say something.”

“You really love me? This…” She continued to shake her head and seemed to be searching for the right words. “This isn’t just an attraction because of all the intensity we went through together?”

Damn
. Talk about a kick in the gut. Just when he thought he couldn’t find her more beautiful, she proved him wrong. She was nervous that she was an outlet for his adrenaline.

Smiling, he answered her. “Baby, our attraction is intense, but it has nothing to do with what we’ve been through. And yes, I love you, Alyssa Jo.”

“Oh God.” She leaned over him and kissed his lips. “I love you, too. I thought I was crazy for falling so hard, so fast, but I can’t help it. I fell in love with you.”

He cupped the back of her neck and pulled her down to him. They kissed, and it only took his body a moment to react to her. God help him, but she was better than any aphrodisiac he’d ever heard of.

He had to laugh. “You must love me. My breath has to be putrid. Sorry, sweetheart.”

She gave him a half smile and rolled her eyes. “Yeah, you’re going to have to work on a few things.”

“Oh? And just what might those things be?”

She got more comfortable on the bed and lay beside him. Careful not to jostle him, she rested her head on the pillow and sighed.

“Well for starters. This whole bullet-wound thing has ridden its course. I’m going to need to ask that you avoiding getting shot from here on out because I apparently am the worst nurse in history.”

Laughing, he brushed his thumb across her cheekbone. “Not the worst but definitely the prettiest. Regardless, I’m set to retire in a week, and something tells me they won’t be sending me on a mission in the next few days, so I think I can accommodate that. What else?”