When You Were Mine [Second Chances 2] (Siren Publishing Classic) (24 page)

Cora waved him in and said, “Thanks for stopping by.”

He held a basket of flowers out and asked, “Should I put these over here?” as he gestured to her growing collection.

At her nod, he said, “I am so sorry I wasn’t there to walk you out last night. I was with another tenant whose car had been vandalized.”

Cora stared at him in confusion for a minute and then said, “If you would have walked me out, he probably would’ve shot you too, Thomas. We might both be...I can’t possibly thank you enough. Jamie says your quick response probably saved my life.”

“Still, I hate that he did this to you.”

“They caught him, at least,” she said. “Even though it hurts, I’m just grateful that it’s over.”

Thomas nodded and said, “Yeah. I can see that, Miss Cora. I’ve gotta head on back to work but I wanted to stop by and drop these off.”

“Thank you,” she said softly. “Seriously, I can’t even begin to thank you.”

“You’re welcome. I’m just glad they caught the guy,” Thomas said, giving her a wave as he left.

She raised her free hand to wave as he left. When the room was empty, she shifted against the bed and winced. She had gone without her pain medication. She had wanted to be alert. Now, she was beginning to think that being alert was highly overrated.

The seemingly endless parade of visitors stopped around nine p.m. As she’d thought, her father had been a little bit pissed off when he’d arrived. He’d yelled at both of them for a couple of minutes and then cuddled her the best he could, considering.

Then he had thumped Jamie behind the ear. When he yelped, Theo had laughed and pulled him into a hug. It was good to see that her father liked him so much, because god knows she certainly planned to keep Jamie for as long as she could.

She had tried to bring up their last conversation this morning, but he’d brushed it off. She had been totally ready to push the issue until the damned cops had showed up. She knew they had just been doing their job but when he had asked her the same question for the third time, she had been ready to freak out on him.

By the time Jamie came back to her room, her ribs ached, her head pounded, and her shoulder was throbbing. The doctor had gone through the laundry list of her injuries today. She had cited several cracked ribs, a nasty concussion, several sets of stitches, some tearing in her trapezius muscle, along with three bullet wounds and a collapsed lung. All in all, she was lucky. She didn’t feel it right now, though.

He finally said, “Everyone has gone home for the evening. You’re hurting, baby. Take something for the pain so you can sleep.”

“I will when you go,” Cora said.

“Baby,” he said, looking at her steadily. “I’m not going anywhere. Please. Take something for the pain.”

Cora used her uninjured arm to hit the call button. A few minutes later, a nurse bustled in.

“I think I’d like something for the pain now. I don’t think I’m going to be able to sleep, otherwise.”

The nurse picked up the chart, reviewed it quickly and said, “I can imagine. I’ll be right back with it.”

“Thank you,” Jamie said, stroking a hand over her hair. “

A few minutes later, shot administered, Cora could feel the throbbing throughout her entire chest and shoulder begin to recede. It was as if she could finally breathe again. She looked up at Jamie, who sat next to her bed.

“I’m so glad that you’re here,” she mumbled, beginning to feel slightly muddled already.

She could see the confusion on Jamie’s face when he asked, “Where else would I be, sweetheart?”

“I wasn’t sure you’d...” Cora trailed off, her thoughts beginning to blur.

He shook his head with a sigh and said, “I’m yours. How could I be anywhere but here, Cora?”

Cora felt a peaceful warmth slip over her as her eyes fluttered closed. She knew, as she finally slid into much needed sleep that she would never love anyone else the way that she loved Jamie.

Three days later, Cora was wheeled out of the hospital toward Jamie’s car. She had been perfectly fine with walking but the nurses had fussed at her when she’d tried to stand up. She was still wobbly on her feet anyway. She had never realized how much the stomach muscles actually came into play during the walking process.

Last night there had been an epic battle in her hospital room, when she’d talked about going home. She knew she might need some help for a few days, so when Jamie had offered, she had gratefully accepted.

Her father had assumed that Cora was going to be coming home with him. So had both Celia and Taryn. Cora had pointed out as kindly as possible that there was no way either Taryn or Celia could lift her in the event that she fell. And that there was no way she’d let her father help her shower.

They had all eventually conceded the point that Jamie was the most able to help her, but not until a floor nurse had to come in and remind them that they weren’t the only people in the universe. Taryn had flushed and her father had apologized.

Throughout the entire exchange, Jamie had been sitting quietly next to her, holding her hand. When she had groaned, he had just squeezed her hand. He had reminded her that all of the yelling was because of how loved she was. It was really hard to be annoyed by that.

* * * *

Cora had been home for almost two weeks and she was bored out of her mind. She lay in bed, propped up, flipping through television channels. Jamie worked in the next room over. He had commandeered her office and all but moved in so he could continue working on the Shinobi campaign. She was, for the most part, able to take care of herself now. He seemed to want to be here, though. She couldn’t bear for him to leave.

He slept in the guest room. She knew it was because he was afraid he’d bump her or roll over on to her in the night. It was reasonable. It was rational. She only felt the distance between them, though. She was miserable.

She had tried to have the conversation with him a few times now, about how they had left things prior to her shooting. He had dodged the subject, citing work or some other thing that needed to be done. There would be no more of that, though.

Cora turned off the television, slid down into a more comfortable position and called his name. A minute later, he popped his head in and asked, “What’s up?”

“Are you busy,” she asked.

He hovered in the doorway and said, “Not especially. I can take a minute. Did you want something to eat?”

“Can you lay with me,” she asked him, disliking the pleading note her voice had taken on.

He blinked at her, and then watched as she folded back the blankets.

Hesitantly, he slid in beside her, a curious look on his face.

Once he had settled, she moved in to lie next to him. He immediately relaxed beside her and said, “I’ve missed this.”

“Me too,” she said softly, as she adjusted to lie on her good side. She wrapped an arm across his waist and added, “This is the first time I’ve felt settled since I’ve been home.”

“I didn’t want to hurt you,” he said. “Every time I touch you, I’m afraid I’m going to hurt you. You’ve been through enough.”

Cora smiled and said, “I’m much more durable than you give me credit for.”

They lay there in silence for several minutes, until she felt the brush of his lips against the crown of her head. She took a deep breath and said, “I’ve been trying to talk to you about this for the couple of weeks but you keep dodging the subject. I’ve got something I want to say, so please don’t run away from me.”

She felt him freeze against her, so she scooted back. Wincing, she propped herself up on her elbow and looked at him. She could see the apprehension in his face so she just blurted it out. “I love you.”

He studied her quietly, and then asked, “Are you sure it’s not the trauma talking?”

“Did you just seriously ask me whether I told you I loved you because I had a head injury?” she asked indignantly.

Jamie looked confused for a moment, and then he laughed. “No. I don’t think you have brain damage, sweetheart. What I was asking you was whether feel somehow obligated to tell me that since I’ve been helping with your recovery.”

“I appreciate what you’ve done, what you’re doing for me, more than I can possibly express, Jamie. If I told you that I didn’t love you because of this, that would be a lie. That’s not the only reason though.”

“I just don’t want you to feel—”

“I can’t help but feel when you’re around me, Jamie. That’s the point. I spend so much time thinking and rationalizing things. When I’m with you, my mind is still. You’re my comfort. My safe harbor. You’re everything, Jamie.”

Somewhere during her speech, Jamie had shifted to face her. When he cupped her face, he had so much love in his eyes that she was almost overwhelmed by it.

“Cora,” he said, his voice soft. “I’ve loved you from the minute I saw you. You were the only one then, and you’re still the only one.”

“Stay with me,” Cora asked. At his confused look, she clarified, “Here. I don’t want you to go home.”

Jamie gazed at her and said, “Home is where ever you are.”

Her eyes filled and she brushed a stray tear off her cheek. She let out a shuddering breath and asked, “Well then, would you kiss me already?”

His eyebrows raise, Jamie brought his lips right up against hers and murmured, “So bossy,” before he took her mouth in a gentle kiss.

It wasn’t just a kiss, Cora realized. It was a gift. It was a promise.

Jamie gazed out the window of the van and mumbled, “Let’s get married in Mexico, Jamie. It’ll be great!”

He felt a sharp elbow to the ribs and grunted. As he turned to the source of the elbow, he couldn’t help but feel that same warm feeling wash over him. God, he loved her, even when she had doomed him to what was turning into an uninterrupted hour of bitching.

Cora smirked and said, “You thought it was a great idea at the time.”

“I was so sleep deprived, I would have agreed to anything at that point, baby,” he said, laughing. “I’m just now getting back to a normal sleep schedule and it’s been two months since the launch.”

“I’m so proud of you, though. Who would have thought the game would blow up like it did?” Cora asked.

“The bonus that Shinobi paid me was well worth it, though,” Jamie mused.

“It was,” Cora acknowledged. “But let’s not pretend like this wasn’t partly your idea, too.”

“Eh,” Jamie said, “I don’t know about that.”

“Your exact words were, ‘We should just take a cruise. Get married there. Bring the family. Plus, it’ll be a honeymoon to remember’.”

Jamie sighed, then leaned in and nipped Cora’s earlobe. “I’ll give you something to remember later, Mrs. Connolly.”

Cora shivered against him and softly said, “I bet you will, Mr. Connolly.”

He lowered his mouth to hers, and gave her a slow, kiss. Their tongues twined as his hands traced along the curve of her waist. Cora was pressed as close to him as their seat belts would allow, but it wasn’t nearly close enough. When she let out a slow hum of pleasure, he desperately wished that they weren’t in a van full of people on their way to go tubing.

Steve cleared his throat and said, “Good thing we put the kids in the other van. I think it’s about to get pornographic in here.”

“Jesus, Steve,” Celia said. “They just got married. Leave them alone.”

“Jesus,” Steve mimicked. “Just wanted to give them a subtle reminder that they were in a van full of people in case they had forgotten. I don’t think anyone wants to see Jamie’s pasty white ass.”

Cora broke away from his mouth and sighed. Raising her voice, she said, “Well, Jamie, we can always leave them in the middle of the rainforest if they don’t stop arguing.”

All at once, silence fell over the seat behind them.

His lips inches from hers, Jamie whispered, “They’re like fucking children. It’s driving me insane.”

Cora shook her head, then grinned and said, “There’s nothing childlike about it. That’s sexual tension.”

“No,” he whispered. “They...Really?”

He turned around in time to see Celia mouth “asshole” at Steve. Then he flipped her the bird and winked. She shot him a withering look in return, but Jamie noticed the edges of her lips twitching.

He turned back around and laughed. Cora was totally right, he realized. This was just some form of elaborate foreplay for them. Steve, the self-proclaimed bachelor and Celia the anti-dater. This would be interesting to see. Assuming they didn’t kill each other first.

THE END

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Michelle Roth is a novelist from Toronto, Canada. When she’s not disappearing into foreign lands, or making two perfect strangers that she invented fall in love, she’s probably curled up somewhere with a good book.

In her spare time she is typically hanging out with her awesome boyfriend and their two equally awesome cats. She likes to take road trips to nowhere in particular, cook elaborate meals, and be nerdy on the internet. Visit her blog at www.michelleroth.net for all the latest updates.

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