Dull, nagging pain penetrated the darkness. Before she even opened her eyes, Erica moved a hand to feel the area producing the discomfort. Cotton mouth was the second thing to register. For once, she wanted something more than a sweet treat—water. She opened her eyes to mere slits and took in her surroundings before sleep beckoned once again.
“Erica? Erica, it’s time to wake up, hon.”
The words of the nurse registered, causing Erica to attempt to comply. Her eyelids refused to cooperate. All she did manage was the word “Thirsty.”
“Can she have water?”
She recognized the low, pleasant tones of Zack’s voice. If asked prior to that moment, she would have said he had a deep voice, but hearing him speak now, made her think of Mexican hot chocolate with whipped cream. She’d had it once in Cancun. The richness of which she’d never forget.
“Ice chips only. Too much too soon will make her sick.”
Like a baby bird awaiting food from its mama, she opened her mouth as he rubbed the ice against her cracked lips. After a few seconds of moistening her mouth, he slipped the chip on to her tongue. Was there anything so delicious as that first taste of liquid when one’s mouth was drier than the desert?
She gave a happy moan. “More.”
As he had before, he moistened her lips and slipped a chunk of ice into her mouth. This became the pattern for the next five minutes.
“I think you’ve had enough, babe. Try to wake up now.”
Feeling his warm fingers stroke her hair back from her face made Erica want to stay that way forever. If it wasn’t for her wound, she could have. The last thought had her eyes flying open. She remembered. Someone had stabbed her and she had to go into surgery.
Questioning brown eyes sought concerned blue. The second their gazes connected, Zack’s took on a relieved look.
“Hi. Welcome back.”
“Hi,” she whispered in return.
“You had us pretty worried.”
“Us?” She drew her brows together trying to recall if she’d seen anyone else prior to going into the O.R.
“Shonda and my brothers are in the waiting room,” he explained. “She called your parents after the staff gave us the first update. They’re looking for a flight.”
“Where are they going to stay?”
“I figured they can take your room… and you can move into mine.”
“What about you?” she asked, confused.
His light chuckle made her smile. She was still in the dark as to what amused him, but she loved hearing his laughter. It warmed her from the inside out.
“Well, if you’re against me sharing, then I can sleep on the couch in my office.”
“I don’t mind you sharing, but I think the queen bed in the guest room might be crowded with my parents,” she joked. “They might have something to say about it. Well, Dad might. Mom would take one look at you and kick my father to the curb.”
“Funny. Now on to a more serious discussion. I spoke to Bucky. The police department only got a brief explanation from the handful of your neighbors at the scene. He wants to know when you are up to making a full report. Do you remember what happened?
“Yes. You can have him head over here at any time. I can’t say I saw much, but I can tell him what I do know.”
“Fair enough. Second order of business, I have a special delivery for you,” Zack said. He opened a bag and waved it under her nose.
“If that’s what I think it is, I will sell my soul to have it.”
“Realllllyy. Good to know how much a soul is going for on today’s market. But I’ll let you keep your soul if you indenture yourself to me as a sex slave.”
“Done. Now hand over the donuts.”
“You’re so easy,” he smirked.
“Pfft. Only you know my kryptonite. One day I may have to have you taken out, Lex Luthor.”
If Zack would have responded, he’d have been cut off by another person entering the room.
“Erica?” came Shonda’s tentative voice.
“Well, if it isn’t my long lost friend. You don’t call. You don’t write,” Erica joked tearfully.
Seeing her bestie made her emotional. Suddenly, everything that had happened in her world—the fire in her home, the vandalism of her car, the stabbing—all became reality. Her two worlds finally collided. Until that moment, she could pretend it was all some bizarre dream. However, the truth was someone had set out to kill her.
“Can I hug you?”
“Yes, if you’re careful of my right side.”
As the two women embraced, Zack made an excuse and left them to catch up. They spent the next thirty minutes on what was happening in Erica’s world. Finally, when she was sick of talking about her troubles, she changed the subject.
“So, where the hell have you been? I thought you were only going for a week?”
“Ten days,” Shonda corrected.
“Okay, ten days. It’s been fourteen. You couldn’t shoot me a text to say you were still alive?”
“I’m sorry, E. I met someone. He’s amazing.”
“I sense a ‘but’ coming on,” Erica said, searching her friend’s face. Noting the unhappy frown, she squeezed Shonda’s hand. “What’s up?”
“He’s a player. I’m crazy about him, and yet he stated clearly from the beginning he wanted nothing more than a holiday fling.”
“So you are pining away for a guy you met in the islands? It should help you’re home now, right?”
“It should,” Shonda said glumly.
“But it doesn’t,” Erica stated rather than asked.
“He lives here in town.”
“You’re shitting me!”
“No. And did I mention he is the brother of your new boyfriend?”
“What?! Which one?”
“Mason.”
“Ah.”
“What do you mean by that?” Shonda demanded hotly. She had jumped up to pace and now she glared at Erica from the foot of the bed.
“Don’t you remember him from school? He was actually the serious one of all the Sharp brothers. If I recall correctly, he had been dating Melanie Simms,” Erica explained.
“Melanie Simms? You mean the girl who died in the car accident up by Makeout Point? But I thought she was there with Tommy Travers.”
“Yep. Can you imagine discovering your one true love was cheating on you by having someone tell you that your girlfriend died in a wreck?” Erica asked. “Zack said since that day, Mason developed a devil-may-care attitude. The only thing he doesn’t play at is business. Supposedly he is phenomenal at marketing.”
Seeing her friend’s downcast look, she reached for Shonda’s hand again and gripped it tightly. No words were needed between the two. They were as close as twins, each able to read the other’s mood without needing to discuss it. Both respecting when the other needed time to regroup.
“Are you planning to come stay with me now I’m back?” Shonda asked after clearing her throat.
It was difficult to meet her gaze, so Erica stared out the window to form her response.
“It’s like that, huh?” The amusement in her bestie’s voice caught her attention.
“Like what?”
“Don’t try to pretend with me. I’ve known you since the first grade. You are the queen of avoidance if you don’t want to answer.”
With a sigh, Erica shot her friend a helpless look before leaning forward to check the door was closed. “I’m completely and hopelessly in love with Zack. I should move out—I know that, but I want to stay.”
“Do you think it’s wise? How does he feel about you?”
“That’s just it. I’m not sure. The way he acts toward me, how caring he can be, how protective, makes me believe he sees me as more than a convenient lay.”
“Ohmygod! You’ve been sleeping with him? With Zack Sharp? Mr. All-Star Jock? You?” The volume of Shonda’s voice rose with each syllable. She appeared to have concerned Zack when she got to a screech, if the panic on his face was any indication as he swung the door open.
Upon entering Erica’s room, it occurred to Zack there had been no need to overreact. He’d heard Shonda as she’d gotten louder, and he responded to the excitement of her tone, not the actual words. When they sunk in, he’d already interrupted.
Fury radiated off of Erica in waves. All directed at her blonde friend, if he had to guess by the outright glare she had her pinned to the spot with.
“Everything okay, ladies?” he asked.
“Fine,” Erica bit off.
He paused to replay the snippet of conversation he heard. They’d been talking about him. Without another word, he strode to her bedside, dropped a hot, lingering kiss on her lips, and snatched up her half-eaten donut. He’d just taken an enormous bite when Shonda started sputtering behind him. He offered up a salute with the last little bit of powdery goodness and sauntered out of the room, leaving the two women to their privacy once again.
It would be fun to be a fly on the wall after that. Erica would find it impossible to blow the kiss off. The off-key tune he whistled had his brothers raising their brows in question as he met them back in the waiting room.
“This is an about face,” Dane said.
“She’s well on her way to a full recovery if her yelling at Shonda is any indication,” he laughed.
“Should I be concerned?” Mason asked.
“I don’t know. You tell me. What’s going on there?” Zack asked, coming down from his elevated mood. It worried him to think if Mason broke Shonda’s heart, it would impact his budding relationship with Erica. Friends were quick to take sides.
“Nothing,” Mason snapped. “First Dane, now you. It’s called a private life for a reason.”
“Don’t break her heart, man. I don’t need the fallout. I have enough shit on my plate right now,” Zack warned.
“Look, she knew the score going in. We met on the plane, had some mind-blowing sex for the week we were there, and then parted ways at the airport when we got back home.”
“Bullshit. You’re looking everywhere but at me. If that’s the case, where were you these last three days?”
“Fine, we may not have parted ways at the airport. I followed her home for another few nights together. That’s it.”
“That doesn’t explain why you’re both here together,” Dane interjected.
“Actually, I was sleeping off the after-effects when Dane called. I met Shonda again in the parking lot,” Mason said. The truth was evident in his eyes. “I hadn’t expected to see her again, but she came walking up the same time we did. Dane was the one who picked me up this afternoon.”
Zack groaned. “Erica is going to hate you, and maybe me, because you’re an ass.”
“Her friend is an adult who knew the score. I’m not taking the rap for someone reading more into a casual fuck-”
When his brother broke off, Zack looked around to see what had caught his attention. The stricken expression on Shonda’s face was distressing to witness. What was even more painful to watch was Mason trying to backpedal and soothe her hurt feelings.
After Dane made an excuse to leave, Zack decided to head back to see Erica and give his clueless older sibling an opportunity to work through the minefield he’d wandered into. Upon entering her room, he saw her starting to doze and moved to ease back out.
“Don’t go,” she whispered.
“I’m here for the duration. But I can step out if you want some sleep.”
“No. I don’t want to be alone right now.”
Perching on the edge of the bed, he stroked her scalp. The soft caress lulled her to sleep. With short sweeping motions, his fingers traced her brow, then her jawline. She’d become so dear to him. He couldn’t imagine what he would have gone through if the stabbing had been fatal. Without her, life would be bleak and lonely.
The little mewl she emitted, along with the rub of her cheek on his palm, caused his heart to stutter in his chest. He was a goner for sure.
The vibration of his phone had him checking his messages. Bucky had sent him two over the last few minutes in an effort to determine the best time to drop by and write up Erica’s version of the attack. He shot off a quick response, then settled into the too-small chair in the corner.
Zack was unsure how long he stared at her while she lay sleeping. Other than pale skin and shadows under her eyes, Erica looked relatively healthy. Her auburn hair was still thick and curly, spread around her head, framing her face. Even with no makeup on, she was one of the loveliest women he’d ever encountered. Her long, dark lashes rested against porcelain cheeks. With her coloring, she should have been sporting freckles. Yet, her skin was flawless. He knew from experience it felt as soft as it looked.
With each minute that ticked by, he grew more resolved to protect her at all costs. Finding this fire-starting, stabbing lunatic was paramount. Everything else would be dumped in Mason’s or Dane’s lap for the foreseeable future. Leaving Jacob with his grandparents would probably be the wiser course of action as well.
All he knew was he couldn’t go another moment without confessing his feelings. It didn’t matter she wasn’t awake to hear them.
“I love you, Erica,” he whispered.
“I love you, too, Zack,” she murmured in return, near stopping his heart.
He hadn’t expected her to hear him, much less respond. A bubble of pure happiness welled up, encircling his heart and filling his chest. Everything would be all right. He’d make sure of it.
“Bucky’s on the way. Are you up for a visit?”
“Mmhmm, that’s fine.”
Her large, brown eyes opened to focus on him. The softness and love shining there humbled him. Unexpectedly, moisture built behind his lids. He blinked rapidly and cleared his throat.
“We’re going to find the person doing this,” he stated.
Her shaky smile felt like a fist to the gut. She didn’t believe him.
“We are,” he stressed, the need for her to have faith in him strong.
“Well, can you make it before she succeeds in ending my life?”
“She? What makes you say she?”
“Nothing really, just a feeling I had as she ran away. The way the person moved, the smaller frame, struck me as female.”
“Okay, at least that’s something to go on. Not much, but it’s definitely better than nothing,” he said.
Who he was trying to convince, her or him, remained to be seen. They both needed reassurance this delusional perp would be caught. Zack changed the subject, because neither felt comfortable with the fact her assailant was still on the loose.
“I’m assuming your car is still at your old place? Do you want me to have Shonda and Mason get it?”
“Sure. The keys should be in my purse, although I can’t say I know where that ended up. Maybe with one of my neighbors?”
“Actually, the nurse told us it is in a locker here in this room. They’ll give you the key when you are 100% lucid.”
“Zack?”
He didn’t like the way she spoke his name. Her features took on a look of decisiveness. He recognized stubborn on her by this point.
“Hmm?”
“I don’t think I should go home with you. I want to move into a hotel.”
“No.”
“No? You can’t tell me no. What am I? Your hostage?”
“No, I am not leaving you in your weakened condition to stay at a hotel, alone and unguarded. It’s not going to happen.”
Frustration marred her every feature. “I’m not putting you and Jacob in danger any longer. I’m moving out.”
“Erica, you need to listen to me. You are not strong enough right now. Not only that, but I am sending Jacob to live with his grandparents until this is over,” he said firmly.
“Zack, no! It isn’t fair to him. If I leave, you both should be safe.”
“Who’s to say that? Maybe the next thing this fucking psycho will want is Jacob out of my life. Babe, you can’t anticipate what is going through her mind,” he said, standing to pace. “And maybe, if we had an idea of who it was, you could know who to be on the lookout for. However, anyone could walk through your door disguised as hotel staff and slit your damn throat as you lie there recovering from this surgery.”
He paused at the foot of the bed, eyes beseeching. “Please. Please don’t go off on your own. I would go insane wondering if you were all right.”
Erica’s face scrunched up and tears poured from her eyes. “I only want you and Jacob to be safe. I wouldn’t be able to bear it if anything happened to either of you because of me.”
“It isn’t because of you. It’s because of me and some crazy person’s obsession. You need to remember none of this is your fault. None of it.”
Taking care not to come in contact with her wound, Zack gathered her close and rubbed a warm palm in large circles on her back.
“We’ll catch her,” he reiterated.