“Bailey?”

I kept my eyes closed so he wouldn’t see my tears.

“Bailey, you’re all done.”

“I am?” I croaked, finally opening my eyes.

“I didn’t hurt you?”

“No.”

The doctor cleared his throat, pulling my attention from Nate’s worried eyes. Polizi waited until I was sitting down before saying, “I managed to get you some insulin, but it’s not going to last long. I need to get you a script which is going to be hard without a name to put it under. I’d use Nate’s, but it may raise eyebrows because of his own medication.”

My eyes snapped to Nate’s. “You’re sick, too?”

“No.” He shook his head quickly and held my hand. “I’m fine.”

“But he said—”

“Bailey…” His brow pinched as he searched my face. “It’s okay. I’m fine. I promise.”

And I knew it then; Nate was, without a doubt, the most important person in my life. Not just because he was my only constant, but also because I cared about him, and I can’t remember the last time I let myself care about anyone.

Tiny cleared his throat, and all eyes went to him.

“You can use my name,” he said.

My breath caught. “Tiny…”

He ignored me and motioned his head to the doctor. “Mark Wade. Use that. I’ll give you whatever information you need.”

18

Bailey

Tiny’s voice startled me awake. “I get it, man, I do. But you have responsibilities and work to take care of. The ship doesn’t run without you… and with no ship, there’s no sail.”

“That doesn’t even make sense.” Nate laughed out loud.

God, it was a beautiful sound. I found myself smiling, but that smile was wiped when Tiny said, “All I’m saying is that we’re falling behind now. It was okay the first day, even the second, but it’s been four days. And you’ve never had time off. People are talking, Boss. PJ is talking.”

At the mention of PJ’s name, my heart sank. I didn’t even think about any of that. I was too busy enjoying having him around, too busy being selfish.

*

“Are you sure you’re going to be okay today?” Nate asked.

I sat up on the bathroom counter. “I’ll be fine. I’ve taken way too much time away from your work as it is.”

He lifted his gaze to mine with the needle in his hand. I could tell he wanted to say something, but he didn’t, he just lifted my shirt and inspected my stomach. “You know it’s easier for me to do this when your hands are in my hair.”

I feigned a smile, too busy worrying about what Tiny had said, and did as he asked, and when I laced my fingers through his thick dark hair, his eyes rolled, an over exaggerated sigh leaving him.

“We gotta go!” Tiny shouted, knocking on the door.

“Okay!” Nate yelled back, administering my insulin.

I kept my hands in his hair as he straightened to full height. “Be careful, okay?”

His eyes narrowed, confusion clouding his features. “Shouldn’t those be my words to you?”

My gaze dropped, along with my voice. “I heard what Tiny said this morning.”

He pulled my hands away from his hair. I thought he’d be mad that I’d been eavesdropping but instead, he linked our fingers together and bent down so he could get in my vision. I shivered, not from the cold but from his touch.

His eyes locked on mine, and I sucked in a breath, unable to release it.

One.

Two.

Three.

He finally broke the silence. “It’s Tiny’s job to protect me. He’s good at his job because he worries too much. It’s not something you need to be concerned about, Bailey. I swear.”

“But I do.”

“Well, you shouldn’t.” He smiled, his eyes lighting up with the strength of it. He added, “But if it makes you feel any better, I promise to be careful. Besides, I have something important waiting for me at home.” He arched an eyebrow as if waiting for my response.

I had nothing.

Nothing but the numbers in my head.

Four.

Five.

Six.

Tiny banged on the door again. “Nate!”

Nate shouted, “Hang on!” Then to me, “I should get going.”

“Okay,” I whispered.

His grip on my hands loosened as he nodded. “Okay,” he said as if assuring himself that it really was. He started to pull away, but the second his back was turned I grasped his hand, my heart thumping too fast. Too hard.

Seven.

Eight.

Nine.

Then I yanked on his arm, pulling him to me, and I had no idea what I was doing, but I had to do it.

“You all right, Bailey? You don’t look too—”

Before he could finish, my mouth was on his… unmoving. He sucked in a breath, taking mine with it and I pulled back, my cheeks flaming with embarrassment. I covered my face with my hands just as I saw him licking his lips. “Bailey,” he said, removing my hands and pinning me with his gaze. “Do you know how long I’ve wanted to do that?”

“How long?” I squeaked.

“Too long.”

My eyes closed as he moved in on me. His lips on mine were warm, soft, just like his touches. They were everything I’d expected, everything I’d been afraid to want. He smiled against my lips and pulled away. “Relax, Bailey. I won’t hurt you. I promise.” And at his words, I knew it was true.

He placed his hands gently on my bare thighs, slowly sliding them higher.

I tensed even more, my heart racing, my need building. He didn’t go for my lips this time. No. It was worse. He went for my neck, his mouth opening slightly to suck, lick, and kiss me there. I moaned, my fingers back in his hair, gripping tight while he moved a hand under my shirt and to the small of my back. With my legs around him, I tilted my head back, giving him better access and his mouth moved higher, and higher, until he was on my jaw, closer and closer to where I wanted him. I tilted my head down, brushing my lips against his. “You good?” he whispered.

Whatever sound I must’ve made was answer enough because he pulled me closer until my center was pressed against him. Then he captured my mouth with his, his tongue darting out, running slowly between my lips, begging for access.

I wanted to touch him, kiss him, taste him. I wanted all of it. All of him.

And when his tongue slid against mine, I gave into my wants. My needs. He cursed into my mouth as I pushed myself into him. With both his hands on my waist, his fingers dug into my skin, and I pulled back, gasping for air. He didn’t. He moved to my jaw again, and down to my neck, his tongue leaving a trail of wetness as he moved to my shoulder. He used his teeth to shift the loose collar of my shirt lower, lower. Kissing my chest, he licked, sucked, and then kissed again. His teeth ran softly across my collarbone, and I threw my head back in pleasure, stars flashing behind my closed eyes as I panted his name, over and over while I moved my hands to his firm chest. It was too much, and it wasn’t enough. I didn’t know whether to push him away or to beg him for more. His mouth moved down to the top of my breasts as my hands went to the hem of his shirt, lifting the fabric so I could feel every single dip of his abs, something I’d wanted to do for so damn long.