Page 62 of Protecting Christina

Cautiously, I raised my hand to his jaw and gently pressed my fingertips to his lips. My skin felt the smoothness of his skin and my heart leaped out of my chest. “It’s really you,” I breathed out.

He smiled. “Were you hoping for someone else?”

I shook my head, threw my arms around his neck, and pulled him down. He stumbled, but quickly regained his stance. “Whoa!”

I ignored his chuckle and pressed my body against him, wanting to feel his heartbeat next to mine.

“You’re OK. You’re not in a coma.”

“I was never in a coma. At least I don’t think I was.”

The white wall behind him and the smell of sanitizer reminded me that I was still at the hospital. The uncomfortable chair I’d slept in last night in the waiting room had numbed my butt.

He pulled away. “I felt your hand over mine last night and your head on my chest. I felt everything. I tried to touch you, but the doctor came in and then I lost my strength.”

He ran his hand along my hair. “I wanted to do this. I wanted to touch you and console you.”

“Console me?”

“You were crying.”

I blinked. “No. I wasn’t.”

He grinned again, and my heart hammered against my chest. “I was just a little emotional after the scare you put me through.”

“I’m sorry about that.”

I playfully smacked his chest. “You should be. You could have been killed.”

He pulled me into his arms again. I closed my eyes briefly and when I opened them, all the memories from last night came flooding in.

“I’ve got to check on my sister.”

“She’s fine. I checked on her while you were sleeping. They’re going to keep her for one more day for observation.”

I stared at the clean gray T-shirt and cargo pants he wore. “How did you—”

“Jake came by earlier this morning and brought me some clothes and toiletries. You were out cold on that chair.”

“I guess. I must have missed all that. I’m going to pop in and see how my sister is doing.”

“I’ll come with you.”

He held my hand as we walked down the hospital hallway. A few of the nurses smiled, and some even winked. I’d never been comfortable with attention—especially not because I was holding hands with a man.

“What’s with all the eyes on us?” I asked.

Will shrugged. “The story of what happened yesterday has been making its rounds throughout the hospital. Jake had to pay off a reporter just to keep it out of the news.”

“That was good thinking.”

Will nodded.

When we reached the last room at the end of the hallway, he stopped in front of the doorway. “I’ll wait here for you.”

Inside, my sister lay on the hospital bed, staring out the window, but as soon as I stepped closer, she turned to face me. Her face was serene, showing neither a smile nor a frown. We were alike in that way, refusing to show people how we felt. She watched me as I sat down beside her.

“How do you feel?”

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