Page 118 of Filthy Lovin Heroes

My heart filled with love for her before everything went black.

At the edge of my consciousness, words filtered into me, but everything was sluggish like I was in slow motion.

“Help me roll him over.” Her voice was urgent. Her fingers fluttered over my head and I opened my eyelids. “He’s concussed.”

I inhaled her flowery scent, which mingled with the slightly metallic smell of snow.

“I didn’t know he’d go down like a felled tree,” Ronan said.

“You hit him. He found the only patch of ice. Two and two asshole. What did you think was going to happen?” Holly snapped.

“I thought I’d feel better.”

“And do you?”

“As a matter of fact, I do.” It was probably the most honest thing my brother had said in a long time.

“You are an even bigger asshole than your brother. And let me tell you, that’s some accomplishment.”

“We should get him to the hospital.”

“I’m the physician here,” Holly said. “He needs rest and to be monitored for his concussion. That can be done at Lachlan.”

My brother’s voice lowered. “He’ll be all right, though?”

“Why do you care? Do you want to hit him some more?”

“Nae.” I could hear the pain in his voice. I wished I could open my eyes. Holly was damn good at taking anyone down a peg. I was sorry to miss this.

“Good. Now help me move him to the vehicle carefully.”

I regained consciousness sometime later to find my head on Holly’s lap. I was lying across the back seat of the Rover. Her fingers were brushing my hair off my forehead.

She tipped her head to look down at me and her hair fell forward. “Welcome back.”

I blinked, feeling dizzy but also not willing to trade where I was for anything in the world.

Voices in the front seat made me turn my head.

“Just rest,” Holly soothed. “Fergus is driving the team back. Your mother and Ronan are taking us back to Lachlan. I think a good talk between them is necessary.”

I reached for her hand, fumbling in the dark. I caught it and brought it to my lips. I loved the scent of her warm skin against my lips.

“Holly, I love you.”

Her lips brushed mine. “Even though you are an impossible man, or maybe because of it, I love you too you foolish man. What were you thinking fighting your brother on a patch of ice.”

“I was thinking I would do anything to get you back.”

She stroked a finger down the side of my face and I felt it in my soul.

“I should have never left.”

Epilogue

Holly, one year later, Christmas Eve

My life underwent some massive changes since last Christmas, but I wasn’t complaining. I was in New York, living with Malcolm in his Greenwich Village townhouse and working as an emergency department staff physician in Metropolitan Hospital since late January.

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