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I held his arms still, wrapping them tighter around me again. "I stopped hurting the moment all of you walked through that door."

Chapter 22

Ryan

Lily's eyes widened when we stepped inside Ethan's jet. My stomach tightened. I knew it was irrational, but I couldn't fight the feeling that I was losing her again. To Ethan, Matt, Eric and all the things I couldn't offer her, things she needed from all of us. We'd only just gotten her back and I'd super glue myself to her side if it was acceptable, make it so we breathed the same breath and shared the same skin. No one would ever be able to take her away again.

Nausea clutched me tight every time I had to give someone else their turn with her. If I had a private jet, I'd throw her over my shoulder and take off running, fly her somewhere we could be alone forever. But that would be kidnapping all over again and I'd be hurting her in the process. Because I'm a terrible partner. Selfish.

I needed to control myself.

"Oh, yes! I could sleep for days." Lily sighed and flopped onto the compact beige sofa.

As if someone had just blown a whistle to set a race off, we rushed forward, all occupying the closest seats we could claim nearest to the sofa. Our eyes were trained on her like hawks.

"Try not to fall asleep, what if you have a concussion from when he pistol whipped you?" Falling at her feet, I looked up into her hazel eyes which had locked me in since the first day I saw her and winked at me as I held her pictures close. My stomach did a somersault and I reached up to cradle her face, inflamed by the bruises there. I stiffened at the stitches in the back of her head.

She smiled at me. "Stop fussing."

"What's this?" I clenched my jaw.

"What's what?" Eric followed my hand with his eyes and jumped up to shove it aside and feel for himself.

"Fuckers hit me in the back of the head when they took me. Cowards." Lily choked.

A grenade had just gone off inside me and I dug my nails into my palm to keep from exploding.

"I'm going to fucking kill them." Eric roared.

"Not before I get to them." Ethan chimed in.

Lily's eyes flew up to meet theirs. "No. No, you won't. You won't go near them! Promise me!"

"Why not!" Matt growled.

"You can't be serious!" She clutched her head and I leapt up from the ground to wrap my arm around her.

"Stop it! Can't you see you're upsetting her?" I held her body against mine, hugging her tight.

Each of them reddened. Ethan swiped his hand over his face.

"Of course not, baby. It was just a figure of speech. I know how you feel about violence, I wouldn't." He kissed her temple.

She leaned into the kiss with a sigh and rubbed her head against the brush of his lips.

"I'm sorry, Lils. We're allowed to be angry, aren't we? They hurt you..." Matt growled.

"Don't worry about that. I'm here now. That's what counts. Focus on me," Lily said.

"We are." Ethan winced and took a seat. "We are. I'm sorry."

Lily smiled. "Come here."

No. The seat's already crowded enough. I protested inside my head.

She inched me over and pulled on Eric's legs to move him closer to her. "Why don't you all come sit over here, so I can lay across your laps?" She fluttered her lashes at us. "Oh, don't frown. I'll be fine. If you're that worried about me falling asleep, I'll be awake as soon as we touch down in Durham, and you can wake me up throughout the flight. I just need to shut my eyes and I need to have you all close to me, reminding me I'm safe."

Oh, how can I be mad at that?

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