Page 63 of Played

As the door clicked shut, River scared the hell out of Mal when she asked if Riot was gone. Laughing, Mal told her the guys had gone for coffee and to find food. Riot had been overbearing with the nurses all night and every time she moved or moaned, he was at her bedside checking on her. He would never make it if she ever got in a bad situation. Mal reminded her that men were soft when it came to their women getting hurt. Take a big hardass alpha male and have his woman hurt and they fall apart every time… but only in private where the world couldn’t judge.

“So, you thought crashing the truck would be a good idea?”

“Oh yeah, because I needed one more thing to add to my ever-growing pile of shit.”

“Insurance will pay for it. You probably won’t have to worry about it.”

“What do you mean?”

“Riot said he would be taking care of it.”

“The other driver will be taking care of it.”

Mal decided since River had machines hooked up to her, she couldn’t come at her if she pissed her off. It was time for River Wile to be put in her place. She needed to stop being a pain in the ass. If River wanted the man to be there for her, but not to take care of her… That’s a double-edged sword, one that would cut her in half. The road ended there. No more ‘I don’t need him’ when clearly she did. “Stop being such a hardass because we both know you’re not. That exterior of yours may look infallible but we both know that all it takes is the right touch and it crumbles like decaying bricks.”

River sat in the bed, wide-eyed as her best friend, the closest thing she had to a sister, shut her down hard. Yes, she was a hardass, it was her defense mechanism. She had put it in place a long time ago. Yes, she wanted Riot, but he was her kryptonite. Huffing out a breath she shoved the mass of hair from around her face while looking for a ponytail holder. Deflecting from the conversation seemed easier until Mal told her it wasn’t working. What did the half-pint woman want her to do, propose to the man?

“If marrying him will fix your attitude, then yes do it damn it.”

River laughed softly at an exasperated Mal. That was her way of dealing with the situation. River reassured her she would be fine. She had a few stitches on her forehead. Some scrapes and bruises. The doctor said no signs of concussion and that other than being sore for a little while she could go home today. Mal finally sat down, letting out a relieved sigh.

“Mom, I’m gonna be fine.”

“Fuck you, River.”

“Why are we cursing at her now?”

River and Mal looked at the guys as they walked in carrying coffee for all and a bag which River hoped held donuts. Jelly donuts, to be exact. Neither said anything as they ignored the obvious… that they were arguing. Mal counted the floor tiles so she would keep her mouth shut. Who knew what was keeping River quiet. Maybe the fact that Riot was possibly staring her down. A quick peek, and yep, he had his head cocked to the side, waiting for an answer. “I started it.”

Mal watched as he shook his head no. Damn, she used to be better at this shit. Smiling, Mal stepped by the bed and sat down. “Meniere, you will have to go through me to get to her.” Leveling a cocky grin at Riot, she saw when he wavered, smiling back at her. “What’s in the bag?”

“Jelly donuts.”

Mal clapped her hands together as she moved for coffee and a donut. River was on her own. Planting a kiss on Riot’s cheek, she saw the surprised look as he moved back.

“I didn’t know you could reach so high, shorty.”

“That’s the last time I’m nice to you, asshole.”

“There’s my Mal.”

“I’m not your anything.”

Dan wrapped a burly arm around his pint-size wife, pulling her into the comfort of his arm and kissing her head. He told the group his cheek would be the only one Mal would be kissing from then on, making everyone laugh.

Phone calls kept Riot busy for the next hour while they waited on the paperwork to get River out of the hospital. He cursed once or twice at how long they were taking to bring the release forms. River had an appointment to get to with the insurance company that she was stressing over. When the nurse finally brought the paperwork, River already had one foot out the door. She had lost every bit of patience a half-hour before.

“This place is great with its boring white floors and matching walls, but hell the bed sucked ass. Let’s go… please.”

“Come on, sweetheart, you have a date with destiny.”

“I do?”

“Yes, Destiny is the lawyer you’re meeting with before the insurance company.”

River laughed a little on the snarky side. “Of course, y’all have a female lawyer.”

“Michael preferers a female around his husband.” Riot held the door open for her as she eased past him into the hall. “Nothing to say, sweetheart?”

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