Page 109 of Play It Sinful

Mom, Chris, and Kenzie enter the room, cutting Sean short. Mom rushes to the side of my bed and touches my forehead. “How are you feeling, hon?”

“Rough.”

Sean shuffles back until he’s standing closer to the door. Hell, he’s leaving without finishing what he was going to say.

“What did you want to tell me, Sean?” I ask.

Everyone looks at him, and I don’t miss the matching worried expressions on their faces. It’s like they’re all in on a secret that I’m not supposed to know.

“Whatever Sean has to say can wait, sweetheart,” Chris replies.

I’d insist, but I feel drained. Still, as tired as I am, I don’t miss the sheer agony that’s shining in Sean’s eyes.

CHAPTER 48

ASHLEY

TWO WEEKS LATER

My stay at the hospital lasted two weeks, and during that time, all my friends came to visit me. Brian tried as well, but Kenzie had already put him on the no-fucking-way list. She told me he came to the hospital on the evening of my accident, and Sean almost kicked his ass.

I still don’t know what Sean wanted to tell me when I woke up and saw him sleeping in my room. The other times he’s visited, he wasn’t alone, and he didn’t stay long. As much as I am curious, I also think it’s for the best that he changed his mind. It was probably something that would hurt me in the end.

Mom and Chris returned to Boston this morning. They wanted to take me with them, but after two weeks sleeping in a hospital bed, I need to be in my domain with my things.

Kenzie volunteered to drive me home today. I expected Sean to tag along—more like hoped he would, as stupid as it is—and when I see only her, I try to hide my disappointment.

“Hey, morning, sunshine. Are you ready to ditch that hospital gown?” Kenzie greets me with a big smile, holding an even bigger bag in her hand.

“You have no idea. What d’you got in that bag?”

“I thought you might want different clothes than the ones Marnie brought for you.”

Mom’s packing was more focused on comfort than style, which is totally fine by me. I’m recovering from major surgery, and I still have a fractured ribs.

“I really don’t care. I’ll look like death anyway, no matter what I wear.”

Kenzie sets the bag on the chair in the corner and pulls out another bag. “That’s why I brought makeup too. You won’t look like death once I’m done.”

“It’s okay. I don’t need to get beautified. Who am I going to see from here to the car?”

Kenzie wrinkles her nose. “I don’t know… maybe you’ll come across a hot doctor.”

I shake my head. “This isn’tGrey’s Anatomy.”

Her grin wilts. “Sadly. I really wouldn’t mind bumping into Dr. Deluca.”

“Yeah, I wouldn’t mind that either.” I laugh to hide my heartache.

Kissing Sean before my accident only served to reopen the wound. Spending two weeks confined to a hospital bed gave me plenty of time to think about him. Now, I’m back where I was three years ago—in love with a man who doesn’t want anything to do with me beyond toying with my emotions.

“Do you need help in the shower?” she asks.

“One of the nurses already helped me earlier. Can’t you tell my hair is clean?”

“It’s looking a little flat. Don’t worry. I brought dry shampoo.”

I narrow my eyes. “Why are you so intent on making me look pretty? What’s going on?”

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