Page 153 of Bloom: Part 2

I snapped my head up and scowled. “It was at least two minutes.”

Bloom laughed. “Maybe. I was too busy coming to count. That was really good, Logan.”

“You’re satisfied, then? You didn’t have to force yourself through it?”

“No. I want you too much to let the noise in my head win. Fuck Simms. Fuck trauma. I’m not gonna let any of it win. I want to be happy—with you.”

I smiled. “Ah, sweetheart. If there’s anyone in the world who deserves happiness, it’s you.”

I captured his lips with mine in a languid kiss. Turning onto my side, I pulled him into me so I wasn’t crushing him into the mattress anymore. He hoisted his leg over my hip.

“What do you want to do later?” I asked. “It’s not every day you travel to New York.”

“I didn’t expect it to be so big. What do you want to do?”

“How about some sightseeing?”

“Sounds good.” Bloom sighed.

“What’s wrong?”

“Just thinking we would have been married already if shit didn’t go down with Simms and your uncle.”

“Yeah, doesn’t seem appropriate now with Max in the hospital.”

“And Simms’s heart gave out yesterday, so Crowe can’t even take out his frustrations on him anymore.”

I let out a deep breath. Once, I had accompanied Bloom to see Simms, but I hadn’t been able to stick around. How they managed to torture him to that state and still keep him alive with enough consciousness to feel the pain was beyond me.

The shrill ringing of a phone interrupted my thoughts. “That’s yours,” I said.

Bloom groaned as though unwilling to part, but he rolled away and picked up his cell phone. “It’s Crowe.”

He sat up, pulling the sheet over his lap. Oh shit. Had Max taken a bad turn? I sat up next to him, placing a supportive arm around Bloom’s waist. I knew he still blamed himself for what had happened to Max. If Max didn’t make it.

“Put it on speaker,” I said.

He nodded, accepting the call, then hitting the Speaker button. “Hey, Crowe. What’s up?”

“How are things in New York?”

“Okay.” Bloom frowned. “How’s Max?”

“We got good news. He’s awake—weak but talking.”

“He is?”

Oh, sweet relief.

“Yeah. He doesn’t remember the night of the incident, but that’s fine. As long as he pulls through this, nothing else matters.”

“Right. I’m so glad, Crowe.”

“Jamie says he’s doing really well.”

“That’s great, Crowe. We’ll come home right away.”

“Nah, you don’t have to do that. It’s been rough for you lately, and you had to postpone your wedding. Spend a few days in New York before you come back.”

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