Page 36 of Going Rogue
If she lost him, the crater it would carve into her heart could never be filled. As if in agreement, an unbearable pain pierced her chest, making her whimper.
She’d not only failed Crane, but she’d failed at protecting her heart. It was his. And there was no way it would survive this kind of loss. She had worried about beingabandoned again. That Crane would leave like her father had, but this kind of leaving would be far too permanent. Overcome, a sob racked her. Rogue closed her eyes and begged for someone, anyone, to keep Crane alive.
Please. Please, help me. Please!
If he made it, she’d give him what he wanted—what she wanted, too. A life together. No more distance. No walls. She’d bare her soul for him, the same way he’d offered himself to her. Because she would risk her heart breaking if it meant there was a chance she and Crane could get the happy ever after her parents hadn’t.
With him, she could have the family she’d missed out on growing up. Maybe his love could even heal the wound of her past.
Opening her eyes, she stared down at his face. Though slack, it carried the same sense of strength she’d always found attractive. “I love you, Crane.” Her voice broke on the admission, but she added, “Please don’t leave me.”
The powerful noise of multiple windows smashing simultaneously made Rogue’s gazejerk to the ceiling.
What the hell?
She ducked her head and leaned forward over Crane as shattered glass fell from the sky. Shards clinked against each other as they bounced to the cement floor.
When the cacophony ended, she dared to lift her gaze. What she saw made her lightheaded with relief.
TOP.
Somehow, the team was here.
???
Crane
Rogue’s head lay in the crook of Crane’s arm where they cuddled together in bed. Her cinnamon and vanilla scent surrounded him, making him smile. He’d rather be no place else, even if he wasn’t sure what he’d done to get her here. Stroking his hand down her arm in a lazy caress, he mimicked the way her fingers combed through the curls on his bare chest.
Leaning in, he kissed the tip of her nose, and those rum-colored eyes he loved met hiswith a smile. “It’s time to wake up, big guy.”
Her comment sent a bolt of confusion coursing through him. “I am awake.”
“Wake up, Crane.” Her voice grew more insistent, making him frown.
A beeping noise erupted, and while he searched for its source, she faded away before his eyes. “NO!”
“Crane! Wake up!”
His eyes popped open to find the latticed tile ceiling of a sterile room.
Hospital?
“Crane!” The strain in Rogue’s voice pulled his gaze toward her. She stood by his bed, looking tired, her eyes sporting faint circles underneath.
Slower than usual, his brain registered his surroundings. The beeping came from the heart monitor next to him, but he didn’t care about that. What his thoughts grabbed ahold of—what he latched onto with desperate fingers of hope—was the fact Rogue held his hand.
When she squeezed it, he blinked and said, “Hi.”
A laugh burst from herlips, making him smile, but it cut off too quickly. “You come back from the dead, and that’s what you say? Hi?”
Dead?
But even as he wondered, recollections dive-bombed him. Almost faster than he could keep up with. The last thing he remembered was bleeding out in her arms. Crane winced atthatmemory. “What did I miss?”
She started to free his hand, but he held on. Her gaze fell to their entwined fingers, and he expected her to make some form of protest. Instead, a small smile creased the corner of her mouth. “A lot.”
He tapped the bed next to his left hip with his free hand. “Then sit and tell me.”
