Page 87 of All Wrong
He’d fucked up. He’d fooled himself into thinking what had happened between them was a mistake, and in keeping her at arm’s length, he’d convinced her of the same. And she’d turned to someone else because of it.
What would have happened if he hadn’t left herapartment that night? Would they have woken up together and made love again—without regret? Taken a long, hot, steamy shower together? Made plans to see each other again over coffee and a shared breakfast before they left for their respective jobs?
If he had, he wouldn’t have left the door wide open for Buckman to waltz his ass in.
As a now-familiar bolt of jealousy speared through him, he thought about the look on Corinne’s face when he’d seen her through that café window. The hurt in her voice when she’d accused him of going from her bed to Candace’s.
Yeah, he was a fucking idiot.
The question now was, what did he do about it? Did he tell her that, over the last couple of days, he’d come to realize how much she meant to him? That, after he’d pushed her away, he didn’t want to let her go?
Shane and Michael spoke in hushed tones. Nick listened with half an ear as they discussed theories and next steps. He had nothing to contribute, which summed everything up, didn’t it?
“Corinne,”Nick said gently when Shane pulled around to the private entrance of the hospital in Pine Ridge.
Michael had already called ahead, and a small team was waiting for them.
“Hmm,” she hummed, snuggling into his chest.
“We’re here.”
Her eyes fluttered open. For a moment, she looked at him with so much softness, so much lo?—
The door opened, shattering the moment.
Corinne’s eyes went wide and panicked as hands reached for her. She tried to grab his shirt, as if she didn’t want to let go, but the bandage mittens prevented her from getting ahold of him. “Don’t let them take me.”
Another blade sliced through his heart. “It’s okay. You’re okay. We’re at the hospital in Pine Ridge. Michael’s here. He’s going to take good care of you.”
Comprehension dawned as she processed his words, and some of the panic drained from her features. She nodded.
Nick helped them get her onto a waiting gurney and roll her inside.
Michael called out orders, then turned back to Nick. “She’s going to be okay.”
Nick nodded. She was in good hands. The best.Didn’t mean it didn’t feel like part of him was being ripped out of his chest. The doors closed, and Nick turned to walk away.
“Hey. Where are you going?” Shane asked.
“Got some things to take care of.” He wasn’t sure what. He only knew he had to get out of there.
A big, solid form blocked his path. Shane. No, not Shane. Sean. He must have made better time and gotten to the hospital ahead of them. Made sense since they’d had to take that first section at a snail’s pace for Corinne’s sake.
“Yeah, that’s not how thiscroiething works.”
“Excuse me?”
“Do you think we can’t see what’s going on here?” Shane asked, his eyes flicking to the doors and back to Nick.
Nick’s lips twisted into his default cocky smirk. “So, what, you’re going to beat my ass or something?”
Sean laughed and put a heavy paw on his shoulder. “Not quite. Come on. Nicki’s going to show up at any minute with Lacie, and you don’t want to be here when they do, unless you feel like undergoing hours of interrogation.”
He didn’t. It was one thing for the brothers to be clued in and quite another for his and Corinne’ssister. At least the brothers knew how to keep their traps shut.
“Where are we going?”
“The pub. Ian’s waiting on us, and I think you’re going to want to hear what he has to say.”
