Page 123 of Wicked Duty
That sounded like a nurse or doctor.
Darkness and disorientation swirl before the horrible squeal of an opening door claws at my cranium.
I scrunch the muscles in my face as sensation returns to different parts of my body.
When my eyes tug open, I find myself in a hospital room with a skylight overhead. Whatever drugs they’re pumping into me are strong. At least I’m not in much pain.
I blink a few times before Lucy materializes, bright, beautiful, and shining before my tired eyes.
Even though I fucked everything up.
“Callum!” The volume scrapes my achy head, but I don’t care. I’d give up every other sound in the world if I could hear her voice every day.
I reach for her, but my limbs are sluggish.
She collapses over me on the bed, sobbing. “You almost died.”
“Yeah.” The words scratch my raspy throat. “Only almost though.”
She doesn’t smile at my poor attempt at a joke. “You…you came for me, even though I didn’t have the wallet.”
“I don’t give a damn about that thing.” My hand climbs up into her hair, slow and weak. “What I care about is you.”
She meets my gaze. For a while we’re quiet, basking in the simple pleasure of each other’s eyes.
Finally, she sniffles. “Really?”
“I didn’t take those bullets for fun.”
“Please be serious.” She drops her eyes to the hospital gown covering my chest. “Once you’re done with this assignment?—”
“You.”
Her gaze flies back up. “What?”
Swallowing feels like I ingested a gallon of sand. “I don’t have any future plans, Lucy. I just want to be…wherever you’re going to be.”
Her eyes well up again. “But you hate that I model. You think all my shoots are too dangerous, and?—”
“Whereveryou’re going to be.” I try for firm, despite my wrecked voice. “As long as you want me there. If you want me there at all.”
Her brown eyes search my face.
“I destroyed everything, and I don’t expect you to…trust me, but?—”
“I do trust you.”
That knocks the wind out of me. I pause for a few slow breaths to recover. “Well…even if you didn’t, I still need you to know that…I love you.”
Lucy’s breath hitches, and her cheeks flush a gorgeous pink. “Do you mean that?”
“I’ve never meant anything more.” I cover her hand on my chest and squeeze her soft fingers with my calloused ones. “How could I not? You’re the most beautiful, determined, stubborn, caring, strong person I’ve ever met.” I huff a laugh. “I should’ve known right from the beginning that you’d be the woman to ruin me. No one else has ever riled me up the way you do. You burrowed under my skin right from the start, and somewhere along the way, I decided I wanted to keep you there. I know I screwed up, but I’m hoping you’ll give me another chance. And if you don’t, well…I plan to spend the rest of my days trying to change your mind.”
Lucy’s eyes gleam with something I don’t dare to name. “Callum…you don’t need to change my mind. I love you, too, you big idiot.” She wipes her eyes and laughs. “I’ve loved you since… Gosh, I don’t even know. It feels like forever now.”
Pressure builds in my chest while my throat thickens. Damn. Somehow, I manage a smirk. “Just couldn’t resist my charming personality. Got it.”
She lightly smacks the only unbandaged bit of my chest. “Stop being an ass. You’re so full of yourself.”
