Page 67 of The Wingman

With my head throbbing like I’d just taken a hard one to the boards, I peel my eyes open, and look at my unfamiliar surroundings. Kane comes into view. Correction. Two Kanes come in to view and I close one eye to cure my double vision.

“Dude, what the fuck?” I ask and make a move to get up.

“Oh no you don’t,” he says and places his beefy palm on my shoulder to push me back down.

I squint and work to figure out what’s going on. “Where am I?”

“Seattle General,” he says.

“Why am I here?” I wrack my brain. The last thing I remember was shoving Alek after he tried to walk away with Jules.

“Where’s Jules?” I ask.

“She was here a few minutes ago. She’s working.”

“Working?” I try to get up again but he stops me. “How long have I been here?”

“Since last night.”

“Jesus. I need to get out of here. I need to find Jules. I have to talk to her.”

“Yeah you do, but first you need to rest.”

“I don’t need to rest.” I turn my head and nearly vomit when the room spins. “Oh shit, where’s Alek? I owe that motherfucker a beat down.”

“You don’t owe him anything. He never did a thing to you.”

“Jules—”

“He has nothing to do with Jules,” he says, but I know him well enough to know he’s keeping something from me.

“What’s going on?”

“He never wanted to go out with Jules.” He rakes his hair from his forehead. “I lied about that and put him up to taking Jules away from you at the party. Lindsay and I were both in on it.”

“I don’t get it,” I say, my too tired brain unable to put the pieces together. “Where’s Jules?” Right now, even though I have no idea what is going on, or why I’m in a hospital bed, the only one I want to talk to is my friend, my bedmate, the woman I love, but she’s nowhere to be found.

“Wow, you’re worse than I thought,” he says, his voice full of worry. “You asked me that less than a minute ago and I told you she was working.”

“I’m fine. I just want to talk to Jules.” Before he can answer, a movement at the door gains my attention. I lift my eyes slowly, and my heart pounds harder. “Jules,” I say quietly, no longer able to fight off my feelings for her. Seeing Alek’s arm around her was like a hard slap to the face—the goddamn wakeup call that I actually needed.

Wait, why isn’t she coming closer? Why is she hovering over there in the corner like I might have the plague?

Kane glances at her over his shoulder. “I think I’ll give you two some space.”

Jules gathers the bottom of her scrub top into her palms. And fusses with the hem. She looks everywhere and anywhere but at me.

“You okay?” I ask and hold a hand out to her, but she doesn’t reach for it. Instead, she takes a step toward the door, like prey ready to flee.

“How are you feeling?” she asks, her gaze finally meeting mine.

“Like I just got run over by a truck.”

“That bad, huh?” Her

big brown eyes are wide, like a damn deer in the headlights. “The doctor will be here in a minute to talk to you.”

I touch my head, wince when I feel the bump. “Dammit, I though Alek only shoved me, but now I’m thinking he has one hell of a good left hook.”

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