Page 82 of Truck You

But I like Mac’s protection. I crave it. It makes me feel wanted and revered in a way no man has ever made me feel.

“Sophia, we’re done.” The technician’s voice interrupts my thoughts. “You did great. I’m letting you out now.”

The table I’m on slides out from under the tube. As soon as my head is clear, I lift my hand and rub my face. After lying still for that long, I feel tense and itchy. It’s a weird feeling.

“Can I sit up?” I ask.

“Yes, give me a second and I’ll help you.”

A moment later, he’s by my side. He takes my good hand and helps me up. A nurse appears a moment later with a wheelchair. I want to refuse it, but I know it’s hospital policy. At least a wheelchair is better than being forced back onto a gurney. I need to sit up for a while.

“Your room is ready,” the nurse says. “You have several visitors waiting to see you.”

I nod, assuming she means Mac and my parents.Oh God. My parents. They saw the accident. I’ll never hear the end of this now.

It doesn’t take long to head up the three floors to my room. According to the nurse, I’ll most likely be held overnight, so I might as well get comfortable.

I barely have time to get situated on the edge of the bed when Mac barges into the room. He takes one look at me, then sweeps me into his arms. “Tell me you’re okay.”

I chuckle. “I’m okay. A little stiff from being restricted during all the tests they’ve run, but otherwise, I feel fine.”

He leans back and studies my face before he cups my cheek. “Why did you have so much blood smeared on your face? I was worried.”

“I think I wiped my hand on my face after they got me out. I have a cut on it that needed stitches.”

My injured arm is no longer in a sling. The doctor determined it wasn’t broken but asked that I limit movement until after all the scans were complete.

I look up at Mac. His eyes roam over me like he’s searching for missing injuries. The worry he’s holding onto only adds to my anxiety. He’s been in my position. Car accidents happen all the time in racing, but his was bad. Much worse than mine. My car didn’t roll like his did.

“Mac, I’m okay. I promise.”

He nods, but I’m not convinced he believes me. The corners of his eyes wrinkle and his lips pinch together as his face tenses.

“I’ve never felt so helpless in all my life,” he says after a few beats of silence. “I wanted to rip this hospital apart to get to you.”

I smile. “It’s probably a good thing you contained yourself.”

He sits next to me on the bed and lifts me onto his lap. “I didn’t. Liam and Chase held me back. They wouldn’t let me loose.”

I wrap my uninjured arm around him and bury my face in his neck. “Thank goodness for Liam and Chase.”

“Is this okay?” He tightens his hold around me. “Holding you like this?”

“Yes. Just watch my arm.” My injured arm is resting gently on his chest. “I really needed this. I feel better already.”

He kisses my forehead before he places a finger under my chin and lifts my lips to his. My insides warm, and the ache I’ve been feeling in my entire body instantly eases.

“Me too,” he says as he presses his lips to mine.

Then he kisses my nose, first one cheek and then the other, before his lips are on mine again. I part my lips and he doesn’t hesitate to deepen the kiss. The swipe of his tongue is gentle and slow but the effect it has on me is intense. The fire burning inside me has me wishing we were anywhere else except here.

There’s a light knock on the door that causes me to jerk back. But Mac doesn’t let me go. If anything, he tightens his grip around me.

The on-call doctor walks in and smiles when he sees me sitting in Mac’s lap. “Looks like you’re in good hands. How are you feeling?”

“Better now that I can move around.”

He nods and looks down at my chart. “I know. Sorry about that. Waiting for all those tests can be hard. But so far—”

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