Page 53 of Fractured Kiss

“Go to bed, Cassie. It’s late. You need to sleep, and I need to sort this out.”

Disappointment clouded her clear blue gaze. “Are you sure? I can help you find a flight or something.”

He shook his head, and she caught her lower lip between her teeth as she took a step back.

He felt her absence before she even took that one step away from him. He reached out, grasping her wrist. She stopped, eyes searching his face.

“Will you come with me?” he asked, his voice low.

He didn’t know where the desire had come from. But suddenly, he wanted her there with him. Maybe he was just looking for a distraction from the fact he’d have to see his dad again. Whatever the reason, it felt like a screw was slowly tightening in his chest as he waited to hear her answer.

He didn’t miss the surprise that flickered over her face. But she only gave him a soft smile. “Of course.”

His heart tripped in his chest, and he dropped his hand from her wrist as if her skin had burned him. “Go get some sleep. I’ll wake you up when we’re close to the airport. I’m not sure if we’ll be back tonight or not, but we won’t be gone longer than one night. Don’t pack much.”

Her brow creased, eyes filling with questions. Was she wondering why he wasn’t planning to stay longer? He braced himself to deflect her when she asked. But she didn’t, just gave him a nod, then headed for the bunks.

Zac watched her go. Forcing his mind away from her, he started his search for the nearest airport.

ChapterTwenty-Four

Cassie’s stomach twisted in a knot of worry as she followed Zac into the hospital. The bodyguard Drew had organized to meet them when they arrived in Ohio—a big, burly man called Paul—trailed behind. Zac wore a cap pulled low over his face and a pair of dark aviators. So far, he seemed to have gone unnoticed, though Cassie couldn’t understand how when his presence was so damn magnetic.

He walked up to the nurses’ station and took his glasses off. “I’m here to see Cal Ford.” The young nurse did a double take. Cassie wasn’t sure if it was because of how good looking he was, or if the woman recognized him. Or both.

The nurse’s eyes widened and her mouth fell open, but she quickly regained her professional demeanor. “N-name, please?”

“Zac Ford.”

Her head bobbed up and down in a daze. “Yes, of course, Mr. Ford. I’ll let the doctor know you’re here.” She pulled herself together and pointed to a pair of swinging doors. “There’s a more private waiting room through there if you’d like to take a seat. Someone will be out in a minute.”

Zac nodded, put his glasses back on, and headed for the waiting room the nurse had indicated. Cassie gave the wide-eyed woman a grateful smile, then followed him. He sat down, and Paul took up a position at the back of the room. Cassie sat next to Zac, unsure what she should do to help him—what he needed from her. Outwardly, he appeared calm, but his knuckles were white around the phone he was clutching in his hand. She wanted to ask him if he was okay, but ever since she’d hugged him after he heard the news, he’d been distant.

After waking her this morning, he’d barely said a word except to tell her Drew was arranging one of the Hazard Records’ jets to fly them back when they were done. Cassie didn’t know whether to leave him alone or try to distract him. Something was obviously off between Zac and his father—his tension didn’t seem to be related to worry about his dad’s health. Which was what made it so hard to know how to help him. The only thing she knew was that Zac wanted her there, so she let him feel her presence without intruding on his thoughts.

But worry gnawed at her. His big body was coiled tight, his shoulders almost up at his ears. He’d completely withdrawn into himself. Her fingers itched to reach out and smooth over the creases in his forehead, but she wasn’t sure he would welcome her touch. He might have had his hands on her intimately, but that was purely physical. Anything that smacked of real emotional intimacy between them seemed to make him uncomfortable.

A different door to the waiting room opened, and a doctor came out, followed by a pretty woman with wavy, caramel-colored hair and hazel eyes so like Zac’s that she had to be his sister.

Zac stood and Cassie followed suit, her palms suddenly damp.

“Z!” His sister rushed forward and threw her arms around him. He didn’t hesitate. He enfolded her in his arms and hugged her tight, some unknown emotion crossing his face.

“Hey, Tori,” he murmured.

The doctor cleared his throat, and Zac and Tori stepped back from each other. Zac looked at the doctor, while Tori studied Cassie. Cassie gave her a small smile, uncomfortable at intruding on this family moment.

“So, Mr. Ford,” the doctor said. “As I’ve already explained to your mother and your sister, your father had an intracerebral hemorrhagic stroke. We’ve operated to remove pooled blood and repair the damaged blood vessels. He’s currently stable, but he is still at risk for further hemorrhages. We need to monitor him.”

Zac nodded at the doctor’s words, but that was his only reaction.

“He’s recovering now, but he’ll sleep a lot. He may or may not be lucid when he wakes. If you want to go in and see him, you can.”

A muscle pulsed in Zac’s jaw, but he just gave a curt nod.

The doctor went back the way he came. Tori glanced once more at Cassie before following him.

Cassie sat down, ready to wait however long she needed to for Zac to spend some time with his family. Zac started forward, stopped, stared at the ground, then pivoted and held out his hand to Cassie.

---