Page 20 of Seductive Desires

“I will. You are home safe now?”

“I am, Amari made sure of it.” I heard him shift and grunt. Every noise of pain shot panic through my system. “Mateo?”

“I’m fine, mariposa. Just trying to get comfortable. Stabbings would be easier if they were on the front so I would not be laying on it.” I rolled my eyes. In what universe are any stabbings easy? “Mariposa, I have a request for you.”

“If it’s pictures of me naked, the answer is no.” It made him laugh and I instantly regretted it as he groaned.

“No, that will be for later when I can actually enjoy them.” He hesitated. “Would you stay on the phone with me? You can sleep, I just want to know you are safe.”

I felt warmth spread throughout my chest and all arguments I had about dating him went completely out the window. I thought about asking him the same thing but I felt selfish because he was hurt and needed his rest.

“Okay, I’ll stay on the phone. But if it ends up keeping you awake, you need to hang up. I’ll be back at the hospital tomorrow morning.”

“Gracias, mariposa.”

“Sleep well, Mateo.”

ChapterTen

When I woke up,the phone was off so Mateo probably hung up. As long as he was getting rest, I didn’t mind. It was nice to have him on the phone with me, even if we weren’t talking. It felt like he was there with me.

I got dressed in a rush, eager to get back to the hospital and check on him. I stuck to simple clothes, jeans and a nice top, though I tried to keep it cute because I still wanted to look good for him, hospital or not. I was going to call an Uber but Amari knocked on my door right as I pulled out my phone. I swung the door open.

“Oh! Good morning,” I blurted.

“Good morning. Mateo told me you planned on visiting this morning and wanted me to offer you a ride.” She looked a little put out by being sent out as a chauffeur. I guess being sent on errands when you’re head of security was a little demeaning.

“I’m sorry, he shouldn’t be making you do that. I’m sure you’ve got plenty more important things to be doing.” I was being sincere. I could handle getting to the hospital myself and I’d rather her be doing what she had to do to keep Mateo safe.

Her eyebrows lifted. “Thank you. There are some things I need to get done, but I can drop you off first since I am already here.”

I beamed at her, eager to get back to Mateo. “I appreciate it. Taking Ubers in the rain often is a toss up on whether the car smells or not.”

She smirked, leading me outside to her car. It was a simple sedan, nothing like Mateo’s fancy sports car. It looked like someone had moved his last night because it was nowhere in sight. I glanced over to the alleyway then jerked my gaze away quickly. I didn’t want to think about that.

“They aren’t there anymore.”

“Who?”

“The men from last night. They were…removed from the area.”

I frowned. Removed? That sounded weird but hey, English was probably not her first language. Mateo said he was from Columbia, she probably was too. I twisted my fingers nervously. “I’m sorry about yesterday. I shouldn’t have shouted at you. It wasn’t your fault.” I felt bad ever since she brought me home last night. She wasn’t a bad person. A little rough around the edges but Mateo trusted her and she helped me when I was panicking.

“You were distraught. I did not take it personally.”

I blew out a breath. “Still. I’m sorry.”

She nodded but said nothing more. The rest of the ride was pretty quiet but it wasn’t awkward. She had the radio on and would drum her fingers against the steering wheel at red lights. It was nice to just have a minute of quiet. It had been a crazy night.

She pulled around to the front of the hospital. She was going to park and walk me upstairs but I told her to go do what she needed to do, I could get upstairs just fine. Mateo had been moved out of the ICU and into a private room last night. Amari gave me the room number and waited for me to step inside the hospital before she pulled away.

Dr. O’Connor was waiting for the elevator when I walked in. He waved at me, holding the door for me as I jogged over.

“Here bright and early, huh? He’ll be happy about that. I don’t think he slept very well.”

“He said he was uncomfortable last night. Is there anything we can do to help him?”

Dr. O’Connor looked thoughtful. “We can try some well placed pillows to take some of the weight off the wound. As soon as he wakes up, that is. I checked on him not that long ago and he was finally asleep.”

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