Page 61 of Temptress

“What do you want?” she spit out, her top lip curling up in disgust. But I couldn’t let that stop me.

“Do you know where Sloane is? She was supposed to be here today, but I haven’t seen her.”

She turned to face me fully, crossing her arms over her chest. “What do you care? Didn’t you dump her? What’s it matter to you whether or not she’s here?”

My initial instinct was to snap back, but I swallowed it down. After all, I didn’t really have any right to be pissed at her for defending her friend. It was an honorable quality to have, and I would have been lying if I said I didn’t respect the hell out of Asher for having her friend’s back so completely. There was also the small fact that if I was going to have a shot at winning Sloane back, I knew I was going to need her friends on my side. And to do that, I decided my best option was to be honest.

“I know I fucked up. I can’t stand that I hurt her, but I want you to know that I’m going to do everything in my power to make this right.” I could see she was wavering, so I went in for the kill. “I’m in love with her, Asher. I just want a chance to tell her.”

She bit on the corner of her bottom lip, the struggle over her decision whether to betray her friend and tell me where she is written clearly on her face. “You really broke her heart, you know that?”

“I do,” I admitted. “But if you help me find her, you have my word, even if it takes the rest of my life, I’m going to do everything in my power to put it back together.”

She stared at me, scrutinizing, looking for any sign I wasn’t being completely honest. Apparently, she liked what she saw, because she finally relented on a sigh.

“She’s been at the hospital for the past two days.”

I swear my heart stopped beating and the world tilted beneath my feet. “Is she okay?” I asked, my voice craggy with emotion.

“She’s fine,” Asher assured me.

“But her friend Lucille had a heart attack and she’s refused to leave her side. That woman’s the closest thing she’s ever had to a real mom, and she’ll be devastated if anything happened to her.”

I hadn’t had the privilege of meeting Lucille yet, but I knew from the stories Sloane and Darcy told me she was an incredible woman, and I hated that Sloane was up there, by herself, worried sick over her friend.

If I had anything to say about it, this was the last thing Sloane would ever do alone.

* * *

The blinds were drawn and the lights were off in the hospital room as I slowly pushed the door open and peeked my head inside. She was the first thing I saw, her long legs curled up against her chest, her arms wrapped around to hold them in place as she slept in one of those recliners I knew from experience were as uncomfortable as hell.

The way she was curled into a tight ball, like she was trying to protect herself, even in sleep, caused a raw, aching pain in my chest. If I hadn’t been such a fucking coward, I could have been here holding on to her, keeping her safe and protected so she didn’t have to do it herself.

I moved farther into the room, the draw to her impossible to ignore. I was so focused on her I didn’t realize the elderly woman in the hospital bed had been awake the whole time, watching me with the tiniest smile as I moved closer to Sloane.

“You’re him, aren’t you?” she spoke, giving me a start.

I placed a palm over my rapidly beating heart, rubbing the heel of my hand against my sternum to relieve some of the unrelenting ache that had taken residence in my chest over the past two and a half weeks.

“I’m sorry?”

“You’re him. The man she’s gone and fallen in love with.” She raised a single brow in a way that came off almost regal.

“Yes ma’am. I believe so. Or hope so, at least.” I moved closer to the bed, taking her in. For a woman who’d just had a heart attack a few days ago, she looked surprisingly healthy. “Silas Bridger,” I introduced, extended my hand for a shake. “How are you feeling?”

She shook my hand then waved away my question. “Oh, it’s going to take a lot more than a tiny heart attack to keep me down. I lived through the disco era, after all.”

I couldn’t help but grin. She had fire, that was for damn sure.

“Well, Mr. Bridger, if you’re the man my darling girl has fallen in love with, that means you must also be the one who broke her heart and made her cry.”

Shame washed over me. Fuck, but Sloane’s crew wasn’t going to make this easy on me. But that was okay. This was the least I deserved. I’d walk through fire for her if that’s what it took.

“Yes, ma’am. But if it’s any consolation, I broke my own heart at the same time. I don’t care so much about mine, but I’m hoping I’ll eventually be able to repair hers enough that she’ll give me a second chance.”

The woman looked over at Sloane, the love and adoration she had for her shining so brightly in her eyes I could see it, even in the darkened room. “My girl has always been big on second chances,” she said thoughtfully. “Even when the person she’s giving it to doesn’t deserve one.” She pinned me in place with a hard, knowing stare. “Don’t be one of the ones who doesn’t deserve it.”

I nodded silently. “You have my word.”

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