Page 60 of Devoured By You

I mouthed a thank-you. Aspen dipped her chin ever so slightly. Minutes later, drinks in hand, the conversation moved on to a fresh topic that didn’t involve my sex life. That Addison would return to the subject was as certain as the sun rising tomorrow morning, but I’d gotten a reprieve for now.

I shivered every time I thought about sex in the pool and all the stuff we’d done afterward. I wasn’t exactly innocent, but the sheer array of toys Blay owned and the orgasms he’d given me with them had opened my eyes to a whole new world of sex.

“A toast,” Aspen said, raising her cosmo in the air. “To new friends and exciting exper—”

A loud bang echoed in the hallway, immediately followed by a second one. I jumped, spilling my drink. My heart rate spiked. “What was that?”

“I don’t know.” Aspen put her drink aside, advancing to the door. She gingerly opened it, peering outside.

“Hey, you. Wait!”

She ran into the hallway. I hurried after her, catching sight of a man in scruffy clothing disappearing into the landing where the stairs and lift were located. I shifted my gaze.

“Blay!”

I raced to him. Aspen beat me to it. She crouched beside him. My knees crashed to the carpet. Footsteps echoed behind me, and passengers began emerging from their cabins.

“What the hell happened?” I scanned his body, lying half in, half out of Scarlett Rose’s penthouse. Fuck. Blood everywhere. I couldn’t catch my breath. Gasping for air, I traded glances with Aspen. Her eyes were wide, and fear flooded her face. “Help, please! Somebody. Somebody help!”

“Move!” a voice bellowed, pushing aside the crowd that had gathered around us.

“Nolen, thank God.” Aspen clasped his arm. “He’s breathing, I think. I don’t know. Shit, shit.”

“Marlowe, untie her, and check the woman on the ground. Blaize, hang on. Medics are on their way. Keep breathing for me, buddy.”

Untie whom? What woman? My mind whirred. I couldn’t process, couldn’t think. Everything moved slow and fast at once. How was that possible?

“Blay.” I bent over him, pressing my lips to his forehead. He was cold, clammy. A fist squeezed my heart, my chest collapsing. “God, please. Please don’t die.”

His eyelids fluttered, and he groaned.

“Don’t move, bud.” Nolen put a hand on his shoulder. “I’m gonna tie up your leg, okay? This might hurt a bit.”

I followed his movements. Oh God. Oh God. Oh God. His leg… his leg. So much blood. Nolen slipped a belt underneath Blay’s right leg, above his knee. As he tightened it, Blay screamed.

“You’re hurting him!”

“I have to stop the bleeding. I think the bullet hit an artery.”

Bullet? What bullet? Guns weren’t allowed on the ship. We’d had to put everything through a scanner. I didn’t understand.

“What’s happening?” Faces swam into one another. I braced a hand against the wall. Hands clasped me, lifting me. I fought them off. “No. I want to stay with Blay.”

“Let the medics get to him, Jilly.”

Addison. I spun into her arms, clinging on. She stroked my hair. “It’s okay, love. He’ll be okay.”

My two other friends crowded in. I let them comfort me for a few seconds before shaking them off. There were three people tending to Blay now. Two medics and his brother Nolen. How was he so calm when I was losing my shit? I sought Aspen, her face as pale as mine must’ve been. Shot. Someone had shot Blay. Who? Why?

A stretcher appeared. The medics loaded Blay onto it. I froze as they wheeled it down the narrow hallway, past the groups of passengers gathered in the doorways to their penthouses.

“Come on, sweetheart.” An arm went around my shoulder. I peered at Blay’s sister-in-law, Marlowe, through blurred eyes. Blay had introduced us a few nights ago, and I hadn’t seen her since. Her voice calmed me somewhat, although my skin was clammy and cold and terror ran riot through my veins.

“Where are they taking him?” I allowed her to propel me forward.

“To the hospital. There’s an excellent private facility on the island. They’ll take great care of him.”

“Is he…? Will he…?”

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