Page 38 of The Wrong Guy

I’m laid up in a hospital bed, and my brother is trying to give me the talk. I think thetalkwent out of the window a long time ago.

I try to shrug but can’t because of the stiffness in my body.

The doctors rushed into the room to check on me.

“Audrina, let’s try to get you out of bed and into the bathroom,” Dr. McDonald informs me.

I’m about to tell him to get fucked when a nerve twitch in my whole body has me wanting to get out of bed.

“She can do it,” Stavros informs them from the door to my hospital room. “She can do it,” he repeats while looking at me with heat in his eyes.

Dr. McDonald’s eyes flicker between us before settling on Andreas. Andreas doesn’t say anything as Stavros slightly pushes the good doctor out of the way to help me get out of bed.

My hands go to his shoulders to grab onto, and his hands rest on my hips. There is nothing sexual about this movement, but for some reason, all of the nerves in my body start to tingle.

“You ready?”

“Yes,” I whisper, looking at his luscious lips curving deliciously.

I’m on my feet in seconds and slowly starting to walk to the bathroom. There is nothing romantic about feeling like needing to use the bathroom.

He leaves me, and I do my business. Once I look in the mirror, I see my messy hair all over my head. There is nothing attractive about how scary I’m looking at this time. I’m surprised he even wants to be here.

My hand is hovering over the door when I hear the doctor start talking. “Audrina’s injuries aren’t severe enough to keep her. She’s going to need to speak to a trauma therapist and need to stay with someone who is going to be able to make sure she is okay with staying on her own. Does she live alone?”

I think back to my apartment. I’m wondering if it is still intact. Did everything burn during the fire? How much of the apartment is gone?

“She is currently living alone, but she is more than welcome to come live with me,” my brother suggests.

“No,” Stavros quips. “She will come stay with me.”

“Dr. McDonald, may we have a moment?” I ask from the door.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were ready?” Stavros asks me.

Dr. McDonald leaves us alone, and I slide my feet over to my bed. Once seated, I look at the challenging men in front of me.

“I don’t need either of you to feel like you owe me something.”

“Look,” my brother begins, “you don’t know what’s going to happen when you leave the hospital.”

“I get that, but Derek is gone. I’m safe.”

“Plus, I ran the numbers for how much money she will be getting…” Stavros states and pulls out his phone to get the exact numbers. “It looks like you are being granted ten million dollars.”

I about swallowed my tongue. “What the actual fuck?”

With this amount of money, I would be set for life. I wouldn’t have to worry about money for the rest of my life.

“Okay, okay, okay. You don’t have to fuck with me like this,” I mutter.

Andreas looks over the document on Stavros’s phone and nods in agreement. “Shit. This money is going to look good on you.”

“We have to plan where she’s going after the hospital,” Andreas says. “Mom and Dad will want you to come stay with them.”

“Is my apartment gone?” I whisper. I’m thinking of all of the things inside of my apartment that I love and cherish.

I briefly consider my job. My job was close to my apartment- or my old apartment- which made it very convenient for me to get to and from work. With these injuries, I’m not sure if I’m going to be able to work. Much less feel safe enough to work.

---