I spend two days in the clinic, two more than I initially wanted, but they wanted to make sure I wasn’t going to dry-drown. Besides, my knife wound needed to be patched up. Luckily, Jasmine kept the knife so they could see the actual size and knew exactly how deep it went.
She even gave it back to me and then excused herself.
I’ll apologize to her later for everything that went down.
First, I have to talk to my girl.
But this fucking wheelchair is damn hard to control as I try to roll out the door. The fucking doctors don’t want me walking just yet.
“Hey, where do you think you’re going?” Jill asks, laughing as she steps out of the bathroom and meets me halfway down the hall.
“Getting out of here before they tie me to the bed.”
She snorts. “Thought you’d be into that kinky shit.”
“Only if you join in on the fun,” I reply, winking.
The familiar sight of that embarrassed flush on her cheeks still makes me grin. “Maybe when we’re home.”
My eyes light up. “Oh, that’s a promise.”
She rolls her eyes at me, but she can’t hide the cheeky smile underneath. “C’mon. Let’s wait until you’re officially discharged.”
She rolls my wheelchair back into the room and shuts the door. “Besides, I still have some questions, and your parents are probably worried sick now that Jasmine told them what happened.”
I look at my phone, which has been buzzing nonstop all day. I haven’t found the energy yet to pick up.
“Wanna talk to them?”
“Pass,” I reply.
“You have to tell them about Liam someday.”
“Someday … is not today,” I retort, smirking.
She folds her arms. “He’s their son. If you don’t tell them, Jasmine might tell our parents, and then yours will find out soon enough.”
My eyes twitch. She really knows how to get under my skin.
I guess that’s what happens when you let someone get close.
“Fine, I’ll contact them tomorrow,” I reply, and I wheel my way to her as she sits down on my bed and block her from getting up. “Now tell me what those burning questions were.”
She sucks in a breath. “Well, I just wanna know about that night. How did you know Liam was going to be there at the cliff? And why my sister?” She clutches her own hands close to her chest. “There’s so much I don’t understand.”
I grab her hands and make her look at me. “I didn’t want to use your sister as bait, but he left me no choice when he threatened to come for you.”
She swallows. “So you’d been talking with him all along.”
“Yes,” I say. “He first made his intentions clear when I went to see him those few days you were alone. I just didn’t think he’d act on them so quickly.”
When I first talked to Liam, I thought he was playing tricks on me, pretending he didn’t recognize me to get away with the fact that he’d fled.
But after talking with him, I realized his memory was gone.
Not just the memory of what had happened to him, but every goddamn memory he’d ever had of his life.
Of our family.
Of me.
But there was one thing he remembered.
Anger.
And when I dropped Jill’s name … it was like a light switch went off in his head.
“I had a private detective trace him, and when he finally found him and took pictures, I knew for sure. That’s when he made contact and made it possible for us to meet.”
“The pictures from your drawer in your office,” she mutters.
“No wonder you suddenly decided to escape.” I tilt my head. “But I figured you’d find them sooner or later.”
“Yeah, I even had to knock out a guard,” she replies, making me snort. “I knew there was still something you were hiding from me. I just didn’t know what. But now I do.”
“It’s not like I knew for years. I’d been talking with Liam since I first went to see him in Germany those few days. He’d lost all his memories of us and didn’t even recognize me. I didn’t know what to do with it, but I ended up telling him about his life because I didn’t want him to suffer alone.”
She frowns, looking away, visibly conflicted. “He’d already suffered enough.”
“So have you,” I say, tilting my head so I can look her in the eyes. “That’s why I didn’t want to tell you about him.”
“I thought …” Her cheeks turn bright red. “I thought you didn’t want me to know because you were afraid I’d run back into his arms and make you fight over me again.” She sighs. “Guess that turned out well.”
I snort. “No. I wasn’t threatened by him.” I place a hand on her knee. “I know you’re mine. But I wasn’t going to let him hurt you either.”
“Did he say he was going to—?”
“Yes,” I reply. “Absolutely.”
She rubs her lips together, pushing back the tears. I lean up the best I can, fighting the pain, and caress her cheek. “That’s why I didn’t want to tell you. Because I knew it would break you.”
She shakes her head. “I’m fine. I just … at the time, I was so mad that you didn’t tell me he was still alive.”
“I’m sorry,” I say.
It’s the first time in a long time when I say those words and actually mean it.
“But if you’d known, you wouldn’t have stopped searching until you found him. And he would have killed you,” I add.
The silence that follows is deafening and hard to take, even for my fucked heart.
“I’d rather have you hate me if it meant I could keep you safe,” I say through gritted teeth.
She looks at me, a single tear rolling down her cheek, which I swipe away with my thumb. Suddenly, she collapses into my body, wrapping her arms around me, and I struggle to stay standing with this wound still hurting my insides.
“Oh, shit, I forgot,” she mutters, leaning back. “Sorry. Are you okay?”
“It’s fine. I can handle a little pain,” I jest, but I still sit down in the chair before I hurt myself further.
“I really am sorry for stabbing you,” she says.
“You saw us fighting, and you thought I was the bad guy. It’s understandable,” I reply. “Besides, I threatened your sister too. I deserved it.”
“But still …” She looks away again, distant, then sighs.
“I’m surprised you even knew where I was going,” I say.
Somehow, someway, she tracked me down.
Even though there was a guard at the penthouse, she still managed to beat him in a fight. Feisty little bunny.
“After I escaped the penthouse, I called Jasmine and you, but neither of you picked up, so I figured I’d go to my parents’ house to check on her,” she replies. “But then I saw someone shoving Jasmine into a car to kidnap her, and I thought it was Liam at first, but then I found out it was you.”
I laugh. “Yeah, that sounds like something I’d do.”
“Seriously, and using her as bait?” She raises her brows. “That’s a low one, even for you.”
I don’t regret that choice. “I did what I had to do to lure him away from you.”
“Lure him?” She frowns.
“Why do you think I abruptly left the bed?” I reply. “My private detective called me when one of his men followed him to the city. He was on his way to the building.”
“The penthouse? Oh, wow …”
“I know, it’s a lot to take. I always assumed he’d go straight for Jasmine once his memories came back. But that night really changed him. Made him angry to the point of obsession.”
“With me,” she adds, gulping down the nerves.
I squeeze her knee. “I don’t think you have to worry about him anymore.”
“Why not?” She anxiously looks at the door and the window. “He’s still out there, somewhere. Waiting for another chance.”
“I saw the way he looked at me when I fell off that cliff, and it hurt to watch. He doesn’t want me dead. Despite the fact that he wanted to kill you, I don’t think he knew what he was doing. Or what the consequences were. That he’d also hurt me in the process.”
“So what are you saying?”
“Hurting you means hurting me.”
Her lips part. “Oh …”
I nod now that she’s finally getting it.
“And as long as you’re with me, I don’t think he’ll be back,” I say as I part her legs with my hands, scooting closer.
“That’s convenient for you,” she retorts, playfully raising her brow.
“I know, quite the hassle, having to keep you near me,” I quip. “So where am I supposed to lie down now that you’re sitting on my bed? On top of you? Because I will do it.”
She snorts, rolling her eyes. “Oh my God, stop.”
I grab her hand and press a kiss on top. “Luca will do.”
“Luca!”
My mother’s voice makes me turn my head like a goddamn owl.
“What the hell—?”
She runs in to hug me so hard my throat is locked in her elbow. “Jesus Christ, woman,” I growl when she finally releases me.
My father steps in and growls back, “Don’t you greet your mother that way, boy.”
“We’ve been calling you for days, and you never picked up!” my mother yells.
I frown. “How did you know where I was?”
My mother looks at Jill. “Your sister kindly told us the truth.” Then turns her head to me and folds her arms. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell us you and Jill had a fight.”
A fight?
What the fuck is she talking about?
“Yeah, she told us you two fought, and then both fell off a cliff. Again.” Mom rolls her eyes at Jill. “Luckily, she wasn’t driving a car this time, or you would’ve both died.”
What the hell?
“What did Jasmine tell you, exactly?” Jill asks.
So she doesn’t know either?
“Your parents called us. She told them you had a falling out and that you’d called her all distressed to come and pick her up at that same cliff.” She sighs, visibly shaken by the mere idea of losing her second son too. “I’m just glad you’re both okay.”
Well, I guess that’s a relief. She actually cares about Jill for once.
“Can’t have my son bury a goddamn wife this early in his career. Imagine the fucking vultures waiting in line,” my father scoffs.
Of course. Why would they care about anything other than the business?
I try to turn around, but the twist tears at the wound, and I hiss from the pain.
“Yikes, what happened to your side?”
“Uh … fell on a branch,” I lie.
If we’re going with this story … I’m going to spin it in my favor.
Jill looks at me with an awkward smile on her face.
“So, have you two settled your argument?” my mother asks, eyeing Jill. “Or do I need to find my son in the hospital again in the future?”
I block her view by parking my wheelchair in front of Jill. “It was my fault. I told her I’d never let her out of her room.”
My father laughs out loud. “Once a De Vos, always a De Vos.”
“Lex …” my mother sneers. “You can’t be serious.”
“What? Like we didn’t have the same problem.”
“And we figured it out too,” my mom retorts.
“We have,” Jill interjects, and she throws me a look. “We’ve figured it out. Right, Luca?”
“Yes,” he replies quickly, looking up into her eyes. “We’ve talked it out. She can go wherever she likes. In and out of the penthouse.”
She blinks a couple of times as if she didn’t hear me.
“I don’t want any more problems getting out,” my father says. “Our family must not—”
“Appear weak,” I fill in for him. “I know. I’ll be up from this chair in no time. Don’t worry.”
“You’d better. I need you back up and running in a couple of days. There are more partners we need to meet.” He briefly throws a look at Jill. “Can she be trusted?”
He wants to know whose side she’s on.
De Vos or Baas.
But I’ve had enough of this fucking game. Now that my brother isn’t dead, they have no reason to continue this feud.
“You can trust Jill. She’s on our side.”
My father’s eyes narrow. “Are you sure?”
“What does he mean?” Jill whispers behind me.
“Trust me,” I whisper back, hoping he doesn’t hear.
“Fine then, if you say so. Bring her to our next meeting,” my father says. “I expect you to bring your A game if you’re gonna take over for me.”
“Take over?” Jill murmurs, so I squeeze her hand to make her shut up.
“Heal quickly,” my mother says, approaching for a very unflattering kiss on the forehead. “We’ll talk soon.”
When they’re finally gone, Jill breathes a sigh of relief.
“I can’t believe that fooled them,” she says. “But why did Jasmine lie?”
“Probably to give Liam time to run,” I explain.
“Oh, right …” she murmurs. “I remember him telling me about it once. That he wanted nothing more than to escape the family and live a normal life.”
“If he gets what he wants, maybe he’ll leave us alone too,” I reply, spinning around to face her again. “And then we’ll both have what we wanted.”
“Well, he wanted Jasmine too, right?” she asks. “What if he comes back to claim her?”
I shrug. “Who knows. She’s adult enough to make her own decisions. He’s not like me.” I place my hands on the bed beside her while forcing my way between her legs again. “He doesn’t just take what he wants.”
My hands slide up her thighs, going higher and higher until her muscles tense and her cheeks get all rosy again, just the way I like it. And I don’t stop there, not even when my thumb circles her clit, knowing full well the kind of chain-reaction it sets off in her body.
“What are you doing?” she huffs.
“Claiming my woman,” I say, my dick tenting in my pants at the mere sight of her quivering in front of me.
“But we’re in a clinic,” she says, all giddy.
“I don’t care where we are,” I reply, rubbing her clit until she’s all hot and bothered. “Are you mine?”
She nods, clearly having trouble even responding.
“But—”
I push my thumb against her clit to shut her up. “No buts.”
My hand slides up her pants, and I unbutton it and unzip it, but when I come across the scars I gave her, I stop. It’s the first time since she ravaged them that I’ve had a close look. She scratched at the letters, making them barely visible.
My lips curl down from the sight.
“I’m sorry. I know it’s ugly, but I couldn’t stand the sight after—”
“Don’t,” I say, letting my fingers travel across the scars. “Don’t ever call yourself ugly.”
I look up into her eyes so she knows I mean it.
We’ll fix this soon enough.
But for now, I’ll make do with showing her just how much I crave her as my hand travels down her pussy.
Suddenly, someone knocks on the door again, and she abruptly closes her legs for me and zips up again, pretending like nothing ever happened.
“What?” I bark, a little too annoyed because they interrupted my game.
“Excuse me.” A woman steps inside. “I just wanted to let you know that the doctor has approved you for discharge from the clinic.”
“Discharge?” Jill says with a happy voice, and she jumps off the bed. There goes my plan. “Great. Then we finally get to go home.”
Home?
“Yup,” the nurse responds.
I immediately get up even though both of them look at me like I’m nuts.
“Are you sure you wanna do that?” Jill asks.
“I’m done sitting in this chair.” Despite the pain, I walk toward her and grab her waist, pulling her close. “And I’m done hearing anyone worry about my health.”
The nurse laughs awkwardly. “All right then. I’ll leave you two to pack.”
She closes the door again as I lean in to whisper into Jill’s ear, “What did you say just now?”
“What?” she whispers, confused.
“Something about … home.” A wicked smile forms on my lips the second her cheeks begin to flush. I tilt her chin up. “You consider my house your home?”
“If I’m allowed to roam the place freely, without needing anyone’s approval … maybe,” she replies.
I lean in closer, pressing my lips onto hers and claiming her mouth until that familiar drawn-out sigh that she does whenever her heart begins to pound slips out again. The one sound I’ll never get enough of. “Deal.”
