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Once we were alone, I whispered, “I didn’t know if I’d ever see you again.”
“I’m here now. That’s all that matters,” Seb said gently.
“This is all my fault. I know Hawthorne was behind this.”
“Delilah, listen to me. Nothing is your fault. You didn’t cause this.” Sebastien closed his eyes briefly. “I went to his office about two weeks ago and told him to stay away from you.”
Mortified, my eyes widened. “Sebastien! Why would you do that?”
“He sent me a threat saying he’d expose you. There’s no way I was going to let that happen.”
“But, Seb, look at you! Look at what he did. They almost killed you.” A sob caught in my throat.
“Sweetheart, I was serious when I said I’d protect you till my last breath.”
I nodded. “I know.” I sighed. “Sebastien, if anything were to happen to you, I’d never forgive myself.”
A knock on the door made me jump. A nurse entered and smiled at the both of us.
“Good night. I’m just going to add some painkillers to your IV, Mr. Quantum.”
Sebastien nodded, and after adjusting the IV the nurse left.
He turned back to me. “Sweetheart, how did you get here?”
“Rex and Viper dropped me off.”
He sighed. “I want you to go home and get some rest.”
“I’m not leaving this hospital without you,” I said stubbornly.
“You can’t stay here,” he insisted.
I lifted an eyebrow. “Are you going to pick me up, throw me over your shoulder and take me home?”
As soon as the words left my mouth, I saw the glint of raw desire in Sebastien’s eyes. I felt a warm rush between my thighs.
“I can’t, at least not yet,” his words slurred. “But it’s now been added to my bucket list,” he smiled lazily.
I blushed. “You should get some rest.”
Sebastien nodded, closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.
***
Over the next few days, Sebastien’s brothers visited, as well as the men from his security detail. I watched how he interacted with them, clipped sentences, and clenched fists. His jaw tightened every time he asked them to bring him his phone, but they refused, insisting that he needed to rest and he’d get it when he was discharged.
There were moments when I felt like they were speaking in code, and though I wasn’t sure. I chose to step out conveniently to give them privacy.
Emily had stopped by as well, bringing me some of my things. I was relieved when she didn’t ask why Sebastien and I slept in separate rooms.
The most heartbreaking moment came when Lucy saw her uncle. The second her tiny arms wrapped around him, her feisty attitude disappeared, and she burst into tears. I didn’t miss the way every man in the room stiffened, and how their faces darkened with pain and worry. Despite their alpha male personas, I knew one thing for sure: Lucy had their hearts, and they’d do anything for her.
But, despite the love surrounding Sebastien, he was the worst patient ever.
He complained about everything.
The food was disgusting, the pillows were too soft, the nurses took too long to check his vitals. Ugh. As the days passed by, I watched him get snappier with the nurses, his brothers and me. Frustration and irritability were written all over his face.