Page 109 of Broken Daddy

“That’s it, just breathe nice and slow for me,” he told her. “You’re doing so well. Keep going. In. Hold. Out. Listen to me. What code word do you want to use for when you need me to take over?”

Had he really said that?

She shouldn’t fall into this dream. Into the idea of him. Devi had no idea why he was doing this . . . feeding her fantasy that she could be his.

His woman. His baby girl.

He likely just pities you.

“You need to stop thinking,” he told her firmly. “Stop thinking right now.”

Her mind cleared of thoughts. “How do you do that?”

“Get you to obey me? It’s my superpower.”

A soft snort escaped her. “What’s your kryptonite?”

“Those I love being taken from me.”

It hit her like a bowl of cold water being poured over her. May had been taken from him. She wasn’t May. He felt nothing for her like he did his wife.

But maybe this had hit him harder than she thought.

“I’m alive. I’m all right.” She stared up at him. And she really studied him this time.

He looked exhausted. There were dark circles under his eyes and his shoulders were slightly slumped. Worry clung to him.

Worry and . . . anger?

“Are you mad at me?”

Shock had his eyes widening. “No, baby, never.”

“I need to check her over.” That came from the nurse.

Shit. She’d forgotten about him. She instantly tensed and then cursed herself. He was a nurse.

He wasn’t going to attack her.

“Devi needs a female nurse. Go get one,” Hayes demanded,

“Excuse me? She can’t just demand a female nurse.”

“I can’t,” she said to Hayes.

“Of course you can. Kent?”

“On it. Go find a female nurse, now. That patient was attacked by armed men. Do you think she wants a strange man touching her right now? In her space? No, she doesn’t. Especially not one with so little empathy that he doesn’t recognize that. So go and find a female nurse and I will try not to lodge a complaint with the administration.”

The nurse fled and Devi stared at the handsome guy with light brown hair standing by Mac.

He nodded at her, his face filled with worry and fatigue. That seemed a familiar theme around here. Mac looked terrible too.

“Hi, Devi. I’m Kent Jensen. I own JSI Security.”

“I can’t believe you just did that,” she whispered. “For me.”

“Of course he did it for you, girl,” Mac told her. “Any of us would. Shit, Devi. I’ve got to go and let Michelle and Silla know you’ve woken up. Silla went home to shower. Michelle was gonna go box up some of your pottery for the show. She wanted to do something productive to help. We all do. I might close the tavern for the night and go help her. Mind you, I’m feeling a bit shaky.”