Page 22

I held up my thumb, then the okay sign.

“When was the last time you drank water?”

I pointed back in the direction of the cabin. If I spoke right now, I might throw up.

“Let me see those feet.”

I didn’t bother to move as he lifted my leg and examined the bottom of my feet. I already knew they were torn up, but it wasn’t like there was anything we could do about it. They had to get Patrick out of there, and I wasn’t about to be a burden.

“They’re gonna really start hurting once the adrenaline wears off.”

I held my thumb up again. Seriously, I would vomit if I started talking.

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

I held up my thumb again. The spots that had been floating in my vision were starting to recede, but the nausea still swirled.

I let my eyes drift shut and focused on my breathing, keeping it nice and slow.

I fell into an almost kind of trance, which was how I completely missed that our ride showed up.

It wasn’t until someone lifted me and carried me to the waiting helicopter that I even realized what was happening.

We were leaving the forest behind.

And that one shoe I had promised I would return to Jeanie.

The flipping of a page woke me from a dead sleep. That, and the light shining in my eyes. Whoever decided it was a good idea to let the sun in had clearly not been stranded in the forest for over a day.

“Turn off the light,” I groaned, rolling over in bed and tugging the thin, scratchy blanket higher. I had been sweating outside, but in here, it was like they shoved me in a freezer.

The light dimmed a little at the sound of blinds closing, but it was still too bright for my liking.

“How are you feeling?”

I didn’t recognize the voice, and right now, I didn’t really care who it was. “Peachy.”

“I bet. Your feet are all torn up. The doc cleaned you up and bandaged your feet. You probably don’t want to walk around too much.”

I peeled one eye open and glared at the man standing at the foot of my bed. Long waves of dirty blonde hair flowed over his shoulders and muscles rippled around his shoulders and down the length of his arms.

“Fabio?” I asked, sure I was delirious.

A scoff left his lips just as a beautiful woman entered the room with coffee. “He wishes.” She handed off one coffee and then came to sit beside me. “I’m Juliette, Fabio’s wife.”

“Piper,” I said, licking my lips at the smell of coffee in the air. “I thought you said he wasn’t Fabio.”

“He’s not. His name is Jared Locke. He’s the owner of OPS.”

I eyed her coffee with disdain. Was she seriously going to sit next to me and sip on the elixir of the Gods without offering me any? “I don’t know what that means.”

“The man you were with—Patrick—he’s his boss.”

I licked my lips as my hunger for coffee grew. I felt like I would leap out of the bed to steal it from her if she didn’t hand it over this instant.

“It’s not coffee,” she smirked as if reading my thoughts. “How I wish it was, but this one,” she said, jerking her head at Fabio, “won’t let me have coffee while I’m pregnant.”

“That’s because he’s an idiot,” I said without thinking.

“Agreed, but I have to pick my battles. So, how did you meet Patrick?”

“He picked me up at the airport.” My throat was scratchy and my stomach was starting to growl. “Who do I have to screw to get some food around here?”

“Patrick’s indisposed,” she smirked. “But I’m sure Fabio can find some for you.”

“Stop calling me Fabio,” her husband snapped. “I swear to God, I’m cutting my hair as soon as we get home.”

“No, you won’t. You know how much I love it.”

There was some kind of indecent sexual talk that passed between them because Fabio stared indecently at her before walking out of the room, and when Juliette looked back at me…well, let’s just say I felt like I had just witnessed a porno.

“So, now that he’s out of here…”

I waited for her to finish whatever she was about to say, but instead, she just drank from her cup before passing it to me. “What is it?”

“Coffee.”

“But I thought you said?—”

“Well, obviously, I wasn’t going to tell him I had coffee.”

I stared at the coffee lovingly, but if she wasn’t allowed to have it… “You can finish it. I’m probably not supposed to have any yet.”

I handed it back reluctantly, but she just grinned at me. “Trust me, I’m not deprived. Besides, I cleared it with the nurse first. I also sent out for some breakfast.”

Taking my first sip of coffee, I sank back in the bed with a sigh. “I’m starving.” Then I remembered Patrick and sat up with a jerk. “How’s Patrick? Is he alive?”

“Yep. He had surgery early this morning and he’s been moved to a room.”

“So, he’s going to be okay?”

“Well, he’s a little grumpy, but I think that’s mostly because he’s been asking to see you.” Her eyes twinkled with mischief. “What exactly happened out there?”

My cheeks flushed bright red at the implication in her voice. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

She shot me a pointed look before getting up and walking over to a bag on the table and pulling out the tatters of my shirt. Holding it up, she grinned at me. “Did the bear do this? Amazing. All the buttons missing, but not a scrap of fabric torn.”

I wasn’t about to tell anyone a thing about what happened out there between Patrick and me. That was private, especially because of how amazing it was. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Speaking of clothes, when do I get out of here?”

“The doctor wants to look at your feet again. After that, if all is good, they’ll release you.”

“Good. I have things I need to do.”

“Speaking of which, the nurse didn’t find any identification on you, so they didn’t know who to call.”

“No one,” I sighed. “I lost my bag when the plane went down. It didn’t exactly cross my mind to grab it.”

“Why is there no one to call?” She eyed my ring carefully.

“Well, my fiancé,” I said, holding up my left hand, “cheated on me with his London mistress the day after he proposed. And apparently, most of the time I was with him. So, he doesn’t really need to know if I’m alive.

Not to mention, I sort of ruined his apartment and all his clothes before I left, so there’s no love lost there.

And then there’s my friend Jeanie. She lent me her favorite pair of heels to give me confidence.

I sort of lost one in the plane crash, and the other was with me on the helicopter, but… ”

“I think she’d forgive you for that.”

“Yes, but she’s more likely to forgive me in a few more days.”

“Parents?”

“Nope.” I tossed off the scratchy blanket and swung my legs over the side of the bed, gently touching my feet to the floor. The sting was instantaneous and it was clear I wasn’t going anywhere on my own.

“How about getting me out of here?”

“Planning an escape?”

“Just to a nicer place. I never cared much for hospitals. This blanket isn’t exactly comforting.”

“And where are you planning to go with no identification?” she smirked.

That was a conundrum. “Crap.”

“Don’t worry,” she chuckled. “I’ve already got a hotel room for you. No sane person would stay in the hospital longer than necessary. I also got you some clothes and cozy slippers. I figured anything else would be too tight on your feet.”

“You’re amazing.”

“Now, should I get a wheelchair so you can see Patrick or?—”

“Yes,” I answered a little too quickly, but I didn’t care.

I just wanted to make sure he was okay. I eyed the robe on the back of the chair as she walked out the door.

I needed something to keep me warm in this icebox.

The throbbing in my feet didn’t feel too bad, but as soon as I pressed my foot to the floor, pain shot through my whole body.

I had no idea I had torn up my feet so much.

I waited and waited, hoping Juliette would return with the chair, but ten minutes passed and she still wasn’t back yet. “This is ridiculous,” I muttered to myself.

I wasn’t about to wait around for others to do things for me.

I just had to find a way to get from the bed to the floor.

Then I could wiggle my way over and snag the robe.

I rolled over on the bed and laid on my stomach, then slowly lowered myself to the ground, grasping at the sheets when I started sliding faster than expected.

I let out a yelp of surprise when my knees didn’t hit the ground when expected.

“How much further do I have to go?” I muttered, trying to peer over my shoulder.

I twisted too far and lost my grip, falling to the ground with a thunk.

My knees burned from the contact, but that was the least of my worries right now.

“What do we have here?”

Gasping, I twisted to see Chase standing in the doorway with a very amused Patrick sitting in a wheelchair with his leg resting straight out.

“Did you need something?” Patrick asked. “A hand, perhaps?”

“No, I’ve got it,” I said with all the confidence in the world.

“I can see that.” His eyes trailed over my body and a smoldering grin grew on his face. “I can see all of it.”

“All of—” My cheeks flamed when I realized my ass was hanging out and I wasn’t wearing underwear. I quickly reached back and tugged the gown closed, but it was too late. They’d both seen me bare-assed.

“Would you like some help?” Chase asked, keeping his gaze diverted.

“No, thank you. I’ve got this.”

“Clearly,” Patrick chuckled.

“What are you laughing at, Gimpy?”

“Sticks and stones, baby.”

Chase walked over and grabbed me around the waist, hoisting me back onto the bed before I had a chance to protest. I made sure to tuck in all my body parts as he walked away.

“Can you hand me the robe?” I asked. It hardly seemed necessary now, but I wanted it just in case.

When he tossed it at me, I laid it at the foot of the bed for the next occasion, then stuffed myself back under the scratchy blankets. “So, how are you feeling?”

“High as a kite,” Patrick laughed.

Chase wheeled him right next to the bed and then headed for the door. “Call me when you need me.”

When the door whooshed shut, I grinned at Patrick. “Was it my ass that was so offensive?”

“Doubtful. So, how are the feet?”

“Shouldn’t I be asking how your leg is? I hear you had surgery.”

“Yep.” He gestured to the cast. “I hear they put some pins and shit in me. I’m like the Terminator.”

“And that’s a good thing?”

“Well, it should make me harder to kill. Though, I think I need a better story than a bear attack.”

“Right, because going up against a wild beast isn’t nearly cool enough.”

“I didn’t exactly come out the hero in that story. I believe that was you.” He sighed heavily, pretending he was upset. “And then you had to drag me through the forest to save my ass. I’ll be mocked for at least a year.”

“Well, if it makes you feel better, we only survived because you boiled water in the bark of a tree. That’s quite impressive.”

“Nah, any Boy Scout could have done that.”

“Maybe. I suppose being saved by a woman is rather tragic. I think I’ll have that written on my headstone. Here lies Piper. The woman who dragged a man to safety. ”

“It has a nice ring to it, but I can think of something better.”

“Yeah? What’s that?”

“ Here lies Piper. The woman who damn near broke Patrick’s cock. ”

“Somehow, I don’t think the word cock should be on a tombstone,” I laughed. “Besides, in a day or two, I’ll be back in New York and you’ll find another woman who will find many uses for you in that wheelchair.”

“One can only hope. Though, I doubt any will be as good as you.”

“Flattery will get you nowhere. I’m afraid that little hike through the forest thoroughly exhausted me.”

His eyes crinkled at the corners as he watched me.

I would miss seeing his handsome face and bright blue eyes when I was gone, but it wasn’t like he was asking me to stick around.

And I wasn’t in a place to even think about something like that.

Fresh off one bad relationship, it would be stupid to even think about entering a new one.

Not that Patrick was even offering that.

We had a night of fun in the forest, and while I would never forget it, that was all it could be.

“Then I guess we’ll both have to be satisfied with the memories.”

“We will.”