I smile a slow smile, because I think I like where he’s going with this. ‘Role-playing for real, huh?’
‘You got it, beautiful. You ain’t ever gonna be bored in my world, darlin’.’
Oh, Jesus… that accent! And now those butterflies are well and truly awake.
‘But you shouldn’t be ashamed of who you were, Kira.’
‘I’m not. And I’m still her, Neal. I’m still that escort you paid for sex. She’s always going to be there.’
‘And I’m always gonna love her.’
He kisses me slow and deep and I fall against him. There are still so many things we need to talk about, but maybe I need to stop obsessing about every last detail and just run with it. Neal won’t let anything happen to me. He won’t hurt me, but then, how can I possibly know that? I’ve only known him a matter of weeks, how can I know anything about him? But I feel like I know enough. And that’s all I need.
‘Come on. We need to sleep. We’ve got a busy day tomorrow.’
I settle back down in his arms, my head back on his chest, the sound of his heartbeat filling my ears, a comforting sound, and I close my eyes. He’s right. We need to sleep. And I’m just drifting off when my phone ringing disturbs us both and I sit up, looking at the caller ID. It’s late. Almost two in the morning, and my blood runs cold as I see Benni’s number flash up on the screen.
‘Who is it?’ Neal asks, sitting up behind me and kissing my shoulder.
‘Benni.’
‘You gonna answer it?’
I’m almost scared to. But I need to. ‘Benni?’
‘Oh, thank God… Kira, babe, it’s Joey he’s…’
‘He’s what, Benni?’
There’s a panic in Benni’s voice that makes my blood run even colder.
‘He’s hurt, Kira. He’s really hurt. And he wants to see you. Says he isn’t going to sleep until he sees you. Can you get to the hospital? He’s in the General.’
‘What’s happened to him? Benni…?’
‘I’ll tell you when you get here, sweetheart.’
‘OK… OK, we’re on our way.’
I hang up and jump off the bed, flicking on the light as I pull jeans and a shirt from the wardrobe.
‘Kira? What’s going on, baby?’
‘Joey’s hurt.’
‘Hurt? How? I mean…?’
‘He wants to see me… which means he’s alive, at least, which is a relief, I suppose, but…’
‘Kira, darlin’, slow down. Come on. Take a breath, honey.’ He’s beside me, and he’s holding on to my shoulders and he’s calming me, because that’s what he does. That’s why I need him. But Joey needs me now. So we have to go. We have to go…
Twenty-Eight
Kira
‘We were heading off to catch a taxi home, the same route we’ve taken every night for God knows how long, but this time...’ Benni takes a sip of coffee and I keep hold of his hand as we sit out in the corridor, waiting for the doctors to finish another check on Joey. ‘They came from out of nowhere, about four of them, homophobic little bastards, shouting abuse and kicking him to the ground…’ He looks at me, and I feel my heart break. I feel sick and angry and I want to get hold of the scum who almost beat my best friend to death and show them what pain really feels like. But the police are quite confident they know who they are. And I can only hope they catch them, soon. ‘They just kicked and kicked, Kira. And he tried to fight back, because you know Joey, he hates to lose a bloody fight.’
I can’t help smiling, because Benni’s right. Joey hates to lose, full stop.
‘But he couldn’t overpower them, and I tried too, you have to believe me…’
‘Hey, come on. I know you tried, I mean, look at you.’
His face is bruised and battered, his arms covered in scratches and cuts and I know he feels guilty because he thinks he got off lightly.
‘They didn’t even take anything. They just wanted to prove their pathetic, twisted point.’
I pull him in for a hug and we hold each other tight in this dark hospital corridor in the early hours of the morning.
‘Where’s Neal?’ Benni asks, pulling back from me and wiping his eyes. ‘Because, I hope he doesn’t think he has to stay away; that this is something private. He needs to be here, too. He’s part of our family now.’
‘Whether he likes it or not, huh?’ I smile, and Benni laughs quietly.
‘We don’t really do conventional, do we, angel?’ I love that he calls me by the same nickname Joey’s used since the day we met. I love that Joey has someone so kind and warm and special by his side.
‘We’re not that boring.’
‘So, where is he?’
‘I don’t know, actually…’
I look around me, because I really don’t know where he is. I’ve been concentrating so hard on Joey and Benni that I didn’t even see him go.
‘Everything OK here?’
Relief swamps me as I hear his voice and I turn in my seat to see him standing there, still so handsome, even at this time of night, considering both of us got dressed and ready in a matter of minutes. I’m not so confident that I look anything near as good as he does. I feel a wreck, but none of that matters.
‘Where’ve you been?’ I ask, getting up and going over to him, pushing his hair back from his eyes.
‘I wanted to give you guys some space, is all.’
‘Tell him, Kira.’
I look over at Benni and smile, before turning back to Neal. ‘You don’t need to do that. You need to be here, too. You’re part of this ridiculously unconventional family of ours now, OK? So you need to be here.’
He slides an arm around my waist but looks at Benni. ‘I’ve just seen the doctor come out of Joey’s room. You can go back in there now.’
‘We can go back in there,’ Benni says, standing up and taking Neal’s hand, dragging us all off in the direction of Joey’s side room.
‘I guess I don’t have a choice, huh?’ Neal shrugs and I just throw him a small smile. No, he doesn’t. These guys come as part of the package. He gets me, he gets Joey and Benni, too. We’re a family.
I go into the room first. Joey’s sitting up now, and he seems a little brighter than when I first saw him a little under an hour ago. His face is a mask of bruises, though. And I know he has three broken ribs, but thankfully that was all that was broken. I just hope the bastards haven’t damaged his spirit, because that would kill me.
He takes my hand as I sit down on the bed beside him, but his eyes are on Neal, who’s standing at the back of the room with his hands in his pockets.
‘Dear God. He looks like that even after being woken in the middle of the night; like he’s just stepped off the pages of a magazine photo shoot.’ He turns to look at me. ‘And then there’s you. Angel, you need him to give you some tips. And if he still wants you after he’s seen you like that then he’s a keeper.’
Yeah, he’s still my Joey. ‘It’s your fault I look a mess. I was bloody terrified when I got that phone call, what did you expect me to do? Slap on full make-up before I check you’re still alive?’
‘A coat of mascara wouldn’t have hurt.’
‘Bitch.’
‘Slut.’
I lean over to give him a hug. ‘I love you so much, Joey Princess. Don’t you ever put me through this again, you hear?’
‘I love you too, angel. But I’m still standing by the mascara suggestion.’
Benni sits down on the other side of the bed and takes Joey’s hand, squeezing it tight. His face is stained with all the tears he’s cried and I just want to wrap them both in cotton wool and keep them safe. They’re older, bigger, and a hell of a lot wiser than me but I just want to keep them safe.
‘What did the doctor say?’ Benni asks as he absent-mindedly rubs the back of Joey’s hand with his thumb. ‘Have they got the results of the scan?’
‘All clear. No head injuries, just some possible concussion. Apparently I’ve been very lucky, if you can
call being beaten up by a gang of homophobic idiots lucky. They want to keep me in for a few more hours, for observation, that’s all. Anyway, how are you? My hero…’
‘I’m hardly that, Joey. I couldn’t do anything to stop them.’
‘But you tried.’ Joey reaches out and lightly touches Benni’s face, their eyes locked together. ‘You tried. And I love you, I love you so much.’
He kisses him gently, and I get up and go over to Neal and he pulls me in against him as we watch Benni and Joey talk. It’s so obvious they’re in love, and that makes me happy, it really does. But what’s happened tonight, I don’t know if I can leave them now.
‘You OK?’ Neal whispers, squeezing my waist.
I look up at him and let him kiss me quickly because his kisses continue to calm me tonight. I kind of need them. I need him. But I really do think Joey might need me now. And that changes things. ‘I’m fine. I’m just relieved none of this seems to have damaged him too much. But, he’s also good at hiding how he really feels sometimes. I hope he isn’t putting on a front because he doesn’t want to worry anyone.’
‘You look tired.’ He gently strokes my cheek and I fall against him, closing my eyes for a second or two, just breathing him in. ‘You need to sleep, and I think Joey probably needs some rest, too.’
‘I need to talk to him first, Neal.’
‘He needs to rest, Kira. And so do you. We’ve got a big day tomorrow…’
‘Five minutes, Neal. OK?’
He kisses the top of my head and lets me go. ‘I’m gonna grab a coffee. I won’t be long.’
I watch him leave before I sit back down on the bed beside Joey.
‘I’ll go keep Neal company,’ Benni says, giving Joey’s hand another quick squeeze before he gets up. ‘Give you two a bit of time alone.’
‘I’m quite jealous,’ Joey sniffs as Benni closes the door behind him. ‘I wouldn’t mind some one-on-one time with Blue Eyes myself.’
I smile and cross my legs up underneath myself, clasping my hands together in my lap. ‘I’m not going, Joey.’
‘Not going where, angel?’
‘New York. I’m not going. Not now. I can’t.’
‘Don’t do this, Kira.’
‘I’m not leaving you, Joey. Not after this.’
‘Oh no, lady. You’re not laying this one on me. I am not going to be the reason you put your life on hold, do you hear me?’
‘You’re not the reason…’
‘Are you having second thoughts?’
‘Well, I am now.’
‘Before this happened. Were you having second thoughts about getting on that plane in, oh, let me see, ten hours’ time?’
‘Not really…’
He raises an eyebrow, and I can’t hold back the heavy sigh. ‘No. I wasn’t.’
‘Then I’m the reason.’
I open my mouth to speak again but he’s too quick.
‘And before you start banging on about how I need looking after, don’t even go there. Are you listening to me? I’m forty-five years old. I’m all grown up, and I’ve been around the block more times than you’ve had strange cocks inside you.’
‘Thanks for that, Joey.’
‘You think I’m going to let those ignorant pricks get to me? You know me better than that, Kira. Yes, I was a bit shaken, of course I was, but I’m not scared, and what happened is not going to affect my life in any way. Do you hear? I might have to rest up for a day or two but by the weekend I’ll be back in my heels strutting my stuff on that stage. And you’ll be in New York with that gorgeous man, doing all kinds of unspeakable things, of which I want details, by the way.’
I smile. But I’m not convinced.
‘Kira?’
‘What?’
‘I meant what I said. I’m not just telling you what I think you want to hear, OK?’
‘I don’t think you’re doing that.’
I do. But I don’t think either of us are in the mood for a fight.
‘Talk to me, Kira.’
‘What if it really is a case of me and Neal… what if it really is a case of it being nothing more than this huge, insane sexual attraction? And what if that fades, and I still don’t love him…’
‘You don’t love him?’
‘I don’t know.’ I throw my head back and sigh again. ‘I was about to get on a plane and fly halfway across the world with a man I’m not even sure I love.’
But I think I do. I think I love Neal Cannon, in some way. And I think I love him more than I care to admit. I’m just too scared to face up to an emotion I’m still not sure I can handle.
‘You are getting on that plane, lady, if I have to drag you on there myself. And I will, if I have to, broken ribs or not.’
‘You want rid of me?’
‘I want you to be happy. And quite honestly, Kira, these past few days, since Neal came back to get you – because that’s what he did, remember? He came all the way back here, to get you. Can’t you see how romantic that is?’
I throw him a look.
‘Romance, Kira. You should try it sometime. Think about what he did, for you. Look, these past few days I’ve never seen you happier, OK? You might not realise it’s happening, but your face lights up when you talk about him, and when you’re together – can you not feel the heat? You two make a terrifyingly beautiful couple, you have no idea...’ He looks at me, right into my eyes, and I know he’s serious now. ‘Don’t throw this chance away, Kira. Don’t lose that man. Don’t let fear take over again. Take his hand and run, angel.’
‘I don’t want to leave you, Joey.’
And I don’t. I don’t want to leave him. But I don’t think I can leave Neal, either.
‘I’ve got Benni, Kira. And that man is the most wonderful thing that’s ever happened to me, after you, of course.’
I smile at him. I love him so much, and I’m just finding it hard, knowing I’m going to be so far away from him after ten years of us being so close.
‘He’s my soul mate. And he will look after me, don’t you worry about that. We’ll look after each other. So you are getting on that plane this afternoon and you’re going to start living again. And are we done here? Because you really are giving me a headache now.’
I smile again and lean over to hug him, carefully, because of his ribs. But he pulls me in and holds me tight, and we stay hugging for what feels like a long, long time.
‘Take his hand, and run,’ he whispers in my ear.
And that’s exactly what I’m going to do.
Neal
‘You ready to go home now?’
She nods and I hold out my hand and she takes it, her fingers wrapping around mine and I love that feeling. Something as simple as holding hands – it was a feeling I’d let go of, something I’d forgotten could feel so good. So safe.
‘Is Joey OK?’
‘He’s fine. Benni’s going to stay with him. He’s just gone to get him a cup of tea, seeing as it’s almost breakfast time now.’ She smiles, and even though she’s tired and emotional it still lights up her face. ‘Come on. We really need to get some sleep if we’re going to make that flight.’
She starts to walk away but I squeeze her hand to stop her, pulling her back against me. ‘Are you really sure you want to do this, Kira? I mean, after tonight…’
She touches my face, her fingers running lightly over my cheek and I catch her hand, our eyes locking. ‘I’m sure.’
And I think I believe her. I thought, after tonight, she might have had second thoughts, but I guess when she was in there, talking to Joey, he made her realise something. He helped her see what it was she really needed to do.
I smile, and she kisses me, and I feel a little breathless with a fear I’ve only just realised was there – the fear that this could have been a turning point that may not have gone the way I wanted it to.
‘I’ve just got to nip to the bathroom, OK? I won’t be a minute.’
I watch her go, and I know I have to see
Joey before we leave. I think I quite possibly owe him, big time.
He looks up as I walk in, but I stay at the back of the room.
‘Get over here, handsome.’
I can’t help but laugh. I really like this guy. ‘Joey, I… I just want to say thank you.’
‘For what?’
‘For making sure she comes with me this afternoon.’
‘Listen, Blue Eyes, if she really had changed her mind there wouldn’t have been a thing I could have done to change it back. She can be a real stubborn bitch when she wants to be, and that’s a warning, right there, just so you know.’
I smile, and briefly bow my head, shoving my hands in my pockets as I stop by the side of his bed. ‘She wanted to stay, though. Didn’t she? She wanted to stay here. With you.’
‘She’s my baby girl, Neal. I just want her to be happy.’
‘But she wanted to stay.’
‘She did. But her argument was crap. Because her eyes were telling me something completely different to what was coming out of her mouth. She wants to be with you, Neal.’
‘Does she?’
‘Trust me. I know her better than anyone, and she might think I can’t but I can read her like a book. And her eyes were telling me she wants to be with you.’
‘I’m not taking her away from you, Joey.’
‘Well, you are, handsome. But I know what you mean.’
He smiles and beckons to me to come closer, and I know he’s gonna hug me, and I let him. ‘I really mean it, Joey. Thank you.’
‘Just look after her, OK?’
He lets me go and I straighten up, my hands back in my pockets. ‘She says she doesn’t need looking after. And I kinda think she’s right, don’t you?’
‘She says a lot of things, Neal. You’re just going to have to try and work out which ones she really means.’
‘I’m gonna give her a good life, Joey. I promise you that.’
‘Just be happy, Neal. Both of you. Whatever it takes, just make each other happy.’
I give him another smile and head back towards the door. ‘We’ll see you later, alright? Before we leave.’
Allure (Forbidden #1) Page 25