“For now, he seems fine,” the nurse said, not confirming or denying anything. “The doctor will know more as soon as he has the chance to go over the test results, which should be soon.”
“Can I see him?” Sarah asked, unable to stand waiting in the lounge any longer.
The nurse nodded, her eyes sparkling with amusement. “Actually, he sent me out here to get you, so follow me and I’ll take you to his room.”
Sarah trailed behind the woman as they walked past the emergency room triage and down a corridor lined with numbered rooms. The nurse stopped at a door marked with a number eight.
“He’s right inside,” she said, then turned around and walked back toward the ER.
Sarah pushed the door open and tentatively stepped into the small room, the rubber on the bottom of her tennis shoes letting out a tiny squeak on the linoleum floor. Levi glanced in her direction with an irritable scowl, but as soon as he realized that it was her, an undeniably pleased smile lit up his face, causing her heart to race a bit faster and making her weak in the knees.
From the very first night she’d met him, the man had had that kind of bone-melting effect on her, and it was unlike anything she’d ever experienced. He also made her want to throw caution and common sense to the wind, so just one time she could experience being the sole focus of Levi’s affection and attention. The sensual thought made her shiver as she moved toward him.
He was sitting up in bed, and she took in the hospital gown he still wore, which left his legs bare from the knees down, and yeah, she looked. His calves were nice and toned, and she couldn’t believe she was even thinking this, but even his feet were sexy.
“What was the grumpy look for when I walked in?” she asked as she rounded his bed to the other side. There were two chairs situated there for visitors, but she decided to stand. She didn’t intend to stay long. As soon as she was assured he was all right, she planned to leave.
“Oh, you saw that?” he asked with a small smirk. “I thought you were the nurse coming back for more blood tests, and I was hoping to scare her off.”
She laughed. “They don’t seem easily intimidated around here.”
“It was worth a try,” he said, then his expression turned serious as he met her gaze. “You stayed,” he said, the low, husky tone of his voice stroking along her body like a caress. “I wasn’t sure you’d stick around once they admitted me for the tests.”
“You took a bullet for me,” she pointed out, just in case he’d forgotten that not-so-little detail in tonight’s excitement. “I wasn’t going to leave without knowing you were okay.”
“I appreciate it.” He pushed his fingers through his dark blond hair, which only tousled the thick strands even more. As he lowered his hand, his IV tubing got tangled around another cord that tugged at an electrode patch attached to his chest. The wires pulled taut, causing his gown to slip down a few inches, and he released an annoyed growl.
“Hold on.” Before his frustration got the better of him, Sarah moved closer and separated the cables so he didn’t rip the IV out of his hand or disengage the machine monitoring his pulse and heartbeat. “There you go.”
“Thank you,” he muttered. “Jesus, I don’t know why they need to have me hooked up to all this crap.” He settled back against the raised mattress, his expression surly. “They even took six vials of my blood,” he added, showing her the small bandage on the inside of his arm.
God, he was a terrible patient, and it took effort for Sarah not to laugh at his cranky disposition. “I’m sorry I wasn’t here to hold your hand while they stuck that big, bad needle into your arm,” she teased.
His grumpiness vanished as a very sly look flitted across his features. “It’s not too late to make up for that. You can hold my hand now,” he dared, and extended his right hand toward her.
There was no doubt in Sarah’s mind that he was goading her to touch him—and hand-holding, as innocent as it seemed, would be deliberate and intimate contact between them. Still, she wasn’t about to let him win the challenge, and she reached out and settled her hand in his much larger, warmer one. He curled his fingers around hers, capturing her in more ways than one.
He gently skimmed his thumb across her knuckles, the caress making her envision what it would feel like to have that same finger grazing over her taut, sensitive nipple. Which was incredibly stupid of her to even imagine, considering the mere thought made the tips of her breasts tingle and peak against her cotton T-shirt.
Levi’s gaze lowered to her chest for a few lingering seconds to enjoy her telling reaction to him, then gradually lifted back up to her face again.
There was no missing the heat building behind his gaze, which matched the one smoldering in her belly. “So, I think you’ve had more than enough time to think about the question I asked you back at the store before we were rudely interrupted by a robber,” he said, injecting humor into his voice. “Are you finally going to say yes to a date and put me out of my misery? And before you answer that, don’t forget . . . I did take a bullet to protect you.”
The man was utterly shameless, using her gratitude against her, and it took effort for her not to laugh out loud, because despite everything, she found him so damn charming. “Are you seriously going to use the I-took-a-bullet-for-you card and blackmail me?”
“Yes,” he replied unrepentantly while trying to hide his own smile. “Are you seriously going to say no again and completely devastate me?”
More than anything, she wanted to give him the answer he desired. Hell, it was what she wanted, too. Everything about Levi Kincaid was intriguing and tempting, and she couldn’t remember the last time, if ever, a man had made her feel so desirable and, yes, special. And God, she was so tired of being alone, and lonely, every day except for the time she spent at work.
But she didn’t have a great track record when it came to the male gender. She’d been burned badly, twice, because she’d made the mistake of trusting a few jerks she’d thought were good guys. Too many times she’d gotten complacent and let herself be lulled into a false sense of security—starting with her own family, to a specific foster home, to the guys she’d dated—only to end up with broken promises that had chipped away at her heart. It was a repetitive story in her life, and a painful pattern she wanted so badly to break.
If she weren’t on the run from a controlling ex-boyfriend, if she didn’t have plans to leave town soon, it would be so easy to fall for a man like Levi. But unfortunately, that wasn’t her reality. But she could accept the date, as long as he understood a few things first.
She shifted on her feet, and without thinking, she ran her tongue across her bottom lip before speaking. He released a low, sexy groan as his gaze zeroed in on her mouth, and the awareness in the small room thickened.
“Are you trying to deliberately tempt me with what I can’t have?” The tone of his voice was hungry in a way that had nothing to do with food and everything to do with her.
“What?” She tried to make sense of his words, and when his question finally registered—he wanted her mouth—she quickly shook her head. “No!” she rushed to say as a warm flush swept across her cheeks. “I wasn’t trying to tempt you at all!”
A slow, sensual smile eased across his lips. “Just for the record, everything about you tempts me,” he murmured.
There went those weak knees again. Before they could get any more off track with their conversation, Sarah said what was on her mind. “Levi, I need you to know that I’m not looking for anything serious right now.”
“Fair enough,” he said as his thumb started rubbing softly along the back of the hand he was still holding. “I’m not asking for a lifetime commitment, either. Just a simple, casual night out with you. We can see where it goes from there.”
“If I agree to a date, it will be a one-time deal, Levi,” she told him as she tried to nonchalantly extricate her hand from his.
He wouldn’t let her go and instead grinned confidently. “Then I’ll jus
t have to do my damndest to change your mind.”
She refrained, just barely, from rolling her eyes at him. The man was persistent to a fault, even a little arrogant, and his determination wasn’t worth arguing over. “Okay, fine. Sunday evening you can take me out on a date.”
“See?” Triumph deepened his tone. “That wasn’t so hard, was it?”
This time, she did roll her eyes at him. “You wore down my resistance.”
“I knew I would.” He winked at her. “If you’ll give me your address, I’ll pick you up at your place at five p.m.”
A flash of panic surged through her when she thought about him arriving at the seedy, run-down motel where she was staying temporarily. “I’ll meet you at the restaurant.” She didn’t want to deal with the shame and humiliation of having to explain her living situation.
“You agreed to a date, not a meet and greet,” he said as he gave her hand a squeeze. “I’m picking you up.”
God, the man was so stubborn and tenacious, so she gave him the best compromise she’d allow. “Then pick me up at the store. I’ll be there by five.”
He frowned at her in a way that told Sarah he was analyzing her unusual reaction and was trying to figure out a way around her request, which she refused to allow.
“It’s a deal breaker, Levi.” Her tone was adamant. “Pick me up at the store or no date. You can’t have everything your way.”
The corner of his mouth twitched with humor, but he finally relented. “Fine. You win. This time.”
Loud male voices drifted into the room from the corridor outside, and Sarah watched as a sudden look of irritation passed across his features.
“Shit,” he muttered beneath his breath.
She had no idea what had caused the change in his demeanor. “What’s wrong?”
The line of his jaw tensed. “You’ll see in three . . . two . . . one—”
Sarah literally jumped when two big, good-looking men unexpectedly barged into the room, the older-looking one of the two speaking as they advanced toward Levi’s hospital bed.
“Jesus Christ, Levi!” the guy bellowed angrily. “You were fucking shot and you didn’t think to call one of your brothers to let us know?”
Oh, God, his brothers, and here she was, holding Levi’s hand like she was his girlfriend or someone he was intimately involved with. She tugged her fingers out of his grasp, hard enough that he was forced to let her go, but the other man with sleeves of tattoos wrapping around both muscled arms noticed—and smirked.
“Calm down, Clay,” Levi said, back to being grumpy. He glared at both brothers as they stopped on the other side of his bed. “The bullet hit my vest and it wasn’t life threatening. I’m just here for some routine testing before they’ll release me.”
The man named Clay glanced at Sarah, and there was no denying the quick spark of curiosity in his gaze before he pinned his brother with a direct and concerned look. “Well, your partner thought it was important enough to call us.”
That bit of information seemed to annoy Levi even more. He clearly didn’t like being coddled by anyone. “I have a fractured rib, but other than that, I’m fine,” he insisted, even though the doctor had yet to come into the room to go over his test results. “Or at least I was until you two came charging in here.”
The tattooed guy—who looked like a total bad boy who wasn’t the least bit put off by Levi’s gruff demeanor—merely grinned at his brother. “Yeah, sorry to interrupt . . . whatever we interrupted,” he said, not sounding the least bit contrite.
In fact, Sarah was certain he was deliberately goading Levi, and she found herself suddenly fascinated by the three brothers who clearly had very different dispositions.
The bad-boy brother took in Levi’s hospital gown and bare legs, that provoking smirk reappearing. “Nice dress, by the way,” he teased. “Though next time, you might want to shave your legs.”
Levi narrowed his gaze at his brother. “Don’t be a dick, Mason.” There was a distinct warning note in his voice, but Mason only seemed amused by Levi’s threatening tone.
“Knock it off, Mason,” Clay said, obviously the peace-keeper in the family, before settling his frown back on Levi. “I’m glad you’re okay, but you still should have called us. I nearly had a heart attack when Nick’s first words were, ‘Levi’s been shot,’ before he clarified that you were wearing your bulletproof vest.”
“Got it,” Levi said, finally relenting. “Won’t happen again.”
“So, are you going to introduce us to your . . .?” Mason let the sentence trail off, waiting for either Levi or Sarah to fill in the missing word.
“Friend,” she said quickly, and since they were on opposite sides of Levi’s bed, she gave both brothers a friendly wave. “I’m Sarah, and Levi was at the convenience store where I work when I was held up by an armed robber. I’m here just to make sure that he’s truly okay before I head home.”
Clay’s gaze was filled with understanding, but Mason’s glance was much more inquisitive, and it was that small smile on his face that made her wonder what, exactly, he was thinking. Thankfully, neither one of them asked her any other questions. Instead, Clay returned his attention to Levi and insisted on knowing the details of what happened.
While Levi gave them the quick version of their night, it gave Sarah a few extra minutes to really compare the three brothers. Clay’s and Mason’s hair was much darker than Levi’s lighter brown, and while Levi had green eyes, both his brothers’ were blue. Clay and Mason looked like brothers, with similar facial features, but she never would have guessed that Levi was their sibling.
Then there were their individual personality traits, she thought, as she watched each brother deal with Levi in distinctly different ways. Clay was protective, almost parental in his concern. Mason, well, he didn’t seem too serious about anything, though she had seen the initial worry on his face when he’d walked into the room. But now, he was all about giving his brother a hard time, which Sarah found endearing, even if it annoyed the hell out of Levi.
She wondered where Levi’s parents were and figured they probably lived farther away and Clay would give them an update on Levi’s condition. Or maybe they’d passed away, she thought with a pang of sadness that crept up on her before she could stop it.
Despite the absence of any parents, she could see and feel the connection between these brothers, and it made her all too aware of her lack of family. Levi had people who obviously cared a lot about him, and she envied that close-knit bond that they shared. One she’d lost when she was eight years old. Her whole entire family gone in one fell swoop that had left her devastated, lost, and completely alone. And while she might have gotten past the emotional devastation, she was still lost and alone.
The doctor finally arrived, and as soon as the older man walked into the room, the three brothers all grew quiet, each one of them looking at the physician expectantly as he stopped beside Levi’s bed.
“Hello, Mr. Kincaid. I’m Dr. Fisher. I finally had the chance to look over your CT scan, x-rays, and blood test results,” he said as he swiped a finger across the screen of the tablet he was carrying, his gaze reading whatever he’d pulled up on the small computer. “It appears that you have two fractured ribs on your lower left side, but your liver and kidneys are functioning fine, and you were spared any internal damage. Your lungs look good, as well.”
Sarah exhaled in gratitude and relief.
“Thank God,” Clay said beneath his breath, the worry furrowing his brows easing a bit.
“Damn, you’re like Superman,” Mason said in awe.
“Ironman, according to Nick,” Levi corrected his brother.
“All in all, you’re going to be fine,” the doctor went on. “It’s going to take a good month for your ribs to heal completely. In about two to three weeks, you can return to work on light duty until your personal physician releases you to full duty. In the meantime, you need to rest, take it easy, and don’t do anything strenuous. You’ll have
severe bruising in that area, and I can give you a prescription for Vicodin or Norco to control the pain—”
“I don’t want any painkillers,” Levi said, abruptly cutting off the doctor.
Dr. Fisher blinked at him in surprise, and even Sarah was taken aback by the harsh tone of his voice. The only ones who didn’t seem concerned about Levi’s adamant refusal were Clay and Mason, which she found interesting. Clearly, Levi had an issue with those types of narcotics, and she couldn’t deny that she was curious as to why.
“You might need them to be comfortable, at least for a few days,” the doctor said, trying again.
Levi shook his head, his expression resolute. “I don’t want them. I’ll be fine. If I’m uncomfortable, I’ll take ibuprofen.”
“Okay,” the doctor relented. “If you change your mind, just call my office. I’ll make sure the nurse gives you my number when she brings in your discharge papers. Once that’s done, you’re free to leave.”
“Thanks, Doc,” Levi said.
Once the man was gone, Sarah decided it was time for her to go, too. She didn’t need to stick around while Levi was unhooked from the monitor and IV and got dressed. His brothers could help him in any way he might need.
“Now that I know that you really are fine, I’m going to head home,” she said, smiling when Levi glanced at her with those warm green eyes.
“How?” he asked.
She tipped her head in confusion at his odd question. “How what?”
“How are you going to get home when you rode in the ambulance here?”
Oh, yeah, that. She really loved that he was so concerned, when the guys who’d passed through her life so far wouldn’t have thought twice about her safety. She had every intention of calling a cab since the buses weren’t running this late at night—or morning, as the case might be—but instinctively knew that Levi wouldn’t stand for that.
“If you need a ride, we can take you home,” Clay said, his concern for her equally genuine.
Sarah swallowed past the unexpected gratitude tightening in her throat—along with the urge to say, yes, please, but there was no way she wanted any of these men to see how and where she lived. “I appreciate the offer, but I have a friend who’s waiting for me to call her to come and pick me up,” she lied, ignoring the way that Levi scrutinized her—as if he could see right through her fib, which she hoped wasn’t the case. She needed to get out of there before he figured out the truth.
Dirty Sexy Cuffed (Dirty Sexy #3) Page 3