Page 45 of Bedding the Biker Next Door

“You said we. We’re going to upgrade security. Are you and Jill a ‘we’ now?”

He remained silent, not sure how to respond.

Biting her lip, Liz looked torn. “She really cares about you, you know. It hurt her when you left.”

Cole clenched his jaw. “It hurt me to leave. I’m not in the best place right now. I’m confused about what’s right for both of us long term. But I’m not confused about what’s right for us at this moment. I’m not leaving her until I know she—and you—are going to be safe.”

Liz searched his face for a moment before nodding. “Okay.”

He watched her leave then sat at Jill’s bedside again. She rested peacefully, though at some points, she twitched and moaned. “Hey, shh, it’s all right. I’m here…” Cole took her hand, watching her sleep until she stirred again half an hour later. When her eyes opened, he bent close and whispered, “Morning.”

“Morning?”

“Well, it’s afternoon, I guess.” He tried for a light laugh to cheer her up.

She barely shifted her swollen mouth into something resembling a smile. “Cole…”

“I’m so sorry I wasn’t here.”

“It’s not your fault,” she said, closing her eyes. The medicine was making her drowsy.

It felt like his fault, though. Protecting people was his job.

Protecting Jill far more than that.

Chapter Seventeen

Jill was in the process of being discharged when Cole told her she shouldn’t go home. “It’s not safe to return to your house. Not until we have answers. What if it wasn’t a random break-in? What if someone is watching the house or stalking you?” He reached for her hand. “I’m not trying to scare you, Jill, but I want you to come back with me.”

“Back to Stella’s, you mean?”

She couldn’t do that. They were over. Yes, he’d come to the hospital, but she couldn’t let him pause his life to take care of her out of pity or a false sense of responsibility. Still, the depth of concern and care in his eyes was real. Would he want to stick around after she’d recovered? Would this be like pulling a Band-Aid off slowly instead of all at once? They’d already yanked the Band-Aid off once, but the second time could be even more painful.

“I’ll take you back to my place. You can rest while I get some guys to update the security at your place.”

“How much will that cost?”

“You don’t need to worry about that.”

Of course she did. “I’m going to pay you for whatever security you put in, Cole. I won’t argue about that.”

With a sigh, Cole nodded. “You can reimburse me for the material. Labor is free.” When she opened her mouth to argue, he placed a gentle finger against her lips. “I won’t argue about that, Jill.”

When he dropped his finger, she nodded, but his heated touch had affected her. “Fine. But let’s not fool ourselves about why you’re really here, Cole. We ended whatever was personal between us yesterday. This is about you wanting to protect me, an instinct you have, and while those instincts are lovely, I don’t want either of us getting confused about what’s going on here.”

Cole gave her a side-glance. “Okay, I’ll give you that. I want to protect you. But it’s more than just that. I don’t know what I feel for you, Jill. I don’t know what I should do about it. But I do know I shouldn’t have walked away like I did.”

“Listen to me. You can’t take care of me just because you feel guilty. It’ll only draw things out longer, Cole.” She tried to keep her composure. It was hard enough to have a serious talk like this in a hospital gown. She didn’t need to start crying, too.

“Is that what you think?” He sat up straighter. “I feel guilty, so I’m trying to make myself feel better?”

“Aren’t you?” Her volume went up just a notch.

“No. I made a mistake by walking away.” He ran a hand through his hair. “We’ve only known each other a week. I was so determined to run from any potential commitment, but we don’t even know if that’s what either of us will want. I can’t make promises, but why should we ignore the attraction between us? You were brave enough to see the other option. To ask if we could still see each other. Is there a part of you that still wants that?”

In her heart, she knew the answer was both no and yes. She didn’t want to see him for a while to test things out. She already knew what she really wanted—a long future with Cole. It would be foolish for her to try and convince herself otherwise. Because Cole hadn’t come to the same conclusion yet, and he might never do so.

“I don’t know, Cole.” She smashed her tired eyes against the palms of her hands.

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