Page 139 of With this Ring

His side burned, the pain medication doing little to dull the agony. But the physical pain was nothing compared to watching her being wheeled away.

Petal.

She’d come to him for protection, and he’d failed her. Nearly gotten her killed. The memory of her throwing herself between him and danger made his chest constrict. The sound of gunfire still ricocheted in his ears, along with the desperate sound of her voice begging him to stay with her.

The monitors shouted their alarm as his heart rate spiked again.

A nurse rushed in. “Mr. Conti, you need to calm down.”

How could he do that when he’d just destroyed the person who mattered the most to him?

From the moment he’d walked away after their exchange in the janitor’s closet, he’d known that he needed to deny his attraction to Sasha.

A relationship between them was an impossibility.

He was her sister’s ex-husband. A man who lived in shadows, who killed without remorse. Who’d never be able to give her the normal life she deserved.

But knowing that didn’t stop him from aching for her. Didn’t erase the memory of her surrender in his arms, the way she trusted him completely, the spark in her eyes when shechallenged him. Didn’t stop the debilitating devastation from crashing through him.

The door opened again, and Damien strode in, his expression grim.“Fuck.”He shook his head. “You’re alive.”

“Clearly.”

“They called a code, and…” He dug a hand into his hair. “Scared the shit out me.”

Except for the time Damien had lost his relationship with Catrina, Gregorio had never seen him this unsettled.

“When we saw the way Sasha was crying, we thought something had happened to you.” He balled his hands into a fist. “Goddamn.”

Gregorio closed his eyes, willing his friend to go away.

When he opened them again, Damien was still there, arms folded, a knowing expression in his eyes.

Beyond pissed, Gregorio waited for the incoming interrogation.

“So what the fuck just happened? Before she got in to see you, she was beside herself with joy. From what Hawkeye said, she stayed with the gurney until she was physically stopped. And then she collapsed. She’d have broken her head open if one of Hawkeye’s guys hadn’t caught her.”

His fucking fault for that, too.

He should have been able to protect her better.

“I’m waiting.”

Damien would know if he was lying. They’d been with each other through the hardest parts of their lives. This was no different. “She deserves someone better than me.”

“What about what she wants? What you want?”

He knew what he wanted. Her beneath him, beside him. As his partner. Calling him Sir. On her knees.

Wearing his ring.

“You’re making a mistake,” Damien said softly.

“I’m protecting her.”

“Are you?” Damien moved closer to the bed. “Because from where I’m standing, you’re breaking both of your hearts for no good reason.”

“She’s my ex’s little sister.”

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