Page 30 of Tarnished Hands

He laughs. “You do, and that’s okay.” I look at him. “I like it that I’m one of the people who have you in my corner, Ezra.” I nod, not sure what else to say. “Now I need you to go, and I’ll call you when I have an update, or if I need help with anything. You can’t do much while I’m in here. You have a shop to run.”

“I’ll be back every weekend,” I inform him.

“Stop! I’m not a child. I’ll call you when I need you to come back.” I stare at him silently. “And call Piper,” he adds.

“I told her to fuck off the last time I saw her,” I admit.

“Well, that wasn’t very friendly.” He laughs. “I’m sure you can find a way to make her forgive you.”

“Yeah, I guess. We will see.”

The nurse walks in, and Tony talks to her like they’re old friends. None of his friends who were in the accident with him have bothered to come in and check on him. And I know they’re all home and doing well. I may have done some digging. Assholes.

“I’m going to buy you a new phone,” I tell him, grabbing my jacket and walking out. I find the closest shop and buy him a new phone with a new phone number. When I step back into his hospital room, the nurse who was there when I left is smiling brightly at him as she leans a little too close. When she spots me, she turns and hurries off, a blush on her face.

“Do you think I can still have sex?” he asks as I hand him the new phone. He grips it and looks up to me with hopeful eyes.

“I didn’t ask the doctor. But I’m sure there’s some way you can. You still have a mouth.” He nods, happy. “Who was that?” I ask, referring to the nurse. I’ve seen her a few times.

“We were in med school together.” His words hit me hard. “I like her.”

“Talk to your doctor. It might be too soon to even think about sex, but you never know.”

He nods in agreement.

I leave that night.

Ready to go back home, but wishing I could take Tony with me.

Chapter Seventeen

PIPER

“I’m not going,” I tell Joey over the phone.

“You don’t have a choice. Just go,” he replies, and I hear him huff out a breath.

“I don’t want to go. Can’t Lucas do it himself?” I grumble.

“He is doing it himself. You need to pick him up. And no one else can know we go there. Only the four of us do, so you have to pick him up. He can’t Uber it from there, you know this. And quit being a pain the ass.”

“I fucking really hate you right now.”

“Yeah, well. It’s been over a month, Piper. I’m sure he’s moved on. I think it’s time you did as well.

“Shut up,” I snap, then hang up and drive to the last place I want to go tonight.

His lights are on, and his door is open. I don’t see him immediately when I pull up, but I spot him when I get out of the car. He’s shirtless and covered in grease. His hair is a perfect mess, and his jeans sit low on his hips. It takes him a moment to notice a car has pulled up, and he squints out the window. I watch as he grabs a rag and wipes his hands before he walks out and sees me leaning against my car.

“Piper,” he says my name, and it makes something inside of me tingle. My gaze soaks him in. His tanned, toned stomach is something I dream about scratching my nails down.

“Hi, Ezra.”

“Is there a reason you’re here?” he asks.

“Waiting for Lucas,” I tell him, and he nods and turns his back on me, heading back into the shop. “You aren’t even going to say hello?” I call out after him.

He stops and turns back to me, stuffing his rag in his back pocket. “Do you even want me to say hello? You’ve been avoiding me for weeks.”

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