Page 51 of Breaking the Alpha
Angelina stood asRiver exited the hotel bathroom, a towel wrapped around his hips and his hair dripping water over his shoulders.“Sit,” she commanded, pointing to the bed and laying out the gauze, antibiotic cream, and white medical tape on the side table.
He obeyed, limping across the room without a word.
It had taken a lot of convincing to get him out of Grey’s hospital room overnight.After a long evening listening to doctors and nurses and the agents assigned to their case, the dark circles under his eyes became more pronounced, and the rasping of his shallow breathing quickly earned concerned looks from both Birch and Grey.But he remained stubborn and steadfast in his insistence on staying at his brother’s side until Grey’s doctor pulled him aside and quietly mentioned that his deteriorating condition was beginning to stress Grey out.
She may or may not have enlisted the good doctor’s assistance.With Jocelyn’s help.
Kneeling in front of him, she changed out each bandage one by one and assessed the dark purple and blue bruises covering his legs and arms.His silence fed hers while she examined the slice across his cheekbone and the one on his forehead before moving on to a soft check of his broken ribs.
“He looked bad.”
Meeting his eyes, she nodded.“But he’s strong.And the doctor said that aside from his broken fingers and his wrist, it’s all surface damage and dehydration.”Sitting back on her heels, she collected the discarded bandages and stood, tossing them in the trash.“He’s safe.”
He was wound up, his muscles tight and jaw set as he reached into his bag and grabbed his boxers.“I should be there.I know how to keep him chilled out.”
Turning off the light, she crawled into bed while he tugged his shorts on and lay back with a grunt of pain.“I think,” she opened slowly, “you’re in worse shape physically right now—”
“I’m not dying.I can take care of my damn brother.”
Placing her hand on his heart, she concentrated on the steady beat.“And he’ll need it soon enough,” she continued.“But not now, and not with the physical injuries.He’s going to need you when the mental toll hits him.And you need to be strong enough to carry him through it.Again.”
She knew she’d gotten through to him when he sucked in a sharp breath and let it out slow and shaky.“Point made.”He rolled onto his side and spooned her, burying his face in her hair.“I love you.And I swear, when this is over, I’ll make up every second to you.”
“No one’s keeping a tally,” she murmured, her own exhaustion taking over.“I love you for you, not for what you can do for me.”
Her words seemed to soothe him, but only because he didn’t know how much she’d left unsaid.Yes, she loved him.Desired him.Needed him and wanted him.
But she was quickly realizing how entwined his family was, how reliant they were on each other for support and strength.They were a tight unit.A complete package.Being with River meant being a part of all that, being another pillar.
And she wasn’t sure she could do it.She was having a hard enough time accepting that he would likely be leaving Epson once he was fully recovered, and that she might not be a part of his future.Yet while the thought of losing him made her heart ache like nothing she’d ever experienced, she knew that losing his family as well would be an extra hit.As horrible as the past week had been, it was also the first time in her life when she’d felt needed and wanted for no other reason than who she was.No one was using her, no one was tricking her, no one was playing a game.She’d never known this kind of unity before, and she was terrified by how much she was growing to love it.
Losing River would destroy her heart, but losing him and his family would destroy her soul.
Chapter Twenty-One
“Istill don’tlike you going into work alone,” River growled as Angelina slung her purse over her shoulder and raised up on her toes to give him a searing kiss goodbye in the driveway.“And that’s not going to change my mind.”
He wasn’t sure if they were on hour twenty-two or twenty-three of the ‘discussion’ he’d lost ten minutes in, but he knew he wasn’t happy.Monday morning had come too fast once Grey was safely in his own bed, and now his focus had shifted.
He wasn’t ready to be separated from her, wasn’t ready to leave her security up to some punk agent who would park his ass near Wholly Yours for the next eight hours and stare at her.
Yeah, he was being irrational.
And yeah, he didn’t care.
But he limped around and closed her door for her.He shoved his hands in his pockets while she drove off with a wave and left him scowling as he hobbled back inside.
Jocelyn handed him a cup of coffee when he entered the kitchen and he joined her at the table.“I don’t expect Grey will be up any time soon,” she said, her eyes narrowed in on her phone.“Birch gave him another round of those heavy-duty anxiety meds an hour ago.”
Concerned, he glanced up the stairs where he could hear the shower running.“Was he freaking out?I didn’t hear anything.”
She shook her head and set her cell down.“No, but the doctor recommended keeping Grey nice and foggy this week to give his body time to recuperate.Speaking of which, Angelina left a schedule on the fridge for your meds, too.You’re due for your antibiotics.”
“I’ll take them in a bit,” he huffed before he sipped at his coffee.
“She also asked me to remind you that you have twenty-five days with good behavior, more if you don’t comply with your doc,” Jocelyn said as she returned her attention to her phone.
Grumbling, he got to his feet and took his pills while Birch came downstairs and kissed the top of Jocelyn’s head, reading her phone over her shoulder.
