Jill Shalvis - Strong And Sexy

“Oh, God,” Dani whispered.

“Come on,” Noah said gently, taking her arm. “You need to go rest.”

She let him lead her into the hallway. “I want to talk to Shayne.”

Noah sighed. “Dani-”

“You can either take me to him, or I’ll find him on my own.”

“He’s not good, Dani. He’s blaming himself.”

“I can help him.”

“How do you know?”

“Because I love him.”

Noah just looked at her for a long moment, then nodded. “That’s probably the one thing you could have said to convince me. Come on.” He turned her toward the outside doors, but just before they went out, he stopped her. “He’s not going to want to listen.”

“I know.”

“He’s going to try to push you away.”

“Don’t worry, I’m tougher than I look.”

Some of the worry left his gaze. “I believe you are.” He took her outside, where a dark shadow stood propping up the outside wall, arms and legs casually crossed, though there was nothing casual about the tension and violence simmering just beneath his surface. “Jesus, Noah.”

Shayne .

“She wanted to see you.”

“She should be in bed.” Noah grabbed the single crutch leaning next to him and limped forward, coming into clear view when he passed beneath the light. His face was pale, taut with tension, his eyes shadowed as he took her arm.

Noah leaned in and gave Dani a quick kiss on the cheek before leaving them alone.

“You don’t belong out here.” Shayne pulled her back inside the ER. But just before her cubicle, she put her foot down. “Wait.”

“Dani-”

Brody caught sight of them and frowned. “Christ, Shayne. Make her sit down.”

“I’m trying!”

Dani put her good hand on Shayne’s arm, which leapt beneath her fingers. The man was wound up tight. “I don’t need to sit down.”

“Dani.”

“I need you. You, Shayne.”

He closed his eyes, lifted his hands. “I can’t. I can’t do this.” He pivoted away. “I’ll get Noah.”

She stared at his back, aching for him. “Shayne.”

He stilled, but didn’t turn back to her.

“You didn’t say you loved me back.”

He jammed his hands into his pockets.

“I’d say I was sorry for blurting it out to you, but I’m not. The thing is, I’ve never said it to anyone. I’ve always kept my heart sort of locked up tight, you know?”

A low sound escaped him, and he bowed his head. “I know.”

“But then I told myself it was time to change, and then I met you, and I’d promised myself to do things different. Hence that whole closet kiss thing. I let my heart have its own way, and at first it freaked me out because of what could happen to it, but then, somehow, I put myself on the line anyway, I really let myself live, and although I pretended that it was just sex, it was more. So much more, Shayne. It was amazing, and you should know, I have no regrets.”

“Dani-”

“ None . And Shayne? You shouldn’t either.”

At that, he turned to face her. “Kathleen is dead because of me. Maddie almost died-”

“But she didn’t.”

“And you-”

“Standing right here looking at you.” She smiled.

But he shook his head. “It’s not that simple.”

“No, it’s not. You need time to think, to grieve, to get past all of it, and you should take that time. But when you’re done, I’m still going to be here, looking at you.”

He closed his eyes, then opened them again. “I nearly got you killed.”

“Nearly doesn’t really count.” She touched a cut on his cheekbone. Then leaned in and kissed it. “I might have said it because she asked, but I meant it. I love you.”

A rough sound escaped him and he slipped his arms around her, carefully pulling her in for a hug before looking into her eyes. “I love you back. Damn it. I love you so much it’s killing me.”

She felt her eyes fill. “I know.”

“You know?”

“It was in your eyes when you looked at me from the rafters.”

“No, that was sheer terror.”

“And also when Michelle pointed the gun at me.”

“Again, sheer terror.”

“Love.”

He sighed. “Yeah.” He touched his forehead to hers. “That too.”

“And when you sat at my side in the ER, holding my hand when I got stitches again.”

“That was pain. You squeezed my fingers really hard.”

“Love,” she insisted.

With a sigh, he pressed his mouth to her jaw, then her lips. “Love.”

She nodded, then wobbled. Relieved when he slipped his arms around her even though he was none too steady either, she smiled up at him shakily as they propped each other up. “Aren’t we a pair.”

“Yeah. We are. You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me, Dani.”

Her heart caught at that. “I am?”

“Oh, yeah. You are.” He flashed a hint of his dimple. “Maybe you can retract that whole just-sex thing now. Maybe you’ll even undump me.”

Dani caught a glimpse of movement to her right. Noah and Brody were in Maddie’s doorway, unabashedly listening. From behind them, in her bed, Maddie waved weakly.

Dani looked at Shayne. “Maybe we could take this someplace more…”

“Private?” Shayne nodded, and opened the first door they came to.

A closet.

He looked inside at the supply shelves and laughed. “You have got to be kidding.”

Dani pulled him in. “It’s perfect. Don’t you see? We’ve ended up where it all began.”

Looking as if he’d just won the lotto, Shayne nodded and pulled her into his arms, right where she belonged.