Chapter 15

“Baby, my legs are perfectly fine. I can walk without your help.”

Zara steps back, propping both hands on her hips and watching me like a hawk. My next step makes me wince, something that doesn’t escape her notice. Christ.

She lunges at me, hands gripping my arms. “See? You’re hurt. You’re still in pain. Come on, put your arm over my shoulder.”

“Baby, it’s just a bit of a dull ache, nothing too painful.”

“That’s what you said when they removed your dressing and you were pale and sweating profusely.”

“It’s been a week. I promise I’m fine. I don’t need you hovering around me. You can go back to work.”

I shouldn’t have said anything, particularly about her leaving me alone in the apartment. Her eyes widen, and she jabs a finger at me. “I am not leaving you here, Alec. I will hover and hover and there’s nothing you can do about it.”

This makes me laugh, a bad idea because a twinge of pain forces my hand to flatten on my surgical wound.

“You really can’t convince me about going back to work, Alec. Besides, everyone at the hospital knows what happened to my boyfriend.” Zara lifts both hands and adds air quotes to the last two words.

Boyfriend. Huh. That has a nice ring to it.

I lift a brow at her. “Does the doctor who looks at you like you can cure the common cold know that too?”

Her forehead creases. “Who do you mean?”

“Oh, you know. Tall guy. Well-trimmed beard and mustache like he spends an hour combing and moisturizing them before he goes to work.”

It’s true, though. The asshole came to my room but mostly talked to Zara. He even had the gall to ask her about her mom like it was any business of his. If I wasn’t lying there, part of my stomach feeling like it was about to tear open, I would’ve kicked him out of the room. Damned if I didn’t have a doctor anymore.

Zara cackles like a witch. “Are you jealous, my love?”

“Yes. How long have you been working with him? My brothers and I have been thinking of diversifying our portfolio. I’m thinking of buying your hospital and kicking that guy out.”

“It’s a government hospital, Alec.”

“So? I still want to kick him out, maybe call in a few favors.”

Zara stands in front of me, her small palm resting on my chest. Just like that, I forget everyone and everything except us. Her touch burns through my thin layer of clothing. “You know I love you, right? I could work with a hundred men like Dr. Gonzalez, and I’d still have eyes only for you.”

“Perfect answer. Fine. I love you too, and you know what, you can stay here and hover. That’s a whole lot better than you in that hospital talking to that guy. I bet he goes to work in a red Porsche and wears beige loafers and beige pants with a beige sweater over his beige shirt.”

Zara continues to laugh softly. “I never realized how much I like this jealous side of you. It’s cute.”

“You won’t think so if I get my hands on that?—”

The doorbell rings, and we both turn to the door. Zara steps closer to me and clutches my shirt. “Are you expecting your brothers?”

“No. But there are men posted outside the building. They’ll alert me if they see someone suspicious.” Pushing Zara gently behind me, I hobble to the door and look at the peephole.

I unlock the door, reach for the knob, and turn it, smiling at Zara, who looks wary. “It’s your parents.”

“Honey!”

She rushes to Zara and wraps her in a fierce hug, while her dad follows closely behind. I have no idea how they found out she’s at my apartment. I’m also not sure how much they know.

Her mom’s eyes meet mine as she rubs Zara’s back, and she doesn’t bother hiding her tears. She walks toward me and envelopes me in a tight embrace, her blonde bangs tickling my chin. “Thank you so much for doing what you did for her. Thank you, Alec.”

Her dad stands with one arm around Zara and the other hand shoved into his pocket. He gives me a nod and kisses Zara’s temple. “Thank you, son.”

Son.

That’s a word I haven’t heard in a long, long time. Not since my father.

Something cracks open in me. “It’s really nothing, ma’am.”

“Anna. Call me Anna. And that’s my husband, Richard. We owe you our daughter’s life and freedom.”

“She didn’t deserve to be in that situation in the first place, neither were hundreds of others.”

“You were a hero at your age, son. We will forever be indebted to you,” Richard says.

“No, sir. I mean, Richard. I love Zara. There are no debts here. If I could, I would do it all over again. The fact that I’ll get to spend all of my days with her is more than enough.”

“We’ll do whatever we can to find him and take him down. We’re not as powerful as you and your brothers, but I do know some people … the very same people who helped me legally adopt Zara.” A look passes between me and Richard, man to man, and I feel safe in the knowledge that even when I’m not around, he’ll do whatever he can to protect her.

Anna and Richard stay for a few hours, which means there isn’t just one person hovering over me, taking note of every wince or any look of discomfort on my face. And the worst—okay, maybe not the worst—part is that Richard’s a doctor. He and his daughter gang up on me, discussing my surgery and whatever.

Meanwhile, Anna insists on making us a week’s worth of meals. We only need to pop them in the microwave if we get hungry.

As I sit here and watch them—Anna and Zara in the kitchen, Richard rearranging the furniture so I won’t accidentally bump into any rough edges or corners—I get this unfamiliar feeling that somehow trumps layers of bitter cynicism and anger.

Whatever walls I built around myself, Zara didn’t just chip away at them, she tore them down.

This genuine happiness is something I haven’t felt in a while. It feels foreign. I love my brothers, there’s no doubt about that, but there’s just something about having other people fuss over me like this.

It does make me feel vulnerable because I now have several people I care about and will kill for, but I find that I don’t mind.

When Anna and Richard are about to leave, she wraps me in another hug, surprising me yet again. Most people, when they see my scar, assume the worst and often give me a wide berth, not even looking me in the eye.

Not Anna and Richard.

She’s as short as Zara, so she has to extend her hand to rest a palm on my cheek, with the scar. “You’ve been through a lot, too, haven’t you? I know you have your brothers, but from now on, you’ll never go through things alone. Richard and I are just a call away. Doesn’t matter if it’s in the middle of the night. If you need us, you call us.”

I can only nod.

After the door swings shut behind them, I press Zara against it and cup her face, crushing my mouth to hers, plunging my tongue in and out of her warm mouth. Jesus. I’ve been wanting to do this. The only thing we’ve been doing this past week is making out. Kisses and touches that lead to nowhere.

I can’t wait anymore.

The sounds she makes go straight to my cock, making it twitch. This right here is my everything. My whole life. She runs her nails along my scalp and arches her back, pushing her tits against my chest.

Fuck. I need her. I badly need her.

My hands go behind her thighs to carry her, but she squeezes my arm. “No, Alec. You still have your wound. Let’s just walk to the bed, okay?”

It’s humbling the way she leads me to bed, and I realize we can’t have sex the usual way—wild and hungry. Despite the way I try to brush it off, the wound does still hurt, and the last thing I want is for it to open and bleed while I’m balls-deep inside her.

After a few minutes of figuring out which position hurts the least, we ultimately settle on having her on top while I’m lying on my back. Honestly? No complaints. I can see Zara in all her naked perfection.

When she lifts the dress over her head and tosses it to the floor, my heart stops.

“You’re so fucking beautiful, Zara.”

Her long black hair cascades down her back, and her long lashes flutter. Goddamn, how did I get this lucky with her? How did I end up with this woman?

My thoughts freeze the moment Zara wraps a hand around my cock and slowly sinks onto me.

“Alec…”

My fingers dig into her thighs as she begins riding me, rotating her hips and grinding on my cock. I can’t sit up to lick her tits, so I just do the next best thing—one hand kneading her tit and pinching her nipple, the other wrapping around her neck.

The vision of her bobbing up and down my lap, her hands running along her skin, will be stored in my memory forever.

“Fuck. Oh, fuck. Alec!”

Zara goes rigid and her legs shake, her teeth sinking down her bottom lip. I lift my hips to bury myself deeper, only needing three thrusts before I spurt my come inside her.

As she collapses beside me, eyes still glassy and face glowing, she plants small kisses along the right side of my face, trailing her lips along my scar. “I love you, Alec. I love all of you.”

I turn to kiss her lips softly and smile. “And I love you, Zara. Every inch of you.”