44. CHAPTER 44

44

KAI

I’m so thirsty. My head hurts. My stomach hurts.

Water. I need water.

What’s that beeping noise? And that smell…it smells like antibacterial agents. That’s not what my room smells like. I miss Jules’s smell .

Fuck, I hurt all over. My heavy eyes slowly open and panic sets in. A hospital room. Oh no. The pain in my stomach intensifies, and I squeeze my eyes shut to try and calm my breathing, but the deeper I breathe, the more it hurts.

Opening my eyes again, I turn my head to the side and see Jules asleep in a chair. Jules . I look down at my body, noticing the bandages and IVs connected to me and the stabbing comes rushing back to me. Zac and Jez. I thought I was dead. I go to speak to Jules, but my throat is dry and sore, making my voice croaky and quiet.

“Jules,” I say, trying to make my voice louder. I’m in so much pain, and so thirsty.

“Jules!” I rasp out, and that makes him flinch. He rubs his eyes before opening them, and upon seeing me he jumps up out of the seat and dashes over to me, grabbing my face in the palms of his big hands.

“Kai, fuck, you’re awake.”

“Hurts…water,” I whisper.

“Let me go get a doctor or nurse,” he says, before running out into the corridor. Not even a minute later, a nurse returns with him and checks me over.

“He said he’s in pain and wants some water,” Jules says.

The middle-aged brunette takes my vitals and smiles at me. Her smile is of kindness and warmth. It’s been a while since I’ve seen such a thing.

“Nice to have you back, Kai. I’ll top up your pain meds, but you can only have ice chips for now, at least until the doctor has checked you over, which should be soon,” she says.

“I’ll go get some. I need to text your mom,” Jules says.

“Is she here?” I ask.

“Yeah, she was with you last night, but I sent her home to get some rest. I’ll be back in a minute.”

I nod, and let my head fall back onto the pillow. Every inch of me aches like I’ve completed a forty-eight-hour Pilates class. Before Jules has a chance to come back, a tall skinny doctor with glasses walks in with another nurse, inspects my wound, and goes over my medical notes.

“It’s looking good, Kai. No sign of infection so far, or any further internal bleeding. We completed a blood transfusion on you when you arrived. You’ve got a little way to go in healing, but you’re incredibly lucky,” he says.

“When can I go home?”

“No chance of that yet, young man. Let’s see how you’re doing in a couple of days. Then we can discuss it further. Now, on a scale of one to ten, how’s the pain?”

“The nurse just gave me some more pain medication, so I’m at a four. It’s bearable. I’m really thirsty.”

“You can have some water, but not a lot. Always a risk for complications after the surgery.”

“Okay.”

“I’ll be back this afternoon to check on you again. Try to rest, and not aggravate your stab wound.”

“I will.”

“I’ll make sure he sticks to the plan, doc,” Jules says, walking back into the room with a cup of ice chips in one hand and a coffee in the other. I could kill for a coffee.

“See that you do,” the doctor says before he leaves the room.

Jules prowls over to me, eyes focused on mine, and I want to squirm. Now that I’m hooked up to monitors, I can’t hide his effect on me and my racing heart.

“Excited to see me, Kai?” he says as he places his coffee on the bedside table, and sits on the edge of the bed, level with my chest with the cups of ice chips.

“I’m sorry,” I say in a hushed voice.

Jules takes one of the ice chips in between his fingers and guides it to my mouth. I’m so parched.

“Open,” he says, voice low and commanding, and his sight set on my lips.

I open my mouth and he gently pushes in the ice chip and rubs it along my tongue and lips before leaving it in my mouth. The heart monitor can’t hide how happy I am that he’s here. I suck slowly on the chip, letting the ice-cold water numb my mouth and ease the dryness.

He repeats the process and feeds me another two chips before placing the cup next to his cup of coffee.

“I’m not happy, Kai. You’ve got a lot of explaining to do.”

I move my legs in the bed, unable to stop the fidgeting under his scrutiny. As I move, a tenderness where my tattoo is lights me up from the inside. The ache is a familiar and comforting sensation.

“What’s wrong? Do you need more pain meds?”

“No, it’s just, my thigh feels tender. Did I injure my leg?”

Jules smirks and lowers his mouth to my ear. His breath tickles my lobe before he speaks.

“No. I did it last night. It didn’t look right, you not having my marks on you. I knew you missed it. Missed the soreness from my mouth.”

Holy shit. If I wasn’t in so much discomfort and doped up with medication, I’d kiss him right now. Jules has other ideas, as he places languid kisses down the side of my neck.

“You had me worried, Kai. I lost myself. Don’t you ever fucking do that to me again. Do you understand?” he growls into my neck as he gently nibbles and licks the skin. I swallow hard at his words. The lies eventually caught up with me, but at least I was the only one to get hurt.

“I promise.”

“You’re coming back with me after they’ve released you. No arguments.”

“You gonna force me, Jules?” I say, unable to stop the slight pant to my words. My stomach is hurting like a bitch, but arousal is determined to make an appearance as the idea of him going all King Kong gets my blood pumping like nothing else.

“I’m gonna be doing a lot of things to you when we get back.”

I don’t doubt his words. Jules is a controlling asshole, and it may now become worse since all this shit happened. Actually, I’m surprised he hasn’t interrogated me about who did this.

“Aren’t you gonna ask me who did this to me?”

“I already know. Zac and Jez.”

My mouth hangs open. How the hell did he know that?

“How…how did you know?”

“They’d been stalking your mom on and off since you left, but she thought nothing of it. You know, considering you didn’t tell any of us that they threatened you if you returned. Apart from Seb.”

The warning in Jules’s voice makes me tremble to my core. He’s pissed. I lied.

“Zac told me before…you know. But, why didn’t she say anything?”

“She didn’t want you worrying. I’m more interested in why you hid what was going on and what on earth you were thinking going back there? Why didn’t you come to me? But you felt okay talking to Seb?”

I look away from him as I can’t stand the judgement. He’s right.

“Seb talked to me at a low point, and it just all came out. I didn’t mean to say anything. I was so upset after overhearing you and Dima that I needed to get away from you, so I just kinda thought they wouldn’t know I was home. I was too hurt by you.”

“I didn’t do anything, Kai. You’re so impulsive, reacting to only part of a conversation. I’m not fucking happy that you question my loyalty to you. I’m pissed you felt you could talk to Seb and not me and purposefully hide what was going on.”

“I’m sorry.”

Jules lets out a long sigh, a sound of defeat.

“Everything will be fine now. They’ll never harm you again.”

I swing my head back to face him at those words. The movement makes me moan out in pain as it aggravates my injury.

“Calm down. The doctor told you to be careful.”

“I know what he fucking said.”

A large hand crushes my throat as my body screams.

“Just because you’re in the hospital, doesn’t mean that attitude will fly, sweetheart,” he says, and fuck, does the threatening tone do shit to me.

“What did you do, Jules?” I ask as he removes his meaty hand.

“You really wanna know?”

I look into those icy blues, and I can see the darkness, the crazy depths of vengeance that he took pleasure in. I thought it would anger me, disgust me. But…why am I eager to know? Eager to know how far he’d go for me?

“Every detail,” I whisper, and Jules moves closer to my mouth.

“You’ve been spending too much time with Aaron,” he says before kissing me. A kiss full of ownership and love. I want him so much.

“What the hell are you doing?” a loud female shrill screams. Fuck. It’s Mom. Jules pulls away and shocks the hell out of me by smiling at me.

“Time for the truth to come out, because I ain’t hiding or leaving you.”

Fuck. Well, if that didn’t make my heart somersault then I don’t know what would.