28. Kael

28

KAEL

I pace around in the waiting room for what seems like hours before I can't ignore the rumbling of my stomach anymore. I haven't been eating or sleeping well since Patrick was shot, and I need to start taking care of myself.

I can't take care of Paige if I pass out in the waiting room. And taking care of Paige is all I want to do. It's all I can think about, keeping her safe. I've been so focused on protecting her that I haven't really been able to talk to her, and now it feels strange to have her out of my sight.

But she's going to be with her father all night, so I have to occupy my time somehow.

I head down to the cafeteria, grabbing myself a burger and fries, and I sit in the lunch area while I eat, watching the doctors come and go.

I recognize Patrick's doctor, a trauma surgeon, and I can't help myself from going up to him after finishing my meal. He's picking at a salad.

"You worked on James Smith, right?"

He looks up at me, eyes widening. "Listen, I don't want any trouble. "

I frown. "What makes you think I'd start trouble?"

He looks around, and seeing no one around us, he heaves out a breath. "I know who he is. I know who all of you are."

"Oh," I say flatly, narrowing my eyes.

Patick is here under an alias because we don't want anyone knowing how bad he is. If the doctor knows, that can be a problem.

"And I'm no longer Mr. uh, Smith 's doctor. He's been passed off to a cardiologist for the rest of his care. Dr. Brooks, I think."

I nod slowly. "Thank you for your time." I pause. "And thank you for saving his life, even knowing who he was."

The doctor just nods, and I walk away, feeling uneasy. If the doctor knows who Patrick is, doesn't that mean that word could get through the grapevine easily? How many people know Patrick is injured?

I pull out my phone to call Declan, and he answers right away.

"Is Paige okay?"

"She's fine. Sitting with your father now."

Declan sighs. "Thank god. Everything's just been so crazy, I automatically assumed..."

"Nothing's wrong. I just wanted to ask you, is the doctor who worked on him one of ours?"

"No, why?"

"Are we telling people how hurt Patrick is?"

"No. We want to keep it under wraps as long as we can. It's not just Murphy we have to worry about, but the Bratva. Why? "

"Because I just spoke to Patrick's doctor. He knows who he is. "

Declan curses. "Find out who he told, and make sure he doesn't tell anyone else."

I hesitate. "Declan, I don't want to rough up the guy who saved your father's life?—"

"Don't rough him up. Just talk to him. Be honest."

I hang up the phone and head back into the cafeteria, this time sitting down across from the doctor.

He looks at me, his blue eyes wide and scared.

"Have you told anyone you worked on my boss?"

He shakes his head so hard I worry about it disconnecting from his body. "Good. Keep it that way. If you know who we are, then you know that our position is a little unsteady right now. It wouldn't be good if the whole city knew that we were without our boss."

The doctor swallows visibly. "I won't say a word."

I look at him, wondering if he's lying, but all I see on his face is fear. I can't be certain, but I'm not about to hurt the guy that saved Patrick's life. This is as good a threat as any.

"Good. Because if you do, I'll find you."

The doctor goes pale, and I feel sick to my stomach. I hate doing this, especially to someone like this doctor, who's likely saved many lives.

I've never had the stomach for violence unless it's in protection of someone I care about. I guess that's what this is, though. I'm protecting all the Burkes by warning the doctor.

When I make it back up to the waiting room, Paige is there, frowning, looking around seeming lost.

Feck .

I hurry to her. "Sorry. I got hungry."

"It's okay, I'm just starving." She shrugs. "Is there a vending machine around here? "

"I don't know, but I can grab you something from the cafeteria."

"I'll go down with you, if that's okay. I can't take food into Da's room, anyway."

Paige and I head down, and she grabs a ham and cheese sandwich and some chips, munching on them as we head back up to the waiting room on the fourth floor—the intensive care unit.

She inhales the food and without a word, heads back into the room.

I sit down, putting my head back against the wall behind me. This is going to be a long night.

It's around eight the next morning when Lara relieves Paige, and my back aches from sleeping in the chair in the waiting room.

Paige looks exhausted when she gets to the waiting room, and I take her hand in mine to lead her to the elevator so we can go back to the lobby.

She pulls away, and I look down at her, surprised.

She won't look at me.

What is that about? She's stressed, I know that much. But what have I done to make her push me away?

"I need sleep."

I guess that explains some things.

As soon as we get to the house, she heads right up to her bedroom, telling me to wake her up in four hours for lunch.

I knock on her door softly at lunchtime to wake her, and she comes to the door with puffy eyes, blinking up at me.

Only me and Paige indulge in lunch because Gray and Declan are out picking up a shipment, and Lara, of course, is at the hospital.

Marisol is sniffling as she puts out the meal—grilled cheese and homemade tomato soup.

"Patrick always loved my tomato soup," she says brokenly, and Paige takes her hand.

"He's going to be okay." Paige sounds so sure, but I'm not as convinced. I've heard that the longer someone is on a ventilator, the harder it is for them to come off it.

Marisol nods, leaving the room, and I can imagine she's crying in the kitchen.

She and Patrick have become close—maybe too close—and she's taking this as hard as the rest of his family.

Paige moves listlessly around the house for a while before going to bed early, around nine in the evening. I frown as she heads up the stairs, but I let her go, staying downstairs and watching television.

I'm not really watching, though. I'm thinking about Paige, how she might be sobbing in her room, breaking down, and I'm not there to hold her.

After a couple of hours, I can't stand it, and I decide I need to take a peek into her room. Just to make sure she's okay.

I pop my head in, and Paige lets out a thin, reedy scream, sitting straight up.

I rush inside, shutting the door and climbing into bed with her, wrapping her in my arms. "It's all right. It's me. It's me, princess."

Paige, stiff before, melts into my arms, tilting her head up, and before I can pull away, she presses her lips to mine, sliding her tongue into my mouth.

I should push her away. I should tell her that we can't do this, not here, but I can't seem to make myself move. All I can do is kiss her back while she pants into my mouth, putting her hands on my waistband.

I'm already half-hard underneath the fabric, and she slides her hand underneath, gripping me with her small fingers.

I let out a low groan against her lips, and then her mouth is moving to my throat, my collarbone. She drags her teeth across my skin.

"Paige. Paige?—"

I should tell her we have to stop. I should tell her that we're in her father's house, in her childhood bedroom, that anyone can hear us.

But she has my cock in her hand, and it feels so good when she starts to pump her fist.

I can't breathe for a moment, and then I gasp in air, pushing her down onto the bed and pulling off her gown. It's a little slip of a thing, anyway, and I toss it to the floor as she impatiently pulls up my shirt.

I reach to take it off with one hand, and her palms spread across my chest.

I'm panting already, and Paige's breaths are coming in short gasps as I put my hand on her breast.

Shoving down my sweats, I free myself from the fabric as I lean down to kiss her, palming across her nipple.

She moans quietly against my throat as I can't help but push inside her, spreading her thighs with one of my own.

I can't wait.

She's arching her back, her nipples pebbled under my hand, and I want her so bad I can't stand it anymore.

I work myself into her, and at first, she's not quite wet enough. but the slide becomes easier as I work her nipple between my fingers.

"Kael," she whispers, rolling her hips up to meet my every thrust.

"I'm not going to last like this, princess," I gasp. "You're so fucking tight."

"You're so big," she whines, and it shouldn't go right to my head, but it does.

I thrust into her hard, and Paige's breath catches in her throat as she starts to pulse around me.

Biting her between the neck and the shoulder, I groan quietly, not wanting to wake anyone or draw attention to us.

Then I spill inside her, with no warning, my orgasm hitting me like a bus.

Lifting my head, I kiss her, cupping her face with my hands. Feelings stronger than anything I knew possible wash over me.

I'm in love with Paige Burke.

I almost lost her, again, and I don't know what I would have done if I had. I need her, not just for sex but for her bubbly personality, her quick wit, everything. I want her, body and soul, and I'll be damned if I allow anyone to take her from me.

They'll have to rip her from me.

"Paige," I whisper, and she hums, smiling at me lazily.

I open my mouth to tell her, but she kisses me again, this time slowly, passionately, her tongue sliding against mine.

Moaning into her mouth, I start to move my hips as I'm still hard inside her. The overstimulation hurts and feels amazing at the same time.

I keep moving my hips, pumping myself in and out of her, and Paige gasps.

"Didn't know you could go again so soon.".

"I didn't, either," I admit, still rolling my hips.

It feels so good, so right, and I can't stop kissing her .

She gasps against my lips, arching her back as she gets close, and I want to say so much.

I love you. I need you. Don't ever leave.

But I can't say any of that because it's not what she wants, and it's not the right time. Her father is in the hospital, fighting for his life, and I'm in love with his baby girl.

What kind of man am I?

But I can't think while I'm inside her, chasing my second orgasm, and she comes before I do, dragging her nails down my shoulders.

Paige moans, and I clap my hand over her mouth so that the sound is muffled, and I spill inside her for a second time, gasping out her name.

I roll off her, my chest heaving, and she instantly cuddles up next to me, muttering, "Don't steal the covers again."

I chuckle, looking down at her, and she's got her eyes closed, her long lashes fanning across her cheekbones, her button nose pointed up toward me.

She's so beautiful that it makes my heart ache.

Is it going to be like this all the time? Love? Being afraid to lose someone? Being afraid to not be near them all the time?

I think it may drive me crazy.

But it's too late, because I'm in love with Paige Burke, and I don't know what to do about it.

Declan is going to fucking kill me.