Alpha Male Romance(117)

We probably would've stood there for a lot longer if my stomach hadn't chosen that moment to growl. I laughed when X's did the same, and he joined me.

“Yeah, I think we should get something to eat.” He slid his arm around my waist and spun us so that we were both facing the counter. “I couldn't really find much in the way of breakfast food, so we're stuck with toast and jam.”

I shrugged. “Mom usually sticks with coffee for breakfast.”

“That explains the six cans I found in that cabinet.” X pointed.

I smiled and picked up one of the plates. He joined me at the table, getting up only to get us both cups of coffee once it was ready. Neither one of us talked, and I appreciated the silence. My brain had finally managed to start calming down from its recent overload, and it was nice not to have to think about anything other than eating.

When we were both finished, I leaned back in my chair. “The doctors said my parents would be able to be released today.”

X nodded. “That's good.”

“I don't know what time, and I need to talk over some logistics with them, so I need to go in a bit.”

“We.”

I blinked. “What?”

“You said that you need to go in a bit,” he said. “But it's we, not I.”

Even as he said it, I could see the tension on his face. He'd been okay when it was just us here, but now we were talking about going out in public. Not just anywhere in public either. We were in the city where he'd been hurt, heading for the hospital where he’d woken in pain and to a life much different than he’d planned for himself. This wouldn't be easy for him.

“You don't have to go,” I said. I reached over and put my hand on his, hoping he understood that it wasn't that I didn't want him there, but that I wanted him to be okay. Last night, he'd said it was about me, but this needed to be about him. “I can do this alone.”

“But you shouldn't have to,” he insisted. “I told you that I'd be here for you. Whatever it takes.”

I picked up his hand and kissed his knuckles. “You don't have to do this.”

“I know,” he said. “But I'm going to.”

He leaned over and kissed me, his mouth soft.

Damn. All I wanted to do now was drag him back to the couch for another mind-blowing round of sex.

“I need a shower,” I said with a sigh. “Unless you want one first.”

“Already took one,” he said. “Before you woke up.”

I raised an eyebrow as I glanced at the clock on the microwave. It was barely eight thirty now. “How early did you get up?”

The smile he gave me was tight and didn't quite reach his eyes. “Early enough.”

I knew he wasn't telling me everything, but I was pretty sure I could guess what he was hiding. “How bad were the nightmares?”

Surprisingly, his face relaxed a bit. “I didn't have any. Damn spring in my back woke me up about six o'clock.”

I gave him a skeptical look.

“And then I couldn't get back to sleep.” His fingers tightened around mine. “Too many memories.”

“Which is exactly why you don't have to come with me,” I said. “Going back to the hospital will just bring back more.”

“But it will also remind me of the best thing that ever happened to me,” he said. He leaned forward again, this time making the kiss linger. “Not all of my memories from Texas are bad.”

“Okay.” I stood. “I'm going to go shower, then we can go.”

“Want some company?”

Damn, did I ever.

“Didn't you happen to notice how small that shower was?” I asked.

His hand slid under my robe, and I moaned as his fingers skimmed my sensitive skin. When his hand moved around to my ass, he gave me a squeeze that wasn't quite gentle but still sent a bolt of desire through me.

“You better get in that shower,” he said. “Because if you don't, I'll have to strip that robe off of you, and spend the rest of the day seeing if I can get you to scream louder than you did last night.”

Heat immediately flooded my body, most of which was arousal, but some was embarrassment. I didn't even want to think about what the neighbors must've thought about what was going on here.

He was right though. I needed to walk away if I wanted to get to the hospital at a decent time. It was harder than I thought.

I considered making the shower cold but settled for lukewarm instead. I didn't take my time, but I didn't rush either. I changed into a pair of nice shorts and t-shirt. Simple, comfortable. Definitely not sexy.

But the moment I stepped into the living room, the look on X's face said he thought otherwise.

I agreed. About him, obviously. He was wearing the same shorts he was wearing before, and a t-shirt that showed off his broad shoulders and muscled torso.