Page 56 of Wicked Love

It felt as if someone had ripped the ground from under my feet.

My hands were covered with burns.

“How? I don’t feel anything.” I turned my palms around as the reality of it hit me like a freight train. “I’m a pianist. That’s my job. My life.” Heart-wrecking sobs poured out of me. “I can’t… It’s not…”

“It’s the adrenaline. Once it wears off, it’ll hurt like a bitch. We’ll give you something for the pain. It may look worse than it is.”

Tears I didn’t know I possessed streamed down my face.

Music was my life. The only thing I really excelled in. I had no idea how to not be a musician. A pianist.

Numb, I followed the paramedics to the ambulance. I felt so tired right now.

“Grace?” I mumbled as he laid me on a stretcher.

“As soon as she’s done, I’ll find her for you.”

* * *

“Joe.” Grace’s tears had left streaks on her soot-covered cheeks as she sliced through the crowd. Her hair was a mess, strands flying in all directions. Her white sweater was now stained and covered with soot.

Turned out I had cut my left side when I jumped into the blaze through the broken glass and would require stitches.

Grace stood a foot away from me, cupping her heart with one hand as more tears rolled down her face when she saw my bandaged ribs. “Ohmygod, you’re hurt.”

The paramedic, who had been taking care of me, lifted the oxygen mask from my face. I forced a smile, trying to ignore the state my hands and body were in for now.

“Come here, you.” My voice sounded as if I had smoked ten packs of cigarettes a day for years.

Grace shook her head. “I can’t. I’m scared I’m gonna hurt you more.” She scanned the length of me. “Your ribs. Are they broken?”

“Nasty cuts. I’ll be fine. You won’t hurt me, just come closer. I need you right now. I thought I had lost you. I really did believe—” Emotions drowned my words. I turned my head toward the paramedic. “What time is it?”

“It’s Christmas day.”

“Grace, I need you to stand right by my face.”

She did as I said.

“Okay, lean forward because I gotta tell you a secret.”

Her ear rested just above my mouth. “Happy birthday.” Before she could say anything, I captured her lips when she stared at me. My tongue pushed into her mouth, caressing hers in slow strokes. I wished I could tangle my fingers into her hair and hold her close, but with the bandages covering my hands, they were useless right now. She kissed me back like I was her only source of oxygen. Who needed those masks to breathe when we had each other?

“Joe, I don’t… We can’t… You said…”

“Forget anything I said before. Don’t ever miss out on doing something you want because it scares you.”

“I’m not scared.”

“Then kiss me back because I’m done fighting my feelings for you. I love you. I think I’ve been loving you since I saw you dancing on that stupid bar counter.”

“Wasn’t I the first one to tell you I love you that night?” she teased.

“Maybe, but I’m making it official.”

Her small hands cradled my face, her eyes boring into mine. “What about our parents? Our stepsibling relationship? Isn’t it frowned upon to date your stepbrother?”

“I don’t care about what people say. Never did. Not going to start now. Anyway, for me, you’ve never been a sister. You’ve always been the girl I was falling for but couldn’t have. Since your age doesn’t matter anymore, I’m not wasting any second not telling you how I feel.”