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“You have three cracked ribs from the resuscitation, which might take weeks to heal. And we need to keep you in to monitor you for the next few days, because you had water in your lungs.” The doctor looked at her through his glasses, which were half-way down his nose. The doctor was young and quite good-looking, in a nerdy kind of way. She didn’t care what he said, what tests she had to endure, or even how long she had to spend in hospital. She was alive, and so was her daughter, and that was all that mattered.
Well, not quite all.
Wazza mattered. She couldn’t bear to think of her life without him in it.
They hadn’t had a moment to themselves all day. What, with the doctors poking at her, the nurses fussing over her, and the police conducting a bedside interview—that’d been a little scary, but she’d told them the truth, now it was up to them to unravel the tangled web of lies and deceit that Bruno and Jakov and the Babic family had woven around her—all she wanted was a few moments alone with Wazza.
He was grinning at her from his spot in the chair in the corner, long legs stretched out in front, looking all gorgeous and dreamy. She willed him to get up and come over to the bed so she could kiss him. It was now late afternoon, and apart from the time he’d taken Benni down to the cafeteria for lunch, he’d sat there with her all day, refusing to leave the room.
“What? Sorry, I wasn’t really listening,” she admitted to the young doctor. She knew she was probably grinning like an idiot, but she no longer cared.
He glared down his nose. “This is serious, Ms. Singh. You nearly died.” Oh, she was well aware of that fact. Well aware that she could’ve drowned; a few more seconds, and she might’ve disappeared under the water, and Benni may never have spotted her. She’d been given another chance. And she intended to make the most of her second opportunity in life. Starting with that big hunk of a cowboy still grinning at her from the corner.
“Yes, I know.” She added what she hoped was a slightly pathetic sigh. “But I’m feeling really tired. Would you mind terribly coming back later to do…” She did not know what sort of test he’d been droning on about, and so she ended with a slight shrug.
The doctor—his badge said Dr. Carmichael—lifted his eyebrows, then lowered them again and turned to face Wazza. “You really need to impress on your wife how important these tests are,” he said, before turning on his heel and stalking out of the room. Kee squashed a giggle. All the doctors and nurses were under some kind of delusion that she and Wazza were married. But she wasn’t about to set them right because she quite liked the idea.
They both watched the doctor’s back as he closed the door behind him. As soon as he was gone, she ripped the oxygen mask off her face. “I thought he’d never leave,” she sighed, lying back on her pillows and beckoning to Wazza. It was the first time they’d been alone all day. She needed to feel his arms around her. Needed to lay her head on his chest so she could hear his strong heartbeat beneath her ear.
She shuffled over, making room for Wazza to get on the bed, wincing slightly as her broken ribs twinged with the movement. His brow furrowed, and she could see he was about to refuse, worried because she’d removed her mask and afraid that he’d hurt her in some way. The only way he’d hurt her was by not getting on the bed. She wanted to yell at him to stop treating her like she was made of spun glass. She was as strong as an ox; she’d survived a fight to the death with Bruno, and then she’d survived the raging currents of the Norman River. She could survive anything.
Carefully, he lay on the bed beside her, tucking his arm under her shoulders, so she could use his bicep to rest her head and stretching his long legs out beside hers. The heat of his big body seeped into her, and her pulse jumped as his thigh spooned hers. He was still wearing the clothes he’d had on yesterday—all their stuff was still out at Diesel’s place—and he was looking slightly rumpled and disheveled. But she didn’t care. He smelled remarkable, like the ocean, slightly musky, just like Wazza. Snuggling into his embrace, she nuzzled his neck.
She let out a long sigh of contentment. This was what she’d been dreaming of. This, she could do all day. And all night.
“How long do you reckon we have?” she asked quietly.
Wazza knew exactly what she meant, because he gave a light shrug, and said, “Maybe half an hour.” Dale and Aaron had taken Benni out for a gelato cone around an hour ago. Kee had watched them go, the two men towering over her little girl, each holding her hand as she chatted happily to them. Her heart had nearly exploded at the sight. The two men had arrived early this morning, just after Kee had woken up. But the nurse at reception wouldn’t let them into her room at first, so they’d sat out in the waiting room for over an hour, until the nice nurse, Penny, had mentioned she had visitors, and she’d demanded they let them in.
They’d crept warily into the room, unsure what they’d find. But Benni had leapt on them with delight, so happy to see familiar faces. Aaron had flown them up in the station chopper and they’d been prepared for the worst, as last they’d heard, Kee had still been unconscious. Dale had surged forward, eager to hug Kee and tell her how happy he was to see her awake, while the more serious Aaron had hung back and chatted with Wazza, tilting his chin and giving her a thumbs-up.
“But I’d be more worried about that doctor coming back. Or one of the nurses. They don’t seem to believe you when you say you’re feeling great,” Dale continued.
“But I am feeling great,” she implored. “I’ve never felt more alive. These broken ribs will heal, all these scratches and bruises will heal, and my lungs are going to be fine. I have the rest of my life left to look forward to. And I have you and Benni. Everything is perfect.”
Wazza’s brow furrowed again. “But we still have to get through the custody thing, and what if they—?”
“They won’t,” she said, with finality. “Everything will work out. I just know it.” And she did know, she had a feeling in her bones that it would all end well. What she wasn’t telling Wazza was that she’d had a sort of epiphany while she’d been floating on her back down the river. If she ever made it out alive, she vowed she’d never take life for granted again. She’d vowed to stop running and meet life head-on. She didn’t believe in God, but something had infused her with whole-hearted gratitude, as well as a clear certainty that she would be fine, as would Benni.
“Kiss me,” she demanded, tipping her head up so she could look into his face. The muscle of his bicep pillowing her cheek was solid and, oh, so warm. Lifting a hand, she traced the line of his jaw, delighting in the rough scrape of his stubble against her fingertips. Then she let it drift down to rest on his ribs, reveling in the feel of his expansive chest.
Blue eyes sparked to indigo, and her breath caught in her throat. “Well, if you insist,” he finally drawled. At first his lips were hesitant, but her tongue darted out to meet his and she drew him in, wanting to inhale him, inhale everything about him. His mouth was warm and enticing, and heat flared in her veins. He angled his head so his lips could latch tighter onto hers, suddenly greedy and demanding.
“I’ve been dreaming of doing this all day,” she sighed into his mouth. Her fingers tunneled through his hair and down his muscular neck to his broad shoulders.
“Me too,” he admitted, drawing her in tighter. So tight her ribs complained, but she ignored them. She understood everything he was afraid to say out loud in that embrace. Every heightened emotion, every second of fear as he pulled her into the boat and then breathed life back into her. She understood he’d been terrified he might lose her. And that he was so glad to have her back. He didn’t need to speak the words, because she felt exactly the same. He put his lips back on hers and she got lost for seconds without end in the carnal pull of him.
There was one thing that did need to be conveyed by more than mere physical embrace, however. Something he needed to hear.
She tilted her head back slightly, releasing his mouth, waiting until he opened his eyes and took her in. “In case it wasn’t clear this morning, I’m in love with you.”
His clear, blue eyes studied her. Wazza had already told her he was falling in love with her. But she was suddenly hoping he’d say it again, just to be sure. Had she jumped the gun? Had his feelings changed? Wazza was a complicated man, with complicated emotions. She hoped his sleep-deprived brain hadn’t suddenly come up with some reason he couldn’t be with her.
“I love you, too,” he said simply. “You are my lioness. Brave and beautiful.”
Her eyes filled with sudden tears. He thought she was a lioness? Her heart swelled with emotions until it was enormous, felt like it was too big to fit into her chest. The past few weeks had been hell on earth, but with one bright, shining light showing her the way; Wazza. She loved him so much, it hurt.
He cradled her face in his big hands and kissed her. Gently, tenderly, and her heart ached with the exquisiteness of it.
