Page 33 of Fracture

You’re welcome. It’s been too long anyway.

Vinnie nodded. He couldn’t remember the last time he saw Marcus outside of work. It had been way too long.

Less than an hour later, Lorelei was up. Her first stop was the bathroom, then she made her way out to the living room. Vinnie sent Marcus a text that Lorelei was up, then folded his blanket and returned it to the back of the couch. His suitcase was tucked into the corner of the living room, out of the way so Lorelei could move around without tripping on it.

“Good morning,” she said. Her voice was soft, still sleepy.

“Morning,” Vinnie managed, his rough with desire and thoughts of caring for her.

“Your bed is very comfortable.”

That was not the image Vinnie needed to start his day. He was already battling a hard-on, and thinking about her in his bed was not going to help the fight. “I’m glad you slept well.” He stood and walked to the kitchen. Coffee would help.

“Not really, but it was comfortable.”

“More nightmares?”

She nodded.

Vinnie scooped ground coffee into the drip machine he’d had for a decade. He grabbed the carafe and filled it with water, then dumped the water in and started the machine. “Did you take a painkiller this morning?”

“I did. And I did my breathing thing.” She shook her head.

“Still hurts?”

“Yeah.”

When did his kitchen get so damn small? With her at the entrance, he felt closed in. Not trapped because she wouldn’t do that, but like he couldn’t breathe without sensing her. Without wanting to pull her closer like he did in the hospital and inhale her scent and wrap himself around her and hold her close until she relaxed into him.

He missed that.

She took a step toward him. “Vinnie?”

He swallowed. “Yeah?”

“Can you… I mean, will you…?”

The look in her eyes went straight to his dick. Desire, trust, faith. All things she couldn’t have for him. All things he had in her and was projecting. All things that were so wrong when she didn’t know who the hell she was or who he was.

He imprinted on her. That was all it was. Like a scared child who latched on to the person who found them, Lorelei was scared and didn’t understand herself why she wanted to be around him. She admitted that. She didn’t want him.

He was the one with an issue controlling his emotions. Controlling the raging need pulsing through his veins.

He needed to get the hell out of there before he did something he couldn’t take back, or let her do something she didn’t really want to do.

“I’ll be right back,” he blurted, squeezing past her and running to the bathroom.

Lorelei watched Vinnie run and closed her eyes against the pain. She missed the man from the hospital. The one who held her and made her feel safe. This man was distant.

She tried asking if he had someone in his life the night before, but he didn’t answer the question she was afraid to ask. If he had a significant other, no wonder he was acting weird. She should have just stayed with her cousin.

Lorelei stared at the coffeepot as it puffed and popped and dripped coffee. Lorelei had no idea how she liked her coffee. Or if she liked it. The hospital brought some, but it was not her favorite. The scent of it made Lorelei think she liked it. The sharp jolt combined with the smooth depth of it. She wanted to like it, but maybe it wasn’t her thing.

Maybe she’d never know what was her thing.

A knock on the door startled her. It wasn’t her home, but Vinnie also didn’t mention anyone was coming. It was possible it was Karli and Cade, but wouldn’t Vinnie have mentioned that?

Vinnie came rushing back, ignoring her before he went to the door and threw it open wide. He grinned at the older couple on the other side, opening his arms to hug the woman.