Page 32 of Craving Paradise
“I’m coming too,” I mention, reaching out and grabbing his arm.
He gives me a nod and grabs my hand. As soon as our skin touches, sparks of electricity zip around where our hands are linked. Jasper’s long legs eat up the distance across the dance floor as he pulls me along behind him.
We see Freya slumped on a chair outside the bathrooms with a rag on her head.
“Oh, hey, guys. You didn’t need to come. I’m all good.” Freya grins, looking up at the two of us. You can see a couple of blood splatters on her dress and skin.
Jasper drops my hand as he rushes to his cousin’s aid.
“What the hell happened to you?” He grimaces as his hand lifts the rag and sees the blood.
“Nothing. I slipped on some water in the bathroom.”
“She was found in the bathroom with blood all over her by a clubgoer who alerted the staff,” someone who looks to be a manager explains.
“How much blood?” Jasper questions.
“The doctor is five minutes away, sir. I can assure you Miss Freya is getting the best care.”
“We should take her to the hospital. There’s a lot of blood,” Jasper yells at the man. Clearly, shock and worry has set in.
I reach out and place a hand on his shoulder, reassuring him that Freya is okay.
“I don’t understand what all the fuss is about. It’s not that bad,” Freya grumbles as she wobbles against the chair.
“The fuck it is, Freya,” Jasper snips at her.
“Why don’t we wait to hear what the doctor says?” I add.
Jasper turns in my direction, looking none too happy with my comment.
Moments later, a doctor rushes in and starts speaking Spanish to the staff. He then looks down at Freya and speaks to her in English as he takes the rag off her head. I can’t hear what he’s saying, but she is smiling, so it must be okay. He opens his first-aid kit and begins cleaning her cut. He then places a glue-like substance on the wound before putting a bandage on it.
“Do we need to take her to the hospital? Is she okay?” Jasper questions the doctor once he’s done.
“She’s fine, it looks worse than it is. Head cuts like to produce more blood than normal cuts. I think it’s best if you take her home, make her drink lots of water, and take some headache tablets. It doesn’t look like she’s suffering from a concussion, but monitor her,” the doctor explains.
“I’ll go tell Autumn we’re leaving,” I suggest to Jasper.
“We?” he asks, turning his back on his cousin.
“Yes, she’s staying at my sister’s place. I have the code to get in. She’s in no condition to be by herself,” I explain to him.
“It’s your sister’s big night. What about the after-parties? Won’t you be upset to miss them?”
“Ines will understand. I’ve been to enough after-parties that missing this one isn’t a big deal. It’s best if your sister stays because they never get time to hang out together, the two of them are always on the opposite sides of the world. I can catch up again with Ines another weekend. Autumn can’t.”
Jasper’s brows pull together as he stares at me in utter silence for a couple of beats before shaking his head, pulling him from whatever thought he had.
“You sure?”
“Yes.”
“Meet you downstairs. I’ll have a car waiting for us. It may take me a while to get Freya down there, though.” He turns, looking over at his cousin who, despite cutting her head open, is trying to chat up the cute bar guy.
Jasper lets out an exhausted sigh.
I turn on my heel and head back into the VIP section, where I find Autumn and Daniel looking cozy as they dance to the music. It’s probably good that Jasper isn’t the one walking back in here. He’d blow a gasket. I tap Autumn on the shoulder, and she turns around and pulls me into her arms.