bungalow where I’d been told to go, blending in with the crowd, acting like I belonged there, and made my way inside—so much for the security Owen warned me about—I started my search at the bathrooms, figuring any room with a closed door was suspect. I found Nick in the third one. I banged on the door and was told, loudly, to fuck off.
“I can’t go away. I’m here for you,” I growled back at him.
He hurled the door open, and all I saw, in that moment, was his ripped and bloody jacket.
“Jesus Christ,” I groaned.
He took one look at me, shuddered, and stepped into my space, pressing his face to my chest, arms wrapping around my waist, clutching tight as I heard his breath catching over and over.
“You’re fine,” I stated, hoping it was true, easing him back into the bathroom and closing and locking the door behind me. The open window wasn’t doing much to overcome the stench of vomit permeating the room, but this close I could tell it wasn’t coming from him.
“It’s not my blood on my jacket.”
“Okay,” I said, calming, realizing I’d been holding my breath, my cursory glance only cataloging bruises.
“I’m sorry,” he husked, voice cracking as he shivered.
Enfolding him in my arms, I hugged him tight, amazed at the difference. I hadn’t held him since the first day we officially met, that Saturday when he’d been hungover. I realized now that the changes in his physique that I’d seen, looked at, noticed, were a whole other story when pressed up against me.
His shoulders were filled out, broad, and his chest was wide and thick with new muscle. His entire body was hard and toned, and I could feel the heat of him through the ruined jacket. Because he was now solid and strong, I exerted more pressure into the hug, and he lifted his head and notched his face into the hollow between my shoulder and neck. The moan was unexpected, as were his arms sliding up over my shirt, his fingers digging into the muscles in my back, kneading, holding me still.
“Are you mad at me?”
“Why would I be––”
“Things didn’t go smoothly.”
“I don’t care about that. You can’t plan for everything, this is life. Shit happens.”
Deep exhale from him then, like maybe me being mad had been a concern.
“I’m worried about you. I think we should get you to a hospital and––”
“It’s not necessary, I promise you.”
“But I need to know that you’re all right,” I told him softly.
“I am.”
“Tell me what happened.”
“After I left Frost’s place, I came here, and everything got way worse.”
“Yeah, Owen was keeping tabs on social media until I could get to you. What happened over there?”
He sniffled and nodded. “I dragged Conner out of the bedroom before anything happened to him, but he was fighting with me, so we only made it this far.”
“I’m sorry, what?”
“It’s lucky I’m bigger now, stronger.”
“Wait, back up, you lost me. Owen said you got into a fight with some guy at Frost’s house who tried to start something with a woman you were with. What was gonna happen to Conner that made you come here?”
“His date talked him into running a train, and they were trying to kick me out of the room, but I wouldn’t let go of him.”
“And Conner wanted to, or thought he did, so he was fighting with you?” I would never judge another person’s sexual desires, preferences, or whatever else, but a drunken gangbang sounded like a regret waiting to happen.
“Yeah,” he said, shivering.
“I see.”
“We got out of there, and then, halfway down the hall, he said he was gonna puke, so I carried him in here.”
Shit. I’d been so entirely focused on making sure he wasn’t hurt that I didn’t even notice the guy passed out in the bathtub. Guess that explained the smell. “Okay.”
“He’s thrown up four times already, so I turned him on his side and wrapped him in towels to keep him warm.”
It was all good thinking.
“I’ve got to get him home, but I don’t want anybody to see him like this, and I don’t want him to sleep in the bathtub all night, either.”
“Do you think he’s been drugged?” I asked, but my entire focus was Nick, and I lifted my hand to his cheek, turning his head so I could examine the damage to his face. “And who the fuck hit you?”
“Kara’s boyfriend is totally jealous of her and Frost,” he explained, “which he shouldn’t be because Frost Warren