through her. If she could get his thumb on his phone to get the fingerprint signature, she was home free. She hurried over to grab his phone and then went back to the side of the bed. She peeked at his face one more time, making sure he was still sleeping soundly, and then turned her back to him, gingerly grabbing his wrist and lifting his hand. His hand was warm and rough against hers, his long fingers gently curled. She put the phone on the bed and then tried to guide his thumb to the button to get it to read his fingerprint. If she could get to his contact list, she could call someone to come to the hospital for him.
She lowered his hand toward the phone but the angle was wrong, his thumb curling in a little too much. Gently, she shifted her hold and gripped just his thumb, trying to turn it.
“So you really are CIA, or are you just trying to steal my bank-account information?”
Hollyn startled and dropped Jasper’s hand. She turned, finding him with a groggy smirk.
“I hate to break it to you, but the bank account would be disappointing,” he said, his voice Marlon Brando hoarse. “I’ve moved all my millions to an offshore account.”
Hollyn’s heartbeat was a hummingbird trapped in her throat. “You’re awake.”
“I think so.” He tried to sit up a little and hissed, the pain apparently catching him off guard. He collapsed back against the pillows. “Unless this is another dream. Are you going to morph into a chimpanzee?”
Her facial muscles were ticcing. Even if she hadn’t felt the familiar tug, she could see him studying her expressions. She looked down at the blanket. “I was trying to unlock your phone to see who I could call for you. They may be able to discharge you soon.”
“Yeah?”
She nodded. “Yeah, as soon as you…”
The hospital bed squeaked as he tried to move again. “Do cartwheels? Headstands? Long division? Because I feel totally ready for that.”
She cleared her throat again. “No. More like drink something and you know…”
She made some ridiculous motion with her hand.
“Ah,” he said with a low chuckle. “I’ve got to piss in a cup.”
“Yeah.”
“Fantastic. Performing under pressure,” he said. “I guess I better try to drink something so I’m prepared for the big moment. I want a ten out of ten on this event.”
Her head lifted, her gaze darting to him.
“What?” he asked.
She stared at him for a moment. “Nothing, it’s just…you say things that other people would feel awkward about.”
He gave her a disarming smirk. “Improv will do that to a person. It’s a no-shame game.” He looked away and adjusted his sheets. “Plus, I was a foster kid. Being the new kid in a family six different times kind of inoculates you to awkward.”
Her eyes widened. “Wow.”
“And really, all awkward means is showing someone else that you’re human. I think that secret’s already out.” He gave her a somber look. “Hollyn, I’m not a robot—much to the disappointment of my former nine-year-old, Transformers-loving self.”
She smiled a little, but his focused attention on her was too much. She busied herself, pouring him a glass of ice water, and held it out to him.
He reached out, but before she realized what he was doing, he clasped the hand she’d braced on his bed railing instead of the cup. She jolted at the warm touch but didn’t move her hand away. He squeezed her fingers. “So you stayed.”
She felt frozen in his gaze, his hand around hers. Cal’s suggestion of skin hunger floated through her brain. “I—”
“That’s, like, amazingly cool of you.” He released her hand and accepted the cup from her. He took a small sip and winced a little. “Especially after everything that happened last night.”
“It’s fine,” she mumbled.
“No, it’s more than that. I was a jerk and you stayed anyway. So before I lose all toughness points and start whining about how much my stomach hurts and beg you to get a nurse with some serious pain medication in here, I want you to know that I really appreciate you staying. I woke up a little earlier when you were sleeping and…well, I’m just glad I didn’t wake up in here alone.” His gaze met hers. “You’re a good human being, Hollyn Darling. Thank you.”
The words and the newly minted nickname hit her harder than they should’ve, and she had to look away. She took a few steps back and crossed her arms. “It wasn’t a