Rock Me Faster (Licks of Leather #4) - Jenna Jacob Page 0,81
then dropped my head and peered down at my body. My pretty sequined dress was gone, replaced with an ugly green gown that had wires sticking out from under it. A tube was embedded into my arm that was attached to a plastic bag, suspended on a pole beside my bed. Next to the bag was a machine with numbers and lights and a jumping line that scrolled across a grid.
The other arm, the one throbbing and hurting so badly, was hidden beneath a sheet and blanket. I was scared to pull the covers away…scared of not being able to remember a damn thing.
“W-where am I?”
“You’re still in New York…in a hospital,” Ross calmly explained.
“Why am I here?”
“They didn’t say anything about a head injury.” Fear laced my dad’s voice.
“She didn’t. It’s the drugs. It takes a little time to flush them from her system.” Ross aimed the straw in the cup Bodhi was still holding to my lips. “Drink up, princess. We’ll explain everything.”
“What happened to you? Why are you all bandaged up?”
“Drink. I’ll explain,” Ross repeated with a tender but sincere look of warning.
Deciding it was better to comply, since my throat was still dry as a bone, I took another sip of water.
“We were in the bus on our way back to the hotel after the concert. Do you remember the concert?”
A rush of memories flashed through my brain like bolts of lightning.
“Yes. But I especially remember what happened before the concert,” I blurted, totally forgetting that my dad was right beside me.
Ross smirked and quickly covered for me. “The sight of the crowd was quite thrilling for you, wasn’t it?”
“Unbelievable.” I swallowed tightly.
“Do you remember the wreck? Remember the trash truck T-boning the bus?”
I gripped the sheet as the sensation of tumbling through the air crashed through me.
“My arm.” Dread climbed through me as I peered down at my hidden limb. “Is…is it still there?”
“Yes. It’s in a cast and a splint,” Dad assured. “I saw it when they came in and checked on you throughout the night. Your arm is there, baby girl. It just needs to heal.”
“Is everyone else…”
“They’re fine. They’re at the hotel sleeping,” Ross assured. “They’re various degrees of broken, battered, bruised, and sporting a shit-ton of stitches, but none of us suffered what you’ve been through. I’m so sorry this happened to you, princess.”
His voice cracked as he bent and brushed a feather-soft kiss to my lips. I raised my left arm, heavy with tubes and wires, and cupped his nape as I lifted my head from the pillow and kissed him harder.
“Dammit, man. Get off her. She’s been through enough,” Burk scolded.
As Ross reared back, I watched Burk, with a possessive arm around Sofia’s waist, hobble into the room. He was wearing a thick brace on his foot that came all the way up to his knee. Sofia was cradling her arm in a sling, close to her chest. They both looked like hell, but I was beyond happy to see them.
“Bite me,” Ross replied with a grin. “She finally woke up. I was simply telling her good morning.”
He then introduced my dad to the couple, and I couldn’t help but grin when Burk’s eyes grew wide.
“So, you’re the legendary Bodhi. It’s an honor to meet you, sir.” Burk stuck out his hand and the two men shook.
“Harmony’s told us about Gaia Garden. We’re all dying to come visit one day,” Sofia gushed as she gave Dad a careful hug before she pressed a soft kiss to my cheek and whispered, “I’m glad you’re awake. You had us all worried. Especially the big guy. He totally lost his shit last night. Damn near broke my heart watching him break down, but you didn’t hear that from me.”
My own heart squeezed, and tears stung my eyes imagining Ross—so big, strong, brave, and protective—falling apart because of me.
“What are you two doing here so early?” he asked the couple.
“I couldn’t sleep. I was too worried about you guys,” Sofia explained as she eased into Burk’s loving arms. “So, we grabbed a quick breakfast and snagged a cab and… Oh, I almost forgot.”
She reached into the back pocket of her jeans, pulled out an envelope, and handed it to Bodhi. “Quinn booked you a suite at the hotel. The address is there on the front. Whenever you’re ready to go grab a shower or take a nap, Ross or one of us will call you a cab.”