I heard him ask.
A second later the door to my room burst open and I flinched, ready for the yelling and hatred to pour off of Jared, for getting in a car wreck with his sister.
Instead, his voice cracked and a tear slipped down his cheek, “Kitten?”
My lower lip trembled. I needed him.
“Oh baby,” Jared said, falling to his knees beside my hospital bed. “Karlie called me, oh God, I’ve never felt like this in my entire life. I think my heart stopped when she told me you were hurt.”
“Is she okay?” I asked, my voice cracking.
He reached for my hand but just before he touched me, he stuffed his hands in his pockets.
“She’s fine, just a scratch on her cheek from a piece of glass. She didn’t even need stitches, she’s just shaken up, that’s all. You, on the other hand,” he laughed humorlessly, “are hurt. Three bruised ribs and your wrist is broken. You’re going to be sore for a while.
I met his eyes. “The scars and bruises on the outside, in no way, compare to the ones on the inside. It’s the scars you can’t see that hurt the most, Jared.”
He reached out again, to touch my cheek. His fingers hesitated, millimeters away. “I need to touch you,” he choked. “I need to make sure you’re really alive.”
“Touch me,” I whispered.
He gasped, eyes wide.
“Touch me,” I repeated.
His fingers lightly touched my cheek and he moaned. “God, your skin is so soft.”
I leaned my cheek against his fingers so that more of him was touching me and soaked in the heat radiating off of him.
Nothing had ever felt so good as Jared touching me.
This, in no way, compared to the night at the club where he held my hand.
This was a hundred, no, a thousand times better. It felt so intimate, when really, it was a just a simple gesture.
He moved his fingers, skimming them along my jaw line, and I moaned in pleasure. My cheeks instantly flared red.
“Don’t ever be embarrassed by your reactions to me,” Jared breathed, his face near mine. “I want to hear what I do to you. I need to know that you’re as affected by me, as I am by you.”
He leaned his forehead against mine, barely touching. I flinched at the sudden contact, but then realized it felt really good. Maybe, that’s what I had been afraid of, since Preston raped me. Maybe, I’d become afraid of someone touching me and actually liking it, because in the back of my mind I felt like I was ruined.
“Please, don’t stop touching me,” I begged, my voice barely a whisper.
“Trust me, kitten, I never want to stop touching you,” he rumbled.
The doctor came in and cleared his throat.
Jared pulled away and I reached out for him.
“Hold on, kitten,” he crooned, grabbing a chair and positioning it beside my bed. He reached for my hand and intertwined our fingers.
The doctor glared at Jared. “Only family is allowed at this time.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” Jared said, jaw set and I knew he was giving the doctor his steely eyed gaze.
The doctor huffed, obviously exhausted and not up for a fight. He gripped the end of the hospital bed tightly in his hands, like it was the only thing keeping him standing.
“Ms. Spencer, you’re a lucky lady.”
“I don’t call three bruised ribs and a broken wrist, lucky,” Jared growled.
The doctor narrowed his eyes on Jared. “Trust me, kid,” he sneered, “it could have been a lot worse. Ms. Spencer is lucky to be alive.”
“How long have I been here?” I asked.
The doctor looked at the clipboard attached to the end of the bed. “Only two hours, we kept you sedated to help with the pain. It wore off faster than it should have, though. Are you in any pain? I can get you something for it.”
“No,” I insisted, even though I was starting to ache. I had never been a pill-popper and had no plans to start now. I’d deal with the pain.
“Katy,” Jared said, sweetly, hesitantly brushing my hair from my face, “if you’re hurting, you should take something.”
“I’m fine, really,” I squeezed his hand.
The doctor straightened up. “You should be okay to release in the morning. In the meantime, if you need anything, just push that blue button next to your bed and one of the nurses will be here. I’m Dr. Michaels,” he came around to shake my hand.
I flinched and burrowed closer to Jared.
Jared told the doctor that I was just shaken