Until Alex - J. Nathan Page 0,37

a bonfire with Taylor…I took a walk with Cameron.”

“Who’s Cameron?” I growled, wanting to break every bone in his fucking body.

Alex cracked her eyes. “Taylor’s friend from TSU.”

I had a pretty good idea who the guy was. Football player slash surfer. Worked at a taco shop a few towns over. My teeth gritted at the thought of his hands anywhere near Alex. “Did he touch you?”

“What? No. We just took a walk. But I’m pretty foggy on anything after that.”

I shoved my hands through my hair, anything to stop from punching something. “Were you drunk?”

“I had a beer, but it felt like ten. I got light-headed and tired. So tired.”

I stared into her exhausted eyes, not having the balls to explain it. To say it out loud. To break her heart. But when she still hadn’t grasped it, I tilted my head to the side and twisted my lips regrettably.

She searched my face, her eyes sweeping over my features. Then her eyes expanded, and her entire face dropped. “Oh my God.” Her devastated gaze held mine, begging me to deny it.

Though I did a piss-poor job of hiding my regret, I nodded.

Her eyes glistened with unshed tears as they shot around the small area. I could see her trying to organize her thoughts. Trying to make sense of the senseless situation. “It must’ve been Cameron. He’s the one who gave us our drinks.”

“Us? Who’s us?”

“Me and Taylor. I can’t believe it.” Her shock exemplified her naivety.

I wanted to say, “Yes, Alex, bad people do exist in this world.” But that hit too close to home. On so many levels.

She noticed her phone and license on the nightstand. “I need to call her.”

“You think he drugged both of you?”

Her voice sounded so small, so innocent. “Why wouldn’t he?”

Hell of a question. “I’ll call and check on her.”

Alex’s brows slanted in. “You’d do that?”

Didn’t she realize what I’d be willing to do for her? Wow. Did I really just think that? I jumped to my feet. “Let me get the doctor.” I pushed aside the curtain.

“Hayden?” Alex’s soft voice immobilized me.

I glanced over my shoulder.

Her eyes stared into mine. “Why are you here?”

Breath whooshed through my lips. Definitely a loaded question. One I wasn’t ready to answer. To her. To me. To anyone. I tried avoiding her crestfallen eyes, but they lured me in like sailors to those damn sirens. “I found you by the pool when I got home last night.”

Alex nodded, her sadness crippling. “I’m glad it was you.”

ALEX

Even before Hayden stepped out to retrieve the doctor, my mind spun like an out-of-control carnival ride. One that makes you vomit on those unfortunate enough to be standing near you.

Why had this happened to me? Was I a victim of circumstance? Was I at the wrong place at the wrong time? Was I being tested to see how much I could handle in one lifetime?

Waking up in the hospital had been shocking. Finding Hayden seated beside me had been equally shocking. But who knew what would’ve happened if he hadn’t found me?

It wasn’t just Hayden finding me and taking me to the hospital. Most decent people would have done the same. It was the intangible safety net he afforded me by simply entering a room. It was inexplicable. Something I couldn’t understand even if I tried. It just was.

A pretty blonde nurse in pink scrubs stepped inside the curtain. Hayden followed her, his hands buried deep in the pockets of his jeans. Normally, I would’ve assumed he just had his way with her in a supply closet. But today, knowing he’d taken care of me—saved me—the thought couldn’t have been further from the truth. “Well, good morning,” she greeted me with a smile.

I nodded. It was the best I could do given my current situation.

She checked the readings on the machines. “You had your fiancé here very worried.”

Hayden stood in the corner looking mortified by her words. I needed to ease his discomfort. “Sorry I worried you, babe.”

That slow sexy smile that indisputably turned girls to mush slid across his face. “No worries, sweetheart. You’re awake now. That’s all that matters.”

A long moment passed between us as we stared across the small space, neither backing down from the other’s eyes. My mind flashed to the picnic table, the pool, the movie. All the moments Hayden had shown a true glimpse of himself. And as much as I wanted to focus on the fact that he’d come to my rescue, I couldn’t