Wade had never truly seen the merits of letting a woman get too close. After al , close meant they had the power to crush you, and he wasn’t much into pain. With Gracie, everything was different, he admitted to himself. Hel , he’d damn near beg if it meant she’d give him just a kernel of her trust.
She started to shift around, coming awake. She tried to sit up, and Wade saw her wince. As she opened her eyes and looked over at him and Cherry, he saw emotion, raw and unchecked. It broke his heart to see her so vulnerable. The Gracie he’d come to know was no victim, though. Soon, she’d be back on her feet and driving him crazy.
“I had hoped I’d only dreamed it al .” She looked over at the cast on her wrist. “It would seem not.”
Cherry smiled at her and said, “I’l go let the nurse know you’re awake.”
“Thanks. The sooner the doctor checks me out, the sooner I can get out of here. I hate hospitals.”
“Doesn’t everyone?”
Gracie smiled, and Wade relaxed a little. She was going to be fine, and she wasn’t leaving his sight until her stalker was behind bars. “How are you feeling?”
“Achy, but not quite as bad as yesterday.” She pushed a button on the side of the bed, and it lifted her into a sitting position. “I always thought a broken bone would be horribly painful, but I don’t real y feel more than a twinge unless I move it around too much.”
“You’ve got bruises from head to toe. And I think you might have a mark from the seat belt.”
She looked down and seemed to realize how exposed she was in the light blue hospital gown. He’d tried not to look past her neck because every time he did he saw the way her ful breasts fil ed out the top half of the flimsy thing. He felt like a complete ass for even noticing. She’d just been in an accident; the last thing she needed was him ogling her.
She pul ed the sheet up higher and groaned. “I must look horrible right now.”
“You’re alive, Gracie,” he said, as he reached up to push a wayward lock of hair off her forehead. “That’s al that matters.”
She nodded. “You’re right.” Her gaze traveled the length of him, stopping for a heart-pounding few seconds on his crotch before meeting his gaze again. “You stayed al night.”
“I said I would.”
“Why didn’t the nurse kick you out?”
He winked. “She tried, but I can be pretty persuasive when I real y want something.”
She rol ed her eyes and looked away. “Your ego is showing again.”
“It’s not ego, honey. It’s my tenaciousness that kept me on guard al night.”
Gracie bit her lip and fiddled with a loose thread on the sheet. “I’m sorry if I sound unappreciative. I real y am glad you stayed, Wade. I don’t think it was necessary, but I am glad.”
He stroked her cheek with the pad of his thumb. “Wild horses couldn’t drag me away.” Soft as a peach, Wade thought as he dropped his hand. Her skin was so delicate; it pissed him off to see it marred. Goddamn bastard would pay for hurting Gracie. “Now, let’s talk about your coming to stay with me.”
“We had this discussion already.”
“But we never agreed to anything.”
“Fine. Then listen very closely, Wade. I am not coming to stay with you.”
Wade wanted to curse. The woman was too damn stubborn. He schooled his expression and said, “I’m stil going to be your shadow, Gracie.
If you don’t stay at my place, that’s fine, but I’m not letting this asshole get to you.”
“My shadow?”
“Bodyguard. As in I’m watching over you day and night until we find out who this guy is.”
“I can take care of myself. This doesn’t need to be your problem.”
“The instant I saw those tears on your cheeks the other day it became my problem. I’m not about to walk away and leave you to deal with this by yourself. You’d better get used to having me around.”
“If you insist on doing this then I’m paying you. Whatever is your usual rate.”