“I wasn’t about to let him hurt you.” He presses another kiss to my forehead. “Let’s go home.”
Home. I love the sound of that. A special place for just the two of us, away from the harsh outside world.
And I just… love him. He told me he loved me, but I was almost afraid to believe it, and definitely afraid to say it back. Not after tonight, though-not after being so afraid I’d never get a chance to say it back. “Simon, I…”
Movement catches my eye, one of Elon’s men is rushing toward us, a bat raised over his head.
“Simon, watch out!”
My knight in shining armor yanks me behind him, his body shielding mine. An instant later, the goon brings the weapon down on Simon’s head with a gut-wrenching crack.
In slow motion, Simon stumbles, and his body crumples to the ground. There’s a sickening thud that reverberates through me, and panic digs claws into my chest.
There’s blood.
So much blood.
Cops have come and seized hold of the assailant, and I can hear people around us on the phone, shouting for an ambulance and help.
“9-1-1? Yes, someone’s been attacked at the Velvet Lariat nightclub on Main. There’s a lot of blood. Hurry.”
I fall to my knees at Simon’s side. Someone hands me a bar towel and I hold it over his wound and apply light pressure, unsure what else to do. “Simon? Can you hear me? Help is on the way.”
Please God, let it be on the way.
My breath comes in shallow gasps, my erratic pulse leaving my head swimming.
Simon’s hand, slick with his own blood, finds my cheek. “Don’t… don’t be scared,” he murmurs, his voice weak but laced with that same unwavering strength he always carries.
The light in his eyes grows dim, his lids slowly fluttering shut as his hand falls away.
A fissure forms and yawns wide in my heart as I jostle him with no response.
“No, no, no, stay with me, Simon. Please.” I cradle his face, swiping the strands of matted hair back and pressing a kiss to his cheek.
My saltwater tears splat the shoulder of his suit, and I hear the wail of an ambulance, coming straight for us.
Willing him to be okay, I refuse to move or let him go until the paramedics arrive.
Until then, nothing else exists except the man bleeding out in my arms.
Victoria
The steady beep of the heart monitor is the only sound filling the sterile hospital room. The fluorescent lights cast a dull, sallow glow, matching the dread that’s overtaken my chest.
Simon lies motionless in the hospital bed, his skin so pale against the white sheets. A bandage wraps around his head, concealing the wound that almost took him from me.
I’m slumped over the side of the bed, minding the IV drip pumping fluids into his system while I clutch his unmoving hand.
At some point I stopped bothering to wipe my tears. My eyes and cheeks are red, swollen, and splotched. I should’ve kept my guard up better-should’ve stopped Elon before it got this far. No matter how I spin over it, the truth of it settles deep in my bones, this is all my fault.
I have no idea how long I’ve been there, tears soaking the blanket, when my mother walks in. I stand as she rushes through the open hospital room door, welcoming her warm embrace when she reaches me.
Her voice is gentle but certain. “He’s going to be okay, baby girl. He’s going to be okay.”
I shake my head, my voice breaking, and snag hold of his hand again. I’m willing him to wake up and flash me that smile that fixes everything. “He got hurt protecting me, all because of Elon Madison.”
It’s hard to tell, since my emotions have left me trembling, but I swear I feel a slight twitch of fingers-a movement so faint I almost think I imagined it.
But then Simon’s fingers move again, weak but deliberate, curling around my palm. “Don’t cry… Not your fault.”
My breath hitches, my mood doing a whiplashing one-eighty. “Simon!”
His eyelids flutter open, the ultra-green hazy but focused.
“Oh good, you’re awake.” I scoot to the edge of my seat, ready to spring to my feet. “I’ll go get the doctor.”
Simon’s hand tightens around mine, stopping me from pulling out of his grasp. “Don’t go. I need to see for myself you’re okay. Stay with me.” He clears the roughness from his voice. “At least for now.”
I nod, my throat constricting, remaining poised on the edge of the chair at his bedside. “Of course, I’ll be right here with you, I promise.”
A pleased smile curves my mom’s lips as she watches our interaction. She whispers she’ll go let the doctor know he’s awake before quietly stepping out of the room, giving us privacy.
As soon as the door closes behind her, Simon’s heavy-lidded eyes lock onto mine. There’s a tender warmth, along with a baffling hint of amusement. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“Well, you really did,” I say with a shaky laugh. “It scares me that I already feel this much for you so quickly, honestly. I can’t even imagine what I’d do if I lost you.”
“Not my intention, but I’m relieved. Happy, even.”
“Happy? That knock on the head must’ve done a real number on you.” I gesture at our clinical surroundings. “Because hello, you’re lying in a hospital bed.”
His laugh is more gruff than usual, the happiness radiating from him spreading to me as well. “When I saw him coming at us with the bat, I was so afraid I wouldn’t be able to save you in time. I’d rather be the one hurt any day. Besides…”
He gently cups my cheek and wipes his thumb across the tear tracks there. “I also got to see how much you care about me.”
“I do… so much. I…”
Just say it, Victoria.
“I know you’ve been hurt before, and it made you doubt yourself,” Simon continues, along with the mesmerizing drag of his thumb. “But I’m not like your ex or any other guy who’s treated you like a trophy or an inconvenience. Love doesn’t follow logic or reason, and that’s the best part about it. You mean more to me than anything. Victoria, I’d do anything to keep you safe, even if it meant risking my own life.”
Adoration and gratitude whirl into my tornado of emotions, and I clutch his hand between both of mine. “Thank you. I appreciate that more than you could ever know.”
His eyes search mine like he’s seeing right through every façade I’ve tried on, every wall I’ve ever built. “What about you?” he asks quietly. “What’s in your heart?”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.