His gaze dropped to my lips and lingered there for a long time. “I want to kiss you,” he murmured, deep in thought. He found my eyes again. “I won’t, but I need you to know how fucking much I want to right now.”

My tears that had almost dried up began flowing again. I was beginning to think they might never stop. Usually I hated crying in front of others, but with Nitro, I let them fall and didn’t think twice. He was my safe place.

Moving closer to the bed, he gave my hand a gentle squeeze. The way he looked at me made me think he was about to say something that would make me cry more, but in the end, he said, “Did you just call me champ?”

It was such an out-of-the-blue question that I couldn’t help but laugh. “Yeah, I did.”

His lips curled into a smile, but he didn’t say anything.

“Is that okay?” I asked.

“You can call me anything you fucking want, Vegas. Gotta say, though, I’m not sure about you using it when I make you come.”

I grinned. “Let’s test it out. See what you think.”

He chuckled. And then he did something that made my cold, dark heart melt. He stood and gently placed a kiss on my forehead. A lingering kiss. It was as if he’d wrapped every tender emotion he could find in that kiss and given them to me.

“I never want to lose you.” His eyes met mine and there was a fierce determination there that hadn’t been there a moment ago. “You’re mine, Tatum.”

I pulled his face down to my level. Our lips didn’t meet, but our souls did. “You’re mine, too.”

 

* * *

 

I fell asleep, waking again at lunchtime. Monroe sat next to me instead of Nitro and I frantically searched the room for him. I needed him to be there.

Monroe touched my hand. “He’s stepped out for a minute, babe. He’ll be back soon.”

I took a deep breath. “Fuck, Roe, for a minute there I thought I’d dreamt him being here this morning. My heart can’t take much more of this.”

“Vegas.”

My gaze immediately flicked to the door to find Nitro standing there watching me. He’d clearly heard what I said and seemed affected by it. I regretted that, but it was the truth—my heart really couldn’t take too much more. I’d gone from keeping everyone out to cracking myself wide open for him. And it hurt so damn much to think of him not being there.

“I’m just waiting for a call from King. You good until then?”

I nodded. “Yeah.”

He shifted his gaze to Monroe, and they had a moment before he turned and left.

She turned to face me, her eyes wide. “Jesus, sister, that man has gone all territorial over you. I’ve never seen anything like it in my life.”

I frowned. “What do you mean?”

“He turned up late last night, and I mean late. Like, it was really fucking clear he wasn’t waiting for this morning to come and see you. The nurse tried to send him away, but he refused to leave. He made a song and dance about it and they eventually gave in. I was almost asleep when he woke me up and told me to go home. Told me he had this now, which I’m guessing means he has you now. I argued with him for a while, but honestly, I don’t know how you do it, he just doesn’t fucking give in.”

I smiled. “You feel my pain. He’s a bossy fucker sometimes.” I couldn’t deny it, though; I loved the fact he wanted to be here that badly.

“Sometimes?”

Laughing, I conceded, “Okay, maybe more than sometimes.”

She leant back in her seat and crossed her legs while angling her body towards me. “I got here just after nine this morning, and he did leave for just over an hour to go home and shower. Other than that, he’s been here the whole time watching over you like a hawk.” She dropped her voice. “I’ve gotta tell you, it’s kinda hot. I think I might add bossy to my list of required things for my man.”

“So you want a bossy guy who knows when to back off and when to take charge, who picks up after himself and has a pierced dick?”

She shook her head at me like I was clueless. “Babe, when you get out of here, you and I need to sit down so I can show you my list. There are a lot more things on it that just that.”

I shifted and cried out as a shot of pain hit. It caused me to suck in a breath and close my eyes while I panted through it. When I opened my eyes again, Nitro stood in front of me, concern all over his face.

“The nurse is on her way,” he said. “What else do you need?”

“Nothing, I’m good.”

He pursed his lips. “You’re in a hospital, in a shitload of pain. There’s gotta be something I can get for you to help take your mind off it.”

I lifted a brow. “You’re in a shitload of pain, too, Nitro. How about you sit your ass down and just be with me? That would help me take my mind off it.”

He gave me the look that told me I’d amused him. “We’re not talking about me. We’re discussing you. Give me something here, Vegas.”

“Oh dear Lord,” Monroe said. “You two are too much for me. I might head into work and see what I’ve missed over the last few days if you’re cool with that, babe.”

I nodded. “Yes, you should go. But bring me more Milo tonight, okay?”

“Fuck,” Nitro muttered. “I ask you what you want and you give me nothing. I can get you fucking Milo.” He stared at me with frustration, and I had to contain my laughter.

Monroe grinned. “She has a way of annoying the fuck out us, right? Never wants to be a burden, blah, blah, blah. Good luck, you’re gonna need it. But I’m telling you now, big fella, you bring her Milo, and I’ll make you hurt. The Milo is our thing.”

With that, she grabbed her bag and exited the room while I laughed and Nitro stared after her with an expression I couldn’t quite read.

When he turned back to me, he jerked his head in the direction she’d left. “You two definitely have the same genes.”

“Does that mean you like her?” Randall had hated Monroe. He couldn’t stand her “tell it like it is” manner and it had been awful trying to bring them together.

“I don’t think we’re gonna have a problem, but she’s dreaming if she thinks I’m not getting you Milo.”

“You didn’t really answer my question,” I said softly, realising how important it was to me that he got on with her. They were my two people; I needed them to like each other.