Apparently, so was Beck’s.
“Who did you fuck?” the doctor demanded. “We’re waiting for an answer.”
“No one you, um…know.”
When she tried to break free from them again, Beck grabbed both wrists and anchored himself in her face, inches from her flushing cheeks. Seth struggled not to devour her where she stood. The trembling of her lower lip and the way she swiped her tongue across it had him seething and starving for her. Didn’t she understand how fucking badly he needed her?
“Let’s try the truth.”
As Beck barked, Seth looped behind Heavenly so they surrounded her—so she couldn’t escape—and grabbed her hair in his fist. He tugged until he had her attention, then bent to her ear. “If you lie again, we’ll find a quiet corner and prove our threats to spank you weren’t empty.”
He glanced at the doctor. Yeah, he might be giving away too much, but a glance told him Beck was totally on board.
Heavenly’s pale cheeks flared rosier. The pulse at her neck jerked faster. And when Beck cupped her face, she gasped. Fuck, Seth could see how wide her eyes had gone, how dilated her pupils. No missing the poke of her nipples under that thin red T-shirt she wore. Then the musk of her arousal hit his nose, and he was fucking ready to tear down the house—hell, the world—to get her into his bed. To get her back into his life.
“Spank me? I’m not a misbehaving child.” Her voice sounded nervous and breathy.
“You’re not, but that won’t stop us from firing up your ass. Because let me tell you, little girl, no other man better be the one to make you a woman.”
“That’s for one of us,” Seth cut in.
Seth hated to concede that, but he’d damn well rather she surrendered herself to Beck, who’d also lost his heart to Heavenly, than to River or a stranger who would make him homicidal the instant they touched her.
His mind was going ninety miles a minute, but he saw the instant Beck’s anger gave way to hunger. The doctor lowered his lips toward her. Seth pulled back on his fistful of her silky blond hair until their eyes met. The moment unfolded in slow motion. She blinked up at him, pleading for mercy, though not a word spilled from her lush mouth. Holding her stare, he deliberately exposed her vulnerable throat to Beck. Her eyes darkened. Heavenly wasn’t trying to go anywhere now. She liked this. She wanted them. No missing the goose bumps breaking out all over her body or the harsh pants of her aroused breaths.
Yeah… The way he felt right now with the air thickening around all three of them…he wasn’t sure anyone would be singing happy birthday to her. He and Beck would be taking her to bed. And then getting some answers.
Holy fuck.
Suddenly, a god-awful air horn of racket pealed in his ears.
The sound was too close to a siren not to get his attention. He snapped upright and scanned the kitchen. “What the hell?”
Everything went downhill from there.
Like a wild thing, Heavenly struggled free from their firm grasp and wrestled to grab her phone from her back pocket. Her hands were shaking so badly she almost dropped it twice before answering it. “Dad, what’s wrong? Are you all right?”
A glance confirmed to Seth that Beck was equally clueless about the fact her father was in the picture.
Within seconds, Heavenly’s panic made it clear he was having some sort of medical emergency. Then Seth helped them scramble into his car and they sped to the hospital. It didn’t take long to pin down that the man had an autoimmune disease Heavenly had talked to Beck about in a strictly academic way. Clearly, she’d failed mentioning all her questions about the ailment had anything to do with the man who’d given her life and raised her.
By the time they reached the hospital, it became even clearer that her father’s secret illness was just the tip of his medical iceberg…
While Beck checked on Abel as he received treatment, Seth coaxed Heavenly down the hall to get some fresh coffee.
They sat together in the largely deserted cafeteria, and a sense of déjà vu played through his head. Their first conversation had taken place across an impersonal white table in the middle of a sterile environment like this. He’d been dazzled then. He was confused and mad as hell…but, damn it, still dazzled now.
He stared at Heavenly—her tear-stained face and slumped shoulders. Exhaustion pulled at her. Seth couldn’t stand it any longer.
He reached out for her, so gut-wrenchingly relieved when she laid her fingers across his palm. “Angel, I can only imagine the pressure you’ve been under, trying to cope with all this on your own. Why didn’t you say anything? Beck is a damn doctor. He could have helped. Hell, I would have—”
“None of my problems were yours.” She dropped her gaze to the cup of coffee in front of her and took a deep breath. “After eight years, you get used to juggling everything alone. Maybe that sounds like an excuse to you. I don’t expect anyone who hasn’t been in my shoes to understand.”
She was right; he didn’t understand. But now wasn’t the time to hound her for answers. Tonight, she needed support, especially since she looked half a breath from falling apart.
He inched his chair back and spread his arms open. “Come here, angel. You look like you could use a friend. Why don’t you let me hold you?”
Tears filled her eyes as she hesitated, then bolted out of her chair and crawled onto his lap. Wrapping her up tightly, he smoothed a hand over her head.
“I’m scared.” She sniffled. “Dad dying is my worst nightmare.”
“I’m sure,” he whispered. “But if that
