Be With Me(7)

She made a sound of frustration, and he leaned in to kiss her. She went soft against him, and a little feminine sigh escaped her lips as he nibbled gently at them. She’d made those contented sounds when they’d made love to her, and he wanted to hear them again.

A sound at the door made her stiffen, and she lurched away from him, promptly groaning in pain when she jarred her body.

“That was stupid, Reggie,” he said grimly as he settled her body against him again.

He looked up to see the doctor walk in, but he made no effort to get up from his position on the bed.

The doctor ignored Hutch, but gave Reggie’s wrist a cursory exam. After a moment, he eyed Reggie.

“Are you ready to go home, Miss Fal on?”

“Yeah, I am,” Reggie replied. “How long wil I be out? When can I go back to work?”

Hutch stiffened. He didn’t want Reggie back on the job. Not in her condition, or any other for that matter.

“Work is out of the question for the next several days at least. I’d suggest a minimum of two weeks with light duty after that. The good news is you don’t have any broken ribs. Your X-rays came back negative. But you have a lot of bruising, and you’re going to be tender for a few days.

“The swel ing is starting to lessen in your throat, and I don’t think there wil be any permanent damage to your vocal cords. You also need to take good care of your wrist and make sure you don’t strain it.

“I’m writing you a prescription for some painkil ers, and I want you to take the anti-inflammatory medicine I’m giving you as wel .”

Reggie nodded, but Hutch wasn’t fooled. She’d agree to anything to get out of the hospital, and then she’d balk at taking the medicine. That was okay because Hutch would force it down her throat if he had to.

“Al right then, young lady. I’l give the discharge instructions to the nurse, and she’l have you ready to go around noon or so. Until then, hang tight and take it easy.”

“Thanks,” Reggie murmured.

As the doctor walked out, Cam and Sawyer shouldered their way in. Reggie tensed against Hutch, and he pressed his lips to her hair in a gesture of reassurance.

Regina swal owed some of her nervousness and was happy to note that today her throat didn’t quite feel like she was drinking shards of glass. Her gaze skittered up to Cam and Sawyer, and Sawyer strode over to the side of the bed.

He lightly ran his fingers over the brace on her arm and then bent to kiss her. This time she didn’t try to turn away—not that he would have let her—and the warm ful ness of his lips pressed to hers.

Her mouth parted, and he took ful advantage, deepening the kiss as his tongue brushed over hers.

She could feel herself sliding away, giving in. Panic kicked in, and she withdrew, seeking refuge in Hutch.

Hurt flashed in Sawyer’s eyes, and she nearly moaned aloud. God, this is why she couldn’t do this.

She’d never do anything to hurt any of them. Never turn away from one to another. Tears swam in her eyes, and she closed them, unwil ing to fal apart in front of them.

“I didn’t mean it like that,” she whispered.

Awkward silence fel on the room, and Regina wished that she could leave, walk out, go back to her own home and ignore what was staring her in the face.

She opened her eyes and glanced over at Cam, who stood against the window, his hands shoved into his jeans pockets. She always thought his hair was his one rebel ion. While Sawyer kept his head shaved, and Hutch wore his in a short spiky do, Cam let his go. For a guy who was as organized and uptight as Cam could be, the long, messed-up hair just didn’t fit. But she had to admit she found the combination of his serious, glasses-wearing look and the unkempt, tousled hair extremely sexy.

“Birdie said you had a project due today. How are you supposed to get it done if you’re here?” She was proud of how steady she sounded. After that brief moment of meltdown, she was back in control. The strange thing was, they seemed to be as relieved as she was that she wasn’t tearing up anymore.

One corner of Cam’s mouth quirked into a half smile. “You let me worry about my job, Reggie darling. You’ve got enough to keep you busy for quite a while.”

She frowned. “That’s not an answer, damn it.” She looked up at Hutch then back at Sawyer who had sunk into a chair by her bed. “Are you two going to let him run your business into the ground?” Hutch chuckled. “Nice try. We’re on his side in this.

You come first.”

She sighed then snuck another glance at Sawyer, guilt giving her a big dose of unhappiness.

His expression softened. “Wil you quit looking at me like that, baby dol ? I’m a big boy. You don’t have to worry about hurting my little feelers. I shouldn’t have barged in like I did, but damn if you don’t have the most kissable lips I’ve ever tasted.” Her cheeks tightened. Damn if he hadn’t turned that apology right back on her.

When the door opened again, she was grateful for the interruption. When she saw Jeremy and the chief, she tried to straighten, and then she glared at Hutch, who refused to move his carcass from the bed.

“How are you doing, Regina?” the chief asked as he and Jeremy walked over to the bed.

“Good, sir. I’l be going home in a couple of hours.” The chief nodded. “Good. That’s good to hear. I want you to take it easy and not try to come back too soon.”