Total pages in book: 114
Estimated words: 103918 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 520(@200wpm)___ 416(@250wpm)___ 346(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 103918 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 520(@200wpm)___ 416(@250wpm)___ 346(@300wpm)
"I'm sorry," he said with a shake of his head.
I was too tired and in too much pain to try and hash things out between us, so I simply took his hand and led him to the bathroom. When I asked Lex to sit on the closed toilet, he did so without argument. He didn't make a sound when I cleaned his wound and put a bandage on it. Only when I was done did I take a look at myself in the mirror. His brother had really done a number on me. It was no surprise that he’d put Grady in a coma. The guy had fists like a battering ram.
As I began cleaning my wounds, Lex stared straight in front of him. His skin was pale and there was a fine sheen of sweat on his brow. "Lex?" I said as I tossed the washcloth I'd been using into the sink and went to kneel in front of him.
"Tired," he murmured. He swayed to one side without warning, but I managed to catch him before he fell. "King!" I shouted even as I sat Lex back up and looked at his abdomen. The insulin pump patch was gone. I tried to think back to the last time I'd seen it on him, but I couldn't remember if it had been there when we'd undressed each other.
God, had it come off while we’d been making love? He and I had both been so engrossed in each other that it would've been easy for neither of us to notice. Guilt went through me as I realized I hadn't given any thought to checking his blood sugar before, during, or after the three-hour video game marathon.
"Lex, baby, where's your pump?"
Lex pitched forward a little so his forehead was resting on my shoulder. "Out of cartridges," he murmured. “Used pen but dn’t eat…”
King threw the bathroom door open a moment later. I'd taken Brewer into the bathroom with us, so the husky began snarling when the big man stepped into the small space.
"Brewer," I called sharply, and the dog immediately fell silent and dropped to the ground. To King I said, "Get his testing kit. Black bag, either in the living room or the bedroom!"
To his credit, King didn't argue with me, he just turned and disappeared as quickly as he’d shown up. I cradled Lex against my chest and then lifted him as I stood.
"S'ry, Gid-on… love too," Lex mumbled tiredly against my chest. I didn't have time to dwell on Lex's garbled words as I carried him to the living room. King met us there and tossed Lex's testing kit to me as he strode toward the kitchen. My fingers shook as I searched out the supplies I needed. By the time King had returned with a carton of orange juice and a glass, I'd managed to prick Lex's finger. As soon as I saw the number on the screen, my stomach dropped out and I reached for the orange juice. King had already poured some into a glass.
"Lex, sweetheart," I said as I held the glass to his lips. "I need you to drink this for me."
He mumbled something I couldn't understand, but he took a sip of the juice and then another. I stroked his face repeatedly as I urged him to continue drinking. When the glass was empty, I handed it back to King who immediately filled it again. But he seemed to know the drill because he hung on to it rather than returning it to me. I glanced at the clock to track the time. Lex's eyes were closed, but he seemed to be breathing easily and I didn't see any signs of further distress. I pulled him against me so I could pick up on any changes with his body, like whether he was shaking or not.
King set the glass of orange juice down on the coffee table in front of me, along with the carton. Then he took up residence in an armchair in the corner of the room. I didn't give a shit that he was watching me like he was trying to stare me down.
A good five minutes passed before the grim-looking man said, "What happened to his head?"
I wanted to tell him it was none of his business, but the reality was that it was. As much as I disliked the guy, he was Lex's brother. "He hit it when he was getting out of bed," I said simply. I didn't give him any additional details because the fact that Lex had hurt himself while trying to escape me after I'd admitted that I loved him was really none of King’s business.
"You're the caretaker," King said.
"I am," I responded. I wondered exactly how much Lex had told him. I wanted to believe that Lex hadn't betrayed my confidence by telling his brother things that hadn't been meant for his ears, but the only way to know for sure was to ask the man across from me and I wasn't about to do that.