Take What You Want (72 page)

“
Did
he also tell you
why
we broke-up?” Adam asked.

Chase
ignored the question. He wouldn't go there, saw no reason to pick
off that scab for any of them. Besides, anything Alex revealed to
him was private and the last person he'd share it with was Adam.

“
We
lost our girl,” Adam said wistfully. “Things fell apart
after that, but we were a couple before her; which is why we were
working on things again. In the days leading up to the accident,
Alex and I were really close to getting back to that point. It was
something we both wanted. I don't think he'll be happy to see you
when he wakes up.”

“
Doesn't
matter,” Chase said with conviction. “I'm not leaving
until he and I talk.”

Adam made a humming sound,
that could have passed for a growl. “Now I see the
attraction,” Adam said. “Alex never could say no to
being topped by an alpha male.”

“
Fuck
you.”

Adam
laughed and shook his head; making a tsk-tsk sound with his tongue.
“That will
never
happen.”

“
Adam!”
Wheland said, stepping into the room. “Time for you to leave.”

“
I'll
leave when I'm ready,” Adam said.

Wheland fixed his heated
gaze on Adam and didn't flinch a muscle. “You'll leave now or
I'll get security to do the job for me.”

Adam stood in place, as if
weighing his options, then left the room without another word. It
was just as well for Chase. He was done talking to Adam. He set his
forehead to Alex's forearm and closed his eyes, trying to draw
strength from that familiar connection.

“
I'm
sorry about Adam,” Wheland said.

“
He
claims he and Alex are getting back together,” Chase said.

“
He's
full of shit,” Wheland said. “Wanting something doesn't
make it so.”

“
Yeah,
well, he's not making it easy on me, that's for fucking sure,”
Chase said.

“
That's
because he's threatened by your presence here,” Wheland said.
“He knows how Alex still feels about you and Danni and he knows
Alex would go back with you two if there was even half a chance it
could happen.”

“
Is
that what Alex really wants?” Chase asked.

“
More
than you could possibly know,” Wheland said. “Why? Is
there a chance that could happen, Chase?”

Chase
nodded. “Danni and I have had a lot of time to talk about
this,” Chase said. “We both want Alex to be part of our
lives. We were about to call him to talk about that possibility when
you called me about the accident.”

Wheland visibly sighed with
relief. “Tell him that. Give him something to wake up for.”

Chase rubbed the fatigue in
his face. He'd been awake for almost twenty-four hours. He and
Danni both needed sleep, but he didn't want to leave Alex.

“
You
look exhausted,” Wheland said. “Let me take you back to
Alex's place and you and Danni can rest.”

Chase shook his head. “We
wouldn't feel right staying there without him. I'll get a room for
us nearby.”

“
You're
not staying in a hotel, Chase,” Wheland said. “I'll
bring you back to my place and we'll all come back together in the
morning. How's that sound?”

“
Are
you sure?” Chase asked.

“
I
have four empty bedrooms,” Wheland said. “Besides, Alex
would have my balls on a platter if he knew you stayed in a hotel.”

Chase smiled at that remark,
then looked back at Alex. He combed Alex's hair off his brow with
his fingers and carefully kissed his forehead, doing his best to
avoid the healing cuts and abrasions. “I'll be back tomorrow,”
Chase said beside Alex's ear. “And, then you and I are going
to talk.”

Chase followed Wheland out
into the hall. He saw Danni sitting in a small waiting room across
the hall and adjacent to Alex's room. She stood up from the chair
when she saw him enter the small square room.

“
Why
didn't you come back into Alex's room?” Chase asked her.

“
I
wanted you to have some time alone with him,” Danni said.

“
Babe,
we're in this together,” Chase said. “All three of us.
Remember? That's how it works best.” He opened his arms for
her and Danni stepped into the embrace. “Wheland is taking us
back to his house so we can get some sleep. We'll come back tomorrow
to see Alex.”

Danni nodded and took the
hand Chase offered and they followed Wheland from the hospital to his
SUV. It was likely they'd both be asleep long before they reached
Wheland's house.

With Danni downstairs in the
hospital cafeteria getting them coffee and bagels, Chase pulled his
chair closer to Alex's bed, wanting to make the most of their time
alone. As the days wore on, Adam was making fewer and fewer visits
with Alex. Especially since it was very obvious Chase and Danni
showed no signs of leaving Alex's side.

Chase clasped Alex's hand
and set his forehead to Alex's shoulder. He breathed in Alex's scent
and closed his eyes. It had been four long days since their arrival
in Los Angeles. Alex was healing, but it was slow. The doctors had
weaned him off the drugs keeping him in a sedated state of limbo and
his brain injury showed good signs of progress in recovering. The
doctors had done their job and the rest was up to Alex. With the
brain swelling nearly gone, it was Alex's job to begin the long road
back to being his old self. The first step to doing that was waking
up.

Chase rolled his head and
pressed his ear to the spot on Alex's chest above his heart. He
listened to the heavy thud as Chase's hands traversed Alex's torso.

“
You
know, if you weren't already covered head to toe with bruises, I'd
kick your ass for running on a busy street! I told you on the
Vineyard it was a stupid thing to do, and running along the hillsides
of L.A. has got to be even dumber,” Chase said. “What
the hell were you thinking?”

“
I
was thinking about you,” Alex said in a gravely voice.

Chase heard the words
rumbling inside Alex's chest and bolted into an upright position in
his chair. His eyes darted to Alex's face and saw Alex trying to
focus and keep his eyes open.

“
Alex!
You're awake,” Chase said. “Let me go get your nurses.”

Alex reached for Chase's
arm. “No. Keep them away,” Alex said. “Let it be
us for a bit.”

A long moment passed, with
Alex simply staring at Chase. His eyes becoming wider and more alert
with each passing second. His hand lifted, as if trying to touch
Chase's face. Chase caught Alex's hand and carried it to his lips;
pressing a soft kiss on the scabbed knuckles.

“
You're
really here,” Alex sighed.

“
We
came as soon as Wheland called,” Chase said.

“
We?
Danni's here with you?” Alex asked.

Chase
smiled and nodded. “We worked things out.”

“
Did
you marry her?” Alex asked.

“
No,
not yet,” Chase said.

“
You
belong together,” Alex said, his eyes showing the first signs
of emotion.

“
Along
with you,” Chase said.

Alex closed his eyes and
drew in a long, slow breath, grimacing from the throbbing ache in his
ribs, his leg, and nearly every other square inch of his body –
including the pain in his heart Chase was inflicting with his words.

Chase saw the expression on
Alex's face and fear swept through him. “Do you need some pain
meds?” he asked, readying to leave the room in search for the
nurse.

“
No.
Stay,” Alex said.

Chase smiled and ran his
finger tips across Alex's bruised face. The bruises were fading now
to subtle purples and blues, with a little bit of yellow added to
create an interesting rainbow. Alex looked a hundred percent better
than the first day they had seen him in recovery, but he still very
much looked like a man who had been through hell. It was easy to see
the physical evidence left from the accident on Alex's body, even
still, Chase could clearly see the utter beauty of the man. Even in
this battered state there was strength in weakness and Alex embodied
that and then some.

Chase closed the last inch
separating them and pressed his lips to Alex, rubbing slowly, not
wanting to hurt his healing bottom lip. His tongue teased the seam
and Alex started chuckling.

“
I'm
not opening for you,” Alex mumbled.

Chase sat down on the edge
of Alex's bed and tried to hide the feeling of hurt from washing over
him.

“
From
the taste in my mouth, I'm guessing its been days since my teeth have
been brushed,” Alex said. “I don't want you kissing me
like this.”

Chase cupped the side of
Alex's face. “I love you,” he said, caressing Alex's
cheek with his thumb pad. “And, I don't care what your mouth
tastes like. I'm just overwhelmingly grateful you're alive.”

“
Bastard,”
Alex said softly. He wiped at his eyes. “Thanks for making me
cry.”

Chase laughed at Alex's
comment and bent forward. “Can I kiss your cheek or is that
off-limits, too?”

Alex's
good arm wrapped around the back of Chase's neck and pulled him
closer. “I can't believe how lucky I was to find you and
Danni,” Alex whispered beside Chase's ear. “I love you
both, so much.”

Alex tried to hold the
embrace with Chase, but the pain wracking his body was becoming too
much to handle. He dropped back into his pillows and closed his
eyes. He heard the shuffle of Chase's feet as he ran for the door
and called for a nurse. The soothing sound of the nurse's voice came
next, then his world faded to blackness, as he slipped into the
pain-free oblivion he'd spent the last several days in; floating.
Lyrics swirled around inside his head, closely followed by musical
notes and song verses all rushed at him. He needed something to
write them down, but he couldn't move; couldn't lift his head.

Chase
watched Alex slip back into slumber. He was happy Alex wasn't
struggling with pain, but he missed talking to him and being able to
see his beautiful eyes. He heard the swoosh of the door opening and
turned to see Danni entering. He offered her a weak smile.

“
Any
change?” she asked.

“
He
woke up for a short time,” Chase said. “The pain was too
much, though, so they knocked him out again.”

Danni stood behind Chase.
She kissed the top of his head. “Will he be out for a long
time again?” she asked.

“
I
don't think so,” Chase said. “I couldn't stand seeing
him in pain. There's so much I want to say to him.”

“
We'll
have time for that,” Danni said.

“
He
knows you and I are back together,” Chase said. “Then,
he asked if we'd gotten married. I was about to tell him what we've
been talking about, but the agony gripping him was difficult to
watch, so I got the nurse.”

Danni
pulled a chair beside Chase and sat down in it. “Is Adam still
a part of Alex's life?” Danni said.

“
Wheland
says no, but I have my doubts about all of it,” Chase said.
“I'd feel a lot better if Adam would leave and not come back.”