Read Online Ex's and O'S by Bailey Bradford - Free Book Online
Authors: Bailey Bradford
Tags: Romance
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hand and Adam tore his gaze away from the two men at the
doorway. Josh’s green eyes were lit with an amusement that tinged the man’s voice when he spoke. “Come on, you need to be examined. Hopefully those two chest thumpers won’t do anything stupid.” Josh darted a glance over his shoulder before turning back to Adam and frowning. “Uh. Or maybe we should wait a few minutes…”
Adam’s mom patted Josh’s shoulder. “They’ll be okay, honey. You take care of my
baby and I’ll make sure these two don’t beat each other to death.” She grinned and bent over, giving Adam a kiss before straightening up and pecking Josh on the cheek. “Go on, shoo!”
“Yes ma’am,” Josh muttered but he smiled as he helped Adam up. After Adam
stumbled, Josh placed a hand on Adam’s chest and frowned. “Maybe I should get a
wheelchair.”
“I don’t—” Adam swayed, his vision turning blurred. “I think—” he slurred, then the blackness swept in and carried him away from the pain bubbling over in his body.
He woke to the sound of two men arguing, one with a soft tenor and the other with a low snarling voice that sent all kinds of warm fuzzy feelings through Adam. Prying an eye open, he groaned and immediately shut it again against the bright light in the room. Hospital.
That’s right…
The arguing stopped as footsteps shuffled towards him. Adam felt a warm hand press to his forearm then the waft of mint tinged breath over his face. “Hey, can you do that again, except open both your eyes this time?”
Why would he want to do that? The light had been like bright shards of glass spearing his eye. Why would he want to hurt more—Adam did a quick inventory of his body.
Considering the agony he’d been in while driving and in the waiting room at the ER, he wasn’t hurting much at all now. There were still small twinges at his back and something jabbing his arm, but all in all, he felt warm and light, as if he had helium mixed into his EX’S AND O’S
Bailey Bradford
46
bloodstream. That realisation had Adam’s eyes popping open. He grunted in surprise because Josh was right in his face, peering intently into Adam’s eyes. At least his dark head was blocking the light.
“You’re a lucky man,” Josh said, one side of his mouth tipping up in a grin. “Battered and bruised, a few gashes, and dehydrated—next time you borrow your mom’s drugs you might want to increase your water intake.”
Even in his drugged—legally, this time—state, Adam caught the condescension in
Josh’s voice. Adam narrowed his eyes at the man. “What was I supposed to do? Go to a hospital in Billings, maybe the same one where Chase is—” Adam stopped, his chest tight.
For all he knew, Chase was dead. James had said the PI had been brutalised, stabbed and—
Josh’s cheeks went pink as he moved back. “You’re right, I’m being a jerk. Nick told me what happened to your friend, Chase, and I…” Josh looked down as he swallowed
noisily. “I think taking whatever you could to make it possible for you and Charlene to leave was your best option.”
Adam was about to point out that Chase wasn’t his friend, but the pettiness of the denial stopped him, as did a snort from behind Josh. “See there, was that so hard, babe? I told you it wouldn’t kill you to be nice to Adam.”
Adam smiled at Nick as the man moved to Josh’s side, dropping a smacking kiss on
top of his head before coming to stand at the side of the hospital bed. Nick swept Adam with an intense gaze before pinning Adam with his dark eyes. “Only thing Josh didn’t do was a rape kit. Does he need to?”
“No,” Adam mumbled after a moment of silence. “They didn’t do anything other than beat the shit out of me.” Neither Nick nor Josh looked like they believed him, and Adam was plain out of patience. He wanted to be home, wherever that might be now, somewhere hopefully safe where he could curl up and sleep and try to
doorway. Josh’s green eyes were lit with an amusement that tinged the man’s voice when he spoke. “Come on, you need to be examined. Hopefully those two chest thumpers won’t do anything stupid.” Josh darted a glance over his shoulder before turning back to Adam and frowning. “Uh. Or maybe we should wait a few minutes…”
Adam’s mom patted Josh’s shoulder. “They’ll be okay, honey. You take care of my
baby and I’ll make sure these two don’t beat each other to death.” She grinned and bent over, giving Adam a kiss before straightening up and pecking Josh on the cheek. “Go on, shoo!”
“Yes ma’am,” Josh muttered but he smiled as he helped Adam up. After Adam
stumbled, Josh placed a hand on Adam’s chest and frowned. “Maybe I should get a
wheelchair.”
“I don’t—” Adam swayed, his vision turning blurred. “I think—” he slurred, then the blackness swept in and carried him away from the pain bubbling over in his body.
He woke to the sound of two men arguing, one with a soft tenor and the other with a low snarling voice that sent all kinds of warm fuzzy feelings through Adam. Prying an eye open, he groaned and immediately shut it again against the bright light in the room. Hospital.
That’s right…
The arguing stopped as footsteps shuffled towards him. Adam felt a warm hand press to his forearm then the waft of mint tinged breath over his face. “Hey, can you do that again, except open both your eyes this time?”
Why would he want to do that? The light had been like bright shards of glass spearing his eye. Why would he want to hurt more—Adam did a quick inventory of his body.
Considering the agony he’d been in while driving and in the waiting room at the ER, he wasn’t hurting much at all now. There were still small twinges at his back and something jabbing his arm, but all in all, he felt warm and light, as if he had helium mixed into his EX’S AND O’S
Bailey Bradford
46
bloodstream. That realisation had Adam’s eyes popping open. He grunted in surprise because Josh was right in his face, peering intently into Adam’s eyes. At least his dark head was blocking the light.
“You’re a lucky man,” Josh said, one side of his mouth tipping up in a grin. “Battered and bruised, a few gashes, and dehydrated—next time you borrow your mom’s drugs you might want to increase your water intake.”
Even in his drugged—legally, this time—state, Adam caught the condescension in
Josh’s voice. Adam narrowed his eyes at the man. “What was I supposed to do? Go to a hospital in Billings, maybe the same one where Chase is—” Adam stopped, his chest tight.
For all he knew, Chase was dead. James had said the PI had been brutalised, stabbed and—
Josh’s cheeks went pink as he moved back. “You’re right, I’m being a jerk. Nick told me what happened to your friend, Chase, and I…” Josh looked down as he swallowed
noisily. “I think taking whatever you could to make it possible for you and Charlene to leave was your best option.”
Adam was about to point out that Chase wasn’t his friend, but the pettiness of the denial stopped him, as did a snort from behind Josh. “See there, was that so hard, babe? I told you it wouldn’t kill you to be nice to Adam.”
Adam smiled at Nick as the man moved to Josh’s side, dropping a smacking kiss on
top of his head before coming to stand at the side of the hospital bed. Nick swept Adam with an intense gaze before pinning Adam with his dark eyes. “Only thing Josh didn’t do was a rape kit. Does he need to?”
“No,” Adam mumbled after a moment of silence. “They didn’t do anything other than beat the shit out of me.” Neither Nick nor Josh looked like they believed him, and Adam was plain out of patience. He wanted to be home, wherever that might be now, somewhere hopefully safe where he could curl up and sleep and try to
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