Read Online Fighting Strong by Marysol James - Free Book Online Page A

a second bedroom, and it was where he had slept for their first three nights at Open Skies.
    He went down the hallway and leaned his massive frame in the doorway, watching Mia typing away on the hotel laptop.
    “Hi,” he said.
    Mia turned and her golden eyes warmed and sparked at the sight of his naked chest. “Hi.”
    “Are you writing your novel?”
    “Yep.”
    Nick studied her beautiful face and he smiled. He walked over to her and pulled her tousled head to his lips. He set the fresh coffee on the desk next to her pile of notes.
    “I love you, babe,” he said. Then he left her to write.
    **
    Adam looked in the mirror and smiled when he saw that Katie was still sleeping in the back seat. She had resisted, saying that he was doing all the driving and the least she could do was stay awake and keep him company. But the shock of the past two days, plus her injured leg and arm and the painkillers, was all taking its toll.
    He thought about the kiss they had shared. Well, it wasn’t even really a kiss; it was more of a hint of a kiss. A promise of one.
    Whatever it was, it was the fucking hottest thing I’ve ever experienced.
    Adam’s face clouded as he thought about the clock ticking down now. Her brother had called a few hours earlier and he and Katie had a tense conversation. It seemed that her stepfather was fading fast, and Ryan warned Katie to get there by the next afternoon at the latest. As soon as he heard that, Adam had offered to drive all night.
    Katie had refused, but they agreed to drive on past the state line in to Nevada and find a place to stay in Caliente. They’d be there around nine in the evening, and they could get to Tonopah by late morning the next day.
    She was silent and pale after talking to Ryan. She had stared out the window, trembling, and after a few minutes of watching this, Adam couldn’t take it anymore. He had pulled over in the first rest stop he saw and climbed in to the back seat with her. He had tugged her in to his arms and cradled her. When she started to cry, he’d rocked her back and forth, whispering that she was safe and everything was going to be OK. She cried for a long time, and even after she had calmed, Adam hadn’t moved. His lips in her hair, he held her until her breathing had slowed and deepened and she fell asleep in his arms, exhausted and emotionally shattered.
    Now Adam thought about the next day, wondering what was lying in wait for Katie. She hadn’t said much about her mother, but whenever she spoke of her, Adam sensed deep anger and deep love. Katie told him that she hadn’t seen or spoken to her Mom in ten years. Their first few minutes together tomorrow were bound to be difficult. Adam had no idea what he could do to make things easier for Katie.
    He turned it over in his mind and he finally – and reluctantly – came to the conclusion that there was nothing he could do to ease Katie’s pain. All he could do was be there while she faced all these things down. So that’s what he would do.
    Against his will, his thoughts now turned to her stepfather and Adam felt rage rise in his chest. He knew that Katie was terrified of the fucker, and Adam had no idea how traumatized she was going to be after seeing him again. Deathbed or not, he still had the power to hurt her. Adam was going to prevent that, if he could.
    How unethical is it to kill an already-dying/ almost-dead person? It’s bad, right? But what if they’re a really, really big asshole?
    Katie stirred and sighed. Adam watched as her dark eyes fluttered open. She saw him and she smiled.
    “Hey,” she said.
    “Hey. You sleep OK?”
    “I think so. How long have I been out?” She rubbed her eyes.
    “Almost four hours.”
    “Wow.”
    “You needed it. You’ve been through the wringer the past forty-eight hours.”
    She looked outside. “We must be close to the state line now.”
    “Yeah. Less than fifteen minutes.”
    Katie was quiet. “Can you stop for a sec?”
    “Why?” Adam was