Read Online Las Vegas Sidewinders: Drake (Book 2) by Kat Mizera - Free Book Online
Authors: Kat Mizera
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have to be able to live alone again without having
nightmares that leave me paralyzed with fear. And I have to have closure with
Clay. I don’t love the bastard, but there are things that have to be said and I
have to be strong again before I can say them.”
“And in the meantime?”
“Your brother is the
most amazing guy I know. I sit here hoping that he’ll wait for me.”
Mack squeezed her hand.
“Don’t worry. He will.”
Coming off the ice on
Wednesday night, Drake showered and dressed in record time. He was renting a
car and driving to Chicago. It was approximately four hours from where they
were in St. Louis, and he figured he could get to the hospital in the middle of
the night, sleep in the chair and be there when Erin woke up in the morning.
“Where are you going
again?” Dom Gianni, one of the alternate captains on the team, as well as a
good friend, asked him.
“Chicago. Met a girl
there.” Drake gave him a grin. “She’s in the hospital—I want to be there when
she wakes up in the morning. I’ll spend a few hours with her and be home
tomorrow night. I’ll be at practice Friday morning and ready to play Saturday.”
“So you’ve known this
girl, what, a week?” Dom frowned.
“Are you not the guy
who found a beat-up woman in a parking garage and brought her home with you?”
Drake gave his friend a look.
“Okay, okay.” Dom
raised his hands in surrender. “But I need your head in the game, man. You’re
essential to this team right now.”
“My head is fine. She’s
a Marine and her unit hit an IED in Afghanistan; she’s had ongoing problems. My
sister operated on her yesterday and I want to be there when she wakes up. It’s
important to me.”
“You know I’ve got your
back,” Dom said after a moment, concern etched on his face.
“Thanks, man.” Drake
clapped his hand on his friend’s shoulder and then grabbed his bag. “Gotta go.”
“Drive safe.”
Erin woke up to the
sound of nurses bustling about in the hallways. It was breakfast time, probably
around 7:30, and she blinked awake. Mack had lowered her pain meds yesterday,
but she still felt pretty good, though she definitely needed to get out of bed.
Her bladder was screaming and she was tired of lying there doing nothing. She
reached for the button to call the nurse when she noticed the figure sleeping
in the chair. There was no mistaking his tousled sandy hair and chiseled face.
“Drake?” Her voice came
out more like a squeak and his eyes opened instantly.
He sat up quickly.
“Hey.” He rubbed his face. “Surprise.”
“Hi.” She gave him a
tiny smile. “What are you doing here?”
“We played in St. Louis
last night, so I drove out after the game. Got here about 3:15 and fell asleep.
I wanted to be here when you woke up.”
“I’m glad you’re here.”
She reached out a hand to him. For the first time, he saw the extent of the
burns on her arms. The skin was mottled for the most part, lighter in some
areas than others, and distinctly puckered in random places. Somehow, it didn’t
change anything in his eyes; she was still beautiful. Even with the bandages
and cooling mask on her face, he didn’t see anything but the intriguing woman
he’d met at the ball with the great body and shy smile.
He squeezed her hand
reassuringly. “Mack says everything is going great.”
“I feel pretty good,
but I haven’t been able to see anything. She’s had this cooling mask going
24/7.”
“She knows what she’s
doing—trust her.”
“Drake?”
“Yeah?”
“I really have to pee.”
He laughed. “You need
help getting up?”
“Yeah, but…” Her voice
trailed off and she fidgeted nervously.
“You want me to get the
nurse?”
“No need, I’m here.”
Mack breezed in, kissing her brother on the cheek. “You look tired,” she
admonished. “You should’ve come to the house.”
“I wanted to be here
when she woke up.”
Mack smiled. “I know.”
She tousled his hair, the way
nightmares that leave me paralyzed with fear. And I have to have closure with
Clay. I don’t love the bastard, but there are things that have to be said and I
have to be strong again before I can say them.”
“And in the meantime?”
“Your brother is the
most amazing guy I know. I sit here hoping that he’ll wait for me.”
Mack squeezed her hand.
“Don’t worry. He will.”
Coming off the ice on
Wednesday night, Drake showered and dressed in record time. He was renting a
car and driving to Chicago. It was approximately four hours from where they
were in St. Louis, and he figured he could get to the hospital in the middle of
the night, sleep in the chair and be there when Erin woke up in the morning.
“Where are you going
again?” Dom Gianni, one of the alternate captains on the team, as well as a
good friend, asked him.
“Chicago. Met a girl
there.” Drake gave him a grin. “She’s in the hospital—I want to be there when
she wakes up in the morning. I’ll spend a few hours with her and be home
tomorrow night. I’ll be at practice Friday morning and ready to play Saturday.”
“So you’ve known this
girl, what, a week?” Dom frowned.
“Are you not the guy
who found a beat-up woman in a parking garage and brought her home with you?”
Drake gave his friend a look.
“Okay, okay.” Dom
raised his hands in surrender. “But I need your head in the game, man. You’re
essential to this team right now.”
“My head is fine. She’s
a Marine and her unit hit an IED in Afghanistan; she’s had ongoing problems. My
sister operated on her yesterday and I want to be there when she wakes up. It’s
important to me.”
“You know I’ve got your
back,” Dom said after a moment, concern etched on his face.
“Thanks, man.” Drake
clapped his hand on his friend’s shoulder and then grabbed his bag. “Gotta go.”
“Drive safe.”
Erin woke up to the
sound of nurses bustling about in the hallways. It was breakfast time, probably
around 7:30, and she blinked awake. Mack had lowered her pain meds yesterday,
but she still felt pretty good, though she definitely needed to get out of bed.
Her bladder was screaming and she was tired of lying there doing nothing. She
reached for the button to call the nurse when she noticed the figure sleeping
in the chair. There was no mistaking his tousled sandy hair and chiseled face.
“Drake?” Her voice came
out more like a squeak and his eyes opened instantly.
He sat up quickly.
“Hey.” He rubbed his face. “Surprise.”
“Hi.” She gave him a
tiny smile. “What are you doing here?”
“We played in St. Louis
last night, so I drove out after the game. Got here about 3:15 and fell asleep.
I wanted to be here when you woke up.”
“I’m glad you’re here.”
She reached out a hand to him. For the first time, he saw the extent of the
burns on her arms. The skin was mottled for the most part, lighter in some
areas than others, and distinctly puckered in random places. Somehow, it didn’t
change anything in his eyes; she was still beautiful. Even with the bandages
and cooling mask on her face, he didn’t see anything but the intriguing woman
he’d met at the ball with the great body and shy smile.
He squeezed her hand
reassuringly. “Mack says everything is going great.”
“I feel pretty good,
but I haven’t been able to see anything. She’s had this cooling mask going
24/7.”
“She knows what she’s
doing—trust her.”
“Drake?”
“Yeah?”
“I really have to pee.”
He laughed. “You need
help getting up?”
“Yeah, but…” Her voice
trailed off and she fidgeted nervously.
“You want me to get the
nurse?”
“No need, I’m here.”
Mack breezed in, kissing her brother on the cheek. “You look tired,” she
admonished. “You should’ve come to the house.”
“I wanted to be here
when she woke up.”
Mack smiled. “I know.”
She tousled his hair, the way
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