Read Online Richmond-Banks Brothers 1: A Hopeless Place (BWWM Interracial Romance) by Coco Jordan - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Coco Jordan
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Amara sitting up in the chair, massaging an ache in her back. “Ow.”
“You came,” I said, fully alert and appreciating the beauty sitting across from me bathed in early morning sunlight. “I didn’t think you would.”
“You must’ve had quite the fall,” she said. “I was pretty worried about you. I found you unconscious on the floor by your bed. How’d you fall, anyway?”
“It doesn’t matter,” I said, averting my eyes.
“Were you trying to stop me from going on my date, or something?” she joked.
“I said it doesn’t matter,” I snipped, my words biting her sweet nature and taking the smile right off her face.
“You were trying to stop me, weren’t you?” she asked as she studied my face.
I shrugged, looking down.
“So you buzzed me, and when I didn’t come right away, you decided to get out of bed on your own and you fell? Wait. That doesn’t make sense,” she thought out loud. “Just yesterday morning, you were getting around fine.”
“Just forget it,” I mumbled. “I’m fine now. Let’s move on.”
“Bennett,” she said, squaring up to me. “Did you purposely hurt yourself so that I’d have to cancel my date and stay with you?”
She’d nailed it. She barely knew me, but she knew me better than anyone else.
“Love makes you do crazy things, right?” I said with an ironic laugh. My eyes focused on the white hospital linens, unable to meet the laser-sharp glare burning into me.
“You don’t love me,” she said gently. “You just think you do. That’s really fucked up, what you did. Don’t ever do that again.”
She grabbed her purse and stood to leave the room.
“Where you going?” I called after her.
“I’m signing you out,” she said in a no-nonsense sort of way. “You seem fine to me.”
Fifteen minutes later, Amara returned, pushing a wheelchair with a clipboard of paperwork under her arm.
“Let’s go,” she said as she flung the covers off me, exposing my bare legs sticking out from the hospital gown. “Let’s change your clothes and go.”
“I can dress myself,” I said.
“Obviously, you can’t,” she fired back, her voice full of heat. “I can’t have you falling again. Not on my watch.”
“No, really, Amara. I’m dressing myself,” I said. “It’s weird having you dress me.”
“I’m your nurse. It’s not weird at all,” she argued. “You’re acting like it’s the first time.”
“I don’t think of you as just my nurse,” I said. “Not anymore.”
“Rest assured that I am your nurse, and that’s all I’ll ever be,” she said. Then her face softened. She had likely underestimated the harshness of the words that just came out of her mouth.
“If that’s how you feel, then why were you crying last night?” I asked her.
“You were awake?” she asked, her face twisting into an even angrier glare. “What the hell is wrong with you, Bennett? You’re acting like a crazy person.”
“Why were you crying?” I pressed her. I had to know.
“Because I thought it was shitty that your parents didn’t come see you,” she sighed. “I don’t know. It just… sort of struck a chord with me.”
An old, matronly nurse popped her head into the door. “Everything okay in here, you two?”
“Yes, it’s fine,” I assured her. She lingered for a bit, shifting her gaze between the two of us before leaving.
“I’ll let you dress yourself, but I’m staying in the room,” Amara said, arms crossed.
“Turn your back,” I instructed as I slid out of the bed and grabbed my clothes out of a white, plastic sack on the nightstand, carefully slipping them on. “Okay, you can turn around now.”
“You did it,” she said, astounded, her anger fleeting for a quick second. “I’m impressed. Still mad at you. But impressed.”
“I’ve been practicing,” I admitted. The clothes clung onto my growing physique, tighter than ever. “Getting stronger.”
“Is that how you fell last night?” she
“You came,” I said, fully alert and appreciating the beauty sitting across from me bathed in early morning sunlight. “I didn’t think you would.”
“You must’ve had quite the fall,” she said. “I was pretty worried about you. I found you unconscious on the floor by your bed. How’d you fall, anyway?”
“It doesn’t matter,” I said, averting my eyes.
“Were you trying to stop me from going on my date, or something?” she joked.
“I said it doesn’t matter,” I snipped, my words biting her sweet nature and taking the smile right off her face.
“You were trying to stop me, weren’t you?” she asked as she studied my face.
I shrugged, looking down.
“So you buzzed me, and when I didn’t come right away, you decided to get out of bed on your own and you fell? Wait. That doesn’t make sense,” she thought out loud. “Just yesterday morning, you were getting around fine.”
“Just forget it,” I mumbled. “I’m fine now. Let’s move on.”
“Bennett,” she said, squaring up to me. “Did you purposely hurt yourself so that I’d have to cancel my date and stay with you?”
She’d nailed it. She barely knew me, but she knew me better than anyone else.
“Love makes you do crazy things, right?” I said with an ironic laugh. My eyes focused on the white hospital linens, unable to meet the laser-sharp glare burning into me.
“You don’t love me,” she said gently. “You just think you do. That’s really fucked up, what you did. Don’t ever do that again.”
She grabbed her purse and stood to leave the room.
“Where you going?” I called after her.
“I’m signing you out,” she said in a no-nonsense sort of way. “You seem fine to me.”
Fifteen minutes later, Amara returned, pushing a wheelchair with a clipboard of paperwork under her arm.
“Let’s go,” she said as she flung the covers off me, exposing my bare legs sticking out from the hospital gown. “Let’s change your clothes and go.”
“I can dress myself,” I said.
“Obviously, you can’t,” she fired back, her voice full of heat. “I can’t have you falling again. Not on my watch.”
“No, really, Amara. I’m dressing myself,” I said. “It’s weird having you dress me.”
“I’m your nurse. It’s not weird at all,” she argued. “You’re acting like it’s the first time.”
“I don’t think of you as just my nurse,” I said. “Not anymore.”
“Rest assured that I am your nurse, and that’s all I’ll ever be,” she said. Then her face softened. She had likely underestimated the harshness of the words that just came out of her mouth.
“If that’s how you feel, then why were you crying last night?” I asked her.
“You were awake?” she asked, her face twisting into an even angrier glare. “What the hell is wrong with you, Bennett? You’re acting like a crazy person.”
“Why were you crying?” I pressed her. I had to know.
“Because I thought it was shitty that your parents didn’t come see you,” she sighed. “I don’t know. It just… sort of struck a chord with me.”
An old, matronly nurse popped her head into the door. “Everything okay in here, you two?”
“Yes, it’s fine,” I assured her. She lingered for a bit, shifting her gaze between the two of us before leaving.
“I’ll let you dress yourself, but I’m staying in the room,” Amara said, arms crossed.
“Turn your back,” I instructed as I slid out of the bed and grabbed my clothes out of a white, plastic sack on the nightstand, carefully slipping them on. “Okay, you can turn around now.”
“You did it,” she said, astounded, her anger fleeting for a quick second. “I’m impressed. Still mad at you. But impressed.”
“I’ve been practicing,” I admitted. The clothes clung onto my growing physique, tighter than ever. “Getting stronger.”
“Is that how you fell last night?” she
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