He didn’t know what he was trying to gain by this. Okay, actually, he did know, he was trying to gain some peace from his inner self, his conscience. He knew well enough that Jade’s accident has nothing to do with him, but he still felt like a bastard. Damn, he was a bastard for striking when he knew she was at her most vulnerable.
AJ was at the point of walking away from all this mess when the door that had been previously shut opened and out of it came an angel. AJ stopped dead in his tracks. < You could love this girl, > ran through his brain.
“AJ?” she called, her voice husky and tired. She was gorgeous, but she was also worn out. She looked like she was the one who met with the dreaded accident, not Jade.
“Are you all right?” Those words of concern popped out before he even knew he was thinking them. Danny looked startled by the question, and then she recovered and gave AJ a heart-stopping smile.
“As well as expected, I guess,” was all she allowed. That marked the end of their polite conversation. As Danny stared expectantly at AJ, AJ found that he had lost temporally use of his tongue. A minute ticked by before Danny lost her patience. “Is there a point to this staring?” She asked a little annoyed albeit polite.
AJ fell into a fit of coughing, trying to mask his embarrassment. “Uh... well...” < might as well throw in Nick’s name, > he thought desperately. “Nick asked me to come see you.” Her face froze into an icy mask; her back stiffened straighter than a broom handle. “He’s worried about you.”
“I’m not the one he should be worried about, Jade is the one involved in the accident. He’s her boyfriend. He should be worrying about her instead of me. I’m nothing to him.” She said stiffly.
What could he say to that? “Would you like to have a cup of coffee with me? To perk yourself up, I mean. You’ve just wake up and Jade probably can survive without you for a while. You looked like you could use some caffeine in your system.”
“No, than-” AJ interrupted before she could finished her refusal, “Nick didn’t ask me to do that, it was the lecher in me wanting to share a cup of coffee with a female as gorgeous as you who wanted that privilege,” he grinned shamelessly at her.
For the first time in days, Danny laughed. It was a genuine laugh, one that came from her heart and shone from her eyes. It utterly charmed AJ. “All right,” she conceded. “Just let me tell Valeria.”
AJ nodded and watched as she backtracked into the room. This wasn’t too hard after all.
Nick felt his blood pressure rising when he walked into the hospital cafeteria and saw Danny laughing at something AJ was saying. One look at her flushed face tells him that she doesn’t find AJ a total jackass. Seething with futile fury, he stalked up to their table.
An ominous shadow loomed over them. AJ’s laugh dawdled and died as he gazed up into the furious face of one Nick Carter. “Hey,” he said weakly.
A stolen glance at Danny told him that the past half hour he had spent cheering her up had gone to waste. She was back to being chalky white and guilty-faced. Anger took hold inside him, washing away his nervousness.
“I need to talk to you,” Nick didn’t acknowledge AJ’s presence at the table at all. “Now.”
Danny wouldn’t look at Nick. The moment he entered the room, she had felt it. She has this awareness of him that’s deep inside her. She knew he was here just as she knew that if she looked up and into that face of his, she would be willingly giving herself up to a hungry wolf. He would devour her and she would want to be devoured. It will always be like that for them. He overwhelmed her.
AJ stood up and faced Nick. The slight tensing of Danny’s jaw told him that she didn’t have any desire to be left alone with Nick and he wasn’t about to do that. Danny’s stricken gaze snapped to him when his chair scraped the floor making a horrible screeching sound as he stood up. AJ wanted to assure her that he wouldn’t throw her to the wolves, but didn’t. He turned to Nick instead.
“Leave her alone, Nick. She doesn’t want to talk to you.”
Nick’s hot gaze scorched AJ. “Stay out of this,” he warned.
AJ took a step closer to Nick. “Or what Nickster?” He challenged. “You’ll hit me? I’m so scared.”
“Stop it,” Danny placed her hands on either guys’ chests and pushed them apart. “You are not going to start a fight in the hospital cafeteria.”
Nick took the chance to grab Danny’s wrist. “Danny,” Danny had to force herself to concentrate on the third button on Nick’s shirt. She wouldn’t look at him; she wouldn’t give him a hold over her. “Come with me, please. I need to talk to you. Give me a chance,” Nick pleaded, using his most persuasive and honeyed voice.
“We have nothing to talk about,” she tried to retrieve her hand, but Nick wouldn’t let her. “Let go, Nick.”
“Yes, we do. Danny, you can’t do this to us. You’re not being fair to me; I don’t even know why you’re avoiding me like plague. You owe me an explanation.”
“She doesn’t owe you anything, let go of her.” AJ cut in coldly, giving Nick a killer stare behind his shades.
Nick’s anger blazed out of control. He released Danny’s wrist and turned on AJ. “I know why you’re here. It’s the damned bet isn’t it? You think that you can win the stupid bet by moving in on her when her defenses are down. You know what, AJ? You are a despicable, low down rat!” Nick shoved AJ. “Stay away from her, you hear me? She doesn’t need you to complicate her life!”
“And I supposed you’re here for her out of your generous nature?” AJ sneered, “You wanted to win the bet even more than I did, or have you forgotten? You said you would have her eating out of your hands in two days. Look at her now, I don’t exactly see her lying at your feet, groaning in ecstasy. If anything, she’s asking you to get out of her sight. That isn’t much of an improvement from the previous time.” AJ shoved Nick back.
“Why I’ve come here is none of your business! How can you even think about winning the bet now? Jade is lying there, in a coma. God only knows when she’s going to wake up and you’re here, asking Danny out for a date just to win the bet? How could you be such a scum? You can do something so dirty and accuse me of trying fulfill my side of the bet now? You are such a two face!” A fist connected with Nick’s jaw the moment he finished his speech.
Nick stumbled back a few steps and gaped in amazement and shock at the person who has struck him. Damn! But she has a killer right hook. “Danny?”
“I never want to see the both of you for as long as I live, you hear me?” Danny stood between AJ and Nick looking at them seriously solemnly, like a fragile flower between two warring males. Only, the fragile flower just delivered two blows, one to each of them.
“Danny, listen, I can explain…” Nick began, but trailed off at the look she gave him. It was filled with contempt and disappointment and anger, mostly of which is self-directed. God, she was so dumb. She actually believed everything he told her.
“I never want to you again,” she repeated. “Especially you.” That said, she turned on her heels and marched out of the cafeteria, leaving the gaping audiences and two scorned males behind.
Chapter Twelve
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