She nodded. “Okay.”
He kissed her fiercely. A hard, commanding kiss that spoke of love and pain and…
“I need you. Don’t ever forget that,” he whispered, before pressing one more kiss to her forehead and heading out the door.
When he caught sight of his buddy, Jack tried his damnedest to keep things light, but it was hard to do. In the space of twenty-four hours, Brett had deteriorated and it was a helpless kind of silence that fell between him and Sabrina as they helped Brett to Jack’s truck and sped off into the night.
He had to slow down because the press that lined the top road was substantial. Security kept them off the private road leading to his place, but still, it was enough of an inconvenience, and it slowed them down.
Twenty minutes later, he was at the hospital with Brett and Sabrina, and less than an hour later, his friend was being examined, his pain somewhat managed. Jack strode up and down the halls, his body tight from adrenaline running way too high.
He spied someone lurking near the nurse’s station and just about lost it. Goddamn reporters. They were like vultures. He started forward and was nearly to the asshole when a hand on his arm stopped him in his tracks.
Sabrina.
“Sit with me?”
He glared at the man who was still leaning against the nurse’s station as if he had every right to be there, but Jack recognized him. He was a cocky son-of-a-bitch from New York, and the asshole wasn’t even trying to hide the camera strapped around his neck.
“There’s a private lounge to your right,” he said. “I’ll meet you there in a minute.”
Sabrina squeezed his arm. “Don’t do anything stupid.”
Jack didn’t stop until he was up in the guy’s business. “If you don’t take your slimy ass out of this hospital, I’ll personally throw you out.”
The man grinned. “That would make me a ton of cash.”
It took everything Jack had to keep his cool. To keep from laying hands on the bastard and getting rid of some of that pent up anger he was carrying around.
“Sir,” the nurse behind the desk said. “Are you here for a patient?” She gave the reporter a no-nonsense look and raised her eyebrow.
“Nope.”
Jack wanted to use his fist to wipe away the arrogant smile on his face.
“Then I’ll have to ask you to leave. Security is already on its way.”
The man pushed off from the desk. “No worries,” he said with a smile aimed at the nurse. She wasn’t having any of it.
“Now,” she said.
“Sure,” he replied, before glancing at Jack. “I was just hoping for a comment on the reported sex tape featuring the lovely Donovan James. You two are hooking up again, no?”
Jack’s fist shot out and would have connected with flesh and bone except a burly security guard grabbed him before he could do any damage.
“Sir,” the security guard said in his ear. “We’ve got this.”
But the reporter was already heading down the hallway and Jack kept his eyes on him until he disappeared from sight. He thanked the security guard and made his way back to Sabrina.
Sex tape? What the hell? His mind was all over the place, and he took out his cell, fingers scrolling over a crap-ton of text messages and missed calls. He noted that Derek had called him five times in the last half hour. Whatever this was, couldn’t be good.
“Are you all right?” Sabrina asked quietly, handing him a coffee. The lounge was empty—thank god—and he took a sip, though he tasted nothing.
“No,” he said, glancing up at her. “I don’t think I am.”
Sabrina sat down and patted the seat beside her. “Sit.”
“How’s Brett?” he asked, pushing away everything else. Now was not the time to focus on his shit—but Jesus, sex tape?