He rested his hand on my head as I continued to hug him, taking in the moment, feeling his warmth and his body against me, to confirm myself that he was indeed here with me--safe and sound.
When I finally lift my head again, it was to see Matt watching me across the bed. I gasped and straightened up as the man had a dark look in his eyes as though he was pissed with me or something.
"Matt," I said.
The man looked tired and out of sort with dark circles under his eyes.
Andy reacted to my word as though it was the first time he had realized Matt was in the room. He turned to look at Matt for a brief second and then glanced away. I noted the pain and the embarrassment in his eyes, and wondered yet again the real relationship between the two.
"How are you feeling?" Matt asked.
Andy licked his dry lips. "In a shit load of pain," he replied.
I reacted by turning to James. "Should we ask for some more painkiller for him? Should I ring for the nurse?"
Matt said, "They already gave him a lot of morphine."
I nodded as Andy closed his eyes as if that would help ease the pain in his body.
"You have three ribs broken," Matt said. "And a fuck load of bruises. Luckily, that's about it. No internal damages."
I sighed at the good news. The ribs would soon heal themselves. The bruises would soon disappear as well.
"I'm so glad," I said. "I'm going to stay here and help nurse you, Andy."
Andy was about to utter something when Matt said, "No need for that, Mia. I'm sure the nurse here are very capable."
I frowned and protested. "But I'm his sister. I have to be here for him." I turned to James for help. The man, too, didn't look too pleased with my announcement. I licked my lips and said, "Just the first couple of days. I know Andy needs his rest, but I feel more comfortable if I'm with him during the day."
"Mia," Andy said. "I don't want to inconvenient you."
"Andy, you're not inconveniencing me. We're siblings. You were always there for me. We promised to be there for each other."
Matt said, "He has me now. You don't need to bother."
Chapter 6
Mia
I was immediately outraged at his declaration. "Excuse me? But I'm still Andy's sister. I'm staying here with Andy today and tomorrow and the next day until he's better. Even if I have to extend my annual leave," I said clearly with a no nonsense tone in my voice.
I knew I had said only for the first couple of days, but I needed to make myself clear. I needed the two men to understand I needed to be with my brother in time such as these.
James folded his arms across his chest. "It's fine if you stay with Andy," he said.
Matt instantly scowled at James. "What the fuck?"
"Come on, Matt," James said. "You're in no state right now to look after Andy."
I understood what James meant. Matt needed a good, long shower to freshen himself up. Besides, he also needed food to nourish his body and then a good, long sleep. Suddenly, I wondered why the two men were so different after such a long and horrendous night working hard looking for my brother and then saving him. James still look disarmingly handsome in his suit while Matt looked exhausted and dishevel like he had been to hell and back.
"Besides," James continued. "We've got a fuck load of shits we need to clean-up."
I knew the clean-up must be something to do with the people who had taken Andy.
"You're right," Matt said, getting up from his seat. Standing there tall, he stared down at Andy. "I'll be back this evening."
Andy didn't response, and Matt stalked out the door like he was really pissed.
"I'm staying here," I said loudly to James.
He watched me for a moment, as if he was going to refuse my statement. Then he took out his wallet and handed me his credit card. I stared at it, wondering what it was for.
He chuckled. "I'm not going to starve my girl now, am I?"
I licked my lips. "I've got my own money."
"You've got what? Two hundred dollars cash? Hardly enough to get by in Vegas. Take the credit card, Mia. I'm going to be a bit busy in the next few days. If you're staying here with your brother, you'll need money for food."
Andy said, "He's right."
I sighed and reluctantly took the credit card. "Thanks," I said.
He rested his large hand on top of my head and then leaned over to kiss me on my forehead. I sucked in a shaky breath as I closed my eyes. When he moved back, he said, "See you tonight, sweetheart."
Then he and Matt left. I sighed as I stared at the closed door, my mind on James.
"He likes you," Andy said, drawing my attention to him.
I turned round and asked, "What?"
He repeated, "He likes you. He calls you sweetheart. When was the last time you heard anyone calling you that?"
I felt my heart skipped a beat. Andy was right. I had not heard that endearment words 'sweetheart' said to me since our parents' death. James was the first since then. Andy had never referred to me as 'sweetheart'. Even though deep down we loved each other dearly as siblings, me to him was just Mia, and he to me was just Andy. It was just that using any endearment words between us to one another was weird. More so, however, it was painful because the endearment words such as sweetheart, honey, darling, dear, pumpkin etc. reminded us of our beloved, dead parents. And that was very painful.
When James called me darlings or sweetheart, however, I felt a sort of lovely glow within my heart, and it made me happy. Did that meant James liked me as Andy had said. I didn't know, but the thought that he really liked me made me deliriously happy.
James didn't love me. He merely liked me. But at least that was enough for me... For now, at least.
Andy beckoned me to sit on the seat where Matt had vacated. I obliged and even moved the chair closer to him.
He said, "You like him, too, don't you?"
I couldn't hide it. I had never liked any man before because I've never met many of them. We've lived quietly, Andy and I. So it was to be expected. Besides that, the few male alive I knew of were bastards, such as my boss and work colleagues at the restaurant. Of course, there was Uncle Herbert as well. He was one hundred times more of a bastard and also happened to be a child molester. So it wasn't surprising when a guy like James Maxwell came along into my life--a guy who was tall, dark, handsome, and oddly enough kind to me--how could I not like him? How could I not fall for him? Even that first time I had met him on the road when he had nearly drove into me, I had fallen for him. I had liked him. I had wanted him--not in just him doing amazing, crazy sex with me, ravishing the innocent me to his heart's content and making me cry for more, but really wanted him to be in my life. I wanted him to love me and cherish me for the rest of both our lives, like the way Dad had cherished and loved Mom. But of course, I knew that was impossible. I knew the want and the like and I think the love was only one sided. My side. It was an unrequited love for sure.
The thought that I was one of those girls who fell for a guy who would never return her feelings made my heart ache painfully.
"Mia," Andy began. "Be careful. James isn't from our part of the world. It's dangerous being close to him. You understand?"
I nodded. Of course I understood it was dangerous being close to James. He was a billionaire. His very life was always in danger, wasn't he? Especially in the type of business he was dealing with--the money, the underground market, and everything that went on there.
Even though I have yet to fully understand my brother's true relationship with Matt, I couldn't help but voice my own concern for him as well. "Isn't Matt the same?" I asked.
Andy nodded, his eyes dark.
"Then why? Why do you stay with him?"
He chuckled sadly. "Oh, Mia. Believe me I've tried to leave. But I just can't."