Page 9 of Stirring Attraction (Second Shot 2)
Because I didn’t give a damn about her.
Because she wasn’t Lily.
“You still care about her,” Ryan said firmly.
“Yeah,” he admitted. What was the point in denying it now? He’d missed his chance. Not that he had one at this point. “But she wanted a family. Marriage, kids. I sent her away.”
Because I knew I wasn’t good enough for her. Too broken. Too battered.
Dominic looked up at his friend. “And now—”
“She needs you,” Ryan said flatly.
“She’s not dead.” Dominic closed his eyes and let the relief wash over him. It pumped through his veins, one wild rush, and then . . . shit, he felt as if he might faint, right here in his kitchen.
“No, man.” Ryan shook his head. “I would have started with the bad news if she’d been killed. And I wouldn’t have waited five weeks to come get you.”
Five weeks?
He opened his eyes. Had his phone been ringing over and over, the caller ID flashing familiar Oregon numbers he didn’t feel like answering, for over a month?
Probably.
“What happened?” Dominic demanded.
“Someone attacked her.”
The muscles in his messed-up hand spasmed. He wanted to hurt whoever did this. Hunt them down and tear into the bastard who’d dared to touch his Lily.
She’s not mine. Not anymore.
But dammit, there was one organ beating in his chest that hadn’t gotten the message. He would never stop warring with the selfish part of his broken heart that begged him to go home and claim Lily, even though he knew she was better off without him.
“A stranger, possibly drugged or, hell, not taking the drugs prescribed to him,” Ryan continued. He spoke quickly as if reciting a report to his commanding officer. “He came at her with a knife while she was jogging.”
He let out a noise that sounded a helluva lot like an animal that had been hit. But this bullet, this list of facts, wasn’t a kill shot.
“A fucking knife,” Dominic growled. “He attacked her with a goddamn knife.”
Ryan nodded. “Your sister tried to call you and fill you in.”
“I don’t answer the phone,” he said as he sank to the floor beside the pile of clothes. Coffee and shards of his ceramic mug covered the T-shirt and jeans. He didn’t give a damn if the broken pieces cut into him and drew blood.
“Lily’s out of the hospital and recovering fine.” Ryan claimed a spot on the floor beside him. “Except she’s convinced that the cops, including your dad, have it all wrong. Lily believes she was targeted. According to your sister, the physical wounds are healing, but Lily’s terrified. Hell, Noah gave her a job bartending at Big Buck’s just to get her out of the house. But it has become clear to them that she’s not sleeping. She’s obsessed with finding out who hurt her.”
“And they think I can help her?” Dominic asked, his gaze fixed on the mostly empty living space. He holed up in here twenty-four/seven most days, his feet resting on a damn box. He went to the gym and bought supplies. Nothing more. He’d even given up on the PT for his hand. It wouldn’t make a difference. He’d already lost his place with the rangers. He’d lost his dream of providing that best damn future for Lily. He was freaking useless.
“Josie and Noah think that you can make her feel safe. She has driven almost everyone else out of her life,” Ryan said.
“Yeah, I’m on that list too. Only I shoved her out months ago. I don’t think she’ll welcome me back.”
“You’re a ranger—”
“Was,” Dominic cut in. He wasn’t fit to help Lily now. And yeah, that fact hurt more than the bullets through his chest.
“I think she’d feel a lot safer with you watching her back than relying on your dad and his deputies. Your father’s a good police chief, but he can’t have cops patrolling Lily’s street all night.”
Dominic nodded. Before he’d enlisted, he’d been a cop in Forever. And he knew the department wouldn’t protect a woman twenty-four/seven from a criminal they didn’t believe had the first clue about where Lily lived.
