Page 155 of Cheap Shot

One turned into three, of course, but eventually, she was out cold beneath her purple unicorn sheets.

“Thanks for that,” Sebastian said as he quietly closed the door behind them.

“Happy to,” Luke said gruffly.

Sebastian turned, looping his arms around Luke’s neck and whispering, “Did I ever tell you it gets me hot when you’re so good with my niece?”

Luke raised an eyebrow. “No, but that’s good to know.”

Sebastian grinned. “We’ve got a couple of hours before Brie is home. What do you say we go downstairs and pretend like we’re working on our respective business plans?”

“What are you planning to do instead?” Luke asked with a quiet laugh.

“Make out with you?”

Luke grinned. “Twist my arm, but okay.”

They ended up on the living room couch, Sebastian’s hand tangled in Luke’s hair as he slid his tongue into Sebastian’s mouth.

Luke was hard in his jeans and Sebastian had just climbed onto his lap when he heard, “Uncle Sebby? Mr. Luke? I don’t feel so good,” in the distance.

“Fuck,” Sebastian muttered, clambering off his lap. “Coming, Harper!”

Luke stood, adjusted his dick in his jeans and willed his erection to go down, then followed. By the time he made it into the hall, Harper was at the top of the stairs and Sebastian was halfway up.

“What’s wrong?” Sebastian asked, sounding worried. “What feels funny? Is it your stomach? Did you eat too much?”

“No,” Harper said. “I feel …”

And then she crumpled to the floor, still and silent.

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

“Call 9-1-1,” Sebastian called out, racing up the stairs. “Tell them a five-year-old with PHACE syndrome collapsed. She’s had two open-heart surgeries and had a pacemaker put in last November.”

He knelt beside Harper, reaching for her neck and pressing two fingers to the side of her throat. She was breathing, he could see that, and a moment later he felt the too-quick flutter of her heart.

In the background, he heard Luke saying in a low, urgent tone. “I’m going to need an ambulance to—” His voice rose. “Shit, what’s the address, Sebastian?”

“It’s on the whiteboard by the door,” he shouted back.

Sebastian turned his attention to Harper again. She was coming too, her gaze a little unfocused, but her eyes were open.

“Hey,” he said, shaking her gently. “Harper. Can you hear me?”

“Uncle Sebby?” she asked woozily.

“Yeah, yeah I’m right here, baby,” he said, smoothing a hand over her tangled hair. “Tell me what’s wrong.”

He relayed what he could to Luke, who passed it along to the dispatcher. While they waited for the ambulance to arrive, Sebastian carried Harper downstairs. She was still groggy and out of it and she kept saying that she felt funny, but didn’t seem to be able to explain where or what exactly was wrong.

It felt like it took forever for the ambulance to get there and Sebastian almost wept with relief when he heard the wail of the sirens.

Luke held the door open for the paramedics in the entryway, and Sebastian gently deposited her on the gurney, nodding as the medics introduced themselves.

He relayed her medical history as they strapped Harper to the gurney, interrupting occasionally to explain to her what they were doing.

The female medic—whose name Sebastian had already forgotten—frowned at what Sebastian told her. “Harper,” she said. “I need to take a look at your chest here. Is that okay?” She pointed at a spot over Harper’s heart.