KANE (Slater Brothers, #3)

I removed my hand from his and sat back in the chair when he gave me no reaction. He was deep in sleep, so I decided not to speak anymore. He needed his rest. When he decided to wake up that was when the real tiredness was going to start because everyone would be breathing down his neck.

I relaxed into the big chair and was so pleased to find it had cushions. It wasn’t plastic like the ones in the waiting room—it was a real chair. I snuggled back and folded my arms across my chest. I was aware that my eyes felt heavy, but not surprised, because I had the worst night’s sleep on the chairs in the bloody A&E waiting room.

When I was sure Kane wasn’t going to wake up, I closed my eyes, and like the flip of a light switch, I was out.





I awoke later when a God-awful pain struck my stomach and caused it to churn and roil. “Oh, fuck!” I grumbled as I jumped up out of the chair and ran over to the sink in the hospital room.

I vomited into the sink until I was dry heaving and nothing else came up. I ran the water in the sink and splashed some of it on my face. I filled my mouth with water, gargled some of it, and spat it out before I shut the tap off and got some tissue papers to wipe my face and mouth dry.

I felt disgusting.

“Aideen?” a raspy voice behind me grumbled. “Are you okay?”

I spun around.

“Kane,” I whispered and moved over to the side of his bed. “Hey, you’re awake.”

He blinked up at me. “You were throwing up.”

I waved my hand. “Don’t mind that, I’m fine.”

Kane frowned, then reached up and touched his bandaged head. “What the hell happened? Where am I?”

I frowned. “You collapsed. You’re in the hospital, but you’re okay. This is just a precaution.”

Kane furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. “I don’t remember much. I was with Keela and we—” I jumped when he gasped. “Did it happen while I was driving? Oh, God, Keela! Is she okay? Is she—”

“Shh. Stop. She’s okay,” I cut him off and took hold of his hand in mine. “It happened while you were inside Tesco. The car was parked and you were both in an aisle inside the shop. She is okay.”

Physically okay, anyway.

“Thank God,” Kane breathed in relief. “That’s good.”

I nodded my head and let go of his hand when he glanced down to my hold on him. I busied myself with moving a chair closer so I could sit and talk to him.

“I’m... I’m a little surprised you’re here,” he said after a few seconds of silence.

I looked up at him and frowned. “Why?” I asked, slightly offended.

He shrugged his shoulders. “You don’t like me, Aideen.”

I huffed. “So? That doesn’t mean I want to see you dead.”

Kane smirked. “If I remember correctly, the last time we were alone together, you said you’d kill me yourself if I—”

“Do you want me to hurt you while you’re in this state?” I snapped. “We agreed to never talk about that night.”

Images of our bodies moving together from that night filled my mind, but I stopped that train of thought. I forced myself not to think about what happened. I pretended if I didn’t think about it, then it didn’t happen.

He lost his smirk and glared at me. “You agreed. Not me.”

I groaned. “Please, Kane. What good will come from people knowin’ what happened between us? I can tell you. Nothin’. Nothin’ will come of it because it was nothin’.”

“Kick a man while he’s down, why don’t you,” he growled.

I placed my head in my hands. “I didn’t mean it like that—”

“Then what way did you mean it?” he cut me off, his voice raised.

I kept my head down. “It was drunken sex, Kane. It was a mistake.”

“Yeah, well that mistake may be growing inside your body right now. I’m not stupid, Aideen. I may not remember fainting, but I remember everything else about yesterday. You might be pregnant, and we didn’t use protection that night. I can put two and two together. I’m not as dumb as you think I am,” he hissed. “Did you take a pregnancy test yet?”

I felt my eyes well up as I nodded my head. “I did, but then Keela phoned and told me what happened with you. Everythin’ was a little crazy after that. I forgot to look at the results.”

Kane’s voice was stern. “Go take one now. Ask a nurse for one; they will have them in their supply rooms.”

I looked up at him and frowned. “I can’t do it here.”

“Why not?” Kane asked, his face twisted in rage. “If you are pregnant it’s just a mistake, right? What do you care about taking a test in a hospital?”

I wasn’t sure why I was so upset, or why he was so angry with me. He agreed what happened between us all those nights ago was just an impulsive act. He knew we weren’t suited as a couple just as much as I knew it. We were the polar opposites of one another, and butted heads more times than not. We weren’t good together. We didn’t even like one another.

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