Free Solid Steel (Unseen Enemy Book 6) by Marysol James Page B

Luke said roughly. “Selena deserves better than for us to find out like this – it should have been her decision to share that with everyone.”
    “You going to tell her that you know?” Mark asked him.
    Luke ran his hand through his hair. “Honestly? I’d say that she suspects the secret is out. She was stabbed in the chest, she knows you guys are out here, she knows the doctor’s reporting in. If I were her, I’d assume that the cat was well and truly out of the bag.”
    The other men considered that.
    “Yeah,” Mark said reluctantly. “You’re probably right.”
    “I won’t push it,” Luke said quietly. “But I won’t be surprised if it comes up.”
    “And can you handle it if it does?” Dallas asked.
    Luke held up his left arm and the men looked at the rounded, scarred flesh at the end of it. Neither flinched: they’d seen battle and they’d seen violent amputations and they had some idea what they were looking at.
    “I know what it’s like to lose a part of yourself,” Luke said. “I didn’t choose this, but it happened and I’ve figured out how to live with it. If Selena wants to talk to me about her own loss, I’ll be there. No problem, I promise you.”
    “Thanks, man,” Dallas said again. “And just to let you know: I have some experience being around women who are coping with bad scars and grappling with body image. You need me, you call.”
    Luke accepted Dallas’ business card with a nod. Then he turned and headed down the hall to Selena’s room.
    **
    Selena stared down, blinking, trying to keep her thoughts straight. She was incredibly tired and shocked and all she wanted was to go home and crawl in to her own bed.
    She ran her hand over her chest, felt its flatness. In the ER, they’d cut her clothes right off her, including her bra, and taken her breast forms. The left one was completely destroyed, anyway, but it had saved her life. That few inches of silicone and gel had absorbed the knife impact just enough to change the entire course of her fate. She was standing here and breathing and looking at the first rays of the sunrise because of it, she knew.
    There was a knock at the door and she spun, almost losing her balance. She tugged the loose hospital gown around her chest more tightly, crossed her arms.
    “Yes?” she called.
    The door opened and she almost fell over again when she saw Luke standing there.
    “Hey, Selena.” His voice was gentle, rough. “How you feeling?”
    “I’m – I’m OK.” She stared at him, almost shaking with the need for him to hold her against his steadiness. “What are you doing here?”
    He came in and shut the door behind him. “I heard about Griff, so I came to see how he was. That’s how I found out about you.”
    “Oh.”
    “I’ll take you home, OK?”
    She started. “Oh, no. I’m sure one of the guys can…”
    “I talked to Dallas and Mark, and said I’d get you out of here.” He gave her a small wink that was devastating in its sexiness. “You’re stuck with me, babe.”
    “But –” She tried to gather her incoherent thoughts. “But it’s a hassle for you.”
    “No hassle, I swear. Let’s just go.”
    She looked down at herself again. “I don’t have a shirt or coat. The cops took mine as evidence.”
    Right away, Luke peeled off his jean jacket. It was lined and warm and when he wrapped it around her shoulders, using his hand and his elbow, she felt his body heat. She shuddered, near tears with exhaustion and confusion.
    He saw that her eyes were suspiciously bright and he looked away, giving her a few seconds to pull herself together. He put his arm around her carefully, started to lead her to the door. She moved slowly and he paused.
    “You in pain?” he said.
    Selena looked up at him, feeling vague and hazy from the drugs. “Ummmm. Some, but it’s not too bad. The painkillers are strong, the doctor said.”
    “So you’ll be in pain later?”
    “Yeah, I imagine so.”
    “You got anything at home