Simple Twist of Fate: Fated, Book 3

by Karen Erickson

  He checked the victim’s pulse, which was strong. Her arm looked broken, and she’d suffered a head injury. He had a feeling she’d be fine but didn’t want to make promises he couldn’t damn well keep. “I believe she’s going to be all right, ma’am. Another ambulance is on its way and should be here shortly.”

  “Oh, thank God.” The woman blubbered all over him, and he offered her a quick one-armed hug. The stench of smoke grew stronger and he realized the fire engine was already there. A handful of firefighters surrounded the smoking car and were foaming it down.

  The traffic had slowed but the scene was still chaos. “You should probably go stand over there.” He waved the woman over to the embankment where those who stopped to help stood. “It’s safer, not so close to the road.”

  “But what about my—“

  “I’ll take care of her until the other ambulance gets here.” He smiled and gently urged her toward the curbed embankment. She went without protest, and he headed for the wrecked car. The victim lay just on the other side of it, and he wanted to make sure she was safe in her location.

  It was pure chaos. Emergency personnel were all over the place, victims’ family members were making an appearance and those who’d stopped to help originally still lingered about. He’d lost sight of the mother of the victim he’d vowed to take care of and with a grim shake of his head he headed back toward the car.

  “Watch out!”

  Evan turned, but it was too late. “Shit.” The car barreled toward him and he leapt as far as he could but to no avail. The car clipped him, sending him to the ground and his head hit the pavement before his body did.

  Rendering him unconscious.

  She picked up the ringing phone, not even paying attention since she was so focused on reading her email. “This is Morgan.”

  “Morgan, it’s Brett.”

  She frowned at the receiver she clutched. “Hey. Want me to connect you to Jenna?”

  “No, I need to talk to you.” He took a deep, shaky breath. “There’s been—an accident.”

  Dread filled her and her skin went cold. “What do you mean? What happened?”

  “It’s Evan. He was hurt.”

  “What? Is he okay?” She clutched the edge of her desk with her free hand, dizziness swamping her. If she let go surely she would slide to the floor in a faint.

  “He’s going to be. He was actually pretty lucky, and the car knocked him to the ground but didn’t full out hit him. He was rendered unconscious, but he came to just before they put him in the ambulance.” Brett paused, and she swore she heard shouting in the background. Where was he calling from? How did he know Evan got hurt? “He asked for you. That’s why I called.”

  “He asked for me?” Her heart expanded at least four times its size and her chest went tight. “Where are you, Brett? Are you with him?”

  “We were both on scene at a car accident. I saw him get hit.” Brett paused. “He is one lucky mother fucker. Oops, sorry.”

  “No, it’s okay. What hospital is he going to?”

  Brett rattled off the name of the hospital, the same one she’d gone to when she’d been smacked by the door. She hung up the phone and in a haze, went to her boss, saying she had an emergency and had to leave work early. Grabbing her purse and her sweater, she started toward the elevator.

  “Morgan, where are you going? What’s wrong?”

  She turned to see Jenna chasing after her, a worried expression on her face. “I gotta go. Evan’s been hurt.”

  “What happened?”

  Morgan pressed her lips together. She didn’t know if she could stand the look of worry on Jenna’s face much longer. She was ready to completely lose it. “Your fiancé called me. He said Evan was hit by a car.”

  “Oh, my God.” Jenna gripped her arm. “I’ll drive you to the hospital. You shouldn’t go alone.”

  “It’s okay, I’ll be fine.”

  “No way.” Jenna shook her head. “Let me get my purse.”

  Morgan watched her friend run to her desk, taking a deep breath to calm her nerves. But it didn’t help. Panic rose within her, threatening to take over and she closed her eyes, ran a shaky hand across her forehead.

  He was hurt. But Brett said he’d be all right. She could only hope and pray that was the case.

  She couldn’t stand the thought of losing him. Had he heard her voicemail? It was doubtful. But he’d asked for her. And that gave her hope.

  So much hope.

  Chapter Eight

  His head throbbed like a son of a bitch. In fact, his entire body ached and damned if he could figure out exactly where he was. Last he knew he was on the side of the freeway trying to do his job amid the chaos.

  But then….yeah. The car had wiped past him, the woman behind the wheel with the shocked and horrified expression on her face. She’d clearly lost control of her vehicle.

  And hit him. Well, brushed past him, knocking him to the ground but still he’d taken the hit. She could’ve killed him.

  A rather sobering thought.

  “Evan.” The soft, sweet voice drifted over him, through him and his skin prickled with awareness. It was Morgan. He’d recognize her voice anywhere. “Evan, are you awake?”

  Yeah, he was awake, but he couldn’t open his eyes. It hurt just to try. So instead he remained quiet and still and focused on the feather soft bed he lay on, the blankets tucked tight around him. Her tentative fingers smoothed across his forehead, and he sighed at the gentle touch.

  “You are awake.” It was Morgan. And he wasn’t dreaming. She stroked her fingers through his hair and she grabbed his hand with her free one, giving it a squeeze. “Or you can at least hear me.”

  He could. He could feel her too. And it was so good, knowing she was there. Sitting next to him, touching him, sounding worried about him. He thought she was done with him. Finished. Kaput. Maybe he should get hit by a car more often.

  Trying to turn so he faced her, he groaned when the pain shot through him and he fell back onto his back.

  Maybe he should scratch that last thought. Getting hit by a car sucked balls.

  “Do you need something? God, you must be hurting. I’ll call a nurse…”

  “No.” His voice rasped and he tightened his fingers about her hand. Slowly, he pried his eyes open to find her sitting at his side, worry etched all over her beautiful face, her eyes rimmed with red.

  Had she really been crying over him? The image tugged at his heart.

  “Hi.” She leaned in closer and smiled, her face level with his and she sifted her fingers through his hair once again. “How are you feeling? Do you need anything?”

  “I’m fine.” He tried to move again and gave up quick. “Hurts.”

  “You broke two of your ribs and got a concussion. Of course you hurt.” She brought their linked hands to her mouth and kissed his, blinking rapidly as if trying to hold back tears. “They’re keeping you in the hospital overnight for observation. Now you’re the one with the head injury.” She dropped their hands but didn’t let go.

  “We’re quite the pair.” He tried to smile but it hurt. Everything hurt.

  Except where Morgan touched him.

  “We are.” She glanced down at their connected hands, her thumb rubbing over his knuckles. “Are we still a pair though?”

  His heart plummeted somewhere in the vicinity of his feet. “I don’t know. Are we?”

  “Did you get my voicemail?” She wouldn’t look at him.

  “The one where you said you were wondering how I’m doing? Yeah, I got it.” What a bullshit message it had been too. All casual, like nothing was wrong.

  “No, not that one. That one’s awful.” At least she realized it. “I left you another one. Earlier this afternoon, around lunchtime.”

  “I never got it.” He’d been too busy working, taking care of injured people, getting hit by a car. Some crazy with worry relative of one of the victims in the accident had plowed into him. He still couldn’t believe it. Now he
was laid up in a hospital bed, helpless and hurting and damn, it sucked.

  “Then I guess I’ll have to tell you what I said.” She lifted her head and met his gaze, a tremulous smile curving her lips. “I made a mistake.”

  Hope rose within him. “What about?”

  “You. Us. I walked away because I got scared. I didn’t believe what we had could last. I mean nothing this good ever lasts, right?” She laughed nervously and he knew she wasn’t looking for an answer. She was talking to herself so he let her go on. “But I really think it could. I know there are no guarantees, but Jenna told me sometimes you need to take a risk. And I want to take a risk with you, Evan.”

  He stared at her, at a complete loss for words. This was exactly what he’d wanted from the first moment he saw her. He could finally see it. The instant he’d touched her and those pretty brown eyes had met his, he’d known. She was the woman for him. The only woman he ever really wanted.

  And he was a complete dumbass, unable to speak.

  “Do you want to take a risk on me? With me? I’m kind of a pain in the ass and this won’t be the first time I panic, I’m sure. But you’re so patient and you make everything so easy I know you can calm me down. Smooth my ruffled feathers, you know?” She waited, hopeful he’d say something, he could see it written all over her pretty face but he remained silent. Too overcome with emotion, something that had never happened before.

  The light dimmed from her eyes, and she started to withdraw. Shaking his head, he uttered the first words he could think of to keep her close. Keep her from retreating.

  “Come here.” His voice was hoarse, and his throat felt tight. “Please.”

  She leaned over him and brought her face to his. He cupped the back of her head, bit back the groan that wanted to escape, ignoring the pain splintering throughout his body. She was worth the pain, worth the bit of suffering he would endure.

  He wasn’t about to let her go.

  Their mouths met, clung. She parted her lips easily, damp and warm and welcoming and he dabbed at her tongue with his. Unbelievably his body reacted, his cock twitching beneath the covers and he withdrew from her, his breath coming rapidly, hers doing the same.

  “You’re mighty powerful, woman. Giving me a hard on while I lay in a hospital bed.”

  She smiled and gently withdrew from him. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

  “It hurts me more to know I could’ve lost you.”

  She shook her head. “There’s no way that would’ve happened. I’m stubborn, but I would’ve seen the error of my ways eventually.”

  “Thank God for Jenna,” he muttered.

  “Thank God you weren’t hurt more seriously.” Her face was solemn, her eyes big. Fathomless as they drank him up. She studied him as if she wanted to memorize his every feature and he silently cursed his faulty physical condition.

  The way she looked at him, all he wanted to do was grab her. Strip her naked and make love to her. Tell her how much she meant to him, how much she would always mean to him.

  “Morgan…” His voice drifted, and he swallowed hard. He wanted to say the words but it was damn hard. This was an important moment. “Morgan, I’m in love with you.”

  Her eyes filled with tears and one tear dropped, sliding down her smooth, flushed cheek. Reaching out, he caught it with a swipe of his thumb and lingered there. Her skin was so smooth, so fragrant and she was so damned beautiful it hurt to look at her.

  “I’m in love with you,” she confessed, her voice soft as she leaned down and kissed him once again.

  And she belonged to him.

  Chapter Nine

  Two months later…

  “I still can’t believe you’re doing this.” They trudged up the path toward the cabin, Evan carrying both of their suitcases. Morgan followed behind him, admiring the way his jeans tightened across his mighty fine butt with his every step.

  Her boyfriend was beyond hot. And yes, she still got a giddy thrill every time she referred to Evan as her boyfriend, both out loud and mentally.

  Most likely this meant she was completely mental but she didn’t care.

  “What, taking a vacation? I don’t have a problem with taking a vacation,” Evan said from over his shoulder.

  “Brett told me you haven’t gone on vacation in years.”

  “Brett needs to shut the hell up and mind his own business.” Oh, he sounded growly and terse, but she knew Evan meant it good naturedly. He and Brett had already been acquaintances but in the last few months, they’d grown into friends.

  All of them were friends, including Mia and Jake. The men got along great, which relieved the women more than they cared to admit. They spent a lot of time together and were even planning a Mexican getaway next fall.

  But this weekend…it was just for them. She had Evan all to herself at a seaside cabin on the central California coast. And she wasn’t going to let him escape out of the cabin or the bed for the next two days.

  Her entire body tingled at the decadent thought.

  Evan gestured for Morgan to open the door since his hands were filled, and she walked inside first. The cabin was airy and light, the soft blues and greens within reminiscent of the sea. It featured a sparkling white kitchen and a casual living area complete with fireplace and TV, all one large, high ceilinged room. The bedroom featured a California king sized bed and a giant bay window that faced the ocean An en suite bathroom with a Jacuzzi tub completed the room. Perfect for a weekend of hot sexin’.

  Just what Morgan had in mind.

  Evan dropped the suitcases on the floor in the bedroom and she grabbed him from behind, sliding her arms around his middle and clasping her hands against his firm stomach.

  “Careful,” he murmured, his hands sliding over hers. “Don’t want to injure my healing ribs.”

  “Oh, I think they’re healed.” He was the healthiest man she knew. Nothing stopped him, absolutely nothing. He’d had her naked and on her back the day after he got home from the hospital even though she’d protested. A little. Until finally she flipped him over so he wouldn’t have to do a thing while she rode him for all he was worth…

  “Did you get me up here just to have your wicked way with me?”

  She pressed her head against his solid back, absorbing his warmth, his scent. Would she ever grow tired of this? Of him? She highly doubted it. “You found me out.”

  He turned, staying within her embrace and slipped his arms around her waist. “Should we even have brought clothes?”

  “No, because I’m keeping you naked and in that bed all weekend long.” She stood on tiptoe and kissed his chin, along his bristly jaw. He hadn’t shaved since yesterday and had the perfect amount of scruff on his face.

  His hands slipped down to cup her butt and tug her closer. “Keep that up and you’ll have me naked in no time.”

  “You’re so tuned in to my devious plan.” She wiggled against him, the brush of his burgeoning erection urging her on. The moment they touched it was as if a match lit between them. Fiery hot and all consuming, she couldn’t get enough of him.

  And he couldn’t get enough of her either.

  She kissed him, her hands slipping beneath the hem of his shirt, fingers trailing across firm, hot skin. He broke the kiss to tear off his shirt and he cupped her face, gentling the kiss as his thumbs stroked her cheeks.

  Oh, she was a sucker for the face hold, and he knew it. Her knees wobbled, all the bones in her body dissolved and she clung to his hips, her fingers curling around the waistband of his low-slung jeans. She didn’t feel any cotton underneath the soft denim and she realized he’d gone without underwear.

  Slowly, she broke the kiss, her smile so big it hurt her cheeks. “You’re a bad boy.”

  His brows rose. “You discovered my secret?”

  “I sure did.” She undid the button fly of his Levi’s one by one, her fingers brushing against bare, hot skin. Wrapping her fingers around his cock, she stroked him, earning a hearty groan for her effort
s.

  She really loved it when he groaned like that.

  Evan made quick work of her clothes, hurriedly yanking off her shirt, then helping her step out of her shorts which he then tossed over his shoulder. She remained in her bra and panties while he stood completely naked. She shoved at his shoulders so he had no choice but to sit on the edge of the bed.

  Her mouth literally watered at the sight before her. And her heart panged hard, momentarily stealing her breath. He was so beautiful, his body such utter masculine perfection, his cock hard and ready for her attention. A pulse throbbed between her legs, her panties were damp but she wanted to please him first.

  Show him just how much she loved him.

  Morgan fell to her knees and rested her hands on his thighs, pushing them wider, her fingers gliding along the sensitive inner skin. She could smell him, rich and musky and she pressed a kiss first to the inside of one thigh, then the other. He quivered at first touch of her lips.

  “You don’t have to do this,” he muttered but she ignored him, raining kisses up the length of his thigh, toward the real treasure she wanted to get her lips and hands on.

  “I want to.” She encircled the base of his cock with her fingers and he gave a startled jerk. “Let me.”

  He smiled, his eyes heated unrestrained passion. “I’m not going to protest.”

  No surprise. Her man loved nothing more than when she went down on him.

  Tentatively she licked just the tip of his cock, circling the flared head with her tongue. He released a shuddering breath when she dabbed at a particularly sensitive spot, and she wanted to laugh. She knew his body so well, just as well as he knew hers but it was still always so new, so exciting when they came together. She hoped that heady feeling would never end…