Lathan shifted her around so she faced his chest and gathered her closer to him. His touch was so gentle, so caring, so intimate it almost brought tears to her eyes. She nuzzled her cheek against his shirt, concentrated on the fabric scratching against her face. Anything to distract herself enough to keep actual tears from forming.
“Gill. Take us to the hospital.” The command in his voice harbored no room for question.
She turned her head to see Gill standing only a few feet away from them. He stared at the toilet, his expression as impassive as plastic. He looked exactly like a full-size, real-life version of the Ken doll Rob had bought her as a butter-up-the-kid present before he’d married Mom. Gill had wavy blond hair and surfer boy looks—or maybe the actual Ken doll had been a Malibu Ken and that’s why Gill reminded her of a surfer.
It wasn’t fair, wasn’t his fault he reminded her of that Ken doll, but she instantly disliked him.
“No hospital. I’m fine now.”
Lathan drew back from her enough to see her face. “What did you say?”
“I don’t need to go to the hospital. I’m okay. Really. I’ll end up racking up a five-thousand-dollar bill, just to be told I ate something bad.” She needed cash to get out of Sundew before she ran into Junior again. If she saved every penny, she might have enough money to start over somewhere new in two or three months.
Lathan stared at her, his eyes intense, penetrating, like he saw beyond her skin and muscle and bone to the person buried beneath a lifetime full of shit.
“You want to borrow a toothbrush?”
Heat blazed across her face. She slapped her hand over her mouth and nodded. Dear Holy Mother of Mercy, please don’t let him have smelled my breath.
He unwrapped his arms from around her. She suddenly felt exposed, naked, like he’d taken her clothes with him. She didn’t look at Ken Doll while Lathan got her a toothbrush, but she felt his gaze roaming over her, judging her clothes, her body, her motives.
Call her childish—she couldn’t help herself—but she looked at Ken Doll, crossed her eyes, and stuck out her tongue.
He tilted his head, a look of confusion on his face. “I think she should go to the hospital. That”—Ken Doll pointed at the toilet—“isn’t normal.” His voice was as deep as a seventies radio announcer’s. And just as sexist—speaking about her as if she weren’t standing four feet away from him.
“No. I’m fine.” She snapped the words a little too quickly, a little too loudly to pretend she’d been trying to be polite. Which she hadn’t. She should be nicer. The guy really hadn’t done anything other than remind her of the past.
Ken Doll looked beyond her to Lathan. “I’m pretty sure she’s withdrawing from something. Heroin maybe.”
“Heroin?” She was only two decibels away from shouting the word.
“Cocaine?” Ken Doll asked her directly.
“Cocaine?” One decibel.
“Pain pills. Ritalin. Doesn’t matter. You should still go to the hospital.” Ken Doll snagged her arm, just like Junior had earlier. “Then after our interview, you can choose to enter detox. Or you can always choose jail time instead.”
“Get your hands off me.” She yanked on her arm, struggled to get out of his grasp, but each of his fingers was firm as a handcuff.
A roar of animalistic rage filled the bathroom, the sound so primal, so startling that both she and Ken Doll froze.
*
“Let her go!” Protectiveness surged beneath Lathan’s skin, tapping into some dormant animal instinct to defend his own. No one touches her. The words were a subliminal message floating to the surface of his awareness.
He charged forward and slammed his fist down on Gill’s forearm.
Gill released her arm and clutched the muscle and tendon Lathan had just bruised. “What—?”
Lathan bulldozed him in the chest, propelling him away from her. Only when Gill’s ass met the wall did Lathan’s momentum stop.
No one touches her.
Burnt cinnamon exploded in the air. “You want a fight?” Gill shoved himself off the wall and raised his fists—never one to back down from a challenge.
“No one touches her.” Lathan heard his own words. Must’ve yelled them. Didn’t care. His anger throttle was wide open, speeding fury though his system, charging his muscles, centering his mind on one thing—the irresistible compulsion to punish Gill for touching her.
Honey seemed to materialize in front of him. “Lathan. No.” She put her hands on his chest and pushed him back. Without question, his body yielded to her. Through his T-shirt, the coolness of her palms seeped into him, dousing the anger burning inside him more effectively than if she’d just removed the key from his ignition.
“Honey, I know you’re feeling better, but you shouldn’t get in the way of two grown-ass men getting ready to throw down.” A little pride might’ve leaked into his words. He might’ve even smiled. She was feisty and fearless, and he was determined to keep that alive in her. He never wanted see her as lost and wounded as she had been out on the road.
Gill slashed his hand through the air, beckoning for Lathan’s attention. “What the fuck is wrong with you?” He glanced at Honey, silent accusation on his face.