fainted,” Jake mused.
“Probably because she’s—“ Cindy’s sentence ended abruptly. Jake glanced up in time to see Ryan shooting her a withering glare.
“Stress,” Ryan answered between clenched teeth. “Cindy, come with me to housekeeping.”
He grasped her elbow and led her to the door.
COOLNESS ON HER forehead lured Jenna from the darkness.
“Jenna.” A deep voice said her name. “Jenna, are you alright?”
Ryan’s voice.
Confusion swirled around her, like a dark gray curtain on a stormy night, but she struggled against it.
She opened her eyes. Ryan’s concerned face stared down at her, his sensuous lips pinched in a straight line. Cindy’s head bobbed into view.
“Her eyes are open,” Cindy said to someone behind her. She smiled down at Jenna and through the numbness Jenna felt Cindy’s fingers curl around her own. “How you doing, honey?”
Cindy squeezed Jenna’s hand and Jenna squeezed back, allowing the firm grip to draw her farther into consciousness.
Her eyes drifted closed again as she drew in a deep breath.
Someone put a glass to her lips.
“Take a sip, Jenna,” Cindy said.
Cool, flavorless liquid trickled into Jenna’s mouth and down her throat. She opened her eyes, intent on the glass, wrapping her hands around it. She leaned forward and tipped more of the water into her mouth. Cindy kept her hands around the glass, guiding it forward, then took it away when Jenna urged it back. When Jenna glanced up again, she saw two Ryan’s staring down at her.
“Oh, God, I’m seeing double.” The inside of her head started to swirl. A pounding started in her temple. One of the Ryan’s took her hand. “No, sweetheart, you’re not. This is . . .”
His lips continued moving, but the words were drowned out by the increased drumming in her ears. His face was tight with concern, but she couldn‘t follow what he was saying. She blinked a couple of times, trying to clear the fog closing in on her, but then she fell into the wonderful, cushioned blackness again.
ANGER STORMED THROUGH Cindy and she batted Ryan on the arm.
“You idiots. What are you trying to do? Scare her witless? It’s a really bad idea to upset her in her—“ at Ryan’s murderous glare, she bit back the word condition, “—situation,” she finished.
“What situation is that?” Jake asked, eyebrows pinched together.
Pregnant, she wanted to scream, but Ryan had dragged her aside earlier and forbade her to let Jake know anything about the baby. Not that she agreed with him, in the longer term anyway, but she realized that adding that complication to an already tense situation wasn’t a good idea. Ryan was ready to wring his brother’s neck as it was, and if Jake found out about the pregnancy and put two and two together . . . She wanted to shake some sense into them. The two of them were jockeying for position, readying for a head-butting contest. Men and their egos.
“The situation is that she’s getting married,” Ryan said through gritted teeth. “Or had you forgotten?” Cindy’s fists clenched.
“Guys, get over it. Right now your only concern should be Jenna. If she wakes up and sees the two of you again, the shock will probably send her into a coma, so I suggest one of you leave.”
Ryan settled deeper into his chair. “She’s my fiancee. I’m staying right here.” He dipped the cloth in the spare glass of water and wrung it out, then placed it on Jenna’s forehead again, turning his back to Cindy and Jake. Jake crossed his arms over his chest, his eyes narrowing. Cindy glanced from one to the other, then walked to Ryan’s brother’s side and wrapped her hand securely around his arm.
Jake. Jenna’s fantasy man.
“I really think you should go,” she said gently, using her most persuasive tone. “Just until we get her up and around again.”
Jake’s tension
“Probably because she’s—“ Cindy’s sentence ended abruptly. Jake glanced up in time to see Ryan shooting her a withering glare.
“Stress,” Ryan answered between clenched teeth. “Cindy, come with me to housekeeping.”
He grasped her elbow and led her to the door.
COOLNESS ON HER forehead lured Jenna from the darkness.
“Jenna.” A deep voice said her name. “Jenna, are you alright?”
Ryan’s voice.
Confusion swirled around her, like a dark gray curtain on a stormy night, but she struggled against it.
She opened her eyes. Ryan’s concerned face stared down at her, his sensuous lips pinched in a straight line. Cindy’s head bobbed into view.
“Her eyes are open,” Cindy said to someone behind her. She smiled down at Jenna and through the numbness Jenna felt Cindy’s fingers curl around her own. “How you doing, honey?”
Cindy squeezed Jenna’s hand and Jenna squeezed back, allowing the firm grip to draw her farther into consciousness.
Her eyes drifted closed again as she drew in a deep breath.
Someone put a glass to her lips.
“Take a sip, Jenna,” Cindy said.
Cool, flavorless liquid trickled into Jenna’s mouth and down her throat. She opened her eyes, intent on the glass, wrapping her hands around it. She leaned forward and tipped more of the water into her mouth. Cindy kept her hands around the glass, guiding it forward, then took it away when Jenna urged it back. When Jenna glanced up again, she saw two Ryan’s staring down at her.
“Oh, God, I’m seeing double.” The inside of her head started to swirl. A pounding started in her temple. One of the Ryan’s took her hand. “No, sweetheart, you’re not. This is . . .”
His lips continued moving, but the words were drowned out by the increased drumming in her ears. His face was tight with concern, but she couldn‘t follow what he was saying. She blinked a couple of times, trying to clear the fog closing in on her, but then she fell into the wonderful, cushioned blackness again.
ANGER STORMED THROUGH Cindy and she batted Ryan on the arm.
“You idiots. What are you trying to do? Scare her witless? It’s a really bad idea to upset her in her—“ at Ryan’s murderous glare, she bit back the word condition, “—situation,” she finished.
“What situation is that?” Jake asked, eyebrows pinched together.
Pregnant, she wanted to scream, but Ryan had dragged her aside earlier and forbade her to let Jake know anything about the baby. Not that she agreed with him, in the longer term anyway, but she realized that adding that complication to an already tense situation wasn’t a good idea. Ryan was ready to wring his brother’s neck as it was, and if Jake found out about the pregnancy and put two and two together . . . She wanted to shake some sense into them. The two of them were jockeying for position, readying for a head-butting contest. Men and their egos.
“The situation is that she’s getting married,” Ryan said through gritted teeth. “Or had you forgotten?” Cindy’s fists clenched.
“Guys, get over it. Right now your only concern should be Jenna. If she wakes up and sees the two of you again, the shock will probably send her into a coma, so I suggest one of you leave.”
Ryan settled deeper into his chair. “She’s my fiancee. I’m staying right here.” He dipped the cloth in the spare glass of water and wrung it out, then placed it on Jenna’s forehead again, turning his back to Cindy and Jake. Jake crossed his arms over his chest, his eyes narrowing. Cindy glanced from one to the other, then walked to Ryan’s brother’s side and wrapped her hand securely around his arm.
Jake. Jenna’s fantasy man.
“I really think you should go,” she said gently, using her most persuasive tone. “Just until we get her up and around again.”
Jake’s tension
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