Not Like This

“You know, one would think that, having grown up together, you might view me as a sister and not as the object of your lust,” I said coldly. “What’s worse is you make those comments in front of your girlfriend—if she is actually your girlfriend—with no regard for her feelings. You are like dirt beneath my feet, only fit to be wiped off. Did you tell her what you did to me?”

Max curled his lip at me as his girlfriend glanced back and forth between us, her eyes wide. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said, sneering.

“Gee, gaslighting. That’s one I haven’t heard before,” I said in a lofty, sarcastic voice.

Max’s face turned red with rage. “That’s enough!” he spat. You’ve always been trouble. This time is no different.”

“Yeah, well, at least I’m not a rapist.” I sipped my drink with an air of nonchalance I didn't feel.

Max’s face twisted as fury overtook him, and he jumped to his feet. “You—you—!”

“I what?” I arched a brow.

“Gah!” he screeched, lunging forward and drawing something out of his jacket. It was a gun!

My eyes widened, and I stood quickly, taking a swift step back. Luca rose, too, moving in front of me right as Max pulled the trigger. The bullet hit him in the shoulder, and he fell.

Max paled, shaking his head back and forth as he realized what he’d done. He backed away, fleeing toward the elevator and leaving his date standing there, gaping. He swore under his breath over and over all the way to the doors.

Luna was aghast at what Max had done, staring after him like she hardly knew him. A look of horror seemed permanently fixed on her face as she stood there with her mouth open. I couldn’t blame her; I didn’t feel like I knew Max, either.

I kneeled down beside Luca. Blood pooled around him, and this time it wasn’t fake blood, like in our film. “Oh God,” I breathed, using my jacket to put pressure on his wound. I looked around frantically as everyone in the restaurant just stared at us. “Somebody called 911!” I yelled.

Then I looked back at Luca. “Don’t die on me,” I said, my voice breaking. “Now that I have you, I can’t lose you. Not like this.”

“You think I’m that easy to kill off?” he joked.

“Stop it. This is serious,” I scolded, but it was hard to put any real energy into my words when he was bleeding so much.

“Fine,” he conceded, surprising me. “But this won’t kill me,” he promised. “I have to live to beat Alex. You can’t choose me if I’m dead.”

I couldn’t believe he was thinking of that right now. A rough laugh escaped me as I stared into his warm eyes. There was a tightness around them that could have been from pain. “I guess that’s true. Just don’t go into any lights. I’ll have to chase you down if you do.”

“I promise,” he said, wincing. “Now, get over here and kiss me. I want your lips to be the last thing I taste.”

A choked sob wracked my body. “You’re not dying.”

“Still.” He opened his arms, inviting me closer.

I leaned in, kissing him like it was the last time, like it was goodbye. Sirens sounded on the streets below, and I let him wrap an arm around me.

“Well,” he said when we broke apart, “if you kissed me like that every day, I don’t think I could leave you alone.”

“Then I’d better not kiss you like that every day, or I’ll never get anything done,” I managed. “On second thought, if you live, maybe I will kiss you like that as much as you like.”

“I’m going to hold you to that,” Luca said, his tone serious.

“I’d expect nothing less.”

The elevator opened, and a couple of paramedics rushed in, their eyes scanning the room. When they saw us, they wasted no time in coming over. “We’ll take over from here,” one said, nudging me out of the way.

“Good job,” the other said as she took my place. “Applying pressure was the right move.”

I moved out of the way, and they strapped Luca onto the gurney. “Where are you taking him?” I asked.

“Oceanview General Hospital,” the first paramedic said.

Luca grunted as he sat up. “That’s my future wife. She comes with me.”

“Sir, you need to lie down,” said the blonde paramedic, and the other one—the tall one with graying hair—motioned for me to hop in the back of the ambulance with them.

I was too numb to correct Luca, so I simply sat on one of the seats on the side as we rode, lights on and siren blaring, to the hospital. I felt like I held my breath the whole way. Luca didn’t even crack his usual jokes, pain evident on his pale face.

We arrived at Oceanview General Hospital in record time, but I guess that was to be expected when you traveled by ambulance. The doctors rushed Luca back, asking me to wait in a family waiting area, and I nibbled at my nail in worry. Luca had not looked good at all. His skin was pale and clammy, and he was so weak that he could barely move.

“We’ll take good care of him,” a nurse assured me as he was rushed into surgery.

Hours passed without a single update, and worry gnawed at my chest. Why hadn’t anyone told me anything? Was he okay? Were there complications? I sat down from my pacing as my mind jumped to increasingly worse conclusions the more time passed. Soon, I’d convinced myself that Luca was going to die.

More time passed, and eventually, a man in blue scrubs and a white coat approached me. “Mrs. Greco? he asked, his voice soft.

I didn’t correct him because I knew he was more likely to give me information if he believed Luca and I were married. Why was he speaking so softly? Had something happened?

I realized I had been standing there, frozen in silence, and I cleared my throat. “Y-yes?”

“Mr. Greco is going to be fine. He shouldn’t use his right arm for three to six weeks as he recovers, but he pulled through his surgery like a champ.” The handsome doctor—surgeon—smiled.

A breath of relief escaped me in a whoosh, and my tense shoulders slumped. “Thank you.”

I wanted to hug him. They’d saved Luca’s life, and I was full of overwhelming gratitude.

“Over the next several hours, we will keep him under careful observation,” the surgeon continued. “We’ll monitor him for signs of change, but he’s doing well. The bullet didn’t hit anything vital. I am hopeful he will make a full recovery.”

“That’s great news,” I said.

“As soon as he wakes up, you can see him.” The man offered what was likely supposed to be a comforting smile.

I was glad Luca was okay. No, I was overjoyed. But I couldn’t believe Max had shot him. That he’d tried to shoot me. Max had tried to kill me.

Within the next hour, a couple of police officers arrived to take my statement about what had happened. “I’m Officer James,” the woman said, “and this is Officer Hewitt.” She gestured to the man. “Can you tell us what happened?”

I took in a shaky breath. “I was on a date with Luca Greco”—the two shared a judgemental look, probably having dealt with Luca on a number of occasions—“when my brother, Max Lush, showed up.”

“Did he know you were going to be at The Ritz today?” Officer Hewitt interrupted.

“I-I don’t think so,” I stammered. “It was a coincidence.” With fate, however, I didn’t think there were any coincidences.

“And then what happened?” Officer James asked gently.

“Max tried to sexually assault me a few weeks ago,” I started, and the officers exchanged a disbelieving look. “I recently found out we’re not actually related,” I explained. This was quickly going downhill. “So, when he complimented my looks, I called him a rapist. It sent him into a rage, and he pulled a gun on us. Luca stepped in front of me right before Max tried to shoot me.”

I was surprised at how calm I sounded, but I was sure it would hit me later. I was probably in shock.

“Is there any other reason Max would want to kill you?” Officer Hewitt asked.

“Aside from me filing a lawsuit against him and going after him for embezzling from our company, money laundering, and the attempted sexual assault?” I asked.

“Fair enough,” Hewitt said. “I guess that’s all. Thank you for your time.”

I nodded, still numb. Another hour passed, and a nurse came to retrieve me. “Your husband’s awake,” she said.

I wasn’t sure how Luca’s claim that I was his fiance had turned into me being his wife, but if it got me in to see him, I was happy to let it slide. The worry was driving me insane, and I needed to know he was okay.

The nurse led me through several hallways and doors that required her keycard until we got to the Intensive Care Unit. The ICU was packed, nurses bustling about and machines beeping. Luca’s room was at the very end of the hall. I could see him through the window. He looked … fine. Normal. Like himself.

The pallor was nearly gone from his skin, and a wide grin broke over his face when he caught sight of me. “There she is!” he said. “I almost died, you know. I think that earns me a kiss.”

“You need to take it easy,” the nurse said. “Nothing that will jostle you or raise your heart rate.”

“So, no sex in the hospital?” he teased, and my jaw dropped.

Yep. He was fine.

The nurse rolled her eyes. Then she turned to me. “Is he always like this, or did we injure him?”

“Unfortunately, that’s just his personality,” I said dryly.

“Hey! I’m right here,” Luca protested.

“And I am very glad for that,” I said, smirking. “While you’re trapped in that bed, you can’t retaliate.”

“That just means I’ll store up my retaliation for later,” he warned.

I smirked. “I’m so scared.”

The nurse backed away slowly. “It’s obvious you two are married. You bicker like an old married couple. I’ll leave you to it.” She exited the room.

I frowned. Did we really give off those vibes? Folding my arms over my chest, I glared at Luca. “And what’s that all about? Telling everyone we’re engaged or that I’m your wife?”

He went to raise his arms in surrender but winced, remembering one arm was out of commission. “Hey, it got you here, didn’t it?”

I couldn’t argue with that, so I scowled. I hated it when he was right. “You shouldn’t have lied.”

“Maybe I just wanted you with me.” He frowned. “Unless you don’t want to be here.”

“If I didn’t, I wouldn’t be standing in front of you.”

“Why are you standing, anyway?” he asked. “Pull that chair over here.”

I obliged, sitting down next to his hospital bed. “How are you feeling?”

“Right now? Pretty decent. But I’m on a ton of pain meds, so I’m sure that contributes. Later, I’ll probably feel like I got shot,” he said.

I laughed. “Can you ever stay serious for even one minute?”

“Where would the fun be in that?”