Touch Me Not (Manwhore Series #1)

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Nikoli only moved once, and that was to go to the bathroom when they took Lily for another CT scan. Adam came back at one point and handed him coffee, but he wasn't sure if he even thanked him for it.

He was absorbed in Lily's book.

She had a way with words that made him feel every single emotion she did as she wrote it. He laughed, he got angry with her, but when it came to the tough parts, he hurt along with her as well.

And then came Race Day.

He stopped reading for a heartbeat, but he forced himself to do it. He felt that day all over again, only worse. He felt it through her words, through how she felt, and if he was able to go back in time, he'd have beat the shit out of himself. He always knew Lily felt deeply, but he'd had no idea the true depth of her soul. Until he read how she'd shattered into a thousand tiny shards and still wasn't able to put herself back together.

Adam super-glued her together enough to function. He'd lain with her for two days on the floor and just held her. Nikoli wanted to punch him, but he was too grateful to him to be able to do it. Lily would have regressed to the person she was without Boy Wonder. Reading her words, he knew it instinctively, so he had to refrain from bruising the man.

"Here. You have to eat." Adam dropped a Sonic bag in his lap and set a large drink on the table beside Lily's bed. "She still in CT?"

"They took her a few minutes ago. You didn't go home and change?

Adam shook his head. "If you'd eaten earlier, I wouldn't even have left the hospital."

"I'm fine. You don't need to worry about..."

"Yes, I do, because Lily would never forgive me if I let you sit and starve to death."

"I don't think a day and a half equals starving," Nik said sarcastically.

Adam shrugged and took out his own burger. The two of them had settled into a begrudging truce since Adam had broken up with Sue. After reading Lily's book, Nikoli had insights into Adam and Lily's relationship he hadn't before. He understood it better now. He also knew if he didn't attempt to get along with Boy Wonder, it would make his chances with Lily that much harder to achieve.

"Thanks for the food."

"Welcome." Adam tipped his head to Nik.

They ate in silence for a few minutes, but something had been bothering Nikoli from the beginning, and unless he cleared it up, he didn't think he'd ever be able to look at Adam without contempt.

"Can I ask you something without pissing you off?"

Adam popped a fry in his mouth. "Depends on what it is."

"It's about Lily."

"It'll probably piss me off, but go ahead."

"Why did you and Mike let her phobia go on for so long?"

"We didn't let it, as you put it. I tried..."

"You tried by hugging her when she was sixteen. Back then, I doubt there was anything you could have done that would have worked. She wasn't ready to be helped. But the last year or two? Why didn't you see how much she wanted help? You, specifically. You're her best friend. You know her better than anyone, including me. Why didn't you see it?"

Adam's face screwed up in anger, and he looked like he wanted to beat Nik, but he stayed where he was.

"Look, I get the question is hard, and you hate that she loves me, but I want to understand. You're important to her, and that means you and I are going to have to get to at least a civil point."