Chapter 168

David Hardison was not the kind of man to sleep in a hospital chair. Not for anyone, and definitely not for her. He hated discomfort, hated sleepless nights, hated hospitals. And yet here he was slumped forward in an awkward position, his arm still clutching her hand, his hair a little messy, the faint shadow of exhaustion under his eyes. Why? she thought again. Why are you doing this, David? What changed? She slowly tried to pull her hand away from his grasp, careful not to wake him, but the moment her fingers slipped from his, David’s eyes snapped open. He sat up abruptly, like a man waking from a nightmare. Their eyes met. For a second, neither of them said a word. His gaze softened as he looked at her, his tense shoulders easing almost instantly. “You should’ve woken me up,” he said quietly, his voice rough and tired. Lily’s lips pressed together. She didn’t want to talk about it. She didn’t even want to think about how tightly he’d been holding her hand. Instead, she ignored his w