He wanted to ask where she’d been while he was sleeping. He wanted to kiss her and…

He woke up again. Must’ve drifted off to sleep, but he’d had a good dream. He couldn’t remember what it was, just that it’d been happy. Sugar was still nestled against him, and a blanket lay over them. Her breaths were soft, but she wasn’t asleep. How much time had passed? Didn’t matter as long as she never left his side again.

“Sugar…” He needed a sip of water. His throat was sore, his neck had a dull throb, and he wanted to tell her he loved her.

She didn’t move. “You’re awake?”

“Yeah.”

“You hurting?”

“A little.” Behind him, a machine beeped steadily.

Sugar rearranged the blanket. “Do you want some pain medicine?”

“No. But water would be—”

“Hold on a sec.” She leaned to a side table, then offered him a giant plastic cup with a straw. “Here you go.”

Gripping the cup’s handle, his muscles weighed a million pounds. He was too tired and weak to grip it for long. “I hate being laid up like this.”

“You lost a lot of blood. But the doc said you’ll be running around in a couple days, although he’s requested more than a couple months between gunshot wounds.”

He chuckled and gave her back the water cup. “You met Doc Tuska, huh?”

Sugar snuggled against him again. “Whatever you pay him is not nearly enough.”

A low rumble of a laugh escaped. The no-nonsense doctor handled all of Titan’s medical problems without question. “He’s worth his weight in gold-plated ammo. That’s for damn sure.”

“You want to talk to him?” She shifted. “I could go get him or the nurse or someone.”

Soreness stopped him from shaking his head. “No, Sugar baby. I want to talk to you.”

“Good, ’cause I want to talk to you, too. When you’re ready.” She pulled back and started to hurry her words. “I don’t want to rush you. If you need to sleep or want medicine, that’s fine.”

She wasn’t going anywhere. Not from this conversation. Not from his arms. His heart beat faster, his cheeks tingled, and warmth rushed through him. He’d had a lot to say for a while, and there was no better time. But what did she want to say? With Sugar, it could be anything.

“I’m ready now.” He pulled her back into his hold, and she relaxed, drawing in a contented breath. “What’s on your mind?”

“You,” Sugar whispered and kissed his chest. “What do you want to talk to me about?”

Her lazy kiss melted through the cotton layer of his hospital gown. His chest felt tight, like it might explode from the emotional pressure building in his heart.