Chapter Three #2
Once in the shower, the hot water flowed over me, and it felt so good, I groaned with pleasure. Jet never took his eyes from me, and as he soaped me with the creamy body wash, his touch around my bruises was gentle. I felt taken care of and special.
When we were done, he wrapped me in a large towel and led me to the bed. I lay down, and he covered me with a fluffy comforter.
“Rest, and I’ll go to your place and pick up some of your stuff.”
The bed was warm and smelled like Jet. I yawned, the weariness overtaking me, and I struggled to keep my eyes open.
“Everything’s still in my duffel. I never had a chance to unpack. It should be right in the front room.” I’d given him the keys to my cabin on our way back from the hospital.
“No problem. Get some sleep, and when you wake up, we’ll have lunch.”
“Mmm, sounds good.”
I didn’t even hear him leave.
**
I awoke to the doorbell ringing. I stayed in bed, figuring Jet would answer it, and I heard voices in the living room.
“Dude. What’s the deal?” a deep masculine voice asked. “You brought the guy home with you?”
“What’s the problem? He’s all alone. He shouldn’t go home without someone to watch over him.”
“But why you?”
I held my breath, waiting for the answer.
“We knew each other in college. Remember, I played football in Michigan? McKinney was the team quarterback.”
“Ahh, I didn’t make the connection. You never mentioned it when we watched the games.”
“Never thought he and I would see each other again,” Jet replied, sounding unperturbed by all the probing questions. With his cool demeanor, he could handle the press for me in a second.
“That’s awesome. Maybe you can introduce me. He was a solid player. I was sorry to see him retire. The guy they have backing up Sloane now isn’t as good.”
Nice to know I was missed and thought of in a positive light. If you were dropped, you tended to concentrate on negativity.
“I’ll see if he’s awake. I had to run to his place to pick up some things for him.”
Footsteps sounded in the hallway, and I managed to get to a seated position. Jet appeared in the doorway with my duffel in hand.
“I hear you have a guest?” I quirked a brow.
“Yeah, my partner. Of course in this small town, everyone’s in their neighbor’s business, so he heard I took you home, and he came by to ask me why.”
I swung my legs over the side of the bed, and he hurried to help me. “Here, let me.”
He put a hand on my shoulder, and I gazed up at him, wondering if I could steal a kiss…
“Don’t,” he whispered in a strangled voice. “Emerson’s right outside. He’s my best friend, but I never told him I’m bisexual. If I kiss you now, I won’t be able to stop.”
This thing between us was so new, so bright and alive, it simmered at the surface, ready to explode at any time. Being so close to each other was a temptation I was finding harder and harder to resist. I held up my hands and took a step away from Jet, putting some space between us.
“I’d like to meet him. If you put the duffel on the bed, I can take my clothes out and get dressed.”
Jet did as I asked, and with some help from him, I put on a button-down because it was less painful than raising my arms to wear a sweater. I stepped into briefs and Kings sweats.
“Ready.”
Jet put an arm around me, and I drew away. “What’re you doing?”
“I’m supposed to be helping you. It’s fine.”
But when we appeared in the living room and Jet’s partner turned to meet me, his eyes went straight to where Jet’s hand rested on my waist.
“Hi.” I walked away from Jet. “Harte McKinney.”
“Emerson Kane. Jet’s partner. I hear you two are old friends.” Sharp green eyes probed my face.
“Yeah. We’ve reconnected over me crashing into a fence.” I laughed. “Not my finest play action, I have to say.”
But Emerson clearly didn’t find my joke funny and scanned me from head to toe. “Except for your face, you look pretty good for someone whose car was totaled.”
“It was? Great. I just got it from the rental company. And yeah, I’m lucky. Got away with a mild concussion and some deep bruising on my side that makes it almost impossible to raise my arms, so I can’t drive or carry things. Jet’s offer to stay with him was a lifesaver.”
For the first time Emerson smiled. “Yeah. Jet’s a great guy. The best.”
“Now that my mutual-admiration society has come to order, what about lunch? I have some cold cuts, chicken salad and tuna, and I can roast veggies and potatoes in the air fryer.”
But Emerson was already shaking his head.
“No can do, bud. I promised Amber I’d meet her at The Tavern.
She’s been bitching we don’t spend time together because of my tours, so this way I can buy her lunch and we can have a few hours of alone time.
” He winked at me, and I gave him a faint upward twitch of my lips.
“Hey, she’s got a couple of friends. We can make it a three-way. ”
Jet’s brows shot high. “I know you didn’t just say that.”
Emerson cackled. “Damn, dude, I meant a date for each of you.”
I hoped he’d say no. As nice as Emerson was to offer, I wanted to spend as much time as I could learning about Jet, not a strange woman I had no interest in meeting.
Jet gave me a look that let me know we were on the same wavelength. “Thanks, but Harte just got out of the hospital. He needs to rest, and I doubt he feels like socializing. And remind me again who Amber is? I can’t keep up.”
Thank God. “Yeah. Rain check?” I pointed to my face. “Not exactly the best impression for the ladies.”
“Yeah. No problem,” Emerson assured me. “And Amber’s the girl I met a couple of weeks ago at the gym. She asked me to show her how to use some of the machines. One thing led to another…” He shrugged. “You know how it goes.”
Emerson was good-looking with messy dark hair, big green eyes, and tats up and down his muscular arms. Add the cockiness, and it was easy to see that the women must be all over him.
Me? Seemed like I went for the strong and silent type with a smile that carried the heat of a thousand suns.
“I’d love to meet her,” Jet said. “We can get together soon.”
I watched as they clasped hands. “See you tonight.” Emerson gave me a nod. “Nice to meet you. See ya.”
Jet closed the door behind him and locked it.
“He’s a nice guy. How long have you been partners?”
“About a year and a half. At first I thought, who is this kid they hooked me up with? He’s only twenty-eight. Headstrong and sometimes talks without thinking, but if the shit hit the fan, there’s no one else I’d rather have my back.”
“That’s great, having someone you know would take a bullet for you. I don’t think I’ve ever had a friend like that.” The offensive line was probably the closest thing, but that was a game. Emerson and Jet held each other’s lives in their hands. That was a whole other kind of trust.
Jet slid a hand around my nape and rested his lips on my brow. “Why don’t we work on that?”