Page 121

Avalon

I clickthe seat belt on. “I want the painkillers they gave me, a hot shower, and food. In that order.”

“That can be arranged. I have a shower with hot water, and food is just one phone call away.”

I shift to look at Jake. “You’re taking me to your house?”

He backs out of the parking space and glances at me. “I won’t be able to let you out of sight for a while. And I don’t think you want to go back to the apartment and be alone there.”

I get shivers just thinking about it. “No, I don’t. And I don’t think Lynn wants to go back there either.”

He squeezes my knee once and grabs the steering wheel again. “I can drive you over tomorrow, help you pack, and bring everything back to my house. I have three guest rooms. She can take one of them.”

I smile. “And the other guest room is for me?”

We stop at a red light, and he leans in for a kiss. “There’s plenty of space for you in my bedroom.”

“I like the way you think.”

As Jake opens the door to his house, an orange blur races to the door and climbs up Jake’s jeans and shirt.

“Ouch, sharp claws, Kojak.” He holds the cat, belly up like a baby. Kojak purrs his contentment and tries to rub his face on Jake’s. “He’s never done that. Do you think he knows? Did he sense that something could have gone terribly wrong today?”

I reach over and scratch under Kojak’s chin. “Yes, animals can sense when something is off, for sure. There are records of animals running away minutes before major disasters strike, like earthquakes and tsunamis. It’s not a big stretch to speculate that they may sense something bad happening to their owners.”

Jake puts Kojak over his shoulder, and the cat wraps his paws around his neck. My heart melts. What is it about a man holding a cute animal that hits all the spots?

Jake walks to the kitchen, and I follow him. “Let’s get you some food. How about some canned salmon today?”

He feeds the cat, washes his hands, and turns to me. “Your turn.” He opens the fridge, gets a bottle of water, then grabs the painkiller bottle from his pocket and shakes a pill into my hand.

I swallow the pill with half of the water. “Thank you.”

He holds my hand and takes me upstairs. “Now, for that shower. I would very much like to assist with that.” He looks at my bandaged head. “I can help wash your hair and bandage your head again.”

“Is that so?”

He smiles, but it doesn’t quite reach his eyes. “Full service.”

He’s pushing the day away by keeping his emotions at bay. His grief over his sister and finally finding out what happened is something to deal with later. I know he’ll have questions. But just not yet. For now, we both need a respite and sleep. I’m grateful for that. I smile back, tiredness hammering at me. My entire body aches.

Jake turns on the shower and kneels in front of me, removes one sneaker, and then the other. My socks follow. Then he unbuttons my jeans, pulls down the zipper, and works the denim over my hips and thighs, all the way down to my feet. I step out of them. He pulls my blood-covered shirt up and over my head, being careful with my bandages, then tosses it in the garbage. He gasps at the purple bruise on my side that spreads to under my breast.

“Doc said I was lucky because both bullets grazed me. I didn’t get the full impact on my side. If I did, I would have broken ribs for sure.”

“I’m sorry. You should have never been there.”

“Yes, I should. Lynn would be dead if I hadn’t come with you. You would be dead. We can talk about it later. Where’s that full service you offered?” I turn my back to him, and he unclasps my bra. My panties follow. He kisses the back of my head, neck, and shoulder, then stands in front of me. His gaze heated. I tug at his shirt and remove it. His shoes, socks, jeans, and boxer shorts follow. Steam billows around us. He offers me his hand, and we step into the shower.

Pink water runs down the drain, removing the last physical evidence of what happened today. Jake’s gentle beyond measure as he runs soapy hands over my neck, arms, and torso. My hair is next, and his touch is a balm to my soul. I’ve never had anyone wash me before. His hands miss no part of me, and while his touch is not sexual in any way, it’s sensual all the same. He can’t help his body’s response to my nakedness, even if he’s not expecting sex. But I am. As the meds dull the pain and the hot water washes away blood and dirt, all that could have gone wrong races through my mind. I need to be closer to him. I go on my tippy-toes and wrap my arms around his neck, our naked, wet bodies flush. The scent of lemon soap fills the steamy air. I kiss him, slow and demanding, as the water falls over us.

* * *

I wake up wrapped in Jake again. His chest is to my back and my head is on his bicep. We fit so perfectly together. The events of yesterday race through my mind. My call to Lynn’s family—their relief and anger—I can’t help but feel responsible for what happened to Lynn. I know what I have to do, but I don’t want to.

Jake shifts behind me and stretches, his body arching into mine. He kisses my shoulder. “Hungry? We never ate last night.”

“Now that you mention it, I’m starving.”