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“God, Reagan, you drive me nuts. You know that, don’t you? You scare me and make me mad. You make me want you. You can make me burn so hot I think I could combust. You twist me into knots, woman, and all I want is a chance. I want you to give Gish another chance, and I want you to give me one too. God help me, it’s all I can think about. Damn you, woman, but you’re under my skin, and—”

This time, Reagan was the one doing the interrupting. She stood on her toes, putting herself at eye level with Jackson. He wanted a chance. Well, she was taking one. She leaned in and planted her mouth over his, her tongue teasing his lips until his mouth opened to her. She kissed him for all she was worth. She tasted his mouth, teased his tongue with hers, and poured every ounce of pent-up emotion into the one kiss. Her toes curled inside her shoes, and her hands gripped his shoulders to keep from losing her balance.

Jackson buried a hand in her hair and used it to angle her head, deepening the kiss until she felt dizzy from the lust stirring within her. Though she thought she was dreaming last night, she remembered every detail of the kisses they shared. This one made the others seem no better than a peck on the cheek.

She forgot where she was until she heard someone clear their throat loudly. Shoving hard against Jackson, she stumbled backwards until the back of her thighs bumped into a nearby garbage can. A certified nursing assistant grinned knowingly at them as he walked to the snack machine and deposited his change to receive a candy bar in return.

Reagan’s face flamed, and she dropped her head to try and collect herself. Her breathing was coming in pants, and though she tried to calm herself, she was making a poor attempt to hide her reaction to his kiss. She peeked from under her lids to see if Jackson was as affected as she was and was annoyed to see his sexy smirk aimed at her.

“Gish wants to see you. Take a minute and then come back. You owe it to yourself to hear him out.”

With that said, he left her alone. The CNA shot her a knowing grin, telling her he wasn’t the least bit embarrassed at finding her and Jackson in a passionate embrace, and he disappeared right behind Jackson.

You’ve gone and done it this time, Ray,she chastised herself.You’ve gone and started to care for him. For all of them. Your mother was right. You are so screwed.

Chapter Twenty

Jackson hated rules.

He’d always decided what was best for him and his brothers. If it meant following rules, then he did. But if the rules were more of a hindrance, he broke them without hesitation. He’d come close to breaking the hospital’s rule of only two visitors at a time in English’s room. He wanted his brothers with him when he talked to English about what happened.

Instead, he was standing in the room with Reagan while his brothers stayed in the lobby. English hadn’t wanted either of them, but the doctor convinced him it was best for Reagan to be present. No way was Jackson going to have her in the room without him.

He hadn’t expected to be pushed to one corner by the doctors and nurses bustling around English. It placed him close enough to Reagan for her arm to brush against him as they waited. Instead of putting his entire focus on the doctor, he was only too aware of Reagan and how she felt in his arms. He had been affected when he thought she was a dream, but being awake when he held her put his lust on a whole other dimension.

She was the right mixture of strong and soft. Her body molded against his in all the right spots. Even fully clothed, he could feel her curves. And her lips…damn, if they weren’t the sweetest he’d ever kissed. He didn’t want to stop and may not have if she hadn’t pushed him away. He didn’t care the male nurse had gotten a free show. Reagan felt and tasted too good for him to want their moment to end.

Jackson had gone to search for her to ask her what she’d said to English before he, Luke and Ben had arrived. Whatever it was had upset his mentor. English tried to hide it, but Jackson knew him too well. Luke was ready to put Reagan in her place, but Jackson had calmed him down. From what little they’d learned about English’s past, he figured Reagan deserved to have her say.

The doctor took his time examining English, only stopping to ask the occasional question. The patter of rain hitting the window caught Jackson’s attention. The sky had darkened to a menacing gray, indicative of the vicious storm brewing. It fit his mood at having to wait to find out if English had any lingering side effects from his coma or his surgery.

“I can’t believe you left my parents alone to come after me. I thought you were supposed to be protecting them too.” Reagan’s whisper carried the same harshness as if she had screamed her disapproval at him.

“Not now,” he murmured loud enough for only her to hear. Obviously, she wasn’t fazed the way he was by their moment in the vending area, and it only soured his mood more.

His warning kept her quiet…for a couple of seconds.

“If anything happens to them while all of youboysare here, I’ll make your life a living hell.” Venom dripped from her tone when she spat out the word boys, and a sudden clap of thunder added a touch of drama to her outburst.

He told himself not to engage, but his gut told him she wouldn’t shut up unless he apologized. But of course, he wasnotgoing to do that.

“Alex dispatched a couple of guys to the shack after he called to tell me you were here. Both are former Secret Service with marksmanship commendations. So I think your parents are fine. They’re on their way here now for you to see for yourself. Hell, you just talked to your mother, so you already know they’re fine. You, on the other hand, are lucky you made it here without our target making a move to take you out.”

“I was careful. I can take care of myself. There wasn’t—”

Reagan hushed abruptly when the doctor mumbled a few words to a nurse, who nodded as he spoke. The storm raging outside drowned out their murmurs, adding to Jackson’s frustration. The doctor glanced over at Jackson and Reagan before addressing English, who looked as ready for the exam to be over as Jackson was.

“From my initial examination, the surgery seems to have done the job. Your breathing and your reflexes are strong, and I see no evident signs of permanent damage. But I am going to order some tests to rule out any possibilities of brain bleeds or damage we may have missed. With the memory gaps, I’m concerned you may still have some swelling. So you’re not out of the woods yet.”

“Memory gaps?” Jackson interjected.

The doctor paused, looking to English for direction. English gave a slight shake to his head, and the doctor nodded.

“I’ll get those orders in, and I’ll check back. If you start experiencing a severe headache or nausea, let us know immediately.” The doctor left, and the nurse only spent a few more minutes making sure English was comfortable before she departed.

Jackson pushed off the wall and approached English’s bedside. “What’s he talking about, Gish? What’s up with your memory?”

“Stand down, Jacky.” Jackson was familiar with his tone, having heard it many times growing up whenever he had stepped out of line.