Page 32

32

SPONGE BATH

Jack

I drag my eyelids open. They’re heavier than the pressure I put on myself to pass the bar years ago.

And that was some heavy shit.

The last thing I remember is my mom talking to my grandma on the phone. The pain meds must have knocked me out. Either that or my body shut down in a pure defensive mechanism to block out my mom’s frenzied pacing.

What I do know is before I fell asleep, it was just Mom, Emma, and me. That’s not the case now.

“You fuckers have the most boring lives if all you have to do is sit around and watch me sleep.” I lick my dry lips and shift in my hospital bed, scanning the room until I find Emma. “Everyone but you. You can stare at me all day long. I’ve stared at you plenty while you sleep.”

She’s the closest to me and stands as soon as our eyes meet. She takes my hand in both of hers and leans down to kiss me. “I talked your mom into going home and getting some sleep. She’ll be back first thing in the morning. I’m not leaving you.”

“As long as we both fit in this hospital bed, I’m good with that.”

“This is going to be the rest of my life, isn’t it?” Levi complains.

Carissa stands from where she was perched on his knee. Apparently, I’m so popular that it’s standing room only in this place. She moves to the foot of my bed and crosses her arms. “Levi is happy. He’ll get used to you and Emma being OTT with your PDA.”

Cade rolls his eyes before he throws a glance at his brother-in-law. “Like you and my sister were easy to be around.”

Mason smiles. “I’m happy for everyone. Now we just need Cade to find someone?—”

“Whoa.” Cade puts his hand up to Mason. “After what happened with Mom and Dad, I’ll never get married.”

“And that’s okay,” Carissa says. “You don’t have to be married to be happy.”

Mason keeps looking on the bright side. “At least we’re all together again.”

Cade shrugs. “I had to make sure Jack was alive, so I stayed an extra day.

I push the button to incline my bed and wince when I shift my leg to sit up. “I appreciate that.”

“But I do have meetings tomorrow. I need to get to the airport,” Cade adds. “Seriously, I’ve been where you are. Glad you’re okay.”

Emma puts the arm of my bed down and sits on the edge next to me. “You’ll be back to wheeling and dealing before you know it.”

I put my arm around her even though I’m tangled up in this damn I.V. “Sooner than that, baby. I’ve got to act fast while Brett is still the golden boy.”

Emma turns to me. “He called me again while you were asleep. There’s no way he can get to the hospital or go home with the news. He met with his coaches today and went back to Whitetail. He said he’ll see you when you’re discharged.”

Levi stands and comes to his wife. “I’ve been following the news all day. He’ll be the golden boy for a long time. I’d say wheeling and dealing might be like driving a car. You might not trust yourself to draw up contracts while you’re on pain meds. Your doctor said you should be discharged tomorrow.”

“I have the main floor extra room ready for you,” Carissa adds. “There’s no way you can hobble up to the third level.”

I look around the room to my friends who have been in my life for what feels like forever. In Levi’s case, it is forever. “You guys have taken care of everything, huh?”

Emma smiles. “Of course, we have.”

I return her smile with a smirk. “Does that mean you’re going to give me a sponge bath?”

“Great. This will last the rest of my life. We’ve got to get Cade to the airport.” Levi’s sigh sounds like an old man, but he comes around and holds up a fist. I give him a weak bump. He doesn’t look like he’s sick of me any longer. His expression is serious. “Glad you’re okay, man. It would suck to lose you as a brother-in-law before you officially hold the title.”

Emma sinks deeper into my side.

I give Levi a chin lift. Now isn’t the time to ask him to be my best man since I haven’t even proposed yet.

Cade gives me a low wave. “I’m sure you’ll be kicking ass before I return for another birthday. I’ll keep up with you in the text group.”

“Homies for life.” Mason hops down from where he was sitting on the windowsill. “I will see you soon. Jessica is making you dinner and a cake.”

I hike a brow and glance at Emma. “I do like cake.”

Emma laughs.

“Okay, now you ruined the moment and pushed me over the edge. I’m out of here.” Levi fakes a gagging noise and pulls the door open while waiting for his wife to exit. He follows her out.

“See you tomorrow, roomie,” I call to his retreating back as they file out. I wait for the door to shut and focus on the only person I want to be with. “Finally. I was not expecting to wake up to that.”

Emma stretches out long and presses herself to my side opposite the leg they dug a bullet out of. I’m going to have one hell of a scar. I rest my head on the pillow and do everything I can to focus on her and not the throb that’s growing by the moment. “I finally have you alone.”

Emma’s hand comes to my abs and slides up my chest. “Don’t get any ideas. I’m going to snuggle with you until your next pain pill, then I’m going back to the chair to let you sleep.”

I put my hand over hers and press it over my heart. “You do know I’m naked under this sexy-as-fuck hospital gown, right? All commando for you, baby. I was not kidding about the sponge bath.”

She tips her head and presses her lips to my jaw. “I’ll definitely do that. But not tonight. You need to sleep. And it’s not like I have a job.”

“Tell me what happened at work before you were kidnapped—for a second time." I close my eyes to push away thoughts of what could have been and hold her tight to my side.

“It doesn’t matter right now. I don’t want to talk about it.”

I give her a squeeze. “Tell me.”

She sighs. “It feels like a million years ago even though it was just this morning. It went how I thought it would go. I’m pretty sure after showing them the pictures that I’ll get my job back, but who knows.”

“I’ll sue them.”

Her hand presses lightly on my chest. “You don’t have to?—”

I bring my hand to her hair and give it a light tug for her to look at me. I’ve got my second wind, relatively speaking. “You’re in this position because of me. You can bet your sweet, perfect ass that I’m going to file suit on your behalf. There are benefits of being right here besides the life-altering orgasms. I can argue in a courtroom as well as I can negotiate a contract. They’re going to pay for what they did to you.”

“I guess that will be the deciding factor on if I have a job in the District or not.”

I lean back on my pillow and close my eyes again. “Baby, I have a feeling after this week, you can write your ticket anywhere you want.”

“Please, Jack. Today has been too much. I don’t want to talk about anything else stressful.”

I turn my head to press my lips to her forehead. “Okay, baby. Whatever you want.”

And I realize, that’s the way my life will be from here on out.

Giving Emma whatever she wants.

And I wouldn’t want it any other way.

Emma

Two months later

I’m bent over Jack’s bed. Jack stands behind me with his hand between my legs, teasing me mercilessly.

“Jack.” I’m breathless and needy. I try to rock back on his fingers for more, but he squeezes the globe of my ass to keep me where I am. “Please.”

“Do you know how beautiful you are?”

I fist the messy sheets beneath me. I have an early morning meeting. On the scale of zero to life-changing, it’s right up there at the top.

I’m so nervous, I barely slept last night.

I was about to get in the shower when he pulled me back into the bedroom, made an event of stripping me of what little I had on, and put me in this position.

“You need to relax, baby.”

“You know that telling a woman to relax does the opposite, right?”

My clit gets a flick.

I moan.

“Baby, that’s like throwing a dare at my feet. When I say relax, I mean be here for the experience. I’ll do all the work.”

I get another circle.

More pressure.

I lift up on my toes and arch.

“Now you’re cooperating,” he drawls.

That wins me more. So much more.

“Yes. That. More of that,” I beg.

“I fucking love that, Em. Love you.”

He finally gives it to me. He gives me everything.

It doesn’t even take a minute. I come hard. And he doesn’t let up. He holds me where I am and squeezes every ounce of my orgasm from me before he slams into me from behind.

He doesn’t take his time this morning like he usually does. He angles his hips and slams into me over and over.

Every time we come together, his breath speeds. His fingers dig into my hips when I thrust back to meet him.

“Yes,” I groan. I love this. His power. Every time we’re together it’s better than the one before.

Jack had six weeks of physical therapy after surgery. He’s not running marathons yet—not that he ever would … we both hate running.

But he’s back and better than ever.

When he slams into me the last time, he groans and bends at the waist to envelop me.

He kisses my bare shoulder. “Are you relaxed?”

I exhale and sink into the mattress that has become ours. “If I’m so chill I look like I don’t give a shit for my interview, I’m holding you responsible. It will be your fault I’m still unemployed.”

“More time with you. Do not tempt me, Hollingsworth.”

He presses into me once more before pulling out. I hurry to the bathroom as he picks up his cell.

The man gives busy a new definition.

After he got out of the hospital, he quickly renegotiated Brett Sullivan’s contract. I can’t keep track of all the endorsements he landed.

That’s when they started knocking on Jack’s door.

Metaphorically, that is.

And by they , I mean professional athletes. The story of what happened at the Pike Agency spread far and wide. Fred Pike and Gary Acosta have been charged with being an accessory to a laundry list of things. Athletes quickly realized they want what Brett has—an agent who gives a shit about them and not the dollar signs attached to them.

Loyal.

That’s Jack, through and through, in every aspect of his life.

So I’m not surprised he has messages waiting for him before six in the morning.

When I walk naked to wash my hands and flip on the shower, Jack is standing there as naked as me.

This brings me back to our first morning at Nebula. Jack is confident in his skin. He’s the same today as he was then, plus one pink scar on his thigh.

“Are you okay?” I ask.

“That was about you.”

I stop in the middle of the bathroom. “What about me? And I can’t believe we’re having this conversation naked.”

His lips pull at the corners. “I’d have every conversation naked with you if I could.”

I cross my arms. “Tell me.”

He pauses before he speaks. “That was the attorney representing WDCN. They settled before we could go to court next week.”

It’s my turn to pause as it all comes back to me. “What does that mean?”

“It means they knew we had them by the balls. Their retraction was shit, and they didn’t offer you the same position when they tried to make it better. Their attorneys finally convinced them to see that a judge would never side with them. It’s a good offer, baby. The only stipulation I want added is that there’s no NDA. The deal should be able to be made public. That will be all the retraction you need. Not that your followers need that. You’re more popular than anyone at WDCN.”

I lean into the counter and feel like I just shoved the anvil off my chest that’s been weighing me down for weeks. Even though Molly Minders is still at the station, the last I saw she’s not anchoring the weekend desk anymore. She’s back to being a field reporter.

A demotion.

I wonder if she wears more sensible shoes.

I don’t need to think twice. “I’ll take it.”

Jack’s brows crease. “Don’t you want to know what it’s for?”

I shake my head. “It doesn’t matter. I’m not going to keep the money. I’ll donate it to Brett’s foundation.”

His expression softens as he moves across the marble floor to me. I’m in his arms and our bare bodies are pressed together. “You don’t have to do that. They put you through hell.”

“I don’t want their money. Which means I really need to get this job today. I’ve been mooching off you for two months.”

“Best two months of my life, the physical therapy notwithstanding.” He leans down to kiss me before he lifts my left hand between us. He fingers the ring he put there last week when he got down on one knee and proposed. It was after he took me to dinner and we walked arm in arm down to the pier in Old Town.

It was romantic and perfect, just like him. I even have pictures to remember it forever, because he thought ahead and hired a photographer.

The diamond is huge, but the band is dainty. Bold and feminine—just like the two of us together.

It feels so good, I haven’t taken it off since he put it there.

“I’m not sure how many times I have to tell you, this is us now. Get a job or don’t. I don’t care. All I want is you.” He lifts my hand to kiss the knuckle of my ring finger before he smirks. “That being said, I have a good source who told me the interview is a formality. You’re really going to have to fuck it up to not get this job.”

I plant my face in his chest. “That makes me even more nervous.”

He takes my hand and pulls me to the shower. “Let’s get ready. Big day, baby. A cable sports network with a family of streaming channels. You don’t get any bigger than that in the industry. And here I wanted to be the popular one.”

I step under the steaming hot water with him and go right back into his arms. “Luck. It’s all luck, and you know it.”

He shakes his head. “We don’t need luck or karma. This is the House of Hale. And you’ll be Emma Hale as fast as I can get your mom to plan the wedding. My only requirement is that we say I do before football season. The sooner the world knows their sports darling is mine, the better.”

I lift on my toes. “Mrs. Hale. I love the sound of that almost as much as I love you. The sooner the better. I wanted to be yours since you kissed me the first time in a barn with a slew of goats.”

Jack puts my back to the marble wall and claims my face with his big hands.

He kisses me.

He was my first kiss.

He’ll be my last.

My forever.