Wild Zone (Rough Riders Hockey 4)

“Why didn’t you get this looked at yesterday?” Pete asked. “You know better than that.”

“Would have delayed my flight. I needed to get home to my new chaperone.”

“Ah.” Pete’s grin widened. “Enough said.”

“Baby,” Jax told Lexi, “you don’t have to stay for this.”

“I’m fine. Stitched up my brother’s split knee when I was nine.”

Pete’s hand froze with the needle in the air. His gaze darted to Lexi.

“I’m good with a needle, my mom wasn’t much of a mom, and I didn’t have the money or means to get him to a hospital.” She said it simply, the same way Jax had made the offhand comment about his father and scouting. She glanced up at Pete as he started to stitch. “Jax is still pale and dizzy. How long will that last?”

“He lost a little blood. A day of rest and lots of water, and he’ll be fine. He’s an ox.”

Jax sputtered. “I’m feeling more and more like a lizard.”

“You could always go back to acting. Far fewer casualties.”

Jax winced and sneaked a look at Lexi.

She only raised her brows at him.

The stitches went fast. A nurse bandaged him and gave Lexi the at-home care instructions Jax already knew by heart. Lexi wrapped her arm around his waist on the way to the car and opened the passenger’s door for him.

Jax decided arguing would be wasted. Before he slid in, he took her face in both hands and caressed her cheeks. “If I didn’t already love you, tonight would have clinched it.”

He kissed her, long and slow. She pulled away with a moan, “Rest and water, Mr. Chamberlin.” He winced at the use of his last name, knew what was coming. But when she got into the driver’s seat, she laughed, then looked at him. “I have no idea where you live.”

“Can we go back to the shop? My house is out of the way.”

“Well, it can’t be in Beverly Hills, because that’s not out of the way.” She sighed and started the car. “Do I want to know where?”

He hesitated. “Malibu.”

She closed her eyes and pulled her lower lip between her teeth. Then stared out the windshield with a shake of her head. “This is what I get for living in LA without a television.”

Chapter 22

Jax woke to Lexi’s soft voice. She was on the phone but still lying next to him in her bed.

He rolled to his side and lifted his arm to slide it over her waist. Pain erupted from his shoulder to his fingertips, radiated into his chest. He groaned.

Lexi leaned toward him, curled her fingers around his, and murmured, “Stay still, Jax.”

He relaxed back into the bed. Opened his eyes. And knew there was something really wrong. He was sweating. His whole body hurt. “Fuck.”

“He’s taking them every six hours,” Lexi said softly into the phone. “No, he’s steady at one hundred and two. It’s not breaking. Yes, it’s red and swollen around the edges.”

“Who are you talking to?” As soon as he spoke, he realized how dry his throat was.

Lexi sat up, put the phone between her chin and shoulder, and picked up a bottle of water beside the bed. “No, I don’t see any. No, not bleeding.” She turned back to him with a bottle of water and a wet rag. She handed him the water and murmured, “Drink.” Then wiped his face and neck with the cloth. It was cool and felt heavenly.

He held the bottle against his chest and closed his eyes. Slid his hand down her thigh.

“Okay,” she said. “Sure, okay. Thanks.”

She disconnected the call and turned worried blue eyes on him. “How do you feel?”