Broken Hill Halo (Broken Hill High 2)

I let out a huff. “Fine,” I groan as I cross my arms over my chest and sulk. “You may as well get me my Kindle then,” I tell him. “And a soda.”

A grin rips across his face as he drops down in an elaborate bow. “Anything for you, my queen,” he says, putting on a ridiculously bad English accent.

“In that case, take me to the party with you.”

“Anything but that,” he tells me. “Besides, Nate said he was going to go to the party. Can you imagine what he would do if he saw you there?”

“I know,” I groan. “It would be fun to see the look on his face though.”

A grin rips across Jesse’s face as he finds my Kindle and picks it up. “Indeed, it would,” he chuckles with an evil smirk. “But either way, you and I both know that after his race, he’s going to show his face for all of three seconds before coming back here and making sure your pillow is fluffed enough.”

“Shut up,” I smile as a wave of lovey dovey goodness comes over me. I mean, he’s not wrong. Ever since the surgery, Nate has been my rock. Well… he’s always my rock, but he’s been making sure I have absolutely everything a girl could need or want while I’ve been in recovery mode. Chocolates. Tick. Blueberry Muffin. Tick. Trashy magazine. Tick. Books, books, and more books. Tick. Tick. Tick.

He’s been amazing and I absolutely love him for it.

The only problem is that he refuses to let me out of bed until the doctor has cleared me. The first night he insisted on coming to the bathroom with me, so I was forced to set a few boundaries. I had to compromise that he’d walk me from the bed to the bathroom door which is where he stayed while I peed, only to have him walk me back again when I was finished. Now though, he’s gotten a little better. He still insists on showering with me, though I have a feeling that’s more for his benefit rather than mine, seeing as though I struggle to keep my hands off him, especially when I see that broad chest. I mean, it just calls to me. If any girl tells you they can resist Nate Ryder’s naked chest, they’re lying. It’s as simple as that.

Jesse drops my Kindle on the bed beside me, pulling me out of my dirty thoughts. “Is there anything else, my majesty?” Jesse grins.

“No,” I groan, rolling my eyes.

“Good,” he says as he walks to the door of my room. “Then I’m out of here.” A moment later, he disappears altogether, leaving me alone for the millionth time this week.

I let out a sigh and make myself as comfortable as possible while silently cringing at the dull pain that shoots through me from the surgery, but don’t get me wrong, I’d take this pain a thousand times over the pain I felt that night. That was god awful.

I bring up my Kindle and start flicking through my ‘to be read’ pile but can’t find anything that holds my attention, so naturally, I find my favorite re-reads collection and dig in.

I’m halfway through my book when my phone starts ringing on the bedside table. I reach across and smile at the phone. “Hey,” I answer as the sound of a speeding car comes shooting through the other end. “What’s going on?”

“Hey,” Brooke yells over the sound of the race. “Nate’s race is on. I wanted to give you the live feed.”

“Oh really?” I ask, brightening up for the first time today. “You should have FaceTimed. I could have watched.”

“Oh shit. I didn’t think about that,” she tells me. “Wait. I’ll call you back.”

“No, no, no,” I yell, hoping she can still hear me. “Nate’s too fast. By the time you call back, it’ll be over.”

“Shit, you’re right,” she says.

“What’s happening? Is he winning? Who’s he against?”

“Um… ok. Yeah. He’s winning, but it’s Nate; so of course, he’s winning. I don’t know the guy he’s against. I think it’s someone from Haven Falls.”

“Is he winning by a bit or by a lot?” I question, desperately wishing I was there. I mean, since we officially got together, I haven’t missed a single race. I hate not being on the sidelines cheering him on.

“By a bit,” she tells me. “It’s a close one, but Nate’s got him,” she says before gasping and talking really fast. “The guy tried to cut through the inside of the corner but his tires are slipping on the dirt. He nearly hit Nate and he had to pull back.”

“Shit,” I gasp.

“No, it’s ok. All it did was piss him off. The guy spun out wide and Nate was able to hold back and shoot up through the inside. Fuck. Yes,” she screams. “Go, Nate.”