She leveled her dark eyes at me. “Damn straight. We’re going to do everything we can to get you back on that fire truck, but you’re going to have to do exactly as I say for as long as you’re here. No arguments. Got it?”
My cock twitched in my pants at little Dani Marsh giving me an order. The fire and determination in Danielle’s dark eyes pinned me to the table. I forgot the little girl I used to know and believed every word she said. Her lips flattened into a hard line—full, smooth lips that I bet would soften with a flick of my tongue …
Loneliness and sexual frustration couldn’t get in the way of my end goal: getting up and walking the hell out of here. Sure, she was a beautiful woman who would be in my daily proximity, but her hands would only be on my leg. My other extremities would have to accept that.
“Got it, Dani. Or is it Danielle, or Ms. Marsh? I wouldn’t want to be in trouble on my first day.” My own eyebrow quirked. Jesus, was I flirting? Seriously? What the hell was happening to me?
“Dani or Danielle is fine, although no one besides Kyle calls me Dani anymore.” A soft smile washed over her face before it faded. Her hand hovered over my ankle again, this time, another inch higher. “See if you can reach my hand. We’ll do a set of five reps; go as slow as you need to. We’re looking for form, not speed, here. Remember that.”
“When can I get up and walk?” The words falling from my lips gave me a little relief. I was still an impatient jerk, and if I really was getting back on that rig, I needed to hold on to that.
“When I say you can. Let’s go, on my count …”
Fuck, she was hot.And I was in trouble.
4
Dylan
“Hey, Dylan.”
I smiled before I even replied to Jack’s greeting. Sure, it was only two words, but they were devoid of all the agony and most of the frustration I’d heard from him in the past month since his accident. His sister told me I could give him a call, but I figured I’d wait a day to make sure. I’d bet the Garcias were all over him, and the last thing I wanted to do was add to the hovering.
“Are you almost chipper, or am I imagining shit?”
A hearty laugh rumbled over the line, and a heavy weight lifted off my chest. I’d grown up an only child, but Jack was my brother in all the ways it mattered. Almost losing him and watching him descend into a self-loathing, pity spiral had been brutal, so the tiny lilt in his voice set off some hope that maybe he was finally on his way to a real recovery.
“I don’t know about chipper, but at least I feel like I’m working toward something, you know? Instead of being the sad sack stuck in the corner of my parents’ couch. The therapy is rough, but that’s what I’m here for, right?”
“Yep, your dad said they’re gonna kick your ass. I should come up one day and see if they make you cry or puke.”
“You would too, asshole. You’ll never guess in a million years who my therapist is.”
“Is she hot? Is that the reason why you aren’t an ornery bastard now?”
“Yes, she is. And, no it’s not,” he snickered. “You know her, too. Remember Kyle’s little sister, Dani?”
“Braids, coke bottle glasses?She’syour hot therapist?”
“Dude.” His voice dropped to a rasp. “No glasses, no braids. All lean, curvy muscle. When she examined me, I checked her out before she told me who she was. And even after, I still couldn’t help myself. I feel like a douchebag, panting after my friend’s little sister.” He burst out laughing “You know what I mean?”
I knewexactlywhat he meant, but wouldn’t say a fucking word. Thankfully, he hadn’t noticed the sudden silence on my end.
“Do you think that’s a good idea? She’s your therapist, and you’re—”
“I’m not anything. I don’t exactly have the best game as it still takes me fifteen minutes to maneuver into the bathroom and take a piss. And after Marina, it’s going to be a long time before I even attempt anything with anyone, even after I get both legs back. She’s nice … and nice to look at. That’s all.”
“I stopped by your parents’ house yesterday after they dropped you off. PJ said to call you since you didn’t ‘spit out your words, at least for the time being.’”
“Of course, she did, little shit.” He let out a long, audible sigh. “I put them all through hell. You should have seen my sister’s face when I snapped at her. She let me have it, and if I wasn’t already laid up, Dad would have kicked my ass, and I wouldn’t have blamed him. I can’t believe she’s eighteen today.”
Neither could I. She was eighteen, gorgeous, andlegal. But still my best friend’s sister, so none of that mattered. Although I denied it to myself, I’d waited for this day for two years despite knowing I wouldn’t be able to do a damn thing about it.
“She said she was going to a club tonight.”
“Yeah, she told me when I called earlier. Dewey’s in Westchester. Remember that place?”
My blood ran ice cold. I sure as hell remembered that place. It was the brick and mortar version of Tinder.
