“Where are you going?”
Lincoln glanced over his shoulder at the question. “I’m going to grab the nurse.”
A look of confusion passed over Shayne’s features. “Why? I thought you were going to help me?”
“Going by that growl, I thought you didn’t want my help,” he shot back.
“For fuck’s sake.” For some reason, one Lincoln couldn’t explain, Shayne’s curse surprised a bark of laughter from him. He looked so adorably disgruntled he couldn’t help it.
“Do you want me or Wendy?”
“Goddamn. You’re exhausting,” Shayne griped, throwing back the covers. Even with cuts covering his skin, taped ribs, and a bandage around his ankle, Shayne was sexy as hell. “I can do it alone. I play,” Shayne paused, clearing his throat before starting again. “I’veplayedhockey my entire life. This is nothing.”
That explained the hard body. Lincoln wanted to see if he could make it harder. He moved to Shayne’s side. “Oh, I’m definitely going to wear you out. Best I help you with this, so you can save your energy for that.”
“I don’t need help.”
Lincoln tossed the shirt over Shayne’s head before he could protest again. “My job doesn’t involve a lot of pain, but I know a ton about going things alone. So take it from an expert, just because you can do it by yourself doesn’t mean you should, and right now, you don’t have to. Stop bitching and accept myhelp.” If getting dressed hurt in the least, Shayne didn’t show it. He didn’t as much as grunt as Lincoln worked the material over both his arms. The shirt was too tight across the man’s chest and biceps, but it would work until Lincoln could get him home. He tore his gaze away from the hard planes outlined by the thin material. “Pants next,” he said, just to keep his cock from twitching. The avoidance didn’t help. A low chuckle filled the air. Lincoln’s attention snapped to Shayne’s face at the sound. His eyes shone with laughter. Shayne drew a slow breath through his nose. The sight was…holy hell.
“You should see how uncomfortable you look right now.”
Lincoln averted his gaze and snagged Shayne’s pants. Thankfully, they were the workout kind. That would make this an easier job. “If I’m uncomfortable, it’s probably not forthe reasons you think,” Lincoln admitted in spite of his best efforts at staying quiet.
“Now I’m disappointed.” Lincoln’s focus returned to Shayne’s face at the admission. “I hoped your reasons and my thoughts matched perfectly.”
An unexpected smile tugged at Lincoln’s lips. “I have a feeling you’re going to be down for a little while with these ribs.”
Shayne grabbed the pants from Lincoln’s hands and pulled them on as if nothing had happened. If he as much as winced, Lincoln didn’t see it. “I can’t afford the setback,” he said, moving past Lincoln with barely a limp and picking up his discharge papers. He glanced over his shoulder. “You taking me home?”
“Yeah. I am.”
Shayne motioned for the door. “After you, then.”
Even with a tonof painkillers pumping through his veins, Shayne hurt like hell. Not that he intended to let the world see him weakened. As if the universe heard his thoughts and decided to challenge his fortitude, his pain meds wore off before the pharmacy got his prescription filled. He popped a pill before ending up completely crippled.
He almost let the meds trick him into forgetting. When Lincoln pulled up to the curb in front of his house, Shayne hopped out of the truck before he thought better of it.
“Shit. I forgot,” Shayne cursed when his ankle gave way under his weight, causing him to stumble. His ribs screamed in protest and his head spun. Lincoln rushed to his side, helping to support him.
“You can lean on me, you know? I don’t expect you to be a badass every second of theday.”
“Except I do, need to be a badass that is.” Even as Shayne made the claim, he surrendered more of his weight to Lincoln. By the time they made it into the house and Lincoln helped ease him down on to the couch, Lincoln was more carrying him than not. The light from the kitchen, streaming into the living room lit the space enough that Shayne didn’t bother with the lamp. Not to mention, the last thing the spike driving into his skull needed was a brighter living area. He thought to shift over, making room for Lincoln to sit near his feet. Instead, Lincoln sat gingerly on the edge of the coffee table near Shayne’s head, almost as if he expected the wooden structure wouldn’t hold his weight. When it didn’t as much as creak, his shoulders relaxed and he focused on Shayne. As much as Shayne wanted to stare at the gorgeous man all night, the medswere making it hard for him to keep his eyes open. They slipped closed without his permission.
“I could’ve killed you.” The words were spoken so quietly, Shayne almost didn’t catch them. Still, he didn’t open his eyes. The drugs were kicking his ass.
“Don’t be so hard on yourself. I’m fine.”
A low chuckle caressed his ears. “You’re supposed to be asleep.”
In spite of being out of his head and only half-awake, a smile tugged at Shayne’s lips. “Then why are you still talking to me?”
“You don’t look fine,” Lincoln said, obviously hoping to avoid admitting he’d been talking to himself. Shayne wanted to laugh when Lincoln began babbling as if realizing how his words sounded. “I mean, you do, but you don’t. Shit. I’m making this worse. You’re gorgeous as hell, but I hurt you. Am I makingthis worse or better? Give me a hint.”
Shayne shifted the arm draped over his eyes enough to peek out at Lincoln. “Stop. Shit happens.” He covered his eyes once more since the light from the kitchen was making his head pound. “At best I’m mediocre in all things. I was only ever passable as a hockey player and now I’m a slightly washed-up and unemployed hockey player. Damn,” he breathed as the entire day’s events came crashing down on him. He was so fucked. “Sorry about that. I had a moment.”
“Now I feel worse. You’re out of work and I totaled your car. Great. I’m exceptional at everything I do, most especially at fucking up.”
Shayne uncovered his eyes again at Lincoln’s tone. It had gone dead in a way Shayne didn’t like. “Dude. I have insurance. It’s not abig deal. By tomorrow night, I’ll have everything cleared up. Right now, I have a raging fucking headache.”
