Her quick adrenaline rush ebbed from lack of sleep and carbs. Yawning, she poked her head outside to see Jax pacing the hallway like a caged animal outside of the trauma surgery room, accidentally bumping her hip on the doorknob. “Why don’t you come sit down?”
He scowled but did as she suggested. His broad body overwhelmed the plastic orange chair. “How’s the research?” he asked.
“I’m getting closer but don’t have a location yet. I will, though.” She let her excitement show for a moment and then ran her fingers over his battered knuckles.
A bandage covered his right arm, and he hadn’t bothered to put a shirt back on after being stitched up. His powerful torso beckoned her, but the blood across his jeans made her think twice. Tension still rode her hard at the thought that somebody had shot at Jax, but he seemed at ease with the entire situation. If she lost him, she’d lose everything that mattered in this new world. She’d lose her odd blue heart. “I think you should’ve waited for Tace to sew up the bullet hole.”
“Raze did fine. He’s got a good hand,” Jax said, poking at the bandage, his tension palpable. “He doesn’t swear as much, either.”
Lynne eyed his wide chest and ripped abs. It was hard to imagine sometimes that he was not only real but hers. The man owned her heart, without question. Maybe her soul, too. “Well, one more scar won’t detract from your rugged looks.”
He grinned, his honey-brown eyes sparkling. “Are you flirting with me, Dr. Harmony?”
“Maybe a little.” It was nice to see him smile. Jax had a killer smile, but he didn’t get the chance to use it often. “How is Sami?”
Jax frowned. “She’s hurting but will be fine.”
“Then why are you growling?” Lynne asked.
He licked his lips. “Tace won’t let her out of his sight. She’s on the bed in the examination room, just a few feet away from surgery.”
“Oh.” Lynne sat back, wondering how to diffuse the situation for Sami’s sake. The woman needed a chance at something good, and the men would screw that up. Lynne changed the subject. “How is surgery going?”
“Tace was swearing up a storm, and Raze was handing him instruments on cue. I guess it’s going okay,” Jax said.
Lynne pushed an empty water bottle out of the way. “I hope Damon survives.”
“Me too.” Jax scrubbed both hands down his face. “If anything happens to Damon, Greyson will declare war, and I’m not sure we’re ready for war on another front. We need to up the training of soldiers, so the last thing I have time to worry about is two of my lieutenants. Tace is definitely acting over the top right now. Kind of crazy, if you ask me.”
Back to Sami and Tace. Lynne had thought it could happen. There had been more than one time she’d caught Sami watching Tace when he didn’t realize it. Since they were now the topic, maybe Lynne could help them out a little. “About your lieutenants—that’s an interesting development. Is Tace acting so protective just because they’re partners on patrol?”
“Gut feeling? No. It’s more than that. But there’s something about Tace that’s setting me on edge.” Jax reached for her hand and flipped it over, smoothing the pad of his index finger over her love line.
Lynne’s abdomen jumped. Just from one little touch. “Is Tace being over-the-top possessive and protective?”
“Exactly.” Relief soothed out the lines on Jax’s face. “That’s the problem.”
Lynne couldn’t help but wrinkle her nose. If a medal existed for male over-the-top possessiveness and protectiveness, it would hold Jax Mercury’s name at the top in shiny gold letters.
“That’s different. You and I are different,” Jax said, his gaze roaming to her blue heart beneath her T-shirt. “We don’t go on patrol together, and even if you were a soldier, we wouldn’t be scouting partners. There’s a reason cops can’t date their partners and that soldiers can’t fraternize. It’s a good reason, and it keeps people alive.”
She chose not to argue the point of whether or not he’d be comfortable with her taking on Rippers, because she wasn’t trained and it would never happen. “So what’s the problem? If Sami and Tace are dating, then they can stop patrolling together.” If they’d found happiness with each other, it was a good thing for everybody.
Jax nodded. “Yeah, except they both lied to me earlier and said they weren’t fucking.”
“Maybe they aren’t,” Lynne said softly. “Maybe there are feelings between them and neither one of them knows how to deal with them. But if they said they weren’t, ah, you know, then I think you can believe they spoke the truth at the time.”
“Fucking.” He leaned in and tangled his hand in her hair, taking control of her head. “Say it, Harmony.”
Why did he always push her out of her comfort zone? “No,” she murmured against his lips.
He kissed her, deep and hard, driving her head back against his broad palm. Holding her in place, he explored her, tasting of bourbon and man. Finally, he let her breathe. “Say it, Blue.”
“Nope.” She nipped his lip, butterflies zinging from her breasts to her sex. “Maybe you can get me to say it later in our apartment.” As a dare, it lacked creativity but would probably still get the job done.
“It’s a date.” He released her and sat back, making the chair creak. “And now you’re going to have to use it in a sentence that sounds more like begging.”
She smiled, her body lighting on fire. “We’ll see who begs.”
