“It’s probably the injection and meds the doc gave you that caused a delay in recalling what occurred.”
My trembling knees gave way. Before I crumpled to the floor, Jack scooped up my naked body—no, not so naked since I still had on my black bikini panties. I shut my eyes, keeping my arm across my breasts, which was stupid, considering Jack had already seen me, and I’d slept like this with him…wait, did that mean we hadn’t had sex?
Jack set me back on the mattress, then handed me his black t-shirt from the padded bench at the foot of his bed, which I gratefully pulled on. “You threw that off last night.”
Of course, I did.
I’m surprised I hadn’t taken off my panties and handed them to him, too.
“Why didn’t you tell me the bastard stabbed you?”
At Jack’s harsh voice, I swept back my hair with a shaky hand. Now that I was aware of my wound, I could feel the dull throbbing. “I didn’t want Petra to know. She would blame herself, and she doesn’t need more to worry about with her drunken ex back again.”
“You can’t keep her in the dark. She has to know he’s fucking dangerous—he could have killed you!” Jack snapped. “And, Ray, I’ve already alerted the cops that he was armed and injured you.”
His tone dared me to contradict him. At the anger vibrating off him, I smoothed the covers over me and remained silent.
“They’ll be in later today to take a statement.”
Right.
He crossed to the living area with the huge windows overlooking the beach, got the tray from the small glass table there, and strode back, setting it on my lap. It was one of those with a little stand. “Eat.”
My gaze swept over the silver coffee pot, sugar, milk, a stack of pancakes on a plate, and a container of thick, dark gold syrup. My stomach rumbled as if reminding me that it had been hours since I’d eaten. Hurt or not, I enjoyed food. So, I put three pancakes on a plate, smothered them with syrup, cut off a chunk, and stuffed my mouth—God. I groaned. Sogood! I licked the maple syrup off my mouth, and as I chewed, I looked up and found Jack watching me.
“What?” I asked around a mouthful of yummy pancake. “I’m hungry.”
He smiled, his anger seeming to have faded. Rolling my eyes, I poured an inch of the lovely smelling coffee into a delicate porcelain cup and topped it with milk and four scoops of sugar. Then I stirred and took a deep, satisfying swallow.
“There’s a way to ruin perfectly good coffee.”
“You know nothing—” I broke off, a small voice niggling in my brain to stop provoking him.He took care of you.
I swallowed at the thought, then I ate more of my breakfast.
Even though Jack had slept in the same bed as I did, he hadn’t taken advantage, and my cautious heart melted a little. But I couldn’t allow this moment to lower my barriers. A leopard like Jack didn’t change his spots overnight, not when it came to women.
My stomach clenched, and my fingers squeezed the cup. I drank more coffee, hoping to ease the hollowness inside me. “Why didn’t you take me to my dorm?” I asked him.
The faint smile on his lips slid right off. “With that wound bleeding like a leaking faucet and you running a temperature? No.”
I snorted, barely stopping an eye-roll. “Stop trying to scare me. If I’d lost that much blood, I would have been in the hospital. I checked, it was a flesh wound.”
“That required four stitches,” he countered in a granite tone, shoving his fingers through his hair. “Had that fucking drunk struck a little higher, it would have gone straight into your lungs or heart, but it hit your rib instead!”
At his stark anger, my breath caught in my throat. He was worried about me?
“Thank you for what you did, for calling the doctor. I-I’ll pay you back if you send me the bill.”
“Stop—just stop!” Jack snapped, dropping his hand from his hair. “You think the damn bill is so important when I’m telling you that you could have died?”
Man, he was seriously worked up. “I’m sorry, okay? I didn’t know I got hurt. I was trying to stop him from hitting Petra when it happened.” My appetite gone, I set the cup down. “I should go.”
“Where?” His icy stare held mine.
I tipped my chin up. “I don’t want your family finding me here. Then I’ll be known as that vomity girl, or worse, as one of your slanks. And I’m not.”
He pinched the bridge of his nose. After several seconds, a heavy sigh escaped him as if he were trying to get himself under control. Finally, he lifted his head and his much softer gaze skimmed my face, causing that warm, molasses-like feeling to seep through me once more.
