Total pages in book: 173
Estimated words: 174632 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 873(@200wpm)___ 699(@250wpm)___ 582(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 174632 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 873(@200wpm)___ 699(@250wpm)___ 582(@300wpm)
“Idiot, there’s no food on the fork now,” Jameson told him tightly.
“Oh, whoops.”
Maggie started giggling. Did she really find that funny? Jack was being an idiot, and Jameson wasn’t sure what he thought he was doing.
“Just move aside and let me do it.” He pushed at Jack as Maggie stared at him in surprise.
“I thought you had to go. You need your beauty sleep, remember?” Ian said, grabbing his shoulder and steering him away from Jack and Maggie.
“Let’s try this again. I know, how about a boat this time? It can be on rough seas.”
Maggie giggled and the sound hit him like a fist to the gut. He had to get out of here. Now.
He rushed past Ian and toward the door.
“Wait up,” Ian commanded.
“I’m leaving.”
“Jameson.” Ian reached out and grabbed his shoulder. “Stop for a moment.”
“You could have handled that small cut on her foot yourself,” he told the other man, whirling around. “You and I both know that. So why call for me?”
“I wanted her to have the best medical care available.”
Jameson just stared at him and Ian sighed. When had he started looking so tired?
He couldn’t remember Ian ever seeming this knackered. Even when they were in the armed forces.
Then again . . . Jameson seemed to look more and more weary every time he glimpsed in the mirror.
“And maybe I wanted to see you. You don’t have to avoid us, you bastard. We’re not going to force you into anything you don’t want.”
Meaning a relationship with the two of them. Not a sexual one. They weren’t attracted to one another. But a relationship with the same woman. Where they shared her and worked together to protect and cherish and love her.
Only . . . Jameson no longer wanted that. He’d run from that. From them.
Coward.
“I’m not avoiding you,” he told Ian.
“Liar.”
That’s what he was. A liar.
“I’m going now. Make sure she stays off that foot for at least the next twelve hours and that she doesn’t get it dirty.”
Ian just stared at him, not saying a word.
But Jameson could feel his disappointment. Turning, he left. And he didn’t look back.
Even though he could feel Ian watching him all the way to the car.
9
“Is it something I did?” she asked Jack as he forked up more eggs. He was really bad at this. Most of the eggs fell on the floor or her lap.
So why haven’t you stopped him?
You’re a grown woman who can feed herself.
The fact was, it was really nice to have someone looking after her. She couldn’t remember the last time someone had actually fussed over her hurting herself. Well, at least, not because they were actually worried about her.
More because they were worried about how her injury would affect her performance.
A familiar anxiety built in her tummy, but she pushed it aside. She wasn’t going to think of that right now. She was no longer competing.
Jack paused, staring down at her for a moment. “Something you did?”
She blushed and stared down at her lap. “I was acting a bit like a moron around him. It’s all right, you can say it.”
Jack placed a finger under her chin, tilting her head back. She expected some sort of joke to come from him. For him to tell her that yes, she was the queen of the morons.
Instead he frowned at her. What was going on? Jack never frowned.
Right, because you’ve known him for such a long time.
Idiot.
“Do not call yourself a moron.”
“I . . . uh . . . um . . .”
“But yeah, you were acting weird around Jameson.” He grinned and winked at her. “You shouldn’t do that, you know.”
“I know,” she said. “I embarrassed myself.”
“Nah, you stroked his ego and that thing is already hugely overinflated. Like, about to blow it’s so erect.”
“Jack!” Ian snapped as he walked into the room. “What the hell are you saying to her?”
“What? Nothing.” Jack gave Ian an innocent look while Maggie tried pretending that she didn’t resemble a giant tomato.
It was hard since she knew her face was flaming. Had Jack been aware of how his words sounded?
“You sounded like you were talking about . . . about . . .” Ian trailed off.
“Yes?” Jack asked, his face serene. But she saw the twinkle in his eyes. He knew exactly what he was doing.
“Nothing,” Ian said. Then he turned to her. “I’ll carry you up to bed. You’re to stay there all day tomorrow. Someone will bring you food.”
“Wait . . . what? I can’t stay in bed all day.” That was insane. She had stuff to do. They had to go out and look at viable locations for the wedding photos. She didn’t have time to stay in bed.
“You will stay in bed and rest your foot. Someone will bring you food.”
“And what about when I need to pee?” she asked sarcastically.