McKenzie, Cooper - His Beck and Call Girl [Club Esoteria 6] (Siren Publishing Allure) (10 page)

Instead of answering, Jackson just smiled and drove a little faster.

* * * *

By the time the nurse wheeled Sinclair toward her room, she had no idea how much time had passed since the accident. She had wanted to go home to mourn the loss of her car and Jackson’s absence in her life, but the doctor refused to release her when she admitted there was no one there to take care of her.

Thankfully, when she called Megan, her friend promised to take care of Max until she returned home.

“Okay, Miss Malone, here’s your room,” the nurse said, turning into one of the dozens of doorways that lined the long, narrow hallway.

“Oh, my God.”

Sinclair froze at the deep masculine voice and lifted her head to find Jackson sitting in the recliner across the room. He wore his uniform, and as usual, her body stirred, despite the strong pain medications that were coursing through her system.

“What are you doing here?” she demanded after swallowing the lump that seemed to be permanently lodged in her throat. “Why aren’t you at work?”

Jackson didn’t answer. Instead he stood and came around the bed.

The nurse pushed the wheelchair next to the bed and parked it. Before she could help Sinclair out of the chair and into bed, Jackson was there. He slid his arms around her and easily lifted her from the chair. The nurse pulled back the covers and he laid her gently in the bed. He then stepped out of the way as the nurse took her vital signs and settled her into the room.

Sinclair didn’t trust herself to speak until the nurse left the room and closed the door behind her.

Exhausted and fuzzy from the medications, Sinclair just looked at the man who held her heart that he didn’t want. “Why are you here, Jackson?”

Jackson stood and approached the bed. “I’m here because the woman I love is here. Where else would I be?”

“You don’t love me. I’m just your beck and call girl, a willing body who jumps whenever you have time for me.” Sinclair closed her eyes and looked away, waiting to hear him walk out of the room.

She started when something went click and the bed shifted. Turning her head, she opened her eyes to find the side gate of the bed was down and he now sat next to her.

Looking into his deep blue eyes, she felt her heart clench at the love she read there. Could he be telling the truth? Or was this just a ploy to keep her dangling a little longer?

“I know I haven’t treated you as I should have. I’ve treated you badly, and for that I will forever be sorry. But I love you, and if you give me a chance I want to spend the rest of my life making it up to you. Will you do me the honor of marrying me?”

Sinclair felt her heart stop and then start again. “Really?”

Jackson smiled at her and combed his fingers through her hair to brush it away from her face. “Yes, baby, really. Now why don’t you take a little nap and we’ll talk when you wake up.”

“Okay,” she said as her eyes drifted shut.

* * * *

When Sinclair woke next, she was hungry and had to pee. Looking around she was surprised to see the recliner kicked back and Jackson sound asleep under a blanket. So, his appearance in her room hadn’t been a drug-induced dream. But what about his marriage proposal? Had that been real or something her mind made up to keep her from falling over the edge into a deep depression?

Instead of lying there and debating about reality versus dreams, she pushed the covers off and slowly worked her way out of the bed. Her right ankle was badly sprained while her upper arm and wrist were both broken. They’d splinted her arm and leg in the emergency room, and in a couple of days she would see the orthopedist who would put her arm in a cast.

Swinging her legs over the side of the bed, she hissed when her good foot hit the cold tile floor. When she tried to put weight on her ankle she sucked a breath then held it, not wanting to disturb the sleeping man behind her.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” a sleepy growl demanded.

She squeaked as she was swept off her feet and into Jackson’s arms.

“I have to pee,” she grumped.

“So why didn’t you wake me up?” he asked as he carried her into the bathroom and set her down next to the toilet.

“I didn’t want to bother you,” she admitted softly as he stepped out of the little room.

“Sunshine, you’ve been bothering me since the day we met, and I hope that you continue to aggravate me on a regular basis until the day I die.”

“So it wasn’t the drugs?” she asked softly.

“No, darlin’, it wasn’t the drugs. I love you and asked you to marry me, but you never answered me. Want more time? Or can you give me a yes now?”

Sinclair finished her business then hopped to the door. As soon as he saw her, Jackson picked her up again and carried her back to bed.

“Later,” she snarked, throwing his favorite phrase back at him.

“Fair enough. Just know that you’re not getting away from me and I’m not going to be out of touch for days at a time without a word.” He tucked her in, then lay down next to her. He carefully settled her against him so he could cuddle her close without hurting her. Pulling the covers over them, he then slid his free hand down her body and between her legs to cup her mons. “You might as well give in now because I am not going anywhere. I am here to stay and be at
your
beck and call.”

THE END

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