I want it to be the first time between us. But you’re in my bed, and to be clear, in the future, feel free to turn me on whenever the spirit moves you, but just for the time being…cut a guy some slack.”
“Okay, Danny,” she whispered.
“In other words, efficiency in taking off my shirt and then you can get the ice cream and I’ll change into my shorts.”
She nodded.
He bent and brushed his lips to hers before he sat back down.
She scraped him with her nails on his stomach and his lat, which felt too good, but he let it slide as he watched her bite her lip with concentration while she stretched the fuck out of the collar of his thermal getting it over his head without making him raise his other arm.
Then it was gone.
She stared at the big bandage on his shoulder.
“It’s gonna heal fine,” he promised.
Her gaze came to his and she repeated, “Okay, Danny,” before it was Evie who cupped his jaw, bent and touched her mouth to his and then straightened.
“I’m gonna clean up too,” she told him. “So, take your time and call when you’re done.”
“Right.”
She shot him a soft smile and he watched her legs and ass as she walked out of his room.
He got his jeans off, his shorts on, retrieved the pill bottle from his jeans, put it on his nightstand and was sliding his arm back into the sling when he called, “Babe! Do me a favor and grab the pillows off Mo’s bed! We might need ’em!”
“Gotcha!” she called back.
He finished with his sling, piled his pillows on one side and stretched himself out on the bed, propped up.
He didn’t want to admit what a relief it was to take a load off.
But it helped significantly with the pain.
Evie came in with the pillows, left, and then the lights went out beyond his door and she came back with the carton of Tillamook Birthday Cake ice cream.
“I approve of your ice cream selection,” she announced, sliding into bed beside him. “Birthday Cake is the best, with Malted Moo second runner-up.”
“Monster Cookie,” he parried, taking the spoon she offered.
“Oo, nice one,” she muttered, digging in.
She’d put her hair up in a knot at the top, but tendrils were falling down her cheeks.
Yeah.
Just all kinds of pretty.
“Babe,” he called.
She looked at him and answered, “Yeah?” before she shoved a huge-ass spoonful of ice cream in her mouth.
And only Evan could make shoving a huge-ass spoonful of ice cream in her mouth something that gave him an almost overwhelming urge to bang her breathless.
He wanted to lock onto that thought.
But he saw the purple, the swelling, the scabs.
Okay.
Focus.
He had Evie and her bare legs in her pajamas lying in his bed with him, holding a carton of ice cream between them.
She shook he head. “Stop it, Danny, we’ll handle it when it happens. We’ve handled enough for today, doncha think?”
Yeah.
He thought.
More than enough.
“And we’re here,” she continued. “We might be a little worse for the wear but we’re here. Let’s just eat ice cream, watch TV, I’ll get you some water to take your pill and then tomorrow is another day.” She smiled. “And another day off because I can’t strip with a shiner.”
His eyes moved over her face thinking that he already knew he could fall in love with this woman.
What he was figuring out was he was about to head into free fall.
And he was not going to reach out a hand to grab hold of anything.
It was coming clear he was good to just…
Drop.
Mag opened his eyes and saw dark.
But he felt nagging pain in his shoulder.
He also felt Evie’s head resting on the other one and her arm along his gut.
He was still up on the pillows, and it hit him that he’d fallen asleep in the middle of ice cream. Then she’d obviously turned out the lights, switched off the TV, and snuggled up to him on top of the covers, probably so she wouldn’t disturb him.
And she hadn’t.
He hadn’t woken up.
He also hadn’t taken a painkiller, which right then he knew was a mistake.
Last, he was a stomach or side sleeper and he needed to move, but couldn’t, because Dr. Baldwin told him to sleep a few days in the sling, on his back, elevated.
But he was uncomfortable.
The only good thing about his position was Evie cozied