The Dangerous Curves Series

Chapter 54

He shook himself. He had to hold it together for Sarah. She looked shocked and unfocused right now, but it was going to hit her soon enough. When it did, he’d have to be comforting.

“OK, Red.” She looked up at him, surprised at him using that teasing nickname in a light tone. “Let me fix you up.”

He cleaned the cut, then gently stuck a bandage on it, barely pressing down at all. His large hands were tender, careful, and she closed her eyes at his touch. She felt shattered now, almost weak, and she longed to just curl up and go to sleep.

“Sarah?”

“Hmmmm?” she murmured.

“Hey, you here?”

“Yeah. I’m just tired all of a sudden.”

“It’s the shock. Lie down with me for a few minutes.”

Jax yanked off his bloody t-shirt, pulled her down onto the sofa. He stretched out on his back, and she rested her head on his shoulder. She lay her palm flat on his chest, feeling his heartbeat, its steady rhythm calming and centering her. Jax pulled her in tight and stroked her hair, listened to her breathing deepen and slow. In less than two minutes, she was fast asleep, and he closed his own eyes, willing himself to relax.

She’s OK. She’s OK. She’s OK.

After about twenty minutes, there was another knock at the door, and Sarah tensed, muttered in her sleep. Jax didn’t answer, and the door opened slowly. King poked his head in, then looked apologetic when he saw Sarah.

“Sorry.” He kept his voice low. “She doing alright?”

Jax nodded, still running his fingers through Sarah’s curls.

“I just wanted to let you know that we’ve cleaned the place up. I’ll lock everything behind me, and Aidan’s put up a sign that you’re closed until noon tomorrow.”

“Thanks, man. And not just for this – I mean for being by my side, and having my back tonight.”

“No problem, Jax. I hate those Fallen Angels fuckers like poison, and I kind of enjoyed kicking their damn heads in.” He paused. “You want me to talk to Jensen for you?”

“Would you?”

“Hell, yeah. We have an understanding, me and him.”

“I know.”

“I’ll take care of all of it.”

“Thanks, Matt.” Jax rarely used King’s real name, but it felt right to do so at this moment. “I owe you. Big time.”

King waved a huge hand. “Just take care of that girl, huh?”

“I will.”

“OK, good.” King switched on the desk lamp, pointed the glare away from the sofa, then he turned off the office light. “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.”

****

Sarah opened her eyes, and blinked in confusion.

What the hell? Why am I lying down in Jax’s office?

“Baby? You awake?”

Startled, she lifted her head. “Jax?” Then she saw his face in the dim light: it was bruised, his one eye was badly swollen, his lip split. She gasped. “Jax! What happened to you?”

“Hey, shhhh, now.” He held her a bit closer. “I’m not the one to worry about here.”

Sarah stared at him, clueless about just what the hell he meant. Then her neck gave a sharp throb, and she raised her hand to it. When her fingers touched the bandage, she remembered everything. Her breath caught.

“Oh, God… Joker Kane.”

“Yeah.” Those green eyes were watching her steadily. “You alright?”

“I – I think so.”

“You in pain?”

“No. Not really.”

“You telling me the truth, doll?”

“I am.”

Jax nodded. “OK, then. You’ve been out for almost three hours. You feel better?”

“Three hours?” She raised her wrist to squint at her watch. “What time is it?”

“Just after one.”

“Damn.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll take you back to my place soon. I just want to make sure you’re alright to get up and walk.”

He touched her face now, and her attention was captured by a flash of dark red in her peripheral vision. She glanced down at Jax’s other hand and gasped: it was twice its normal size, puffy and purple. She tugged his hand off her face now, and stared at it too. The skin was scraped clean off the knuckles, and his palm was streaked with blood.

“My God, Jax.” She sat up, and held his hand in both of hers. “Are you OK?”

“Yeah.” He gave her that trademark Jax Hamill grin: slow, sexy, and one hundred percent devil-may-care. “Nothing new for me. My hands are used to it, and they’ve been way worse, trust me.”

She was quiet as she stared down at his damaged hands, and he gazed at her. She looked thoughtful, maybe even troubled.

“What are you thinking?” he asked softly.

“I’m just – I’m remembering something.”

“What?”

She glanced up at him. “How you looked when Joker Kane cut me. The – the look in your eyes.”

He was silent. He could only imagine what he must have looked like.

“Did I scare you?” he said in a small voice, afraid to hear the answer.