Jaxon

by Maryann Jordan

  “Don’t be. You’re exhausted.” Moving her arm pillow to the side, he handed her a plate and placed the fork in her right hand. “Eat, babe.”

  She looked at the food with wide eyes, sniffing appreciatively. “What about you?”

  Chuckling, he said, “No worries, I made plenty.” He stood and headed to the kitchen counter, where he picked up another plate before returning to sit next to her. “Eat up,” he ordered gently, smiling as she dug into the food.

  Morgan, her stomach filled with delicious comfort food, now stood in the bathroom of Jaxon’s apartment and wondered what she was doing there. He had removed her tank top, careful of her arm, and had slid her yoga pants and panties down her leg, making sure to keep his eyes on hers. She was not wearing a bra, but he had been such a gentleman, she felt sure he had not even peeked. Jesus, it’s not like he’s never seen me naked before. Glancing down at her arm, she shuddered. Yeah, that was when I was pretty. This thing is a cock-block for sure.

  “You doin’ okay in there?” he called out from the other side of the door.

  Standing from the toilet after finishing her business, she flushed before calling him back in. He stepped into the room, holding a towel in front of him, which he wrapped around her body before turning on the water.

  “Okay,” he began. “I know it’ll feel weird, but once the water is warm, we’ll get into the shower together. The shower head is also on a hose, so I can use it to help wash you off without the stream of water hitting your arm. I can also use it to wash your hair.”

  “Oh,” she breathed, her gaze finding his. “That actually sounds lovely.” She glanced down at the towel wrapped around her and said, “Um…how should we do this?”

  She watched as he hesitated for a moment before taking matters into her own hands and throwing caution to the wind. “Listen, Jaxon, it’s fine. I get it. I look nothing like the girl you brought here a couple of weeks ago. So, I’ll just get naked and you do what you need to do.”

  His eyes opened wide as he blurted, “You look nothing like you used to? What does that mean?”

  Blushing, she said, “It means that I can get naked and know that you’re not interested—”

  “You must have had a worse concussion than I thought,” he muttered. “Believe me, you’re a beautiful woman, no matter the accident. And it’ll definitely take my self-control to be with you wet and naked. But,” he placed his hands on her shoulders, “this is about comfort, not sex.” Winking, he added, “Just don’t confuse me taking care of you with not being interested.”

  “Oh,” she said, her face still blushing. Looking at the shower, she sucked in a deep breath. “Okay, I’m ready.”

  Dropping the towel, she stepped into the stall, holding her left arm away from the water. “They said it would be fine for it to get wet, but I’m just kind of afraid right now.”

  “That’s understandable,” he said, nervously working the shower hose to make sure it did not hit her arm and that the water stream was on her and not too hot.

  She held out her right hand and he squirted shower gel into her palm, which she slathered over her front as he soaped her back. His hands were strong and sure, digging in slightly, like a watery massage. “Oh, my God, that feels amazing.”

  Using the shower hose carefully, he rinsed her off before having her tilt her head back so he could get her hair wet. Her scalp tingled as he coated her hair in shampoo, his fingers working the suds through the strands while delivering a massage. She felt her shoulder muscles ease in relaxation, and tears of relief stung her eyes. He followed up with conditioner and she groaned again at the pure ecstasy of having her hair washed.

  Jaxon’s hands were buried in Morgan’s hair and he seriously doubted his sanity at the moment. Her naked body was on display and as much as he promised her this was not about sex, the message was not relayed to his cock. Gritting his teeth, he focused on his fingers soothing through her strands of silken hair, forcing his wandering mind to the task at hand. Once he was sure the conditioner had been sufficiently rinsed, he flipped off the water and stepped out.

  “Give me a second to get your towel and I’ll help you out,” he said, while her back was still to him. Grabbing the first one he could, he wrapped it around his waist, hoping to hide his erection while, at the same time, reciting medical terminology over and over in an effort to control his eager cock.

  Scooping up another thick towel, he wrapped it around her back and held her hand tightly as she stepped from the wet tile of the shower onto the bathmat.

  His gaze caught on her face, freshly scrubbed and smiling widely. Unable to hold back a responding grin, he cupped her cheek. “Feel better?”

  “Oh, Jaxon, you have no idea. This is the first time in a week that I feel completely clean. And relaxed. Thank you so much,” she enthused.

  “My pleasure,” he mumbled, hoping her eyes stayed above his waist.

  “I know this is a complete interruption of your life,” she said, her shoulders drooping. “I can’t believe you offered all of this. But, I promise that, as soon as I can, I’ll be out of your hair.”

  He stepped closer, his thumb caressing her cheek. “Hey, where did that come from?”

  She lifted her left arm and said, “I know what you said earlier, but I also know this is gross.”

  “Babe,” he said, his voice low. “In my profession, I see everything and, believe me, this is not gross.” She tilted her head to the side, her brows lowered. “Honestly,” he insisted. “Your arm is not gross to me. It’s injured, sure, and I know it’s painful and uncomfortable. But,” he leaned closer, “not gross.”

  Still unconvinced, she bit her lip and her gaze dropped. Shaking his head, he warned, “If you don’t want proof of how un-gross it is, your eyes had better stay above my waist.”

  She sucked in a quick intake of breath as she naturally dropped her gaze to his towel, still barely concealing his erection. Jerking her gaze back to his face, she opened her mouth, but a strangled, “Oh,” was all that came out.

  Laughing, he grabbed another towel and began drying her off, all the while maintaining her modesty with the first one, keeping it draped around her. Once finished, he stood behind her and towel-dried her hair before running her comb through the thick tresses.

  “How should I help you dress?” he asked.

  “Um, since I’m not going anywhere today, will it make you uncomfortable if I go braless?”

  “No, ma’am,” he said, eliciting a giggle from her.

  “Then, I have an old sweatshirt jacket that might work, if we cut off the left arm. I earned it at one of my college races…I really love it, actually. But I don’t want to ruin too many clothes, cutting them up, and that one makes me feel so cozy.” Biting her lip for a second, she let out a sigh and shrugged her right shoulder, looking resigned.

  “Hang on,” he said, leaving the bathroom.

  After a moment, he returned dressed in jeans and had a large t-shirt and one of her tanks in his hand. Maneuvering the tank top over her head and weaving it carefully around her left arm, he settled it around her waist. Then, he held up the large t-shirt of his and worked it over her arms as well.

  With the oversized shirt, Morgan felt warm and covered, her arm free to move without any material to irritate it. Jaxon bent and, as she balanced with her right hand on his shoulder, he assisted her into her panties and yoga pants. Standing, he beamed at her and said, “How’s that?”

  “Oh, Jaxon,” she began, her chin beginning to quiver. “You have no idea how good I feel right now. I’m clean and warm and comfortable. For the first time since the accident, I feel a little more like myself.”

  He cupped her face once again and leaned forward to kiss her forehead. “I know you’re exhausted, so let’s get you in bed and see if you can take a nap.”

  She had fought off the exhaustion during breakfast and the shower, but now felt it in every bone in her body. Nodding, she agreed and followed him into the bedroom. “I appreciate th
is, but I doubt that I’ll be able to get comfortable.”

  “Well, let’s see what we can do.”

  Looking over his shoulder, he asked, “Which side do you prefer to sleep on?”

  “My right, but I can’t do it with my left arm in shackles,” she quipped, watching in fascination as he pulled down the covers to his king-sized bed and began moving pillows.

  “Come over here,” he called, and she walked to him on the left side of the bed. “Okay, first sit down and lay on your back.”

  Once she followed his directions and placed her head on a soft pillow, he placed another pillow longways on her right side.

  Supporting her left arm, he said, “Now roll to your right side and place your left arm on this pillow.”

  Once she had rolled, he gently assisted her left arm to be supported next to her. His mattress was comfortable and his pillows were soft. Her body immediately settled into the familiar position and her eyes felt heavy.

  “I usually work day shifts, but because I occasionally work a night shift, these curtains are light-blockers. I don’t want you to sleep all day because I want you to sleep tonight, but your body is crying for rest. So sleep a couple of hours and then I’ll get you up and we’ll have lunch.”

  She heard his words and barely grunted her response as sleep carried her away.

  20

  Jaxon puttered around the house, making sure to be quiet while Morgan slept. He checked on her every fifteen minutes but, so far, she had not moved and, with her left arm still propped on the supporting pillow, she appeared to be comfortably sleeping.

  Hearing the sound of boots on the walkway outside his apartment, he jumped up from the sofa and hurried to the front door before anyone could knock.

  Throwing open the door, he greeted his brothers with a “Shhh,” as he moved back to let them in.

  Jayden’s eyes narrowed as he stepped through the threshold, but before anyone could ask, he said, “Morgan’s asleep in my bedroom.”

  Noticing eyebrow lifts on the others, he ushered them into his living room with another order of, “Stay quiet.”

  As Rafe, Asher, Cael, Zeke, and Zander followed Jayden in, he walked to the kitchen to grab bottles of beer before joining them in the living room.

  With his voice lowered, he explained, “She was having a tough time at her apartment and didn’t want to go to her parents’ house. Her apartment is tiny and everywhere she moved, she was bumping her arm. She couldn’t sleep and couldn’t take care of herself and couldn’t get the top off the pain medicine—”

  “Whoa, man,” Cael said. “We get it.”

  He let out a breath. If anyone understood what he was talking about it was Cael, who had plenty of experience helping when his young niece was being treated for cancer and then when his fiancée was also undergoing cancer treatments.

  “She’s got a shit place and you can take care of her here. It makes sense,” Cael assured.

  Shooting him a look of gratitude, he breathed a sigh of relief. “I don’t know how her parents will see it.”

  Jayden said, “From what you say, her dad isn’t going to want anyone else to get in the way of her rehabilitation.”

  “I don’t plan on getting in the way,” he defended himself. “All I offered her was a larger place to recuperate and someone here to help with her needs until she can gain some strength and take care of them herself.”

  “You care for her,” Zander stated, leaning back against the sofa cushions.

  Nodding, he dropped his head, staring at his hands as he rested his forearms on his knees. “Yeah, I do. It was supposed to be a hookup.” Lifting his head to stare at Cael, he added, “Kind of felt like you did.” Cael had also engaged in what was originally supposed to be a one-night hookup, with Regina, but he ended up not wanting to lose the woman he quickly became infatuated with. Guess they were two for two in shared experiences.

  “It happens, man,” Cael admitted.

  “The difference was that we had no choice with where her swimming was going to take her. She was leaving town and not going to be coming back for months. Her world was swimming, competitions, endorsements, travel. Hell, everything that goes along with being an Olympic contender. Me being part of that world was not going to happen.”

  “And now?” Asher asked.

  “It’s weird, I’ll admit. I know that once she gets back to peak strength, she’ll go back to that world, but for now, it’s nice to get to know her better.”

  “Does she know?” Rafe asked, his gaze intense. “About the accident?”

  Sighing, he shook his head. “She doesn’t remember much about it.”

  “And are you going to tell her that you were there?” he prodded. “I mean, the reason she slowed down in the first place.” Lifting his hands, palms out, he said, “Not that it was your driver’s fault, but just that you were there.”

  Scrubbing his hand over his stubbled jaw, he said, “I hadn’t planned on it. I mean, Bob was not the cause of the accident and our being there probably saved her arm.”

  “Agreed, but Rafe’s right. I know, first hand, that keeping things secret can really come back to haunt you,” Zander said.

  “I know you do,” he nodded, understanding, “but, her dad’s hell-bent on going after the truck driver and I just figured there was no reason to muddy the waters. So, I haven’t said anything.”

  “You might want to reconsider,” Jayden said. “It’d be better coming from you than from someone else.”

  He nodded but was uncertain of how Morgan would take him having anything to do with the accident at all—the accident that had changed her life and stolen her dreams. Noncommittal, he turned and flipped on the TV, keeping the sound down low so they could all watch the ballgame.

  Morgan’s eyes blinked open and it took her a moment to discern where she was. Jaxon’s apartment. Jaxon’s bed. She stretched and felt an ache in her arm, but other than that, she felt better than she had since the accident. She remembered he had had the light-blocking curtains pulled over the windows, but he must have come in sometime while she was sleeping and opened them slightly, so the light could wake her gently from her nap.

  She carefully sat up and let the fuzziness in her brain settle. Swinging her legs over the side of the bed, she rose and moved into the bathroom. She managed to pull her pants and panties down so that she could use the toilet before struggling to lift them over her hips again. Washing her hand, she looked into the mirror and was stunned at the state of her hair. It was completely unruly since it had dried while she was sleeping. She found her comb, which Jaxon had placed on the counter along with her other toiletries, and attempted to drag it through the tangled tresses, to no avail.

  Smelling the scent of pizza, her mouth watered and she gave up on the brush. Walking down the short hall, she stepped into the living room, calling out, “Please tell me that’s pizza!” Seeing the room filled with men—gorgeous men—she stumbled and skidded to a stop.

  Her gaze landed first on Jayden and Zander, both of whom she had met at Grimm’s weeks ago. “Oh…uh…oh,” she stammered, her right hand coming up to her head, knowing she looked frightful with bedhead and a Frankenstein arm.

  “Morgan,” Jaxon called, walking from the kitchen, plates in his hands, setting them down next to the pizza boxes. His eyes landed warmly on hers. “How’d you sleep?”

  She turned her wide eyes toward him, aware of the men in the living room all standing in greeting. “Uh…good…good.”

  He came to her, standing right in her space, and lifted her chin with his knuckles so he could peer into her face. “Really? Really good?”

  She focused on him, seeing the concern in his eyes and a soft smile curved her lips. “Yeah, really good. Thank you.”

  “No need to thank me. I’m just glad you finally got some rest.”

  “I think the combination of being out of the hospital, the Ibuprofen, the warm shower, breakfast, and a big bed that allowed me to sleep on my right side all combined
to make sure I was sleeping like the dead.”

  “Good,” he said, bending to kiss her forehead.

  She did not have time to think before he took her by the shoulders and gently led her toward the sofa. “Hope you don’t mind, but it was my turn to host our football day.”

  “Jaxon,” she blushed, “please don’t worry about me. I’m the one who’s taking up your time and place.”

  “Nonsense. You’re here because I want you here. You remember my brother, Jayden,” he began.

  “Yes, of course,” she smiled, looking at his twin, now seeing subtle differences between them. “It’s lovely to meet you again. I’m sorry I look such a fright—”

  “Don’t even think that,” Jayden said, his smile warm as he bent to kiss her cheek. “You look amazing. I’m so sorry about the accident, but am glad you’re doing as well as you are.”

  Surprised his words did not slash through her, she accepted his condolences, saying, “Thank you. That’s very kind.”

  “And you met Zander,” Jaxon continued.

  Zander lifted his hand, taking her right one in his, giving it a gentle squeeze. “Rosalie would love to see you again, whenever you’d like some company.”

  Eyes wide, she nodded. “Please tell her I’d love to see her again, as well.”

  Zeke stepped forward as he greeted her. “I’m Zeke.”

  “I remember you brought out the delicious wings that night at Grimm’s.”

  Zeke smile widened. “I’m glad you enjoyed them.”

  Jaxon continued, “These are my other brothers, Rafe…”

  She smiled at the dark-haired, gorgeous man and could have sworn she had seen him in a calendar a former roommate had hanging in their room. He’s certainly model-worthy, but still, he has nothing on Jaxon. He shook her hand and said, “My Eleanor would love to meet you as well. She’s also a nurse. Just, you know, in case you need anything.”

  “Thank you,” she said, her smile growing wider.