by Maya Banks
She grinned, knowing just how he felt. "Maybe we can give my piece of scrap metal a proper send-off to the junkyard."
"It's a date," he said solemnly.
They were interrupted by the nurse's arrival. She walked to the head of the bed holding a capped syringe. "The good news is the doc gave me the go-ahead on the pain meds, which means you're just fine. He'll be in to make it official, but we had a trauma patient come in a few minutes ago, so he'll be there for a little bit. In the meantime I'll give you this to make you more comfortable."
Julie smiled up at her. "Thanks. I appreciate that."
"Slight burn when the medicine hits your bloodstream. It should go away about the time it hits your shoulder. Then you'll be feeling no pain."
"Sounds good," Julie said faintly as she felt the slight discomfort of the medicine. Then, as the nurse predicted, she traced the sensation to just below her shoulder and a warm hum settled in.
"Nice," she murmured.
The nurse chuckled. "That's what they all say. Get some rest. I'll be back to check on you in a few."
"Nathan?"
"Right here, honey."
"You can go, you know," she said, amused by how her words slurred. "You don't have to stay with me."
She thought he frowned at her but couldn't be sure. The ceiling and his face were doing this interesting sort of swirly thing.
"You're stuck with me, so deal with it."
She laughed. "You're cute when you get all grumpy."
"Is that why you try to drive me insane? Because you think I look cute?"
"I don't think," she said dreamily. "I know. A man shouldn't be that good-looking. Makes him too cocky."
"So now you're adding cocky to my lists of attributes."
There was a thread of amusement in his voice. Was he laughing at her?
"You have a nice cock too."
"Thank you ... I think. Maybe we should talk about something else."
"Did you like having sex with me?"
He took her hand and pressed his other hand gently to her mouth.
"Well?" she asked huffily.
"Yes," he said in a resigned voice. "I enjoyed it very much. Why the hell can't I get you to talk about this stuff when you're sober?"
Was he talking to her or to himself?
"Do you and Micah have sex together often?"
"Julie!" His voice came out in a strangled, hoarse whisper. "No, the hell we don't have sex together. We had sex with you. Not with each other. Jesus Christ, woman. You're a danger to society when you're under the influence."
"That's what I meant," she huffed. "Do you two fuck the same chick together very often?"
"Julie, honey, as much as it pains me to say this, we really need to talk about this another time. Preferably when you know what the hell you're saying. Ask me these questions when you're not three sheets to the wind and I'll gladly answer them for you complete with visual aids and an in-depth description."
"Nathan?"
He sighed. "Yes?"
"I'm gonna go to sleep now."
He leaned down and carefully pushed her hair away from her face. "That's a very good idea, honey."
She literally felt her eyeballs roll back into her head as the room went black around her.
Chapter 25
Julie next opened her eyes she had the sensation of having cotton balls stuffed underneath her lids. They positively scratched across her eyes. Her mouth hadn't been spared the cotton ball treatment either.
"Oh, you're awake."
"Serena?" she croaked, turning her head toward her friend's voice.
"Yes, sweetie, it's me. How are you? Oh my God, you had me so worried."
Serena sat in a chair pulled up next to the bed, her hand curled around Julie's arm. Luminous blue eyes shone with concern, and Serena's forehead was creased with worry.
"I'm okay. Promise. Just a little stiff."
"Is there anything I can get for you, Julie?"
Julie turned to see Damon standing to the side, his eyes also mirroring his concern. It was damn nice to have friends. Good friends. People who dropped things at a moments notice when one of their friends were in need.
Damn it, she wasn't going to get all weepy again. Must be the freaking medication.
"I'd love some water," she said around her scratchy throat.
Damon pulled one of the paper cups from a canister by the sink and poured it half full with water. He went around to the opposite side of where Serena sat and carefully slid his free hand underneath Julie.
"Let me help you. Don't try to do too much at once," he murmured.
Grateful for his strength, she leaned forward and sipped hungrily at the water. When she was done, he eased her back down.
"Better?"
"A lot. Thank you so much."
He smiled at her. "No problem, Julie. Serena and I came as soon as Nathan called us."
Her forehead crinkled. "Where is Nathan, anyway?"
"Pop and Connor brought his truck, and he went down to grab something to eat with them."
She frowned. "Have I been out that long?"
Serena smiled and squeezed her hand. "Yep, several hours. Doc was by, said you were doing just fine and you could go home when you came around as long as you were feeling up to it. Scans came back okay."
"Oh, that's nice. Bed." She sighed at the thought of curling up with a soft pillow.
"You're coming home with me and Damon," Serena said firmly.
"I am?"
"You are," Damon said with a smile. "Or so Serena assures me. She's informed me you have no choice in the matter, and truly, we have plenty of room. My staff will fuss over you and spoil you endlessly. Think of it as a holiday."
"I hope you weren't trying to talk me out of it with that speech," Julie said with a tired grin. "Sounds far too marvelous to pass up."
The nurse sailed in, a middle aged doctor on her heels. "Oh good, you're awake. Have a nice nap?"
Julie smiled crookedly. "That was some good shit you gave me. I could have slept through a hurricane."
"You ready to get out of here, Miss Stanford?" the doctor asked in a distracted voice as he scribbled on his clipboard.
"Yes, sir."
"Your tests all came back fine. You'll have some swelling and residual stiffness tomorrow. Bruising too, so don't let that alarm you. I've prescribed muscle relaxers and pain relievers. A few hot baths probably wouldn't hurt, and you can ice the shoulder afterward if it bothers you too much. Follow up with your family doctor in a few days, and if you have any nausea, dizziness or sudden pain, come back to the emergency room immediately."
Julie smiled and reached for the scrips. "Thanks, doc. I appreciate it."
He smiled back and patted her arm. "Take care and stay out of traffic awhile, eh?"
"So that's it?" Julie asked when the doctor stepped out. "I can leave now?"
"Yep," the nurse said. "I need to finish writing your discharge papers. If you want to get dressed, I'll be back in just a minute to give you your copies and you can be on your way."
Julie looked down at her hospital gown. "Oh boy," she murmured.
Serena reached down and picked up a duffel bag from the floor. She held it with one finger and grinned at Julie.
Julie's shoulders sagged in relief. "What would I do without you?"
"Die a fiery death, no doubt," Serena murmured.
Julie shook her head at Damon. "She has such an ego."
Damon grinned. "I'm afraid I'm not very good at tamping down that ego of hers. I encourage it way too much."
"Oooh, Serena!" Julie latched on to her friend's hand and tugged it upward into better light. A huge diamond solitaire sparkled on her ring finger. "It's gorgeous!"
Serena beamed almost as bright as the diamond. "I know. Damon has such wonderful taste."
"Of course he does. He chose you," Julie said loyally.
"You'll get no arguments there," Damon said.
"Not that I don't love you, Damon, but i
f you don't mind, could you step out so I don't flash you when I crawl out of bed to get dressed?"
Damon grinned. "Not that it wouldn't be worth it to stay, but I'll slide on out and leave you girls to it. Are you sure you don't need any help? I don't want you to fall."
"Serena can help me, and if I fall flat on my face, all I ask is that someone cover my bare ass before you call for the orderlies."
Damon chuckled as he walked to the door. "I'll be sure and do that. I'll be back in a bit. I'll get the car pulled around, and I have a few phone calls to make."
"You sure you're up for this?" Serena asked doubtfully.
"You know you could always spend the night in the hospital just in case."
"They just kicked me out, Serena," Julie said with a laugh. "This isn't like a hotel. You don't get to stay unless they tell you to. Besides, hello? Going to your house. That's better than a resort. All that's missing are the really cute cabana boys. Think Damon could hook me up?"
"Damon's done enough hooking up for a while," Serena said dryly.
Julie's smiled faded. "Oh yeah, Nathan's here. I should wait until he gets back. He was so sweet to me after the accident. I don't want to go while he's eating."
"Of course not. Just take your time getting dressed. Here, let me help you."
With Serena's assistance, she struggled out of bed and when her feet hit the floor, she wobbled and weaved like a drunken bobblehead.
"Damn, either I'm still riding the effects of those drugs or my head got hit harder than I thought."
"Just take it slow. Stand here a minute and take some deep breaths. When you feel steadier we'll get your pants and shirt on."
Julie giggled. "Yeah, screw the underwear. Can you imagine? Me on the floor like an octopus falling out of a tree wrapped up in my panties. They'd be talking about me for a week."
Between the two of them, they managed to get Julie's pants and shirt on minus bra as well. Julie looked down and giggled at her breasts straining against the material.
"Let me guess. One of your shirts?"
Serena flushed. "Yeah, well, it was lucky I had a pair of your jeans at the house. I wasn't so lucky with the shirts."
"Should have gotten me one of Damon's, dork."
"I didn't think. Besides, I wish I looked that good in my own shirts."
The door opened as Julie was buttoning the fly on her jeans. Both women turned around to see Nathan standing in the door.
"Ah, gee sorry, ladies. I should have knocked."
Serena smiled. "No problem, she's decent."
Nathan frowned as he took in the fully dressed Julie. "What the hell are you doing out of bed? Why are you dressed? You should be lying down."
Julie grinned. "I'm getting out of here. Doc just discharged me."
Nathan took a step toward her, his mouth pursed as if he was working up the nerve to say something.
"You shouldn't be going home alone. I—"
"Oh, she's not," Serena piped up. "Damon and I are taking her home with us."
Nathan's face fell. "Oh, I mean, well, that's good. You should have people to look after you," he said gruffly.
Julie took a step toward him and grasped his arm for support. Then she leaned up on tiptoe and kissed him on the cheek.
"Thank you, Nathan," she said softly. "For looking out for me. For staying with me when I was scared out of my mind."
His eyes gleamed and his gaze strayed to her lips. She could feel that small cut there tingling, remembering how it felt when he'd pressed his lips to that tiny wound.
"You're welcome. Take care, okay?"
He brushed the hair from her cheek and leaned in like he was going to kiss her. Instead he rocked back on his heels and took a step back.
"Seems like you guys have it handled, so I'll get on out of here." He looked at Julie once more before turning toward the door. "See you," he said softly.
"Yeah, see you," she echoed.
He walked quietly out the door and let it swing shut behind him.
Chapter 26
“When the hell is Faith getting here?" Julie asked grumpily from her sprawled out position on Serena's couch.
Serena rolled her eyes from her position in the armchair catty-corner to the couch. "They're newly weds plus they're moving into their new house. Which means they take a load, fuck on the living room floor, move another load, fuck on the bedroom floor, move another load, fuck on the kitchen table. Very exhausting thing, moving!"
Julie burst out laughing. "Oh man, we're going to have to carry her ass tonight."
"She'll be a cheap drunk at least."
"My favorite."
"Would you ladies care for another glass of wine?" Sam asked from the living room entrance.
Since Damon had been banned from the night's activities, he'd taken it upon himself to hang out at The House and make sure things were running smoothly. Sam, on the other hand, had decided that he would at least see the women off. He was still miffed because Serena wouldn't allow him to drive them around.
But hey, girls' night out was sacred, and that meant nothing with a penis was going to be within ten feet.
"I'd love one," Julie called out. "Come on, Serena, we're getting a cab. Drink up!"
Serena smiled when Sam's glower got all the more disapproving. Julie mentally started counting. She got to three before Sam spoke up.
"I do wish you'd let me drive you where you're going tonight, particularly since there is alcohol involved. Does Mr. Roche know about the drinking?"
Serena rolled her eyes. "Julie's going. He knows."
"Hey! What the hell is that supposed to mean? I'm not the only lush in this group."
Serena snickered. "We'll take that wine, Sam. Better bring us the bottle. We're going to need a head start on Faith."
Just then Faith burst into the living room, out of breath, but looking like a million bucks as usual.
"I hate her," Julie drawled, looking at Serena and ignoring Faith.
"So do I."
"What? I'm only five minutes late," Faith said. "And you two started without me. Ungrateful whores."
"Meow. Marriage has made her feisty," Serena said with a raised eyebrow.
Faith plopped down on the couch next to Julie, concern shadowing her eyes. "Are you sure you should be doing this tonight? Are you feeling okay?"
Julie laughed. "I'm fine, Faith. Promise. I've been a lazy ass for four days, my every whim and desire catered to. Well, almost. Damon refused the cabana boys. My head is fine, my shoulder is great, so I'm ready to go cloud the brain with some alcohol. Besides, we have a lot to celebrate!"
Faith smiled and turned to include Serena in the warm gesture. "Yes, we do. Gray and I are married, Serena is getting married and Julie is alive. It's been a good week!"
"I say we get shit-faced for the occasion," Julie said.
"After you, ladies. Sam grudgingly informed me that the cab has been waiting for the last half hour, and he is at our beck and call the entire evening thanks to Damon's cash and Sam's threats not to leave us even for a second."
"You know I love this house," Faith said as she hauled Julie to her feet. "You can just smell the testosterone as soon as you walk in."
"Money and testosterone," Julie corrected. "I'm strongly considering offing Serena and stuffing her into the trunk of the cab. Think Damon would notice if I showed up in his bed with a black wig?"
Faith studied her for a moment. "Hmm, the loss of five inches might tip him off."
"Not to mention the abundance of cleavage," Serena said dryly. "Although he might not complain about that part."
The girls giggled and headed toward the door where Sam stood solemnly, his expression disapproving.
"May I tell Mr. Roche what time you plan to return?"
Julie snickered.
With a perfectly straight face, Serena said, "Well, you could, Sam, but I have no idea when that might be. You may tell Mr. Roche that I'll see him when I see him."
They stumbled out of the
house laughing as they headed toward the cab parked inside the circle drive.
"Where're we going anyway?" Faith asked when they piled into the cab.
Julie looked at them sheepishly.
"You seriously aren't taking us to Cattleman's for girls' night out," Serena said.
"I mean, I like Cattleman's," Faith was quick to say, "but this is a special night. We're back together again."
Julie laughed. "Faith, you dork, we were only apart for less than a week."
"So?" she said with a sniff. "I missed you guys."
"The hell you did," Serena snorted. "If I know Gray he had you six ways to Sunday and a few into Monday as well."
Faith blushed but her grin lit up the entire cab.
"Okay, so I know you guys aren't thrilled with Cattleman's, but I arranged our own little private drinking area, complete with ... drumroll, please ... our own private bartender. And he's hot, if I do say so myself."
"Oooh, Cattleman's is looking up," Serena said.
Faith wrinkled her nose. "Since I'm newly married and all, aren't I supposed to be struck blind for at least six months? I'm not supposed to notice hot guys, right?"
"Honey, as long as you go home to your even hotter man, a little window-shopping is not verboten," Julie said.
"Hmm, window-shopping. I like that," Faith said.
Half an hour later, they landed at Cattleman's and entered the pub, cutting past several people waiting to be seated to eat. Julie caught Carls eye and waved. He smiled and motioned her back.
"Come on, girls," Julie said grabbing their hands.
Seconds later, escorted by Carl, they were given a table in a cordoned off section of the bar. The rounded back corner was theirs and a bartender leaned saucily against the wall.
"Ladies," he greeted. "My name is Drew, and I'm yours for the evening."
"Oh, Julie, good call," Serena murmured.
"Somebody remind me I'm married," Faith squeaked.
"Place your orders," Drew said. "I'm ready to pour."
Fours hour later, the crowd had filtered out, the drinks had slowed and Julie, Serena and Faith were on the floor, their heads touching as they stared up at the ceiling.
"Who knew there were stars up here, or that they glowed in the dark," Faith said in a low whisper.
