I gasped. “What’s wrong?”
“Bet or no bet, I can’t take this.” He motioned down to my toes and back up. He steered me backward to the nearest wall, and when my back hit it, his eyes moved to my lips. My palms immediately began to sweat.
My eyes blinked rapidly and my heart ceased beating, but I was not going to stop him. I moistened my lips and looked up to him as he leaned forward—
“Jack! There you are, finally!” It was Amos’s booming voice right behind us. “You’re a hard guy to find around here.”
My jaw dropped open, and heat flooded my face. Jackson didn’t move at all, not an inch from my face. He just frowned and shut his eyes tight, as if he could make Amos disappear.
“Um, remember, I was bringing the mayor and his family by for a pre-show tour? Jack?”
He finally dropped his hands from my arms and let out a long breath. His expression mimicked physical pain. “Damn,” was all he muttered, and it struck me as hysterical, so I started laughing uncontrollably. He shook his head at me and finally began to chuckle as well, then turned to face Amos and our guests.
“Hi there,” he offered, “great timing you have as always.”
I laughed even harder and then tried to help. “We were going over Jack’s new move for the dance tonight, but I think you got it now, boss.” I patted his arm and slid past him, heading down the stairs and around the group of waiting VIPs.
“Yeah, thanks for all that coaching,” he called after me and then turned on his charm for the guests.
My head reeled. His take-charge, out-of-control move was the hottest thing I had ever experienced, and I so wished it had been in a different place. I stayed in the dressing room to eat and freshen up. It was my turn in the game, but I was down to six letters with none left to replenish. Would we even make it to the end?
I purposely headed to the side stage at the last minute, so I’d have time for the good luck kiss, but not a conversation. When I pulled away from his cheek, he grabbed my hand. “Are we okay?”
I nodded. I was much more than okay.
The show was flawless, the dance in our new outfits was a welcome and fun change, and Jackson did bust out The Sprinkler as his new move of the night.
The mayor’s family, among other VIPs, dominated the lounge and all of Jackson’s time past midnight. I noticed the mayor was a fan of Jack Daniels, too, and they’d taken several shots together until they were near slurring. I motioned to Joe it was time to get going, and he had an easy time of convincing Jackson of the same thing. Kate and Andy walked to the buses with the three of us, and Joe helped me get wobbly Jack onto the couches where I removed his walking boot and cowboy boot and brought him some water and Advil.
“I thought I could keep up with the mayor. Who would have known?” He chuckled, knowing he was buzzed.
“Well, it was a great show. You deserved to celebrate. Too bad you’re in no shape to make your last play tonight.”
His eyes got big as he realized how close we were to finishing. “Lex? Sorry about before.” He took a long look at my face. “I seriously couldn’t help myself; I’ve never been so attracted to someone in all my life. I was really going to break our deal.”
I felt my heart speed up at his admission. “Don’t apologize. I was completely ready to help you break our deal. That was a seriously hot move.”
He smirked at me now, his eyes beginning to droop. “Did you say you think I’m hot? ’Cause I don’t know if you’ve ever told me that.”
Could it be the most gorgeous man on the planet didn’t even know it and needed to hear it just like I did? I assumed he knew how attracted to him I was, every hour of every day. I grinned at him, knowing he’d probably only remember hazy parts of the night and admitted, “Jackson Ellis, you are positively the most handsome man I have ever and will ever lay eyes on for the rest of my life.”
He grinned one more time before he passed out in a snore on the couch, and I covered him up for the night. Too bad he wasn’t in shape to finish what he started earlier in the night, but maybe it was best to let the game decide.
I woke up to the motor of our coach revving to life, and I checked my phone to find out it was already ten o’clock. My body felt invigorated after the extra rest. Jackson’s door remained shut, so I helped myself to the bathroom and breakfast during the drive. I hadn’t paid attention to the travel plans after our upcoming stop in Mobile, so I called Andy, one bus in front of us.
“We’ll get to Mobile around one. The show is tomorrow, but we’ll stay four nights there until Tuesday, because this is the RV park we love. They have a private cul-de-sac that fits six motorhomes and has its own pool area, separate from the main clubhouse. We rent all six slots, so they close off our area, and we have total privacy and use of the pool and deck.”
“Wow. I didn’t know any of these places came with amenities. We’re going to be spoiled, you realize that, don’t you?” I warned him before we got off the phone.
Jackson finally smelled the coffee I brewed for him, made his way to the booth, and sat across from me, groaning. “Don’t let me drink like that again, please.”
“Hmm, pretty sure that is one thing still not in my job description.”
His eyes bore into mine. “Then don’t do it because it’s your job, do it because …” He trailed off. Fill in the blank: because you care about me, because I need you desperately, because I trust you entirely, because that’s what a girlfriend would do … so many choices.
I chose to laugh it off. “Okay, superstar, I’ll remind you next time, just don’t call me a buzzkill.”
He nodded in agreement but winced with the movement and went to lie on the couch to nurse his aching head. I started to examine his ankle, since he was already in a good position.
I reminded him, “Hey, Sunday is officially the day you can come out of the boot, but, since I’ve heard all about this pool paradise we’re headed to, maybe we can start trying to wean you out of it a little bit with some swimming and walking on the pool deck.”
He sat up, hope in his eyes. “Really? That would be so damn awesome. I can’t believe it’s mid-June. It’s about time we hit a place with a pool. I barely even saw the beach at the last two stops, but we have a few full days to chill out this time.”
I worked on his mobilizations and passive stretching for a few minutes, when suddenly a thought hit me. “Oh, no. I didn’t think to pack a swimsuit. Hanging out at a pool was the last thing I pictured doing on this trip, I was thinking of professionalism.”
He snorted. “Yeah, you were just a little bit uptight back then. I had to get your roommate on the phone to pack for you, or you would have literally brought scrubs and a toothbrush.”
I donned my best wounded look. “Can you blame a girl who was trying to protect herself from being Groupie Number 412? Was I that awful?”
He laughed gently. “You weren’t awful at all, just very determined not to like me. And no, I don’t blame you. Obviously, I saw something really special in you, to kidnap you and all.”
I worked out a knot in his peroneal tendon, making him grimace. “Well, maybe I can borrow one of Kate’s. I think we’re the same size.”
He got on the phone with Andy then to plan a group cookout for the evening. I heard him mention that Amos was still trailing along. They had a Skype meeting set up that afternoon with a production team to talk about the next album, and a record store signing to go to in the evening.
I pouted. “Sounds like you’re going to miss out on the whole pool thing anyway.”
“Nah, I’ll squeeze in some time before and after. The group will have a fun day, which is my priority, but I’ll make it there, too. I definitely plan on seeing you in a bikini at any cost.” He smirked, causing me to avert my gaze and throw his Thera-band at him to work on his exercises.
When we arrived at our new campsite, I allowed Jack to put on both tennis shoes and walk without his boot for the first time in twelve weeks. He was happy to be able to thr
ow on khaki cargo shorts and a t-shirt with his baseball hat and aviator sunglasses. “I can finally wear shorts without looking like a geek. Look! I have a leg under there.”
He was chuckling, and it made me join him, such a lovely sound. Heck, it nearly made me swoon to see him getting back to normal. I knew it would still be a process for his pale, atrophied right leg to get back to looking just like the strong, sculpted left leg.
I critiqued his gait pattern and reminded him to get his heel strike and toe push off with each step, since he’d been compensating while in his boot. He was frustrated to think about it so hard, and his ankle still didn’t cooperate. I had to remind him, “We’ll get there, Mr. Morgan, just be patient. It’s hard to learn to walk all over again.”
He finally cracked a smile. “Alright, Doc, you haven’t steered me wrong yet.” We slowly made our way from our parking spot to the pool deck. It was only thirty yards to the gate, which we entered to survey. There was a kidney-shaped pool with stairs on the shallow end and a small diving board on the deep end. Lounge chairs lined the sides, and four umbrella tables filled the open area, leaving room for a huge picnic table and a grill. We were most impressed to see the hot tub nested in the back corner, pine trees surrounding the cement edge behind it, but open to a view of the pool.
“Nice touch, nothing like alcohol and hot tubs.” I pictured the debauchery that could take place. He stepped behind me and rubbed my shoulders, making me glad I’d thrown on a tank top and cotton shorts in the June heat of Alabama.
“Hmm … the possibilities,” he said, reading my mind.
“Hey y’all!” Jessica, Jody, Annie, and Stacy had already changed and made a beeline for the pool, breaking our quiet moment.
“Gloria’s headed to the store to get stuff to cook out tonight, and she’s going to grab a few rafts and sunscreen, too,” Jody informed us and added, “She took Amos’s car, and he’s waiting for you at your bus, Jack.” They began to strip down to bikinis and lay out towels on lounges.
I couldn’t resist a glance at Jackson to see if he was admiring the view, but found him staring at me with a slight smile. “Want to walk me back for my meeting and find yourself a swimsuit?”
I corrected his gait while we walked slowly back to the black bus. “By the way, it’s still your move on our game. Your hangover has delayed us.”
“I promise, I’ll get it done before dinner, and maybe it will be all over.”
Amos was writing at the desk when we arrived. Jackson planned to be on the webcam chat for the next few hours but said he’d try to come to the pool before his record store appearance. I reminded him to wear his boot when he left, but he could walk around the bus and pool area with tennis shoes. Amos gave me a polite wave as I grabbed a few things from my bunk, shoved them into my backpack, and went in search of Kate.
Luckily, I caught her deciding between bikinis, and it turned out she had brought nine from which to choose. This blew my mind, because I literally owned three and basically wore only one of them. She thrust a few at me, and I tried them on in succession while I helped her decide between two.
“I want to look good for Andy, but not too revealing.” She chewed on her lip. “I mean, he’s pretty conservative, you know? But I sure don’t want his attention going elsewhere.”
“Kate! He could be in a room on fire, and he would still only have eyes for you. No way is he going to look anywhere else, besides, you’re a classy girl, and he likes that about you. No need to overdo it.”
She relaxed a bit and chose the teal halter bikini. I had worse problems it seemed, as we were technically the same size, but not the same measurements. I felt like my butt was hanging out of the bottoms, and the tops were close to a wardrobe malfunction. I had to go with the bright red string bikini that covered me the most, even though I hated strings and double knotted them all to be safe. She showed me the stash of beach towels, and we went to the pool, where most of the gang had made their way by mid-afternoon.
The water felt divine as I alternated between splashing in the pool and reading magazines on a lounge. Ric, Lee, and Fitch produced water guns out of storage somewhere and terrorized the rest of us. Then, a bunch of the guys had an entertaining belly flop competition. I was grateful for a relaxing day spent feeling like a kid. It distracted me from the bet, so only I checked my phone every twenty minutes to see if he’d played yet, with no luck. I was near ready to forfeit.
Gloria and Andy were back just after three o’clock and began to fill coolers with beer and hard lemonade, as well as fill the picnic table with snacks. Gloria had the night off but left the capable lot of guys in charge of grilling burgers, chicken breasts, and vegetable kabobs for dinner. Andy blew up a raft for he and Kate to float around on, and I’m pretty sure they never got off it. It made me restless to know Jackson was close but still not here with me.
I texted him around four o’clock, even though I knew it was manipulative and so unlike me. I wrote: Sure wish you were here to rub some lotion on my back … guess I’ll ask one of these other guys. I needed affirmation he wished he were with me, too.
His response came immediately: Over my dead body. I’ll be there in five minutes. Don’t move.
Chapter 31
A guilty smile encompassed my face. I knew it was an immature thing to do; he was trying to work and I proved needy. Ultimately, and most importantly, it had worked and now I would see his gorgeous face.
He strode through the gate exactly five minutes later, tennis shoes on and a slight limp that only he could make attractive. People called his name from all directions, but he kept a beeline to my lounge, where I was obediently laying on my stomach with lotion in hand. He glared at me under his sunglasses as he snatched the bottle. Sitting on the edge of my lounge, he leaned over my back. I couldn’t wipe the look of triumph off my face as he rubbed the sunscreen into my shoulders and back.
“Lexie.” His voice was gruff as he leaned into my ear. “In the future, if you miss me, just say so. I was dying to come down here and see you anyway. But, don’t ever put the image of someone else’s hands on you in my head—ever again.” He growled the last part.
I chewed nervously on my lip, knowing I’d been busted. Turning my head to look at him, I was relieved when his scowl transformed into a sly smile. He took liberties of working the lotion down the back of my legs as well.
“I’m kind of sorry. I know it was childish, but it was also effective.” I sighed as I lay my head back down and let myself enjoy the rubdown.
He was back to my ear a minute later. “Well, it was worth it, because this red bikini is fantastic, even though it doesn’t cover enough.”
I tried to look offended but wound up giggling at his observation. “You can thank Kate. Turns out, our build is quite different. I’m really nervous about these stupid strings.”
He pulled my long ponytail to one side, which didn’t bother me in the least now. “You realize those strings are going to dominate my thoughts for the rest of the night, don’t you? I put eight people on hold to get down here, and when I get back, I’m going to be worthless. But, I do need to get back to it.”
“Oh, no, I really am sorry. Go finish up. I won’t bother you, but come back before you leave for the record store, okay?” I felt terrible, and now it showed on my face.
He flashed The Grin as he stood up to go. “Don’t be sorry. I have an idea for a new song in my head about suntan lotion now. See you in a little while.” I watched him walk away until I literally couldn’t see him anymore.
Immediately, Stacy and Natalie appeared next to me with expressions telling me that Jackson and I were not hiding our feelings well. I laughed them off the best I could with a shrug and wave of my hand. Saying how I felt aloud made me feel I had failed professionally. Granted, my patient was meeting all his benchmarks, but it still sounded ridiculous to say that as an added bonus to therapy, we fell for each other. This wasn’t a movie for goodness sake.
Charlie called me over to his table
in the shade, saving me from further cross-examination. He dealt out cards for a game of Speed while making a clucking sound with his tongue.
“Y’all got it bad. Yes, you do. Take your time, though, why not? Got the rest of your lives …”
I acted as if he was talking gibberish and never replied, thankful for the distraction of playing cards.
Jackson arrived again, just as Eddie and Andy were firing up the grill to start dinner. It was 6:15, and he had forty-five minutes until his appearance. He dressed in dark jeans and a tour t-shirt, with his boot in place. He stopped to talk to everyone this time, making his way through slowly, listening to stories of the antics he’d missed so far. He grabbed a handful of chips as he hung out with the grill masters for a few minutes and then made his way to sit with Charlie and me. His proximity made me self-conscious about every inch of my skin, and my heartbeat hastened. He filled the two of us in on details about the production team meeting.
“I told them about the direction I wanted to go with the new album and that I have a whole notebook of songs ready to be worked on.” He said it so casually, and pride swelled inside me. He had taken charge of his future again.
I rubbed my lips together, thinking of the green notebook and itching to ask about the bet. I had my chance when Charlie excused himself to get another beer. “Did you get a chance to play yet?” I asked nonchalantly and watched one side of his mouth curl up.
“As a matter of fact, I just did. Wiped out my letters, so it’s all on you now. Pretty sure I’ve got it in the bag, unless you saved a big letter for the end.” He raised a brow at me, and I shrugged innocently.
Muse: ( Groupie Volume 2 of 2) Page 19