by Harper Sloan
“Stalkin’ me, sweetheart?” I ask, leaning my right shoulder against the doorframe as I watch the frown spread across her face. She takes a step back, checks the address on the side of my house, and then looks back at me.
“Unfuckingbelievable,” she whispers, groaning as her small, delicate hand rubs her forehead. I’m slightly taken aback at her comment, seeing as she’s the one who’s found herself on my doorstep.
“Good morning to you, too, sweetheart. If you came looking for Jace, you’re the most delusional broad I’ve ever met.”
Glaring at me, she places her hands on her hips. “First of all, we’ve never had the pleasure of meeting. I’m pretty sure I introduced myself and you blew me off. Second of all, I’m not here for Jace, although I wouldn’t mind telling him he’d be better off giving you a lesson in manners rather than cleaning up after you.”
“Who is it?!” Cohen yells from the living room, and Charlotte takes it as an invitation. She picks up the briefcase that’s sitting at her feet, shoving past me and into the house in the direction of voices. God dammit, I do not need this right now, I think as I shut the door and follow her into the living room. Apparently her entrance is worthy of a game pause, and both Jace and Cohen are looking back and forth between the two of us, watching the show playing out before them.
“Charlotte?” Jace asks hesitantly, slowly pushing himself up into a sitting position on the couch.
She gives him a wave as Cohen questions, “You know her?” Jace gives a slight shake of his head and then reminds my brother that she was at the bar the night before. Cohen’s eyes widen, and I know he remembers the mood I was in after our encounter.
Before anyone can speak, I spout off, feeling more than irritated. “What the hell are you trying to pull, J. Mac?”
Crinkling his nose, he looks at me, at Charlotte, and then back at me. His eyes light up as if something’s magically popped into his head, and he falls back against the couch in a fit of laughter. Glancing at Charlotte, I can see that she’s trying to suppress a grin as she watches him, and I feel a bitter pull of jealousy over the fact that he’s been able to make her smile when all I get are glares.
“Dude, what the fuck is wrong with you?” I ask, breaking his fit of hysteria. His laughter dies down and he meets my eyes, his grin spreading like crazy across his face.
“Knox, this is Charlotte… Charlotte, meet Knox,” he says, waving his hand between the two of us.
She slowly turns and looks at me, but I notice I don’t get the same grin from her that Jace does. I tip my head towards her, pretending that I’m not wanting to drown in those deep brown eyes.
“God, you’re a fucking idiot,” Jace says, breaking my concentration.
“Umm, what the hell?” I ask, but I’m interrupted by a sweet, Southern drawl.
“Excuse me, boys, but I need to get to work. Now that we’ve done the introductions, I need the details on his injuries, his needs, and what I can do to accommodate him.”
Cohen’s mouth drops open at her statement, and my one-track mind is moving right along with him. I may not be in the market for a relationship, but I’m suddenly ready to allow her to accommodate me anyway she wants.
Jace clears his throat, grabs his crutches, and gets to his feet. He quickly asks Cohen for a ride back to his apartment, and Charlotte and I are left standing in the room alone as they head towards the front door. I want to protest, not wanting to be left alone with this girl for a single second, but I know Jace is determined to make it happen. She frowns after the guys as they go to leave, and we both follow to see them out. Cohen’s out the door first with Jace right behind him, and I’m mentally cursing the fact that my brother packed his car already. Before he gets off the porch, Jace turns towards us, a stupid shit-eating grin flashing across his face.
“Knox, meet Charlie. Charlie, this is Knox. Take good care of him. You two have fun getting acquainted,” he says, tossing her a wink.
“YOU’RE CHARLIE? Volunteer, be-my-pain-in-the-ass-babysitter-for-the-next-few-weeks Charlie?”
I have no idea what the hell is going on as I look back and forth between Jace and the guy that I now know as Knox. A dark scowl spreads across his face as he finally makes the connection. I’m not sure who he was expecting, but apparently it most definitely wasn’t me. Shrugging my shoulders, I hold out my hand, hoping that he’s in a better mood than he was last night.
“Charlotte Davenport. But yes, most people call me Charlie for short,” I inform him, wondering what the big deal is. He stares at my hand, which I promptly drop as his eyes reach mine and I can see something flicker in them. Something that looks like anger or frustration, and it confuses the hell out of me. When he looks at Jace, his scowl deepens.
“Did you know about this?” he asks, prompting Jace to hold up his hands, shaking them in denial.
“She introduced herself as Charlotte to me, too. It wasn’t until she started talking about needing to know how to take care of you that it clicked that she was probably the Charlie you were expecting. Look on the bright side, man. Now you don’t have to worry about some creepy guy changing your boxers for you,” Jace says, grinning and shooting me a wink.
In all my volunteering, I’ve never had to change the clothes of any of my assignments, and normally I’d draw the line at it. That’s what nurses are for. But the thought of seeing his muscular body without any clothes on makes crossing the line seem that much easier.
Taking the moment to check him out, I already know I’m in trouble. He’s wearing nothing but athletic shorts, and those are riding low on his hips, showcasing those tempting V-sculpted oblique muscles every woman seems to fall in love with. A small trail of light hair peeks out of his shorts and leads up to a toned stomach, and I can see the outline of a fading six pack, presumably suffering from his lack of physical inactivity. My eyes continue their exploration and I notice that his pecs are the same way. They’re certainly defined, but I can tell that some of the muscle tone has gone away since he’s been unable to exercise. I have a feeling that this probably has something to do with his less than sunny disposition as I know how these guys love to use physical exertion to let out their frustrations.
I make a mental note to research his injuries and talk to Dad to find some way to allow him to do physical activity that won’t hurt him further but that will let him expend some energy. A throat clears, and I’m pulled out of my thoughts. I realize that the two of them are staring at me, and I notice that the other one has joined them.
“Hey, Charlotte. I’m Cohen, the better-looking Wellington brother.” He grins as his brother scowls at him, and I’m wishing his personality would rub off on Rugged Man. “Listen, thanks for doing this. As much as I’d love to stick around and take care of his cheery ass, I’ve got finals. I left my number on the kitchen counter, so if you need anything, just give me a call. Make sure he wears his back brace until the doc says he doesn’t have to.” He pauses, frowning when he notices that Knox isn’t currently in the brace he just mentioned. “He doesn’t have to sleep in it, and we didn’t put it on before you got here. Come on inside and I’ll show you how to do it.”
The four of us make our way back in the house, and I still find myself in shock that I’m here with these guys. Jace sits down on the couch and props his leg up as Cohen leads Knox and me down a hallway into what I’m guessing is Knox’s room.
“Cohen, I was fine last night. I don’t need it. I’m not going anywhere anyway until my appointment next week. As long as I take it easy and sit in the recliner, I’ll be fine,” Knox says in protest, and upon seeing the huge contraption he’s supposed to wear, I don’t blame him for protesting.
Shaking his head, Cohen doesn’t seem to agree. “That was a one-time thing to get your grumpy ass out of the house. You’re not getting out of this, and you better not be an ass to Charlie either when I’m gone.”
Sighing, Knox resigns himself to wearing the brace. “Fine, whatever.” His brother goes to town showing me
how it works, and I can’t help but notice the way Knox flinches when my fingers graze his skin as I follow Cohen’s movements.
“Normally with a brace like this he’d be able to put it on himself, but with his broken arm, he obviously can’t make it work. Here, let me take it off. I want to watch you do it just to make sure you’re comfortable with it.”
Dad’s made sure that I’ve taken numerous first aid classes, but I’ve always had an issue with pain that I don’t think I’ll ever get used to, so I’m extremely nervous to put this brace on him. When Drew used to ask me to dig out an ingrown hair with his tweezers, I could barely get my fingers to stop shaking in order to do it. There’s something about knowing I’m potentially inflicting pain on someone else that makes me cringe. When I take the brace out of Cohen’s hands, I have to tell myself to calm down. As I move towards him, Knox stands there stoical, watching my movements. Standing right in front of him, I’m unnerved by this close proximity and the task at hand. Closing my eyes, I shake my head, telling myself that I’m being ridiculous and there’s no way I’m going to hurt him more than he already is.
Before I can mentally pump myself up, I feel his hot breath graze my ear. “Any day now, sweetheart.”
My eyes open just in time to catch him straightening back up, amusement on his face. The cocky grin that spreads on his face as his lips twitch makes me want to both smack him and use my own to wipe that smirk away. Involuntarily, I lick my lips, and I notice his smile falter slightly.
“What’s the matter, Charlie? I promise, I won’t bite…unless you’re into that sort of thing.” He pauses, and I can feel my skin blush as his eyes wander down my body and then back up again where they rest on my lips. “Because if so, then I most certainly will.”
“Whether you bite or not is none of my concern, and as far as what I’m into… That’s none of your business,” I say a little too quickly, causing him to chuckle.
His eyes are hooded when he looks at me for a moment before responding. “Don’t worry, sweetheart. You don’t have to tell me your deep, dark secrets today. We have plenty of time for that. But I won’t forget that you didn’t say no.” He winks, stepping back from me as if he’s forcing me to come to him. I’m not some plaything he can mess with, and I won’t fall for his quick charm. Instead, I just cross my arms and stare at him. A worthy adversary, he stands unmoving as if he could play this game all day.
A laugh that’s masked in a fake cough finally interrupts our stare down. “Dude, Knox, can you cool it on the flirting? I don’t need you scaring her away on her first day. Work your game some other time.”
Knox’s gaze leaves mine to look at his brother and he rolls his eyes. “Trust me, little brother, that wasn’t even close to my game. And don’t you worry, I won’t do anything to scare the little lady away,” he says, as if flirting with me would be the worst thing in the world.
Giving him a dirty look, I close the gap between us as I wrap my arms around him. I secure the brace against his body, and his breath catches when it accidentally pinches the skin underneath my shaky hands.
“Umm, are you sure you don’t want to put a shirt on? Won’t this irritate your skin?” I look up at him, our faces only a few inches apart.
His green eyes look down into mine and he shakes his head. “What’s wrong? Does the sight of my bare skin make you nervous?” he asks, nodding towards my shaking fingers as they move around to the front of the brace.
Steeling my nerves, I force my hands to still and shake my head. “God, could you be any more arrogant? Sorry I’m worried about pinching your damn skin when I try to put this thing on you,” I respond, exasperated at his cockiness and the fact that he can read me so easily—not that I’ll ever admit that I want nothing more than to run my fingers over his smooth chest.
“If you say so, sweetheart. It gets too fucking hot with a shirt and that brace. I’ll be fine. I just have to rub lotion on it at the end of the night and it doesn’t irritate me too much.”
I can feel my nose wrinkle, wondering how on earth he puts lotion on his back with only one good arm. He must catch my reaction because I feel him chuckle under my hands, and I can’t help but notice the way his abs ripple before he inhales sharply. I’m guessing that he’s got an injury to his ribs if laughter causes him pain. I don’t remember seeing that on his paperwork, so I make a mental note to sit down and go through it all with him later.
I set to work on fastening the brace around his abdomen the same way Cohen showed me how and pretend that the closeness to him isn’t making my mind fuzzy. I can feel his eyes on me the entire time I’m working the straps, and I’m trying not to fumble under his gaze. I’ve never felt such an instant attraction to a man, especially one who seems like he wants nothing to do with me one second and then is flashing me a sexy grin in the next. Sighing, I finish up, and Cohen inspects it.
“Nice job, Charlotte. I think you’ll do just fine. Like he said, he uses lotion so his skin doesn’t chafe. I usually put it on for him before bed, but I’m not sure how late you’ll be sticking around. You can always do it right before you leave if that sort of thing doesn’t bother you.” He pauses to look at me, and I nod my head, indicating that I have no problem with this part of the job. “Technically, he’s not supposed to shower, but if you can cover his arm, he can shuffle into it. I don’t know the scope of your volunteer work, but getting dressed can be a problem for him. I’m sure you two can figure something out. He’s got a buddy who lives a few doors down, so he might be able to help with that aspect, but he works the night shift. I’m not sure when he’s home and awake, though.”
Swallowing hard, I push the thoughts of helping Knox shower out of my mind. It’s clear that he’s not attracted to me. I’ve got to get it through my head that this is a professional relationship and nothing more. If I have to help a wounded soldier get dressed because he can’t do it himself, I’m sure I can do so without seeing anything. Keep telling yourself that, Charlie. I can already tell that this is going to go beyond anything I’ve ever done in a volunteer setting, and surprisingly I’m okay with it. Taking a look at Knox as he silently watches our conversation, I realize that it’s not actually surprising after all.
“Umm, thanks? I’m sure we’ll figure something out. I got a short rundown of his injuries, but can you confirm them for me?”
Cohen walks over to a dresser in the corner of the room and picks up a packet of paper.
“Here are his discharge papers. Obviously, he broke his left arm, and he had to have spinal surgery, hence the cast and back brace. He broke a couple of ribs, had to have his spleen removed, and suffered some burning and bruising.”
“Jesus Christ,” I can’t help but whisper. Hell, I’d be a moody son of a bitch if I had all those injuries, too.
“Yeah, he also had some brain swelling so they placed him in a medically induced coma for a few weeks, but they claim there’s no brain damage. That remains to be seen,” Cohen says, grinning at me. “It’s been three weeks since he left the hospital, and hopefully next week he’ll get the all clear to stop wearing the brace. Make sure when you go to his appointments with him that you get your orders straight from the doctor or else Knox might lie about his progress. I don’t trust his ass to take it as easy as they tell him to.”
I start to respond, but Knox interrupts. “Excuse me, I’m right fucking here. Cohen, don’t you need to get Jace home? I can inform Charlotte—sorry, Charlie,”—his eyes narrow when he emphasizes the word Charlie—“here about everything that’s happened over the last month and a half.”
“Whatever, dude. The patient’s all yours. If he gets too grumpy, just give him a pain pill. Those knock him out and will give you some peace and quiet,” Cohen jokes as Knox slaps him on the back of the head as he goes to leave the room.
Cohen and I follow, and he gives me a few more details before he and Jace get ready to leave. “You kids have fun and try not to bite each other’s heads off,” Jace says, laughing as he walks out the
door, missing the middle finger that Knox gives him.
“Good luck,” Cohen tells me, offering a small smile, apparently knowing all too well how difficult this patient is going to be.
I nod in thanks and shut the door behind him, leaving Knox and myself alone for the very first time.
THE SOUND of the door latching echoes through the living room as I watch Charlie lean back against it, her eyes closed as she takes a deep breath. It never clicked in my mind that she was the one I was expecting until Jace connected the dots. To be honest, I had hoped that once I was fully healed and in a better place mentally I’d see her again out in Clarksville sometime. After I fucked things up last night, I couldn’t get her off my mind, but I know I’m nowhere near ready to get involved with anyone. That’s why I was thrown off guard when she showed up on my doorstep this morning.
I was curious about her conversation with Jace, and I wouldn’t put it past him to meddle, so I automatically assumed he’d set this up. Never in a million years did I think creepy guy volunteer Charlie would turn out to be gorgeous, can’t-get-her-off-my-mind Charlotte. She’s the first and the last person I want to see right now, and I have no idea why I feel that way after just two minutes of a stare down at the bar.
I don’t know exactly what it was. The way she was sitting at the bar by herself, playing around on her phone, not paying attention to anything around her, had me watching her. When she introduced herself, she had a sexy confidence, but I could see the hesitation in her eyes. I don’t know what it was, but something in that short time made me want to get to know this girl—which is exactly why I shot her down.
Fuck, I’m an idiot. I don’t know if it’s because of how I acted or because of how I’m feeling now. Shaking my head, I grab the remote and turn on ESPN, wanting something to fill the silence.