by Clare London
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A bunch of men in fluorescent jackets leaning over us—a couple of them wolf whistling with a laughing “get a room!”—put a stop to the whole thing. I like to think Fletcher’s mouth slipped away from mine a little reluctantly, then he stood to let them get on with their work. I could still taste him. Maybe he saw me licking my lips, or maybe I made some idiotic noise of glee.
Whatever, he looked back down at me and his eyebrows rose. “You go to the hospital, as well, to get checked out. That’s an order.”
I didn’t answer. Licking my lips made them a bit numb, and for once in my life, I preferred taste to talk.
His voice dropped to something low and uncharacteristically soft. “That okay with you?”
I looked up at him and grinned. Too damned right, it was. And I wasn’t talking about the medical attention. I insisted Fletcher lift me to my feet himself by draping my good arm over his shoulder and gripping tight. When he bundled me onto the stretcher, I could feel the strength of his body. He had the prototype of the superbly athletic, masculine body. We trundled out of the bank, Fletcher beside my travelling bed, and even if there weren’t crowds of cheering people, the scene was definitely bathed in sunlight and there were rescue forces on hand, just for me.
Fletcher bent his mouth to my ear. “The wound’s almost stopped bleeding, but do you want my handkerchief on that?”
I laughed aloud. I was concentrating on staying conscious, despite the pain and the loss of blood, mainly because I was savouring the sound and touch of his lips that had been closer to me than any bullet just seconds ago.
He peered at me, frowning. “What the hell is so amusing?”
“Nothing.” I was damned if I was going to admit my movie fantasies—not on a first date, at least. “Call me hysterical.”
He stared at me and then smiled back, shaking his head. “It figures. Though I’d rather just call you.”
I blinked hard. He let go of me as the medics rolled me up into the ambulance. I twisted my head to call back to him. “You want supper later on? My treat. It may not meet your high expectations, of course.”
“You’re insane, Bailey,” he said in reply. But he was still smiling, and it reached all the way to his eyes. “I’ll take you up on that when they discharge you. And you’d better be fit for duty as soon as possible. I’ll expect a hell of a sight more out of you before we’re finished.”
I flushed. I didn’t think he was talking about the medical attention, either. As the ambulance doors slammed shut, I lay back on the stretcher and relaxed. I was extremely, painfully, and deliriously glad to find that life could be like the movies…with or without the giant-sized popcorn and cola.
THE END
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ABOUT CLARE LONDON
Clare took the pen name London from the city where she lives, loves, and writes. A lone, brave female in a frenetic, testosterone-fuelled family home, she juggles her writing with the weekly wash, waiting for the far distant day when she can afford to give up her day job as an accountant. She’s written in many genres and across many settings, with novels and short stories published both online and in print. She says she likes variety in her writing while friends say she’s just fickle, but as long as both theories spawn good fiction, she’s happy. Most of her work features male/male romance and drama with a healthy serving of physical passion, as she enjoys both reading and writing about strong, sympathetic and sexy characters.
Clare currently has several novels sulking at that tricky chapter 3 stage and plenty of other projects in mind…she just has to find out where she left them in that frenetic, testosterone-fuelled family home.
Find details of her publications and plenty of free fiction at clarelondon.co.uk, including an invitation to her mailing list. Visit her today and say hello!
ABOUT JMS BOOKS LLC
Founded in 2010, JMS Books LLC is owned and operated by author J.M. Snyder. We publish a variety of genres, including gay erotic romance, fantasy, young adult, poetry, and nonfiction. Short stories and novellas are available as e-books and compiled into single-author print anthologies, while stories over 30k in length may go into print. Visit us at jms-books.com for our latest releases and submission guidelines!