“Are you okay?”
Not even a little, but she’d want him to pull over, and they didn’t have time for that. It wasn’t that much further to Houston. Maybe ten or so hours if he kept it just above the speed limit. “I’m fine. Just warm and thirsty.”
Lexi fished a drink out of the bag and handed it to him. “Okay. Is a warm soda really going to help if you’re thirty?”
“Better than nothing.” He handed it back. “Could you open it?”
“Sure, I didn’t even think about that. I should have opened it before I handed it to you.” She twisted it open and handed it back. “Do you need something for the pain?”
“I don’t think we have anything.”
“Maybe there’s something in the glove box,” she said as she opened it. “Oh, there’s some ibuprofen. I don’t know how old it is. It may not be as effective anymore.”
He almost said hallelujah. “Yeah, I’ll take two of those.”
She shook out two and handed them over. Then she closed the bottle and returned them to the glove box. “Can’t say I’m disappointed we’re traveling before dark. I’ve missed seeing the scenery.”
“Well, enjoy, because there’s going to be a lot of it between here and Houston.”
Lexi nodded and focused her attention out the window, for which he was glad. It was hard enough to feel as bad as he did and focus on the road, but to add a conversation to the mix was taxing.
He’d driven somewhere around four hundred miles when he realized he was starting to fight his body to stay upright. His skin was pasty, he felt warm, and even cool air wasn’t helping, so a few hours outside of Houston and right after dark, he pulled into a motel and parked.
“You’re not going any further today? I almost feel like we didn’t get anywhere.” She chuckled.
“I’m a little more tired today than typical, and I’m afraid if I keep going I’ll get you hurt. If we stop here tonight, I can rest, and we can be in Houston tomorrow.”
“Oh, we’re that close?”
So close, and yet he knew he couldn’t force himself to go anymore. He was fighting just to remain upright. “Yeah, but I can’t go any farther.”
“My offer to drive still stands.”
Just the thought made his stomach turn. He needed to be still for a few hours. “I think getting shot slowed me a bit. I need a break.” He pushed out of the truck, grabbed his hat, and tugged it on. Once he had them a room, he grabbed their luggage and quickly got her inside. He set the luggage down and sat on the edge of the bed.
“Do you want to shower first?” she asked.
“No, go ahead.”
She hesitated. “Jake, are you okay?”
He summoned every ounce of strength he had left, and pasting on his best smile, he lifted his gaze to hers. “I’m fine. Just a little sleep, and I’ll be ready to go again.”
“Okay,” she said before slipping behind the door.
Now alone, his shoulders rounded as he draped his arm over his thighs and hung his head. He wiped his brow with his hand and dried it on his jeans. All he needed was a little down time, and he was sure he’d be fine.
He braced his hand on the nightstand in an effort to keep himself balanced as he kicked off his shoes. Suddenly, he pitched forward, and as he grappled for something solid to hold on to, his shoulder hit the floor, and stars exploded behind his eyes.
Chapter 17
Just as Lexi turned on the water, a thud came from the other room. She turned it off and listened a second before going to the door and looking out. Her breath caught as her gaze landed on Jake sprawled on the floor.
Faster than she thought she could move, she ran to him and rolled him onto his back. “Jake?”
“Ms. Maheras, I don’t feel…” He licked his lips. “I don’t feel good.”
His face was flushed, and she could feel the heat radiating off him. She took his face in her hands, and her jaw dropped. “Oh, you’re burning up.” Then her gaze landed on a dark stain spreading on his shoulder. “And you busted your stitches.”
“I’m freezing.”
“You can’t stay on this floor. Let me get you up.” She hugged him around the chest and helped him sit up with his back against the side of the bed. “Can you stand?”
His teeth chattered, and he said, “I think so.”
Lexi ran her hand over his hair. “Why didn’t you say something sooner?”
“Needed to keep going.”
“’Cause that worked.” She rolled her eyes. “Come on. Let’s get you into bed.” She wrapped her arms around his waist and pulled up at the same time he did. He dropped onto the bed with a grunt, and she crashed on top of him. “I’m sorry,” she said as she pushed off of him.
His breath came in labored gasps, like he’d run a marathon. What had made him so sick? He was a healthy man, and there’d been no signs that he felt even a little bad when they’d left the motel earlier. He had been tired, and that could have led to a weakened immune system. Maybe the gunshot had further weakened his system and he couldn’t fight off whatever it was that made him sick.
“Let’s get this shirt off, okay? I’m going to have to restitch that wound.”
He nodded and tried unsuccessfully to sit up. “Sorry.”
“I’m sorry you didn’t tell me sooner.” She put her arms around his shoulders, braced her foot against the wall, and pushed back. “Seriously, you might be the largest man I’ve ever met.”
As she pulled him up, he wrapped his arms around her and buried his face in her neck. His hot skin came into contact with hers, and the heat was a shock.
“Oh, you feel so good,” he said, almost like a sigh.
“I bet I do since you’re on fire.” She tugged on his shirt, getting it halfway up before he tightened his grip.
“No,” he whispered. “You’re so perfectly soft and warm.”
She leaned back just enough to kiss him on the cheek. “You’re pretty good yourself.”
He shook his head as his grip loosened. “You were right. You’re too good for me.”
Tears pricked her eyes as her words were thrown back at her. “No, Jake. I was angry.” She finished pulling his shirt off and held his head as she lay him back.
Half-lidded eyes met hers as she leaned back. “Right.” His eyes closed, and he was gone.
Lexi pressed her lips together as a tear streamed down her cheek. How was she ever going to make him believe she didn’t really think that? She should have known what he was doing the moment he began pulling away, but she’d let her anger drive her. Would he have said those things if he thought he had a choice? No. She’d never believe that. Jake was a good man, and she’d flung daggers at him.
She brushed the back of her hand across his jaw, bent down, and kissed his forehead. “Somehow, someway, when you wake up, I’m going to make it sink in that that’s not true.”
But that was later. At the moment, the most pressing matter was his fever and the open wound. She needed ice to get his fever down. Plain tap water wasn’t going to cut it. “You’re going to be furious when you find out I left to get ice, but you need it.”
As she fished the key card out of his front jeans’ pocket, she slapped his hat on, snatched the ice bucket, and dashed out of the room. She hurried down the sidewalk and kept her head down as she filled the bucket up and rushed back. Hopefully, no one saw her.
When she got back to the room, she filled the buck with water and let it sit while she took care of the wound. With it restitched and freshly bandaged, she began applying the cold cloth to his forehead and using pieces of the ice to dribble water into his mouth.
She still couldn’t get over the amount of scar tissue he had. The only thing she could think of was that he’d been in a bombing or something. That was the only explanation other than being caught in an actual fire. Which was possible, but between his time as an Army Ranger and being dishonorably discharged, that’s what she’d put her money on. Maybe he’d trust her enough to tell her o
ne day. That is, if he really could forgive her for being so hateful. Yes, he’d accepted it, but if he still believed she thought that about him, then her apology needed more conviction.
Over the next several hours, she continued to work on bringing his fever down. More than once, she had to leave the room to get ice, and each time, she felt strangely worried that someone would snatch her and Jake would be left in the room without anyone to take care of him.
His fever slowly came down, and just before daybreak, he took a deep breath. “What?”
Lexi had drifted off as well, and her eyes popped open. She twisted around and leaned over him. “Hey.”
“Where am I?”
“In a motel room in some Texas town.” She smiled.
He licked his lips and groaned. “How did I get here?”
She leaned in closer. “What? Did you hit your head or something?”
One corner of his lips quirked up. “No, I’m messing with you.”
“You big…joker.” She was so glad to see him awake. To hear his voice. She slid her hand behind his neck and pressed her cheek to his. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”
He wrapped his right arm around her waist and pulled her to him. “Thank you for taking care of me. I know you didn’t want to. If—”
Lexi leaned back and worked to blink back tears. “No, that’s not true. I was wrong, Jake. I don’t mind taking care of you at all.”
“But—”
“No.” She put her fingers to his lips and shook her head. “Now, are you hungry?”
He shook his head. “Maybe? I don’t know. I’m so tired.”
“I’ve got pizza. I ordered it a little while ago.”
His breathing ratcheted up. “What?”
“It’s okay,” she said, palming the side of his face.
He held her gaze, and there was such anguish in them. “You could have been hurt.”
“I wore a low-cut shirt. That guy was so busy staring at my chest that he couldn’t give a physical description of me if his life depended on it.” She smiled. “And I was holding your gun behind my back. I took the pizza, paid him cash, and shut the door. If he’d tried anything, I was prepared to aim for the heart.”
“It’s my job to protect you, and I let you down. I should’ve known someone would be in that store. I should’ve—”
“I’m fine. You didn’t let me down at all. You stepped in front of a bullet for me, drove hours when you didn’t feel good, and you taught me how to take care of myself if something happened to you.” She kissed his cheek as she hugged him around the neck. “You’ve gone above and beyond.”
He gave a loud sigh, and with the next breath, it felt like he was breathing her in. “You would have shot him?”
Lexi pulled back and grinned. “You bet I would. I was hungry, and he had pizza.”
Jake chuckled. “He stared at your chest?”
“Gawked is more like it.”
He narrowed his eyes. “If I find him, I’ll deck him. No one has any business staring at your chest.”
She shrugged. “To be fair, I did wear the shirt, hoping that’s what he’d do.”
“It doesn’t matter what you wear. Respect shouldn’t be based on the cut of your clothing.” He paused. “Besides, he missed your best feature.”
“My best feature?”
He ran his fingertips along her eyebrow. “Your eyes.”
If he wasn’t still sick, she’d be kissing him. “Flirt.”
His hand dropped to the bed, and he smacked his lips. “Could I have something to drink?”
“Absolutely.” She snatched the glass off the nightstand and hurried to fill it.
As she came back, he lifted on his elbow and drained the glass. “It’s so cold it hurts.”
“You’re still running a bit of a fever.”
“We need to get moving.”
She tipped his chin up with her finger. “I know we need to get to Houston. Really, I do. But you need to rest a little longer. There’s no way you can drive at the moment. I doubt you can even stand.”
He eased himself back on the bed. “You might be right.”
“I’m sorry?” She leaned forward, her hand to her ear. “What was that?”
He chuckled. “You’re right.”
“And I don’t even get a recording of it. Oh, the humanity.”
Jake cut a glance at her. “Get out of here.”
“Would you like a slice of that pizza?”
“I’m just tired right now. Food doesn’t sound good at all.” Lexi started to move, and he touched her leg. “Please don’t go.”
She smiled. “Actually, if you don’t mind, I’m going lie down next to you on top of the covers.”
He slid over, making room for her, and she cuddled next him as he wrapped his right arm around her. Yeah, she could get used to this. She loved the feel of him next to her. The safety she felt in his arms.
They lay there long enough that she thought for sure he’d fallen asleep, when he cleared his throat and said, “I’m going to tell you something, something I’ve never told anyone else, not even my therapist. If anyone asks, I’ll deny ever saying it. Being feverish and all.”
Her pulse jumped, and she tilted her head back to look at him. “Okay. I promise I’ll never repeat it. Ever.”
His gaze held hers. “I know. That’s why I’m telling you.”
She nodded as her heart skipped a beat. He trusted her. Jake trusted her, even after all the vile things she’d said to him. He’d forgiven her, and now he was entrusting her with his secrets. She was overwhelmed at how happy that made her.
“It was my last mission in Iraq. I’d been there more than a year, and there was a village not far from base. This little girl—well, teenager—she said she was sixteen, but looking back, I don’t know if anything she said was true.”
Lexi propped herself up on her elbow and leaned her head in her hand. “You were in Iraq more than a year?”
He nodded. “Yeah. There was rumor of a terrorist cell. The little girl I told you about? Her name was Sabeen. Well, she became an informant of sorts. There were five guys in my company, and we all loved her like a little sister. I would have given my life for her. She was a sweet little girl. Chocolate eyes, dark skin, and the sweetest smile. I grew to love a lot of the people over there.”
“Go on.”
“She came to Owen, one of my guys, and told him that the cell would be moving through her village in the next few days, so we made plans to be there in order to arrest them. On our way to the village later that week, our convoy was hit with a surprise attack. Before I knew what was happening, our jeep hit an IED.”
Lexi ran her fingers over his eyebrow. “Is that how you got this cut?”
He nodded. “Yes, but all I remember is feeling flames touching my skin, and then I woke up a few weeks later. I’m sure you’ve seen the burns.”
Lexi nodded. “I have, and I wondered if you’d ever tell me.”
“I lost all my men that day. And looking back, there were signs Sabeen was lying to us, but she was a child. We thought she was just being a teenager when she forgot things or made a mistake. We loved her, but an investigation showed she’d been working with Al-Qaeda. She didn’t have a choice. They threatened her family. That’s how terrorists operate. Controlling the person by using their family. It didn’t make the betrayal hurt less, but I understood.”
“Is that why you were dishonorably discharged?”
He nodded and fought a yawn. “They were going to charge Owen with it, but he had a wife and a little boy. I didn’t have anyone, so I didn’t need anything. I told them it was me that Sabeen came to and that I believed her. I didn’t double check her story because we trusted her. I took the dishonorable discharge so Owen’s wife would get his benefits.”
She’d known there was more to that story, and she was right. Jacobi Maverick was a good man. A better man than he even realized. Not good enough for her? Hardly.
“Sabeen came t
o Owen, but they were my responsibility. I should have paid attention, but I let my feelings for her cloud my judgment, and I let my guard down. My men died because of me and my lack of judgment. I wasn’t trying to hurt you…I don’t want to make another mistake.”
“But I hurt you, and I was doing it on purpose because I was mad,” she said and combed her fingers through his hair.
His eyes closed, and he sighed. “I deserved your anger.”
She shook her head. “No, you didn’t. If I’d taken a second, I would have figured out what you were doing. And I would have told you to knock it off.”
A smile spread on his lips. “I need to stay focused on keeping you safe,” he murmured as he leaned his head into her hand.
Lexi snuggled closer and pressed her lips to his temple. “We’ll talk later.”
When a soft snore answered her, she doubted he even heard her. She pulled back and watched him. How had she ever thought he wasn’t her type? What exactly did that mean anyway? Type. Stupid and shallow.
This quiet man was beautiful, kind, compassionate, and wonderful. He was the perfect height, and she didn’t care if he grew his hair out Rapunzel style. She’d care for him no less. Oh, she’d fallen for him. It was like sliding down the sand dunes. She’d hit the bottom, and it was okay if she stayed there, which was a new feeling for her.
As long as she could remember, she’d had her life mapped out. It had compartments and labels, and everything had a place, and there was place for everything. Then Jake had stepped through her door, and in less than two weeks, he’d made her question everything.
Maybe when they got to Houston, they’d get enough space for her to really consider what it was she wanted. She didn’t want to hurt him any more than she already had. What she was thinking was life-changing, and perhaps that needed a little more thought than she’d given it.
Chapter 18
Jake stuffed his feet in his shoes and stood. He’d been down an entire afternoon plus the morning since they stayed past checkout. He still didn’t feel great, but he knew he could drive a few hours and be fine.
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