How Beauty Saved the Beast (Tales of the Underlight) (18 page)

“Stop! What are you doing! This is a hospital!”

Jolie pulled away with a blush as a doctor waved his arms frantically at them.

Hauk held on. “Aw, come on, doc. I’ve heard about you surgeons. You can’t tell me you’ve never taken advantage of these nice, comfy beds.”

The doctor blinked but didn’t respond to the taunt as he strode toward them with two nurses in tow. “Did you pull your IV out?”

“It was in the way.”

The doctor straightened up to his full height and started finger-waving. As if Hauk had never seen and ignored that before. “You were shot. Three times. Lie down and let the nurse put your IV back in. And this time, don’t take it out.” He pointed to Jolie. “You. Visiting hours are over. Get off of him and get out.”

Jolie started to pull away, but Hauk held her tighter and dropped the cocky grin. “No.”

The doctor reddened like he’d protest, but Hauk held out a hand.

“Look, I’m being an asshole. I know that. I don’t like hospitals. It’s not too hard to see why.” He rubbed Jolie’s arm, and thankfully she stayed. “I’ve never heard of anybody who’s been through what I have and doesn’t have nightmares. None of that’s your fault.” He looked the doctor in the eye. “But don’t take her away from me. I’ll be good. I’ll lie down. I’ll put the IV back in and leave it. Just let her stay.”

Despite Hauk’s plea, the doctor looked like he might still protest.

Before he could threaten to be the most hellacious patient of the doctor’s career, Jolie shot the man a knowing glance. “Please.”

Hauk had no idea what that was about, but the doctor seemed to catch her meaning and nodded. “Fine. But no more…racing heart monitors.”

Jolie gently pressed Hauk backward. At her touch he obediently lay back down. “We’ll be good,” she assured.

Stupid doctors.

The nurse stuck the IV back in as Hauk kept his eyes on Jolie. The medical staff left and flipped the lights out, leaving them in the electric glow of monitors and the eek of a streetlight through the window.

Jolie shook a finger at him. “You’re going to stay here until they releasel t the you.”

Hell no. “I can’t hang out in a hospital. I’ll be found.”

“The doctor is a friend of Mercy’s. Nobody’s calling the cops.”

His brow furrowed. “Who’s paying for this, you?” Of course she was. Who else? Was the doctor bribing her for silence? Shit.

“Yes, I’m paying the hospital bill.”

Not okay. “You—”

“Shut up. I didn’t earn that money, my grandfather did, and I won’t miss it. Besides, you could charge me three hundred a week for the training we do every morning, and you don’t.”

“But—”

“I said—” she kissed him lightly on the mouth, “—shut up.”

He shut up.

“You will stay here.” Another light kiss, and his shoulders relaxed. “And you will not bitch about me paying for things.” A final kiss, and he lay docilely on the bed. “Are we clear?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Good.” She settled against his chest.

“On one condition.”

She picked her head back up warily.

Time to finally ask the stupid question he’d never found an appropriate moment to ask yesterday. Now was not an appropriate moment either, but if history was any indicator, he wasn’t going to get one. “Go out with me when I get out.”

“You mean on a date?”

She’d just kissed him. Why did asking for a date make his throat want to swell up? Combat zones scared him less than her answer. “Yeah. A date. I was trying to ask you out all day yesterday. Never seemed to be the right time.”

Her lips curled so prettily, and he wanted to quit talking and kiss them.

“You were?” she asked.

Just
focus
on
those
lips
. “I was thinking we could go for a ride on my bike, out in the hills somewhere. Take a picnic or something.” Did he sound as lame as he thought he did?

But her green eyes brightened in a way that made him ready to do stupid things just to see it again. Who cared what he sounded like? Jolie was happy.

“Sounds wonderful. I would love to, and I will…on one condition.”

He frowned. “What’s that?”

The joy faded from her eyes. She traced a pattern on the sheets separating their bodies. “I made a request yesterday. You didn’t answer me.”

“Ah.” His reactions from yesterday and the doubts and fears they engendered rolled back through his mind. He wanted to give her the glib answer that should be so easy.
Of
course
you
can
touch
me
.
I
have
no
problems
with
that
. But she deserved better than a lie, no matter how much he wanted it to be true. And she deserved to be touched more often than professional sparring matches and thoughtless, heated exchanges.

“I want you, you know,” she continued. “I want that date. But not if you’re going to keep me at an aeepess, heaterm’s distance. I’m okay with going slow. I’m not okay with being turned completely away. So I ask you again, will you let me touch you?”

He deserved more, too. Determined to speak, he swallowed past the lump lodged almost painfully in his throat. He wouldn’t let fear choke him. “Yes.”

Her fingers dragged up the sheet to the bare skin of his neck and his tightly clenched jaw. “Then we’re yesses all around.”

She leaned down and gave him one more kiss, this one a gentle touch of lips, a promise of more soon to come. It wasn’t happily ever after, but it was a start.

Hauk pulled her down and tucked her lithe body against him. She felt so good. “First time I’ll remember falling asleep next to you, and it’s going to be in a damn hospital. And I’m happy anyway. I’m in a hospital, and I’m happy.” He squeezed her. “You do make miracles happen.”

“Only around you.” She stretched her arm around him and cuddled against him as the first yawn hit her. “Otherwise, I’m magic-free.”

He stroked his good fingers through her hair, and watched her long lashes flutter closed. “I guess that’s why you’re so good for me,” he said.

“No,” she said. “I think that’s why
you’re
so good for
me
. I like being a little bit magic.”

* * * * *

Wondering how it all began?
Find out in
How
Beauty
Met
the
Beast
, book one in Tales of the Underlight by Jax Garren, available now!

How Beauty Met the Beast

The
Beast

Scarred. Damaged. Living with a terrible secret. Agent of the Underlight Wesley “Hauk” Haukon has nothing left but the fight for liberty against the oppressive Order of Ananke. He’s starting to lose hope…and then he sees her.

The
Beauty

Despite her night job as a burlesque dancer, grad student Jolie Benoit has always played the mostly good girl. That all changes following a scorching sexual encounter with a stranger whose face she doesn’t see. After she’s kidnapped by thugs and rescued by a man with a very familiar voice, Jolie becomes a pawn in a struggle she never knew existed.

Hauk knows he cannot have her, and resolves to protect his heart and his secrets. But as they work together and grow closer, he finds new reason to keep fighting. Dare he risk hope in a new life, one wh
ere Jolie can see past his ravaged face and where their friendship can grow into something more?

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About the Author

Jax Garren is descended from Valkyries and Vikings (she’s part Swedish) but was raised a small-town girl in the Texas Hill Country. She graduated from the University of Texas with a degree in English and a minor in Latin and stayed in Austin to teach high school. During her eight years in public education she was in a riot, broke up fights, had cops storm her class with guns drawn…and met the most amazing young people who taught her more about life and hope than she taught them about any school subject.

Jax believes in happily-ever-afters. She married her real-life hero, a handsome engineer who is saving the world through clean energy technology. Her heroine is Marion Ravenwood from
Raiders
of
the
Lost
Ark
, the perfect blend of tough and feminine. Jax blames Marion for her dream of traveling to Nepal to experience Himalayan palaces and monasteries and to drink yak butter tea. Jax can be found at www.jaxgarren.com or on Facebook. She would love to raise a glass with her readers to toast courage, adventure and love.

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ISBN: 978-14268-9504-3

Copyright © 2013 by Jennifer Hinson

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