“Okay,” she said, and sent him a soft smile.
He paused, shifting his weight as his gaze bounced between Tommy and her, as if expecting him to lean back so they could have a proper good-bye. Not fucking likely. Instead, Tommy nodded toward the door.
“You know the way out.”
The man sucked through his teeth before nodding and leaving. As he watched his retreat, again Tommy was struck with the sense that Brody was laughing at him. It was really starting to piss him off.
When the front door shut, Julie chided, “You didn’t have to be so darn rude.”
“He doesn’t have to be such a jackass.” He didn’t want Brody to be a topic of conversation, either. He wanted the man completely gone, now that he’d left. “How bad is it?” he asked.
“Meh. It’s not that bad, really. Been worse. I just need a muscle relaxer, some anti-inflammatories, and some rest.”
He kissed her forehead and scooted back off the bed. “I’ll get the meds.” He looked at the dogs. “Come on, guys, let her rest.”
“No. Let them stay.”
He wouldn’t argue. Neither Lucy nor Warrior had jumped up on her as they usually did when she came home. They just sat at the side of the bed, peering silently up at her. Protecting her. Exactly like he wanted to.
After he went to the kitchen and grabbed two pills and a bottle of water, he returned to the bedroom.
She started to push herself back up, but he placed a hand on her shoulder, stilling her.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
“I’d like to go to my own room, if you don’t mind.”
Actually, he did mind. He didn’t know what possessed him to bring her straight in here instead of into her own room, but he liked seeing her laid out on his bed.
“Besides,” she continued. “Wouldn’t you like to change, too?”
Before she’d arrived, he’d been in the process of doing just that. He’d gotten as far as sliding off his jacket and tie and unbuttoning the first three buttons of his shirt before the banging on the door had interrupted him. Getting comfortable now was the last of his worries. “I’m fine. Let’s get you into something more comfortable first.”
Alarm dashed across her face. “Uh. I don’t need help with my clothes, Tommy.”
Didn’t stop him from wanting to help, though. “At least let me help you to your room and get the clothes out for you.”
He went to help her sit up, and she smacked him away. “No. I’ve got this.”
And there was that vicious independent streak coming through. He held up his hands, fully aware that fighting her would make her even more irritated. She’d made it halfway into a sitting position when she gasped sharply and her entire body froze.
“Yeah, okay,” she gritted out. “Not happening.”
No, he didn’t see this move happening at all. Until those relaxers kicked in, her muscles were going to seize every time she tried to sit up. He helped her lie back down.
“I’ll run to your room and grab you a change of clothing.”
He took his time choosing a set of casual fleece PJs, giving her ten minutes before he returned, only to come to an abrupt halt in the doorway.
She had inched herself up so she reclined on the pillows and had unzipped the side of her dress, which had peeled back to reveal one black-lace-covered breast. Why he was surprised she’d taken the initiative to start the changing process, he didn’t know. She was always firmly determined to do things herself.
Wracked by pain, she appeared to be even more stubbornly resolute. A trait that both awed and frustrated the hell out of him.
He swallowed, as he couldn’t help noticing that the lace gave an enticing peek at the pert nipple beneath.
Shaking himself, he hurried to the other side of the bed, as Julie used her foot to kick off her shoes. “Do”— he cleared his throat—“you need any help?”
“No.” She planted both feet on the mattress, bending her knees. The skirt rode all the way up to her hips. His gaze zeroed in on the pale skin above the thigh-high stockings and the silky black ribbons that kept them in place.
He’d known she had on a garter belt. He’d played with the satin ties as he slid the wedding garter over her thigh, and just as before, pure possessiveness sliced through him at the thought she’d worn it for Brody and not for him.
A pained grunt broke into his thoughts as she tried to push the dress down her hips. Her toned, flat stomach drew his gaze and he bit back a curse.
“I can’t lift my butt. Can you pull the dress the rest of the way off?”
He swallowed. All the way off?
So she’d be lying there, on his bed, wearing nothing but a bra, panties, and enticing garter? He didn’t know if he could do it. Already his pants were tightening, and he felt like a total ass for it. He glanced at her. The trust in her eyes made him feel like an even bigger ass.
You are not proving yourself worthy, Sparks.