Healed by Love (Love in Bloom: The Bradens) Read online

  “I know, but I can stand and walk and do whatever I need to. I’ve already iced my ankle, and it doesn’t hurt anymore.”

  Nate let out a breath. “Is it that important that you open the oven again?”

  “It’s that important to me to stand up and open the oven.”

  She flashed an easy smile that he wasn’t strong enough to resist, but he wasn’t going to let her hurt herself again. She needed another day of staying off her ankle to make sure it didn’t get worse.

  “Okay, then. We’ll compromise.” He scooped her into his arms.

  “Nate!” She laughed. “You can’t carry me everywhere.”

  “I thought you liked when I carried you.” He couldn’t keep from smiling, because he liked carrying her a whole hell of a lot. She felt good in his arms, and when she got feisty, like she was now, eyes wide, feigning displeasure, she was fucking adorable.

  “I was kidding,” she snapped.

  “No, you weren’t. I’ve known you since you were knee high. When you’re kidding, the side of your mouth twitches, like you’re suppressing a smile.”

  “God, really? Is there anything you don’t know about me?” She yanked the oven open, and he pulled out the rack so she could season the meat.

  “Yeah, there is.” Like what the rest of you tastes like and what you feel like when I’m buried deep inside you and you lose all control. He felt himself getting hard and tried to distract himself by looking away, but she was still in his arms, feeling like his next meal—and he was starved.

  She closed the oven door. “Like what?”

  “Huh?”

  “What don’t you know about me?”

  “I don’t know,” he snapped.

  “Wow, you’re testy. Am I too heavy? You can put me down now, you know.”

  “You’re not too heavy. You’re too damn sexy.” He set her on the counter because it was closer than the chair. He took a step away, and she grabbed his shirt and yanked him back.

  “Wanna know what I don’t know about you?” Her eyes narrowed, drifting to his mouth and lingering there, before meeting his gaze again.

  “The look in your eyes tells me that maybe you should keep it to yourself.”

  She pulled him between her knees.

  “Jewel,” he warned.

  “Oh, stop warning me away. I’m a big girl. If I want to be closer to you, there’s no reason I shouldn’t.”

  “Yeah, there is.” Nate had already surprised himself by being able to keep his thoughts fairly clean while they’d been cooking together. He didn’t need to push his luck. “I promised your brother I’d protect and take care of your family, not take his sister to bed.”

  “No, the promise you made to Rick is your reason, not mine.” She smiled up at him as if she was making perfect sense, and maybe she was.

  Nate had no idea anymore, and standing this close to her, with her inner thighs brushing his hips, wasn’t helping. With nothing to break the silence besides the blood rushing through his ears, it was difficult for him to think clearly.

  “Anyway…” she said. “There’s a lot I don’t know about you, like what you’re going to do now that you’re out of the military.”

  He shrugged. “Haven’t decided.”

  “I thought I heard that you were working at Mr. B’s, helping your parents out.”

  “Yeah, for now.” His chest tightened. He didn’t want to discuss a future he wasn’t sure about.

  “Then what?” She hooked her finger in the waist of his shorts, and her eyes locked on his with a confident challenge he hadn’t seen before.

  How could one finger heighten every sense and alight so much desire? If she wasn’t careful, he’d get so aroused that the tip of his manhood would soon reach those sexy little fingers of hers. He ground his teeth together and unhooked her finger. Best not to tempt trouble.

  “I don’t know how long I’m sticking around.”

  Her eyes narrowed skeptically. “What do you mean? You’re thinking of leaving town?”

  He shrugged and took a step away.

  “Why?”

  He turned back as she slid from the counter to the floor and caught her by the waist. “Jesus, Jewel. Stay off your ankle means don’t try to stand on it.”

  She wrapped her arms around his waist and smiled up at him. “Then you wouldn’t ever come near me.”

  He shifted his eyes away, fighting the urge to lift her higher and kiss her again. He needed another cold shower—or three.

  “I know you want to kiss me again, Nate,” she said softly.

  He closed his eyes as his fingers tightened on the small of her back.

  “Nate.” She pressed her lips to the center of his chest, and heat spread like wildfire through his body.

  The timer on the oven went off, and neither of them moved. He opened his eyes, and the sensuous look in hers shattered his resolve. He had to kiss—

  “Knock, knock,” Cole said as he came through the front door. He stopped cold at the sight of them. “Sorry. Am I interrupting?”

  Holy shit. Yes, you’re interrupting, and it’s probably a good thing you did.

  “No. You’re not.” Nate pried Jewel’s arms from around him and opened the oven door. The steam brought on a full sweat, as if he weren’t already on fire.

  Cole came into the kitchen and set his medical bag on the table. He eyed Nate with a what did I walk in on? look as he guided Jewel to the chair and knelt beside her feet. “So you twisted your ankle on a trail? Let me know if this hurts.”

  He unwrapped the Ace bandage and palpated her ankle. Then he checked her range of motion. Jewel sucked in air between her teeth.

  Nate’s hands fisted, as if he could feel her pain.

  “How bad does it hurt on a scale of one to ten?” Cole asked.

  Nate turned off the stove and leaned his back against the counter, arms crossed. He didn’t know if he was mad or not knowing that Jewel’s I feel fine resolve was just a guise to get closer to him, because he knew for damn sure that he wanted to get closer to her.

  “Five,” Jewel said.

  “How much better is it than yesterday?”

  “A lot. I thought it was almost better, but then I bumped into Nate and it hurt again.” She shifted her eyes to Nate and smiled. “But not bad or anything, just a little.”

  Just a little. Just being with her made him ache all over—the best kind of ache there was.

  “Well, it’s not broken, and since it’s getting better, I’d keep doing what you’re doing. Rest, ice compression, and elevation. You know the drill, Nate.”

  Nate nodded.

  “I brought crutches, and I think you should use them.” Cole looked around the kitchen at the dirty pots and pans and wrapped dishes. “You guys feeding an army?”

  “Dinners for my family for the week,” Jewel explained.

  Cole rewrapped her ankle. “How’s your mom doing? I haven’t seen her in a while.”

  “She’s doing really well. Crazy busy, but she’s good. Thanks for looking at my ankle. I told Nate he didn’t have to bring you all the way out here to check on it.”

  Cole rose to his feet and draped an arm over Nate’s shoulder. “No worries. It’s a good excuse to see my little brother.”

  Nate laughed under his breath. Cole was six foot two and broad shouldered like the rest of the men in their family, but at two forty, Nate had Cole by about twenty pounds of hard-earned muscle, and he looked nothing like his little brother.

  “What’s your plan with her Jeep?” Cole asked.

  “She’s taking my truck until her ankle is healed.”

  “Wait, what?” Jewel’s eyes widened again. “Why would I take your truck?”

  “It’s automatic. Your Jeep is manual,” Nate explained. “I thought the clutch might aggravate your ankle.”

  She pushed to her feet, and Nate and Cole each grabbed an arm.

  “Oh my God. You guys are both so overprotective. My ankle isn’t that bad. I can drive my Jeep.”<
br />
  “No, you can’t,” they said in unison, settling her back onto the chair.

  “Jewel, your ankle will probably be fine in a day or two if you stay off it,” Cole explained. “But if you don’t, you could be out for a week or longer.”

  “So what am I supposed to do about work?”

  “You can go to work and do all the things you need to do, just use the crutches and allow your ankle to heal. I’ll go get them.” Cole headed out the door.

  “I can’t take your truck, Nate. I have to take the kids to school in the morning, and there aren’t enough seat belts in your truck.”

  “I’ll take them.”

  She rolled her eyes. “You are not taking over for me.”

  “I’m not taking over. I’m helping you out. I have nothing but time on my hands while I decide what I’m doing with my life.” He was glad that’s what came out, because he’d almost said, While I’m deciding if I can keep my hands off of you.

  Cole came back in with the crutches. “These should do the trick.”

  “Thanks, Cole,” Nate said. “I appreciate you coming over.”

  “Like I said, no problem,” Cole said. “Do you guys have plans for tonight? I’m meeting Sam and Tempe for a drink at Whispers. Want to come?”

  You guys. He’d wondered what Cole had made of them when he’d walked in, and now he had his answer. He shot a narrow-eyed look of displeasure at Cole. His brother knew he was trying to keep his distance, despite how things looked at the moment. Cole knew Nate had no business asking Jewel to join them, and now Nate had no choice.

  “Jewel?” Nate arched a brow.

  “Um, sure, I guess. I’m not a big drinker, but okay.”

  Despite his reservations about going out with her, Nate smiled at how cute she was when she was nervous.

  “Great.” Cole patted Nate on the back. “We’ll see you at Whispers around eight?”

  “Sounds good, man. I’ll walk you out.” Nate felt Jewel’s eyes on him as they walked out the door in silence.

  Cole opened his car door and leaned on the frame. “So, you and Jewel?”

  “I don’t know what the hell I’m doing anymore.” It was the second time the admission had come without warning, and the truth of it worried Nate. His love for Jewel was deeper, more powerful than he’d ever imagined. He knew the right thing to do, and he repeatedly ignored it, as he had ten minutes earlier when he was about to kiss her.

  “You didn’t exactly leave me a choice in there, Cole. If I didn’t ask her to join us, I’d have looked like a douche.”

  “I think you know exactly what you’re doing.” Cole patted Nate’s arm and slid into the driver’s seat. “See you tonight.”

  Nate watched him drive away, wondering if his brother was right—and what the hell he should do about it.

  Chapter Six

  LATER THAT EVENING, after bringing the food they’d cooked over to her mother’s house, Nate followed Jewel home and helped her upstairs to her apartment. She’d finally given in and driven Nate’s truck. Nate was not a man who was easily swayed—as evident by her failed efforts to get him over his guilt and into her arms. At first she’d felt funny driving his truck. It was so big compared to her Jeep, but she’d quickly gone from feeling strange to feeling warm and tingly all over, knowing he trusted her enough to allow her to drive it.

  When he’d dropped her off, he’d refused to come inside, claiming that he had to take care of a few things before picking her up to go out for drinks, but she knew better. He’d looked like his skin had fit too tight, like if he came inside, he’d never leave. Seeing him struggling to keep his hands off of her had given her confidence in her sensuality, which was something she not only had never had, but she’d never realized was missing.

  She’d changed her clothes at least a dozen times and finally decided on a silky plum tank top over jeans shorts, with a pair of cute strappy sandals and the silver locket with a clock inside that Nate had given her for her high school graduation. He’d sent it home with Rick when Rick had come home on leave. She wondered if he even remembered giving it to her. She fingered the simple silver locket, hoping he did.

  Even though her ankle wasn’t terribly sore, every time she took a step without the crutches, she saw Nate’s worried face and reached for them. Now, as she assessed herself in the mirror, she saw how clearly they made her stand out—and not in a good way. Whispers was the hottest club in Peaceful Harbor. It was busy seven nights a week, and these crutches definitely weren’t a sexy accessory for her carefully chosen ensemble. She’d have to go without them tonight.

  And hold on to Nate.

  The thought made her smile, and as she caught a glimpse of her smile in the mirror, she was shocked. Her eyes held the excitement that had been evident for weeks after she and Nate had kissed on New Year’s Eve. That spark added light to her face and shine to her skin. Not to mention a fluttering in her stomach and a better, hotter, more intense feeling even lower.

  Nate had left hours ago. How could she still be this nervous about going to Whispers? She knew exactly why, and as she turned away from the mirror and thought about the truth—that she hadn’t been in a club since she was a freshman in college and now she was going with Nate—she became even more nervous.

  The last time she’d gone to a club was one of the only times she’d ever gotten drunk. She’d gone out to celebrate with a few friends from school and hadn’t realized how alcohol would affect her until she’d had too many drinks. Her mother had left a message telling her that Krissy had fallen and she was taking her to the hospital to get stitches under her chin. Jewel had been too wasted to get home, much less to the hospital, and had shown up the next day hungover and feeling like hell. She’d let her family down by not being there, and she’d never gone out drinking again. It seemed like a waste of time when her life was full to the brim with responsibilities.

  A knock at the door sent her stomach into somersaults. She glanced at the crutches, quickly deciding again to forgo them for the evening. She wanted to be sexy. Maybe not jump-in-bed-with-me sexy but definitely kiss-me sexy. She pulled the door open, and her mouth went dry. Gone was the peppering of whiskers along Nate’s jaw and the brooding look of restraint in his blue eyes. She’d thought it was impossible for him to look even more devastatingly handsome than he usually did, all hot and überstudly, but…wow. Nate, clean-shaven, wearing a pair of low-slung jeans that clung to his massive thighs, a T-shirt that not only left nothing to the imagination but looked so soft she wanted to climb inside it with him, and a sexy smile, was a sheer panty-dropping force of nature. Now that he’d opened that secret door inside her, years of pent-up lust came rushing out to play.

  His eyes roved over her, lingering on her mouth, then sinking to her chest, making her feel naked again.

  When he leaned down and kissed her cheek, she breathed him in and felt her nipples harden. It was such an unfamiliar sensation that she trapped her lower lip between her teeth and hoped she wasn’t blushing. When he rose to his full height, his eyes dropped to her chest again and his smile spread further.

  “Hey,” he said in a low, sexy voice. His eyes now hovered around her lips. “You look incredible.”

  Kiss me, kiss me, kiss me.

  Just as her tongue swiped across her lower lip, his eyes caught on her necklace. His brows knitted together as they both reached for the locket. Their fingers brushed, and his eyes flicked to hers with another heated look.

  “You kept the necklace.”

  “You kept the wallet.”

  Their eyes held, the air between them sizzling like bacon on a hot grill, and Jewel’s legs began to feel rubbery. She must have looked unstable, because Nate’s eyes dropped to her feet.

  His eyes went serious. “Where are your crutches?”

  “I’m not going to use them tonight. I’m just walking from the car to the bar.”

  “Jewel.” His eyes narrowed with concern.

  How did you go from smokin’ hot to ser
ious so easily when I’m still trying to find my footing?

  “How about a compromise? I’ll use them to get to the car, but I’m not walking into the bar with them.”

  “You heard what Cole said. Do you want to end up even more injured?”

  No. I want to look cute enough for you to want to kiss me again. “No, but I don’t want to hobble around on crutches, either. Besides, I have you to hold me up, don’t I?” She flashed what she hoped was a flirtatious grin, but the way his mouth thinned with displeasure told her that he was more concerned about her ankle than whatever else she had in mind. Totally not the response she’d hoped for.

  He stalked past her and grabbed the crutches from where she’d left them leaning against the living room wall.

  “Purse?” One clipped word shut down her hopes for a lighter, sexier night.

  She pointed to her purse on the coffee table. Moving like a man on a mission—or a man avoiding eye contact because of what it did to him, she couldn’t be sure—he picked up her purse and snagged the keys from beside it.

  “You can’t seriously be mad about me not using the crutches,” she said tentatively.

  “Mad? No. I’m not mad about that.” His tone was clipped.

  He checked the lock after she closed the door and glanced at the stairs.

  “Going down stairs is tricky.” He wrapped his burly arm around her waist, and she felt very small beside him, or maybe he felt ginormous in the narrow stairwell. Either way, she liked the way they felt together. “Put your weight on me.”

  Nate was so tall and she was so petite that navigating the stairs was awkward. He finally wrapped an arm around her waist and carried her down. She didn’t complain, and although his body tensed against her, she couldn’t help but smile. She was right where she wanted to be. In his arms again.

  At the bottom of the steps, he set up the crutches, and she hobbled toward his truck.

  “Sexiest date ever,” she mumbled.

  “This isn’t a date,” he said as he unlocked the passenger door.

  It’s not? Now she felt foolish and a little hurt. “I didn’t mean a date, date.”