Instant Gratification (Wilder #2)(53)

“I don’t think I did.”

“So I suppose all you need is a Band-Aid.”

She met his smiling eyes. “At least you won’t have to give me a shot. I wouldn’t want you to pass out.”

“Ha ha.” His hands slid to the buttons and began to flick them open. “Let’s see what you did.”

The room was entirely silent except for her suddenly accelerated breathing, which she couldn’t seem to control.

His breathing wasn’t any too steady either as the backs of his fingers brushed her skin, or as he then peeled the top from her shoulders. With a soft hiss of a breath, he traced a long, work-callused finger over first one collar bone, then the other, where already a blossoming bruise was developing in the shape of the top half of the steering wheel. “Jesus, Emma.”

He crouched to look lower at her ribs and abs. He had a hand on her thigh, an innocent hand, bracing himself, but her mind went back to the last time he’d been in this position. How his hand had glided up her thigh, followed by his mouth—

“You got yourself good.” He straightened to his full height again, his finger running over her shoulder, catching on her narrow bra strap.

Which obediently slipped off her shoulder. “Stone.”

“You took care of me when I was hurt—”

“Yes,” she agreed. “Even though you lied about how you got hurt.”

“Admit it, you enjoyed thinking of me as a lazy ski bum.”

True enough. “So you thought you’d perpetuate the image?”

He smiled. “You sound so snooty when you’re pissy. I think it’s the New York accent.”

“I’m from here.”

His smile faded. “Yeah. You are.”

“For the record, I took care of you, because that’s what I do.”

“I know, but it’s what I do, too. Take care of people.”

She stared into his jade eyes, so clear, so utterly calm and steady, in a way she admired far too much.

“You’re already bruising,” he said quietly. “Let’s just do this.”

“It’s not as bad as it looks.” Her arms were trapped at her sides by the top that was hanging off her elbows, and she was glad because she had the oddest urge to wrap them around his shoulders. He’d touched her, put his warm hands on her, reminding her of what they could do. It didn’t matter that the touch wasn’t supposed to be a sexual one. Her body didn’t seem to get the memo.

Leaving one hand on her shoulder, he spread his other hand over her belly, which was rising and falling way too fast. “The bruising isn’t as bad here.”

Good to know. Not that she was feeling any pain, not with his hands still on her, his face so close to her breasts he could have put his mouth on them.

“X-rays,” he said in a thick voice into the crackling silence. “You need them.”

Shrugging her shirt back on, she pushed him back a step and headed to x-ray at the end of the hall. She flipped on the machine and set up an x-ray tray. “I’ve got this,” she said when he stood far too close in the small room.

“You’ll need me to hit the button.”

True enough. She showed him what to do, then turning her back to him, pulled off her shirt again, because what the hell, he’d already seen her. In fact, he’d tasted every inch of her.

They were both wet and chilled, but she didn’t feel the cold, not one little bit, not with his eyes heating her up from the inside out, and her memories stoking the fire. She positioned herself in front of the machine, extremely aware of the fact that she stood there half bare while he was fully dressed.



Five minutes later they were standing side by side studying her x-ray. Stone didn’t know what she was thinking but he was thinking that he loved how warm he felt next to her, how that warmth seeped into him, how much warmer they’d be without their wet clothes, sharing body heat—

“Nothing broken,” she said, her voice husky enough to tell him she wasn’t thinking only about her ribs either.

“So your treatment?”

“Ice and rest.”

He waited until she turned off the x-ray light before putting his hands on her hips and turning her to face him.

“What?” she asked a little breathlessly, and just the slightest bit defensively.

Poor baby. She didn’t know what to do about him, how to feel, what to think. He knew the feeling. “I can’t help but notice that we have the same treatment plan, you and me.”

A smile touched her lips. “You didn’t pay the slightest bit of attention to your treatment plan.”

“Sure I did. I just didn’t have time to rest and ice. I do now.” He took her hand and led her into the small kitchen, where he headed directly to the freezer and pulled out a small ice wrap.

Holding it up, he stepped toward her, and with a low laugh, she took one back. “Oh, no.”

Stone liked the sound of her laugh, a whole lot. It softened her face, it softened everything about her, and he liked her soft. He liked her tough, too. Bottom line, he liked her every which way. He lifted the ice pack and waggled a brow.

“I can ice myself,” she said.

“Ah, but I have experience with icing yourself. Trust me, it’s never as fun.” He stepped closer.