Jacked (Trent Brothers #1)(33)

“Okay,” I said, resigning to having no other choice but to turn my cop over to the new girl.

My cop.

Some sort of possessiveness was taking over. I really didn’t want anyone else touching him, especially this single, fresh-faced, barely-out-of-med-school twit. Part of me wanted to grab her lab coat and shove her out of the room, knowing that her lack of basic skills would end up leaving a scar on him, but I couldn’t. We were a teaching hospital. “Well, I was just going to irrigate the wound but I suppose you can do that.”

Adam seemed to be irritated again.

“Detective Trent, I need you to come over to the sink here. Can you… here, let me help.” I held his wounded hand steady while he easily folded his incredible body off the bed, getting to him before Megan did. “I… I mean we need to irrigate the wound, clean out any debris.”

I tried to concentrate on his injury but his incredible eyes drew me in again, gazing down at me with some unspoken emotion that was so raw it took away my ability to breathe. Damn, he was built. Long legs, too. Had to be over six feet tall given that he passed my five-foot-six height by another head.

“Sorry about all of that bullshit,” he said privately, glancing down at my lips for a second, or maybe it was ten. I’d lost count. “And the thing… earlier.”

I was distracted by his tone, leading me to believe that he was being completely sincere and genuinely seeking my forgiveness. “It’s okay. But, thank you.?

He frowned, dipping his head even lower. “No, it’s not. It was uncalled for.”

I shrugged. “My first priority is you. The rest I can deal with.”

He seemed to be taken aback by that, but I didn’t care. It was the truth.

I really wanted to ask him about the cameraman and the guy with the headphones, but not while someone else was in the room with us. Everything about it seemed to be a source of agitation for him though. The nurses would surely berate me later for not getting the dirty details, but they’d just have to get over it. He’d already been through enough shit for one night from what I could tell and I certainly wasn’t going to add to it.

I decided to go a different route while cleaning his wound. Even his long fingers were deliciously seductive. “So, Detective, did you get him?”

“Who?” he asked.

I nodded my chin, feeling a bit braver. “The guy that did this to you. I presume he was a bad guy?”

Adam laughed lightly. It was the sexiest sound I’d ever heard—deep and alluring. “He was just a kid but yeah, I got him. Had to chase him a few blocks, too. Ran like hell. I hate the rabbits.”

I blotted off his hand and wrapped him up in a towel. “Rabbits?”

He chuckled again, taking a few steps backwards to the bed. “That’s what we call car thieves who ditch and run.” He sat back down, curling one knee up on the bed to sit sideways. “The car was still rolling when the kid jumped out of it. You know? Like a jack rabbit? It’s just a nickname.”

“Interesting.” I scooted my little rolling stool closer to his bedside and gently poked at his gash to see if he was numb. “Do you feel that?”

“Nope. Go for it.”

“Would you like to lie down?”

His eyes narrowed a bit. “You want me to?”

His words rolled through me like an electric wave, causing me to stutter. “If you want to. I mean, I want you to be comfortable and relaxed. It would be best if you didn’t move so…”

I saw the hint of a smirk curl his lip as he pulled his legs up on the bed and crossed his large black boots at the ankles.

As soon as he was settled, I resumed my examination, bothered by more than the fact he’d been injured on the job. “Well, the good news is that it’s superficial enough that you won’t need to see an orthopedic surgeon.”

Adam’s brow rose. “Is there bad news?”

I smiled a bit. “Yeah. You’re going to have stitches in your hand.”

Megan was standing there with a drape, waiting for me to move out of her way. I stood, allowing her to take my place.

“Hold up,” Adam said, pulling his hand back. “I thought you were going to do this.”

I felt bad. I hoped he could sense I didn’t have much of a choice here. “Megan is one of our interns. I’ll be supervising.”

“Supervising? Yeah, no… not today.” He rolled his incensed gaze to Megan. “No offense, sweetheart, but the only person putting stitches in me tonight is her.” He nodded his head my way. “I’d appreciate it if you could go find something else to do. Erin, Doctor Novak is all I need.”

Megan’s face fell. “But—”

She didn’t get another word out. He unleashed his intimidating cop glare, silently daring her to question the authority wafting off him. He glanced at the doorway, indicating for her to get going. Like now.

I stood there, sort of dumbfounded.

Megan was wide-eyed, waiting for me to intervene.

“It’s okay, Megan. I’ll take care of this. Perhaps you can ask Doctor Mason if he needs assistance.”

That apparently was not what she wanted to hear. She ripped her latex gloves off and tossed them in the trash.

“Now then,” Adam said, sliding back on the cot, “where were we?”