Page 9 of Better Together

“Be serious, Zeke. You know I’m a little morbid when it comes to injuries. How bad is it?”

“It’s getting worse by the second.”

“Omigosh, Zeke. Stand down, buddy.”

“You better tell that to—”

“You’re incorrigible and looking pale. Can I help you with anything . . . not that.” She exaggerated her eye roll and laughed.

“Nope, I’m good. I think I should go to bed, though. Can we talk in the morning? You had something you wanted to tell me but you’re right, I’m going to crash, and I want to give you my full attention.”

“Of course. Do you mind if I take the popcorn home?”

“Take mine too. Let’s put it in a bigger bowl with a lid.”

“I’ll take care of it.” She pointed to the bedroom. “Off to bed. I’ll be back in the morning. Text me when you wake.”

“Okay. Take the umbrella.”

Alexis waited until Zeke headed for bed. She shut off the lights and quietly left, locking the door behind her. Darn. She’d forgotten to water his plants again. Oh well, he was home; he could water them to his liking. The evening was cool and the grass damp as she left with a big bowl of popcorn and thoughts of what could have happened if she’d just let the towel fall to the floor. Trouble didn’t begin to describe the thoughts running through her head.

CHAPTER FIVE

After a restless night of sleep, Zeke sent a text to Alexis: I’m awake and going to take a quick shower.

Alexis was swift to reply. She’d probably been up for hours already. How are you feeling?

Not as stiff as last night, he answered.

LMAO. I’ll bring breakfast.

He chuckled and sent a wink and thumbs-up emoji.

Zeke stepped into the hot, welcome spray of the shower. His joints and muscles were still protesting from hitting the asphalt while trying to dodge a bullet meant for America’s sweetheart. He did his best to ignore the spectacular array of blue, yellow, and purple bruises running the length of his left side as he gingerly lathered the soap over his body.

He never dealt in the what-ifs, but this last assignment had jarred him to the core. With his sister, Maggie, married and his brother Ethan on his way to the altar, he questioned the last seven years of his life. After returning home from the service, he hadn’t known what to do with himself. He joined the fire department as a volunteer, did electrical work for Alexis and anyone else who needed odd jobs done, and kept himself busy by working security for his brother Luke. Three different professions kept the boredom at bay, but he realized he needed more. His nieces were almost teenagers, Maggie had hinted at starting a family, and he guessed Paige and Ethan would be close behind.

Did men have biological clocks? He never thought he’d settle down and start a family before now, but if he did, he’d like his kids to grow up with their cousins. When he danced with Alexis at Maggie’s wedding, holding her close had stirred something deep inside. He had put it out of his mind because he had a job to do, but now, standing under the spray of the shower, he thought of only one woman. The sexy contractor who’d crept into his dreams last night.

He turned the shower knob to cold and rinsed off, then stepped out and slipped into his boxers. With a grin on his face, he replaced the towel around his waist and removed the bandage from his arm. He’d have Alexis help him rewrap the wound and if things got out of hand, maybe she’d wrap something else.

* * *

The sound of the shower heightened Alexis’s senses. The thought of Zeke and that toned chest of his, naked under the running water, had her mind traveling places it had no business going. They were friends, only friends, she repeated to herself. Zeke flirted with everyone, including Paige back when she started dating his brother. But his reaction earlier gave Alexis pause. Ridiculous. He didn’t think of her in that way, or he would have made a move.

Zeke strode into the kitchen, wrapped in a towel. The lines etching his face showed he was hurting. She winced at the site of the colors covering his side and torso.

“Alexis. I need your help.”

The pain around his eyes melted her heart. “Anything. What can I do?”

“Follow me.”

She followed him into his bedroom.

Zeke pulled the towel from his waist. She gulped and inadvertently licked her lips at the sight of him in his tight black boxer shorts. When he shot her a lascivious smirk, she couldn’t help but roll her eyes. Typical Zeke, always trying to elicit a reaction from her.

“I need you to rewrap my arm.” He handed her a roll of gauze.