Page 6 of Hold On Through The Pain

“So, what happened?” the doctor asked as he readied his equipment.

“Striker knocked out the guy who hit me.”

The doctor lifted his brows, his gaze on Striker. “So the guy who hit you, he did this?”

“No,” Shannon added. “There were three of them. It was an unfair fight, but Striker won.”

The doctor poked at his arm with a sterile instrument before he began the task of stitching him up. First was a shot to deaden the pain; the second was an antibiotic.

“Is your tetanus up-to-date?” the doctor asked.

“Yes, sir. It sure is. Everything is up-to-date,” Striker said.

“Good. Now, then, you should feel the pull but not the pain.”

Striker gave a half smile and held on to Shannon’s hand. She flinched as the doctor stuck the needle into his arm. She looked more worried about the stitches than he was, which was a little funny.

“Why are you laughing?” the doctor asked.

“Nothing really. Thanks for stitching me up. Looks good.”

Shannon squeezed his hand. “The stitches do look good.”

The doctor’s lips crooked up, and he stared proudly at his handiwork. “Thank you. I think you’re all done. Do you need a note for work?”

“I’m on leave for another few days. I should be fine.”

The doctor nodded, and his lips turned down. “Okay. Take it easy. No more knife fights.”

“I’ll try.” Striker stood up ready to leave.

“Hold on there, cowboy. The nurse will bring in your prescription. If you need anything, we’re here all week.”

Striker chuckled. “Hopefully I won’t need your service again.”

After paying his copay, they headed out. Shannon held the door open for him, and he wasabout to say something about being able to do everything on his own but held silent. The shot and the pain were starting to affect him, and he didn’t want Shannon to bail. Actually, he wanted to spend more time with her.

“So, where to? Do you want me to take you home?”

“It’s far from here. All the way up in North Charleston. I just—I live with my dad. He’s going to go ballistic.”

“I’m sure my dad would be pissed if my sister came home beaten up. The guy would need to hide out for months.”

Shannon shook her head. “No, he’ll be mad that I made the guy angry.”

Striker stopped walking, and so did she. She turned to face him, her eyes wide as she stared up at him. He moved fast, pulling her into a gentle hug. His throat closed with emotions when her arms went around his waist.

“I can’t imagine being that stupid. I’m sorry,” Striker choked out.

She shrugged, and he stepped back. His awareness of how sexy she was grew with each second he spent with her. He shouldn’t have pulled her into his arms. Now he knew how good she felt up against him.

Shannon was small; her heels added a few inches to her height, but the top of her head onlycame to his chin. Her dark lashes were long, her lips full now that she wasn’t worried. She looked kissable, even with the cut lip. His gaze traveled over her face, taking in her beauty once again. He’d never really thought about anyone this intensely before. He wanted her fingers on his chest as he kissed her, and then he wanted more.

Her gaze warmed, and desire filled him. He had to push it away or risk scaring her. Instead of kissing her lips, he leaned in and brushed his lips over her forehead then backed up and watched her face.

“This may be stupid, but I swear I’ll behave. Stay with me, and then you can figure out what to do in the morning.”

Her breath hitched as worry crossed her face. She searched his eyes for a long moment. “You won’t do anything?”

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