Page 1 of Inevitable Dream

Prologue

Rebel

I’m a lousy patient. I’ve been an ass to Sadie McCowan, but I can’t seem to help myself. I’m either going to be a sarcastic dick, or I’ll grab her by the hand and pull her onto the bed and kiss her plump pink lips. She’s infuriating, with her perky attitude and the way she calls me Mr. Hanes with a shy grin when she gives me my pills.

That smile packs a wallop. Then she touches me when she changes my dressing, and it takes every ounce of willpower to hold myself totally still. Her warm breath on my skin, the way she bites her lower lip when concentrating is a total turn-on.

My only recourse is being a dick to keep her at a distance.

“How long does it take?” I ask impatiently. I need to get her hands off me.

“It will take as long as I need to make sure it’s done correctly.” She continues with her soft hands on my stomach to put the bandage in place.

“I got shit to do,” I grunt.

“Oh yeah, you planning on running the five-kilometer marathon? Or maybe you plan on continuing your salsa dance lessons,” she teases. I don’t rattle her. “Did you have lunch?”

“I’ll get it in a bit.” The last thing I want is to have Sadie watch me struggle to get to the kitchen. Falcon’s been good about leaving meals for me to warm up.

“You need to keep up your strength. I can fix you something,” she says.

“Don’t you have someone else to torture?”

“Nope. I’m your full-time pain in the ass until Falcon says otherwise.” She lifts a brow and crosses her arms.

The easier option is to put some distance between us. “Fine. Lunch would be good.” It’ll give me time to get up and compose myself. Tonight, I’ll talk to Falcon about calling off his hound.

She’s been with me day and night for over two weeks. The first week, she slept on a cot in my room. Sadie’s an angel with a heart of gold, with just enough attitude to make me want to know more about her.

The problem is, I’m beginning to like having her around, and that’s not good for either of us. I made the decision a long time ago that I’m better off alone. Sadie McCowan cannot be the exception. She saunters out of the room, my eyes glued to her perfectly rounded ass, her hips swaying, and even in her pink scrubs, she’s sexy as hell.

I have a thing for blondes, normally, that was until a redheaded, green-eyed siren came through the door. I was highly medicated when I first saw Sadie, and I thought she was a dream. Then morning came and she was asleep beside me, and she was even more alluring.

Ever so carefully, I shift into a sitting position with my feet firmly planted on the floor. That in itself is an effort. I hate this feeling of helplessness, but I’m much better than I was, and I’m getting stronger every day. One more week and I’ll be able to move around more easily, and I’ll be able to get back to work. Falcon will have me on desk duty, but I’ll be able to get back to the gym and work myself back up to the physical level I need to be in to catch bad guys.

I’m walking with greater ease and feel stronger. Unfortunately, the bullet caused some damage, and Falcon is acting like an overprotective father. Hence, Sadie’s still here anytime Falcon isn’t around.

After doing my business and cleaning up in the bathroom, I walk through to the family room, giving me a clear view of Sadie at the stove. The smell of whatever she’s cooking is amazing. She’s so immersed in what she’s doing, she doesn’t notice that I’m staring at her. Sadie goes about building a Philly cheese steak sandwich and cleaning up after herself after putting the sandwich in the oven for the finishing touches.

Meanwhile, she reaches into a brown lunch bag and pulls out her own half sandwich. It’s basically two slices of white bread with meager filling. Sadie’s making me a monster meal, and she’s nibbling on next to nothing. The oven dings, and she preps my plate, adding carrots, celery, and dip.

She turns and nearly drops the plate when she sees me standing there watching her.

“You scared me. How long have you been there?” she asks. It doesn’t go unnoticed that she’s staring at my bare chest. Mind you, I have a dressing covering a fair bit of my midriff, and she quickly averts her eyes and concentrates on placing the plate down on the kitchen counter, where the stool is situated.

“Not long,” I answer, coming closer and sliding onto the stool. I see her stash the remainder of her sandwich in her bag and tuck it away in her backpack.

“Well, you eat your lunch, and I’m going to go and change the sheets,” she announces as she breezes past me. I clasp her arm. She looks at me. “Careful, you don’t want to pull your stitches,” she says teasingly, then gently pulls away.

She races out of the room before I can say another word, leaving me to watch as she runs away from me yet again.

Chapter1

He Got My Purse

Sadie

Oh my God, I hope I wasn’t drooling. Rebel is by far the hottest man I’ve ever seen. His tousled blond curls and crystal-clear blue eyes are fantastic, but his hard, toned body rivals Adonis himself. Even injured, he’s a force to be reckoned with. He’s ornery and ill-tempered, but, as Falcon explained, Rebel’s not used to being laid up.

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