Page 119 of Reputation
Their lips connected in a deep, passionate kiss that stole her breath and sent her heart racing.It was a soul-consuming kiss—the wisps of it reaching deep, eliminating the last traces of pain until all that was left was love.
She was reluctant to pull away from the sparks of fire that ignited, spreading through her, making her want to get closer, until they were one.
When they finally pulled apart, Jax opened his eyes and looked at her.“I love you.”
Just like that, hearing the words felt like she was made whole.Eavie let out a choked laugh as she brushed her fingers over his forehead, smoothing his rich, dark hair back and revealing the carefully stitched cut on his forehead.Gingerly, she ran her fingers around it, wanting to soothe the angry red line.
“I’m so sorry about everything, about walking away.I was so confused about what I felt for you.But mostly, I was scared,” she whispered, swallowing.“But tonight terrified me more than anything.Watching you get hurt, all I could think about was that I wasn’t ready to say goodbye.I want to be with you.I want us to be together, no matter if it’s for weeks or years.”
Jax frowned at her.“Baby,” he said, staring up at her.“You don’t need to apologize.I get it.I understand why you pushed me away.I don’t blame you for wanting to protect yourself, but I want to be with you, too.And if you let me, I promise to spend every day proving that to you, showing you how incredible you are.I love you, Eavie, and I’m not letting you go.”
Smiling, Eavie leaned down again, her heart so full.She brushed her lips over his lightly before melding them together.The kiss deepened, his tongue seeking access to her mouth.She opened to him, letting him push the intensity of the kiss, burning her through to her toes.
The sound of someone clearing their throat had Eavie pulling away, heat flooding her cheeks.Sam stood in the doorway with Eric, whose face was set in stone.Beside him, another doctor stood, whom he introduced as Doctor Olsen.
She was tall, with hair that looked almost mahogany in color tied up in a messy bun.She wore scrubs the same dark green as her brother’s.
“I see you’re awake,” said Eric, entering the room, looking first at Eavie and then down at Jax.“How are you feeling?”Despite his clear disapproval, he remained the professional medical personnel as he spoke to Jax.
“Like I’ve been hit by a truck,” said Jax, tearing his eyes away from Eavie.“I have a headache, and I’m sore.But overall, I feel okay.”
“We’ve reviewed your test results,” Dr.Olsen said, standing on the opposite side of the bed.She looked around at the people in the room.“Would you prefer to discuss them in private first?”
Jax shook his head, wincing at the movement.“No,” he said gruffly.“It’s fine that they hear.”
Dr.Olsen nodded.“You have a level two concussion and a good gash on your head that we cleaned and stitched, but I am happy to report there are no signs of other head or neck injuries.You will need to be monitored closely, and I want to run follow-up tests in a couple of days.You’ll likely experience stiffness in your neck from the impact you took, and you will need physiotherapy.But unless something changes in the next set of tests, I’m confident you should fully recover.”
As the wordsfull recoverypassed through Dr.Olsen’s lips, Eavie let out the breath she had been holding.Reaching down, she clasped his hand.He was going to be okay.The heavy weight that had been sitting on her chest lifted, and she looked back down at his face.
“Now, you should get some rest,” Eric continued, looking pointedly at Eavie.“Someone will be coming to check on you every hour throughout the night.”
Reading the look in Eric’s eyes, she smiled, trying to convey that she was okay.Eric studied her for a moment before nodding.
Finally, he turned to Sam and said, “I expect he will be out of the lineup for at least two weeks, maybe more, depending on his recovery.He can return to modified training in a week, but there will be no ice time for at least two.I’ll provide details on his limitations to the team doctor.”
“Thank you,” said Sam, shaking first Dr.Olsen, then Eric’s hand.
Dr.Olsen and Eric left shortly after, promising they would check on him in a bit.
“Glad to see you’re awake,” Sam said to Jax, who smiled.“The team has been asking about you every chance they get.Now that we know you’re going to be okay, I’m going to head back to the arena and let everyone know you’re doing well,” he paused, turning to Eavie.“I can give you a lift home first if you’d like?”
She looked at Sam before turning to Jax.“I’m going to stay,” she said, smiling down at him.
With her attention focused on Jax, she didn’t see the crooked smile flash across Sam’s face.“Okay,” he said.“When you’re deemed of sound mind, Jax,” he joked, “you’ll both need to stop by my office and sign that CRA.”
Eavie blushed, biting her lip as she nodded.Jax’s eyes fixed on her as he said, “I’ll sign anything you want.”
Sam shook his head.“I’ll check on you tomorrow, Jax.”With that, he turned and left, leaving them alone once again.
Eavie sat back in her chair, hand still clasped in his.They talked briefly, but it wasn’t long before Jax’s eyes drifted closed and he fell asleep.
Eavie stayed with him all night, dozing off occasionally, only to be woken when a nurse or doctor came to check on Jax.A hand on her shoulder shook her awake some hours later.Lifting her head, she looked up, recognizing her brother’s face through sleep-bleary eyes.
“Hey,” she said, sitting up, her voice raspy from a bad night of sleep, though she didn’t care.Not even the lure of a bed could tear her away from Jax.“What time is it?”
“It’s six in the morning.You should go home and take a shower.”Eavie turned her head to look at Jax’s still sleeping form.“He’s doing fine,” Eric continued.“He’s stable, no signs of his concussion getting worse.”
“I’m not leaving,” she said, turning back to her brother.“I can’t.”
