Page 76 of Waiting for Devon
“What in the world happened to you?”
“I took a dive face first onto the sidewalk outside your house.”
“Ouch.”
“Yeah. I’ll be all right. I’m really happy to hear your good news.” He lowered himself into the chair next to the bed and grimaced.
“I thought I had scared you away.”
“Devon, you could breathe fire and it wouldn’t scare me away.”
She smiled and reached for one of his hands. Noticing the bruises, her smile faded and she frowned. “Jack Taylor, tell me the truth. You got into a fight with someone.”
“It’s no big deal. You know that fight club down in the warehouse district? I treated one of the fighters in the ER, and he invited me to a match. I needed to blow off some steam.”
“Don’t ever do that again. There are other far less dangerous ways to blow off steam,” Devon chided.
Jack brought her hand up to his lips. “I haven’t had sex in a really,reallylong time,” he murmured.
“Huh. Seems like I remember you accusing me of that not too long ago.”
“Very ungentlemanly of me. I’m sorry.”
“Have I told you lately how grateful I am for your friendship?”
“No. But you don’t need to. I’m the one who’s grateful to be this close to you again.” He rose to his feet and gasped a little. “Not gonna lie. My ribs are killing me.”
“Go home and get some rest, Jack.”
He leaned down and kissed her forehead. “You, too. I’ll check on you later.”
Jack let himselfinto Devon’s house. He sank onto the sofa and emitted a soft groan.
“Hurts like a bitch, right?” Reed asked as he shuffled from the kitchen and sat in a rocker-recliner adjacent to the sofa.
“You pack a wallop, Barrington.” Jack leaned back and closed his eyes.
“So do you. Hungry?”
“Yeah. You cooked?”
“Nothing too fancy. A pot of spaghetti and garlic bread.”
Both struggled to their feet and laughed a little at each other.
“I hate you, Barrington,” Jack said, his voice amiable. “Don’t think you can weasel your way into my good graces just because you cooked dinner.”
“I don’t give a damn about trying to get on your good side. For the record, I hate you more, Taylor.” Reed flashed him a crooked grin.
Jack set two bottles of beer on the kitchen table as Reed served the spaghetti and garlic bread. They gingerly took bites of the food, babying their sore mouths.
Halfway through their meal, Reed asked in a quiet tone of voice, “How’s Devon?”
“She’s much better than when I left her two days ago. Her spirits are good, and she’s out of danger for the time being.”
“Can I see her?”
“I’ll sneak you into her room later tonight when she’s asleep. I still think it’s best if you remain a secret until she’s released from the hospital.”
