Page 96 of Marked for Obsession

Shouldn’t you talk to Poppy first? Maybe make sure she’s on the same page as you?

Oh, they’d talk. The first chance he got.

Once he saw with his own eyes that she really was going to be okay, Jax was going to make damn sure she knew how he felt.

She’d already told him she loved him. Right before that son of a bitch shot her…and again, when he’d thought he was losing her.

Still, Jax was nothing if not thorough. And this was too fucking important for there to be any semblance of doubt.

Skye was the first to spot them. Rushing over, she went straight into Declan’s opened arms.

“How is she?” The sweet woman asked. Concern filled her pretty eyes despite having never met Poppy.

“Surgery went well,” Declan informed the entire group. “Doc says she’s stable. Just waiting for her to get out of recovery and into a room.”

Several offers of thanks filled the small area as the others made their way over to where Jax stood. Maggie started to hug Jax but stopped short when she spotted the blood on his shirt.

Not Poppy’s, which still covered the front of it, but his own.

“Jax, you were shot?”

He glanced down at the throbbing wound. Funny, now that he knew Pop was going to be fine, the damn thing hurt like a bitch.

“It’s nothing.”

“Uh…it needs stitches. And disinfectant.” Her brown eyes stared up at him pointedly. “That thing gets infected, you could lose your arm.”

“I tried to tell him to get it stitched up, but he didn’t listen.” Declan rolled his eyes playfully, adding a muttered, “Surprise, surprise.”

“I want to be there when she wakes up.”

It had to be him.

“Seriously, Jax.” Maggie’s insistence continued. “Poppy’s not even in her room yet, right? So she’s probably going to be in recovery for at least another hour. Come on.” She grabbed his good hand and began leading him down the hallway toward the E.R. “I have privileges here. Let’s find you a room and get you cleaned up so that when Poppy does see you, you won’t scare the bejeezus out of her.”

With a quick glance in Noah’s direction, the other man simply shrugged and offered him a knowing grin that said it all. Once Maggie made her mind up, there was no changing it.

Less than an hour later,Jax was sitting by Poppy’s bedside, waiting for those gorgeous eyes of hers to open.

His wound had been stitched, and the blood had been washed from his skin. Maggie managed to track down an extra-large scrub top to change into and a sling to help keep his injured shoulder in place.

All-in-all, he looked a damn sight better than before.

Now here he was, sitting with his chair pulled as close to the bed as it would go. Poppy’s limp hand seemed to get lost in his, but he didn’t dare let her go.

I’ll never let you go.

Several minutes passed while he sat there staring at her pale, still face. And when her lashes began to flutter along the crest of her cheeks, he sat straight up and whispered her name.

“Poppy?” Jax shot to his feet. With his good hand clutching the bed’s metal railing, he watched her closely. “That’s it, baby. I’m right here. Open your eyes.”

Fighting against the anesthesia, it took her several more tries, but finally—fuckingfinally—she was looking right at him.

“Jax?”

Her voice was rough, most likely from being intubated during surgery. But hearing her say his name was like the life had been breathed back into his soul.

“Hey, Kitten.” He rested a hand on the top of her head. “How do you feel?”

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