Page 5 of I've Got You

The door opens and a familiar face pops in. One that makes my heart thump so hard it feels like you can actually see it through the ugly hospital gown.

“Hey, look at that! You’re awake!” He walks in the door and his eyes lock on Vic like a heat-seeking missile. He holds out a strong, tanned hand. “Hi! I’m Judd Reynolds. I met Missy this morning. She was one of my calls and I just wanted to pop in and check on her.”

Vic grunts, holding out his hand. “Hey. I’m Vic. I’m this troublemaker’s editor.”

“Ah! She’s a reporter.” His bright eyes dart to mine and he smirks. “She kinda didn’t have a lot to say about how exactly she got hurt. I’m assuming that’s because she’s working on a story and it’s all hush-hush.”

I groan and shake my head at Vic, trying to let him know that I don’t want him to say anything.

“Yep. She’s got a great story going on right now. But it’s getting a little hot and I was thinking about pulling her off of it.” He shrugs. “Then she talked me into letting her keep trying to get it off the ground. I gotta say I’m still not sure if I’m doing the right thing.”

The hottie in the uniform grins. “She’s pretty hard to steer away from something that she thinks is important, huh?”

“Vic,” I growl under my breath.

He laughs. “You seem to have a pretty good read on her. She’s a handful.”

“Thank you, Vic. Are we done here?” I cross my arms over my chest and frown at him.

“Sure, kid. Remember what I said. And maybe even take someone with you next time you decide to knock on the door of a bunch of guys doing human trafficking.”

I groan when the stranger turns to me and his hazel eyes flash golden fire at me. “We’re gonna talk about that, babydoll. I can see that you haven’t been taking very good care of yourself. Seems like you might need a little help in remembering that you shouldn’t do foolish things. Even in the name of a story.”

Vic grunts. “Listen to the man, Missy. I’ll see you back in the office in a few days.”

“But…”

“Nope. You’re taking a few days off. I don’t want to see you in the office until Wednesday.”

“Fine.”

Vic leaves and I glare at the man leaning on the wall, his body relaxed. It’s a lie, though. I can see the tension and anger in his golden-brown eyes.

“I don’t know who you think you are, but I don’t need a guardian angel or whatever the hell you’re setting yourself up as.”

“That’s not what I’m doing. But it’s obvious that you need someone to look out for you. You’re prone to reckless actions. And this last one almost got you killed. I’m not going to let you do that.”

“You can’t stop me. You’re not the boss of me,” I pout, my lower lip pushing out.

He pushes off the wall and stalks up to me. He leans over the bed and cages my body in with his muscular arms. My mouth goes dry and an insane urge to climb him like a monkey hits my body like a freight train.

His hazel eyes fire up and it’s mesmerizing. They’re beautiful. If I wasn’t a strong person I might take it personally. I might lose myself in those gorgeous golden eyes.

But I grit my teeth and lean back away from him. “I don’t need a babysitter, Judd. I’m an adult. It’s part of my job to do things like this.”

“Agree to disagree. I’ve checked and you’re not going to get out until tomorrow no matter how much you whine and cry. So I’ll be back tomorrow to take you home.”

“Not necessary. I can find my own way home.”

He stands and his full mouth firms. “I’ll be here. Don’t make me chase you, Missy.”

“We’ll see.” He turns and walks to the door. He turns his head with the door open so that I can see people bustling along in the hall. “I’ll be back tomorrow. You might not see it right now but you need help. And it’s strange. But there’s no way in hell that I’m letting you go with anyone else. I’m helping you. I need to.”

Then he walks out the door and I fall back onto the pillows. I have a feeling that he could and would hunt me down if I’m not here waiting for him.

And just the thought of the big man hunting me down has my lady parts all aquiver with possibilities.

“Damn hormones,” I growl under my breath. That’s all it is, right? He’s hot and sexy and alpha as hell. Everything that most women want.

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