Now he’d gone far beyond the initial thought. Included in those thoughts were visions and the incredible desire to kiss her again—a lot. The thought of how he might feel once he got past the kissing—if he went through with this and things got that far, especially after feeling what he had in the shower—scared the hell out of him.
Being scared out of his mind didn’t stop him from rushing out of his place and into his Jeep. Glancing at the clock on his dash, he saw it was nearly oh six thirty. He muttered under his breath and was glad she was just a few blocks from him, because he reached her place in less than five minutes.
It was actually a little surprising to not see her downstairs already when he walked in her door. A part of him was certain she’d already be wobbling around in her kitchen, making breakfast or something ridiculous like that.
“I would’ve called you,” she said in the most pained voice from upstairs, “to let you know you didn’t have to pick me up after all, but I didn’t have your number. I’ve already called in. There’s no way I’m going in today.”
Relieved that she’d be staying put, but at the same time instantly concerned by the pain in her voice, he started up the stairs in a hurry. “Why? Did something happen?”
Damn it. Did she try coming down on her own and injure herself further? He sprinted up the stairs now but stopped cold at the top when he saw her sitting on the edge of her bed, her half-opened short robe falling slightly off her shoulder. She quickly clasped it shut, but he’d gotten a glimpse of the top of her soft and ample milky-white bare breasts. Her clothes were all at her feet, so he imagined she’d undressed and it’d been easier to just throw a robe over.
Tying the robe around her waist and covering up completely, she cleared her throat. “Nothing happened,” she informed him, wincing and rolling her neck. “I just woke up in the middle of the night, feeling like I’d been hit by a train.” She winced, closing her eyes as her brows pinched together tightly in agony. “I guess the pain in my ankle yesterday mixed with the morphine really masked the pain everywhere else. I’ve never been so sore in my life.” She groaned, trying to pull herself further back into her bed. “Every inch of my body feels bruised, and when I took a shower, I saw just how bruised and how many bumps I have all over. There is no way I’ll be going in to work today. I’m just glad it’s Friday and I’ll have the whole weekend to try and recoup.
Brandon hadn’t even thought about how sore she’d be today everywhere else after the ugly spill she took, but his thoughts were quickly disrupted. He’d been so busy trying not to focus on her appearance he just then noticed her wet hair. “You took a shower?”
She nodded, closing her eyes again as she massaged her neck with her hand. “There’s a rail in there I held on to, and I had to keep my bad ankle outside. I made a pretty big mess, and it took me a while, but I managed.” She looked at him, her painful expression going a bit soft. “I’m sorry I forgot to get your number last night. I would’ve called you and saved you the trip down here.”
Brandon was already shaking his head before she was even done, his mind on other more important things. “Forget about me. I’m less than five minutes away. I’d hardly call that a trip. So what are you gonna do? Have you called your parents?”
“No,” she said, pulling the blankets over herself. Her eyes were already looking a little drowsy. “I need to sleep. I’ve been up since three, and I just took some meds. I can already feel them kicking in. Maybe I’ll call them tomorrow. I don’t wanna worry them.”
“Tomorrow?” Brandon asked. This girl was too much. “What about today? How are you gonna get in and out of bed or eat?” He remembered something else before she could respond. “Those meds they gave you in the ER are only a temporary batch. What are you gonna do when you run out? In as much pain as you are, you shouldn’t risk running out before you can get your prescription filled.”
“I’ll call it in when I get up. I have enough for today. I can pick up the meds tomorrow.”
Having been in a car accident a couple years back where he’d really been banged up, Brandon knew the pain was only going to get worse before it got better, and . . .“You don’t even have a car,” he reminded her as it suddenly came to him. “It’s still at the base.”
Her head fell back into the pillow in frustration then winced in pain again, squeezing her eyes shut. Her eyes suddenly opened. “When my mom was sick years ago, she had her meds delivered.”
Taking a deep breath, Brandon also took a few steps closer to her bed. “How you gonna get downstairs to sign for them?”
Her lips pinched to the side, and she frowned. As if that weren’t enough to have him staring at her like an idiot, her eyes suddenly widened and she smiled. “Two of the guys in my office carpool. If you could please drop off my keys, I can ask them to drop off my car here tonight. I really don’t wanna get my family involved. They’ll never leave.” She scrunched her nose with a remorseful expression. “I love them to death, but they can be a little overbearing.”
Thoughts of her overbearing daddy thankfully pushed away the annoying thoughts of Antonio, who she was likely talking about dropping her car off. In the process, maybe he’d hang around for a while. Without giving it another thought, Brandon pulled out his phone. He could see she was going to be difficult about this already, and her mention of the guys bringing her car home for her just convinced him to do what he’d unbelievably begun considering doing anyway.
Glad the call went to voicemail, Brandon left a quick message. “Sergeant Carter, this is Billings. I’m having a personal issue, and I need to take the day off. Please call me at your earliest convenience so that I can explain—”
“No!” Regina sat up, whispering loudly, immediately wincing in pain but held her hand out. “You can’t—”
Brandon waved her protests away with his hand as he finished leaving his message and hung up.
“Oh my God, Brandon, I can’t believe you’re taking the day off for this. You don’t have to babysit me.” She reached for her phone on her nightstand. “Okay, okay, I’ll call my family. It’s not fair to you—”
“It’s too late. You had your chance.” He held his phone up. “I’ve already made the call.”
“But you can call back and say you’ve changed your mind,” she said, scrolling through her phone.
“Nope.” He shook his head. “My superiors know me and my track record for asking for time off. I wouldn’t even think of asking for it if it was something I could just change my mind about. Tell your family to come tomorrow,” he said, sticking his phone back in its holster. “It’ll save them having to deal with the Friday commute. I got you today.”
She stopped searching her phone and looked up at him in complete astonishment. “You can’t seriously be saying you’re going to spend your entire day looking after me. I’ve already taken so much of your time.”
“Well,” he said, reaching for the paperwork on her nightstand that he recognized from last night. “I’m free all day now.” He waved the prescription at her. “I’ll go get these, and you get some sleep.” She was still staring at him so wide-eyed He almost smiled until he remembered something, and he raised an eyebrow. “Your car will be just fine at the base all weekend, and I can give you a ride in Monday. No need to call anyone to bring it.”
Relief washed over him when he saw her put her phone back down on the nightstand. She picked up her purse from the floor next to the bed and dug through it, finally pulling out a small white card. “This is my insurance card.” She let him know what pharmacy she was already registered at. He took it from her, remembering her mention of anxiety pills in the emergency room and why she’d already be registered at a local pharmacy. “Thank you,” she said softly. “This is very sweet of you.”