Page 39 of The Convict Gets His Girl

"Hey, where's your favorite outside place? If you could go anywhere, where would you go? Where exactly is your happy place?"

She glanced at him, her pupils blown with adrenaline. "What? Why?"

Chase continued, trying to ground her in something familiar, something safe. "Imagine that feeling you get when you're there—the wind in your hair, the sun warming your skin, the earth beneath your feet. You're strong, you've got this, we're all fine now. Tell me about your happy place."

Jewel took a deep breath, releasing it slowly. A semblance of calm seemed to return to her posture as she navigated the truck smoothly along the winding road.

"Oh, well, hiking to a waterfall is where I go in my mind."

"Any specific waterfall?" He asked questions, and she told him about a few of her favorites, why and when she'd visited them.

When they drew closer to the clinic, she turned onto the road and glanced at him.

"Thanks," she murmured, the tautness in her voice easing ever so slightly. "I needed that distraction."

"Anytime," he replied, offering her a small smile, and laying his hand on her thigh. He left it there, comforting them both. He needed the reassurance that she was alright.

His attention returned to the border collie, who whimpered again. "We're gonna get you help, girl," he whispered, holding her steady with his other arm. "Just hang on a little longer."

They parked, then he struggled to open the door and keep the dog secure. The clinic's stark fluorescent lights flickered on as Jewel fumbled with the keys, dispelling the darkness that had chased them through the night. Chase navigated through the sterile-smelling corridor, the weight of the dog secure in his arms, following Jewel's determined stride.

"Put her down here," Jewel instructed, pointing to a steel examination table draped with a soft towel. Her fingers worked deftly, inspecting the patient more thoroughly. Under the glaring lights, she looked worse than she had that afternoon in the sun.

Jewel muttered to herself, first taking blood and fecal samples before attaching an IV line to a bag of fluids and carefully inserting the needle into the dog's leg. Her confidence was palpable, and she moved with a grace that belied her exhaustion.

"Look at you, all professional and in your element," Chase couldn't help but say, a hint of admiration coloring his tone. "It's… kinda hot."

Jewel paused, a surprised laugh escaping her lips as she glanced at him. The tension in her shoulders eased, and the ghost of a smile lingered on her face. "Don't make me laugh right now, I need to concentrate."

"Sorry," he grinned, not sorry at all, watching her flush with a mix of concentration and amusement.

They settled the dog, now drowsy, into a quiet recovery area. Jewel turned to the counter and put the blood sample into a microwave looking thing before waking the computer up.

The steady drip of medication and clicking of the computer lulled him, and his head bobbed. He jerked up, then began shifting on his feet back and forth to stay awake as he asked, "What now?"

She sighed and rubbed the back of her neck. "While we wait for the IVs, I'll run these tests to see if there's rat poison in her system or parasites or if we can identify what type of infection it is… so many possibilities."

Her voice softened as her shoulders slumped and she rubbed her forehead. "What can I do to help?" he asked.

She glanced at him and bit her lip, shaking her head. "I'm sorry, I didn't think. Do you want me to take you home?"

"What—no, I?—"

"It's just, I don't like leaving them alone with IVs, so it didn't even occur to me to take you home. I'm so sorry, Chase."

He walked to her, rubbing his hands up and down her arms gently. When she finally looked up at him, he smiled softly. "I'm fine, Jewel. I don't want to be anywhere else than right here beside you."

The truth of it rang in the air between them, making him think and analyze his feelings.

Her breath caught in her chest, and she held it as her eyes searched his. He didn't know what this was between them, but he had nothing to hide from her, this jewel that had caught his eye so long ago.

Jewel licked her lips, looked at his mouth, then stepped back, her nostrils flaring as she took a deep breath and turned back to the computer. "Once she finishes this bag, we'll see if she perks up. The tests should be done by then. We might go home then, or we might need to deal with whatever the tests show us."

He walked behind her and began massaging her shoulders. She moaned, the sound going straight to his dick, but he ignored it. It wasn't what she needed right now, but the dark circles under her eyes said she needed some sleep. He ached to take care of her, and as he massaged her shoulders, he thought long and hard about why that was.

ChapterFourteen

"You did good tonight," he said softly, his hands massaging her gently, unable to stop touching her. She was already more addictive than she'd been in his past, and look where that had led him.

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