Page 77 of Risky Passion

All too soon, he looked away and reached for the bandages. He strapped up my hand, tying it off with a strip of tape.

“I’ve never had a serious injury before, and now I’ve had two in one day.”

“And you handle it like a pro,” he said with a smirk, resting my hand down.

I huffed. “Yeah, right. I’m a big wuss.”

He smiled. “You are far from that.”

My swollen finger still throbbed, but the sharp pain that had been spearing through the bone since it happened was already fading to a dull ache.

Jaxson shoved the tape into the first-aid kit and snapped the lid shut. “Okay. Let’s get moving.”

As I stepped away from the car, the burn in my bladder couldn’t be ignored anymore. “Uh . . . Jaxson, I need a moment in the bushes.”

“Sure. Need help?”

I giggled. “Hell no.”

He flashed a smile that stole every thought from my head. “I’ll find Onyx.” He tossed the first-aid kit into the trunk. “Onyx! Come here, girl.”

I trotted to the nearest bush, thankful that the moon provided enough glow to see my way. As I crouched behind a thick bush, my arm throbbed to a painful beat. Or maybe that was my stupid heart, letting me know how much I enjoyed Jaxson’s company.

Another wave of heat swirled through me.

Bloody hell.I wanted to slap myself.Get a grip.

A man like him would never be interested in someone like me. I was boring. I’d already told him about my cats and my love for slippers, for God’s sake.

Real sexy, Tory. Bravo.

He probably had women falling at his feet, all of them with perfect hair, perfect bodies, and perfectly interesting lives. Definitely not a woman like me who looked forward to a night in, curled up with Oscar and Stella on my lap, watching documentaries and devouring popcorn by the bowlful.

Shaking off my foolish thoughts, I zipped up, straightened myself out, and hobbled back to the car, wondering if I should take offmy other shoe.

Jaxson was already in the driver’s seat when I arrived, with the engine rumbling. The second I jumped in and shut the door, he hit the gas, screeching away from the curb.

Onyx whined from the backseat, and as I pulled on my seatbelt, I twisted around to look at her. “He’s crazy, isn’t he, girl?”

Jaxson shot me a grin. “That’s her excited whine. She loves it.”

Of course, she did. Apparently, even his dog was fascinated by his wild, reckless charm.

Gripping onto my seatbelt strap, I leaned toward the comms microphone. “Hey, we can use the radio to?—”

“No!” His sharp tone cut me off.

I jerked back, frowning as I twisted to look at him. “Why not?”

“We can’t use the police comms.” His voice was clipped and cold, back to that tactical edge he did so well. “They’re compromised.”

“Compromised how?” I frowned.

“Eddie? The corrupt cop . . .” His expression was hard as he flicked a glance my way.

“I agree Eddie was corrupt, but that doesn’t mean every cop is. You’re a cop, for God's sake.”

He groaned, like I was the frustrating one here, and pushed the accelerator harder.

---