Page 4 of Stuck on Jude

“How so?”

“For the first time in my life, a handsome man sweeps me off my feet and carries me out of a room. It would figure I was unconscious for the whole experience.”

I chuckle at that. “You’re funny.”

“A lot of us plus-size girls are.”

I ignore her remark. To me, she looks perfect.

“Let’s see about those X-rays. But first”—I hold up a neck brace—“let’s put this on.”

“Do I have to? I told you my neck didn’t hurt.”

“It’s just as a precaution. You did fall down a flight of stairs.”

“I thought you said it was only a handful of steps.”

Shaking my head, I gently ease the brace under her neck, careful not to hurt her. As I pull the Velcro in place, my thumb grazes her skin. My dick twitches.

“Get it together,” I mumble to myself.

“What was that?”

“I just need to get this Velcro together,” I lie. Turning my attention back, I get the brace on her. “Come on. Let’s go take the X-rays.”

We take the X-rays and send the images to the radiology techs I work with in Anchorage. While I don’t see any signs of alarm from my study, I’m relieved when they return an all-clear within ten minutes.

“The good news is you didn’t break any bones, including your neck or spine,” I say.

“Woot, woot.”

She says it so dryly, I can’t help but grin again. “I’d still like you to keep the neck brace on for the rest of the day. And we need to keep an eye on the hematoma.”

Her jaw drops. “Hematoma? That sounds serious.”

“That’s the technical term for the goose egg.” I fold my arms across my chest to keep myself from giving in to the urge to give her another comforting pat. “You also have a mild concussion. You’re going to need to take it easy today. And I don’t think you should be alone.”

Her face falls.

The pain on it breaks my heart. “What’s wrong?”

“My friends are out skiing.”

“We can call them back. They’d be here in half an hour.”

“That’s what I’m worried about.”

I frown. “You don’t want them to come back?”

“I don’t want to ruin their good time.” She gives a wry grin. “I may have wanted to spend our vacation on a tropical island, but they have been excited about coming here for months. I hate the idea of them wasting a day or two stuck here in the lodge because I don’t know how to walk.”

“Well . . .” I shift from one foot to the other. “I could keep you company.”

Some of the sadness seems to lift from her eyes. “Don’t you have to work?”

“You’re staying in the lodge?”

“I am.”

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