Page 37 of Jaxon

I looked up at him, and he saw the misery I was feeling from the whole thing and instantly his stance and tone softened. "I'm going to get something to clean that knee and an ice pack for your cheek." He walked over and fluffed up a pillow and motioned for me to rest against it. He pulled a white T-shirt out of his dresser and handed it to me. "It's the best I've got for now."

I removed the towel and pulled on the T-shirt. It felt instantly comforting to be wrapped in his soft, worn cotton shirt. He returned with an ice pack, bandage and wet cloth. He sat on the bed. I sensed that some of the rigidness had returned to his posture.

"I'm gonna go see him, Gidge. I'm not letting this slide. That asshole needs to learn a lesson." His tone was tense, but his touch was gentle as he cleaned the cut on my knee. I held the pack against my face.

"If you end up in jail for assault, then—" My voice broke. "I'd be lost without you, Jax. Don't do anything?—"

"I'll be tactful—Stone tactful," he said cryptically.

"That does not sound reassuring."

"Nope, I guess not. Hey, LaLa and Jules brought by some leftover brownies this afternoon. Shockingly, there are still a few left. I'll go grab you one."

I shook my head. "Normally, I'd never say no to a brownie, but really, I just want to snuggle down under the blanket and go to sleep."

Jaxon stood up. He towered over the floor mattress as he leaned down to tuck me in. I grabbed his hand before he took it away and I kissed it. He wore a determined look that assured me he was going to confront Alex. "Whatever you do, I'll still be nuts about you. Just don't get in trouble."

"I'm not the one in trouble. He is. Is he on the boat?"

Drowsiness was starting to seep in now that my body had warmed up, and the shock of today's events had started to wear off. "He stays on the boat a lot. His Dad's place is getting remodeled, and he hates the noise and the smells."

Jaxon rolled his eyes. "Pompous asshole." He leaned over and kissed me on the lips. "Sleep tight, beautiful. I'll be back soon."

I grabbed his hand again before he could leave. "Something is going on with Alex and my dad. Alex suddenly insisted that we get married this weekend. No explanation, but for some reason he's very anxious for us to tie the knot."

Jaxon nodded. "Well, I'll be sure to let him know that there is no chance in hell of you two getting married."

Jaxon walked out and closed the door. I curled onto my side and closed my eyes as I breathed in Jaxon's scent and drifted off.

CHAPTER 17

JAXON

The rain had stopped and my tires kicked up the smell of asphalt as I turned toward the Oceanview Marina. I parked. The second I'd seen Bridget's face; I wanted to rip the asshole to shreds. Hearing how it happened and how he wouldn't grab her hand to keep her from falling made me want to throw him overboard and feed him to the fucking sharks.

My feet pounded the dock as I walked up and down between the slips looking for his sleek, shiny yacht. I was in luck. A light was on and music was playing somewhere below deck.

I climbed on board and knocked on one of the small windows of the cabin area. The knock was hard enough to startle the people inside. They quieted down, and the music turned off. The cabin door opened. "Who's out there? Hank, is that you?"

"Your big lap dog isn't here." I stepped out from the shadows and into the thin stream of light leaking from the cabin area.

Alex's face bleached white, and his eyes flicked back toward the cabin door. Two more faces appeared. Women. One of them stepped out on deck holding a glass of wine. She was wearing a skimpy black dress and looked pretty tousled and not just from dancing. She squinted her big dark eyes. "I know you," she said. "You're one of the Stone boys. Are you joining the party?" she asked with a hopeful bite of her lip.

"Not tonight. Just need to talk to your friend here. Why don't you go back inside? We won't be long," I said.

She pouted dramatically. "Well shit, wish you were joining us." The two women went below.

I didn't waste a second. Seeing the asshole's smug expression, even void of all color, renewed the anger I'd felt when I saw Bridget's face. I grabbed his shirt and hauled him up against the side of the boat. His head smacked the small window.

"Get your filthy hands off me." Spittle sprayed from his mouth, and his eyes bulged with fear. "You're going to fucking jail."

"Bridget just showed up at my place with a swollen cheek. She said she fell down the stairs from top deck."

"That's right. Not my fau?—"

I lifted him and smacked him hard against the wall again. "She said you could have helped her. You could have stopped her from falling."

"I—uh—no—uh—she's?—"

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