Page 35 of Love is a Drum Beat
He’d be whatever she needed him to be.
11
Jo
The first time Jo saw the news, she couldn’t believe it.
The second time, she wished it wasn’t true.
A clip of Dax punching Blake played on repeat in her mind. Dax wasn’t a fighter. He didn’t do things that put him in the spotlight.
And yet… there he was on the evening news. Nothing less than prime time for the idiot rock stars.
Well, Blake was an idiot. She wasn’t quite sure what Dax was yet.
The front door opening had Jo scrambling from the bed. She knew what Dax would say when he found her on her feet, but at the moment, she didn’t care.
“What did he say to you?”
His head jerked up at the sound of her voice.
That was it, wasn’t it? Dax had to have been provoked. And she could only imagine what Blake said that was bad enough to get the quiet singer to make a move.
Dax set the bags he was carrying on the kitchen counter, ignoring her question.
“Dax.” She walked closer, worry causing her to frown. Dax was doing too much for her already—and she didn’t know why. She couldn’t let his entire world unravel because of her. “They’ve connected the video of you in the grocery store to the picture of us leaving the hospital.”
He grunted like that didn’t matter.
Only, she knew it did. At least to him.
He put away the groceries in silence. Jo kept her eyes trained on him, on his face. He had a placid expression, a mask.
She stepped around the island counter. “Talk to me.”
When he looked at her, his eyes held a depth she’d never seen before. She could get lost in that look if she wasn’t careful. So much pain, so much worry.
He brushed a hand through his hair, and that was when she saw the rawness of his knuckles. He followed her gaze and grimaced. “Punching people isn’t as much fun as it seems in movies.”
She smiled at that. “Were you a punching virgin, Dax Nelson?”
His cheeks reddened, the flush spreading down his neck. “I… yes.” He said it like he was embarrassed, like it meant he wasn’t tough.
Without thinking, Jo grabbed his hand to examine his knuckles. “It’s a good thing, you know.” She looked up. “To not punch people. Grab an ice pack and meet me on the couch.” She turned away from him, gripping her lower back as she made her way to the living room. She flopped onto the couch.
Dax joined her a moment later with a bag of frozen peas. Jo took it and patted the couch beside her. He lowered himself, keeping a distance between them.
“I don’t bite.” She tugged on his arm. “Come on, give me your hand.”
He studied her for a moment in that quiet, intense way of his. Under different circumstances, she might have backed off and let it be a confirmation that he wanted nothing to do with her.
But his knuckles were still raw from punching Blake, from punching him for her.
When he didn’t extend his hand, she reached over and grabbed his wrist. He didn’t resist.
A sigh escaped his lips as Jo pressed the frozen peas to his knuckles. Neither of them spoke for a long moment, but then she’d have enough. “Dax, I’m starting to think you like me.”
His brow furrowed, but he didn’t respond.
