3
Dr. Morrow had given Chad the green light to go home over an hour ago. Earlier, his partner had run by Chad’s house and grabbed some comfortable clothes for him, but Grant had to head to the station to start his shift. When a small town had only eight officers, with one out with the flu and another out on medical leave, Grant couldn’t wait around for Chad to be discharged and take him home. Same problem with Lydia.
Chad still felt a little weird about having called Jeff and asking him, but when he’d found the man’s cell number on the table, he figured Jeff had meant for him to use it.
“Knock-knock,” Jeff sang out as he rapped his knuckles on the open door.
“Come on in,” Chad called, eager to get home. When he saw Jeff walking through the doorway, his breathcaught in his throat. The man was gorgeous. His short-cropped hair looked amazing. A little eyeliner brought out his dark brown eyes and his cheeks were pink, probably from the cool morning air. Dressed ina pair of dark blue skinny jeans and a fitted green V-neck sweater, Jeff looked incredibly sexy. Chad had thought he was cute yesterday, but today…damn. He was hot.
Which just pissed Chad off more. He frowned and looked away. Why did this guy get to him? He couldn’t figure out why he felt so off-kilter around him. Well, other than the fact that Jeff was the reason he was in the hospital to begin with. He frowned again. That wasn’t really true and he knew it. The accident was just that—an accident that could have happened to anyone. He had been in the wrong place at the wrong time.
“You ready?”
Chad flinched when he realized how close Jeff was standing. He gave him a half-frown. “Yeah. More than you know.”
“Good morning, Officer Charming,” the morning nurse—Maggie?—said as she rolled a wheelchair into his room. “I hear you’re ready to go. Hop in and we can get you out of here.”
God, this woman was entirely too chipper for morning. “I can walk, thanks.”
She smiled. It was one of those placating smiles that she probably gave all her grumpy patients. He recognized it well, as he used it on stubborn people every day. “Sorry, Officer. It’s policy. Hop in.” She patted the back of the wheelchair.
Chad pressed his lips into a thin line and gave a deep sigh. God, he hated being taken care of. He was the alpha male. The one that took care of others. The one that didn’t need others to help him. For him, this was entirely too degrading. But he acquiesced and slid off his hospital bed, grabbing the bed rail to steady himself.
Jeff was at his side in half a second, sliding his arm around his waist. “Lean on me if you need to.”
Chad gave him a sidelong glance. Yeah, that wasn’t going to happen. Chad would crush him instantly. But he did let Jeff guide him into the wheelchair.
Jeff grabbed the handles. He leaned down to Chad’s ear. “I have you. Just relax.”
Chad shuddered at the heated breath gliding across his skin. Even though he was pretty sure Jeff had meant it only in a friendly way, Chad’s dick took notice, and he was glad to have the plastic bag filledwith his belongings sitting on his lap, covering any bulge.
Jeff turned out to be pretty good at maneuvering the wheelchair, and Chad relaxed a little while the nurse and Jeff chatted. Once he arrived at the parking lot, Chad waited while Jeff got his truck.
Minutes later, they were on the road. Chad gave him directions to his home.
“You bought the old Anderson house? That’s a great house. I had my eye on it for a little while, but wasn’t sure I could really afford it on my salary. Needed a lot of work, right?”
“Still needs a lot of work,” Chad agreed, chuckling. “A lot. I’m doing it mostly myself, so it’s a big project.”
“I’ll bet. Wow. Good for you! I’m still living in an apartment on the eastern edge of town. I like it,but I want a house someday.”
“What do you do?” Chad asked, interested. He really knew nothing about this guy.
Jeff beamed and turned those brown eyes on him for a moment as they stopped at a red light. “I teach drama at the high school. I love it. Love it so much!”
Chad visibly shivered. The idea of being on stage in front of others made him want to find a dark place to be alone and never come out.
Jeff must have caught his reaction. “Not a fan of theater?”
“No, it’s not that. I’ve actually been to a lot of plays. My sister was in several in high school and college. She’s done some local theater, too. I just don’t like the idea of acting. I guess I’m just not the kind of person who can get up there in front of people.”
“What? You’ve got to be kidding!”
Chad shrugged. “It’s true.”
“But you are out in front of the public every day. Look at how many people saw you rescue that little boy yesterday!”
“That’s different. That’s my job. I can be myself. What I can’t do is pretend to be something or someone I’m not.” He gave a half-smile. “Don’t forget, all those people also saw a horse kick my ass.”
Jeff grimaced. “God, I am so sorry about that. I can’t believe…I just never thought…”
Chad smiled at the blush that spread across Jeff’s face and down his neck. Again, he wondered if that blush spread throughout the rest of his body. He would love to peel off those clothes and find out. Watch him laid out on Chad’s bed, naked with this legs spread wide, his body ready for him. His gut flipped and tingles traveled down his spine as he imagined what Jeff’s chest looked like. Were his nipples sensitive? Fuck, Chad wanted to lick them and find out.