AllFreeNovel
Share Us
6
JASE
It was around three in the afternoon on a gorgeous fall day, several weeks later, when Em stepped into my office, the smile on her face suggesting she was up to something. “Want to go for a run in the park?”
I stood and went over to the large floor-to-ceiling window. Like our penthouse, our offices overlooked Central Park and it was a view I never tired of. “Yes.” Suddenly, the idea of going for a run in the fresh air and being surrounded by trees and lakes, in what I considered to be one of the most beautiful parks on the planet, was something I wanted more than my next breath.
We both changed into the gym gear we kept in the office, and after letting Marian know where we were going, headed to the entrance on East 72nd Street. Once we stepped inside, we turned left and started our run. Neither of us hoofed it as fast as we could have, since we’d agreed to do a five-mile run. Pacing was key, and we remained side by side so we could talk business. With our phones strapped to our arms, we kept up a good pace as we went along.
Central Park was an ideal backdrop for getting some exercise. We ran past children in the playgrounds, parents milling close by to keep an eye on them. Fellow runners either went past us traveling in the other direction or around us, and others just strolled through the park grounds.
I breathed fresh air deep into my lungs as we hit about halfway and turned around to head back to the office. Emilia kept up the pace with me, looking effortless as she dashed ahead. I couldn’t stop my gaze from dropping down to her ass, encased in black shorts. She had a great ass, no two ways about it. My hands suddenly itched to touch it, and the impulse caught me by surprise.
She stopped ahead and turned to look at me, bending over and placing her hands on her knees as she sucked in deep breaths. “You coming, slowpoke?”
“Yep, got distracted.”
Her brows furrowed. “Distracted by what?”
I gave her a big, toothy grin. “Your ass.”
She laughed, her hand coming up to tuck a lock of hair plastered to her face back behind her ear. “Perv. Stop looking at my ass and start watching where you’re running. Don’t want you to fall over.”
She took off again and I chased her, sneakers pounding on the pavement. Once I’d reached her, I turned around and started jogging backward. She slowed down to keep pace with me, and we talked a little more about work.
“Turn back around, Jase.”
“I’m fine. I read over that report from marketing and I’m not sure I—” All of a sudden, my foot hit something that shouldn’t have been there and I lost my balance.
“Jase!” Emilia reached for me, but she wasn’t able to stop me from falling backward. I threw out my arms to break my fall, but I still hit the pavement hard. I felt my skull bounce on the concrete, and the last thing I saw was my best friend on her knees next to me, her beautiful face hovering over mine. “Jason!” I could hear the panic in her voice but couldn’t answer. “Stay with me, baby.” She grabbed her phone and started dialing, and it was the last thing I saw before everything went black.
When I opened my eyes again, everything had turned white. The light was thankfully dim because my head felt like someone had taken a jackhammer to it. I tried to move but couldn’t. I tried to speak but only a soft moan came out.
“Jase?”
I knew her voice as well as my own, and when my best friend’s tear-streaked face appeared in my view, my heart ached. “Em.”
“Oh, thank God.” She closed her eyes and placed her head on my chest briefly before looking back up at me. “I ought to smack the shit out of you, Bennett.”
I went to lift my left hand to wipe away the tears that started to trickle down her cheeks, but it was strangely heavy. “Come here.” She leaned over me, moving her face so it was close to mine. I kissed the tears away, and she let out a small sob. “I’m sorry, sweetheart.”
“I was so scared. You wouldn’t wake up, not even in the ambulance. And when we got here, they took you away from me and nobody would tell me what was going on.” She blinked rapidly. “I told them I was your partner so they would let me stay in here with you.”
“Love you, Em.” It made my heart ache to think of her being all alone, scared and not knowing what was happening to me.
She kissed the corner of my mouth, ever so softly, and when I pursed my lips she leaned over and pressed hers to them.
Our kiss was interrupted by the sound of the door opening. “You’re awake!” The cheery voice belonged to a tall, balding man with a big smile. Based on the color of the scrubs he wore and the stethoscope draped over his shoulders, I surmised he was the doctor. “I’m Dr. Cornett. How are you feeling?”
“Like shit. I can’t move my left arm.”
I felt the brush of Emilia’s lips on my cheek as her fingers reached for mine.
“I’m not surprised. Your left arm is broken and we had to place it in a cast.” He reached for the clipboard hanging off the end of my bed and glanced at it. “You’re a very lucky man, Mr. Bennett. Your injuries could have been a lot worse.”
“What happened?”
“You tripped on a rock that shouldn’t have been on the path.” Emilia brushed her hand through my hair. “If you’d been facing the right way, like I told you to, you would’ve seen it.”
