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“I’ll drive you.”
She shook her head as he filled a plastic bag with ice. “You don’t have to do that. I’ll ask Cody.”
Jax scowled. “I don’t mind, Avery. That’s why I offered.”
He reentered the living room and handed her the water glass and two pills. She quickly swallowed them and set the glass on the end table.
“You need to elevate your foot. Lie down.”
He was handling the situation with the utmost efficiency, but like a lot of doctors, his bedside manner was seriously lacking.
“Or you could just drive me home,” she suggested.
He shook his head. “We were going to talk, remember?”
She hadn’t forgotten, but she felt trepidatious about it. He was taking care of her physical problem, but she wasn’t getting a warm, fuzzy feeling emotionally.
He sat beside her and repeated his instructions. “Lie down and prop your legs on my lap.”
“Wow. You’re really taking this doctor role seriously.”
He chuckled, and the sound filled her with relief. She lay down and did what he’d asked.
“I doubt a doctor would do this,” he said as he gently pressed the ice pack to her ankle.
She winced as the ice seared her swollen skin.
“Sorry,” he said.
“What for? This was my fault for not watching where I was going.”
He shook his head. “I meant I’m sorry about the other day.”
“Oh.”
“I overreacted, and I apologize.”
He was using one hand to press the ice pack against her ankle and idly rubbing her leg with the other. The sensations caused her heart to flutter, but she wondered if he even realized he was doing it.
“Trevor’s insinuations—he made me feel like I was taking advantage of you.”
“You weren’t,” she protested and tried to sit up.
“Lie back down,” he gently scolded.
“I wanted you to be there that night, Jax. And I wanted you to kiss me.”
Her words hung in the air for a few beats, and he averted his attention to her ankle.
“I shouldn’t have told you to leave, but I felt like I owed Trevor an explanation.”
Jax glanced at her and nodded. “What did you tell him?”
“I told him I wasn’t happy with the way things were between us and that I was tired of coming in last.”
“Was that it?”
She eyed him closely. “I didn’t tell him that we kissed…or how I feel about you.”
