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“You know what, that’s a great idea. My sister Autumn is a nurse.” He lifted his head to scan the crowd, which wasn’t difficult since he was a good four inches taller than pretty much everybody in the surrounding area. “Ah. There she is. Hey, Autumn! C’mere,” Jackson called out, beckoning to a pretty blonde sitting at a nearby picnic table. The woman hopped up and started to weave through the crowd.
“Honestly, it’s fine. It barely even hurts,” Carly lied. In truth, the stupid thing stung like crazy, but since her arm was still attached, making a big deal out of it seemed silly.
“I’m not takingnofor an answer, remember? Plus, the faster you get that cut cleaned up, the faster we can eat. Personally, I’m dying for some apple pie. That is, if there’s any left.” Jackson glowered jokingly at Shane, who released a shrug and smirk combination that suggested their friendship ran deep.
“You snooze, you lose, my friend. Sadie never even made it to the freezer with that ice cream.”
“Oh, please. I made six pies. There’s plenty left.” But Bellamy’s scolding couldn’t hide the proud little smile tugging at her lips.
Carly’s mouth watered at the thought of food. That bowl of minestrone she’d had at the end of lunch shift might as well have been a week ago.
“Hey, little brother. What’s up?” The pretty blonde walked over, and Carly was all but smacked in the face with the family resemblance.
“I need you in a professional capacity for a sec.”
“You’re not going to ask me to tell that story about the guy who swallowed all those goldfish again, are you? It gets kind of old after the hundredth time.”
Carly fought back a shudder. She’d seen and eaten a lot of things, but she had to draw the line at live domestic marine life.
“Actually, I need you to take a look at my friend Carly’s cut.” He moved close enough that she could smell the crisp, masculine scent of his skin, like just-cut timber. It was a damn good thing Jackson’s sister wouldn’t be taking Carly’s pulse, because she had a funny feeling that zing in her veins wasn’t in the normal resting range. Especially when Jackson cradled Carly’s arm as if it were a rare artifact, wincing as if the cut was on his own arm instead of hers.
“Oh, sure.” Autumn turned toward Carly, her smile becoming a notch more serious. “Whoa, that’s a whopper.” Her forehead creased as she examined the cut.
“It’s really not a big deal,” Carly said. The words might as well have been tattooed on her forehead, she’d uttered them so often in the last hour.
“Mmm, I’m gonna beg to differ with you on this one.” Autumn cupped Carly’s elbow, examining the cut closely. “Shane, be a doll and run up to the house for Mom’s first aid kit, would you? There are some leftover steri strips in there from when Tucker took that dive out of the tire swing last fall.”
Carly’s gut squeezed. “I didn’t even feel it happen.”
Autumn patted her shoulder. “Don’t worry, the steri strips are just a precaution. If I thought you needed stitches, I’d send you off to the ED in Riverside. Although you’ll need a tetanus shot ASAP if you did this out here.”
Jackson stiffened next to her, and Carly let out an internal groan. There was something she hadn’t thought of. As much as she glossed over the various cuts she garnered along the way in the kitchen, the last thing she wanted to deal with was a big-deal infection from a cut she got from being outside. “Okay,” she agreed.
Autumn examined the cut for another minute before Shane returned with the first aid kit, and while she turned to rummage for supplies, Jackson dropped his gaze to Carly’s.
“I feel really bad about this,” he said so only she could hear him, and she noticed the lines around his eyes that normally formed creases of laughter had gone deep with seriousness.
“It was an accident.” Carly’s answer was hushed but firm. He opened his mouth to argue, but then Autumn swung her attention back to Carly’s arm, and the words just disappeared.
* * *
Even though Carlywas technically right, Jackson still felt like the world’s biggest miscreant for pushing her against that shed. Yes, she’d been a willing participant—Christ, the fact that she’d matched his hunger and intensity from the wordgohad been half of what had turned him on so much in the first place. Still. Next time, he’d have to make sure to figure out a way to rein in his overeager dick.
Next time?
Jackson blew out a breath.Ifthere was a next time, he’d just be more careful, and he’d be damn sure to stay away from the freaking shed. After all, it was no big deal to kiss a woman a couple of times, even if those kisses had been packed with enough electricity to power up an entire city block. They were only kisses. He’d done it plenty without losing his mind.
Autumn tipped her head at Carly in a measured glance, examining her face as closely as her arm. “I know this is going to sound crazy, but have we met? You look awfully familiar,” she said, swabbing the cut with an antiseptic wipe.
“I don’t think so. I’ve been in Pine Mountain for six months, but I haven’t gotten out much because of my job. I moved here from New York,” Carly added, her expression slightly strained.
Well, sure, that cut probably hurt like hell. Renewed guilt pushed through Jackson, and he squashed it down. He must be crazy, thinking there could be a next time with her. That cut was evidence enough that the two of them together fell squarely into the very-bad-plan category.
“Carly’s my boss. She’s the head chef at La Dolce Vita,” Bellamy said.
Autumn gasped, a steri strip poised over Carly’s arm. “Oh, no way. I’ve seen you on YouTube. You’re Carly di Matisse, fromCouples in the Kitchen. I love that channel!”
Jackson bit back a laugh, waiting for Carly to correct the mistake. A YouTube channel? Really? Sure, Carly had worked at some swanky New York restaurant, but come on. Not everyone who came from the Big Apple was a celebrity. Plus, she seemed way too down to earth for that, fancy chef status or not.
