“Probably, she’s always been high maintenance.”

“Oh, and you’re not?”

“I’m a saint.”

Nina and I burst out laughing as Jackson looks around as if he’s serious.

Jackson clears his throat, “Whatever, I’m sure Dad is living on chips and beer.”

“I’ll never understand you men. You claim you’re all big and bad, fought in wars and all, yet you can’t manage to make anything more than a sandwich,” Nina scoffs.

“I can also make pasta, so I’m better than Dad.”

His mom rolls her eyes and then points her finger at him. “Now, you call me when you get back to New York. No more of this once-every-blue-moon phone calls. Do you understand me?” She straightens her back and grabs the handle of her bag.

“Yes, ma’am,” Jackson says with a grin.

It’s great watching them interact. He obviously loves her very much and she adores him. She leans in and kisses his cheek and then pats it.

Nina turns to me and smiles, “I want you to call me as well.”

“Me?” I ask confused.

“Yes, you. If you ever need to talk, you have my number. Don’t be a stranger and take good care of him, but don’t baby him too much. He’ll become even more of a pain in the ass than he is now.” She laughs and kisses my cheek. “Okay, I expect to hear from you both soon and be good to each other.”

“Bye, Mom,” Jackson says as she throws her hand up but keeps moving out the door.

I watch as Nina heads into the elevator trying to subtly wipe her cheeks. The fear she must’ve felt having her son nearly die has to be overwhelming. I look back at the man I almost lost and my chest tightens. It was so close to that. Not wanting to be away from him, I climb on the bed and nestle into his chest.

“Hi,” he says with a chuckle.

“Hi,” I say back softly. I need to feel his warmth.

“You okay?” he asks clearly concerned with my sudden need to be with him.

I snuggle in closer and his hand gently grazes my arm as I relax into his embrace. “I’m fine. I just wanted to touch you,” I explain.

His laugh is close to a bark. “I’ll never deny you touching me.” I feel his lips touch the top of my head and my eyes close of their own accord. “I can’t wait until we can do much more touching.”

My giggle escapes as I slap his chest. “Ass.”

“I’m in a hospital bed. You shouldn’t ask to see my ass.”

I scoot closer so I can look at him. The smile spreads across my face at his teasing. “I don’t recall asking to see anything. In fact, I have no desire to see anything at all.” I quirk my brow challenging him.

“Really? Is that so?” he asks as his hand slides down my side.

“Yup, no desire.” I try to control my breathing as his hand glides back up and gently rubs against the side of my breast.

“Interesting …” He trails off as his hand makes its way around the front, outlining my bra.

My acting abilities are far from perfect and I’m sure he can tell the change in my breathing. I feel my nipples harden as he dips his finger inside my shirt. The warmth of his breath against my ear causes me to shiver. Damn him.

“Still no desires?” His voice is husky and low.

Turning my head toward him, I nod. The fire is coursing through my veins. I try to hold still, but his hand grips the back of my neck and he pulls me down, stopping right before I touch his lips. Somehow, I hold back a groan, but I don’t want to always be so predictable. I need to hold my own with him or he’ll swallow me up. Plus, I know it turns him on when I give it back to him.

His eyes practically glow as he’s waiting for me to make the next move. It’s only been a few seconds, but it feels like years as we keep our eyes locked. I grip his face and tenderly press my lips against his. We don’t rush the kiss. Jackson’s hand tangles in my hair as he holds me against him. I revel in his embrace. His love blankets me and in this moment it hits me like a bolt from the sky.

He loves me.

Warmth radiates through my body and I could cry with joy. This beautiful man who I love with my whole heart loves me back. A tear falls and slides between us.

Jackson breaks the kiss. “Hey,” he says with concern. “You’re crying. What’s wrong? Did I do something?”

“No, no. I think it just hit me,” I say earnestly.

“What hit you?”

“It’s been a crazy few weeks. I’ve lived in a constant state of worry, but you’re okay, I’m okay, we’re okay. I feel like I can breathe again.”

“I’m here, baby. I’m not going anywhere. I love you,” he says as he cradles my head.

“I love you too, Jackson.”

“Good, now feel free to kiss me again.” He smiles and pulls me closer.

“You’ve got a lot of making up to do, Muffin.” I bring my lips to his before he can say anything else.

“I’m ready to get home,” Mark says leaning back in the chair while propping his leg up. “You fuckers are boring and I miss my bed.”

Jackson sighs, “I need you to get back and make sure things are still running. Catherine won’t give me any details.” He’s so focused on everyone else it’s driving me nuts.

“You need to worry about yourself, not the companies or any other crap. I have Raven covered. Danielle is doing an excellent job. Mark has everything with Cole Security under control. Stop being a baby,” I chastise him playfully.

There’s a knock on the door as Dr. Allison enters. “Good afternoon.” He approaches Jackson and shakes his hand. “How are you feeling?”

“Good. Ready to get out of here,” Jackson replies.

“I bet you are,” he says, examining the wound on his shoulder, and I see Jackson’s hand clench. “Everything is really healing well. There are no infections and your leg looks a lot better. You need to start your therapy and we want you to start getting mobile. I could see you going home as soon as next week.”

“Thank God. I need to get the hell out of this bed.” Jackson’s entire demeanor changes. He’s animated and starts to throw the blankets off himself.

“Don’t we want to take this slow?” I ask hesitantly. Taming him is going to be impossible.

Dr. Allison smiles. “Yes, this won’t be an easy road, Jackson. You have injuries on both sides of your body. Your left shoulder will be the biggest issue. It has to remain immobile for another week or two. Our goal is for it to heal without further injury. Also, you can’t bear any weight on your leg yet, and without use of your arm, you won’t be able to use crutches. There will be a lot of things that will require someone to help you.” The doctor looks at me.

He scoffs and says, “I’m sure I’ll manage just fine.” Jackson turns his head, clearly frustrated.

“I’m sure you could, but you’d also be right back in the hospital with another surgery,” the doctor states matter-of-factly.

I lean in and grasp his hand before he looks up at me. “What did you think, babe? You were shot. Three times,” I remind him gently. “You’re going to have to take it easy so you don’t end up back in here because you screwed up your leg again.”