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I darted to Jasper’s side as the dog owner ran up and grabbed her puppy. Jasper sprawled on the wet ground in a half-sitting position, his head bowed.
“Oh my God,” cried the woman, hunkering down at his side. “I am so, so sorry. Are you okay? Let me help you up.” She reached for his hand.
“No.” He sucked in a deep breath and blew it out noisily. “I need a minute.”
“I can’t leave you here. It’s my fault. I was putting on my gloves, and Chewie tugged free. Thank you for catching him. I was terrified he’d run into the road.” She spoke rapidly, and I couldn’t get a word in edgeways. Tall and skinny, she wore Lycra jogging pants and running shoes, with an expensive-looking hooded top. She looked the way I wanted to.
“As in Chewbacca?” Jasper lifted his chin.
“Yes. Like his namesake, this Chewie is always looking for trouble.”
“Cute.”
“Thank you.”
I couldn’t believe it. Jasper and Ms. Athletic were bonding over a stupid film after she’d knocked him over. Any minute now, she’d be inviting him home for dinner.
Jasper’s gaze locked onto me. “Caitlin, could you pull me up?” He held out a hand, and I took it, grateful to be needed.
The dog-walking, Star-Wars-loving jogger hovered at his side, clearly waiting for an opportunity to take over, but I braced myself for his weight, and he slowly came to his feet.
His face was white, his mouth a tight line. He must have really hurt himself. Did he need a doctor? The hospital? As I stood dithering, he slipped one arm across my shoulders and leaned against me. Aha. That was why he wanted me to help. Ms. Pretty-Jogger looked as substantial as a willow sapling.
“Are you okay?” I wished I could take the words back. It was obvious he was anything but.
Jasper glanced at me. “Uh huh. It’s Karma.” He must have interpreted my blank expression correctly. “My dogs knocked you over.”
The jogger picked up his stick and handed it to him. “Are you sure there isn’t anything I can get for you?”
“It’s okay,” he said. “Keep a tight hold on Chewie.”
“I will. Thank you.”
I supported him the two steps to my car, and then helped him into the seat, slow and steady.
When he tried to lift his bad leg, to maneuver into position, he flinched and bit his lip. “Fuck,” he whispered. “That hurt.”
“Are you okay?” I asked again, and then hurried to clarify. “I mean, can you handle the ride home, or do you want to rest a while first?”
He wiped his face with a trembling hand. “I need some strong painkillers and to lie down for half an hour. Don’t suppose you can help with either?”
“Actually, yes. My apartment is only five minutes’ drive, and I have drugs. Legal ones.”
*
My apartment block also had a working elevator, and it wasn’t long before I helped Jasper hobble along the corridor to my place. Each step looked painful, and his face held a green tinge that suggested he wasn’t far from throwing up. He leaned heavily against me, and after a moment’s hesitation, I slipped one arm around his waist.
He was all hard muscle beneath the fleece and T-shirt, and my X-rated dream leapt back into my head. As if I needed to be thinking about inked ivy leaves. With some effort, I pushed the images away and focused on getting him into my lounge.
I guided him to the armchair and eased him into a sitting position, hating the hitch in his breath when his ass hit the seat. I left him to regroup, and bustled around, gathering what he needed.
The large beanbag was first. I settled it in front of him. “When you’re ready, rest your leg on this. It’ll adapt to your shape.” Next I handed him a glass of water and a blister pack of painkillers. “These are prescription strength. Take two. I had a bad back last year and only used a couple of them. They’re good but can make you sleepy.”
He gave me a ghost of a smile. “Thank you.”
I went back into the kitchen, all of six steps away, and returned with a pair of warmed wheatbags, fresh from the microwave. “These will help too. Once you get your leg up, I can drape them around the painful zones, and they’ll prevent your muscles from locking up.”
Jasper nodded. “Sounds fucking amazing. Help me get into position?”
While he lifted his leg, I shifted the beanbag into place, and then at his direction, wrapped the wheatbags around his lower leg. He groaned, swallowed two of the pills, and gulped down the water.
“Thanks again. I fucked up your plans for this evening, didn’t I?”
I shrugged. “My plans are fluid, and I’d rather not drive back in this weather. You can have the bed. I’ll sleep on the sofa.”
“I won’t take your bed.”
“It’s no big deal. We could do with something to eat, too. What do you feel like?”
“What do you have?”
“Not much. I cleaned out the fridge before I left for the beach. I’ll order in. There’s a great Malaysian place up the street. It’s basic food, but big portions and yummy.”
“Sounds good. Let me pay, though.”
“Nah. I’ve got it.”
He and Holly had been so helpful, it felt good to be the other way around, for a change. I grabbed the printed menu from the chalkboard in the kitchen and placed an order, charging it to my debit card.
I woke this morning from the sexiest dream ever, and tonight I might have Jasper sleeping in my bed for real. Without me, of course, but even so, this was guaranteed to send my rampant libido into overdrive. I wanted to hug myself at the thought.