Dating A Cougar (22 page)

Alexa laughed a little, sniffing back as many tears as she could. “That’s the truth,” she said, studying her hands. “His leg was—I think Casey may have broken his hip again.”

“Maybe they’ll rebuild him better,” Seth said, trying to look at the bright side. “Maybe he’ll be able to move faster the next time he has the urge to be a hero.”

A doctor in a white coat walked into the waiting area. “I’m looking for the family of Casey Carter.”

Alexa and Seth both stood. “That’s us,” Seth said, putting an arm around Alexa.

“Mr. Carter has a severe concussion. We’ve not been able to bring him around yet. This is not good, but his vital signs are okay. However, the hip replacement is shattered and needs to be replaced. I’ll need one of you to grant permission for us to do the replacement surgery.”

Alexa cleared her throat. “We want him to have to best model on the market. Money is not a problem. Just fix him the best you can.”

The doctor looked at her. He knew her from somewhere but couldn’t place the woman. Seeing the bloody sweater clutched in her hands, he nodded.

“The best is a titanium model. It’s very expensive, but adjusts to the individual in a unique manner, sometimes allowing a larger range of motion than traditional replacements. Several people who have received them have walked unassisted afterward.”

“That’s what we want,” Alexa said, looking at Seth. “Are you okay with this?”

Seth nodded down into her face.

“Whatever you want to buy Casey is okay with me,” Seth told her, kissing her on the forehead. “He deserves the best.”

Alexa closed her eyes and swallowed hard, fighting the urge to cry again. “Make him bionic,” she said to the doctor and felt Seth laugh a little at her side.

The doctor smiled. “Well, I can’t promise bionic, but I’ll do what I can,” he said, walking back through the door to the treatment area.

Chapter 21

No matter what anyone said, seven hours later they still couldn’t talk Alexa into leaving the hospital. So they called a second shift of Regina and Lauren to stay with her while the rest went home to change clothes and eat.

“Casey’s going to be fine,” Regina told Alexa. “The surgery went well. There’s every reason to feel positive about this, honey.”

“I’m not worried about his leg,” Alexa said, hugging her arms. “The doctor keeps saying how well the surgery turned out.”

“Here,” Lauren pulled off her sweater and made Alexa put it on. “I have a jacket in my gym bag. Your sweater is history. Blood doesn’t come out of cashmere. You need to just throw it away.”

Alexa squeezed her eyes closed. “I used it to try to stop the bleeding,” Alexa said sadly.

Regina walked to the bloody sweater still resting beside Alexa’s leg. She picked it up and crammed it into the giant purse bag she nearly always carried. “Lauren’s right. It’s history. I’ll take care of it for you.”

“You don’t have to worry about my sanity,” Alexa said, seeing in both Regina’s and Lauren’s face how much they were worried about her.

“It’s not your sanity that concerns us, Alexa. We’re just trying to keep you looking presentable for when the press figures out you’re now dating a wounded hero,” Regina said, not for a moment doubting the situation would be exploited by the media.

“I don’t care about the publicity this time,” Alexa said. “Casey is a hero. He deserves to be recognized for it. A little girl is alive because of what he did.”

Alexa put her face in her hands again as she relived the car hitting Casey for the millionth time. “Oh God, I may never be the same, but the little girl is okay.”

Lauren knelt and put her arms around Alexa in a tight hug. “When Casey wakes up and you see he’s okay, the scariness will start to fade,” she assured Alexa, stroking her hair.

Regina came over and sat beside Alexa. “Casey loves you, Alexa.”

Alexa pulled out of Lauren’s arms and leaned back in the chair. “I know. He told me,” she said sadly.

“Why on earth would that make you sad?” Regina asked. “Casey’s sexy as hell, thinks you walk on water, and doesn’t let you have the upper hand all the time. He’s practically perfect.”

“Yes. He is practically perfect. It makes me sad because I didn’t say it back when he told me,” Alexa confessed, trying to swallow past the knot of anxiety in her throat. “I didn’t know what to say to Casey when he said he loved me. So I said nothing. Somehow that seems worse.”

Regina studied Alexa for a moment. “You’re just on the verge, honey. You’re at the edge of the love epiphany. Casey’s just a little ahead of you in understanding, that’s all.”

Regina reached over to hold Alexa’s hand. “The man knows you love him. And if he suspected otherwise, he’d probably just set about working to change your mind. Casey told me he loved you the day I met him at your house.”

Alexa looked at Regina in shock. Regina just shrugged.

“He’s so full of himself,” Alexa said, almost laughing. “I don’t know if I can love someone like that or not.”

Lauren reached out a hand and pinched Alexa.

“Ouch! What was that for? You’re as bad as Casey,” Alexa protested, laughing completely now, shocked Lauren had actually pinched her.

“Wake up, Alexa,” Lauren demanded. “You’re sitting here worried about the man so bad you won’t leave his side. You’re even willing to deal with the press for him. This is love, and you’re living it.”

Alexa sniffed and felt her eyes filling again. “Yes. I guess it is.”

“Excuse me, Ms. Ranger?” a nurse broke into their conversation.

“Yes,” Alexa answered, sniffling.

“Mr. Carter woke up briefly a couple minutes ago. He was asking for someone named Alexa,” she said.

“That’s me,” Alexa said, standing. “Can I see him now?”

The nurse looked at her kindly. “We can let you in for a few moments. He’s drifting in and out, but at least he’s beginning to wake up. It’s a good sign, and we hope he recognizes you,” she said, pointing to the doors with her hand.

“Go. We’ll be here when you come back,” Regina said lightly. Lauren nodded as well.

Alexa followed the nurse through the double-doors.

*** *** ***

Alexa thought Casey looked worse in the hospital bed than he had lying in the street. His entire left side was in traction, probably because of the surgery. There were a series of bandages on his head as well. Stitches peeked out of the largest one.

Alexa fell into the chair by his bed with relief. Her legs were barely supporting her.

She reached out and touched Casey’s hand, then lifted it gently to hold it in hers. The pulse in his wrist was more reassuring to her than anything the doctor had said.

Sitting there holding Casey’s hand, Alexa had another vision of him sitting by his wife’s bed when she was ill. Her heart hurt for him, and once again she thought how unfair it was Casey was injured once more.

Feeling more helpless than she’d ever felt in her life, Alexa could only hold his hand and pray he would make it through this, too. She leaned over the bed and kissed his hand, laying her cheek against it while the tears flowed. She felt the same need to protect Casey, to care for him, that she’d only previously felt for a handful of people in her life, most of whom had rushed to her side today.

“Well, looks like you won another one, Marine. I guess I love you after all,” Alexa announced to Casey’s unconscious form. “I’d like to think I’d have come to the same conclusion without watching you get hit by a car, damn you.”

“Alexa,” Casey moaned, trying to turn his head.

“Ssssh. . .sleep honey,” Alexa said, stroking his face the way he often did for her. “I’m here. I’ll be here when you wake up. Rest now.”

When the nurse showed up, Alexa knew her time was up for now.

Alexa released Casey’s hand and leaned over to kiss his cheek. “I love you, Casey,” she whispered, feeling the words vibrate through her with a truth that surprised her.

Alexa walked from the room feeling hopeful for the first time in hours.

Chapter 22

They never knew who finally leaked the story to the press, but the next day there was a horde of reporters swarming the hospital.

Despite rare moments of lucidness, Casey remained mostly unconscious, so he was still in ICU being monitored for the head injury.

The hospital, now fully aware of the identities of the patient and the woman in his life, allowed Alexa to put extra guards on their newly discovered local “hero.” They also gladly helped arrange a press conference on another floor of the hospital.

While Seth sat with Casey in the ICU, Alexa went to deal with the press. Jenna had brought clothes to her mother, who was offered the doctor’s lounge to clean up and prepare. To say the hospital staff were shocked by the beautiful woman who walked out of the lounge was an understatement.

No one could stop staring at the transformation.

Jenna walked along beside her glamorous mother, more proud of her than she had ever been. She knew how hard it was for her mother to leave Casey, even for a short time.

“You look beautiful, Mama,” Jenna said when they were standing outside the conference room, knowing her mother needed reassurance.

Alexa put her arms around her daughter and kissed her cheek. “Thank you for being with me,” Alexa said, wiping the lipstick kiss away with a thumb. “Sorry. I forgot I put on the red lipstick today.”

Jenna laughed. “Now remember. Stick to the hero story. Don’t go announcing your engagement,” Jenna teased. “Casey hasn’t discussed his intentions with me yet.”

Alexa gave her daughter a grin, appreciating the teasing. “It would serve Casey Carter right if I did announce our engagement. Lord knows I owe him some embarrassment.”

Alexa took a couple deep breaths. “Okay. Let’s get this over with,” she said, pushing open the conference room door.

As Alexa walked to the front of the room, she noticed the mother and little girl Casey had rescued sitting near the podium. Ignoring the press for a few moments, Alexa walked over to them. She’d discovered it had been the mother who had called Sydney.

“Thank you for calling my office and sending my family to me. I wasn’t thinking clearly that day,” Alexa said, reaching out a hand to stroke the child’s hair, shocked when the child reached out her arms to her.

Alexa took the child and held her live, warm body to her chest, keeping her back to the press while the cameras flashed.

“Is he—is Mr. Carter going to be okay?” the mother asked, her voice breaking. “Alicia got away. She’s—she’s so active—I . . .”

Alexa watched the woman’s lips tremble and felt her own throat tighten with emotion. She looked at Jenna, who walked to the mother and put an arm around her.

“Mama knows all about the challenges of raising a lively child with a mind of her own,” Jenna said with an easy laugh, making the woman laugh.

“Mr. Carter—Casey’s going to be fine,” Alexa said with confidence. “And he’s going to be very happy to know Alicia is fine, too.”

Alexa kissed the top of Alicia’s head before handing the child back to her mother. “I guess it’s show time,” Alexa said, raising her chin.

She shook hands with the hospital staff who had arranged the press conference, and then she stepped to the podium while the cameras clicked and flashed without stopping.

Alexa looked at Jenna, who handed her mother a pair of reading glasses she’d been holding and some note cards that had been stashed in her pocket.

Alexa put on a pair of very attractive readers and peered at the note cards. “I thought I would just tell the story, and then afterward answer any questions you have. First, let me thank the hospital and staff for the wonderful care they have shown us.”

An hour and a half later, the press were escorted out of the hospital by security guards.

Alexa and Jenna walked back to the ICU. Sitting just outside the door in the hallway was Allen Stedman, dressed all in black with arms crossed. A pair of dark sunglasses was clipped to the front collar of a tee shirt stretched almost beyond endurance across Allen’s massive chest.

“Ms. Ranger,” Allen said, smiling into his boss’s face, working hard to keep his eyes from straying to her incredible legs. He had never seen her dressed up before. More than simply gorgeous, Alexa Ranger wore her sexuality like other women wore jewelry.

“Allen? Are you guarding—” Alexa began, then stopped as she realized what he’d called her. “For heaven’s sakes, will you please call me Alexa? I’m not your mother.”

“No, ma’am,” Allen said respectfully. “You are definitely not my mother. I would appreciate it though if you would not tell Gunny Carter I admitted that.”

Alexa couldn’t stifle the laugh.

“Well, she’s my mother, so stop hitting on her,” Jenna told him resentfully, hands going naturally to her hips as she had to admit once again her mother had completely charmed the hottest man around.

“Jenna, you are insulting the man. Allen is teasing. He works for me,” Alexa said to her daughter.

“Allen, this is my daughter, Jenna Ranger. Jenna, this is Allen Stedman—Sydney’s potential replacement. You need to apologize.”

Alexa watched Jenna, relieved to see the frown lines start to disappear but almost laughed again to see disappointment lines take their place. She’d have fun later telling Jenna that Allen was extremely straight, as well as hot.

“Oh,” said Jenna, deflated that the man was gay. She sighed heavily. It was a shame she thought, eyeing Allen’s muscles with regret. Jenna also wondered why she’d missed the signs. Her radar was usually flawless and it seemed to her the man reeked heterosexual.

Then there was the way he’d teased her mother, she thought, getting angry again at the man’s comments.

Allen smiled at Jenna’s study, easily reading her wrong assumptions about his sexual preference, but not minding one bit. If Jenna Ranger hadn’t been Alexa’s daughter, it would have been a hell of a lot of fun to show her differently. She looked just like her mother, only—well, repressed—Allen thought sadly. It was practically a crime to waste such fine womanhood on a bad attitude.

Allen smiled at Jenna. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Jenna Ranger,” Allen said, liking the blush that stole up the girl’s face when he said her full name.

“Rough day. Sorry for my rudeness,” Jenna said to him, “it’s a pleasure to meet you, Allen.”

Allen reached out a hand to Jenna to shake, pleased when she flushed even more as she shook it. Yep, sure was a shame she was Alexa’s daughter. It might have been a lot of fun loosening her up.

“Did Sydney send you?” Alexa asked, trying not to smile at her daughter’s obvious interest in her new office assistant.

“Something like that,” Allen said easily, not willing to admit yet he’d volunteered to guard the Gunny, as had several of Allen’s military friends. Though the original notification of the situation had technically come through Sydney, so he wasn’t exactly lying.

Gunny Carter was the reason Allen had looked up some old friends and talked to them about a side business of guarding people. When Gunny was ready to open his security business, Allen planned to have a staff of guard dogs waiting for orders.

“There’s a lot of press wanting to get an exclusive story,” Alexa told him. “They can be pretty clever.”

“Can’t be any more clever than Gunny Carter,” Allen said to her.

Alexa laughed. “Good point,” she said, sighing.

Allen grinned as the Ranger women moved passed him into the ICU area. He couldn’t stop himself from admiring the enticing view from the back as both walked away from him.

One was as exciting as the other, Allen thought, not the least bit shocked to find himself admiring both mother and daughter. He’d just have to remember never to look too long at Alexa when Gunny Carter was around, he thought with a laugh, turning his attention back to the numerous smiling nurses who spoke to him as they walked by.

Seth lowered his phone in shock when Alexa walked into Casey’s room.

“Well, I’ll be damned, Casey,” he said quietly, unashamedly looking Alexa over from head to toe as understanding came at last. This is what Jenna looked like in the blue dress, but what Alexa looked like whenever she wanted. “Full model mode—I get it now.”

Of course, he’d need to tell Casey again when he was actually awake and could hear him.

“Has he woken up again?” Alexa asked, coming over to lightly kiss Seth’s cheek in hello. Seth got a whiff of perfume and sighed. Yeah, he got it all right. And learning it made him wonder just how dumb he had been about a lot of things.

“No,” Seth said, “but he has been trying to move more. I think he’s coming out of it and feeling restricted. He’ll probably wake up mad as hell about the leg. Casey’s not a good patient.”

Seth stood and let Alexa take the chair. He smiled when she reached over and linked her hand with Casey’s.

“He’s going to hate that he missed seeing you dressed up,” Seth told Alexa, his eyes twinkling. “You look amazing.”

“Thanks,” Alexa said, a tear seeping out of one eye despite her best efforts. “I hope there will be plenty of other times for him to see me.”

Seth put a hand on her shoulder and reached down to kiss her cheek. “There will be,” he said firmly, believing it beyond doubt. “Is Jenna still in the waiting area?”

Alexa nodded, not trusting herself to speak.

“I think we’ll grab some lunch and bring you something back,” he told her.

She nodded again, touched by Seth’s continued thoughtfulness.

*** *** ***

In the waiting area, Jenna watched Seth emerge from the ICU and walk straight toward her. Her heartbeat picked up pace, and she almost rose to go to him. He walked to her like he didn’t even see the other ten people sitting there as well.

Jenna looked away, but it didn’t stop her from liking how right it felt.

“Hey,” Seth said, stopping in front of Jenna. “Let’s get something to eat. I told your mother we’d bring her back food. I don’t think she’s eaten much since yesterday.”

Jenna nodded, relieved Seth seemed oblivious to her reaction.

Seth reached out and took her hand, holding it despite the little tug of resistance he felt from Jenna. His phone buzzed in his pocket as they walked. Seth ignored it, which had Jenna lifting an eyebrow.

“Too much interference in the hospital,” Seth said to explain. That wasn’t the whole reason, but it was the one he knew Jenna would most easily accept.

“Cafeteria?” Jenna asked.

“Sure,” Seth said easily.

When they walked by Allen’s chair, Allen smiled and Jenna smiled back.

“Hey, Allen,” Jenna said, dropping Seth’s hand.

“Hey, Jenna,” Allen said in return, grinning at both Jenna and Gunny Carter’s kid, or whatever he was. Allen hadn’t got the story quite straight, but it didn’t take much to interpret the look in the man’s eyes about Jenna. He looked a lot like Gunny, Allen thought.

Seth frowned at Jenna as they continued down the corridor. “You know that guy?”

“Allen is taking Sydney’s place when he retires,” Jenna said with a shrug. “I just met him today when he was flirting with my mother.”

“He’s not interested in your mother,” Seth said bitterly, having caught the man’s assessment of Jenna’s rear.

“Yeah, I know. He’s a close friend of Sydney’s so I guess he’s probably gay,” Jenna said in a whisper.

“Yeah. Just keep thinking that,” Seth ordered, making Jenna laugh.

“You don’t think Allen’s gay?” Jenna asked, finding it funny that Seth would take an instant dislike to a man he didn’t know.

“Why would I care?” Seth asked in return, picking up Jenna’s hand again, only to be more annoyed when she pulled away.

“Right,” Jenna said, biting the inside of her lip. “I was just curious. He seems like a nice guy. I guess I’ll be seeing more of him if he replaces Sydney. Eventually, I’m sure I’ll find out.”

“No doubt,” Seth said, irritated with the thought of the muscle guy eyeing Jenna every time he saw her at the office. He looked at Jenna and wondered if she was really naïve enough to not know the man was interested in her.

“Why are you looking at me that way? You can’t honestly be jealous of a gay guy?” Jenna asked. “I thought we’d called a truce of sorts because of Casey.”

She did. Jenna honestly thought the muscle guy could be gay, Seth thought. He closed his eyes and willed the jealousy away.

“I’m not jealous,” Seth denied, lying outright. “I’m just stressed over Casey. Sorry if I’m coming across badly. If you want me to bring you back lunch, I will. You don’t have to go with me.”

The elevator arrived and they rode to the basement cafeteria as the only occupants.

“Don’t be silly,” Jenna said easily, leaning back against the elevator wall. “There’s no reason we can’t be friends.”

Seth sighed. He debated blasting Jenna with the hundred-reason argument running through his head, or plastering her against the elevator wall and kissing her until she admitted to wanting him.

“I appreciate your support,” Seth told her instead. “It helps me to have you here right now. I’m sure it helps your mother too.”

Seth let out a little sigh when Jenna picked up his hand and held it willingly. For now, he would take what she offered, he decided.