Chapter 6 Hungry for more ?

The morning after the blackout felt different.

Leo had given Jaxson a job to watch me, and Jaxson was taking it very seriously. Every time I turned around at the breakfast table, he was there. Every time I walked toward the door, he was right behind me.

By that afternoon, the tension was so thick I could barely think. I went to the campus training room on my way back from classes. The training room was huge, filled with padded tables, ice baths, and the smell of menthol rub.

I heard a loud groan from the back corner.

I walked past the rows of weights and saw Jaxson. He was sitting on a high training table, clutching his right leg. His face was pale, and sweat was dripping down his neck.

"Jaxson?" I rushed over, my heart dropping. "What happened?"

"Caught a puck off the shin," he grunted, his teeth gritted in pain. "Then got checked into the boards. It’s fine, Elena. Go away."

"It’s not fine. You’re bleeding through your sock," I said, pointing to the dark red stain blooming near his ankle.

I didn't wait for him to argue. I grabbed a medical kit from the shelf. I was a pre-med student; this was the one place where I felt more in control than him.

"Stay still," I commanded.

Jaxson started to protest, but then he saw the look in my eyes. He let out a long breath and leaned back on his elbows. "Fine. Fix me up, Doc."

I knelt between his legs. The room was mostly empty, except for Cooper, who was across the room submerged in an ice bath with his headphones on. He couldn't hear a thing.

I carefully peeled back Jaxson’s sock. The cut was deep, and the skin around it was already turning a nasty shade of blue. I took a piece of gauze soaked in antiseptic and looked up at him. "This is going to sting."

"I’ve had worse," he said, but his voice was tight.

As I pressed the gauze to his skin, Jaxson flinched. His hand reached out and gripped my shoulder to steady himself. His fingers were large and warm, digging into my skin. I stopped moving, my breath hitching in my throat.

I began to clean the wound. My movements were slow. I could feel his eyes on the top of my head, watching me. The air in the training room felt heavy and hot. I reached for the athletic tape, my fingers brushing against his calf. His muscles jumped under my touch.

I looked up. Jaxson was leaning forward now. He wasn't looking at his leg anymore. He was looking at me. His dark eyes were intense, searching my face.

"You're really good at this," he whispered.

"I’ve had a lot of practice on Leo," I said, trying to keep my voice steady. "He’s always coming home with some kind of hole in him."

"I'm not Leo," Jaxson said. He reached down and caught my wrist, stopping me from taping the bandage. He pulled my hand up until it was resting on his thigh, just above the injury.

The physical contact was electric. I felt a spark run from my fingertips all the way up my arm. I should have pulled away. I should have finished the job and left. But I was frozen.

"Elena," he breathed. He leaned in so close that our foreheads were almost touching.

"We are in the ops ," I whispered, though I didn't move.

"I know," he said. He moved his hand from my wrist to my cheek. His thumb traced the line of my jaw, sending shivers down my spine. "But you’re everywhere. In the kitchen. In the halls. In my head."

He leaned even closer. I could feel the heat of his skin. I could smell the salt and the ice on him.

"You make it hard to think in my own head," he whispered against my lips.

My eyes fluttered shut. I wanted him to kiss me. I wanted to forget about the rules and the brother who was probably looking for us right now.

Jaxson’s hand moved to the back of my neck, pulling me upward toward him.

Suddenly, a loud, booming laugh echoed from the hallway.

"I’m telling you, Coach, the kid is a natural! Best rookie I've seen in a while!".

It was Leo. And he was coming toward the training room.

We jumped apart like we had been struck by lightning. I scrambled backward, nearly knocking over the medical kit. Jaxson grabbed his sock and pulled it up over the bandage, his face turning an angry red from the sudden rush of blood.

I grabbed a roll of tape and started spinning it in my hands, trying to look busy.

The double doors swung open. Leo walked in, followed by the head coach. He was smiling, looking like he didn't have a care in the world.

He spotted us immediately.

"There you are!" Leo said, walking over. "I told Jaxson to look after you, but I didn't think he'd bring you to the medical wing. Everything okay?"

Jaxson stood up, testing his weight on his injured leg. He winced, but his face was a mask of cold boredom. "I got banged up. Your sister saw me limping and wouldn't stop nagging me until I let her look at it."

Leo laughed and slapped Jaxson on the back, right on the shoulder Jaxson had used to balance himself while I touched him. "That's my sister. A real pain when she thinks she's a doctor."

Leo looked at me, his eyes filled with brotherly love. It made me feel sick. "Thanks for looking after him, El. We need him at one hundred percent for the game Friday."

"No problem," I said, my voice sounding fake even to me.

"Come on, Miller," Leo said, hooking an arm around Jaxson's neck. "Coach wants to go over the film from the third period. El, you heading home?"

"Yeah," I said, grabbing my bag. "I’m leaving now."

I walked toward the door, not looking back. But as I reached the exit, I caught Jaxson’s reflection in the glass of the trophy case.

He was standing behind Leo, watching me leave. He looked frustrated and hungry, like a man who had been interrupted in the middle of a meal.