Guarding His Heart Read Free Page B

it. He was trying to sedate Jag when Liam and I showed up. He’d left it on a tray with the supplies to patch up Jag, but I slipped it into my pocket so he wouldn’t see it and flip out again.”
    Samantha nodded. “Good thinking. I’m just glad you had it.”
    “My turn to ask a question. Why the hell are you here? You just had a baby for crying out loud!”
    “Trust me, Dylan wasn’t happy about it, but I can be very stubborn.”
    “Tell me about it.”
    “He’ll be coming back any minute now to pick me up, so don’t worry.”
    The door opened, and Jag returned. He looked positively sinful in the green scrubs, his black hair nearly to his shoulders, and those pale blue eyes against his dark tan were stunning. Yep, he was every nurse’s wet dream come to life. “I’ve got some ice water, but they said to just sip it at first. I think they’re worried about you getting sick.”
    Lynn appreciated how he spoke softly and offered up a small smile when he handed over the white Styrofoam cup with a bendy straw. “No problem.” At this point, she’d agree to just about anything as long as it came as a liquid. “Those meds give me cotton mouth like you wouldn’t believe,” she told him as she sipped the drink. The cool water soothed her parched throat, and Lynn moaned low as she felt it travel all the way down.
    Jag chuckled, the sound startling Lynn. “Feel better?”
    “Much. So, I guess, with all these precautions, I must have knocked my noggin harder than I thought. How bad is it?”
    Samantha shifted, a sure sign that whatever she had to say would suck. “Well, you have a concussion, that was pretty obvious, but your body also took a lot of abuse during the fight.”
    “Trust me, I know. Even my aches have aches.”
    “Yeah, and your body has more bruises than if you’d been used as a crash-test dummy. You’ll need to stay here for a few days until you’re better. I don’t want you going back to the city alone.”
    Oddly enough, Lynn wasn’t too keen on being by herself in her apartment either. With Samantha gone, the place just seemed too empty. “So you expect me to stay here in Shifterville? I thought they hated humans.”
    “Not everyone here feels that way,” Jag put in. “Don’t let the actions of a few put you off. We’re actually a very tight-knit community.”
    Lynn arched a brow his way. “So does that mean you aren’t completely against humans anymore?” After he’d been trapped by humans for years in his animal form, Lynn couldn’t say she would blame him if he were. Hell, she’d be extremely distrusting too if the roles were reversed.
    Dear Lord, the man actually blushed! Lynn was sure he couldn’t get any more attractive if he tried.
    “I’m aware not all humans are like the one’s who held me. I also realize they didn’t know what I was. Being caged for any length of time will mess with your mind, but after years of it? I’m finally beginning to feel like my old self again.” A shy smile split his face, and Lynn had the strongest urge to hug him.
    Jag was a good man with a troubled past—totally not her type, but tell that to her heart. The damn thing tried to beat right out of her chest whenever he was near, almost as if it were trying to go to him. “I’m glad,” Lynn replied. Turning to Samantha, she agreed to stay but still had to make a call to her work. “What the hell am I going to tell them? It’s not like I have coverage for this sort of thing.”
    “Tell them you were in an accident. Hell, you look like you’ve been drug behind a truck. Your entire back is a big bruise, and you’ve got a hell of a knot on the back of your head.”
    “Fine, I’ll make the call. I just hope they can find someone to take over my patients until I get back.” She’d also need to call her landlord and explain why her rent check would be late. Lynn highly doubted Jag or Dylan would let her drop off a check.
    Samantha stood, placing her hand on Jag’s arm as she