16. Courtney

COURTNEY

"Zack, honey,"I say his name as I run my hand over his cheek. I found him passed out in his bed when I arrived at his house. Thankfully, he gave me the garage code so I could get inside, seeing that he"s passed out.

He mumbles something, but I can"t make out what he"s said, so I lightly shake him once again, repeating myself. "Zack, honey, wake up." That must pull him out of his sleep enough as he opens his eyes, looking around like he doesn"t know where he is until his eyes land on mine.

"Sweetheart," he says, and pulls me down onto the bed and into his arms. I"m careful not to hit his leg. I can tell it"s swollen, and I"m sure he"s in pain. "What time is it?" he groggily asks.

"A little after four," I tell him.

"Damn, the pain meds must have really knocked me out."

"Did they give you something at the doctor"s?"

"Yeah, a pain med and an anti-inflammatory so I don"t have to pop so many ibuprofens."

"What is the plan?"

"Surgery on Tuesday. PT after that. Depending on how far into the playoffs we go, I might be back for later rounds."

"I"m sorry," I tell him.

"Nothing for you to be sorry about. Just the risks of the job. It wasn"t a targeted hit, just a freak accident."

"You"re in a much better mood about it than I expected."

"Would you like me to pout? Will it get me more nursing care?" he teases.

"No." I laugh as he tickles my rib cage. I do my best not to squirm and hit his leg. "Stop, I don"t want to hurt you," I say.

"Fine," he grumbles at the same time as his stomach also rumbles in protest.

"Are you hungry?"

"Starving. I haven"t really eaten since yesterday before the game."

"I can go make you something. What would you like?"

"Not picky. You can order something, if you"d prefer."

"Let me go see what you have, and then I"ll decide. I"ll be right back."

I quickly head to the kitchen and rummage through the cabinets and fridge. I find some tomato soup and the fixings to make grilled ham and cheese sandwiches.

I make two sandwiches for Zack and one for me, then pour the soup into two bowls. I rummage in the pantry again and find some Ritz crackers to take for the soup. I also find a large tray I can easily put everything on to carry up to the bedroom. Before I leave the kitchen, I grab two bottles of water from the fridge and snag his two prescription bottles off the kitchen island where he left them.

"Do you want to sit up?" I ask as I enter the room. Zack pushes himself up, then adjusts the pillows behind his back.

"I made soup and sandwiches, nothing fancy, but it was quick," I tell him, and set the tray on the bed.

"It smells amazing," he says.

"Do you want me to replace your ice pack?"

"Do you mind?"

"Of course not. Do you need anything else? I brought water and your meds with me, as well," I say as I point at the bottles on the tray.

"You"re too good to me." He gives me a sincere smile. I grab the ice pack and run back down to the kitchen. The freezer is stocked with a few reusable ice packs, so I grab a new one and put the warm one back in so it can refreeze.

"Where would you like it?" I ask as I step up to the side of the bed.

"Underneath my knee." Zack lifts his leg up slightly, and I slide the cold pack under his knee. "Shit, that hurts." He sucks in a breath and blows it out slowly as he gets used to the cold pressing on his injury.

I move the tray of food, then join Zack on the bed. I set the tray on his lap, giving him a larger surface for eating.

"Damn, this is good," he mumbles around a bite of sandwich. His bite makes me laugh as it takes at least a quarter of the sandwich.

"I"m a grilled cheese expert. I"ve made many of them in my days."

"Where"s Jax?"

"He"s still at my parents". I called after I got out of work, but they asked if he could stay for a few more hours. They were about to leave for some event at the Children"s Museum. Is Sawyer coming over tonight?" I ask.

"I don"t really know. I should probably check in with Emerson," he tells me, and reaches for his cell.

He unlocks the screen and scrolls through a ton of notifications. He touches the screen a few times before the ringing of a phone fills the air.

"Hi, Dad!" Sawyer greets when the call connects.

"Hey, buddy, how"s it going?"

"Good. Are you okay?" he jumps to the point and asks.

"Not the best. My knee is in bad shape. I have to have surgery on it this week. If you still want to come over tonight, you can. I"m not much for moving around, but you know I always want to see you and spend time with you."

"Mom said it might be best if I wait a few days and let you rest."

"Is that what you want to do?" Zack asks.

"I don"t know," he answers quietly, and I can tell he"s torn about what he should do.

"I won"t be mad with whatever you decide to do. I"m not much company. The pain meds made me sleep all day, so I"ll understand if you want to stay at Mom"s and come over later in the week. Maybe Mom can bring you by for a little bit while I"m awake?" Zack suggests.

"I"ll ask her." Zack"s suggestion obviously perks Sawyer up, and it just melts my heart at how, even at this moment of his own pain, he still makes his son a priority. It makes me realize just how much Jax is missing out on a healthy relationship with his dad. "Mom says yes," Sawyer says when he comes back on the line.

"Hey, Zack," Emerson comes over the line.

"Hey, I was asking Sawyer what he wanted to do. I"m not up to doing much, in my state, but I told him if you were able to bring him by for a little bit, I"d be okay with that. He seemed pretty bummed about not coming to see me."

"We"re going out for dinner in about an hour. I could drop him off beforehand if you can feed him, and then I can pick him up when we"re on our way home,if that works?"

"Yeah, that should be fine. We can order something in," Zack tells Emerson.

"Do you need anything?" she offers.

"I"m good, but thanks for asking. Courtney is here with me, so she"s made sure I"m fed and have what I need." My eyes widen at his nonchalant mention of me to his ex.

"So it"s serious between the two of you? Sawyer has mentioned her a few times. He"s a fan of her son." My heart swells at that.

"I"d like to think that it"s serious," he tells her but winks at me. Those damn butterflies take flight in my stomach.

"I"m happy for you, Zack," Emerson tells him, and it makes me tear up at her kindness.

"Thanks. Things are still kind of new, but we"re good."

"And Ryan"s all good with it?"

"Gave us his blessing, so we"re all good on that front, as well."

"Good. I"ll drop him off in thirty, maybe forty-five minutes."

"See you then," Zack tells her, and they end the call.

"Do you want to relocate to the living room?" I ask.

"Probably best once he"s here, but lie down with me for a few minutes."

I collect our dirty dishes and stack them on the tray, then move that to the dresser for now. I lie back down on the bed next to him and snuggle into his arms. I hum in contentment. "This is quickly becoming one of my favorite places to be."

"Good, get used to it. I"d keep you here forever if I could."

"Don"t tempt me with a good time," I tease.

"Woman." He smacks my ass. "I"ll chain you to my bed if you"re not careful."

I can"t stop the giggles from starting, and once they do, it is hard to rein them in.

"What"s so funny?" he asks.

"I"ve just never thought of you as the BDSM type."

"I"m all about the whips and chains, baby," he tries to tell me with a straight face but can"t hold it. He ends up laughing right along with me. "Nothing against people who are, but you"re right. That just isn"t my kink."

"What is your kink, then?" I ask, doing my best to be serious.

"You under me, on top of me, hell, just next to me. I"ll take you in any position you want. What about you?"

"I"ve never really experimented. My kinkiest thing is probably my vibrator."

"Do you get yourself off often?" Zack asks, and I don"t miss the fact that he"s sliding his hand lower and lower toward my center.

"What do you consider often?" I practically pant as his fingers slip under my leggings and into my panties. He presses his thumb to my clit, and I about fall apart just from that simple touch.

"Do you touch yourself daily? Weekly? Better yet, do you think of me as you slide that vibrator into your pussy?" He slips two fingers inside me as he asks, and I cry out in pleasure.

"Yes," I pant because he"s definitely been the star of my dreams and fantasies lately.

"Fuck, you"re beautiful when you are like this." Zack nips at my ear, then presses kisses to my throat as his fingers work me over, bringing me right to the edge before he backs off slightly, just to bring me right back to the edge. "Are you ready to come, sweetheart?"

I can"t find the ability to say anything. Instead, I let my body do the talking as I come hard on his fingers.

"That"s it, beautiful. Give it all to me." My body goes limp on the bed as I bask in my release. Zack slides his hand from my clothes and brings his fingers to his lips, sucking them clean. "I"ll never tire of your taste."

"Why is that so hot?" I ask.

"Because it"s us, baby. Just us being everything each other needs at the moment."

I sigh in contentment. I"d have never guessed months ago I"d be this comfortable in a relationship. Deep down, I know I"ve fallen in love with this man, and now I just have to find the right time to tell him.