LIGHTNING (7 page)

Brooke

Our eyes stayed fixated on each other as the riveting pulses once again flowed through my body. I wanted him to kiss me. I wanted to feel his lips on mine. Suddenly, my phone rang and I broke our eye contact as my heart still raced.

“Let me see who’s calling.” I got up from the couch and rummaged through my purse, which was sitting on the table.

“Hey, Dad,” I answered.

“Hi, sweetheart. I’m sorry I missed your call last night. I was in a meeting.”

“That’s okay. I just wondered what your plans are for Christmas. I was thinking about flying home.”

“Oh, sweetheart. I figured you would spend Christmas in New York since you haven’t been there very long. I’m going to meet your Aunt Marley and the girls in Aspen to do some skiing.”

“Oh, okay. I just wanted to make sure you weren’t alone for the holidays.”

“If you want, I can come to New York and we can spend Christmas together.”

“Dad. It’s fine. Have fun skiing. We can facetime on Christmas.”

“Are you sure, sweetheart?”

“Yes. Listen, I have to go. I’m in the middle of therapy.”

“I love you, Brooke.”

“Love you too, Dad.”

Setting my phone down, I walked back over to Logan and took hold of his leg.

“You know, with everything going on, I forgot about Christmas,” he spoke.

“It’s coming fast.” I looked around the room. “Tomorrow, after the gym, we’re going to get this place a Christmas tree.”

“I’ve never put one up here before.”

“What? Are you serious?” I cocked my head at him.

“Why bother? And wait a minute. What do you mean ‘after the gym’?”

“You’ll see.” I grinned as I continued to massage his leg. “All right, I think that’s enough for today.” I looked at the time on my phone. “Let’s not wait until tomorrow. Let’s go now and get a Christmas tree.”

“I really don’t feel like going anywhere,” he spoke.

“Okay. Then I’ll go myself.”

I went to the kitchen and washed the oil off my hands. Looking out the window, I noticed it was snowing outside. Logan was still sitting on the couch and stared at me as I walked by to go to my room. Grabbing my boots, I slipped my feet into them, put on my black winter jacket, and slipped a light pink knit hat over my head.

“You’re serious, aren’t you?” Logan said as I walked by him and grabbed my purse.

“Yes, and it’s snowing outside, which makes it even more festive. I’ll be back soon,” I spoke as I placed my hand on the doorknob.

“WAIT!” Logan spoke loudly. “Let me throw on some clothes and I’ll go with you.”

I smiled as my hand gripped the knob. “Okay. I’ll just wait right here for you.”

A few minutes later, Logan hobbled over to me on his crutches. An ache formed between my legs as he stood there in his dark gray winter coat and matching knit hat. The sexiness that radiated from him could be seen from miles away. As soon as we stepped outside onto the snowy pavement, I stopped for a moment and looked up, letting the snow softly hit my face.

“Umm. What are you doing?” Logan asked.

“Have you forgotten that I’m from Cali? It doesn’t snow where I live, so when I do see it wherever I’m at, I embrace it.”

“Oh. Okay. I can understand that. I do the same thing when I’m in a state with no snow during the winter months. I embrace the sunshine.” He smiled.

“There’s a tree lot around the next block. I saw it the other day when I went to get groceries,” I spoke as I took off my glove and held my hand out in front of me, letting the snow hit it.

“I know. That tree lot is there every year.”

We walked slowly and carefully so Logan didn’t slip and fall. As I walked next to him, I held on to the fabric of his coat. He looked at my hand and then over at me.

“What are you doing?”

“Holding on to you in case you slip.”

“Do you really think if I slip you’d be able to stop me from falling?” He grinned.

“I can try. If not, I’ll be going down with you.”

He shook his head with a smile as we finally made it to the tree lot without any mishaps. As we were walking around looking at the trees, Logan glanced over at me.

“So I was thinking. When we find a tree, how the hell are we getting it back to the apartment?”

My eyes locked with his, as I didn’t think about that.

“Shit.” I had an idea. “Follow me,” I spoke as I walked ahead of him and back onto the street.

“Where are we going?” he shouted as he tried to catch up.

I stood on the corner and hailed a cab. Taking the crutches from Logan, I told him to climb in.

“I don’t understand. Where are we going?”

“Take us to the nearest Target Store,” I told the cab driver.

Logan chuckled. “Seriously? We’re going to buy a tree from Target?”

“Yep. They have some nice ones. At least they do in California. Plus, we’ll have to buy some decorations for the tree. It’ll be our one-stop store.” I grinned.

****

Logan

I found her nothing short of adorable. The excitement in her eyes about buying a tree and decorations was refreshing and made me temporarily forget about what I was going through. The cab driver dropped us off in front of Target and when we walked inside, Brooke grabbed a basket. As we made our way over to the tree section, my phone rang. I pulled it from my pocket and noticed Bruce was calling.

“Hey, Bruce.”

“Logan, the press conference has been set for the day after tomorrow at six o’clock at the Four Seasons. You need to be there around five so we can go over some things.”

I took in a deep breath. “I’ll be there.”

“See you then.”

Placing my phone back in my pocket, I hobbled over to where Brooke was standing and looking at a tree that was on display.

“That was Bruce. The press conference is the day after tomorrow at six o’clock.”

“Good.” She smiled. “What do you think about this tree?”

“It looks like any other tree to me.”

She sighed. “Do you see one you like better?”

“No. This one is fine.”

“Okay.” She grinned and flagged down one of the employees. “We will take this tree right here. Can you take it to the front for us since we have more shopping to do?”

“Sure, ma’am.” The male employee nodded.

“He called you ‘ma’am.’ Aren’t you going to scold him?” I snickered as we walked to the ornament aisle.

“No. I’ll never see him again, so it’s not a big deal. What color ornaments do you like?”

“Does it really matter, Brooke? Don’t women usually just pick out what they want without any regard to what we males like?”

“You’re paying for it, so you should pick what you like.” She poked me in the shoulder.

“I’m paying for all this? You’re the one who wanted the tree. Why do I have to pay for it?”

This older woman that was in the same aisle kept glancing over at us with a smile.

“What a cute couple. This must be your first Christmas together. How long have you been dating?” she asked.

I looked over at her in confusion. “We aren’t dating. She’s my physical therapist.”

“Oh.” The older woman cocked her head. “I’m sorry. You two sure argue like a couple.” She smiled. “Happy holidays,” she spoke as she pushed her cart down the aisle.

I glanced over at Brooke as she started laughing. “Oh my God, she was so cute. Anyway, Mr. Hockey Player, it’s your tree that’s staying in your storage. Did you really think I was hauling it back to California with me?”

I shrugged. “I thought maybe you could come back every Christmas and set it up.”

“Ha ha! Now pick some ornaments so we can get out of here.”

“Fine. I like the red and gold ones.”

“Really?” Brooke asked with a frown. “You don’t like these pretty blue and silver ones?”

I couldn’t help but smile. She wanted the blue and silver ones and that was what I was going to end up buying.

“Yes, Brooke. I do like those better than the red and gold.”

With a grin, she placed a couple of boxes of the blue and silver ornaments in the basket. We picked up a few other trimmings for the tree and headed back to the apartment.

Brooke

As soon as we pulled up to Logan’s building, Peter, the building doorman, came out and grabbed the box with the tree in it from the trunk of the cab.

“Thank you, Peter.” I smiled.

“You’re quite welcome, Brooke. I’ll have this brought up for you right away.” He winked.

“Thank you.”

Waiting for the elevator doors to open, I caught Logan staring at me.

“What?” I smirked.

“Since when did you become so friendly with Peter?” he asked.

I shrugged. “We have a nice little conversation every time I come and go. Did you know that his wife is fifteen years younger than him?”

“I didn’t even know he was married.” He frowned.

The elevator doors opened and we stepped inside. “It’s amazing what you can find out about people if you bother to get to know them.”

“I know a shitload of people. Sometimes more than I care to.” He laughed.

I rolled my eyes as we stepped into the hallway and to Logan’s apartment. Not too long after entering the apartment, the tree was delivered.

“Just set the box over there.” I pointed to the corner by the fireplace.

I looked over at Logan as he took a seat on the couch and placed his leg up on the coffee table.

“Umm. Get your ass over here and help me put this tree together.”

“As much as I would love to, I can’t.” He pointed to his leg.

Cocking my head at him, I spoke, “Rule number five, there is no such thing as ‘can’t.’ That is a word which is to be erased from your mind. You can help me put this tree together.”

He sighed as he sat there and stared at me with a blank look across his face. I couldn’t help but smile because he looked so handsome. My thoughts escaped me once again and this time, they involved him on top of me with that damn knit hat on. He got up from the couch and stood in front of me with his crutches.

“So how can I help?”

“Just take out each section and hand it to me. I’ll put it together and then we’ll put the ornaments on.”

He sat on the floor and handed me each section. After assembling the tree, I made him spread out the bottom branches while I worked on the top ones. Once we were finished, I plugged the tree in and smiled as the multi-colored lights lit up the room.

“Excellent. Now we can put on the ornaments.” I patted his chest as I walked over to the bag and took out the boxes.

As we placed the last ornament on the tree, it was time to place the star on top.

“I would do that, but it’s not possible right now.” He smirked.

“Ah, you actually listened to rule number five. No worries, I can do it.” I walked into the kitchen and grabbed a chair from the table.

Setting the chair in front of the tree, I grabbed the star and climbed on. As I reached up, I felt two strong hands latch onto my hips and a jolt of excitement soared through my body. I looked down at Logan.

“I’m just making sure you don’t fall,” he spoke with seriousness.

“Thanks. I appreciate that.”

Reaching back up, I placed the star on top of the tree. I would admit that I pretended to struggle with it for a moment because I loved the way his hands felt on me. He let go of my hips and I climbed off the chair.

“There. Now it’s finished. What do you think?” I asked as I looked over at him.

“It’s pretty, Brooke. Really pretty. Tommy would be proud.”

“Who’s Tommy?”

Logan sighed as he made his way back to the couch.

“He was my best friend and teammate.”

“Was?” I asked as I sat down next to him.

“He was killed in the accident. We were in his car.”

“I’m sorry, Logan. I had no idea. Why would he be proud?”

He looked over at me and pursed his lips. “He loved Christmas trees. Every year, he’d put one up at his place. He called me Scrooge because I refused to put one up. A few years ago, he bought me one of those Charlie Brown trees. You know, the one where it’s just a branch with a few little green leaves on it that leans to the side?”

“Yeah. I’ve seen those around.” I smiled. “Where is it?”

“It’s in the storage room somewhere.”

“Why don’t we get it out in memory of him?” I spoke as I placed my hand on his leg.

“I couldn’t go to his funeral because I was in the hospital. You know, I still haven’t visited his grave?” he spoke with a sad tone.

“That’s okay, Logan. You have plenty of time to go visit him. In fact, we can go tomorrow after therapy if you want.”

A small smile crossed his lips. “Maybe.”

****

Logan

As I sat there staring at the brightly lit tree, I couldn’t help the sadness that washed over me. Sad about Tommy not being here to see that I finally had one up and sad that I’d never see him again.

“How about a beer?” I asked as I lifted myself from the couch.

“I think a beer sounds good right about now. I’ll get them,” Brooke spoke.

“I can do it.”

Hobbling into the kitchen, I took two beers from the refrigerator and crutched myself back over to the couch.

“Thanks.” She gently smiled as I handed her the bottle.

“You’re welcome.”

Just as I sat down next to her, there was a knock on the door.

“I’ll get it,” Brooke spoke. “You stay put.”

The door opened and I heard my dad’s voice from the hallway. Grabbing my crutches, I got up from the couch to go see him.

“Hey, son.” He smiled.

“Hi, Dad. Thanks for stopping by.”

“I’m sorry I couldn’t be there when you got your cast off.”

“Nah. It’s fine. Dad, this is Brooke, my physical therapist.”

“Nice to meet you, Brooke.” He lightly shook her hand. “So you’re the one who kept me from seeing my son.”

“Yeah. Sorry about that, but your son really left me no choice.”

“Don’t be sorry. I can already see you’re helping him. I haven’t seen him this clean since the accident.”

“Uh, thanks, Dad.”

We walked into the living room and he took a seat in the chair next to the couch.

“Wow. You put up a tree,” he spoke in shock.

“It was Brooke’s idea.”

“Maggie is going to cook Christmas dinner at the house and I was hoping the two of you would come. That is, if you’re staying here for the holidays, Brooke.”

“Yes, I am staying in New York.” She smiled.

“Thanks, Dad. We’ll be there.”

“Great. I’ll let Maggie know.”

After talking with my dad for about an hour, he headed home. Brooke grabbed the beer bottles from the coffee table and took them into the kitchen. I followed behind.

“Your dad seems really nice.”

“He is when he’s sober. He used to be a really great dad. But after my mom died, he forgot how to be a parent.”

“People make mistakes, Logan,” she spoke as she placed her hands on the counter and looked down. “You need to forgive yourself before others can forgive you.”

As she looked up at me, the only thing I could see was despair that resided in her eyes. Something about her expression told me that she wasn’t talking about my dad.

“Eighteen years of mistakes is a pretty long time. What time are we heading to the gym tomorrow?”

“Eight o’clock.”

“Seriously? That early?”

“Yep. Rise and shine, Jackson.” Her lips gave way to a subtle smile.

“I’m heading to bed, then. I’ll see you in the morning,” I spoke as I turned around and headed to my room.

“Good night, Logan.”

Stopping halfway out of the kitchen, I turned and looked at her.

“Good night, Brooke.”

Climbing into bed, I discovered that it felt good to lie down without that damn cast on. I was exhausted and sleep wasn’t going to be an issue tonight, or so I thought.

Waking up out of a sound sleep, I found that the burning in my leg was unbearable. I lay there holding it, thinking that would somehow magically help. But it didn’t. It had gotten so bad that I began to sweat profusely. When I yelled for Brooke, she came running into my room.

“What’s wrong?” she asked as she flipped on the light and ran to my side.

“My leg is on fire. It feels like it’s burning off.”

“Hang tight. I’ll be right back.” She ran out of the room and returned a few moments later with a syringe in her hand.

“What the fuck is that?”

“Roll over on your side so I can inject this into your thigh.”

“Is it going to help?”

“It’s going to take the edge of. Now roll over,” she commanded.

I rolled to my side as her fingers grabbed the waistband of my pajamas. Pulling one side down far enough, she injected the needle into my skin. Suddenly, a freezing cold sensation filled my leg.

“You can roll over now.”

Closing my eyes and rolling onto my back, I took in a deep breath. I could feel the burning start to subside. When I opened them, the only thing I could focus on was Brooke standing over me in her long-sleeved pink nightshirt that had the word “LOVE” in capital letters across her chest.

“Any better?” she asked as her hand rested on my arm.

“Yes. Thank you. What was that you gave me?”

“Some special Chinese medicine.” The corners of her mouth curved slightly upwards.

I wished her smile was all I could focus on, but the truth was, the only thing I saw was her hard nipples poking through her nightshirt. Instantly, my cock started to twitch. She needed to leave and fast before my manhood rose and became visible under my sheets.

“Thanks, Brooke. I didn’t mean to wake you. Go back to bed.”

“Don’t worry about waking me. That’s what I’m here for. Try to get some sleep.”

As she walked away, I couldn’t help but stare at her ass and the outline of her thong, which was visible through her nightshirt. Good thing she left because my cock was now as hard as a rock.