Lightning

“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 slee
p, 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.

  Chapter 16

  Brooke

  After showering, I threw my hair up in a ponytail, slipped into my black workout pants, and put on my black and white sports bra. As I walked to the kitchen to get a cup of coffee, I stopped when I saw Logan standing behind the island. Just as he was about to sip his coffee, he stopped and his eyes raked over me like a salivating dog looking at a piece of raw meat.

  “I didn’t think you’d be up already,” I spoke as I tried to ignore his muscular body.

  “I couldn’t sleep anymore. Are you wearing that to the gym?”

  “Yeah.” I reached up into the cabinet for a coffee mug. “Why? Do I look bad or something?”

  “Umm. No. You look incredible. I mean, nice, good.” He was fumbling with his words and I couldn’t help but smile. “It’s just — I mean, shouldn’t you wear a shirt or something over that sports bra?”

  I let out a laugh. “Oh. I am. I just haven’t put it on yet. I wanted to grab some coffee.”

  It looked to me like he let out a sigh of relief.

  “I’ll be ready to go soon. How about you?”

  He set his coffee cup down on the counter. “Yeah. I just need to get dressed.”

  Putting on my boots and my coat, I grabbed my purse and Logan and I climbed into the back of a cab. When we arrived at the gym, I could tell he was a little apprehensive.

  “Don’t worry. I’m not going to hurt you.” I smiled as I had him sit down on the leg extension machine. You’re going to start with your damaged leg only.”

  I set the machine to ten pounds and got down on my knees, grabbing hold of his foot.

  “Slowly extend your leg,” I spoke as I helped him lift his leg. “We’re going to do ten reps to start and go from there.”

  After spending about thirty minutes on the leg extension machine, I handed him his crutches and took him over to the treadmill. He spent about an hour walking at a very slow pace until he looked over at me with sweat running down his face.

  “The pain is really bad, Brooke. I need to stop.”

  “Okay. That’s enough for today or at least until later. Let’s go sit on the bench so I can rub down your leg.”

  “Here? Can’t you wait to do that when we get home?”

  “No. It has to be done while the leg is still warm. What’s the problem?” I asked as I cocked my head at him.

  “It’s embarrassing. People will stare.”

  “I don’t care and neither should you.”

  He sighed as I helped him over to the bench. Taking out the bottle from my purse, I got down on my knees, poured the contents in my hand, and started massaging up and down his leg.

  “This will help with the pain. I promise.” I smiled as I looked up at him.

  As I made my way to his knee, I heard a voice from behind.

  “Hey, Logan. What’s up?”

  “Hey, bro.” Logan held his fist up and they fist bumped.

  “So what’s going on here?”

  “James, this is my physical therapist, Brooke. Brooke, this is James, one of my teammates.”

  “Nice to meet you, James.” I held up my hands. “Sorry, I’m a little greasy at the moment.”

  “No worries. It’s nice to meet you too, Brooke. Are you coming to the Christmas party on Friday night, Logan? The coach said he wasn’t sure.”

  “Nah. I don’t think so,” Logan spoke.

  “Yes. Actually, he will be there,” I interrupted.

  “Brooke,” he spoke in harsh tone, “I don’t want to go.”

  Looking over at James, I smiled. “Never mind him. He’ll be there.”

  “Great. We all miss you, Logan. It’ll be good to have the whole team together.”

  Logan looked down. “Dude, the whole team won’t be together. Have you forgotten about Tommy?”

  “No. I haven’t. But you know what I mean. I better get going. It was nice to meet you, Brooke. I’ll see you on Friday, Logan.”

  As he walked away, I glanced over at Logan, who was sitting there with a pissed off look on his face.

  “Talk to me, Logan.”

  “You had no right telling him that I’d be there. No right at all. This is my life, Brooke, and I make my own decisions. Understand?” he spoke in a low but stern voice as he picked up his crutches and hobbled away.

  Following him out the door of the gym, he hobbled to the corner to catch a cab.

  “Welcome to the land of the living, Logan!” I yelled from a few feet away.

  ****

  Logan

  I rolled my eyes as I climbed into the back of the cab while Brooke slid in on the other side. It wasn’t her decision whether or not I went to the Christmas party and it really pissed me off that she thought she could make my decisions for me.

  “Whether you like it or not, it’s time for you to start being social again.”

  “Give it a rest, Brooke. I’m not talking about this anymore. You’re here to help me rehabilitate my leg and that’s it! What I fucking want to do with my life is my business, not yours!”

  Her phone rang from inside her purse. As she pulled it out, I noticed the name, Mark, appeared on her screen. She immediately hit the decline button and shoved her phone back inside. I sat there and wondered who the hell Mark was as the ride back to my apartment was silent.

  Once we got inside, I went straight to my bedroom and lay down on the bed. Maybe I shouldn’t have snapped at Brooke the way I did, but she had no right. Closing my eyes, I fell asleep. When I awoke, I looked at my clock. I had been asleep for three hours. My leg was aching something fierce. Grabbing my crutches from the floor, I hobbled out to the living area and didn’t see Brooke. Checking in the kitchen, I saw that she wasn’t there either, so I hobbled down the hall to her room. The door was open, but she wasn’t in there. Great. Where the hell did she go?

  Taking a seat on the couch and turning on the TV, I looked at my phone
and thought about how I didn’t even have her phone number. How the hell could I not have her number? As I lay down and flipped through the channels, the door opened and Brooke walked in.

  “Where were you?” I asked.

  “Out.” She set her purse down on the table.

  Suddenly, a man appeared behind her. “Where do you want it, miss?” he asked.

  She stood in the middle of the room with her finger on her chin. Walking over to the area where I had two chairs and a small table, she picked the chairs up one at a time and put them in one of the guestrooms.

  “You can put it here, but make sure it’s facing the TV.”

  “What’s going on?” I asked.

  As I heard more voices from behind, I turned my head and saw two men carrying in a large treadmill and setting it down where the chairs once sat.

  “Thank you.” Brooke smiled as she handed the man some cash.

  “Thank you, Miss Alexander.” He nodded as he left.

  “I asked you a question,” I spoke.

  “I’m sorry. What question was that?” she said in a sarcastic sort of way.

  “I asked where you were. And why is there a treadmill in my living room?”

  “I was out and it’s for you to use.”

  “You went out and bought that?”

  “No. I rented it. I figured it would be better to start off with this and then use the other equipment at the gym when we need it. With the treadmill being here, it’ll be easier to get on it multiple times during the day and work that leg.”

  “Oh.”

  “I’m going to go to my room for a while and then we’ll get you back on the treadmill for a bit. Isn’t your team playing tonight?”

  “Yeah. They are.”

  “Good. You can watch the game while you’re on the treadmill.”

  She walked down the hall and went into her room. I continued to flip through the channels as I sat there and kept glancing down the hall, hoping she’d come back out and sit with me. After a while, I heard her phone ring. It sounded like it was coming from the foyer. Grabbing my crutches, I hobbled over and picked up her phone off the table. That was when I noticed that guy named Mark, whose call she ignored earlier, was calling again. Making my way to her room, I lightly knocked on the door.

  “Come in.”

  “Hey, your phone was ringing. You left it on the table in the foyer.”