Taming The Wild CEO novel Chapter 101

C H A P T E R 3 0 : H E R W O R S T F E A R A N D B R U I S E D A N K L E

J A V I E R S U M M E R S

“Jiev.”

That nickname seemed to be his undone. Her smoky voice rippled over him, obliterating any remote possibility that he could think clearly. His brains simply refused to function for the time being. Not when the only thought running through his brain was that she had murmured his name in that same way while lying naked in his arms, her body joined intimately with his. And as though Ella had been caught under the same sensual spell as he had, she suddenly scrambled beneath the covers. The difference was that she cried out in pain.

“What is it?” Javier demanded, rushing to her side.

“M-my ankle,” she finally answered. Her voice was shaky and her eyes were in pain. “I must have twisted it when I pulled the covers or something. It hurts so much.”

“Let me have a look,” he said and reached for the bedcover to pull it back.

“No!” Ella clung to the thick blanket of cotton. “I am okay,” she added more calmly, but judging from the white knuckle grip she had on the coverlet, he did not think so.

“Are you truly?” he asked again.

She nodded, swiped her tongue over her lower lip, a dead giveaway to the fact that she was nervous.

Biting back a groan at the innocent gesture, Javier leaned over to pick up the matching pajama bottoms that had fallen to the floor during her haste to get beneath the covers. The fabric was soft and as smooth as satin, just like her skin, rubbing his thumb along the sleek, cool surface. Calling himself ten kinds of fool for torturing himself this way, he let out a slow breath and waited for the need clawing inside him to pass.

“The bandage on my ankle is kind of bulky. I-I could not get the pants on over the bandage,” she explained. “That is why I’m not wearing them. The pants, I mean,” she told him as she reached for the ivory silk and crumpled it in her fists.

Javier grimaced. He certainly did not need her to remind him that she was half naked underneath the duvet. The image of Ella sitting on the bed in that whisper of silk was permanently imprinted in his mind and no doubt would keep him awake most of the night. And he damn well better get himself under control. Giving himself a mental kick, he jammed his fingers through his hair to keep from reaching for her. “Sorry. I guess I should have realized that would be a problem. Let me get you one of your nightgowns.”

“No,” she said quickly. She pulled the covers up higher and anchored them under her arms. “I am fine now.”

Too bad he could not say the same, Javier thought, as he contemplated the cold shower he was going to need once he arrived at his house.

“Do you really need to go?” The sadness in her voice ripped at him. So he sat on the edge of the bed.

He bit a smile before answering her, “I do not need to but I probably should.”

She looked hesitant at first but in the end, she braced herself to say it, “Would you please stay?”

“You do not ever have to worry that I will think that you are foolish because of what you feel, Miss Stanford. Trust me, I have never thought of that and I will never think like that. And you never have to be afraid to tell me what it is you are feeling or thinking.” He took a deep breath as he was about to reveal a little piece of truth that he had been holding earlier. “About your fear of thunderstorms and lightning, you did not have those before. But it was raining really hard when you had the accident and that is bound to shake up anyone and make them feel at least a little frightened. I suppose watching or hearing the thunderstorms has that effect on you.”

“I suppose you are right.”

“Of course, I am,” he teased. He kissed her knuckles, fought back the urge to draw her into his arms. “I want you to trust me. I promise that I will try my best not to let anyone hurt you ever again. Okay?”

“Okay,” she told him and gave him a tentative smile. “And I do trust you, Javier.”

“Good. I swear I will not let you down.”

“I believe you,” she whispered before telling him good night.

And when he retreated to the living room and slid beneath the blanket, he told himself that he would keep his promise to Ella. He would never let her down again. He would regain her trust and her love so that when her memory returned, she would repeat those same words to him and mean them. But until that time, he would keep his word to her. He would protect her and make sure that no one ever hurt her again. Including himself.

* * *

Dear Gentle Readers, this author is fully aware that all of you have been tired with all this sappiness in the air thus the next few chapters shall be filled with drama and exciting (?) scenes! Only twenty chapters left before this story is completed. Let's cherish it while it lasts. As always, if you are up for being generous, please vote this story with gems. Thank you!