Billionaire Unmasked ~ Jason (Billionaire’s Obsession #6)(39)
Author: J.S. Scott

The pilot removed his headphones, turned around and handed Jason a jug of water. “You look like you need this.”

Not surprisingly, Tate was the pilot, and he grinned at her. “Rescued you again, H.L. Sinclair. You gonna hug me now?” He fired up the helicopter.

Hope gave him a weak smile. “Maybe next time,” she answered sassily.

“You’ll touch her over my dead body,” Jason answered irritably.

“That can be arranged,” Tate shot back with a brash smile.

“Hospital, Colter. Let’s move,” Jason growled. He handed Hope the water first and helped her tip it up. When she’d had her fill, Jason chugged part of the bottle before he put it on the seat next to him.

“I’m going. Jeeezus! Mission accomplished, Sutherland. Chill out,” Tate answered calmly as he turned around and put his headphones back on.

Tate had the bird in motion quickly, rising up so fast that Hope felt as if she’d left her stomach on the ground.

“Fuck. He flies like a bat out of hell,” Jason complained loudly.

“You asked for it.” Hope laid her head on his shoulder, her mouth near his ear so he could hear her over the noise of the helicopter. “I’ve been with him in a helicopter before.”

Hope still remembered the harrowing flight to safety Tate had made after they’d rescued her. Tate didn’t do anything slow. He was meticulous, fast, and probably very deadly. She’d never seen him that way, but she didn’t doubt that he could be lethal underneath that cocky smile and teasing demeanor.

“During your rescue?” Jason asked coarsely, his body tense.

“Yeah. He always seems to push everything to the limit. He flew the same way when he was in Special Forces. He’s good.”

“He’s an ass**le sometimes,” Jason retorted tightly.

“He saved my life. I think he saved a lot of lives. I can give him a pass on being arrogant just because of that,” Hope said soberly.

“What was that shit about hugging him?” Jason asked heatedly.

Hope shrugged. “I hugged him because I was so happy to see him and I was grateful to him. He thinks he’s irresistible.” She had to admit, Tate was breathtakingly gorgeous, and that small dimple did make him totally fascinating and alluring. Understandably, his aura of danger and mystery added to his personality would make him an unholy temptation to most women. But Hope wasn’t most women, and the only chemistry she felt was with the man who held her lovingly, protectively, the guy who had literally scaled a mountain to help her.

Jason.

“No more hugging men unless it’s me,” Jason demanded.

Hope smiled against his shoulder. “I do have brothers.”

“Fine. Just them.”

“He did pick us up, and he is taking us to the hospital at warp speed,” Hope said teasingly. “Maybe I could just give him a small peck on the cheek later?” She poked at the tiger, and she knew it, but she couldn’t help herself. The more possessive Jason became, the more secure she felt. Right now, she needed that reassurance. She was sick from the heat and hurting. It took her mind off her bodily pain.

“You want to kiss him?” Jason sounded appalled and disgruntled.

“Please. Just to say thank you,” she spurred him on.

“No. I don’t want your lips or body anywhere near Colter in the future,” he argued fiercely. His arms tightened around her waist greedily. “All he’d have to do is smell your intoxicating scent and he’d try to steal you away.”

Smirking against his shoulder because he seemed to be under the impression that she was irresistible to any man, she answered, “Right now, I stink.”

“You’re still not kissing him,” he answered adamantly.

“We’ll see,” she answered mysteriously. The helicopter descended for a landing.

He grunted, annoyed, but he answered, “At the moment, all I care about is you. It looks like we’re at the hospital. Are you still hurting?”

She nodded hesitantly. Her ankle throbbed agonizingly, but she didn’t want Jason to know how badly she hurt. “I’ll be fine.”

“I’m so sorry, Hope. You’ll never know how much,” he replied huskily, his voice emanating regret and remorse.

She opened her mouth to reply, to try to alleviate some of his self-castigation, but the door to the helicopter flew open. Helping hands assisted her to a gurney that had been brought out to the helicopter pad.

Once situated, several bodies pushed the gurney toward the entrance to the ER. One older man asked rapid-fire questions and forced her to turn her attention away from Jason to answer him.

They sent her to x-ray almost immediately. Jason waited in the room for her with a discontented, worried expression.

Hope smiled at him as they wheeled her away, to reassure him she’d be fine. Maybe she would make him grovel, but there was no doubt in her mind that Jason Sutherland loved her. His heart-stopping scramble down the sheer mountain cliff had been more than enough to convince her, and she’d thought about everything that had happened between the two of them since they’d arrived here in Rocky Springs. Yes, he’d been wrong. Yes, he’d sometimes been an ass**le. But his concern had always been there, and his tenderness wrenched her heart.

She was in the ER for hours, but once she’d returned from x-ray, Jason had been waiting for her, and he never left her side again.

Chapter 14

The next day, Hope got a phone call from each one of her brothers, all of them angry as hell at Jason. By the time she got to Grady’s call, the last brother to contact her, she was done hearing all of them beat up Jason verbally.

She was back in her bed at the guesthouse, her ankle elevated. It wasn’t broken, but it was badly sprained. The swelling was already down from ice and anti-inflammatory medication, and the pain was almost nonexistent unless she tried to bear weight on her right foot. She’d be up and around shortly. The ankle just needed some time to heal.

Jason had waited on her hand and foot, stayed with her constantly, and fetched anything she wanted or needed. He stood at the foot of the bed and frowned as she talked to Grady on the phone.

“I swear I’m going to put his balls into his throat when I see him. Emily’s packing right now. We’re on our way,” Grady told her gruffly.

Hope sighed. She’d already explained to every one of her brothers that Jason was taking very good care of her, and she didn’t want for anything. She’d be fine as soon as she was up and around.