Page 43 of Alpha Bond
The stares increase tenfold as we make our way into the busy canteen.
“Ready?” Jagger says beneath his breath. I’m too tense to do more than squeeze his hand, and then we’re heading into the morning breakfast crowd. The conversation stops short as we walk in.
Ugh. Great.
Jagger ignores it, heading straight to the table we’ve occupied every morning since I got here. Bert bustles up, his face wreathed in smiles.
“Coffee. Black.” Jagger doesn’t give him a chance to say anything else.
Bert pinches his lips together and then glances at me. “Green tea?”
“Please.” I smile. The poor guy looks ready to burst, but it’s clear that he can see that Jagger isn’t going to entertain any chatter.
“I’ll get your breakfast,” Jagger says, heading to the counter, just as he always does. I take some comfort in the routine of it all but find myself avoiding eye contact with those around us. My cheeks are flaming.
Grow up, Sierra!
“Well, aren’t you the sly one!” Doctor Bea’s voice has my head jerking up. She slides onto the bench beside me and shoulder bumps me. “I would never have guessed. But then again, I told you he was a marshmallow.”
“Squishy inside.” I give a nervous-sounding giggle.
“Squishy?” Jagger sets our plates down, and I startle. “What’s squishy?”
“You are.” Doctor Bea leans over and snags a square of toast from his plate. “I told your lady here that she’d see your softer side, eventually. I had no idea you’d take it this far.”
Jagger shrugs. “Came naturally. We’re made for each other.” He takes a mouthful from his coffee mug. “What brings you here, Doc? Shouldn’t you be tending the sick?”
Her eyes have narrowed slightly at his reply. “Came to check on my patient, Jagger Law. And there are no ‘sick’ to tend to. When did you get so bossy?” She touches my arm. “How are you feeling, honey? Did you finish the course of meds, as I told you?”
“I’m good. I followed your instructions to the letter.” I put a bite of egg into my mouth.
“She had no choice,” Jagger interrupts. “I made her do it every morning.”
“You’ll make a great nurse. And an even better mate.” The doctor winks at him, though I sense that she’s taking in the sight of me in a way that’s about more than curiosity. I take another bite of egg, wishing my cheeks weren’t flushed and my lips weren’t still dry.
“You’re not better yet.” Her observation doesn’t come as a surprise.
“I’m fine.”
Her hand is cool as she brushes it over my forehead. “Nope. You’re still burning up. I want you back in my rooms as soon as possible.” She raises a hand when I open my mouth. “And I’m not taking any arguments.”
“But—”
“You’ll do as the doctor says, Sierra.” Jagger’s voice is firm. I raise an eyebrow at him in a way that I hope conveys a strong “you’re not the boss of me” message. He doesn’t get it. “As soon as the ceremony is over.”
I swallow hard. Shit. This is all happening so fast. Am I doing the right thing? If I’m not, I’m not going to get a chance to second-guess myself.
Just go with it.
I heave out a breath. “Sure.”
“And that might happen sooner than you expected,” the doctor goes on. “I heard Callum talking about getting everyone together at noon.”
“Noon?” Jagger’s eyes go wide. Mine do, too.
“Yeah. Greyson and the committee have been in a meeting for the past hour. Seems there’s some excitement about all of this. Some of the males are complaining that you’re not on the list. The bosses want to get things over with before we have any trouble.”
“Fuck,” he mutters.