Authors: Donna Gallagher
Mandy was a little embarrassed by his comment about her teenage attempt at painting a penis—which she had done mostly to shock her parents—but she was proud of her sketches of JT, knowing she had captured well the strength and power of not just his body, but the whole man.
Caitlin and Riley arrived not long after Mandy, both keen to check up on her. They appeared saddened by her decision not to return to Ashfield, but both admitted that they understood why.
Mandy had been wondering why JT had not been to training in three days. The Jets had won, which did mean they had a week off, but she was surprised they weren’t training at all. She mentioned this to Caitlin as her friend was settling her into bed, and noticed that Caitlin looked uncomfortable.
“Okay, what’s going on, Cait? Spill.”
Caitlin took a deep breath, as if mulling over whether to answer Mandy, before replying, “When they were in Brisbane—after you got hurt—JT told Brodie he was retiring from playing. He blames the game and himself for being away that night, sweetie. I wasn’t supposed to tell you, but I’d want to know if I were you.”
Mandy could not believe what she was hearing, and was furious with JT. Why would he give up now, so close to the end of the season and with such a good chance at winning the whole damn competition? Mandy was not going to let that happen, and she shouted very loudly for JT to get into their room, quick smart.
Caitlin, probably deciding that was her cue to leave, kissed JT lightly on the cheek and told him it had been nice knowing him as she hurried from the room, leaving an obviously confused and worried JT in the doorway.
* * * *
JT stood and listened to his little fireball as she told him that he was not giving up the game he loved for her, not now she was safe. Con was probably going away for years because of all the charges against him—including attempted murder, as June and Jon Senior had been witnesses, first-hand, to his threats. Mandy went on to list to him how she was just starting to understand the infernal game, and asked him how he could dare to quit now. She was really giving him what for, and all JT could think of doing was kissing her adorable mouth. He heard the sound of his father chuckling behind him—Jon Senior had also come running, worried at the sound of Mandy’s shouts.
JT walked slowly all the way into the room and shut the door behind him. He held up both hands in surrender and laughed.
Probably not the smartest move, really
, he thought, too late to stop the book Mandy had been reading from hitting him in the shoulder.
“Ouch, that hurt!” Mandy cried, as the action of throwing the book jolted her broken arm.
“Okay! I surrender, woman! Don’t hurt me or yourself anymore.” JT laughed. “I will go back to training tomorrow. But we will discuss our future and what I do next season together. What do you think?”
JT didn’t give Mandy the chance to answer him. He took possession of her mouth carefully, kissing her into silence and perhaps submission. It certainly seemed to work in his favour, as Mandy was immediately distracted from the argument.
JT decided that he would remember this form of defence for any future disagreements.
Chapter Twenty-Four
The rest of the week seemed to crawl by for Mandy. She was so frustrated at her own lack of mobility—she even needed help to do the most personal of things, such as wash and dress. It was tough not being able to work, as her art was often the best way for her to dispel any unsettling emotions. She found that if she let her mind wander for too long, the events of her attack would come rushing back, often leaving her shaky and panic-stricken in response.
But trying to keep herself busy was frustratingly impossible. She had decided to take up the advice from JT’s dad and seek some victims counselling, to help her not only get past her most recent ordeal, but put the entire disastrous relationship with Con behind her and to get on with the rest of her life.
JT, on the other hand, was taking everything in his stride. He was happy to aid her in any way, and nothing fazed him. Nothing was too much trouble—nothing except what she wanted most of all. Needed.
Mandy was sexually frustrated. Having enjoyed JT’s insatiable appetite before the attack, she was worried—actually, ‘worried’ was too mild a word to describe it. Mandy was terrified. JT was acting as if he was not interested in sex at all. Well, not sex with her, anyway. Yes, he cuddled her possessively every night, pulling her bottom tight against his erection, soothing her if she awoke terrorised by her dreams—but nothing else ever happened.
Mandy had tried taking things into her own hand, so to speak. But with only one good hand and various parts of her anatomy still bruised, she was clumsy and ineffectual in her art of seduction. JT, rather than taking the hint and perhaps helping her out, just seemed unaware of her intentions. Mandy didn’t know what to do. She was worried that maybe JT didn’t want her anymore. She’d begun to question his motives—what if he was too disgusted by all the drama of the attack, and was only staying with her out of a sense of obligation? But that didn’t account for his constant erection.
She was too embarrassed to actually talk to him about their lack of intimacy. He was already doing so much for her—cooking, cleaning, helping her to bathe and dress. She didn’t want to seem ungrateful. JT had also resumed his training schedule with the Jets team.
Perhaps he’s just worn out,
Mandy tried to convince herself. “Yeah, right—as if that ever stopped him before,” she actually answered herself.
She was muttering under her breath as she sat struggling to eat her cereal with her right hand, which was her
wrong
hand. Jon Senior looked up from the paper he was reading and raised his eyebrows in a questioning manner.
“Did you say something, Mandy?”
“Oh, no. Just thinking out loud, Mr Thomson.”
“I wish you would call me something else, honey. ‘Jon’, or maybe even ‘Dad’, if you like. I’d be honoured to think you might one day see me that way.” Jon Senior tenderly placed his big, warm hand over Mandy’s smaller one.
Hormones were a terrible thing. Mandy, unable to control hers from one minute to the next, started crying again at the man’s heartfelt words. As she wiped her teary eyes on the sleeve of her unbroken arm, Mandy managed to sob in reply,
“I’d really love to call you ‘Dad’, if that’s okay. You are that in my heart already.”
“Good, it’s settled then, daughter,” Jon Senior replied, then quickly picked up his newspaper and held it up, as if to block his own emotional face from her view.
The sound of knocking at the door ended their sentimentally charged conversation.
“I’ll get it,” Mandy said as she stood up, carefully trying not to move her still painful left arm. The plaster cast helped with keeping the arm immobile, but Mandy was still refusing any pain medication. It was a relief, though, that the pain seemed to be receding more each day.
It was a nice surprise to see Caitlin standing at the door, holding two large cups of what appeared to be coffee.
“I thought you could use a cup, and a chat. Decaf for you and the bub, though! How are you doing, Mandy?” Caitlin asked as she moved through the open doorway, handing Mandy one of the cups as she tilted the other in mock salute.
“Well! Getting sick of everyone asking me that question.” Mandy laughed ruefully as she took the coffee from Caitlin and touched the cup to Caitlin’s as if to say cheers. “Who knew you could miss caffeine so much? But decaf is better than nothing, I guess,” she said as she took a hesitant sip. “I’m doing okay, Cait. Sick of myself and the fact I’m so useless at the moment…but getting stronger each day. C’mon in—let’s go sit down,” Mandy said. She led the way to the family room and took a seat on the sofa, gesturing for Caitlin to join her. “How’s Riley?”
“Riley is fine. He is still strutting around like a puffed-out peacock, so full of himself after JT made such a fuss over him. Not to mention the way Brodie has been clucking around him…and of course, June and the police telling him he’s a hero. It all adds to his now overinflated ego.”
Caitlin’s smile let Mandy know that she was as proud of her brother’s quick thinking in going for help as all the people she had just mentioned.
“But he is a hero, Caitlin. Riley probably saved my life.” Mandy shuddered visibly. “Let’s not talk about that just now.” She quickly changed the subject so as to not get caught up in any memories that might lead to a panic attack in front of her friend.
“How’s your personal
hero
?
”
Mandy asked, using Caitlin’s own nickname for Brodie. “What new and wonderful ways has he shown you his undying love recently?”
“Oh, you know my Brodie, always wanting to buy me some new thing or another, as if I need new stuff to make me love him more—pfft! Now he has upped the pressure to move in with him…using the ‘safety card’ this time.” Caitlin mimicked speech marks with her fingers and rolled her eyes at Mandy.
“I’m sorry, Cait. I didn’t mean to cause you any trouble…”
“Mandy, stop the worrying. I love the fact that he wants me to move in with him. Just want to see him all squashed up on my sofa-bed for a bit longer. It’s
so
cute.” She giggled. “Although I think we’ll need some extra privacy soon. Riley got up for a drink of water the other night and all but caught us. My goodness, I was so busy enjoying Brodie…you know…down there,” she whispered sheepishly, “I didn’t hear him. Brodie covered up by saying he was looking for my bed sock. I’ve never been so embarrassed.”
Mandy was laughing, and it felt good. Just imagining the look on Brodie’s face as he and Caitlin were caught during oral sex—what a hoot!
“Gee, Brodes can think fast on his feet…or knees, whatever. Good cover-up. Do you think Riley bought it?”
“Oh, I hope so, Mandy. I really do.”
They chatted some more before Caitlin finally got to the real reason for her unexpected visit. She explained to Mandy that JT had been talking to Brodie, and Brodie had asked her advice. Mandy was intrigued and listened to her friend closely as Caitlin repeated word for word—or what Brodie had told her was word for word—his and JT’s talk. It was so silly, almost laughable, what had been going on.
JT, while usually very private about intimate issues, had been crying—so to speak—on Brodie’s shoulder. JT had told Brodie that he was so hot and horny he was going mad, lying next to Mandy’s tempting-as-sin body with her luscious booty pressed against him, and he was finding it impossible to sleep. Instead, he was enduring the torture night after night, breathing in her scent and making do with just embracing her, not willing to cause Mandy even the slightest moment of discomfort, so sure that any attempt at making love would cause her pain.
Mandy was both horrified and pleased. JT loved her and wanted her. The big oaf was actually causing her more distress by not making love to her.
“Getting caught having oral sex is not nearly as embarrassing as Brodie and JT talking about our sex life! Love to have been a fly on the wall for
that
chat. Think it might be a wee bit uncomfortable next time I’m face to face with Brodie though.” Mandy grimaced at the thought of it, before continuing on more seriously.
“I’d thought he’d gone off me, Cait. He used to not be able to keep his hands off me…and vice versa. I was so scared that he was just doing the right thing by me, you know, getting me well before kicking me to the kerb. Who could blame him, the amount of grief I’ve caused him…and you all? You can only take so much drama in your life—I can attest to that. But all this time he was worried about hurting me. I could kill him for worrying me like that! Just wait till I see him. ‘Luscious booty’… He really said that?”
Caitlin’s advice that maybe Mandy and JT should communicate a bit more was, Mandy believed, right on the money. Hearing Caitlin add that she hadn’t minded being in the middle of their love life again was a bit of a shock, until Caitlin explained the whole conversation she and JT had shared before, about Mandy’s undiscovered pregnancy.
“I can’t wait to tell Brodie your side of the story. I bet when you two get this all sorted, the result will be way better than make-up sex.”
Caitlin’s comment had both women giggling again, just as the two men in question strolled through the door, looking slightly apprehensive at what could have caused such amusement in their respective women.
“Doesn’t bode well for us when these two get all giggly together, JT. Do you think we might be the subject of their amusement, or is it some other poor human?” Brodie smiled lovingly down at Caitlin as he spoke, then delivered a tender kiss to her forehead. Mandy reached her good hand out and smacked JT gently on the backside, wanting to touch him so desperately. She loved him so much, the big adorable hunk. She could not believe how lucky she was to have found such a caring man.
Brodie and JT explained—well, Brodie, just like the captain and leader he was, did most of the talking—that they were keen to go and watch the preliminary finals being held on Saturday and Sunday, and had been wondering if Mandy felt up to going. Mandy found it so touching that these men worried so much about her. They could have just gone to the game without her, and she would have understood. Watching their competitors play was comparable to research for their jobs, and she told JT and Brodie how she felt.
“Rubbish, woman. If you’re not up to going, I can just as soon watch the games on TV,” JT growled in his usual loving, gruff tone.
“Yep, and so can I,” Brodie added as he winked at Mandy.
Mandy just laughed at the two giant men standing like twin cement pillars, bulky arms crossed over their broad hard chests, with chiselled faces that she could imagine opposition players dreamt of in their worst nightmares.
“You are both so cute, double-teaming me, so I will say yes. It’s okay, boys, I should be up to an outing. In fact, Caitlin and I were just talking about going to the game and checking out the Storms’ forward pack. We heard that the props in particular are quite a sight—big, tough, macho men.”