Read Online Busted: Promise Harbor, Book 3 by Sydney Somers - Free Book Online

kind of pain at the moment. Still, his body had taken one hell of a hit. “Don’t worry. My hockey career is already over.” Saying as much aloud always sucked, but he was a little too distracted by the worry in her eyes to get hung up on it this time.
    “Sorry about that.”
    “Not your fault the stupid cat climbed a tree.” The same stupid cat that sat licking its paws only a few feet away.
    Her expression softened. “I meant about hockey.”
    “Oh.” He leaned up on his elbows, gritting his teeth at the pain that stretched across his side. Perfect. A bruised rib was just what he needed after a bar fight and dropping out of a tree.
    “You’re bleeding.”
    “The icing on the cake,” he muttered, then dragged himself up to see if anything else hurt. Nothing else registered, though, when he noticed her still cradling her wrist. “Let me see.”
    She waved him off. “Just a little sprain. No big deal.”
    No big deal didn’t make sense with the way she avoided putting weight on it when she stood. Jackson didn’t let her get any further until she held it out for inspection.
    With a sigh, she thrust her hand toward him. He gently probed her wrist, trying not to notice how smooth and warm her skin was beneath his fingers. She hissed out a breath and tugged her hand free.
    With her left hand, she scooped up the kitten and continued along the path to her building. Seeing her favor one leg just a bit made it impossible to decide which one of them was in rougher shape.
    He picked up his stuff along with Hayley’s discard sandals and trailed after her. His bad knee spasmed in protest for a minute, then settled into its usual dull pain. He’d gotten used to ignoring it for the most part, and it certainly helped that he was following Hayley and her killer legs even a guy on his deathbed would have appreciated. He couldn’t have asked for a better distraction from the lingering discomfort that would undoubtedly be worse in the morning.
    Hayley knocked at the first apartment they came to, and an elderly man with a cane and a Beatles T-shirt opened the door.
    He scowled down at the kitten. “More trouble, Copernicus?” He held his hand out, and Hayley handed the little bugger over. The kitten immediately snuggled in to him.
    “Hope he wasn’t too much trouble for you, Hayley.”
    Apparently the man had missed their gold-medal-winning dismount.
    “Not at all,” she lied, giving Jackson a subtle shake of her head, as if he’d say otherwise.
    The man’s white head bobbed. “How are the boys doing? Matt says you’re almost as good of a coach as your grandfather. My grandson isn’t giving you a hard time, is he? I know he’s been talking about you working with them on top of hockey camp this summer.”
    “It’s no problem at all. Pete’s a good kid. Plays hard.”
    The man nodded. “As good as this one someday maybe?” He gestured to Jackson. “Enjoy the wedding.” He closed the door, and Hayley led the way upstairs.
    On the way she glanced over her shoulder at him. “Allie is going to kill me.” She opened the door at the top of the stairs. “Arresting you was probably enough to make her wonder if I was sabotaging the wedding, and now this.”
    He leaned against the jamb, watching her pause in front of a mirror near the door to inspect her own appearance. “Why would she think you’d sabotage the wedding?”
    Hayley headed down the hall, then waved for him to follow. “That’s a long story.”
    His mind leaped to the only conclusion that could put a hold on the wicked thoughts he shouldn’t even be having about Hayley to begin with. “You and Josh never hooked up, did you?” His friend had certainly never said anything about it.
    She paused at the entrance to a small bathroom painted a flowery shade of purple. “God, no. Nothing like that.”
    Relieved, he set their stuff down and tucked his hands in his pockets. It shouldn’t have mattered if Josh and Hayley had slept together. She and Jackson