Serving the Soldier - Part 3 (An Alpha Military Romance) by Helen Grey

to stay.
    I had never backed out of the caregiving situation before. This was definitely a first. Still, I was nothing if not logical. Perhaps I should go back inside and let Jax know that—
    “How dare you!”
    I turned to find Stephanie standing at the shallow end of the pool, her hands on her hips, her eyebrows drawn down in anger. “It’s none of your damn business to get involved in Jackson’s personal affairs—”
    I stood. “As I told you before, my interest in Jax—Mister Andrews—is purely medical. My job is to make sure that he heals and heals properly so that he doesn’t have any disabilities due to his injuries. It was stupid and foolish of you to make him hump you like that—”
    “How dare you speak to me that way!” she snapped. “I want the name of your agency, and the name of your supervisor. I’m going to report you!”
    “Ask Mister Andrews,” I said, keeping my voice calm and professional. “He’s my patient. If he wants to file a complaint against me, he’s perfectly welcome to. You’re not.”
    She took a step closer to me. We were only standing a couple of feet apart. For a moment, I thought she was going to slap me or push me into the pool. I took a step back, my eyes not leaving hers. She didn’t intimidate me. She was nothing but a snob, and a stupid one at that.
    “I know you have eyes for him,” Stephanie muttered. “Don’t even think about it. You’re not getting anything from Jackson. If you think you’re going to wiggle your way into his life like some slutty gold digger, you’ve got another think coming.”
    I stared at her in dismay. “Gold digger? What are you talking about?”
    “Oh, I’ve seen your kind before, pretending to be all caring and compassionate, and then you want to gouge him for everything he’s got. Well, I’m telling you right now that you’re not going to get anything but your nursing fees.”
    I frowned. “I still don’t know what you’re talking about, Stephanie,” I said. “I’m here to do a job. Nothing less and nothing more. I don’t expect anything from Mister Andrews besides my fee. You can accept that for what it’s worth, but I really don’t care.”
    Stephanie stared at me for several moments, and I wondered what Jax had ever seen in her. She might be beautiful, but she was ugly inside. At that moment, I glanced up toward the house. To my surprise, I saw Jax standing in my bedroom window. He stared down at both of us.
    I turned back to Stephanie. “I’m a nurse, Stephanie, and I’m going to do my job. Nothing less and nothing more. If you don’t like it, you can leave.”
    “And you can get the hell out of here!” she snarled. “That’s it. You can pack your bags and leave, within the hour.”
    I shook my head. “The only person that can fire me is Mister Andrews,” I informed her.
    “We’ll see about that.”
    I decided that standing here arguing with Stephanie served no purpose. I suddenly felt weary to the bone. Dealing with Jax’s noncompliance was trying enough, and added to that were the threats on his life, getting run off the road, and now dealing with his bitchy ex-wife after watching him have sex with her. It was too much. Giving her a wide berth, I headed back toward the house. When I glanced up at my bedroom window, Jax was no longer standing there.
    I made my way up to my room, but it was empty. Only the lingering scent of his cologne remained.
    “Jax!” I called out.
    “In my office,” came the reply.
    I left my room and strode to the doorway of his office. I didn’t hear Stephanie anywhere in the house. “Jax, I need to look at the incision.” My voice brooked no argument. “I can do it in here or in your bedroom, or downstairs. Pick a place.”
    He stared at me for several moments, and then I saw the twitch of his lips. “We can do it in here, Angie,” he said. He slowly stood and moved from behind the desk toward the window. He turned his back to me so that I could have access to the