Stormy Vows - Iris Johansen [102]
Jake's eyes widened in surprise. “What the hell!” he exclaimed, his hand loosening around her wrist. His lightning glance took in the pasty color of Jane's face and the helpless quiver of her lips. “My God, what the hell happened?” he asked roughly. “You look like you're about to pass out.”
She shook her head as the wave of nausea gradually subsided. “I hit my leg,” she said shakily. “I'll be all right in a minute.” She sank back into her chair and closed her eyes, breathing deeply to still the sudden quivering weakness in her stomach.
With a muttered oath Jake was out of his chair and kneeling in front of her, his hands swiftly rolling up the loose leg of her khaki trousers.
She opened her eyes in sudden alarm and reached down to stop him. “No,” she said quickly. “I'll be fine. Just give me a moment.”
Jake's dark eyes were grim. “You're not going to stop me, Jane, so don't try,” he said harshly. “You barely touched that table leg and yet you're almost fainting with pain. I'm going to find out why.”
His determined gaze held hers for a long moment before she dropped her eyes. She couldn't fight him right now, she thought wearily. She hadn't the strength.
He had rolled the cuff over her knee, and now his swift, dexterous hands were unrolling the elastic bandage. He unwrapped the last layer of cloth and pulled the bandage away to reveal the ugly purple swelling of her kneecap.
“Good God!” he swore harshly. “What the hell have you done to yourself? That knee must be terribly painful.”
Jane wet her lips nervously with her tongue. “It's not that bad,” she said. “It will be fine in a few days.” She tried to cover the discolored bruise with her trouser leg, but he stopped her, an ominous frown clouding his face. His sharp glance had now noted the slight thickness beneath the other pant leg, and with a terse but descriptive obscenity he proceeded to roll it up. His face was rigidly controlled as he unwrapped the second bandage and saw the swollen knee.
He sat back on his heels, and his gaze traveled from knee to knee with incredulous eyes. “You've got to be the most stupid little bitch on the face of the earth!” he said explosively. “Haven't you got the sense to know that those bruises need attention? You shouldn't even be on your feet, for God's sake.”
“They'll be all right,” she insisted stubbornly. “I'll bathe them in cold water when I get back to my cabin.” She started to rise, and he pushed her unceremoniously back into the chair.
“Stay where you are,” he ordered. “I don't want you on your feet again until you have my permission. Which probably won't be for at least a week,” he added grimly, as he eyed the abused knees sourly.
“That's not possible,” Jane said stubbornly. “I've got to work tomorrow.”
Jake's lips were taut with anger as he remarked sarcastically, “Your devotion to duty is praiseworthy, but I run things around here, if you recall. You'll do what I say and like it. I'll tell Marc I'm sending you to bed for the next week.”
“No!” she cried forcefully, her golden eyes blazing. “I won't have Captain Benjamin think I came running to you because I couldn't take it. I'm going back to work tomorrow, and you can't stop me!”
Jake's eyes narrowed at her words. “What can't you take, Jane?” he asked with the softness of a stiletto sheathed in velvet. “Why should Marc think that you'd run to me?”
“I can take anything your precious captain hands out,” Jane said, breathing raggedly, “anything! And neither you nor anyone else is going to keep me from being on that deck in the morning!”
“We'll see about that,” he said. “But right now you're going to tell me what you're going to be doing on that deck tomorrow.”
“Why, scrubbing it, of course,” she said bitterly, suddenly reckless. “Miles and miles of it. How else do you think my knees would get like this?”
Jake Dominic went suddenly still. “You're saying that Benjamin has had you scrubbing decks on your hands and knees for the past four days?”
Jane tossed her head.