“It’s way past second watch. You slept for hours.” Mia was feeling really cheerful. He looked a lot better. She offered a glass of water to him, and he sat up to drink. The bedclothes fell down to his waist, leaving his naked torso exposed. She looked at his bodacious chest and felt a tingling in parts south. She didn’t feel at all platonic toward him like she had a few hours before.
He gave the emptied glass back. Mia set it down on the bedside table. When she looked back at him, she saw that he had narrowed his eyes, and he was staring coldly at her. “You should have woken me up.” He clenched his jaw like he was biting back some more words, only not the polite kind.
Mia realized he was angry. That surprised her. Then she realized he was still feeling the weakening effects of the wound and resultant illness. For someone like him, an almost perfect human specimen, it must be worrisome that he felt so unlike himself. She spoke soothingly to him, just like any good nurse would. “Look, you lost a lot of blood. You were dehydrated, and you probably started suffering from hypothermia after being out like that all night in the cold. You needed the rest.”
He looked like he was going to pop off at her, so she popped the thermometer into his mouth. He looked like he might bite it in two, but she shook her head at him. “Be good.” Mia took hold of his wrist, and they tussled a little bit before he would let her take his pulse. All the while, his electric-blue eyes were blazing at her. When she was done with his pulse, she took out the thermometer. His pulse was steady, and his temperature was falling back to normal. Mia was pleased, and she smiled at him. He narrowed his eyes again.
Her cell phone rang. She plucked it out of her pocket and looked at the caller ID. She flipped open the phone. “Hi, Marti.”
“Are you okay?”
Her hunk sat up and reached for the frou-frou beach towel. Mia whipped it away out of his reach. He glared at her. “Oh, sure. Just a touch of food poisoning, I think. Must have been the shellfish.”
“Mia, you don’t eat shellfish.”
He got an evil grin on his face. He reached for the edges of the bedclothes and grasped them, slowly pulling them down past his naval. A narrow, south-heading line of red-gold hairs was revealed. Mia instantly got that he was threatening to throw off the bedclothes. He was buck naked underneath, of course. It wasn’t like she was bashful or anything. In fact, at any other time, she probably wouldn’t mind seeing what he had. However, now was so not the time. She didn’t want to lose control of her patient.
Mia hurried to end the call. “A bad hamburger. Whatever. Look, I’ve got to go puke.”
“Eeew! Okay, bye!”
Mia snapped the phone shut. Sternly, she leveled her finger at him. “You’re the one who said no hospital! You’re the one that got a fever! You’re the one who couldn’t be left by himself, oh no! So I had to lie and take off from work. Stop being such a big baby! Stay in that bed! Got it?”
“Got it.” His intensely blue eyes glittered like deep lake water struck by bright sunlight. He looked mulish, but he settled against the pillows and pulled the bedclothes back up to his gorgeous chest. Watching that nice flat belly disappear, Mia sighed regretfully. He growled at her. “Who’s Marty—Martin?”
“Just my best girlfriend in the whole, whole world! Marti hates her real name—probably because her mom is the only one who calls her Martina.” Mia shot a stern look at him as she picked up the water pitcher and poured another glass of water. She palmed a couple of aspirin and handed the glass and the aspirin to him. “I don’t like fibbing to Marti or to my boss. You better appreciate it.”
He was quiet for a second while taking the aspirin, but he was watching her with eagle eyes. He put the empty glass on the bedside table beside the water pitcher. “You said you had to puke.”
“I needed to get off the phone quick.” Mia frowned down at him. “You’ve been trouble from the get-go, do you know that? Men make the very worst patients! Now, get some more rest! You’ve still got a little fever. I don’t want to lie any more than I have to, to cover your pretty ass.”
He didn’t grin, but she could see the rise of laughter in his eyes. “You’re the boss.”
“Yeah, hotshot, I am.” Mia marched out of the bedroom, mumbling under her breath.
It was a long day. Mia filled in the time by cleaning the apartment and catching up on the laundry and cooking. It was actually kind of fun. It was almost like a mini vacation because she didn’t have to hurry through everything just to get out the door. She sniffed appreciatively. Her place smelled all lemony fresh, even under the aroma of homemade chicken soup. What was good for the soul was good for the body, too. Especially if it had extra garlic.
Her patient was docile. She only had to scold him once, when he had stumbled into the wall on the way back from the bathroom. She had heard the hard bang and rushed into the bedroom in time to help him safely back into the bed. After she had gotten over her fright and finished giving him a piece of her mind, Mia thought it was a shame that he’d been covered up with the blue-and-orange-and-pink beach towel.
* * * *
Actually, he didn’t mind staying in the comfortable bed. He felt inordinately tired, so he knew he was still in pretty bad physical shape. He could feel the dying flames of the fever still licking his bones dry. Yet from time to time, he caught himself shivering with chill under the warm covers.
He had been very, very lucky. He could have bled to death overnight. That shallow cave might have ended up becoming his tomb. Instead, a brave, smart woman had rescued him and patched him up.
Experimentally, he lifted and rotated his wounded arm. He was rewarded with a spasm of fiery pain, so he didn’t do it again. Instead, he concentrated on getting better.
He ate when the woman gave him something to eat. He let her take his pulse and his temperature. He made no complaint, even though he had to grit his teeth, when she changed his dressing. Most of the time, he dozed. Other times, he stared at the ceiling, wondering about the woman.
Whenever she came into the bedroom, he felt the way his whole being instantly felt more alive. He tried hard not to show it. He tried even harder to ignore the pleasant sexual tension that she aroused in him, but that was becoming difficult. I’m a mindless, hopeless, horny idiot.
* * * *
Mia thought he must have hated being regulated to the bed, but he didn’t say so. His eyes lit up whenever she came into the bedroom, so she figured he must have been bored out of his mind. He didn’t seem to care that she bullied him a little. He just grinned up at her and “yes-ma’amed” her.
Mia could mentally feel herself swooning. He is just so cute. I’d like to keep him.
But he was steadily getting better, which meant things were going to change.
When Mia placed his clean, folded uniform and underclothes on top of the dresser in the bedroom, his handsome face was powered up by a big, flashing smile. “I guess this means I can get up soon?”
“Yeah, you’re fine. Give it a while longer, and you can dance on out of here.” She was caught by surprise by a humongous yawn. “Sorry! I’m going to go get some sleep, okay?” Mia stepped out and closed the bedroom door behind her. As she walked down the short hall, she decided that she couldn’t put it off any longer. She had to go back to work. But first she had to get some sleep. She had been going for almost two days, and she couldn’t stay up anymore. She collapsed onto the sofa and almost instantly tanked.
When Mia woke up, it was dark. She sat up quickly and looked toward the kitchen. She could see the glow of the digital oven clock, and she squinted at it. “Oops!” She scrambled off of the sofa. She hadn’t checked on her patient in far too long. I’m sure he’s okay. Actually, what she was most worried about was that he might already have left. She raced down the hall to the bedroom, pushed open the door, and rushed over to the bed.
Out of the semidark, an iron arm swept out and around her, yanking her off her feet. Mia yelped. She landed on the mattress, on her back, the arm still banded around h
er, and a heavy, heated, very nude male body covering her.
All her inner alarms were going off like crazy. They didn’t calm down when warm breath puffed on her face, and a deep voice rumbled, “I’ve wanted to do this for hours.” Then his lips came down hard on hers, and her mouth was devoured. Mia managed to pull one arm free and did the only thing a girl could do under those circumstances. She lassoed his brawny neck—and they went at it like French cousins.
A huge, hot pike pressed firm against her thigh.
He suddenly heaved up, groaning, and rolled over onto his back. He flung an arm over his face. His chest was heaving a bit. Mia was panting pretty heavily herself. “Sorry! I shouldn’t have—”
Her mind was short-circuited, but she still had enough neurons firing to understand he had quit before things were finished. Mia shimmied out of her sweatpants and took hold of the velvety-hot joystick. He jerked, his body coming up off the bed, but her bent legs were already grasping his hips. Mia took her seat and let it rip. She had once ridden a mechanical bull. The soldier-boy bucked a whole hell of a lot better. Yippy-ki-yay!
It was really, really good. No batteries required.
Mia sank into a deep, contented sleep. But not before she felt his hand smoothing her hair and his weight lifting off of the bed. Her last drifting thought was that she was glad he had second watch.
* * * *
He found his uniform and underclothes and dressed quickly. He padded barefoot back into the outer room. There were no lights on, but he didn’t need any illumination. He had memorized the furniture setup. Without giving it much conscious thought, he moved with easy physical grace through the darkened room.
He approved of the blackout curtains. There would be no one peeping in the windows and no hint of light or movement from inside would leak through. He wondered what kind of life the woman led that required such precautions. He recalled the well-supplied medical kit. Was he just the last in a line of refugees she had helped? She was obviously an American, a civilian. What was she doing in this backwater country?
He carefully moved aside a corner of one drape far enough to give a swift glance outside. The sky was edging toward an orange sunset, creating lengthening shadows. He could see the entire sweep of bare ground in front of the building. Not a living thing in sight, just a few parked vehicles. He grunted, pleased, and let the curtain drop. The place was safe enough.
He felt an unexpected peace seeping into him. His body was relaxed but ready for action. The stitched-up wound on his arm barely bothered him. He felt good.
He seated himself in the big stuffed chair and angled his weapon across his knees. It was his turn to stand watch and guard. It was more than a duty. Fierce feelings burned in his chest, protectiveness and frighteningly strong liking. Somehow, the woman curled up asleep in the warm bed in the next room had become more than a hot, convenient hook-up. She was so utterly unlike anyone else he had ever been with. He was beginning to think his life had been turned upside down. I’d take a bullet for her.
* * * *
Her alarm went off. Mia put out her hand and groped for the clock, finally slapping the button on the top. She stretched, yawning, feeling all warm and pleasantly relaxed with the aftereffects of her erotic dream.
“You’re awake.” The deep voice was familiar.
Mia opened one eye to take a peek. Yep. There was her erotic dream, leaning against the doorframe, dressed in his clean, dull-colored uniform. She opened the other eye. He was giving her a slow once-over. Her whole body flash-warmed red. She kind of bunched the sheet in her hand and pulled it up over her bare breasts. Bare. She looked down. Well, I guess I lost my T-shirt somehow.
He was grinning at her, a kind of sexy, knowing grin. His eyes were heated as he stared at her. “You look real pretty, all rumpled and sexy.”
Mia swallowed. “Uh, hi.” She could have hit herself. Could she have sounded any lamer? She tried again. “I better get up and–and take a shower.”
He straightened. His wide hands flexed at his sides. The heat flared hotter in his eyes. For a second, Mia got the impression that he was going to pounce on her. He didn’t say anything, but his jaw tightened. He nodded then spun round on his heel. She heard his rapid tread going down the hallway.
It was obvious that her hunk wasn’t at risk anymore. Mia reached for her cell phone on the bedside table. Her supervisor was happy to hear from her. Her regular shift was covered, but the emergency room had been slammed, and another body was needed, someone who had experience in triage. That’s me.
It didn’t take her long to leap out of the bed and scramble into the bathroom. The toilet seat was down, which made her grin. She showered, shampooed and conditioned, and dried off in twenty minutes. Then she put on her work clothes. Mia stared at herself in the mirror, frowning at her hair while she blow-dried it. She needed a cut, maybe some highlights. She took more time with her make-up than she usually did. Gorgeous guy in the house, so sue me. She knew she would have to hustle on the way to work to get there on time.
When she was ready, Mia sucked in a good, deep breath. It didn’t help. She was still nervous. Mia went to find the incredible hunk who had given her the most fantastic night of her life.
He had fixed her breakfast. Okay, cleans up the kitchen. Check. Puts toilet seat down. Check. Makes breakfast. Check. Screws-your-eyeballs blind sex. Check. Check. He was perfect. Too bad he was crazy.
Mia sat down at the table and looked at the orange juice, scrambled eggs, and toast. “This is great!” She picked up her fork and dug in.
He joined her at the table, but he didn’t have a plate. Mia looked a silent question, which he actually understood. “I ate earlier.” He flicked his fingers in her direction. “You’ve got scrubs on.”
She nodded and swallowed some more puffy-light eggs. The man could cook. “I’ve got to get to work.”
“I don’t think you should go out. It could be dangerous.”
Mia looked at him over the toast that she had lifted up to her mouth. “It’s the last day of my shift. I can’t pretend to be sick anymore. Besides, I already called in, and I’m really needed. I wouldn’t want to, uh, make anyone suspicious by changing my routine.” She bit into the toast.
He frowned thoughtfully. “You’re probably right.”
Mia finished breakfast and carried her glass and plate to the sink. She rinsed the dishes. “You’ll be all right here until I get back, right?”
“I don’t think anyone will look for me here. I’ll be safe enough.”
Mia turned away from the sink to look at him. “How are those stitches holding? Do you want me to look at them before I leave?”
His face softened. “I’m fine. You can take a look and change the bandage when you get back.”
She ran to the bathroom to brush her teeth and then into the bedroom to snatch up her purse. She hurried to the front door. “Okay, lock up behind me. I’ve got a ten-hour shift. I’ll see you after.”
Before Mia got out the door, he grabbed her close and lifted her high enough that her feet left the floor. His kiss was hard and quick. He set her down, murmuring in a low voice, “You be safe today.”
Her head went up and down just like a bobblehead toy again. Mia stumbled out of the apartment, shutting the door behind her. She heard the locks slide home. She got into her car and kind of drove off on autopilot.
Mia was almost at work before she realized something really, really important. They didn’t know each others’ names. “Well, shit.” If she ended up dead, done in by a gorgeous Rambo-wannabe, she wouldn’t be able to tell anyone who had killed her.
Chapter Three
Mia’s mind wasn’t really on her work. Even when blood spurted from a bleeder and she had to set a clamp, she just got the job done. She didn’t let anyone die or anything, but it was just one of those days. Some days, she just didn’t want to hear a lot of whining or moaning from sick people. Fortunately, most of them were knocked out with pain medication or sleeping.
/> She called her best friend, who worked on the same floor she usually did, to let Marti know that she was back but stationed in the ER. Marti came downstairs to sit with her at break and started chattering in her usual cheerful way.
Mia couldn’t help it. Her attention wandered. She wondered what her hunk was doing. She knew what she wanted him to do—to her. She propped her chin in her hand and drifted into a pleasant, sultry daydream.
Her girlfriend abruptly broke off in mid-sentence. Marti tilted her head, eying her. “What’s with you tonight? You act like you’re off in your own little fantasy world.”
“That’s about right,” Mia muttered.
When Marti really looked at her, Mia could see the wheels spinning. Mia knew that she knew that she hadn’t really been sick. Marti sometimes could come off as a little flakey. She just had that innocent, naïve, beautiful kind of face. She also had blonde hair. But she was smart.
Marti was scary smart.
Mia looked at her best girlfriend and debated telling Marti about the weird stuff that had happened to her lately. She kind of edged up to it. “I met this guy at the movies. We had hot monkey sex last night.”
Marti’s eyes got real round and excited. “Girl! You had a one-night stand? Meaningless, random sex with a stranger?” She squealed, hurting Mia’s ears.
Well, it was only one night. And he was pretty strange. Mia didn’t know anyone else who had gotten shot up in a theater where there hadn’t been any bullets flying. “I’m seeing him after shift. I think.”
She frowned. He could leave. He could disappear. I’d never know his name. I’d never walk bow-legged again.
It was too horrible to think about.
“Details! I want de-tails!” Marti’s eyes glistened. She didn’t get much action, either. Mia thought Marti was a whole lot prettier than her, too. She was normal-curvy. Mia had more bosom—she liked thinking of it that way better than saying she had “big tits” because she thought it was more dignified. Mia also had an apple butt. Only her waist measurement was smaller than her friend’s.
Roberts, Sarah - Action Hero Junkie [Movieland] (BookStrand Publishing Romance) Page 3