Tangling With Ty

“You…didn’t finish your sentence. What will…you do…if I wake up?”

That he could joke, even now, horrified her. Then he tried to sit up, his face in a grimace of agony as he held his head.

“Don’t move,” she said in a rush, helping him lie back. He’d turned green. “You might have broken something, at the very least your big fat head. Don’t,” she repeated when he kept trying. “Just hang on a damn second.”

“Shh,” he begged, eyes still closed. “No noise.”

“Are you nauseous?”

He cracked one eye open, ran it over her, then closed it again. “I am, yes. Though I refuse to puke on the very lovely underwear you’re wearing. You’re so pretty, Nicole.” He sighed, then went utterly still and silent, terrifying her.

“Ty!”

“Yeah, here.” He didn’t open his eyes. “Did you know that when you say my name in that soft, sexy voice of yours, I almost wish we were going to go for it. You and me.”

“Ty-” But a sudden pounding at her front door had her leaping up, reaching for her clothes. “Hold on!” she called, hopping back into her pants.

“Nicole?” Taylor knocked louder. “Honey, what was that crash?”

Nicole pulled on her shirt and hauled open the door. “Ty fell through my ceiling. The ambulance is coming. Oh, God, Taylor, look at him. He hit his head, he’s concussed, and I can’t remember what to do!”

Taylor grabbed her hand and ran toward Ty. “Oh, you poor, big, sexy baby. You’re not going to be sick all over my floor, are you?”

Ty choked out a laugh that ended on a groan and some fairly inventive bad words.

“Don’t make him talk,” Nicole begged, ridiculously panicked. It was just a bump on the noggin. Lord knew, his head was hard enough to handle it.

Taylor grabbed Nicole’s shoulders and gave her a little shake. “I’ll go wait for the ambulance. Stay with him.” She hugged her hard. “It’ll be okay, honey.”

“That’s my line,” Nicole whispered as Taylor ran out, leaving her with the big, bad, broken Ty lying at her feet.

7

NICOLE WENT IN the ambulance with Ty. Took him into ER herself and spewed out orders.

Hovered and tried not to wring her hands. Tried to focus on what she was doing. They took care of his bruised ribs, his sprained ankle. Noted his concussion, which worried her the most.

Yes, his head was big and hard. But damn, he’d hit it hard.

She dealt with the staff and their curious expressions, knowing she’d shown her hand when she’d yelled out directions in a wobbly voice.

She’d never yelled while on duty.

Well, the staff would get over it. The question was, would she?

She filled out Ty’s paperwork, which was more time-consuming than she’d ever realized, being on the other side of the fence for the first time.

Taylor was in the waiting room, looking unusually scattered and stressed. Suzanne was there too, leaning on the tall, dark, gorgeous Ryan, who had his arms around her in a way that made Nicole take a moment. Had she ever leaned on a man like that? Ever had a man who wanted her to? Ever been offered true affection from a man?

Nope. But then again, she’d never wanted such things. She didn’t want them now. Not when she was strong enough to stand on her own two feet.

When she could convince them to go, she sent Taylor, Suzanne and Ryan home, promising them Ty-and his hard head-was in good hands and going to be fine.

And he would be. She would see to it, all by herself.

TWO HOURS LATER, Nicole sank to the cot at Ty’s hip and stared at the sleeping, still far too pale man.

With the proper care and rest, he was going to be fine.

But when was she going to be fine?

He’d gotten under her skin. There was no other excuse for her ridiculous panic at the apartment. None.

Outside the cubicle, machines bleeped, footsteps squeaked, voices carried, some raised, some hushed. There were smells too: antiseptics, medicine and the scent of fear and pain. Normal ER sounds and smells.

But inside the cubicle, life seemed suspended. It was just the two of them, one unconscious, the other wondering what had happened to her life. Lightly, she reached out and touched the bandage on Ty’s head. “You scared the hell out of me, Ty Patrick O’Grady,” she whispered.

“Of Dublin,” he said in a heavy Irish brogue without opening his eyes.

Had he really spoken, or was she hallucinating on top of everything else? “Ty?”

“You scare me, too.” His voice sounded raspy, and more than a little goofy from the drugs they’d given him for the pain. “You and my sister both. I have a sister, did I tell you?”

“No.” She covered her mouth to keep her hysterical, relieved laugh in. “You haven’t told me much about yourself at all.”

“She found me on the Internet. Wants to know me. Everyone wants to know me.” His words were slurred, but the Irish lilt was unmistakable. So was his sudden crooked grin, though he still didn’t open his eyes. “You want me, too, don’t you, doc? You want me as much as I want you. Say it for me.”

Her heart leapt in a new sort of panic. “Keep your mouth zipped, you big idiot, you’re drugged.”

“Is that why my body is floating away from my head? Your head is floating, too, doc. You’re so pretty. Makes me wish I could stay in one place for once, you know that?”

“Please…please, shut up or you’re going to say something you’ll regret.” She wanted to run, and she wanted him to keep talking.

“You do want me. I know you do.”

How the rough-and-tough man could lie there looking so adorable in his cockiness was beyond her. “Ty.”

He let out a long sigh. “Maybe that’s just me with all the wanting then.” He sighed again. “You’re screwing with my head, all three of you.”

Three? He was worse off than she’d thought. That, or he’d had too many drugs. Leaning in close, she checked his pupils, making him grin. “I’m okay, darlin’. Sweet of you to worry though.”

She sat back. “This sister…you talked to her?”

“She wants a family, but who the hell needs family? I don’t need anyone. I haven’t since I was fifteen and on my own.”

She went very still on the outside while her heart did a slow roll. “That still only makes two, Ty. Your sister and me.”

“But then there’s her.”

“Her who?” If he said he had a wife she’d have to kill him.

“My mother. She didn’t want me. I probably never told you that.”

Nicole sighed and put her hand on his chest. Her own ached like hell. “No.”

“I’m a bad seed. Probably should have warned you before now, but I didn’t want to scare you off. The truth is, you name it, and I did it. Stole clothes, stole food- Am I upsetting you?” he asked, opening his eyes to see hers welling up.

“Ty. Rest,” she begged, wanting to wrap herself around him.

“Can’t. There’s someone jackhammering in my head. I didn’t even know I had a sister.”

“I know,” she said in response to his baffled voice, stroking him with her hands, trying to quiet him because she didn’t want to hear this, didn’t want to know about him because, damn it, how was she supposed to keep her distance if she knew about him? “Please, Ty, I want you to-”

“I don’t want to like her.” After that statement, he was quiet for so long she thought he’d fallen asleep, and she