“But…what happened to his weapon?”
Zeke shrugged dismissively. “He lost it in the mud.”
“Oh no!” she gasped, and started laughing again. “What did you do when he found it?”
Zeke shrugged and took a long sip of his iced tea. “Well, he didn’t find it for a few hours. He had to go back through the entire obstacle course and dig through every inch of the mud. And that was in the spring time,” his grin widened, “so the rain had been pouring down over the course for a few weeks by then.”
“Oh, the poor kid!”
“Right. Poor kid, my ass,” he scoffed. “The idiot then had to spend hours cleaning his weapon.”
“You let him shower first, right?” she asked, the doctor in her needing to know.
“Hell no!” he replied with heat. “And I made him clean his weapon outside.”
She was bent over laughing at this point. “Why?”
“Because if he did it inside, then the mud would dry up. Then it would get all over my training rooms.”
Abby couldn’t remember the last time she’d laughed so hard. Zeke was such a surprise and she was…well, confused and amazed.
Abby took a deep breath, trying to ease the muscles in her stomach that were aching from laughter. “I need to get home,” she told him, not bothering to look at the clock. Her departure had nothing to do with the time and everything to do with the sudden tension sparking between them. It had eased up while they’d eaten dinner, but now…she could feel his thoughts turning to something more…interesting.
“Are you sure you don’t want to stay? Release me from the no-kissing policy?”
She bit her lip, trying to pretend as if she knew what she was doing. “Not tonight,” she told him. “Your back….”
He shook his head. “Forget my back. Stay,” he soothed, sliding his hand around the back of her neck.
“You promised no kissing,” she whispered, startled by how much she wanted to climb onto his lap.
“I’m not kissing you,” he replied, but his eyes moved to her lips, looking at them as if he were thinking about kissing her.
“You said something about walking me to my car?”
He didn’t remove his hand from her neck, but his fingers stopped sliding sensuously against her skin. “Fine, but you promised me dinner tomorrow night. And I promised that it would be healthier than pizza.”
Abby stood up, pushing her skirt down over her hips. She hadn’t realized how far up the material had shifted during their conversation. “Sorry about that.”
He chuckled softly, standing up as well. “I didn’t mind.”
She grabbed her purse and medical bag. “You didn’t say anything either,” she grumbled, slinging her purse over her shoulder.
“I’m not an idiot,” was his only response.
She laughed, appreciating his honesty even if it left her flustered. “I’m not used to dating men as honest as you.”
“You’re used to dating dishonest men?”
Another chuckle and she shook her head. “I’m leaving now. Thank you for a delightful evening.”
“You’ll change the bandage again tomorrow and put some of that ointment on my back tomorrow when I pick you up, right?” he asked, putting a hand to the small of her back as he led her out of his apartment. The stairs were wide, but not when one walked next to a man as big as Zeke. His shoulders needed extra space!
“You don’t have someone who can do that for you?”
“I could ask someone, but I’d rather have your hands on me. My co-workers aren’t as gentle as you are. And they might tear one of the stitches. I wouldn’t want to risk your hard work.”
She sighed. “Now you’re just playing to my medical instincts. That’s not fair.”
He grinned and moved closer. “I never promised to play fair, Abby. So, about tomorrow?”
“Fine! I’ll change the bandage and put more ointment on it. But only because I don’t think you’ll ask someone else to do it and it really needs to be done every day.”
“Good. I’ll pick you up tomorrow at six. Dress casually.”
He pulled her into his arms and, without kissing her, nuzzled the sensitive skin behind her ear, while his hands trailed over her body, sliding up and down her spine and lower…almost too low.
“I thought…?”
“I’m not kissing you,” he replied, burrowing his nose into the soft, sexy curls at the nape of her neck. “Wear your hair down tomorrow, okay?”
“Zeke,” she sighed, not sure what she wanted to say.
But before she could make a fool of herself, Zeke stepped back and opened her car door for her. “Until tomorrow,” he said with a gentlemanly bow.
Abby stared up at him for a long moment, debating with herself. But she knew the limits of her self-control, so instead of stepping closer, she stepped into the driver’s seat and pulled the door closed. Starting up the engine, she looked at him one more time, admired the play of muscles along his arms and shoulders and…all over. Then she carefully backed out of the parking space and drove home.
That night, after she’d washed her face, brushed her teeth, and changed into a soft, silky nightgown, she turned off the light and stared up at the ceiling, thinking about all she’d learned about Zeke tonight. She pulled her pillow against her chest and fell asleep with a smile on her lips.
Chapter 4
“What has you grinning like a Cheshire cat?” Cathy asked as soon as Abby stepped into the women’s locker room the following morning.
Abby shrugged, then pulled on a clean pair of scrubs. “I had a date last night. And I had a great time.”
“With that hottie from
