Cathy snorted. “Oh please! I was ducking out of the way from all those sparks flying between you two yesterday!”
Another doctor walked up to the counter. “What’s going on?” he asked, handing Cathy the patient’s chart.
“The patient in exam three needs to head down to X-ray,” Abby explained, finishing her notes before handing the chart to Cathy as well. “I think his leg is broken.”
Abby walked away, but not before giving her friend and co-worker a meaningful look to not gossip.
But as soon as Abby was out of earshot, the other doctor, Tommy Calips, leaned forward conspiratorially. “Did she go out to dinner with him?”
Cathy shrugged. “No idea,” she whispered back. Cathy thought it was cute that Abby thought she could keep her soon-to-be relationship with the handsome and oh-so-buff officer a secret here in the ER. This place was like a gossip petri dish! Everyone knew everyone’s business. Thankfully, no one was malicious about their whispering comments, but everyone knew each other’s business. And everyone had heard about Abby’s interest yesterday. Not just that, but everyone had also heard about the guy’s heroics as well. The officer had a bullet graze across his back and had still sprinted across the training fields to tackle the enlisted man before he shot another round. Which had probably accounted for the extraordinary amount of blood loss.
The doctor watched Abby step into the next patient’s curtained-off area, greeting the person with an encouraging smile. “She definitely needs someone,” he said, then sighed as he turned to greet his next patient, taking his cue from Abby and smiling in greeting.
Chapter 3
“What are you doing?!” she muttered to herself.
Standing in front of the apartment door, she lifted her hand to knock, then dropped her hand and scurried back toward her car.
She’d made it all the way to the stairs when she stopped and closed her eyes. “This is ridiculous!” she snapped.
Turning back towards the door, she froze. The man in question, Zeke Jeffers, was standing in his doorway, watching her curiously.
Was he laughing at her?
Damn it! She hated making a fool of herself. Abby looked down at the keys in her hands then, with a resigned sigh, walked back to stand in front of the enormous man. She still paused for a long moment, then looked up at him.
“I came by to help you with your stitches,” she announced with an almost belligerent tone.
His slow grin was devastatingly sexy. “I’d love the help. I haven’t changed the bandage and it’s driving me nuts!”
Abby looked at him with horror, struggling for words for a long moment. “But it’s been three days!” she gasped, stepping forward and glaring up at the man. “I told you to change the bandage every day and to apply the ointment!”
He grinned down at her, completely unaffected by her dire tone. “Easier to do when I have help.” And with that, he stepped back to let her into his apartment.
Abby huffed, hiding behind irritation at his lack of concern. But it was all a façade. She really just…darn it, she’d wanted to see him again and prove to herself that he wasn’t as big or as handsome as she’d remembered! And that she wasn’t as affected by the man’s presence either!
Unfortunately, neither was the case. As soon as she stepped into his apartment, she knew that her visit was a mistake. Instantly, she felt overwhelmed by the man. He was just so big! And tall! And so…overwhelming! And clean! How could she smell the soap on him from this distance?
It was all just her imagination, she told herself.
Deciding that she was procrastinating, she nodded sharply, needing to get down to business. “Right. Well, why don’t you pull your shirt down and I’ll…check out your wound. I can apply the ointment that you should have been applying for the past several days, then I’ll change the bandage.”
Did the big brute just pull down the collar of his shirt as she’d expected? Nope! Not just a simple tug? Oh no! He had to take his shirt off entirely!
For a long moment, Abby stood there, stunned by the muscles rippling along his chest. His arms. Good grief, she hadn’t known that biceps could get that large! She didn’t think her hands could even circle those massive biceps!
“Doc?” he prompted. “As much as I love having you admire me, I’d love to have your hands on me too.”
That brought Abby’s eyes up to his with a sharply indrawn breath. Staring into his gorgeous blue eyes, she…stopped thinking. “I wasn’t…” she stammered, shocked at how her fingers tingled at the thought of touching him! “I’m only here to check your back and…” she tried to remember the other part of her mission. Looking up into those enigmatic blue eyes, it took her several moments to remember the reason she was here. “And….” Another blink and she shook her head slightly. “And change your bandage,” she finished, relieved that a few of her brain cells had kicked in and saved her.
Apparently, they hadn’t kicked in fast enough if the heated look in his eyes was any indication. But the man simply walked over to one of the big club chairs and sat down on the arm, presenting his back to her. “Check away, doc.”
Abby looked down at the bandage. There were only a few places where the blood had seeped out from the stitches, which was good. It meant that the majority of the stitches were holding and the big brute hadn’t done any heavy lifting, which would strain the
