“On second thought, I will try that,” she said pointing at the croissant, and Colt tore a piece of it free from inside the bag. His eyes followed the bread as Natalie slipped it between her lips. She let the flakes dissolve on her tongue—buttery, crisp, and salty. “You’re right,” she said. “That is good.”
“I know something good when I see it.” Colt’s eyes gazed at her for a while before he slipped the sock off her foot and dropped it onto the floor. Natalie was glad to have gotten her nails done with her mom while home; at least her toes were painted. Colt pressed his thumb into her heel and rubbed. Natalie fought the urge to toss her head back and moan.
“Okay,” she said. “You’re pretty good at that.”
“Combat boots kill your feet. Had to learn how to keep myself going.”
“You better hope no other nurses walk in here and see you doing this. You’ll have a line out the door.”
“Nurses deserve some pampering,” Colt said. “My grandma worked as a nurse during the Korean war. She had some stories. Plus, I see what you do here.”
“Not me,” Natalie said. “I mean, you haven’t seen me. I just got back.”
Colt cupped her foot in his hand, warming it with his palm. He wanted to let his fingers drift up her ankle, under the cuff of her scrub pants, up her calf muscle and under her knee . . . he shook his head. It’s been too long since he’d worked next to a beautiful woman; the barracks in Iraq were lined with snoring dudes.
“I see you now,” he said, and stared at her with brown eyes so hypnotizing, Natalie thought she could fall into them.
Suddenly, her skin prickled and she squirmed, hoping he wouldn’t see.
“Natalie.” Another nurse rapped on the door. “The patient in room seven is ready to be discharged. “Hey,” she nodded at Colt. “Can I be next?”
Natalie slipped her foot out of Colt’s hand. “Told you.” She pulled her sock back on. “Thanks for the foot rub. And the bite. And the takedown earlier.”
“Any time.” Colt rolled the paper bag from the bakery closed. “And you shouldn’t worry too much about carbs. I think you look just fine.” He squeezed the bag. “Better than fine, I mean, you look great. You shouldn’t worry so much . . .” his voice trailed off as he swore at himself in his head.Dammit! I just had to keep talking. Why couldn’t I just play things cool til the end?
“Thanks,” Natalie said. “Enjoy your last day.”
