In bed. In the shower. Against the wall. On the kitchen counter. Her mind had too many places she’d like him. Instead she said, “Why don’t you sit in oneof the chairs?”
Moving to a dining room chair, he settled then handed her the box filled with medical supplies. She took a deep breath as she sifted through it. Mostly to give herself time to adjust to the slick skin in front of her.
“Let me start on the shoulder. It’s kind of deep and still bleeding a bit.”
He adjusted so she could get at the shoulder then cricked his neck. “I might have gotten hit with some of those bricks a little harder than I thought.”
“See, you should have gone tothe hospital.”
Looking up, he grinned, sending her heart fluttering. Damn heart needed to stay calm.
“But the hospital doesn’t have nurses who have as much tenderness and care as you.”
Tenderness and care. Like that had everbeen her style.
“You’re full of horseshit, Holland. Now keep still while I bandage you up.”
Her hands tingled as they touched his skin and she tried to be gentle. She didn’t have a whole lot of experience with injuries, but it was mostly common sense. When his shoulder was finished she stood in front of him, glancing at the rest of him.
“Looking for something special?” he teased.
“Where else youneed tending.”
“Hmm, let me think where else it hurts.” His eyes lowered to his crotch and she couldn’t keep her own eyes from focusing on the bulge under the towel.
“You’ve got some scrapes on your shin.” Let him think that’s what she’d been staring at. Lowering herself to kneeling, she dabbed cream on them, studiously avoiding the glimpse of his strong thighs under the towel. She wouldn’t even think about what else was under that towel. Not if she wanted to keep her sanity.
Picking up one hand, she rubbed some antiseptic on his battered knuckles. “How did theseget banged up?”
“When the wall started coming down I automatically covered my head with my hands. And then a few of the guys were under the building material so I started digging it off them. Probably got scratchedup worse then.”
Leaning over him, she began to press a cotton swab to some of the cuts on his face. His eyes dipped to the openingof her blouse.
“Looking for something special?” She parroted hisearlier words.
“Most definitely. Everything on you is pretty damned special.”
Thinking about the last time they’d seen each other, she straightened and took a deep breath. “Um, about the night of the wedding.”
His lips pursed. “Yes.” Damn, he was enjoyingher discomfort.
“Did we…um?”
“Did we what?” He was going to make her say it.
“I mean, I woke up naked, but I didn’t see any condoms.” A terrifying thought entered her head. “Unless you didn’t use any.” God, could he have been thatirresponsible?
“Calm down, Xena. I didn’t use any because we didn’t have intercourse. I don’t have sex with unconscious women, or women who are rapidly heading in that direction, no matter how much theycome onto me.”
Relief surged through her. Relief he hadn’t done it or that she hadn’t missed it?
“I fell asleep?”
“Or passed out. Who knows.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Sorry that we didn’t have sex?”
