was suffering, but more than that,
I was furious with myself for giving in and getting involved when I knew better. I was also peeved that
even though he rubbed me all kinds of the wrong way, the kiss he had forced on me had had me tossing
and turning in bed at night, and if I concentrated hard enough, I could still taste the imprint he had left on
my mouth. Ugh … why did he have to be so memorable in every possible way?
I narrowed my eyes and straightened my shoulders as I headed toward him. The nurse behind the desk
was gazing up at him with a look I could only describe as awed. She was probably a decade older than me,
had four kids, and her husband was a cop, but that didn’t stop her from falling into the charismatic snare
that Nash seemed to so effortlessly weave around the opposite sex.
“What are you doing down here? Your dad is on the top floor.” I saw him wince when I used the word
dad, but I refused to feel bad about it. I had trouble with tripping over words and saying what I really
meant with people, but for some reason none of that was a problem when I spoke to him.
I tossed the paperwork I was holding to the admitting nurse and crossed my arms over my chest as he
turned so that he was facing me. The baseball hat he was wearing cast the top part of his face in shadow,
but I could see he had dark circles under each eye and that there were fine white lines of tension bracketing
each side of his mouth. All in all he looked a lot better than the last time I had seen him. Well, better, minus
the fact he was fully clothed, and even though I didn’t want to, I could still picture him half naked in vivid
detail. I really did want to know what the front part of that massive tattoo was attached to on the backside.
“Do you have a minute?” His voice was kind of gruff but he softened the question with a half grin that
made my heart trip.
“Not really. We’re pretty hectic today. The weather makes people go nuts, so we’re extra busy.”
He sighed and shifted so that he could shove his hands in the pockets of his hoodie. Out of the corner
of my eye, I noticed the other nurses floating in and around the desk watching us with open curiosity.
“It’ll just take a second, please, Saint.”
I didn’t really think big, tough, tattooed guys used words like please, not that it was going to sway me.
He had an unwanted effect on me and I knew it was a good idea to keep my distance from him. Just as I
was about to refuse, the other nurse behind the desk, the one that was clearly smitten with his handsome
face, offered up, “I’ll take the next room that just came in. You go ahead and take a breather for five
minutes.”
I wanted to shift my glare to her, but she was just trying to be helpful, so I bit my lip and tilted my head
toward the waiting room. There were more private places in the hospital I could have led him to, but being
alone with him made me nervous and anxious.
“Follow me over there.”
He nodded and did as I asked. I felt the way his gaze burned into my back, and had to take several
calming breaths and make sure I schooled my face into an impassive mask before I turned around to face
him again. He sighed and used one broad shoulder to prop himself up against the coffee vending machine I
had stopped by. We just stared at each other for a long moment. I was about to throw my hands up and
walk away because the silence and his intense gaze gave me anxiety, when his quiet words surprised me.
“Phil’s condition is really bad. He told me there isn’t anything they can do. He’s dying and he just seems
to be rolling with it, I don’t know how. I should have been here sooner.”
His tone was somber and his eyes under the dark bill of his hat had lightened to the shade of lilac. I
could see how glassy they were, how much emotion he was trying to swallow down, and it took every
ounce of self-control I had not to reach out and touch him, to try and soothe him. He
I was furious with myself for giving in and getting involved when I knew better. I was also peeved that
even though he rubbed me all kinds of the wrong way, the kiss he had forced on me had had me tossing
and turning in bed at night, and if I concentrated hard enough, I could still taste the imprint he had left on
my mouth. Ugh … why did he have to be so memorable in every possible way?
I narrowed my eyes and straightened my shoulders as I headed toward him. The nurse behind the desk
was gazing up at him with a look I could only describe as awed. She was probably a decade older than me,
had four kids, and her husband was a cop, but that didn’t stop her from falling into the charismatic snare
that Nash seemed to so effortlessly weave around the opposite sex.
“What are you doing down here? Your dad is on the top floor.” I saw him wince when I used the word
dad, but I refused to feel bad about it. I had trouble with tripping over words and saying what I really
meant with people, but for some reason none of that was a problem when I spoke to him.
I tossed the paperwork I was holding to the admitting nurse and crossed my arms over my chest as he
turned so that he was facing me. The baseball hat he was wearing cast the top part of his face in shadow,
but I could see he had dark circles under each eye and that there were fine white lines of tension bracketing
each side of his mouth. All in all he looked a lot better than the last time I had seen him. Well, better, minus
the fact he was fully clothed, and even though I didn’t want to, I could still picture him half naked in vivid
detail. I really did want to know what the front part of that massive tattoo was attached to on the backside.
“Do you have a minute?” His voice was kind of gruff but he softened the question with a half grin that
made my heart trip.
“Not really. We’re pretty hectic today. The weather makes people go nuts, so we’re extra busy.”
He sighed and shifted so that he could shove his hands in the pockets of his hoodie. Out of the corner
of my eye, I noticed the other nurses floating in and around the desk watching us with open curiosity.
“It’ll just take a second, please, Saint.”
I didn’t really think big, tough, tattooed guys used words like please, not that it was going to sway me.
He had an unwanted effect on me and I knew it was a good idea to keep my distance from him. Just as I
was about to refuse, the other nurse behind the desk, the one that was clearly smitten with his handsome
face, offered up, “I’ll take the next room that just came in. You go ahead and take a breather for five
minutes.”
I wanted to shift my glare to her, but she was just trying to be helpful, so I bit my lip and tilted my head
toward the waiting room. There were more private places in the hospital I could have led him to, but being
alone with him made me nervous and anxious.
“Follow me over there.”
He nodded and did as I asked. I felt the way his gaze burned into my back, and had to take several
calming breaths and make sure I schooled my face into an impassive mask before I turned around to face
him again. He sighed and used one broad shoulder to prop himself up against the coffee vending machine I
had stopped by. We just stared at each other for a long moment. I was about to throw my hands up and
walk away because the silence and his intense gaze gave me anxiety, when his quiet words surprised me.
“Phil’s condition is really bad. He told me there isn’t anything they can do. He’s dying and he just seems
to be rolling with it, I don’t know how. I should have been here sooner.”
His tone was somber and his eyes under the dark bill of his hat had lightened to the shade of lilac. I
could see how glassy they were, how much emotion he was trying to swallow down, and it took every
ounce of self-control I had not to reach out and touch him, to try and soothe him. He
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