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Authors: Jane Beckenham
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sharp pain, tears welling. “Charlee,” she called. “Get Mac, Charlee.”
Mutely she stared as the ooze of blood mingled with the tomato into a garish conglomeration of reds.
“Mummy!” Charlee burst through the back door and came to a grinding halt next to Leah. Her face bleached of color as her gaze fixed on the slash of red now dribbling down Leah’s hand. “Uncle! Uncle, come quick, Mummy’s…” Charlee slammed herself against Leah’s leg, arms wrapped around it tightly. “Mummy, don’t die, don’t die, please, I’ll be good. I promise.”
Oh dear God. “Charlee, it’s okay, sweetheart.” Leah ignored her pain, focusing on her daughter’s terror. “I’m okay, it’s just a cut,” she said, a hand caressing Charlee’s curls.
“Leah? What the…” Mac’s bronzed complexion paled.
She held up her hand. “It’s just a small cut. Don’t fuss.” But the blood kept on seeping, and Leah didn’t feel too great.
Mac’s mouth thinned, then his gaze dropped to a quivering Charlee. He rested a hand on her shoulder. “Charlee,” he said, stepping between her and Leah so that he blocked Charlee’s view. “I really need your help. Can you get me a towel, please?”
Her daughter’s gaze lowered slightly, but she nodded, then spun away and rushed off in the direction of the bathroom.
Mac reached for her hand. “What were you thinking?” His touch burned, and she wanted to yank it from him, but he held her firmly. “I…” Yeah, what ?
She’d been thinking about him. And that was definitely the problem, but she sure as heck wasn’t about to admit it. No siree.
He turned her hand over, palm up, and pressed his fingertips to her still bleeding flesh. “It’s only superficial.”
“Tell that to the blood.”
He looked up at her, a fierceness etched into every line of his face, his heat and closeness overwhelming. “You’re not going to faint on me, are you?”
“No.” That would offer him far too much vulnerability.
“Good. I’m not sure I’m up to mopping up wailing females.”
“So much for your bedside manner.”
Mac’s inspection of her injury halted, his mouth twitching into a half smile. “You haven’t seen my bedside manner yet, sweetheart.” His voice had taken on a throaty, sexy quality. No. Don’t think that.
Leah shot him a look, and darn it, he was looking right back. Heat stole across her cheeks, her body igniting. Enough! She tried to tug her hand from his hold and failed.
“You asked for my help.”
“Yes, I know, I’m sorry, I’m just…”
It was him, that’s all. She knew it. His closeness. His touch. But she sure as heck wasn’t about to tell him that. She strove for calm and reason. “I’ve been taking care of myself for a long time now, Mac.”
“Haven’t we all, but at least let me at least play Sir Galahad once in my life.”
“What happened to the bedside manner, doctor?”
“Doctors and nurses, now there’s an idea.”
“One you can forget, buster.” She chuckled back, despite the stinging pain in her hand.
“Shame. Could be kinda fun.”
Thankfully, before he had a chance to offer her another of his sexy innuendos, Charlee came back with a towel and passed it to him.
“Are you going to be all right, Mummy?”
“Of course, sweetheart.” With her uninjured hand, she wiped away Charlee’s tears.
“’Course she is,” Mac added. “She wouldn’t dare do anything else with me here, would you?”
Leah offered mock meekness and batted her lashes at him. “As if.”
For the next few minutes, he tended her cut, and she held her breath, wishing the moment were over.
“You can look now.”
“What?”
“Open your eyes, Leah.”
Her lashes lifted, and her vision focused immediately on Mac and, blast it all, his bare chest right in front of her. She licked her lips, which was a stupid move because it made her remember kissing him…and want it all over again.
“You said you weren’t going to faint,” he
Mutely she stared as the ooze of blood mingled with the tomato into a garish conglomeration of reds.
“Mummy!” Charlee burst through the back door and came to a grinding halt next to Leah. Her face bleached of color as her gaze fixed on the slash of red now dribbling down Leah’s hand. “Uncle! Uncle, come quick, Mummy’s…” Charlee slammed herself against Leah’s leg, arms wrapped around it tightly. “Mummy, don’t die, don’t die, please, I’ll be good. I promise.”
Oh dear God. “Charlee, it’s okay, sweetheart.” Leah ignored her pain, focusing on her daughter’s terror. “I’m okay, it’s just a cut,” she said, a hand caressing Charlee’s curls.
“Leah? What the…” Mac’s bronzed complexion paled.
She held up her hand. “It’s just a small cut. Don’t fuss.” But the blood kept on seeping, and Leah didn’t feel too great.
Mac’s mouth thinned, then his gaze dropped to a quivering Charlee. He rested a hand on her shoulder. “Charlee,” he said, stepping between her and Leah so that he blocked Charlee’s view. “I really need your help. Can you get me a towel, please?”
Her daughter’s gaze lowered slightly, but she nodded, then spun away and rushed off in the direction of the bathroom.
Mac reached for her hand. “What were you thinking?” His touch burned, and she wanted to yank it from him, but he held her firmly. “I…” Yeah, what ?
She’d been thinking about him. And that was definitely the problem, but she sure as heck wasn’t about to admit it. No siree.
He turned her hand over, palm up, and pressed his fingertips to her still bleeding flesh. “It’s only superficial.”
“Tell that to the blood.”
He looked up at her, a fierceness etched into every line of his face, his heat and closeness overwhelming. “You’re not going to faint on me, are you?”
“No.” That would offer him far too much vulnerability.
“Good. I’m not sure I’m up to mopping up wailing females.”
“So much for your bedside manner.”
Mac’s inspection of her injury halted, his mouth twitching into a half smile. “You haven’t seen my bedside manner yet, sweetheart.” His voice had taken on a throaty, sexy quality. No. Don’t think that.
Leah shot him a look, and darn it, he was looking right back. Heat stole across her cheeks, her body igniting. Enough! She tried to tug her hand from his hold and failed.
“You asked for my help.”
“Yes, I know, I’m sorry, I’m just…”
It was him, that’s all. She knew it. His closeness. His touch. But she sure as heck wasn’t about to tell him that. She strove for calm and reason. “I’ve been taking care of myself for a long time now, Mac.”
“Haven’t we all, but at least let me at least play Sir Galahad once in my life.”
“What happened to the bedside manner, doctor?”
“Doctors and nurses, now there’s an idea.”
“One you can forget, buster.” She chuckled back, despite the stinging pain in her hand.
“Shame. Could be kinda fun.”
Thankfully, before he had a chance to offer her another of his sexy innuendos, Charlee came back with a towel and passed it to him.
“Are you going to be all right, Mummy?”
“Of course, sweetheart.” With her uninjured hand, she wiped away Charlee’s tears.
“’Course she is,” Mac added. “She wouldn’t dare do anything else with me here, would you?”
Leah offered mock meekness and batted her lashes at him. “As if.”
For the next few minutes, he tended her cut, and she held her breath, wishing the moment were over.
“You can look now.”
“What?”
“Open your eyes, Leah.”
Her lashes lifted, and her vision focused immediately on Mac and, blast it all, his bare chest right in front of her. She licked her lips, which was a stupid move because it made her remember kissing him…and want it all over again.
“You said you weren’t going to faint,” he
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