Read Online Too hot to sleep by Stephanie Bond - Free Book Online Page B

rubbed his darkened jaw. Women had called him handsome, even rugged, but all he ever saw in his reflection was a too-big guy whose opportunities had been based more on his brawn than his brain. And, from his conduct of late, he was definitely proving everyone right who believed a big guy couldn’t be a mental heavyweight.
    Remorse descended on his bare shoulders, bowingthem. What was he thinking? He wasn’t, of course. He, the man of steel who had vowed never to let his libido get in the way of good sense, had succumbed to a soft voice with an erotic vocabulary.
    His watch lay on the sink. Ken smiled wryly. Today was his birthday—thirty-seven. Did men have a biological clock? He laughed. He’d have to ask Klone, who spouted all that touchy-feely stuff when he wasn’t playing practical jokes. He winced in the mirror, hoping his partner hadn’t planned a birthday surprise. Good old Klone, always trying to set him up with a cousin or a niece of Louise’s, although frankly, he hadn’t met anyone who piqued his interest and his mind enough to make the rigors of romance worthwhile.
    Until now. And as luck would have it, she had no clue how good they were together. In fact, she didn’t even like him. And to make matters worse, he was helping to further the other guy’s cause. A guy who, from Ken’s cursory check, had a slightly blemished past.
    A whine from his bedroom broke into his perplexing thoughts. He wrapped the towel around his waist and padded to the nook next to the dresser where he’d made a bed for Crash, the pooch he’d accidentally struck. “Can’t sleep either, boy?” Poor little guy—he probably missed his owner and was confused about his immobility.
    The battered dog gave a little bark in response, then lowered its head.
    Ken stroked the spot between Crash’s ears that he seemed to like. The ad he’d placed in the newspaperfor a found dog wouldn’t run for another week. “Until then we’re stuck with each other,” he murmured. “Hey, remember that lady doc who bandaged you up?”
    The dog looked at him with shining eyes.
    “Well, besides being gorgeous, she’s really hot, but there’s this other guy, see, and—” Ken stopped and laughed wryly. “And let’s just say if she ever finds out what I’ve done, I’d be lucky to be in the doghouse.”
    Crash lifted his head and barked his apparent agreement.

9
    “S O NOW when I walk in, Dr. Baxter says ‘Here’s Nurse Terri who’s always very merry,’” Toni boasted of her one-sided romance with the head of obstetrics. “It’s so cute.”
    Georgia lifted an eyebrow. “The man made up a ridiculous rhyme to go with a name that isn’t even yours, and you call it progress?”
    “Well, you’re having phone sex with your boyfriend of ten months and you call that progress.”
    Touché. “Just do me a favor and tell the guy your name, okay?”
    “But he’ll be humiliated to find out he doesn’t know who he’s been talking to.”
    “What about you, the person he’s calling by the wrong name?”
    Toni sighed. “I just keep hoping he’ll glance at my name tag.” She focused on something behind Georgia. “Uh-oh, here comes Dr. Story. See ya.”
    Georgia frowned after her friend who scooted down the hall. Dr. Story, the attending E.R. physician for her shift, did not look pleased, his mouth pinched into a pucker and his glasses low on his nose. And he was making a beeline for her.
    “Good morning, Dr. Story.”
    “Nurse Adams,” he acknowledged without movinghis lips. “I’ve been told that you accepted and cared for an animal yesterday in the E.R., but that couldn’t possibly be correct because by taking in an animal, you would be putting our entire program in jeopardy, risking jobs, not to mention risking the lives of patients who, in an emergency, would prefer that the nearest facility not be closed due to health violations brought on by one willful nurse who is supposed to be setting an example for the entire nursing