He went back to dressing, grumbling under his breath, “Fucking crazy-ass doctors. Can’t believe you folks use a freakin’ hand gesture for something that dangerous. You folks are fuckin’ unbelievable.”
Tiffany cringed slightly. For all his lack of education, the big biker was absolutely right about procedures being pretty lax at St. Mary’s.
Feeling the need to justify herself, she interjected, “There is a written protocol, but you know how people are.”
“Yeah, well, this ain’t the place to be cuttin’ corners. Fuck, can you help me get this shirt on?”
She rushed over to him and helped him pull it out of the plastic. “At least you got your fat ass covered all on your own.” She smiled, hoping some gentle teasing would put him in a better mood.
“Keep talkin’ about my ass, princess, and I’ll start checkin’ out yours again.”
Lifting the shirt up as he bent down, she replied jokingly, “You wouldn’t be the first.”
“I noticed that. Got something going on with that asshole of a doctor?”
Helping him work his injured arm into the sleeve, she was careful not to hurt him more. “Not that’s it any of your business, but no. I’m not seeing him or anyone else here.”
“Not even the glorious Duncan?”
Laughing softly, she tried to imagine Duncan being interested in her. “Actually, you’re more Duncan’s type.”
“That ain’t never gonna happen, doll. I only like the ladies.”
“Well, I’m sure they all flock to you, big guy.”
“I’ve got your big guy right here,” he said with a flex of his hips. “Wanna shake his hand?”
Swatting at him playfully, she eased the shirt the rest of the way over his head. “Be good for a few minutes and you might survive the night.”
Looking up, her eyes collided with his heated gaze. Smoothing the shirt down his chest, she realized her hands were lingering a little too long.
“Keep touching me like that, and the wood I’m sportin’ is going to have your name written all over it.”
Without meaning to, her eyes traveled down, landing on his huge bulge. Oh my. How could he be turned on when he was running for his life?
“Christ on a cracker, what’s wrong with you?”
Hooking his arm around her waist, he pulled her flush with his body and murmured, “You’re the only thing right in my world at the moment. Ever thought of stealing a moment in time, just for yourself?”
His eyes were filled with heat and his voice was laced with desire. Frowning, she tried to make sense of his words.
“I live a dangerous and unpredictable life,” he explained with a fierce edge. “Sometimes, when I see something I want, I just grab it. Even if I only have it for a moment, it can live in my memory instead of my imagination.”
Absently rubbing her hand up and down his muscular chest, she responded with a whisper, “That makes more sense than a lot of things I’ve heard.”
“I like the way your hands feel on me. I know I ain’t nothin’, but sometimes a man needs a taste of heaven.”
Looking up at his gorgeous, scarred face, she could see him moving closer. Her eyes drifted down to his lips, and before she could think of what to say, he was kissing her.
If she thought he was going to be rough and demanding, she couldn’t have been more wrong. His lips ghosted over hers, teasing and pulling her into his thrall.
Suddenly, her hands slid through his hair. His mouth became more demanding, his tongue swiping across the seam of her mouth. He was begging for entrance, and she wanted more than anything to give it.
Instead, she pulled back, forcing distance between them as she struggled to pull herself together. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me. I shouldn’t have—”
“Don’t fuckin’ apologize for the best moment of my entire life. Just fuckin’ don’t bother,” he snapped.
Turning his back to her, she took the opportunity to beat a hasty retreat. Quickly twisting the blinds shut to conceal his presence, she gently shut the door behind her. Walking back to her station, the reality of her entire situation set in.