Turning her sharp gaze on him, she quipped humorlessly, “I saw your personal effects, Ryder. I’m betting you’d be happy if I just brought your wallet and gun, right?”
“Don’t look at me like that, Tiff. I got a killer on my tail. Of fuckin’ course I want my one and only weapon.”
Sighing, she folded her arms across her chest. “I don’t see how that’s going to happen. The social workers log it and lock it upon arrival. I don’t even have access to it."
“I can’t protect us without a weapon. Can you bring me one in somehow?”
Her eyes got huge. “Are you seriously asking me to bring you a weapon? No, absolutely not. I don’t mind helping you stay alive, but I’m not going to end up in an orange jumpsuit over bringing a perfect stranger a weapon.”
“So, you think I’m perfect?”
Her eyes widened. “What? No. That was a figure of speech.”
Ryder smirked. “You already called me gorgeous. I think you do like the look of me.”
She glared back at him. “Don’t even think of trying to sweet talk me into breaking the law. I won’t do it. Not for you or any other hot guy.”
“So, now I’ve stepped up to hot?” For some godforsaken reason, he couldn’t stop himself from flirting with the adorably innocent nurse. Now was so not the time, but Junior was raring to go.
Rolling her eyes, she folded her arms over her chest. “Sure, you’re hot. Are you happy now?”
“Come, sit on Daddy’s lap.”Where the fuck did that come from?Ryder realized in that moment that his dick was doing all the talking.
“You’re freaking unbelievable. You don’t have time for shit like that. You’re a walking dead man, remember? Get your head together.” The woman’s face was flaming red. Whether it was from true anger or embarrassment, he couldn’t tell, but it was fucking sexy as hell.
Her harsh words felt like getting doused with cold water.
“Whatever you say, Nurse Stone.” He heard his tone of voice change as he edged into asshole mode again. Something about being brought up short by the hot nurse seriously aggravated him. She was all kinds of right about how this wasn’t the time or place, but it still pissed him off.
There would never be an appropriate time for a woman like her to sit on his lap. This was a fact he was all too aware of, and it had him feeling some kind of way.
~ Tiffany ~
Tiffany stalked to the nurse’s station and slammed his chart down on the counter, still angry about the big man’s flippant comment. Why did all hot guys think nurses were bimbos? She got enough of that shit from the doctors and interns. She didn’t need to hear it from the hottest guy she’d ever met.
It rubbed her the wrong way that she’d just saved the asshole’s life and yet, he still considered her as some type of one-dimensional stereotype. Why exactly did she have to have a thing for handsome, dominant men? It always ended up getting her into trouble.
Punching violently on the computer keyboard, she pulled up his file. Ryder Staunton was quickly changed to a John Doe. Erasing all the other information, she hit save. Identity mix-ups happened occasionally. Someone grabbed the wrong wallet andboom, everything was off. Making such corrections never drew much notice.
Pulling a clean chart, she completed it with his medical information. What the hell was she doing? Forging patient information could not only get her fired but her nursing license pulled. Just the thought of not being a nurse was enough to send her spiraling headlong into a mini panic attack. Freezing, she forced herself to calm the hell down. Tonight was her last night at this place, so there was very little risk for her at this point.
The bottom line was, she just couldn’t bring herself to risk the big biker’s life. She’d be a piss poor nurse and lacking in human decency if she wasn’t willing to risk it all to save a man’s life. The fact that he was an attractive and interesting man was just a bonus. Why the hell was she so fascinated with him anyway?
Chewing her bottom lip, she turned the situation over in her mind. Maybe she wasn’t interested in him as a man. The nurse in her just wanted him to survive the night. Determining that was indeed the case, she snapped the chart shut and headed back to his bay.
“Well, Mr. Ryder Staunton is now officially a John Doe.”
Ryder jerked his chin in her direction. “Thanks a fuckin’ lot, doll. With any luck, I might just live to see the light of day.”
“You’ll survive. I’ll see to it.” The determination in her own voice surprised her. It must have taken him by surprise as well, because his eyes came up, searching her face.
“Why did you say you were risking your life to save me again?”
“That seems to be the question of the day.” Smiling wryly, she answered defensively, “I work in a hospital. It’s what I do. It’s nothing special to do with you.” She was certain her toughened-up voice didn’t mark her words for the lies they were.
The man’s jaw tightened. “I’m hearing what you’re laying down. Ain’t nobody ever thought I was anything special, so I fully understand.”
Tiffany’s mouth fell open, and she wanted to contradict his inaccurate and self-deprecating comment. However, at that moment, one of the physicians walked in.