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Carson gave her a patient look.  The nurses would carry me into a back room and do God knows
what to me if I gave you caffeine.
 Oh, you can paint a rose on that, a cute little redheaded nurse said as she came into the room and
shot Carson a voluptuous glance.  Really terrible things. Unimaginable things. She gave him a mock
growl.
 How many cups of coffee would you like, then? he asked Merissa with a big grin.
Tank laughed. So did the nurse. Carson shot her a wink and a smile as he went out the door.
The nurse whistled and waved her hand as if fanning herself.  If I weren t happily married and a
mother... she mused, looking after Carson.
 He does have that effect on women, Tank joked.
 Most women, Merissa corrected. She looked at Tank in a way that conveyed she wasn t one of
them.
Amazingly his face changed. He relaxed. He looked...happy. Content. He let the nurse do her job,
then when she left, he moved close to the bed and leaned over Merissa.
 I lied.
 Excuse me? she asked.
He bent his head and brushed his mouth tenderly over hers.  I don t want you for a friend.
 An enemy then? she teased, but she was breathing as if she d been running.
He nibbled her upper lip.  We can talk about it when you re out of the hospital and all this insanity
ends.
She touched his cheek with cold fingertips and smiled while his mouth moved against hers very
softly.  Okay.
He chuckled, because that didn t sound like a refusal.
She sighed as she looked up at his hard, gorgeous face.  You are so incredibly handsome, she
murmured huskily.
He actually flushed.  Who? Me?
 You. She smiled.  It s not only the way you look. It s the way you are.
 You don t really know me yet, he pointed out.
 I know you down to your bones, she said in an old, wise tone.  You d lay down your life for
your brothers, for their wives, for people who are close to you. In time of danger, you never run.
You re honest and loyal and you don t even drink. Or smoke. She shook her head.  Your only real
flaw, and it s a small one, is that temper.
He made a face at her.  It only peeks out from time to time in extreme circumstances.
 Like when you think Carson s trying to charm me. She laughed softly.
He sighed. It was impossible to deny it.  Yeah.
She touched his chiseled mouth.  He s very attractive. He seems like a rock sometimes, but he has a
soft center. He doesn t want to get serious about anyone ever again, but there s a young woman
somewhere who s driving him up the wall.
 She ll have to get in line, he teased, relieved to hear that Carson wasn t mooning over his girl.
 It s not like that, she replied.  She s very religious. She won t like some of the things she finds
out about him. She searched over Tank s face.  I think it will shock him. He isn t used to women who
don t think of intimacy as an itch you scratch whenever you feel the need.
 You re that sort of woman, he said softly.
 Yes, she replied.  I m not judgmental. I don t want to make the world over into my own image of
how things should be.
 I know what you mean. But there will always be people of faith, and women who don t follow the
crowd over the cliff of...group sex, he added jokingly.
She laughed.
 And what s so funny about group sex? Carson asked haughtily as he rejoined them.  Honest to
God, you people! He hesitated for effect.  Haven t you ever seen an anaconda mating ball on those
National Geographic specials?
They burst out laughing.
He handed Tank a cup of coffee and looked regretfully at Merissa as he dropped into a chair on the
other side of the bed.  Sorry, but they really would throw me out on my ear if I brought you a cup.
 I know. It s okay, she said, smiling at him.
Tank sat down in his own chair, but his eyes never left Merissa.
 Heard anything from the sheriff? Carson asked.
Tank shook his head.  No, but he ll let us know if he finds anything. Shame about that woman, he
added darkly.  I expect with a little incentive, she might have given something away.
 Or not, Carson added.  Men like that don t choose partners for their loose tongues. He crossed
his long, muscular legs.  However, a little background check might turn up something. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]