Hart To Hart by Vella Day

she wouldn’t. He wanted to continue bantering with her, but he was having a hard time staying awake. Those stupid pills Randy made him take were kicking his butt. If El did slip into bed, it would have been nice to absorb her heat and at least imagine having her place her head on his shoulder like she used to. Most likely, he’d remember nothing until morning.
    With some effort, he unhooked and unzipped his jeans while she removed his boots and socks. He then placed his feet on the floor and stood. Whoa. His head spun, forcing him to sit back down.
    El pressed on his good shoulder. “Lie back down and I’ll take your pants off.”
    Even if she had been willing to make love with him, he was too messed up to do anything about it. Once prone, he lifted his hips to make it easier for her to pull off his jeans. With his good hand, he held onto his briefs. He didn’t need a reveal just yet. Imagining the possibilities of the night to come, his cock stiffened half way. Thankfully, the drugs helped prevent a full erection.
    “Now sit up so I can take off that nasty shirt. I don’t need blood on the sheets,” she said.
    “Yes, ma’am. You’ll have to take the sling off first, but be careful.”
    With care, she undid the snap at the neck, slipped off the sling, and then unbuttoned his shirt. Damn but she smelled good. She was so lovely, especially with no makeup. He always loved when she went all natural. With efficiency, she undid his shirt and peeled down the sleeve on his good arm.
    “I’ll handle this side,” he said. Vic managed to get it off with little pain.
    She took the bloody mess from him. “I’ll see if I can get out some of the blood.”
    Before he could tell her not to bother, she disappeared into the bathroom. The water ran and he slipped under the covers and closed his eyes.
    *     *     *
    “Breakfast.”
    Vic had been in and out of wakefulness for about an hour, but he hadn’t wanted to move. His head hurt, as did his shoulder, but the rest of him seemed better. Unfortunately, when he sat up, a fierce ache stabbed his shoulder. “Son of bitch.”
    El rushed over. “Can I help?”
    As much as he’d liked another pain pill, he needed to get home. “I’m good. I just need to eat and then shower.”
    “Let me help.” She pulled back the sheets then averted her gaze. “Oh, my.”
    He chuckled. “I didn’t think I had to warn you.” His cock was rock hard from sleep. The meds had definitely worn off.
    El turned back toward him. “I wasn’t thinking.”
    She stepped away and let him ease to a stand. When he glanced at her, she was staring at the burns on his shoulder. “Pretty, ain’t it?”
    “Oh, Vic. You’ve suffered so much.”
    None more than when she’d left him. “It was for a good cause. We got the bastard who wanted to terrorize a bunch of innocent people for his cause.”
    She pressed her lips together in understanding. “Food’s hot.”
    It did smell good. This was one of the pluses to being at a hotel. Wearing only his briefs, he edged his way to the table and slid down onto the seat. Thankfully, his left shoulder was the one damaged instead of his right. She’d already poured his coffee so he brought the cup to his lips.
    “Do you believe it was my stalker who tried to run you off the road or someone from your past wanting to harm you?” she asked as calm as could be.
    “Remember, I’m a private investigator. I piss off people daily. My suspect list is long, but it was my fault. I should have been paying better attention.”
    “How exactly could you have prevented him from ramming you? Does your car have rockets out its ass that you can shoot at people?”
    He laughed, but quickly sobered. The movement hurt his head and his shoulder. “I wish. I should have sped up, but I was distracted.”
    She shook her head. “We’re you trying to figure out who my stalker was?”
    His mind never rested until he’d solve a case. “Yes.”
    “See? It was my