Hart To Hart by Vella Day Page A

fault.”
    He didn’t want to get into a blaming game. Right now, he needed to heal so he could get back on the job. They both dug into their meal. After he ate, he felt significantly better.
    El cleared the plastic containers and faced him. “I need to change the bandage on your back. Dr. Carstead gave me extra pads and some ointment.”
    “Can it wait until after I shower?”
    “Sure. Your shirt should be dry. It’s hanging up over the shower rod.”
    For a split second, it was like the good ole days. “Thanks.”
    He stood and dizziness assaulted him, and then the waves of unsteadiness passed.
    “Are you okay? Do you need help?”
    With getting naked and washing his body or guiding him to the bathroom? Don’t go there . He inhaled and straightened. Surprisingly, his shoulder didn’t hurt nearly as much as it had yesterday. “If I need anything, I’ll holler.” He couldn’t help but smile.
    She chuckled. “Nice try, but I’m not washing you or helping you dress. You get naked and you’re on your own.”
    A thousand improper responses floated to his brain, but he exercised willpower. “Roger that.”
    Once in the bathroom, he closed the door and inhaled. El might deny there was an attraction, but he could see she wished she could go back to those days, too. He’d changed a lot since then. What he wouldn’t give to show her the person he’d become.
    Vic wasn’t kidding when he said he needed to shower. He stunk and had patches of dried blood on him. He ditched his briefs. Keeping his arm by his side, he turned on the water. When it warmed, he stepped in. The heated blast cut the ache in his head by half. Using his good arm, he shampooed his hair.
    Damn. He couldn’t reach his back—the one part of his body that was probably smeared in dried blood. Guess rinsing would have to do.
    El knocked on the bathroom door. “You okay in there?”
    Why wouldn’t he be? Had he taken too long? He held up his hand. Crap. His fingers had pruned. “Be right out.”
    He shut off the hot water, stepped out, and then worked to towel dry. He was able to replace the bandage on his forehead, but not the one on his back. After donning his briefs, he left the bathroom, carrying his rather clean shirt. “I’m ready, doctor, for you to change the bandage on my back.”
    “Sit on the bed. While you were in there, I called Charlotte. Be prepared for a call. She kind of freaked.”
    He sat down and sagged. “I wished you hadn’t done that. I don’t want her to worry.”
    El glanced to the ceiling, acting as if it took effort not to yell at him. “She’s your daughter. For some unknown reason, you’re important to her. She should know if you’ve been injured, you lug.”
    He held up a hand. “I get it. You’re right. It’s not just about me.”
    “Thank you. Now twist around, so I can reach your back and see how tiny the cut is.”
    They’d put in about ten stitches, so he prayed his injury didn’t make her squeamish. First she removed the old bandage, and because it was wet, it came off easily. When she stepped passed him toward the bathroom, he spotted the blood on the pad. Now, she’d fuss over him even more. Thank goodness they hadn’t been married when he’d been burned. If she’d seen him then, she’d have struggled to recover.
    El returned with a wet towel. “You suck at washing.”
    “Would you have come in and taken care of me if I’d asked?” He hadn’t flirted in a long time, and it felt good.
    He expected an instant, no. Instead, she inhaled audibly. “Probably not.”
    “I’ll remember that the next time.”
    She sat on the bed next to him, and with a soft touch, she cleaned his back and reapplied the bandage. “There.”
    Vic twisted around and there she was, her gaze on his face, looking hungry. “Thank you.”
    He expected her to cast her gaze to the side and move away, but she didn’t. Instead she tugged on her bottom lip then let her gaze travel between his legs. His cock twitched