her. His possessive demeanor was evident – and that made him an unexpected complication.
“You think they’re together?” Don said under his breath.
“Maybe. He did throw himself in front of a glass for her.”
“Yeah.” Don contemplated that. “Maybe they’re staying here together?”
“Let’s hang out a bit longer, see if we can find anything else out.”
“Sure.”
Gabi saw them now and she gave them a smile. “Exciting evening at Curves, huh?”
“Sure is,” Don drawled. “Is it always like this?”
“Oh, not always. Sometimes it’s very, very quiet.”
“I doubt that,” Lizard said. “ This is where all the action is, for damn sure.”
“So can I get you guys anything else?”
“You don’t mind? You look busy.” Lizard was going for charming and failing, but fuck. The bitch was offering to bring him a drink, so he’d play along.
“No, it’s fine. Whisky?”
“Yep.” Don’s smile didn’t reach his eyes. “We’re celebrating, you see.”
“Oh, yeah? Celebrating what?”
Don looked up at her. “A job well done.”
**
Kenleigh jumped to her feet when Curtis unlocked the staff room door. “Mac. Oh, thank God. I think she’s hurt more badly than we thought at first.”
Curtis’ gut clenched. “What do you mean?”
“She keeps saying she’s tired and it’s getting harder and harder to keep her awake.”
“Tessa?” Mac sat next to her, lifted her eyelids. “Tessa?”
“Can I go to sleep now?” she slurred.
“You sleepy?”
“Mmmmmm.”
“Listen up, sweet thing,” Mac said. “You can’t go to sleep, OK?”
“But…” Her eyelids drooped again.
“Honey.” Mac shook her a bit. “If you have a concussion, you can’t sleep. Fight it off for me… Tessa?”
She forced her eyes open again. “I – I’ll try.”
“I know you will.”
“What do I do?” Curtis asked him, feeling powerless and angry. “Tell me.”
“Try to keep her awake, though that may be impossible. I’m going to call the hospital and arrange a few tests and scans. I’ll have them lined up and ready to go when she arrives.” Mac left the room, pulling out his cell as he went.
Kenleigh and Curtis looked at each other.
“Thank God the man’s a world-class neurologist, huh?” Kenleigh said. “Comes in awfully handy around here sometimes.”
“No kidding.”
“So you OK to stay with her?” she said. “I think I should get out there and help with cleaning up.”
“Yeah, go on. Thanks, hon.”
“Sure. You take care of her now.”
“I will.”
She shut the door behind her and there they were: Curtis was staring down at the sexiest, sweetest woman he’d ever known and she was hurting and afraid. She was struggling to stay awake, he could see it, but she was losing the battle fast and hard.
“Tessa,” he said. “Stay with me, OK?”
“I’m tired,” she whispered. “I want to close my eyes…”
“I know. But you can’t.”
“Uuummm-hmmmm.” Those green eyes fluttered shut again.
“Hey.” Curtis touched her hand. “Hey, Tessa.”
She didn’t answer this time and he felt the worry moving across his chest. “Tessa?”
She sighed deeply and that helpless sound was what did him in; it’s what made him break his self-imposed determination to not touch her the way that he so desperately wanted to.
Fuck it. Just for a few minutes .
Curtis lay down next to her on the sofa and took her in his arms. Gently, he tucked her head under his chin, his hand on the nape of her neck again. He closed his eyes and just let himself feel her curves and closeness.
“Tessa?” he whispered. “Can you hear me?”
A small sound of assent.
“Open those gorgeous eyes. Look at me.”
With a huge effort, she did. Their eyes met and locked and she suddenly looked more alert.
“Curtis?”
“It’s me. Stay here, yeah?”
“My eyes are so heavy… why am I so tired?”
“You’re hurt but I’ve got you now. You’ll go to the hospital with Mac and
“You think they’re together?” Don said under his breath.
“Maybe. He did throw himself in front of a glass for her.”
“Yeah.” Don contemplated that. “Maybe they’re staying here together?”
“Let’s hang out a bit longer, see if we can find anything else out.”
“Sure.”
Gabi saw them now and she gave them a smile. “Exciting evening at Curves, huh?”
“Sure is,” Don drawled. “Is it always like this?”
“Oh, not always. Sometimes it’s very, very quiet.”
“I doubt that,” Lizard said. “ This is where all the action is, for damn sure.”
“So can I get you guys anything else?”
“You don’t mind? You look busy.” Lizard was going for charming and failing, but fuck. The bitch was offering to bring him a drink, so he’d play along.
“No, it’s fine. Whisky?”
“Yep.” Don’s smile didn’t reach his eyes. “We’re celebrating, you see.”
“Oh, yeah? Celebrating what?”
Don looked up at her. “A job well done.”
**
Kenleigh jumped to her feet when Curtis unlocked the staff room door. “Mac. Oh, thank God. I think she’s hurt more badly than we thought at first.”
Curtis’ gut clenched. “What do you mean?”
“She keeps saying she’s tired and it’s getting harder and harder to keep her awake.”
“Tessa?” Mac sat next to her, lifted her eyelids. “Tessa?”
“Can I go to sleep now?” she slurred.
“You sleepy?”
“Mmmmmm.”
“Listen up, sweet thing,” Mac said. “You can’t go to sleep, OK?”
“But…” Her eyelids drooped again.
“Honey.” Mac shook her a bit. “If you have a concussion, you can’t sleep. Fight it off for me… Tessa?”
She forced her eyes open again. “I – I’ll try.”
“I know you will.”
“What do I do?” Curtis asked him, feeling powerless and angry. “Tell me.”
“Try to keep her awake, though that may be impossible. I’m going to call the hospital and arrange a few tests and scans. I’ll have them lined up and ready to go when she arrives.” Mac left the room, pulling out his cell as he went.
Kenleigh and Curtis looked at each other.
“Thank God the man’s a world-class neurologist, huh?” Kenleigh said. “Comes in awfully handy around here sometimes.”
“No kidding.”
“So you OK to stay with her?” she said. “I think I should get out there and help with cleaning up.”
“Yeah, go on. Thanks, hon.”
“Sure. You take care of her now.”
“I will.”
She shut the door behind her and there they were: Curtis was staring down at the sexiest, sweetest woman he’d ever known and she was hurting and afraid. She was struggling to stay awake, he could see it, but she was losing the battle fast and hard.
“Tessa,” he said. “Stay with me, OK?”
“I’m tired,” she whispered. “I want to close my eyes…”
“I know. But you can’t.”
“Uuummm-hmmmm.” Those green eyes fluttered shut again.
“Hey.” Curtis touched her hand. “Hey, Tessa.”
She didn’t answer this time and he felt the worry moving across his chest. “Tessa?”
She sighed deeply and that helpless sound was what did him in; it’s what made him break his self-imposed determination to not touch her the way that he so desperately wanted to.
Fuck it. Just for a few minutes .
Curtis lay down next to her on the sofa and took her in his arms. Gently, he tucked her head under his chin, his hand on the nape of her neck again. He closed his eyes and just let himself feel her curves and closeness.
“Tessa?” he whispered. “Can you hear me?”
A small sound of assent.
“Open those gorgeous eyes. Look at me.”
With a huge effort, she did. Their eyes met and locked and she suddenly looked more alert.
“Curtis?”
“It’s me. Stay here, yeah?”
“My eyes are so heavy… why am I so tired?”
“You’re hurt but I’ve got you now. You’ll go to the hospital with Mac and
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