Daniel slipped the nurse’s phone number into his pocket and headed in the direction of Jack’s room. He’d just rounded a corner, his dress shoes squeaking on the polished floor, when he saw her.
Daniel’s easy stride came to an abrupt halt. The nurse’s name flew right out of his head.
Staring through the glass of the vending machine, an exquisitely beautiful blonde stood looking entirely out of place in her mundane surroundings. Years of training had Daniel registering everything about her appearance in mere seconds. A natural, golden tan starting at her feet and spreading upward until it disappeared under her jean skirt suggested she either lived outside the city or had just returned from vacation.
She’ll have tan lines. Daniel nearly groaned out loud at the thought of finding them.
In sandals and a tank top, she was dressed like she’d come straight from the beach, clearly not anticipating the harsh air-conditioning in the hospital. He watched her shiver a little, rubbing her arms to generate heat. The sight of her delicate hands traveling over her mouthwatering skin kicked his heart rate up another notch.
Barely conscious of his feet moving, Daniel started toward her, his sole intention to learn the color of her eyes. Blue, he’d guess, based on the long, straw-colored hair hanging to the middle of her back, curling slightly at the ends. He watched as she blew out a breath, disturbing the thick bangs ending just over her eyes. Her posture hinted at fatigue or grief, he couldn’t tell which. Only that he wanted to make it better.
She stared at the contents of the vending machine, chewing her lip in indecision. His teeth sank into his own bottom lip in response, wishing it was hers.
As he got closer, her startled gaze flew up to meet his. Lightning rocketed through his system. Curious blue-green eyes widened on him, flicking away just as quickly. He took a step closer.
Talking to women was like second nature to him, yet he found himself stranded in silence, second-guessing everything that popped into his head. And if he didn’t speak soon, his closeness would begin to alarm her. Say something, idiot.
“I can’t let you do that,” Daniel blurted.
“Can’t let me do what, exactly?”
Her voice slid like silk across his skin and it took him a minute to recapture his train of thought. He tilted his head toward the vending machine. “You’ve got your eye on that healthy cereal bar. It’s a bad selection. Pick something else.”
She smirked at their side-by-side reflection in the glass. “Elaborate.”
“No one buys healthy cereal bars.” He tapped his finger against the glass. “That’s been there as long as the machine itself.”
She peeked up at him, a laugh flirting around the edges of her mouth. “Did you have an alternate suggestion?”
“Of course.” Daniel tried not to stare at her lips. “You see, there are three factors one must consider when choosing a snack from a vending machine. Substance, for one. It needs to hold you over until real food is available. Freshness, which your cereal bar is sorely lacking. And finally”—his eyes dropped to her mouth—“taste.”
His blatant come-on gave her pause, but she played along by turning back to consider her options. “These are strong points you’re making, but I’m going to need you to be more specific.”
“I was getting there.” Using it as an excuse to lean closer to her, Daniel stooped down to peruse the selections, catching her sunshine scent and inhaling deeply. “Ah. Peanut butter crackers. You can’t go wrong there. They’re the best bang for your buck.”
She was already shaking her head. “No. I’d need milk to eat those. It would be a disaster.” Those blue-green eyes met his once more, only this time humor lurked in their depths. “You know, I could have sworn you were going to pick the trail mix.”
“Oh, yeah? Why is that?”
“Because you’re both full of shit.”
As she turned to punch in her selection for the cereal bar, Daniel couldn’t stop his surprised laughter from echoing down the hallway. She’d caught him off guard. A rare occurrence. He liked it. A hell of a lot.
He raised his hands. “Fine. At least we’re already in a hospital if you get food poisoning.”
As she bent forward to retrieve her purchase from the machine, Daniel let his gaze drop to her sweet, heart-shaped ass. One step forward was all it would take to press himself against her, let her feel the potent effect she was having on him. How would she react? Christ, he needed to reel it back a little. They were standing in the middle of a well-lit hallway and he could barely restrain the urge to touch this near-stranger.