Totally, Sweetly, Irrevocably(29)

Gina covered her mouth with her hand. “You did not.”

“Oh yeah. And I did get some great velocity. On the first bounce, anyway. Controlling it after that was a little trickier. And landing was kind of a bitch. Especially when I was riding a big metal stick. Snapped my ankle like a twig. Got an ankle full of hardware.”

“Sexy.”

“Oh, I can make anything sexy.” His voice was suddenly deeper, huskier.

“I bet you can.” Gina stepped closer, moving to stand between his legs as he sat on the table. “What about this one?” she asked, lightly touching the small scar at the corner of his mouth.

He pursed his lips slightly, and the gentle pressure against her skin sent a shiver down her spine. She dropped her hand but didn’t move away. His hand encircled her waist and pulled her closer.

“Kitten,” he said.

Her eyebrows rose. “Did you just call me kitten?”

He laughed. “No.” He touched the scar on his lip. “You asked how I got this. A kitten did it.”

“A tiny, fluffy little kitten scarred you for life?”

“Hey. They may be tiny and fluffy but those little bastards have wicked sharp claws.”

Gina laughed. “True.”

“His name was Maverick, and I was trying to give him a bath. He objected. I made the mistake of leaning in a little too closely while he was trying to claw his way out. I tell you what; a tiny little kitten doesn’t feel so tiny when it’s hanging from your lip by a claw.”

“Oh! Ouch!” Gina shuddered. “That had to hurt.”

“It didn’t tickle.”

She laughed again and then looked down at his arm, her amusement disappearing.

“Thank you.” She looked into his eyes so he knew she was sincere.

“My pleasure,” he said with a slight smile.

“Next time, maybe let me clobber him.”

That drew a laugh out of Rick. “I might do that.”

“Good.” She reached up, laying her hand on his cheek for a moment before letting it drift to his neck and up into his hair. “It would be a shame to mark you up any more than you already are.”

He didn’t wait to see what else she’d say. Which was good because she’d only been stalling anyway. He leaned forward, closing the last bit of distance between them, and captured her lips. She rose on her toes and swayed against him. He wrapped both arms about her, grunting a bit when his newly stitched arm bumped against her. But he didn’t stop kissing her. Instead, he brought both hands up to cup her face so he could delve even deeper…

The clearing of someone’s throat brought them both back to reality, and they came up for air, though Rick didn’t release her. And she didn’t try to pull away.

The doctor who entered gave them an amused smile. “Be careful with those stitches now. I’d hate to have to redo them already.”

Rick let his injured arm fall to rest at his side. But he kept his other arm firmly around Gina.

After some last-minute instructions and paperwork, they were finally free to leave.

They walked out into the cool night air, and Gina took the first deep breath she’d taken since arriving. She hated hospitals.

“Well, it’s getting late, I guess,” she said, not sure what else to say.

“Ah. It’s not late yet.”

Gina smiled up at him. “No? Not sure anything else we could do could top that,” she said, jerking a thumb in the direction of the hospital.

“Oh, I can definitely top that.”

“You think?”

“I know. But there’s something else I want first.”

Gina’s breath left her lungs in a rush so strong her head spun. Rick stared at her, his eyes intense, his breathing shallow.

“And what is it you want?” she asked, not sure she could handle the answer.





Chapter Nine

“Food,” Rick said.

Gina blinked, surprised, and then laughed. Obviously not the answer she was expecting. But the only one he could give. And at the moment, totally the truth. “I’m starving. I need sustenance. And not that junk you got from the store.”

“Hey. That’s not junk. It was a nicely balanced meal.”

Rick grunted. “How do you figure that?”

“Uh, Slim Jim, fig cookies, Doritos…you’ve got your meat, fruit, and vegetable groups right there.”

“Doritos are a vegetable?”

“They are corn chips. And if you take me out for ice cream, we’ve got dairy covered. See. Dinner of champions.”

“I don’t think so.” He pulled her close for a quick kiss and released her so he could sling the backpack over his shoulder. “I need food, woman. Real food. Come on.” He held out his hand, relieved when she took it without a fight. Just because they’d been making out on and off all night didn’t mean she’d suddenly changed personalities. He pretty much expected her to argue with everything he said, whenever possible. On this, though, he was glad she didn’t. He really was starving.