your eye you wanna say somethin’ pointless. Knowin’ you, something like ‘oh, but I’m not you,’ am I right?”
Okay, that might have been almost word for word what I would have said.
The thumb on my arm did another little circle, and all I could get myself to do was nod.
He wasn’t amused by the fact he’d guessed correctly. “I’m not more important than you. You’re more important than me—”
I snorted, and that earned me a raise of one of those tawny eyebrows.
“Now, my darlin’, tell me what I can do. Want me to go talk to ’em and see if I can get ’em to squeeze you in quicker? Give you a painkiller?” He rubbed up and down my arms a little more, strong and warm. “I’m sure it hurts like hell, huh?” he asked gently with a small smile of pity that I ate up with an imaginary spoon.
I nodded. “I’d show you, but you probably don’t want to see it.” In fact, I was positive he wouldn’t want to see it. That was part of the reason why I hadn’t wanted to tell him where I was.
“Bianca?”
I eyed Zac and wished all of a sudden that he was wearing some sunglasses or something else that hid his features more than just hiding his hair. I turned my head at the same time that the hand Zac had on me jerked just a little and met Gunner’s eyes as he stood just off to the side. There was a frown on his face. “My friend is here now. I think he’ll stay with me so that you can go.”
I could feel Zac’s gaze on my face, hard and hot.
I turned to him. “You’ll stay with me, right?”
He tilted his head to the side. “All night if I need to, darlin’.”
I smiled at him before glancing back up at Gunner. “He’s staying,” I confirmed.
The frown on my boss’s face got a little deeper. “I told you I’d stay. I need to see about your bill.”
Zac squeezed my upper arm before he stood up. He turned that long body toward the last man I would have wanted him to interact with and said, “I’ve got her bill. You don’t need to worry about it.”
Was this the right time to tell him that I didn’t have insurance and wouldn’t mind milking Gunner for it?
“It’s my responsibility. I’m her boss.”
“I know who you are,” Zac said in a deceptively slow drawl that tickled at the base of my neck. I wished I could see his face, but he was turned away too much. What I could see was the way his shoulders went down and his chin tipped upward. “You’ve done enough, buddy. I’ve got it from here.”
“Bianca Brannen?”
I shot up to my feet and sent my boss a blank face. “Thank you for driving me, but I really will be all right.” I’d figure out the bill later.
Zac still wasn’t looking at me as he said in a low voice, “I’ve got her.”
Gunner glanced down at me, his harsh face emotionless. “Take three weeks off then, paid sick leave. Come back then.” After another glance at Zac, he turned and walked away.
“Bianca Brannen?” the nurse called out again, and that time, Zac lifted his hand in a wave at her.
I poked his side. “Want to wait out here?” I wondered if he knew that I remembered his not-a-phobia. I didn’t want to put him under pressure.
That gaze slid to me, and his nostrils flared. His Adam’s apple bobbed hard once before he surprised the shit out of me and shook his head. “I’ll come with you.”
He what?
I mean… “You can wait out here.”
His response was to brush the tip of his finger against the corner of my mouth.
And I responded to that by holding my breath.
He was touching my beauty mark.
“Are you sure?”
His Adam’s apple bobbed.
Right. “You can just… look at me the whole time if you want to come in. Not at the doctor or anything in the room,” I whispered the suggestion to him.
He was looking in the direction of my mouth when the corners of his went up and he ducked his chin in agreement.
He was being serious. He wanted to go in with me.
I couldn’t believe it. He had to love me. I knew it then.
But I didn’t say another word because I didn’t know what to say. Or think.
A tired-looking nurse started to say, “He needs—oh.” She blinked, and her eyes widened. “Oh. Umm, never mind. Follow