his groin. Yeah, other men might be able to control their libidos when in pain, but they hadn’t been around this doctor before. She was just that gorgeous!
“I’m sorry, but this is going to require more than a band aid. And what’s more, you’ve lost a lot of blood. I’m going to need…”
“I’m fine,” Zeke interrupted. He saw the worry in her eyes and suspected he might be acting like an ass. Still, the thought of needles was just…no. He hated them. “How about if we make a deal?”
She frowned warily. “I’m not in the habit of making deals with my medical services, Colonel.”
He grinned, thinking she was cute. Was he being patronizing? He didn’t think so. He was just a man interested in a woman and Zeke wasn’t the kind who waited for a perfect situation. “I’ll let you do whatever you want to my back, if you’ll agree to go out to dinner with me.”
The woman froze. He could feel the seconds tick by and a soft lock of her hair slipped out of the loose knot, dancing beside her cheek before she impatiently tucked it behind her ear.
He heard her sharp intake of breath and could tell that she was attracted to him. He could also see the pulse throbbing at the base of her neck, saw that pulse speed up after his question. Yeah, she felt it too.
“How about if I treat your back, and then we can discuss dinner?” she offered.
He didn’t buy it. “Agree to dinner first, then fix my back.”
She laughed, but apparently, she was at the end of her negotiations. “No. Now shut up, Colonel and let me do my job.” She moved behind him and pulled on a fresh pair of gloves. Damn it, he wanted to feel her fingers against his skin. Not the damn gloves!
The doc gave several instructions to Nurse Cathy who hurried away. Zeke ignored the dizzy sensation and straightened up. There was a touch of fire along his back, then a cooling spray. A few moments later, the burning pain vanished and he breathed a bit easier.
“So, what’s your name?” he asked, determined to get something out of this miserable situation.
“Doctor Fisher,” she replied. “Or you can call me Captain Fisher. That works too.” He could tell by her tone that she was concentrating hard, but since she was behind him, he couldn’t see what she was doing.
Abby worked quickly, tightening up her stitches carefully while Cathy continued to sponge away the blood. As she closed the wound, the bleeding slowed. Since the wound was so long, he needed a lot of stitches. Not to mention, it was pleasant to work on a man with this many muscles. Every touch of her fingers against his skin was warm.
She gave Cathy more instructions and Cathy moved quickly. She was an excellent nurse and Abby enjoyed working with her. She was knowledgeable and efficient, and also a genuinely nice person. She was married with four kids, and the stories Cathy told cracked everyone up. With four boys in the house, Cathy was always on her toes. So coming to work in the emergency room was an escape from the chaos of her home life.
Still, Cathy kept shooting Abby pointed looks, the traitor! Abby didn’t attempt to interpret those glances. Instead, she concentrated on sealing up the wound with careful stitches, not wanting anything this long and horrific to mar the man’s perfect body.
Thirty minutes later, Abby straightened and admired her handiwork. “Okay, that should do it,” she announced. The man twisted slightly, then hissed as the pain in his back began to return. She removed her gloves, tossing them into the appropriate receptacle. “You’re going to be a bit stiff and sore over the next few days as your body heals. But I was able to stop the bleeding.” She looked at the rest of his back, stunned by the other wounds. None of them were as long, but there were several! This man had seen some action, she thought!
“We’ll put some antibacterial ointment on the wound now, but you’ll need to apply more twice a day, and change the bandage daily. Do you have someone who can help you?”
“How about dinner?” he asked.
Abby laughed, impressed with his tenacity. “You’re going to be asleep in about a half hour. The blood you lost is going to take your body a while to regenerate. Your body is working overtime.” She pulled her prescription pad out of her pocket and