watch out, buster.”
“You never have to worry about me overstepping.” He held up his hands in surrender. “I’ve seen your arsenal of weapons, and it ain’t pretty.”
A faint blush stained her cheeks. “The first night we met, you saw my equipment bag in the trunk of my car.”
“Yeah, the second before you creamed me.”
She grimaced. “Not my finest moment.”
“Yet here we are.”
She studied him with an intensity that would’ve made a lesser man uncomfortable. For Manny, he was happy to have her look at him with an interesting mix of adoration and confusion.
“What?”
“You’re some guy.” She held up her hand and started ticking off points with the other. “As you so delicately put it, I creamed you at our first meeting. Then I don’t return your text. Then you see me acting like a crazy person at the hotel in Auckland. And rather than enjoy a few days’ relaxation at the end of your conference, you volunteer to save my ass.”
She punctuated each point by flexing a finger. “And to top it off, you travel all the way here to keep saving my ass.”
“Already told you, it’s a mighty fine ass.”
He expected her to laugh at his banter, but her expression turned solemn.
“Seriously, Manny, I can’t thank you enough for what you’ve done for me. Nailing this job was vitally important, and you’ve helped me achieve that. Thank you.”
Manny had received gratitude from patients before, or families of patients whose lives he’d saved. But nothing meant more to him at this moment than having Harper stare at him like he’d given her a precious gift.
“You’re welcome.”
She leaned over and pressed her lips to his in a sweet, too-chaste kiss that had him wanting more in a second. But he didn’t want to ruin the moment with his relentless lust for her, so he settled for a smile when she eased away.
“So we’ve got a few days before we head back to Auckland?”
She nodded. “Yeah.”
“Good, because I intend to make every second with you count.”
25
When Harper opened her eyes the next morning and glanced at the alarm clock on the bedside table, she had to look twice. Eleven. Which meant she’d slept twelve hours straight. Impossible, so she blinked and refocused. The time didn’t change, and she stretched before struggling into a sitting position.
Being a morning person, she never slept in. And since her diagnosis, it took more time to get ready in the morning before she could face anybody, so she always set her alarm extra early.
Shaking her head, she reached for her cell. Before she’d stumbled to her room in exhaustion last night, she’d made tentative plans to catch up with Manny for breakfast, but the time for that had well and truly passed.
She checked her messages. He’d texted once, just after eight, and called an hour later. She read the text first.
HEY SLEEPING BEAUTY, U STOOD ME UP 4 BREAKFAST.
He’d inserted a heart split in two emoji.
BUT I’LL SURVIVE. CALL ME WHEN U WAKE.
Smiling, she tapped the button to play his voice message.
“Hey, gorgeous, me again, your trusty assistant who gleefully resigned his position yesterday. If you’re half as exhausted as I am you’re probably still sleeping. Just to let you know I’m heading out to scout the local area for the perfect picnic spot. You know, for our D.A.T.E. later today. I’ll probably skip lunch and go for a jog while I’m out, so why don’t I meet you in the foyer around four? See you soon.” He ended with a loud smooch that made her grin and press the cell to her chest.
Manny had a way about him that made her feel more lighthearted and carefree than she had in years. Technically, they were nothing more than two people attracted to each other making the most of a few days together. They’d end up in bed, she had no doubt, and she couldn’t wait. But the way he made her feel surpassed what she’d had with Colin, and that surprised her.
Colin had been a nice guy. They’d had fun together. And despite him gutting her when she revealed her skin condition, she didn’t think too badly of him. Their lives had melded for twelve months, and they’d emotionally invested, meaning she missed the intimacy more than him.
So how did Manny, a guy she barely knew, give her that same sense of closeness?
It didn’t make sense, but for now she wouldn’t question it. She’d worked her ass off the last few days; she deserved to