Once Bitten, Twice Dead - By Bianca D'Arc Page 0,6
from the satisfied look on his face she gathered that she was doing okay. He dropped the chart back into the holder and abruptly left the room.
Dr. Singh didn’t have the greatest bedside manner. That was for sure.
The man in charge—the one in camo—moved closer. His eyes were a whiskey shade of brown and focused on her as if she were the most fascinating thing in the world. Sarah knew she looked like hell. Such a shame, when she was faced with such a handsome specimen of manhood. Even with the mask obscuring his face and the shapeless lab coat hiding his true form, she could tell there was something special about this man.
He nearly crackled with power. He had a presence about him. She had no doubt he was used to being in command.
“Who are you?” The question slipped out before she could censor herself.
“Captain Xavier Beauvoir, U.S. Army, at your service, ma’am.” He took off the face mask, much to the surprise of the others in the room. It looped over his ears, and the significance of the Green Beret attached to his belt, visible through the open front of his lab coat, wasn’t lost on her. This guy was Special Forces. What in the world had she stumbled into? She wondered again.
“Aren’t you afraid I’m contagious?” She looked pointedly at the others who still wore their masks.
“Darlin’, there’s not much in this world I’m afraid of. What’s a few little germs among fellow defenders of the innocent?”
“Defenders of the innocent”? Was he flirting with her? The sparkle in those whiskey eyes, the warmth in his tone and the teasing lilt of his words made it seem like he was. Was the guy nuts?
“You’re a cop. I’m a soldier. We protect and serve. Each in our own way.”
She thought about it for a moment and had to concede his point.
“So what brings a U.S. Army Green Beret to my hospital room with a team of doctors?”
His expression closed up. Like a door slamming shut. “Why don’t we let the docs do their thing, and then I’ll tell you everything I can. I also want to hear your take on what happened to you. Deal?”
Grimacing as her head began to pound again, Sarah nodded. “All right.”
“Just one more thing. Did that first doctor try anything? What did he say to you?”
“He seemed more interested in the rest of me than my poor, aching head. He asked repeatedly how I felt aside from the headache. And he wanted a blood sample.”
“Did he get it?” The question snapped from him like a whip.
“No. Nurse Aspen arrived in the nick of time. I asked him why he wanted a blood sample for a concussion, and his answer was vague and not very convincing.”
The soldier’s lips thinned to a compressed line. He was annoyed and pensive. Her instincts had been on the money. That first doctor wasn’t supposed to have been in here. Though why the army was so interested in her case, she had yet to understand.
“Can you describe him?”
“Caucasian, five ten, clean-cut, black hair, dark brown eyes. White lab coat, white dress shirt with a button-down collar, khaki pants, worn-in dark brown boat shoes and manicured hands.”
The soldier looked impressed. “That’s the nice part about working with a police officer. You’re way more observant than a civilian. I’ll have some photos to show you later. I assume you’d recognize his face?”
“Of course.”
“Good.” He moved back. “I’ll get out of here so the doctors can do their thing. See you later, Officer Petit.” He winked at her and left the room.
She hadn’t been winked at since she was a little girl, but somehow this guy got away with it. She had to stifle a smile as he walked out of the room. The sexy soldier had a really nice smile and his accent was drool-worthy, not to mention his chiseled features. He was definitely too sexy for his shirt. Problem was, he knew it.
Sarah had dated a guy like that once. He’d been a fellow officer, back when she was a rookie. Good-looking and charming, Rob had spent a lot of time admiring his own muscles as he worked out each morning in the gym. She’d fallen for his practiced lines and killer smile, and had the scars on her heart to prove it. Since then, she’d stayed away from the handsome brutes who populated the gym and attracted aerobics groupies like flies on dung. Give her a normal guy who didn’t