“That’s absurd.”
“No, it’ll work. Then the lights go off, and you’re all tucked in. That’s when I come out.”
“And sit in the dark for the rest of the night? Grayson, I’m not on my deathbed. I want you to go home.”
“Can’t do it. And we won’t sit in the dark.” With a smug grin, he pulled his last purchase from the bag. “See this? It’s a book light, the kind you clip on so you don’t disturb your bed partner if you want to read late.”
Amazed, she shook her head. “You’ve lost your mind.”
“On the contrary, I’m extremely clever. This way I won’t be at the cottage worrying, you won’t be here, alone and miserable. I’ll read to you until you’re tired.”
“Read to me?” she repeated in a murmur. “You’re going to read to me?”
“Sure. Can’t have you trying to focus on this little print with a concussion, can we?”
“No.” She knew nothing, absolutely nothing in her life had ever touched her more. “I should make you go, but I so very much want you to stay.”
“That makes two of us. You know, this sounded pretty good from the back cover copy. “A deadly alliance,’ ” he read. “ “Katrina—she would never be tamed. The fiery-haired beauty with the face of a goddess and the soul of a warrior would risk everything to avenge the murder of her father. Even wed and bed her fiercest enemy.’ ” He lifted a brow. “Hell of a gal, that Katrina. And the hero’s no slouch, either. “Ian—he would never surrender. The bold and battle-scarred highland chief known as the Dark Lord would fight friend and foe to protect his land, and his woman. Sworn enemies, sworn lovers, they form an alliance that sweeps them toward destiny and into passion.’ “
He flipped the book over to the front cover, reaching idly for a chip. “Pretty good, huh? And a fine-looking couple they are, too. See, it takes place in Scotland, twelfth century. Katrina’s the only child of this widowed laird. He’s let her run pretty wild, so she does a lot of guy stuff. Swordplay and archery, hunting. Then there’s this evil plot and he’s murdered, which makes her the laird and prey for the vicious and slightly insane villain. But our Katrina’s no doormat.”
Brianna smiled, reached for Gray’s hand. “You’ve read it?”
“I paged through it when I was waiting to pay for it. There’s this incredibly erotic scene on page two fifty-one. Well, we’ll work our way up to that. They’re probably going to come in and check your blood pressure, and we don’t want it elevated. Better get rid of the evidence here, too.” He gathered up the wrappings from the smuggled dinner.
He’d barely hidden them in the bag when the door opened. Nurse Mannion, big as a halfback, bustled in. “Visiting hours are nearly over, Mr.
Thane.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Now, Miss Concannon, how are we doing? Any dizziness, nausea, blurred vision?”
“No, not at all. I’m feeling fine, really. In fact, I was wondering if—”
“That’s good, that’s good.” Nurse Mannion easily overrode the expected request to leave as she made notes on the chart at the foot of the bed. “You should try to sleep. We’ll be checking on you through the night, every three hours.” Still moving briskly, she set a tray on the table beside the bed.
Brianna only had to take one look to go pale. “What’s that? I told you I feel fine. I don’t need a shot. I don’t want one. Grayson.”
“I, ah—” One steely glance from Nurse Mannion had him fumbling in the role of hero.
“It’s not a shot. We just need to draw a little blood.”
“What for?” Abandoning any pretense of dignity, Brianna cringed back. “I lost plenty. Take some of that.”
“No nonsense now. Give me your arm.”
“Brie. Look here.” Gray linked his fingers with hers. “Look at me. Did I ever tell you about the first time I went to Mexico? I hooked up with some people and went out on their boat. This was in the Gulf. It was really beautiful. Balmy air, crystal blue seas. We saw this little barracuda swimming along the port side.”
Out of the corner of his eye he saw Nurse Mannion slide the needle under Brianna’s skin. And his stomach turned.
“Anyway, anyway,” he said, speaking quickly. “One of the guys went to get his camera. He comes back, leans over the rail, and the mama barracuda jumps right up out of the water. It was like freeze frame. She looked right at the lens of the camera and smiled with all those teeth. Like a pose. Then she plopped back into the water, got her baby, and they swam away.”
“You’re making it up.”
“God’s truth,” he said, lying desperately. “He got the picture, too. I think he sold it to National Geographic, or maybe it was the Enquirer. Last I heard he was still out in the Gulf of Mexico, hoping to repeat the experience.”
“That’s done.” The nurse patted a bandage in the crook of Brianna’s elbow. “Your dinner’s on its way, miss, if you have room for it after your hamburger.”
“Ah, no, thank you just the same. I think I’ll just rest now.”
“Five minutes, Mr. Thane.”
Grayson scratched his chin when the door swung shut behind her. “Guess we didn’t quite pull that off.”
Now Brianna did pout. “You said you’d beat them up if they came in with needles.”
“She’s a lot bigger than me.” He leaned over, kissed her lightly. “Poor Brie.”
She tapped a finger on the book that lay on the bed beside her. “Ian would never have backed down.”
“Well, hell, look how he’s built. He could wrestle a horse. I’ll never qualify for Dark Lord.”
“I’ll take you just the same. Grinning barracudas,” she said and laughed. “How do you think of such things?”
“Talent, sheer talent.” He went to the door, peeked out. “Don’t see her. I’m going to turn off the light, duck into the bathroom. We’ll give it ten minutes.”
He read to her for two hours, taking her through Katrina’s and Ian’s perilous and romantic adventures by the tiny light of the book lamp. Now and again his hand would reach out and brush over hers, lingering over the moment of contact.
“No, it’ll work. Then the lights go off, and you’re all tucked in. That’s when I come out.”
“And sit in the dark for the rest of the night? Grayson, I’m not on my deathbed. I want you to go home.”
“Can’t do it. And we won’t sit in the dark.” With a smug grin, he pulled his last purchase from the bag. “See this? It’s a book light, the kind you clip on so you don’t disturb your bed partner if you want to read late.”
Amazed, she shook her head. “You’ve lost your mind.”
“On the contrary, I’m extremely clever. This way I won’t be at the cottage worrying, you won’t be here, alone and miserable. I’ll read to you until you’re tired.”
“Read to me?” she repeated in a murmur. “You’re going to read to me?”
“Sure. Can’t have you trying to focus on this little print with a concussion, can we?”
“No.” She knew nothing, absolutely nothing in her life had ever touched her more. “I should make you go, but I so very much want you to stay.”
“That makes two of us. You know, this sounded pretty good from the back cover copy. “A deadly alliance,’ ” he read. “ “Katrina—she would never be tamed. The fiery-haired beauty with the face of a goddess and the soul of a warrior would risk everything to avenge the murder of her father. Even wed and bed her fiercest enemy.’ ” He lifted a brow. “Hell of a gal, that Katrina. And the hero’s no slouch, either. “Ian—he would never surrender. The bold and battle-scarred highland chief known as the Dark Lord would fight friend and foe to protect his land, and his woman. Sworn enemies, sworn lovers, they form an alliance that sweeps them toward destiny and into passion.’ “
He flipped the book over to the front cover, reaching idly for a chip. “Pretty good, huh? And a fine-looking couple they are, too. See, it takes place in Scotland, twelfth century. Katrina’s the only child of this widowed laird. He’s let her run pretty wild, so she does a lot of guy stuff. Swordplay and archery, hunting. Then there’s this evil plot and he’s murdered, which makes her the laird and prey for the vicious and slightly insane villain. But our Katrina’s no doormat.”
Brianna smiled, reached for Gray’s hand. “You’ve read it?”
“I paged through it when I was waiting to pay for it. There’s this incredibly erotic scene on page two fifty-one. Well, we’ll work our way up to that. They’re probably going to come in and check your blood pressure, and we don’t want it elevated. Better get rid of the evidence here, too.” He gathered up the wrappings from the smuggled dinner.
He’d barely hidden them in the bag when the door opened. Nurse Mannion, big as a halfback, bustled in. “Visiting hours are nearly over, Mr.
Thane.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Now, Miss Concannon, how are we doing? Any dizziness, nausea, blurred vision?”
“No, not at all. I’m feeling fine, really. In fact, I was wondering if—”
“That’s good, that’s good.” Nurse Mannion easily overrode the expected request to leave as she made notes on the chart at the foot of the bed. “You should try to sleep. We’ll be checking on you through the night, every three hours.” Still moving briskly, she set a tray on the table beside the bed.
Brianna only had to take one look to go pale. “What’s that? I told you I feel fine. I don’t need a shot. I don’t want one. Grayson.”
“I, ah—” One steely glance from Nurse Mannion had him fumbling in the role of hero.
“It’s not a shot. We just need to draw a little blood.”
“What for?” Abandoning any pretense of dignity, Brianna cringed back. “I lost plenty. Take some of that.”
“No nonsense now. Give me your arm.”
“Brie. Look here.” Gray linked his fingers with hers. “Look at me. Did I ever tell you about the first time I went to Mexico? I hooked up with some people and went out on their boat. This was in the Gulf. It was really beautiful. Balmy air, crystal blue seas. We saw this little barracuda swimming along the port side.”
Out of the corner of his eye he saw Nurse Mannion slide the needle under Brianna’s skin. And his stomach turned.
“Anyway, anyway,” he said, speaking quickly. “One of the guys went to get his camera. He comes back, leans over the rail, and the mama barracuda jumps right up out of the water. It was like freeze frame. She looked right at the lens of the camera and smiled with all those teeth. Like a pose. Then she plopped back into the water, got her baby, and they swam away.”
“You’re making it up.”
“God’s truth,” he said, lying desperately. “He got the picture, too. I think he sold it to National Geographic, or maybe it was the Enquirer. Last I heard he was still out in the Gulf of Mexico, hoping to repeat the experience.”
“That’s done.” The nurse patted a bandage in the crook of Brianna’s elbow. “Your dinner’s on its way, miss, if you have room for it after your hamburger.”
“Ah, no, thank you just the same. I think I’ll just rest now.”
“Five minutes, Mr. Thane.”
Grayson scratched his chin when the door swung shut behind her. “Guess we didn’t quite pull that off.”
Now Brianna did pout. “You said you’d beat them up if they came in with needles.”
“She’s a lot bigger than me.” He leaned over, kissed her lightly. “Poor Brie.”
She tapped a finger on the book that lay on the bed beside her. “Ian would never have backed down.”
“Well, hell, look how he’s built. He could wrestle a horse. I’ll never qualify for Dark Lord.”
“I’ll take you just the same. Grinning barracudas,” she said and laughed. “How do you think of such things?”
“Talent, sheer talent.” He went to the door, peeked out. “Don’t see her. I’m going to turn off the light, duck into the bathroom. We’ll give it ten minutes.”
He read to her for two hours, taking her through Katrina’s and Ian’s perilous and romantic adventures by the tiny light of the book lamp. Now and again his hand would reach out and brush over hers, lingering over the moment of contact.
