Cop's Passion (22 page)

“Cherry,” Rick
continued, “said poor Maddy looked like she’d been hit by twenty
tonnes of something.”

“That’d be
Mike.” Tim nodded.

Mike took
another sip of water and raised one eyebrow carefully. “Maddy
shouldn’t be so surprised.”

“Really?” Tim
asked interestedly.

“Yeah. I told
her…” Mike trailed off.

“Yeah?” Both
Tim and Rick said together.

“Nothing. We’re
going to get married one day. That’s it.”

“Does Maddy
know about this?” Tim queried, laughter lurking in his eyes.

“Not in so many
words, no.”

“Oh boy.”

“But anyway,
we’re going to get married.”

“One day.”

“Didn’t I just
say that?”

“Oh yeah, you
did. Can I be here when you tell Maddy?”

“She
knows.”

“Odd. According
to
my
fiancé, she seemed pretty surprised.” Rick was
absolutely intrigued. “Come on, Mike, give me something to tell my
Cherry.”

“There’s
nothing to tell your Cherry. She heard it from me first.” Mike
waved his hand around, almost splashing water from the glass.
“What’s the big deal?”

“He really
doesn’t know,” Tim said. “Poor bastard. That bottle really did kill
off some brain cells.”

Rick’s pager
beeped and he sighed. “Just when it was getting interesting. Gotta
go, Mike, I’ll check on you later.”

“Hey,” said
Mike, as his friend started to leave the room. “Can I go home
now?”

“No.” Rick
strode out of sight.

“Shit.” Mike
scowled. “Ouch. I’m leaving anyway.”

“No, you’re
not.” Maddy walked in the door.

Man, she looked
so good. He drank in the sight of her. Her dress was a soft yellow,
all silky and pretty, and the red belt around her waist just
accentuated those luscious curves, those hips, those -

“And you’re not
coming off that drip until you’re drinking,” she continued, placing
a patchwork bag on the bed and a dainty pot of flowers on the table
while studying his face. “You look a little better.”

Ignoring his
friend, his gaze only for Maddy, Mike held out his hand. “Come here
and give me a kiss.”

“I wouldn’t,”
Tim advised. “He said his mouth is like the bottom of a cocky’s
cage.”

No wonder Tim
had never found the right girl. Mike glared at him. “Isn’t it time
you left?”

“That’s rude.”
Maddy’s cheeks were pink, and it sure wasn’t because he’d been
rude.

“No, what’s
rude is that I want a kiss and you’re just standing there.”

Maddy looked at
Mike and sighed. “He really is the most awful patient.”

“And your
fiancé
,” Tim said helpfully. “Well, gosh, look at the time.
Gotta go and check some dogs. Toodle-pip!” He waved his hand,
gathered up his magazine and left with a happy stride.

What an
arsehole. He ought to ream Tim a new one. Like when he got out of
this damned hospital.

Switching his
gaze from the doorway to Maddy, he found her watching him closely.
He smiled. “Kiss?”

“You’re really
something, aren’t you?” She rolled her eyes but he could see the
concern in them when she moved up to him and bent to brush her lips
across his forehead.

Just the feel
of those silken lips on his brow made his heart beat faster. Mike
sighed. “I really want to kiss you properly, but…”

“The bottom of
the cocky’s cage?”

He nodded.
“Pretty considerate of me, huh?”

Maddy rolled
her eyes again and retrieved the bag from the bed. Delving into it,
she pulled out articles and put them away as she did so.
“Toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, razors, shaving cream, clean
boxers, and by the way, you don’t have any pyjamas at your
place.”

“Don’t need
any.” He grinned. “I run hot.” He’d have waggled his eyebrows
except for the stiches pulling.

“You don’t
say,” she returned dryly. “Here’s a book I found half read by your
bed, and a couple of motorcycle magazines I picked up at the local
newsagent.”

“Wow. You’re
really organised, aren’t you?” He watched her moving around the
room, enjoying the feeling of being looked after by Maddy. Having
her handling his things and choosing what she thought he needed
made it so much more comfortably intimate.

“Nurse,
remember?” She arranged the little pot of flowers on the ledge
opposite the bed. “I know how stir-crazy cranky patients can get
without something to amuse them.”

“I’m not
cranky.”

“You
think?”

Mike frowned.
“Ouch.”

“Stop scowling
and your stitches won’t hurt.”

“Aren’t nurses
supposed to be all warm and sympathetic and stuff?”

“I’m not all
nurses.”

He couldn’t
help but grin again, his gaze running over her curves. “Nope.
You’re my nurse. All mine.”

She arched a
brow at him, amusement in her eyes even as she tried to look stern.
“You’re too sick to flirt.”

“My head may
hurt, but my boner is working just fine.”

Involuntarily
she glanced down at his lap, blushing when he laughed.

Laughing made
his head ache so he frowned again. And that made his stitches
pull.

“You look so
petulant right now.” Smiling, Maddy took up the glass of water and
sat down on the bed beside his hip. Resting her hand on the ribbed
muscles of his belly, she patted him like a colicky baby.
“Better?”

Oh yeah, much
better. In fact, if she didn’t stop it he might just get that boner
after all. “Yes.”

“Here.” She
held the glass for him and he took a little sip of the water.

Yep, even the
water tasted better when she held it.

The time passed
much more pleasantly with Maddy beside him. She helped steady him
and push the IV stand when he first got up to go to the toilet,
though he refused to allow her to stand by his side in the
bathroom.

“Jesus,” he
said. “My pecker isn’t for show and tell, you know.”

“I’m not going
to be looking at your pecker,” she returned bluntly.

“You’re not
watching me on the ‘loo.”

“I’m a nurse,
Mike, for crying out loud.”

“No nurse is
watching me whiz away. You’re not watching me whiz away. I draw a
line.”

“Fine time to
draw one now. What if you fall on your arse?”

“That’s my
problem. And I won’t.”

“I’m not
kissing it better if you do.”

His grin was
wolfish. “I’d kiss yours better.”

Her blush
filled her cheeks. “That’s because you’re a pervert.”

“I’ll drag you
down into the depths of depravity with me.”

“You must be
better if you can say big words like that.”

He halted in
the doorway to the bathroom. “Stop right here. I’m going the rest
of the way alone.”

“Fine.
Whatever.” She threw up her hands.

When Mike
finished washing his hands and brushing his teeth, he staggered
back out to find his bed neatly re-made and the nurse and Maddy
both waiting for him.

“Reinforcements,” Maddy said when he looked inquiringly at the
nurse. “In case you fell on your arse.”

The nurse
couldn’t stop the wide grin from crossing her face.

Mike scowled.
“Ouch.”

“Come on,
precious.” Maddy took his arm and patted the bed. “Lie down.”

The nurse left
as soon as Mike was back in the bed. He patted the mattress beside
his hip and crooked his finger at her. “I’m lonely.”

Sitting beside
him, he saw the amusement leave her eyes as she looked gravely down
at him. “Tim told me that you didn’t want your mother called unless
something dire happened.”

Mike shrugged.
“My mother and I don’t get on too well. She remarried and, well,
there’s no point having her here, crying and carrying on about how
if I hadn’t become a cop I wouldn’t be lying in a hospital bed.” He
shrugged again. “Not very restful when you are lying in a hospital
bed.”

“Huh.” She
regarded him steadily and he mentally girded himself for some
personal questions which he didn’t feel like answering right now,
but she simply nodded. “Understood.”

And damned if
she really did seem to understand.

Man, that was
his Maddy.

She left not
long after, but not without first making him take the pain pill he
argued with the nurse about, because he didn’t want any damned
pill. The nurse was a little nervous when he looked so
intimidating, but Maddy simply grabbed the pill cup and told him in
no uncertain terms that if he didn’t take the damned thing, she’d
hold his nose shut like a little kid and then he’d feel a right
fool. So he took it. And scowled. And his stitches pulled. She
started to laugh, kissed him on the brow and told him sternly to
get some rest, and then she left. Without her the room was duller,
the atmosphere just plain boring.

Feeling tired,
he closed his eyes and went to sleep.

Two hours later
he was woken to have a penlight shone into his eyes and more
stupidly obvious questions to answer.

He hated
hospitals.

Chapter
Seven

Maddy was
seeing a new side of Mike. The big, tough cop didn’t like
hospitals. In fact, he almost had a phobia about them. And he was
one of the worst patients.

It wasn’t that
he meant to be, he just didn’t want anyone fussing over him unless,
it had to be truthfully acknowledged, it was Maddy. He also didn’t
like taking medication for his headache, so the nurses simply
waited until Maddy came and she made him take it. It helped that
she could tell him exactly what she thought, whereas the nurses had
to stay within their professional boundaries. It also helped that
she wasn’t intimidated by his dangerous looks and forbidding
manner.

It was obvious
that the only people who weren’t intimidated by him were Rick, Tim,
Maddy, Cherry, Alan and a couple of other cop friends who visited
and left him with dubious gifts to keep him amused.

Maddy wasn’t so
sure the Playboy magazine was a good choice, not when they featured
slim girls in skimpy bikinis and a lot less. To be truthful, when
she first caught a glimpse of one on Mike’s bedside she felt
immediately lacking. Until she saw Mike’s eyes light up at the
sight of her, and realised that Tim had been reading the magazine
earlier because Mike wasn’t interested. And when Mike kissed her
hello, well, it was so deep and hot and damp that she came up
gasping for air and yes, he was definitely happy to see her, as
evidenced by the stiffening of his shaft against her soft belly.
Which she wouldn’t have felt if he hadn’t just dragged her down on
top of him for the kiss.

But the man was
definitely bored, grumpy and fidgety. Lying in a hospital bed was
driving him nuts.

“Cripes,” Maddy
said on the third day. “It’s like looking after a cranky baby.”

Mike scowled.
“Ouch.”

Cherry was
trying not to laugh. “Don’t scowl and your stitches won’t
hurt.”

“It’s a con
job,” Maddy said firmly from the chair in which she sat by his
bedside. “Those stitches shouldn’t hurt much now.”

Mike slid a
glance her way. “I want to go home.”

Maddy smiled.
“Actually, Rick and I have been talking.”

“You’re calling
my doctor by his first name? When did you get so friendly?”

“When we all
started to suffer from your crankiness and I found out during one
of our mutual crying sessions that the poor man was also your
friend.”

“Huh. And I’m
not cranky. I’m bored. I want to go home.”

“Then you’ll be
happy to know that you’re being given your freedom.” Rick entered
the room.

Maddy watched
in amusement as Mike’s face lit up. Well, as lit up as his
dangerous countenance could light up. “About time.” Flinging the
covers back, he stood up. “Let’s go, Maddy.”

“Hang on.” Rick
held up one hand. “There are a few things you need to do when you
leave here.”

“Yeah? What’s
that?” Mike peered into the cupboard. “Where’re my clothes?”

Maddy nudged
the bags at her feet. “Here.”

“How come you
didn’t put them in the cupboard earlier?”

“Because I
thought you might do a runner.” She handed him the bags.

Pulling out a
t-shirt, long pants and socks, Mike eyed her closely. “You’ve got a
suspicious streak in you.”

“I call it
intuition.” Leaning back in the chair, Maddy listened to Rick
instructing Mike on his post-hospital care. She’d already gone
through it with Rick, so she could sit back and just watch Mike get
dressed.

That was an
experience in itself, watching his muscles flex and bunch, his
strong body bend and straighten as he dressed. She wished she could
see those muscles bunch and flex when he made love to her. Just the
thought made her squirm in the chair and she quickly focussed on
Rick’s words to bring her suddenly quickened heart rate under
control.

Geez, if anyone
knew what she’d just been thinking…

Glancing up,
she caught Mike watching her, his expression unreadable, and she
couldn’t stop the flush that filled her cheeks.

He smiled slow
and easy before returning his gaze to Rick.

Uh-oh, had he
guessed even a little of what she’d been thinking? How embarrassing
when she was supposed to be taking him home and caring for him!

“So,” Rick was
saying. “You can’t stay home alone all the time, not for another
couple of days at least, so Maddy has kindly offered to keep an eye
on you.”

“Okay.” Mike’s
gaze slid over to her, a dangerous glint in them. “No worries.”

Good grief, she
could almost see the lust and challenge combined in that glint. She
suddenly realised she might have her hands full. What on earth had
ever made her think differently? She’d just have to make him behave
himself and not give in to his advances. Somehow. Damn it, she was
a professional, she could do it. All she had to do was see him as
her patient. Maddy narrowed her eyes at him warningly.