Vice (Tortured Heroes Book 1) (21 page)

BOOK: Vice (Tortured Heroes Book 1)

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His laugh was strong and deep with a sexy undertone that made even Nurse Battle blush a little. I bit my lip to keep from smiling. “Something like that,” he finally answered. “What about you?”

“Not so glamorous. Junior High locker and an unfortunate misstep.” Shit. I shouldn’t have said that. Lincolnshire wasn’t that big a town. I wasn’t sure I wanted this guy to know too much about me right away.

I knew his type. That swagger, the way he raked his eyes over me so I knew he was thinking about what I looked like underneath my clothes. The trouble was, I was thinking the same thing about him. My eyes followed the vee of his t-shirt to the hint of dark curls on his sculpted chest. But I’d learned my lesson time and again. I was done with bad boys. I’d turned in my danger junkie card. I just wanted to get this over with and get back to school.

But he wouldn’t stop looking and I can’t deny that I liked it. Just a little. His mouth curved into a smile and when he looked at me again, he reminded me of someone I couldn’t quite place so I said it.

“Have I met you before? You look familiar.” It sounded like the kind of line he might use and I regretted it, even though I was still damn curious. Yes. I think I
had
seen him before. But I didn’t remember him looking this rough and dangerous.

He shrugged. “I’ve got family in town. There’s probably a resemblance.” He was holding something back. When he answered me, it was the first time he looked away. That alone should have been a warning. But I didn’t have time to pry further. Dr. Jennings pushed his stool back and snapped off his gloves.

“All done,” he said and I couldn’t believe it. Infuriating though he might be, Mr. Manwhore had been just the distraction I needed.

Nurse Battle stepped forward and put a small white bandage over my forehead. It was identical to the one Mr. Manwhore sported. He smiled wide when she stepped away.

“I think this is fate, Blue Eyes,” he said. “We match.”

Nurse Battle shot him a look and threw her own gloves in the trash as she walked past him. She turned back to me before she left. “You got this one under control, honey, or do you need me to call security?”

I raised my good brow in her direction and then looked back at Manwhore. He’d already turned toward her and held his hands over his heart in mock hurt. “Awe, come on, baby. You’re breaking my heart.”

“Just watch yourself,” she said. “I’m tight with a certain police officer we both know and love. I don’t think he’s gonna raise a fuss if I bounce your ass outta here.”

Manwhore shot her a wink and she finally turned and walked away.

“You doing all right for real, Blue Eyes?” he said as he turned back to me. For that brief moment, the swagger was gone and I swore that was real concern that darkened his eyes.

I smiled and nodded. If he was going to drop the pretext for a second then so could I. “Just an interesting morning. And I’m not a huge fan of needles
or
hospitals.”

“Well, I can’t fault you for either.” He took a step toward me and extended his hand. The swagger was back in place. “My name is Colt.”

Colt. I cocked my head. “Of course it is.” I couldn’t help but let out a little laugh.

“You gonna tell me yours?”

I shrugged. I should end it here. Tell him to fuck off. I wasn’t like Kayla the nurse or all the rest of the women he probably racked up week to week. He took another step closer. Then another. He put his hands on either side of my knees as I perched on the edge of the gurney. God, he even smelled good, like musk and a hint of aftershave. It took everything in me not to bring my hands up and run them through his thick, dark hair. An errant lock had fallen over his eye again and he blew a breath to brush it away.

“Amy,” I found myself saying.

He gave me his full smile. I had the urge to lick him. Actually
lick
him where a dusting of dark stubble covered his strong jaw.

“Of course it is,” he said, his smoky voice barely above a whisper. “I want to see you again, Amy. What are the chances of that happening?”

Zero. Less than zero. I wanted to say it but couldn’t bring myself to. He was just some hot guy I met in the emergency room. All the danger bells clanged inside my head. He’d probably got that cut in some drunken bar fight the night before. I was not . . . repeat
not
. . . going to go down this road again.

“They’re not very good, Colt,” I finally said. “I think you’re better off sticking to somebody like Nurse Kayla over there. In fact, if you turn around, you’ll see she’s back. I think she’s looking for you.”

I slid off the gurney. Colt took a step back. My heart did a little flip. I thought he might try to stop me. But he didn’t even lay a hand on me. I grabbed my purse and headed for the door.

“See you around, Amy,” he said to my back as I headed down the hall.

My step faltered and I closed my eyes. Do not . . .
do not
. . . turn back around and look at him. He’s bad for you. And God help me, that’s exactly why I knew I wanted him.

END OF EXCERPT

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Tortured Heroes Series
(Men in Uniform)