Page 26 of Too Hot to Sleep
She sighed as if he were a half-wit. "Do you have a big family?"
"One brother, four sisters, ten nieces and nephews."
"Wow."
He took her monosyllabic response as an invitation to continue. "My folks are alive and well in Virginia. We kids are scattered, but we try to get together at least once a year."
"That's nice." She checked the bag. "And you're done—in record time, too."
Great. Just when he wanted to spend time with the woman, he'd set a record for bleeding.
She removed the catheter with deft fingers and gave him a gauze pad to press against the point of entry while she made notes on his sign-in form.
"Would you like to have dinner sometime?" he blurted.
At least he'd succeeded in getting her attention. He held his breath, but she shook her head. "I can't. Rob and I are... exclusive."
But we're good together,he wanted to shout.You've been sharing your fantasies with me."Did your boyfriend make it back to town?" He knew he was treading on dangerous territory, but he couldn't help himself.
"Yes. But I forgot to mention your name to him."
He squinted. Was she blushing? "Don't worry about it," he murmured, sitting up. He wanted to pull her close for a kiss, Rob and the people around them be damned. Instead he rolled down his sleeve and fumbled with the button.
Then to his surprise, she stilled his hands. "Let me." He raised his eyebrows, but she simply nodded toward the registration desk. "The line is backing up."
Oh, well, regardless of her motivation, Georgia made buttoning his shirt cuff an erotic act, fingering open the tiny hole and inserting the little gold disc. Ken wiped a film ofperspiration from his forehead just watching her nimble fingers and knowing where they'd been.
"There." She gave him a brief smile that stole moisture from his mouth. "Thanks for giving—the blood bank is dangerously low."
"Glad to help. I wish there was more I could do."
"Maybe you could encourage your fellow officers to come down."
Never one to miss an opportunity, he grinned. "How many pints do you need?"
Her teeth were white, even, glistening. "As many as you can get."
"If I can get one hundred donors down here, will you have dinner with me?"
She bit into her bottom lip. "No. But I'll buy you that hot dog."
His heart fluttered with possibility. "Deal." He pushed himself to his feet. "I hope you have enough blood bags."
Her smile shook him. "Looks like I'll be working late."
He hesitated. Did that mean she wouldn't be calling him tonight? "Did you have plans?"
Georgia shook her head. "I'm supposed to call Rob when I get home is all."
Ken's mouth quirked with smug satisfaction. "Well, when you talk to him tonight, tell him I think he's a lucky man." He put on his hat, then touched the brim. "Ma'am."
Chapter 11
GEORGIA INJECTEDa teasing note into her voice, lest Rob think she were interested in the man. "He said to tell you he thinks you're a lucky man."
His laugh was abbreviated. "I don't remember from the gym what this Medlock guy looks like. Should I be jealous?"
She pressed her ear closer to the phone. His head cold had fogged his voice until she could barely hear him. "Of course not. I m-mean, the man isn't repulsive, but he's just not my type."
