his bedroom in a hurry. She was testing the limit of his strength—and worse, she’d made it clear she wanted no part of him. Had he really thought she would?
“I’d like a blanket, please. There’s one in the bottom of that dresser.” Emmie could probably use a blanket, too. All she had was her baby blanket over her, and he didn’t want her catching a chill.
Annabelle got up, walked to the dresser, bent down to open the drawer. The white eyelet dress slid up a good three inches, revealing strong white legs, despite her quick tug at the hem to keep it in place. A sudden nurse fantasy ran all over him, making him hotter than a branding iron in a fire. But this was Annabelle. He couldn’t indulge in a nurse fantasy about her!
Closing the drawer, she turned, the cotton blanket in her hands.
Too late.
“Oh, my,” she said.
He groaned, unable to hide the erection making a tent of the sheet.
The front door slammed downstairs. Boots sounded on the stairwell.
Annabelle’s gaze met Frisco’s, then flew to his predicament. In a reflex action that caught him completely off-guard, she flung the folded blanket across the five-foot distance between them.
The heavy cotton landed on his lap with a thud, whooshing the air out of him and flattening whatever pride he had left.
“Annabelle, here’s a bottle of painkillers Doc Gonzalez thought Frisco might need,” Laredo said, stepping into the room, talking quietly until he saw that Frisco was awake and the baby was still asleep. “Dang, it’s hotter than hopping toads on summer cement in here, Frisco. Whaddya need a blanket for? Should I get you a fan?”
“No,” Frisco said between clenched teeth, his ears ringing.
“Perhaps he needs a pain pill rather than a blanket,” Laredo told Annabelle. “The doc said the shot wouldn’t last more than four hours or six, maybe. But Frisco’s so darn big, maybe it already wore off.”
“We’ll give him a while longer. Thanks.”
She smiled demurely at Laredo, and he smiled back, clearly taking a second look at the delicate woman. Frisco allowed his head to fall back against the pillow as he closed his eyes. Laredo’s boots thumped down the stairs, and the front door slammed.
“You did that on purpose,” he complained.
“Should I have left you sticking up? Seemed awkward to me.” Annabelle jerked open the bedside drawer to toss the bottle of painkillers inside.
“I would have thought of something. It wasn’t necessary for you to…crush me.”
“I suppose thanking me for saving you from humiliation would be too much to ask for.”
“I’d rather be slightly embarrassed than—”
“Oh, hush. You’d argue with the devil himself.” Annabelle glanced in the drawer. “If I give you a pain pill, do you think you’d O.D.? I don’t want that on my conscience, but I would love for you to go to sleep. How are you feeling in general?”
“I think the stars have faded from my vision. I’m only seeing black dots now.”
“Fine.” She started to slam the drawer shut, but something caught her attention.
Frisco’s breath caught in his throat. Surely she wouldn’t say anything about his stash.
“Is this what the well-dressed man wears nowadays?” She held up a condom in a bright package.“Striped with fluorescent colors,” she read. “And this one says it has stars and an interesting device on the tip for maximum pleasure.”
He’d take back the part about preferring humiliation to pain.
“I had no idea these things came in any other style besides plain old, plain old.”
“Now you know.” He wasn’t going to say anything more than that. He wanted her out of his drawer. “Would you quit rummaging around in there?”
She closed the drawer. “Sorry. But a guy who dresses to impress shouldn’t be upset if a gal looks at the suits.” Rising, she straightened the blanket briskly. “Did you really want this, or did you just need camouflage?”
“I’ll keep the camouflage.”
“I think
“I’d like a blanket, please. There’s one in the bottom of that dresser.” Emmie could probably use a blanket, too. All she had was her baby blanket over her, and he didn’t want her catching a chill.
Annabelle got up, walked to the dresser, bent down to open the drawer. The white eyelet dress slid up a good three inches, revealing strong white legs, despite her quick tug at the hem to keep it in place. A sudden nurse fantasy ran all over him, making him hotter than a branding iron in a fire. But this was Annabelle. He couldn’t indulge in a nurse fantasy about her!
Closing the drawer, she turned, the cotton blanket in her hands.
Too late.
“Oh, my,” she said.
He groaned, unable to hide the erection making a tent of the sheet.
The front door slammed downstairs. Boots sounded on the stairwell.
Annabelle’s gaze met Frisco’s, then flew to his predicament. In a reflex action that caught him completely off-guard, she flung the folded blanket across the five-foot distance between them.
The heavy cotton landed on his lap with a thud, whooshing the air out of him and flattening whatever pride he had left.
“Annabelle, here’s a bottle of painkillers Doc Gonzalez thought Frisco might need,” Laredo said, stepping into the room, talking quietly until he saw that Frisco was awake and the baby was still asleep. “Dang, it’s hotter than hopping toads on summer cement in here, Frisco. Whaddya need a blanket for? Should I get you a fan?”
“No,” Frisco said between clenched teeth, his ears ringing.
“Perhaps he needs a pain pill rather than a blanket,” Laredo told Annabelle. “The doc said the shot wouldn’t last more than four hours or six, maybe. But Frisco’s so darn big, maybe it already wore off.”
“We’ll give him a while longer. Thanks.”
She smiled demurely at Laredo, and he smiled back, clearly taking a second look at the delicate woman. Frisco allowed his head to fall back against the pillow as he closed his eyes. Laredo’s boots thumped down the stairs, and the front door slammed.
“You did that on purpose,” he complained.
“Should I have left you sticking up? Seemed awkward to me.” Annabelle jerked open the bedside drawer to toss the bottle of painkillers inside.
“I would have thought of something. It wasn’t necessary for you to…crush me.”
“I suppose thanking me for saving you from humiliation would be too much to ask for.”
“I’d rather be slightly embarrassed than—”
“Oh, hush. You’d argue with the devil himself.” Annabelle glanced in the drawer. “If I give you a pain pill, do you think you’d O.D.? I don’t want that on my conscience, but I would love for you to go to sleep. How are you feeling in general?”
“I think the stars have faded from my vision. I’m only seeing black dots now.”
“Fine.” She started to slam the drawer shut, but something caught her attention.
Frisco’s breath caught in his throat. Surely she wouldn’t say anything about his stash.
“Is this what the well-dressed man wears nowadays?” She held up a condom in a bright package.“Striped with fluorescent colors,” she read. “And this one says it has stars and an interesting device on the tip for maximum pleasure.”
He’d take back the part about preferring humiliation to pain.
“I had no idea these things came in any other style besides plain old, plain old.”
“Now you know.” He wasn’t going to say anything more than that. He wanted her out of his drawer. “Would you quit rummaging around in there?”
She closed the drawer. “Sorry. But a guy who dresses to impress shouldn’t be upset if a gal looks at the suits.” Rising, she straightened the blanket briskly. “Did you really want this, or did you just need camouflage?”
“I’ll keep the camouflage.”
“I think
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