things he couldn’t see or touch or prove with scientific theory. Everything happened for a reason.
“Bottom line, doc.”
“You’re fine. Cleared for duty if you want to return to work. Your enzymes are back to normal, stress test and Gallium scan all show your heart is functioning at an above average efficiency. In my opinion, you’re going to live a long time before you have to worry about your heart giving out on you, Agent Cavanaugh. You’ve been blessed with a second chance at life.”
Lucky gave a small grunt of acknowledgment. If his heart was so healthy, if everything was “fine”, then why did he feel so dead inside?
Vinnie was already up and dressing when he opened his eyes again. He watched her, trying to ignore the aches settled into his joints from the night on the floor and the calisthenics that had preceded sleep. His shoulder was throbbing in time with his pulse, but not as bad as yesterday.
Nothing seemed as bad today as it had yesterday.
“Do you believe in love at first sight?” he asked as she stretched her arms into her fleece pullover. He wished he was the one dressing her, but watching was fun, too.
“No, and neither do you.” She pulled her head through and turned to stare at him. “You ever been in love, Cavanaugh?”
“No.”
“Then trust me, because I have. Last night wasn’t about love, it was about lust.”
Ignoring his grimace, she turned away to step into her pants. Damn, the woman could be harsh.
Must mean he hit a sore spot. Lust he’d known before—last night was about more than lust. If she couldn’t see that, he’d just have to prove it to her.
“So you and Michael, it wasn’t love at first sight, the fairytale romance?”
He’d caught her off guard. Her fluid motion stuttered, floundering for an instant. “Not for me,” she finally answered. “We didn’t exactly hit it off at first. He had to wear me down.”
“Kind of like us.”
“Nothing like us,” she said. “There is no us. Last night was sex—pure and simple, chemistry and hormones. Don’t start deluding yourself into thinking it was anything more, Cavanaugh.”
She pulled her hair back, swiftly braided it and tucked it into her collar, out of the way. Then he noticed that she once again wore her wedding ring. Hard to talk about romance with the ghost of the dead husband back in the room.
The scientist in Lucky knew Vinnie was right. Last night meant nothing.
He hated that he’d almost convinced himself otherwise, hated the impulse that made him dare to hope that it could have been more. But the light of day and Vinnie’s cold, hard logic set him straight.
He of all people knew hope was dangerous. Best just to focus on the facts, work the problem at hand instead of dreaming up new ones.
She tossed his clothes to him. “We’ve got to hurry, it’s almost dawn. I’ll change your bandage once we get to my cabin, don’t want it to start bleeding again. Do you need help getting dressed?”
Lucky would love nothing better than to have Vinnie’s hands on him again, but she was right, this was neither the time nor the place. He waved off her assistance and eased his aching body into his clothes. She doused the fire and helped him on with his sling.
“What do you want for breakfast?” she asked, her voice back to normal. She held out two foil wrapped MRE’s. “Turkey tetrazzini or beef stew and potatoes?”
Vinnie purposely kept her gait faster than what Lucky could handle. If he was huffing and puffing, then he couldn’t ask any more uncomfortable questions.
Damn it, she was a biologist, she knew what last night was about: hormones, pheromones, the aftershock of adrenalin. Last night was sex, pure and simple, no holds barred and no promises made.
She hoped he understood that as well. There was no way she could trust her heart to another man. She’d loved fiercely and completely once, there just wasn’t any more left in her to
“Bottom line, doc.”
“You’re fine. Cleared for duty if you want to return to work. Your enzymes are back to normal, stress test and Gallium scan all show your heart is functioning at an above average efficiency. In my opinion, you’re going to live a long time before you have to worry about your heart giving out on you, Agent Cavanaugh. You’ve been blessed with a second chance at life.”
Lucky gave a small grunt of acknowledgment. If his heart was so healthy, if everything was “fine”, then why did he feel so dead inside?
Vinnie was already up and dressing when he opened his eyes again. He watched her, trying to ignore the aches settled into his joints from the night on the floor and the calisthenics that had preceded sleep. His shoulder was throbbing in time with his pulse, but not as bad as yesterday.
Nothing seemed as bad today as it had yesterday.
“Do you believe in love at first sight?” he asked as she stretched her arms into her fleece pullover. He wished he was the one dressing her, but watching was fun, too.
“No, and neither do you.” She pulled her head through and turned to stare at him. “You ever been in love, Cavanaugh?”
“No.”
“Then trust me, because I have. Last night wasn’t about love, it was about lust.”
Ignoring his grimace, she turned away to step into her pants. Damn, the woman could be harsh.
Must mean he hit a sore spot. Lust he’d known before—last night was about more than lust. If she couldn’t see that, he’d just have to prove it to her.
“So you and Michael, it wasn’t love at first sight, the fairytale romance?”
He’d caught her off guard. Her fluid motion stuttered, floundering for an instant. “Not for me,” she finally answered. “We didn’t exactly hit it off at first. He had to wear me down.”
“Kind of like us.”
“Nothing like us,” she said. “There is no us. Last night was sex—pure and simple, chemistry and hormones. Don’t start deluding yourself into thinking it was anything more, Cavanaugh.”
She pulled her hair back, swiftly braided it and tucked it into her collar, out of the way. Then he noticed that she once again wore her wedding ring. Hard to talk about romance with the ghost of the dead husband back in the room.
The scientist in Lucky knew Vinnie was right. Last night meant nothing.
He hated that he’d almost convinced himself otherwise, hated the impulse that made him dare to hope that it could have been more. But the light of day and Vinnie’s cold, hard logic set him straight.
He of all people knew hope was dangerous. Best just to focus on the facts, work the problem at hand instead of dreaming up new ones.
She tossed his clothes to him. “We’ve got to hurry, it’s almost dawn. I’ll change your bandage once we get to my cabin, don’t want it to start bleeding again. Do you need help getting dressed?”
Lucky would love nothing better than to have Vinnie’s hands on him again, but she was right, this was neither the time nor the place. He waved off her assistance and eased his aching body into his clothes. She doused the fire and helped him on with his sling.
“What do you want for breakfast?” she asked, her voice back to normal. She held out two foil wrapped MRE’s. “Turkey tetrazzini or beef stew and potatoes?”
Vinnie purposely kept her gait faster than what Lucky could handle. If he was huffing and puffing, then he couldn’t ask any more uncomfortable questions.
Damn it, she was a biologist, she knew what last night was about: hormones, pheromones, the aftershock of adrenalin. Last night was sex, pure and simple, no holds barred and no promises made.
She hoped he understood that as well. There was no way she could trust her heart to another man. She’d loved fiercely and completely once, there just wasn’t any more left in her to
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