Page 50 of About Last Night

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FRIDAY 7PM

DEREK LEANEDagainst the window next to the desk holding open the curtain and comparing the vast, sparkling horizon to the south to the sparse, more rural skyline he'd left behind. The remnants of daylight bled pale blue into the distant violet-colored tree line, broken up with splashes of silver and light where progress encroached on the north side of the city. He sipped just-delivered coffee, then winced when the hot liquid burned his tongue.

He deserved it, he decided. For kissing an engaged woman.Steve'sengaged woman. His pal was a bit on the uppity side, and he questioned his commitment to Janine, but seeing his face on TV, hearing him say he loved her was like a wake-up call to his snoozing sense of honor. No matter how attracted he was to the woman, he'd simply have to keep his damn hands to himself and pray that she did the same.

She walked up behind him, flip-flops flapping. He turned slowly, setting his jaw against the onslaught of desire that seemed to accompany every glance at her over the past few hours.

"What did Dr. Pedro have to say—aarrrrrrrhhhhh!"

Stumbling over the toe of one of her rubber sandals, Pinky fell forward, clutching the air. Reaching out instinctively, hegrabbed her by the upper arm, managing to steady her with one hand before he felt the white sting of hot coffee on his other hand. He sucked in sharply and slammed the cup down on the desk, sending more scalding liquid over his thumb and wrist. He grunted and made a fist against the pain. Before he knew what was happening, Janine had grabbed his forearm and thrust his hand into the partially melted bucket of ice sitting next to their covered food trays.

"Aaaah" he moaned as the fiery sensation gave way to chilling numbness.

"I'm sorry," she gasped. "I'm so sorry!"

"It's okay," he assured her, conjuring up a smile. Truth be known, her body pressed up against his and her fingers curved around his arm were more of a threat to his well-being than the burn. "Really, it'll be fine."

Slowly he withdrew his hand, and Janine leaned in close. "No puckering and no blisters."

"Told you," he said, allowing her to turn his hand this way and that.

Clucking like a mother hen, she reached for the container of honey butter and proceeded to gently douse the reddened areas of his hand.

"That stuff will help?"

She used both hands to sandwich his, spreading the condiment with feathery strokes that sent an ache to his groin. "The honey will soothe, and the butter will keep the skin moist," she said. "But only after the skin has cooled, else the butter will accelerate the burn, kind of like frying a piece of meat."

"Now there's an image," he said dryly.

"Good," she said, wrapping his hand loosely with a white cloth napkin from one of their trays. "Then you'll remember it the next time you burn yourself."

He bit his tongue to keep from blurting that he normally didn't toss his coffee around.

"Thank you, Derek."

Derek frowned at her bent head. She had braided her hair, and the thick blond plait fell over her shoulder, the ends skimming his arm. "For what?"

"For catching me."

He swallowed and reminded himself of his determination to keep his distance. "I don’t want the 'something blue' for your wedding to be a bruise."

Her hands halted briefly, but she didn't look up. "So whatdidDr. Pedro have to say?"

"He concurred with your diagnosis," he said, nodding toward sample packets of Benedryl. "My blood tests were negative."

The whisper of a smile curved her pink mouth. "What about the quarantine?"

"Another outbreak today," he said. "Four people in this building, and a half dozen in the golf villas."

"Are the cases serious?" she asked, raising her blue eyes to meet his gaze at last.

A man could lose himself in those eyes, he decided, and he couldn't tear himself away.

"Derek?"

He blinked. "Uh, serious enough to maintain the quarantine."

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