Page 30 of Toxic

This wasn’t the same nurse that had sent me home a few days ago. Despite not letting me stay with Gramps while I was sick, I really liked that nurse. This one was nice enough, but she giggled and fluttered her eyes a lot. I wasn’t sure why, but Grandpa seemed to enjoy the attention.

My phone chirped and I looked down at the message from Toxic. “Good timing,” I told her. “Our ride is here, too.”

“Okay. Well, he has to go out in a wheelchair, so we’ll take you down,” she told me as two other nurses helped Gramps get into the chair.

“Great.” I smiled at the other women. “Thanks for taking such good care of him.”

Gramps gave me an unamused look. “I can walk. This is ridiculous.”

“I know,” I told him, “but it’s hospital rules. As soon as we’re out of here you can walk.”

He grumbled but let the nurse push him in the chair. He was tired of being laid up in bed, so I knew he was going to be a bear over the next couple weeks as he healed. I wasn’t about to let him go out and do his usual thing. He wasn’t going to like that.

“Who’s that?” he asked, sounding suspicious as Toxic walked toward us.

“Oh.”

I glanced over and frowned as I saw all three of the nurses ogling him. The giggler was fluttering those long fake lashes so fast I was afraid she was going to lift off and fly away. “That’s my friend, Gramps,” I told him. “Remember I told you he was going to pick us up?”

He looked me dead in my eyeballs. “I’m not senile, Girl. I remember. I just don’t recognize him.”

Right.

I bit back a laugh. “His name is Toxic.”

“Why isthathis name?” Giggler breathed. “Not that I mind Toxic men,” she snickered.

Of course you don’t.

I tried to fight the urge to shove them all away from my grandpa and get the hell out of here. But it was too late. Toxic stopped in front of us.

“Hey,” he said, smiling at me.

My legs may have weakened a bit. I always thought that was such a stupid thing they wrote into romance novels, but damn it if he didn’t elicit that reaction when he aimed that charming smile my way.

Before I could say anything, Giggler stepped forward. “Hi,” she breathed at him.

I glanced over at Gramps and he raised his brows at me. “Thought she loved me,” he muttered with a grin. He was so bad.

“Uh, hi,” Toxic said, smiling at her.

The giggle that spilled from her lips nearly made me snarl out loud. What the hell? Why did I care that she was flirting with him? I mean sure, he’d been taking care of me. And kissed me. But I’djustreminded myself upstairs that I couldn’t have him.

One of the other nurses stepped forward and put her hand on Toxic’s bicep. “Do you need us to go through the paperwork with you?” she asked.

My jaw dropped. They weren’t even trying to be discreet. And there was Toxic, so used to women fawning over him, that he just smiled at them and let them do it. I crossed my arms over my chest, glaring.

He looked my way and cleared his throat. “No thanks, ladies. I think Billie and I have it under control.”

If looks could kill, I’d be six feet under. The women, who’d been perfectly pleasant as I’d sat with my grandpa, were now looking at me like I was an enemy.

“Think that’s our cue,” Gramps said, pushing himself out of the chair. He smacked at my hand as I reached forward to help him. “I’m not an invalid, Billie Girl.”

“I know, Gramps,” I told him. Frowning, I looked around as we walked outside. “Where’s the truck?” Toxic had been driving a truck to the ranch each day. Though he had mentioned at dinner last night that he usually only rode his motorcycle. I kind of wanted to see it. They were sexy machines, but the dirt road to get out to our place was full of potholes and loose sand.

He pointed to the SUV sitting there. “Brought this today so that everyone would fit comfortably.”

We helped Grandpa get into the front passenger seat, then I got in the back. As soon as Toxic pulled away from the hospital my grandpa started up.

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