Page 16 of Healer
I felt faint. Gosh, he was pretty.
“I think this may work.” He gestured at the machine, then at my hands.
“What?”
“Hold out your hands.” He indicated he wanted me to position my hands directly under the machine.
“Why?” I eyed him, not fearfully, but with medical curiosity.
“Trust me.” His grin deepened. “Hold out your hands.”
I obeyed, my body realizing I trusted Hakkar before my mind formed the thought.
I trusted him to help me.
I trusted him.
Weird. I’d only known him for two days, but it was as true an emotion as I’d ever felt.
Hakkar adjusted my hands so they sat side by side, then began running the gray box over and below them. The machine issued a faint hum, along with a pale blue light that sent prickles over my skin where it touched.
“The Medi-unit is normally calibrated for pain caused by muscle and bone injury,” he explained. “I modified the electromagnetic output to encompass nerve pain as well.”
I felt... something.
The faintest touch of a thousand tiny needles running over my skin. It wasn’t painful. In fact, it tickled in most areas. Hakkar ran the unit in a slow circle over and under my hands several times, then moved the machine up and down the front of my body before pulling away, expectancy in his gaze.
Holding my breath, I squeezed both hands into fists, then released. I did it again... and again... and again.
Nothing.
No pain.
No stiffness.
Nothing but strength and fluidity existed in the movement.
“It’s not a cure,” Hakkar said, grinning broadly as he watched me. “But it should keep the discomfort at bay until we arrive aboard the Bardaga and heal you.”
“Thank you, “I whispered, amazed at how wonderful I felt.
Hakkar’s smile widened, his sun-gold eyes twinkling with pride. With the pale purple sky backlighting his golden pelt, sharp features, and dark brown hair, he ranked as the most handsome man I’d ever seen. He was certainly the most masculine… the sweetest, the most caring, the most protective, and….
Something tickled low in my belly.
God! When was the last time a guy made me feel that?
The Outlander girls thought I played around after Derek left, but it wasn’t true. The many dates I claimed to have were simply an excuse when I felt too bad to get out of bed. Right now, though… if Hakkar offered… I wouldn’t say no.
Andthatwould be a colossal mistake.
Transference phenomenon.
The condition where a patient confuses feelings of relief and gratitude for love, fixating on the physician who facilitated their healing as the object of their affection.
It happened to me a few times. Parents, both male and female, so grateful that my skill saved their child’s life that they mistook the intense relief for feelings of attraction and even love. Granted, Hakkar had a lot going for him in terms of male attractiveness, not to mention being protective and sweet. Still, I couldn’t let myself get carried away.
Could I?
