Page 37 of Bad Girls Don't Marry Marines (Rock Canyon, Idaho 3)

She’d been surprised to find a stranger with black hair and the looks of a young Elvis leaning over her. She thought she’d heard Justin’s voice when she’d woken up before, but maybe that had just been wishful thinking. Had he left town and headed back to Rock Canyon already?

It’s better if he did; what were you thinking, wanting to apologize? It just would have complicated matters more.

It didn’t matter if he thought she was a tease or a bitch. She had wanted the temptation gone, and now it was. She could go back to trying to get through this weekend and then returning to her quiet, uncomplicated life.

Too bad a small part of her was still wishing he’d stayed.

There was a knock at the door, and as if her thoughts had summoned him, Justin came through the door, looking worried.

“Hey, Val. You okay?”

Val caught Trent’s raised eyebrow. “Huh, you really are friends.”

“We’re from the same town,” Val said, unable to miss Justin’s dark look at her casual response.

“Ah, well, it was a good thing you were walking together. Otherwise, he might not have been able to get help and we wouldn’t have met.” Trent squeezed her hand and stood. “I’ll find out if they have your scans back yet.”

As Justin stepped inside and Trent left, the two men sized each other up like a couple of alpha dogs. If it didn’t feel like Bugs Bunny was hitting her over the head with a mallet every few seconds, she might have laughed.

Trent closed the door, and the silence in the room became worse than the pain.

“Justin—”

“Look—”

Both of them shut their mouths, and Val held up her hand. “I’m sorry I was harsh. I didn’t want to be a bitch, but it’s kind of my go-to for self-preservation.”

He smiled. “In that case, you’re kind of good at it.” He walked over to the side of the bed and took her hand, taking a deep breath. “It’s fine. I’m the one who should be sorry for pushing you and practically jumping you. You told me you weren’t interested, and I read something different in your reactions. That’s on me, not you.”

“It’s okay. It’s really not you. I’m too messed up to be with anyone,” she said. Still, she couldn’t help thinking that Elvis was overrated when you could have Joe Manganiello. “So, I guess you’re my hero, huh?”

“Yep. I was a real ‘hero,’” he said, releasing her hand and using air quotes.

Puzzled, she mimicked his gesture. “What’s that about?”

“Nothing,” he said quickly. “I’m glad you’re okay.”

She had the strongest desire to take his hand again, but before she could act on her stupidity, the door opened, admitting Trent and her doctor.

“Well, good news. Just a small laceration and a concussion. You just need to rest, but I’d prefer if someone was around to wake you up every hour—”

“I’ll do it,” Justin said loudly.

She turned to look at him, along with the doctor and Trent. She saw his cheeks redden and her insides warmed.

“I just meant, I’m in the hotel room next to hers, so I could knock on the wall every hour.”

“Good. Good. Well, then, if you’ll just sign these, they’ll take care of you at the front desk,” the doctor said, exiting the room and leaving the three of them alone.

Breaking the silence, Val said, “Well, I should probably get dressed. If you could just give me a few minutes, I’ll be ready to go.”

“I’ll send in a nurse to help,” Trent said, holding the door open for Justin to follow.

She was surprised when Justin took her hand and kissed the back, giving her a wink. “See you in a minute.”

She tried to ignore the tingles his kiss had caused across her skin as he dropped her hand and went to join Trent by the door. Both men left the room, glaring at each other, and she scolded herself for almost laughing. It had been a long time since she’d experienced the headiness of male attention, and she had to admit it was a nice feeling to be wanted. Grinning, Val swung her feet over the side of the bed, and the room began to spin.

Maybe she would wait for that nurse.

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