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“Come again?”

She looked at him. “You were reading my nametag, and my name really is Jeremy. I was supposed to be a boy.”

She swore his eyes turned smoky and intense as he gazed back at her. “You are definitely not a boy,” he said.

Jeremy felt a chill run up her spine at his tone and she forced herself to look away because she knew she was blushing madly. God, she’d only known this man a matter of minutes but already he was affecting her like no one ever had.

“I’m Wade Wolfe,” he said after a moment. “Nice to meet you, Nurse Jeremy.”

She grinned. “‘Nice to meet you, too’ she says as she sticks a needle in his leg.”

He smiled at her humor, still watching that incredible face. Honestly, he could not take his eyes off her. He was seized with the urge to know everything about her and wracked his brain madly for a line that would not sound as if he was trying to get into her pants. It was the strangest, most powerful reaction he had ever had to a woman.

“Do you live on base?” he asked casually.

“Yes,” she said as she had him roll onto his right side so she could get to the exit wound. “But my dad has a little vacation house on Coronado Island and I spend a lot of my time there.”

“Ah, yes, Coronado,” he said fondly. “I remember it well.”

“You do?” she asked, looking at him. “When were you there?”

He drew in a long, deep breath, feeling the sedative. “A while ago. Training.”

“Oh,” she said, sensing he was being evasive. “Well, you should check it out on an off-duty level sometime. It’s a neat place, especially the Del.”

“The hotel? I have seen it from the outside,” he said, putting one of those massive arms over his forehead.

Jeremy saw the arm and involuntarily shuddered, forcing herself back to her work when what she really wanted to do was fondle his bicep. “Go inside it next time. They have a great restaurant.”

“Whenever I have been in San Diego it’s always been on a stopover,” he replied. “Maybe someday I’ll take a few days off here and take your advice.”

“Well, if you do, let me know,” she said, giving him another injection. “I’ll tell you all the hip spots.”

She had meant it innocently and he knew it, yet it was the opening he was looking for. He could only hope she didn’t think he was a womanizing jerk for being so forward.

“Then I am letting you know now,” he said. “I have got forty-eight hours before I go back to Virginia and not a damn thing to do. That is, if you are not working or have other plans. Maybe you could show me the hip spots?”

Her head came up and she looked at him blankly. Truth was, she was stunned he had literally asked her out, but she made it an absolute rule to never date a patient or any person she worked with for obvious reasons. Her dilemma was tremendous because she definitely wanted to see him again, yet she didn’t want to break her rule of self-preservation.

But much to her dismay, she found herself responding. “No, I’m not busy. Today’s my Friday and I have got the next two days off.”

He grinned triumphantly. “Outstanding.”

But her head went down rapidly, too rapidly, angry at herself for responding to his invitation. Why had she agreed so readily?

Wade was afraid he had offended her as he watched the top of her lowered head. As soon as she responded to his invitation, she seemed to regret it. He felt a stab of uncertainty and genuine disappointment.

“Hey, look, if you had something else to do, I totally understand,” he said quickly. “I’m probably not going to be much good with this bum leg. We can take a rain check.”

She put in the final stitch. “I’m not busy,” she repeated.

He was back to feeling hopeful. “How about dinner?”

She looked at him. “Tonight?”

“Sure.”

She fought off a smile. “I’d love to, but you really aren’t going to be any good tonight. I just shot you full of Demerol and you are going to be floating in a few minutes so we’ll have to another night. Got anybody coming for you?”