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“I hear you.” He leaned forward, placing her hand on the center of his chest, directly over his heart. “Feel my heart pounding? Even though I was trying to distract you with the boring story of my life, I swear I felt every one of those shocks as much as you did.”
Looking at him more closely she could actually see small beads of sweat dotting his upper lip. Knowing he'd sat there, rambling about himself while empathizing with her as she endured the test, made her smile. “The bumblebee story was funny. Your life was far from boring, Alec.” Her smile faded. “Having you here helped me more than I thought possible.”
“I'm glad.” He bent his head to kiss her fingers, but still didn't release her. “Remember that time you put all those stitches in me?”
She urged a brow. “Of course I do.”
“You were there for me, too.”
She frowned. “Stitching your wound was part of my job,” she pointed out. As much as she liked knowing she had been there to take care of him, it wasn’t the same situation at all. “You being here is very different.”
“Maybe, but I'm glad you didn't have to go through this alone.”
Unable to argue that one, she simply nodded. “Thanks, Alec.”
“You are welcome.” He grinned, as if trying to lighten the sudden seriousness between them. “How about if we go out for lunch? I'm hungry.”
How could she refuse? She fingered the residual goop in her hair from the electrodes.
“Okay, but not until after I go home and shower.”
“You look beautiful, as you always do.” She wanted to laugh, but the intensity of his green gaze caught her off guard. Even though she knew better, she suddenly felt beautiful. Despite the copious amounts of white goop that had to be matted in her hair.
What was wrong with her? Being attracted to Alec wasn't part of the plan. Acting on that unmentionable attraction, like sharing another of those long, hot kisses, wasn't smart either. He and his daughter would be better off if she kept their relationship light, friendly.
Yet having him staying there with her, holding her hand and talking in that low, husky voice of his, was not exactly the path to a light friendship. He was the type of man who stood by a woman, in both good times and bad, offering his strength and support.
For the first time in her thirty-one years she realized just what her decision to dedicate her life to her career may have cost her.
* * *
Alec pickedJillian up from her house and took her to his favorite Mexican restaurant. “What would you like to eat? Enchiladas? Chilaquiles? Carne asada tacos which are authentic Mexican tacos? Or my favorite chili Rellenos?”
She frowned as she scanned the menu, her freshly washed hair showing no trace of the white pasty stuff they'd used to attach the electrodes to her scalp. “I don't know, the chili Rellenos sound hot.”
“They are. How about if we try a little of everything? Taking the decision out of her hands, he ordered a large sampler platter, enough food to feed the entire emergency department.
After waitress hurried off with their order, he glanced at Jillian, his smile fading as he remembered how awful it had been to sit helplessly and watch while she suffered those electric shocks in silence. He could admit he'd been a little angry at the abrupt way she'd left Shannon’s party, but then, when he'd gotten home from Chicago and had taken the time to listen to her voice mail message, he'd been relieved. Andrea had arched her brow when she'd heard the message and he'd inwardly groaned. Bad enough he'd had to sidestep Andrea’s nosey questions about Jillian throughout the trip. Now for sure she wouldn't drop the subject.
Andrea had not understood the promise he’d made not to disrupt his daughter’s life by bringing a woman into his relationship with his daughter.
Then again, seeing Jillian today, he was having trouble remembering why he’d made such a rash promise, himself.
The food didn't take long to arrive. Jillian sniffed the air appreciatively when their server arrived with her laden tray. “Wow. That smells delicious.”
He had to restrain himself from leaning over to kiss her. He sat back to allow their server space to place the plates of food on the table. “Enjoy.” she said with a wink.
They dug into the food with gusto. After a few minutes, Jillian asked, “Have you made any progress on the percocet case?”
He grinned as she took a large bite of her cheesy enchilada.
“Not much.” The chili Rellenos were hot, just the way he liked them. He gulped some water, and then changed the subject. “When will you learn the results of your test?”
“I'm not sure.” She dug into the chilaquiles with an enthusiasm that told him she'd been just as hungry as he. “You know,” she mused with a tiny frown puckering her brow. “I was thinking about what you said, about the boy who was shot being a football player. It reminded me of how I treated a football player not that long ago, maybe a few weeks, because he'd severely strained his back during practice.”
Spark of anticipation had him wishing he had his notebook on him. They could use a break in the case, as the hospital administrators had not gone along with the plan of installing a secret camera. At least, not yet. There had not been any more missing narcotics, either. The thief was obviously lying low for the moment. “Do you remember his name?”
Jillian bit her lip as she shook her head. “I don't remember, and I really couldn't tell you anyway, because of privacy rules. I do remember that I gave him a prescription for narcotics, though because along with his strained back we discovered he'd cracked a couple of ribs.” She met his gaze. “Cracked ribs are extremely painful.”
