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A door opened. Right in front of him. Door 234. The door of his beautiful Jane Doe … Angelica, because the brown-eyed beauty was adverse to the name Jane.
She eased out into the hallway, clutching the hospital robe at the back to keep it from flapping open. Her feet were bare, with pink-painted toes. Legs revealed by the thin robe were tanned and lean, with a few nasty scratches and bumps on her shins from her ordeal.
Her gaze darted straight to him. She stopped abruptly, looking both annoyed at the interruption to her escape from her hospital room and intrigued by him. “Oh … it’s you. What’s up, doc?”
He laughed—she’d made her voice sound just like Bugs Bunny. He stopped right in front of her. Close. Maybe a little too close, but he got close to all his patients. She arched her head to meet his gaze. She was taller than he’d thought, maybe five-eight. The way she was clutching her robe so tight in the back revealed her shape. She was just as fit as he’d thought. Her hair was longer, dark and wet against her back. Her face was washed clean, and her smooth, dark-toned skin and big brown eyes were alluring. She must be fresh out of the shower.
That was not a thought he should dwell on right now.
“Just coming to check on my favorite patient.”
“Ah …” She winked at him. “I bet you say that to all your female patients who’ve literally lost their minds.”
“You know, I think it’s the first time I’ve said it to a beaut … beat-up female patient who’s lost her mind.” He luckily didn’t say a ‘beautiful female patient.’ Favorite had been bad enough. What was he thinking? He was the one who’d lost his mind.
“Ah, good catch there, doc.” She looked him over. “So I look ‘beaut … beat-up’?” She arched an imperious brow.
He really, really liked her. Dang. He rested a hand on the door frame above her head and found himself … leaning. “Yes, you do.” His voice was far too deep and husky.
She looked him over. “You’re pretty … ‘beat-up’ yourself.”
His heart was beating too fast again. How could he restore her memory and get her out of this hospital so he could get to know her better? It wasn’t as if anyone could reprimand him, but he had his own strict code of ethics.
Their gazes met and held. Steffan was amazed at the connection sizzling in the air between them and the intelligence and appeal in her deep-brown eyes.
“How are you feeling?” he asked, straightening away from the wall and dropping his hand. He needed to know how she was doing, what she was doing sneaking out into the hallway, and he needed to get himself under control. Once her memory was restored and she was no longer his patient, he could get to know her better.
Unless she skipped the country as soon as she could.
But that was a silly thing to worry about. Why had he even thought that? Augustine was insanely beautiful, but there weren’t as many hotels or rental homes as most other top tourist destinations, plus their border control was more intense than most European countries, so not as many tourists came through. She’d want to stay and explore. Of course she would. Unless she had a busy job or a family that needed her. What if … his gaze darted to her ring finger. Empty and no tan line.
Please don’t let her be married or involved with someone.
“I’m okay. Headache is still there, and I’m going to be bruised and achy tomorrow, I’m sure. Do you know where my clothes are?”
“I can check. Did the nurse take them away?”
“I guess so. She helped me into the shower and when I came out, only this dang gown was sitting there. I need my clothes and my Sorrels, and then …” She broke off and looked away.
“And then?”
Her gaze met his, and he wondered again why she didn’t look blank or vacant like most amnesiac patients he’d treated. Aliya hadn’t looked blank with her amnesia case, but she’d only lost one day due to a traumatic event. Angelica couldn’t remember her own name.
She studied him as if trying to determine how trustworthy he was. There was obviously a reason she was sneaking into the hallway.
He leaned closer. “Angelica, you can trust me. Let’s get you a good night’s rest and you’ll feel much better. I promise I’ll help you figure out who you are.”
Her eyes shuttered. “I really need to leave.”
“Leave? Where would you go?” He didn’t want to point out the obvious, but she had no money, no passport, no knowledge of who she was, and no clothes or shoes.
“Um.” Her eyes darted down the hallway. “Away?”
A door opened and a nurse walked out. Ah, shoot. Of course it would be Shaylie. Steffan wasn’t one to believe in bad luck, but right now it felt like a curse of it.
Easing back a step, Steffan waited for the inevitable.
Shaylie saw him and her face lit up like a Christmas tree. She hurried down the hall and stopped much too close, brushing his arm with hers. Her floral perfume made his nose twitch.
