Page 33

She paused and met my gaze. “Let me take a look.”

I hadn’t been prepared for an exam, but I supposed it was standard. What wasn’t standard at all was the feel of her hands on my skin as she softly lifted my injured foot. She examined it visually first, before pressing gently on various parts of the foot, taking care not to hurt me. “Yeah, look at this. Already have some bruising on the bottom. Did you hear any sounds? The dreaded pop?”

“No. Just my pride screaming in protest.”

The look of concentration on her face as her thumbs moved to the top of my foot sent a shiver I hadn’t expected in the midst of this crisis. She looked really good in that lab coat, too. Her hands were still on me, so my stupid cheeks went hot. God, I hoped she hadn’t noticed.

“Can you wiggle your toes for me?” Kyle asked. There was a soft quality to her voice I’d not heard before. Tender, even, and it made me forget what her words actually were.

“Hmm? Can I do what now?” I asked, my eyes locked on hers. Iwas feeling a little drunk. Must be a pain response and not the vibrancy of her eyes.

“Your toes,” she said, gesturing. “Are you able to wiggle them?”

“Oh.” I gave it a shot to some very slight wiggling. “Hurts, though.”

“Yeah, I can tell. You’re dealing with a lot of swelling.”

“I’m dealing with swelling?” Focus. “No. You’re right. I am.”

She stepped back, releasing my foot. I felt a little sad about that part. “I’m thinking you have a bad sprain on your hands, but let’s grab an X-ray to be sure there’s not a fracture hiding out.”

“Okay. If you don’t think it’s any trouble. I can just go, also.”

The corners of her mouth tugged. I remembered what her lips tasted like. Sweet like the strawberry ice cream, which seemed appropriate now. “No, Savanna. I promise you, administering medical attention is no trouble at all.” She dropped the iPad to her side. “We’ll wheel you over in a few. In the meantime, would you like something for the pain?”

“No,” I said automatically and with too much conviction. Projecting strength was my default, but my foot ached so bad, I wasn’t sure what I was going to do.

“Hey, look at me.” The familiarity in her tone made me snap to attention. “This isn’t the time to put up a brave front. I’m a doctor.”

“You’reKyle.” She knew exactly what I meant, too.

“And both of us want you pain free, okay? I happen to care about your well-being.”

“Do you, though?” I asked before thinking better of it.

She didn’t falter. “Yes, very much.”

I exhaled slowly while she waited. “Fine. I’ll take the pain meds.”

She nodded, pleased. Gorgeous. Smart. And the source of a lot of my anxiety these days. “Coming right up.”

Ninety minutes later, we had our answer. Kyle returned once the films were read, turned her screen to face me, and showed me my foot. “You’re in luck. No breaks. No fractures. Just a no-fun sprain that’s going to get in the way of your life for a bit.”

“That’s great news,” Elizabeth said in the chair she’d reclaimed.

I squinted. “Define get in the way. I have a job where I’m on my feet a lot.”

“Not for the next few weeks, okay? We’ll get you outfitted with a pair of crutches, but the more you’re on that foot, the longer it’s going to take to heal. Do yourself a favor and rest it as much as possibleso you can put this in your rearview.” She sounded so intelligent and authoritative. I couldn’t help but appreciate the impressive doctor persona. And the coat. Let’s be honest. She wasfantasticlooking in the lab coat, which served as a nice contrast to the dark of her hair, in a ponytail today. In a surprise, I even allowed myself to admire her appearance freely for a moment or two. Objectification activated.

“You okay?” Kyle asked with a squint.

“What? I’m fine.”

“You looked a little weak. I don’t want you passing out.”

“I’m completely fine,” I said, probably too emphatically. “Hey, when are you going back to the hospital in Charleston?” I’d just grabbed that question out of the sky. Anything to get the focus off myself.

Her gaze went dim. “Uh…I’m actually not.”