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I lowered the tablet. “You haven’t finished examining this patient. His whole body has to be examined, not just the area with the noticeable wound.” I looked around to my fellow nurses for backup, but they remained suspiciously quiet, some of them looking positively scandalized. Only Molly looked at me and nodded, encouraging me to go on. I shook my head and laughed, though I found the situation far from humorous. “Unbelievable,” I muttered, realizing they were all too intimidated to speak. This was yet another reason I appreciated Dr. Nualli; she had taught me to follow my instincts and never be afraid to speak up on a patient’s behalf, even to the doctor in charge.

“What is it that you feel is unfinished, Ms. Kennery?” Dr. Sholly said. “The patient is stabilized. His vitals are good. He is expected to make a full recovery in due time. Surely, you can see that.”

I pursed my lips together and took a deep breath. Perhaps it was just my imagination that made me think Dr. Sholly’s eyes had briefly lowered to my chest…

I swallowed before speaking, staring him straight in those deep seductive eyes of his. “You should be well aware that it is standard procedure to give the patient a thorough whole-body examination, not just solely concentrate on the area of the GSW. Although he appears to be fine otherwise, we have to be certain nothing is overlooked.”

I set the tablet down and approached the patient, ready to complete his examination even if I had to do it alone. All the while, I thought Dr. Sholly’s eyes would burn a hole in my head. But instead, after what felt like forever, he approached the patient again.

“Step aside, Kennery,” he said, and then proceeded to complete the examination.

The other nurses watched with baited breath until it was over.

“He’s just great.” Dr. Sholly glanced at me one last time before removing his gloves and leaving the area without saying another word.

“Good job, Tessa. Nualli would be proud,” Molly said, stepping forward to pat me on the shoulder.

“Thank you.” I cleared my throat, attempting to ignore the obvious tension in the room. “Has Nate’s family been contacted?” I asked, mainly to just fill the silence.

“Yes, I believe they’re in the waiting room…Where are you going?”

“To go talk to them,” I said.

“I’m pretty sure that’s where Dr. Sholly went.”

I paused. “Oh…Okay.”

Molly shook her head and laughed. “Tessa, don’t get yourself in trouble, now.”

I recalled the way Dr. Sholly looked at me before he left. “I think it’s already too late for that.”

Shit.

CHAPTER 2

Evan

It was already lunch hour, and I still felt disoriented. Dammit. I felt like my time working the night shift had turned me into a vampire. All it took was one day to recall why I had previously vowed to stick with the night life.

One day and one nurse…

“Good job earlier today, Dr. Sholly,” one of the emergency department nurses said to me in the break room as I fixed myself an umpteenth cup of coffee. I glanced up at her, not recognizing her name or face. She blushed under my gaze, and I had to wonder if her compliment was genuine or sarcastic, given that my performance earlier had been far from my ordinary standards. When I offered her no response, she quickly got herself a bottle of water from the vending machine and made her exit.

I sighed, flopping down in a nearby chair and taking a sip of my coffee that was too hot and burned the roof of my mouth. I swore under my breath. All the whole, one face floated through my mind.

Tessa Kennery.

I’d never had the pleasure of working with her before, and frankly, that morning’s experience hadn’t exactly been a pleasure. Or perhaps in some ways, it had been too much of a pleasure—I couldn’t really figu

re out which was the case.

There was no denying that Nurse Kennery was an absolute knock-out. I couldn’t recall the last time I’d seen a woman so attractive. Even nurse scrubs and a sloppy hair bun couldn’t hide the natural sex-appeal that oozed from her. That silky blonde hair. Those stunningly bright blue eyes. Those amazing curves, which she had unfortunately caught me staring at…

Way to go, Evan, I thought to myself with a humorless laugh. I took another sip of coffee, thinking about how not only did the living Aphrodite think I was an unfit doctor, but she likely thought I was a sexist pig as well. I squirmed in discomfort at the thought.

The door to the break area swung open. I reached for a magazine, pretending to be interested as I sipped more of my coffee.

“Hey, Evan. How’s the daylight hours treating you?”