Page 52 of Leave a Mark
It was hardly a kiss at all. Wren had to concentrate on not looking disappointed. And not concentrate on the heat that swept up her body.
But the look on his face consoled her. Lee, his eyes ablaze and his breath sharp, looked like a man with a fever.
“Bye, beautiful Wren,” he said, stepping back. “I’ll call you.”
She bit her tongue before the words could escape.
You damn well better!
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
LEE’S NIGHT STARTEDwith a C-section and twin boys. Their mother had wanted to avoid surgery, and Dr. Yeng had been hopeful since both babies were head-down, but, after the first was born, his little brother started showing signs of distress.
For Lee, emergency C-sections always seemed to take longer than scheduled ones — even if the baby was born in a matter of minutes. The mother’s fear and the tension in the room could make time stretch.
But when he pulled Belinda Bailey’s second son from her womb, Lee allowed himself to draw in a deeper breath, and time resumed its usual flow.
As he and Dr. Yeng scrubbed out, the older doctor gave Lee a smile. “Soon,you’llbe the lead doc in the room, and you’ll have to pretend not to be nervous in front ofyourresident.”
Lee blinked in surprise. “You were nervous in there?”
Dr. Yeng chuckled. “I’m nervous every time. The day you stop being nervous is the day you start making mistakes.”
Lee let go a huge sigh. “I thought it meant I wasn’t ready.”
Jem Yeng tilted his head back and laughed openly. “No, Lee. You’re ready. And one of the reasons I want you around is because I know your nerves keep you sharp." He wore a look of approval that made Lee’s awesome day even better. “It means I don’t have to be nervous about you.”
It was after ten o’clock once Lee got back to making rounds. He had two mothers laboring, but both were in the early stages, and babies might not arrive until morning. Yeng had done a hysterectomy that afternoon, and after the Chief of Obstetrics left for the evening, Lee made rounds for both of their patients, but he kept checking his watch and wondering if it was too early — or too late — to call Wren.
The electricity from their afternoon had carried him for hours. He could still feel it arching over his muscles. It had taken her nearly an hour to complete his tattoo, and the whole time, she’d been within reach, teasing him with her touch… maddening him with her patchouli vanilla scent.
And then there was the tattoo itself.
The heady cocktail of adrenalin, lust, and the sting of her needles had nearly overloaded his circuits. No wonder people with tattoos didn’t stop at one. The experience left its mark on more than just his skin.
He loved the lingering soreness in his chest. He’d caught himself running a knuckle over it several times during his shift. Nothing in his memory compared to the experience.
And he’d meant every word when he’d said he knew no one like her. She was different. And she made him different.
Lee Hawthorne had never pursued a woman so boldly. Without inhibition. Without hesitation. In her presence, his heart, body, and mind all saidyes.He had to stop himself at every turn. Cram his thoughts into his mouth. Keep his hands at his sides.
He hadn’t always succeeded.
But, worst of all, Wren didn’t want to be pursued. Or, at least, she didn’t let herself want it. As he’d watched her — and he’d done nothing but watch her the whole time she worked — she’d looked conflicted. Her body responded to his attention — a blush, a gasp — but her words had shut him down.
She was wary. And even though he couldn’t exactly blame her, he wanted her trust. So Lee aimed to earn it. He decided to test the waters with a text.
Lee:All the babes in the nursery love the tattoo.
He started second-guessing his joke as soon as he pressed send. It wasn’t that funny, and if she didn’t think it was a joke, he’d sound like a dick. But he didn’t twist in the wind long.
Wren:Of course, they do. Babies are my best customers.
Lee laughed in relief.
Lee:Done tatting infants for the night?
He’d noted as he left the studio that their Friday hours were 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., and he wondered what she did on the weekends.
