The Nurse's Bodyguard by Melanie Mitchell

Author:Melanie Mitchell
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2014-01-28T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER ELEVEN

THAT EVENING AFTER dinner, Luke was working at the dining table. He moved from a computer to a laptop, splitting his attention between the screens and moving his hands from one keyboard to the other. Although Claire didn’t say anything, he sensed her presence and looked up.

In that first nanosecond, all thoughts were erased from Luke’s mind and he could think of absolutely nothing but her. She had showered and gotten ready for bed. Her shiny black hair was lying across her shoulders and down her back. She was wearing an oversized Green Bay Packers jersey, which reached almost to her knees, and she was barefoot. His mouth was suddenly dry and his heart started beating irregularly. Not fully conscious of what he was doing, he stood.

It was instinct, not experience, that allowed Claire to recognize Luke’s reaction—desire. She swallowed hard, instantly uncertain. She knew she needed to do something—say something—but was at a loss. Her heart was thudding painfully and she bit her lip as she tried to gauge his thoughts and anticipate his actions.

Luke could barely breathe. He recognized the sensation—during his football days he’d had the wind knocked out of him on more than one occasion. The constriction in his chest at that instant rivaled the feeling caused by a blow from a 300-pound defensive lineman. He knew he was staring, but nothing short of an earthquake could tear his eyes from her.

He was so attuned to Claire he could see that she was struggling with apprehension that might border on fright. He knew he needed to react—to say something, anything, to break the tension. After a couple of deep breaths, inspiration hit.

“The Packers? Seriously?”

The tension shattered.

She glanced down at the jersey. “Yeah. So?” One corner of her mouth turned up. “You have a problem with cheeseheads?”

“Please... Like there’s any football team except the Cowboys?” He motioned to the front door. “That’s it. You have to leave now. I can’t share an apartment with a Green Bay fan.” He took two steps in her direction. “Here, I’ll help you pack.”

She giggled and shook her head. “The Cowboys? I should have known. You guys from Texas are so predictable. You need to stretch, consider other possibilities. Jerry Jones and company are not the only game in town.”

“Yeah, but the Packers?” He sighed. “I would have thought at least the Vikings.”

“Can’t help it. It’s a family thing.” She held out her hands in mock resignation. “I can see we’re at an impasse. It looks like we’re going to have to come to some sort of compromise...”

He shook his head doubtfully. “I don’t know...I have to consider the full implications. If my grandfather found out, I could be disowned.”

“Hmm...I may have to remember that for future blackmailing attempts.”

“Okay, I guess I’ll let you stay for now.” He chuckled. “But we’d better wait till later to discuss baseball loyalties.”

Claire smiled and stepped closer, and Luke saw that she was holding something.

“I was wondering if you could help me. It should only take a few minutes.

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