Free Bachelor's Special by Christine Warner

future.” She chuckled, a sudden wave of nerves rolling through her.
    An arched eyebrow shot up. “And?”
    Jill leaned against the stove with one hip, stirred the soup that would begin tonight’s three courses, and tried to appear nonchalant. “From what I read, you were the driving force behind some X-ray gadget thingamajiggy.”
    Do I sound as dorky as I feel? Jeez, she should wire her mouth shut. She tapped the spoon on the pan’s edge, harder than she’d intended, sending splatters across the front of her apron and the stove top.
    “Blame it on Grandma. When my mom’s mother became ill, she had to undergo several tests. A lot of the exams involved X-rays. It concerned me that she might be getting too much radiation.”
    “I’m sorry.”
    “Thanks. But she’s still kicking and enjoying her days at the senior center. As a matter of fact, she was the one last year celebrating her eightieth.” He grabbed the bar towel she’d flung over her shoulder and dabbed her cheek. “You have a spot.”
    Her body quivered at his touch, and she tilted her head back as if inviting his lips. His breath fanned her face, and she twisted to the side, disgusted with her own weakness.
    “I’m glad your grandmother is…” Her voice became a husky whisper. The force of her desire overwhelmed her. Oh my God, I need therapy.
    She pulled the towel from his hand, wiping up the mess on the stove.
    “Anyway, at the time I was anxious. Another engineer took me out for a few beers and we got to talking about radiation levels and how it’d be a benefit to patients and doctors if they could regulate the amounts being taken in.”
    “So over a few beers you had an epiphany?”
    He shot her a lopsided grin, and she butted her knees together so she could remain upright. Incredible that listening to him talk about work turned her on. Maybe it was the excitement in the sparkle of his eyes. Or the gravelly sound of his voice.
    “We came up with an idea for a receptor that can be added to a digital X-ray machine. Took a few years to get the prototype and the actual project approved, but we did it. This device is more sensitive and will adjust the amounts of radiation used to make an image, so patients have less exposure.”
    She moved to throw the soiled towel in the sink, and to get away from his intoxicating nearness. “So that explains why all the hospitals clamor for your company.”
    “At this point I’m practically an honorary doctor.” He winked again, and her heart fluttered.
    Jill chuckled. Her vegetables would match her squishy insides if she didn’t pay closer attention to her job instead of this man. From where she stood, his lopsided smiles and winks appeared flirtatious. And she kind of liked it. Well…more than kind of.
    “I read that you’re working on more medical gizmos?” She pulled the broiler door open and placed the vegetables on a serving plate.
    “I didn’t intend to work exclusively in medical, I just wanted to help my grandmother. But I’ve found I enjoy it. Right now we’re developing equipment that can be scaled down in size to use with children. Make things smaller, more refined, and delicate to fit a child’s body so that it’s not so intimidating for them to be in a room with a huge piece of equipment looming over them.”
    Oh God, he probably climbed trees to save cats, too. Let’s see, attractive, funny, smart, worried about kids, and loves his grandmother . “You’re incredible.”
    He laughed, the delicious sound rolling over her skin. “It’s not like I do it alone. It’s a team effort.”
    She needed to break their connection or she would drown in his intent, smoldering eyes. Turning to pull some serving plates from the cupboard, she could feel the warmth of his eyes along her back. The knowledge that he studied her put a swing into her hips as she walked to the oven to remove the chicken.
    Ugh, maybe Mel was right. I need to get laid. But at the moment there was only one man to fill