Free Rock Hard by LJ Vickery Page B

draped the piece of material across his arm and handed it over, doing his best Jimmy Stewart impression. The tension was broken.
    “Oh! That’s one of my favorite movies!” Tess grinned up at him, as much as she could with her swelling cheek. “You do a great Jimmy Stewart.”
    He preened that it pleased her, and was happy that thousands of hours of television had finally come in handy. Marduk could hardly wait to share all his other impressions. He was really good at Pee Wee Herman!
    The nurse entered as Tess was about to slip off her pants.
    “You can leave those on, hon. I just needed the top off in case we spilled any Betadyne or…” She didn’t say blood, but they both knew that’s where she had been going. “Let’s get this new pressure cuff on, and then the doctor will be in.”
    With Marduk on the opposite side of the room, the device behaved itself, and the nurse seemed satisfied with the reading.
    It wasn’t long before the doctor arrived, perusing the clipboard in her hands before looking up at her patient. “I’m Doctor Whitehill, and I’ll be doing your stitches today.” She raised long, copper lashes to assess the damage to Tess’s cheek and let out a long whistle. “I’m impressed! How is it that you’re not out cold, or at least wailing in pain?” Her gaze flicked momentarily to Marduk. “And you, big boy, go find some ice to put on that jaw.”
    That she was not the least bit intimidated or awed by Marduk earned her instant points in his book, but had Tess snorting again. When he didn’t move, the doctor’s voice turned from velvet to steel.
    “I’m not kidding, here. I’m going to do some serious injecting and stitching and the last thing I need to worry about is peeling you off the floor.”
    “I have no inclination to pass out,” Marduk matched her unyielding tone. “Nor do I have any intention of leaving my woman.”
    “Your what?” Both females spoke in unison and looked at him as if he had two heads.
    The doctor was the first to laugh. “Right on, Ms. Abelard!” She stuck her hand up for a high five that Tess returned with vigor. “Where did you get this caveman?”
    “He’s not my caveman, and you’re welcome to him if you want to club him over the head and drag him off.”
    Marduk smirked. The picture in Tess’s head didn’t match her words. He could see it as plain as day. In her imagination, Tess was the one doing the dragging. Marduk perused the imagery and liked what he saw. With a grin, he moved closer and picked up Tess’s hand. She scowled up at him, but then curled her cold fingers inside his large, warm ones and left them there. Marduk was more than satisfied.
    “Well, the call is yours, Miss Abelard.” Dr. Whitehill had obviously noted the exchange. “I’ll let him stay if you want, but at the first sign there might be a nosedive,” she gave Marduk another sharp look with her gold flecked eyes, “he’s out of here.”
    Marduk reached up with the compress from the bedside table and gently wiped away the blood that had begun to trickle again.
    “It looks like he’ll be okay with it,” Tess must have sensed the resolve in his touch, and relented to his presence.
    “What did you say your name was,” Marduk asked the doctor as he looked deep into her eyes. “Your first name…” he compelled.
    “Dani-Lee.”
    Marduk sensed that she was astounded at her sudden lapse in professionalism. He’d never personally known a medical doctor before, but had a feeling they were supposed to keep their personal lives separate from their patients, including giving their first names. This doctor had a great bedside manner, but seemed a little prickly beyond the doctor/patient boundaries she set.
    “Doctor Dani-Lee…” Marduk’s voice softened. “Well, Dr. Dani-Lee, should we get this started?”
    Tess narrowed her eyes in Marduk’s direction, wondering what he was up to. Was he attracted to the good doctor? Tess assessed the other woman who stood