Dragon Warrior (Midnight Bay) (19 page)

Maddy nearly stabbed herself pinning it to her scrubs, industriously watching her fingers work so she wouldn’t have to look at William. God, she couldn’t believe he’d brought her clothes here. Just as soon as he left, the questions would start, and now she was going to have to think of
another
lie.

“Maddy,” Lois hissed in a whisper again, leaning as far as she could over the counter. “Thank him.”

For what? For showing everyone her underwear?

After only three tries, she finally lifted her gaze to his. “Thank you. It’s beautiful.”

His marine-blue eyes glinting with humor, he nodded ever so slightly. “You’re welcome, Madeline.”

“Oh, I get it!” Hiram suddenly injected. “He got her a dragon because he’s gonna be living on
Dragon Cove
.” He nudged Elbridge standing beside him. “See, Elby, I remembered.” He suddenly frowned, looking at Lois. “I still don’t know what that thing is I picked up off the floor. It fell out of the bag William dropped to catch Charlotte.”

“It was a bra, Hiram,” Elbridge said quietly.

Hiram swung toward William. “What you doing with a bra, boy?” Both of his bushy brows rose. “You ain’t one of them young fellows who like sneaking into girls’ rooms to steal their undies, are you? What were they called, Elby, back when you were in college?” he asked, nudging Elbridge again.

“Panty raids,” Elbridge said with a chuckle.

Hiram scowled, pointing a crooked finger at William. “I don’t care how nice a fellow you are, you’re too old to be raiding women’s panties, Killkenny. That’s college punk stuff, and we don’t cotton to you embarrassing our Maddy like that. Friend or no friend, you raid her panty drawer again, you’ll find yourself dealing with us.”

Her heart melting into a glob of sentimental mush, Maddy raced from behind the counter and wrapped her arm around Hiram. “Calm down, Mr. Man,” she said as she led him away. “William didn’t steal my underwear; he was returning it to me. I left some of my clothes at my friend’s house. You remember Eve Anderson, don’t you?”

“Mabel Anderson’s daughter?” Hiram asked as she guided him toward his room. “That curly-haired little blond thing who looks like a miniature Shirley Temple?”

“Eve’s all grown up now, Hiram. She’s married to Kenzie Gregor, the man who took you on the picnic down to Dragon Cove the other day.”

She stopped at the door to Hiram’s room and looked back toward the nurses’ station to see everyone staring after her. “You’re going to hurt Katy’s feelings if you don’t all go in and work on your picture albums with her,” Maddy told them, gesturing toward the sitting room. “She drove all the way to Ellsworth Sunday, using her own gas, to buy more scrapbooking supplies for you.”

“Well, I guess I should finish up the album I started for my granddaughter,” Elbridge said, heading toward the sitting room. He stopped and turned back to nod at William. “We’ll go out driving again tomorrow morning,” he told him.

William started pushing Charlotte’s wheelchair. “Thank you, Elbridge. I appreciate the pointers ye gave me today,” he said, his voice trailing off as he followed Elbridge into the sitting room.

Instead of following the others, Lois reached under her blouse and pulled out Maddy’s bra. She started to slip it in the paper bag on the counter but suddenly held the bra up with a frown and spread it open. She immediately headed toward Maddy.

Maddy finished leading Hiram inside his room. “You look like you could use a nap, Mr. Man,” she said, settling him on his bed. She reached down and slipped off his shoes. “And when you wake up, it will be time for supper. I believe they’re having your favorite, three-bean salad and chicken noodle soup.”

“I like three-bean salad,” he said with a tired sigh, lying back on his pillow. “But it don’t like me. It gives me gas. I ain’t hungry, anyway,” he murmured as she took off his glasses and set them on his nightstand. “William bought me a double fudge sundae at the Dairy Queen.” He grabbed Maddy’s hand when she finished tossing a light blanket over him and frowned up at her. “I spilt some of it in the back of his truck when he suddenly stopped quick, because Elby told him he had to let the man crossing the street go ahead of him. I ain’t riding with them tomorrow, I don’t think.” He tugged on her hand to get her to lean closer. “Don’t say I told you so, but William can’t drive worth a hill of beans.”

She patted his arm. “I promise, I won’t say a word to him, Hiram. You just have a good nap now.”

Only he still didn’t release her. “I can see why he hit that deer last night. He drives like he owns the road. If you ever find yourself riding with him, don’t ever scream, okay? Even when you see a mailbox go whizzing by your window at sixty miles an hour, just try to ignore it. I think screaming unnerves the man.”

“I promise, I won’t scream,” she said. She leaned over and kissed his wrinkled cheek. “And thank you, Hiram, for defending my honor just now. I love you for that.”

He gave her hand a squeeze, then let her go with a harrumph. “Ain’t none of us here gonna let some young punk mess with our favorite girl,” he muttered, rolling onto his side and closing his eyes. “We might be old, but we ain’t dead yet.”

She patted his arm with a laugh. “Sweet dreams, Mr. Man,” she said, walking out of the room—only to nearly run over Lois standing just outside the door.

Lois glanced up and down the hall and then held up Maddy’s bra by its straps. “Did you know your pretty bra is ruined?” she asked, turning it to show her the band. “Look, it appears to have been cut with something sharp. See, not even the elastic is frayed. And here,” she said, her fingers pushing up one of the cups. “The underwire has poked through. Didn’t you just get this last year?”

Maddy took it from her and held it up to study the strap. And yup, it sure as hell looked like it had been cut with a knife.

“I noticed a small scratch under William’s eye,” Lois said. She canted her head and tapped her chin. “Hmm . . . now, if I were practically sitting in a gentleman’s lap while he was driving down the road, and I happened to have my tongue halfway down his throat when a deer suddenly jumped into the windshield of the truck, I would probably rear up in surprise, and my chest would probably slam the gentleman right in his face.”

“Lois,” Maddy hissed.

“And,” the woman continued, “I suppose one of the under-wires in my bra might pop out and poke him in the eye . . .” She frowned, still tapping her chin. “I don’t know how the band could have gotten sliced clean through, though.” Her eyes suddenly took on an impish twinkle. “Unless the gentleman gallantly took out a knife and cut my bra off before it could scratch my lovely breast. Hmm . . . but that would mean my blouse would have been unbuttoned for the underwire to have poked him in the eye.”

“Lois Manning,” Maddy said with a laugh. “You are outrageous!”

Lois shot her a wink. “That’s the best thing about getting old, Maddy girl. We can be as outrageous as we want, and just who’s going to stop us?” she said, pivoting on her heel and heading toward the sitting room.

Lois approached William in the hall, who, having spotted Maddy, was heading toward her. The older woman tapped her own cheek as she passed him. “That’s what they make backseats for, William. The P on your shifting column stands for Park,” she said, her laughter trailing down the hall as she disappeared into the sitting room.

William stopped in front of Maddy and looked down at the bra in her hand, a faint hint of color padding his cheeks as he lifted his gaze. “I am honestly sorry for embarrassing you in front of your residents. That’s why I hunted around for something to put your clothes in and found a paper bag.”

Maddy felt her own cheeks growing warm. “Y-you cut my bra off me,” she whispered, mostly because she couldn’t believe it herself. She held up the two ends of the band to him. “With your knife. D-did you cut off my skirt, too?”

“Nay, just the button.”

“William, you cut off my bra,” she repeated, shaking it at him.

He took the bra from her and shoved it into his rear pocket as he stepped forward, crowding her against the wall. “And I’ll cut it off again, if I ever see such an offensive garment binding your bosom that way.”

“Wh-what?” she said, pressing into the handrail that ran the length of the hallway when he leaned even closer.

He palmed her flaming cheeks in his hands and captured her gasp in his mouth.

Maddy grabbed his wrists with every intention of stopping him. But then his lips started sipping hers with devouring softness. He tasted like hot fudge and salt air, and . . . desire. She felt her hormones rallying, some of them heading straight to the pit of her stomach and some racing to her head, making her dizzy enough that she had to use her grip on his wrists for support instead.

“I’ve been waiting all day for another taste of you,” he whispered, trailing his lips across her cheek toward her ear. “Wanting to slide deep inside you again and feel your sheathing heat tightening around me.”

Maddy’s knees buckled.

He released her face to prop her up in his arm, his mouth returning to hers as he pressed into her, his tongue tracing the fullness of her lips, teasing her to respond. His gentle assault sent her mind reeling with images of broad shoulders blocking out the moonlight, of her clutching his masculine arms, of him buried deep, deep inside her.

His mouth blazed a scorching trail to her ear again. “And ye can leave your underpants at home from now on, too,” he whispered, his teeth gently raking her lobe. “And I’ll keep a box of those little packets in the truck.”

A box?

A whole
box
?

Maddy shivered, either from anticipation or . . . regret; she didn’t know which.

Because she’d already decided she simply didn’t have the courage to go out with him again. She had a speech ready and everything; only at the moment she couldn’t seem to remember any of the words.

His mouth returned to hers when she somehow managed to bring her hands up to his shoulders, but for some reason she couldn’t seem to push him away. His kiss sang through her veins, his probing tongue demanding and wickedly salacious.

“Does the bogeyman know you’re messing with his girlfriend, Killkenny?”

William tore his mouth free and leaned his forehead on hers. “Go away, Huntsman. Can ye not see I’m busy?”

Maddy tried to push him away but soon realized she’d have better luck pushing through the wall behind her. William straightened, and when she tried sidestepping away, he planted his hands on the wall on either side of her shoulders, even as he turned his head to look at Trace.

“We were supposed to meet at the gravel pit.”

Trace’s grin broadened. “I’m headed over there right after I visit with my favorite cousin.” He nodded in the direction of William’s hip. “I hope that’s not your idea of a slingshot, because those underwires will definitely throw off your aim.”

“Well, shit,” Maddy growled, ducking under his arm and slapping William’s rear pocket until she could snag the bra dangling out of it. She stepped away from him and turned to glare at both men. “Why don’t we just run the damn thing up the flagpole out front so
everyone
can see it!”

“Now, Peeps,” Trace said with a chuckle. “Don’t get your panties in a twist . . . or are those in his other pocket?”

She pointed the hand holding the bra at him, realized what she was doing, and stuffed it into the front pocket of her scrubs. Suddenly remembering the bulk of her prepared speech, she smiled—somewhat tightly—at William. But then she hesitated.

She couldn’t flat-out dump him in front of another guy; that was just plain cruel.

She looked at Trace. “Why are you two meeting at the gravel pit?”

“We’re going to do some target shooting.”

“But I wanted you—” She glanced at William, smiled tightly again, and turned and walked away. “Don’t let me keep you, then.”

“Wait, what were you going to say?” Trace asked, following her.

“Nothing. I’ve changed my mind,” she said, going behind her station. She saw the paper bag, quickly snatched it off the counter, and tossed it onto the floor beside her chair. Glancing down the hall to see William walking into Samuel’s room, guessing he was going to cheer up his friend, who wasn’t feeling well today, she arched a brow at Trace. “So, are we still on for Saturday?”

“Actually, that’s why I stopped in. I’ve decided I don’t want you puking all over my boat.”

“But what about your mermaid? I thought you wanted me to see her.”

“William offered to go with me, so that lets you off the hook.”

Maddy leaned away. “You’re taking William instead of me?”

“Hey, I thought you’d be pleased that I’m getting along with your boyfriend.” He snorted. “Considering how I couldn’t stand to be in the same room with Billy Boy.”

“Look, we both know William is
not
my boyfriend, so quit calling him that.”

Trace arched a brow. “Does that mean you’ll let any old guy walk in here and stick his tongue down your throat?”

“We went on one date, and one was quite enough, thank you very much. I was going to break the news to him just now, but I didn’t want to do it in front of you. I’m discerning but not cruel.”

Trace looked down the empty hallway, then back at her. “I don’t think Killkenny is going to be that easy to dump, Peeps. He strikes me as a man who goes after what he wants and doesn’t stop until he gets it. And I’d bet my boat that he wants you.”

“Look, if you want to be his new best buddy, that’s fine with me. But I feel I should warn you, the guy is weird.”

“Weird how?” he asked, tensing. “As in perverted weird or your typical I-can’t-boss-him-around weird?”

“As in guarded, focused, and . . . lethal weird. And the guy is way too controlled. In fact, last night, he reminded me of you.”

Trace relaxed, folding his arms over his chest. “Thanks. I think.”

“Oh, you know what I mean. Which, come to think of it, is probably why you do like him.” She waved him off. “Go on, get out of here. Go shoot beer cans with your new best buddy,” she said, sitting down and grabbing Samuel’s chart.

“Maddy.”

She looked up at him. “What?”