There was silence as he listened to the answers. He was talking to Karen. A new child was arriving at the unit and, for some reason, Karen wanted Greg there for the show.

I walked into the living room, waited for him to see me. His dark hair was damp from a recent shower; he was wearing a navy blue towel around his waist and nothing else. I stared at his deeply tanned torso, ridged with muscle, and my mouth went dry.

I retreated to the single bathroom, where I splashed cold water on my face and tried to regain my bearings. Greg was Greg. Greg had always been Greg.

But I’d never realized before what Greg looked like naked.

I took another minute, then opened the bathroom door to find Greg in the hallway. He’d changed into gym shorts and a white polo shirt. It made it easier for both of us.

“That was Karen,” he announced. “Listen, I gotta go to work. You can stay if you’d like. My roommates probably won’t return until late.”

“What time is it?”

“Four p.m.”

I frowned, surprised by the time. Perhaps I’d dozed off after all.

“What’s up?” I asked.

“New arrival,” he said, already walking down the hall to retrieve his gym bag. I trailed after him.

“Why you?”

“Kid has a history of violence. Karen would feel better with me there.”

“What’d he do?”

“Stabbed his mother.”

“When?”

“Sounds like this morning.”

“Mother okay?”

“Don’t know.”

“How old’s the kid?”

“Eight. Currently catatonic, according to the ER docs. Most likely shock.”

“And once that wears off …” I agreed. The panic would set in, and the explosive child would explode.

“Looks like it’ll be a night.” Greg slipped on a pair of nylon workout pants over his shorts. He slung his bag over his shoulder and, that quickly, he was good to go.

I stared at him. He stared at me. A faint bruise marred the line of his jaw. I took a step forward without thinking. I traced the bruise lightly with my fingertips, then, standing on my tiptoes, I gently kissed the mark I’d left on his skin.

“I’m sorry,” I said honestly.

“Danielle …” he said thickly.

“What?”

“It’s not always about you. Just remember that, okay? It’s not always about you.”

“Okay.”

I kissed his jaw again. I inhaled the fragrance of his freshly showered skin, then I stepped back. He went to work.

I had other business to tend to.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

CHAPTER
TWENTY-SEVEN