He looked at her blankly. ‘The doctor?’

‘That’s right,’ she said lightly. ‘One of those creatures who think they know everything.’

His eyes narrowed as he studied her closely. ‘You don’t look too great yourself.’

‘Thank you.’

‘I mean you look exhausted. You’ve got dark circles under your eyes. Did I keep you awake?’

For three whole days and nights.

‘Just a bit,’ she hedged, wishing that he’d stop looking at her. Being the focus of his attention was decidedly unsettling, ‘But now you’re better I’ll go back to my room.’

‘Not yet.’ He showed no signs of releasing her and she chewed her lip, horribly conscious of the short T-shirt. It only just reached the tops of her thighs. ‘Was I a terrible patient?’

She shook her head. ‘Surprisingly not.’ She gave a wry smile. ‘You’re easier to handle asleep than awake.’

Despite the fact that he was obviously still feeling rough, his eyes gleamed. ‘Is that so?’

She was suddenly achingly aware of the breadth of his shoulders, of the nest of dark hair on his chest and the fact that he was wearing virtually nothing. She knew that for sure. After all, she’d been the one who’d undressed him.

She was desperate to escape from the room and dress in something more appropriate. ‘Would you like a drink or something to eat?’

He shook his head. ‘What I do need is a visit to the bathroom.’ He grimaced and shifted in the bed, ‘How have I been managing that?’

She flushed scarlet and tugged her wrist away from his grip. ‘I’ve been helping you.’

‘Have you now?’ He gave a humourless laugh. ‘It’s a good job you’re not romantically attached to me, isn’t it? I’m sure helping me to the bathroom would have killed any relationship stone dead.’

‘That’s because you associate relationships with sex and not caring,’ she said quietly, and he cast her an odd look.

‘Do I?’

‘Yes. You only do the physical stuff, not the emotional stuff. But we’re not going to talk about your deficiencies in that area now. Do you want to use the bathroom or not?’

For a moment he appeared to be speechless and then he coughed and winced slightly. ‘I’ll give it a try on my own.’

She couldn’t resist teasing him. ‘You don’t need to be shy. I’m fairly well acquainted with your body, having sponged it with tepid water for the past three days.’

‘So why are you dying to escape?’ he drawled, and her smile faded. Even in his weakened state he was devastatingly attractive.

‘Because the wolf has woken up,’ she muttered, backing towards the door, wishing that she hadn’t teased him. Teasing Alex was playing with fire. Even when he was ill he was lethally attractive and mentally alert.

He stood up and immediately staggered. She was back by his side in an instant, concern for him overwhelming any shyness that she felt. She took his arm so that he could lean on her.