“I’m sure there’s some iodine in the store. I’ll go and get some.”
He tutted. “Don’t fuss, Violet.”
She peered at the wound, which was still dotted with little specks of grit. “If I stitch it like this you’ll end up with an infection.”
“You won’t need to stitch it.”
“Excuse me?” She lifted her head and raised her eyebrows at him. “I’m the doctor and you’re the patient. And just so we’re clear—I’ll be stitching your wound.”
“Oh, it’s like that, is it?” There was something different. A different inflection in his voice, a different tone. More humor. A little teasing even.
Her eyes met his.
She and Evan Hunter. Bare-chested in a confined environment. She could see every light brown curly hair on his wide chest. She could see the flecks in his blue eyes again—she was that close.
It was tempting. It was so tempting.
Her brain spun back to six months before and the feel of his hands on her skin, his lips on her neck. The way that she’d felt that night when she’d finally let go—even if it had just been for a few seconds. She felt herself flush again.
He blinked, but his eyes didn’t move. They were still there. Still staring right at her. All she could hear right now was the sound of his breathing. She could see the rise and fall of his chest in her peripheral vision.
But she couldn’t pull her eyes away from his.
This really was too close for comfort.
* * *
Something was happening. Something was happening right before his eyes. Violet seemed to stop in her tracks. Her pupils had dilated and her cheeks flushed. The air around them seemed to close in.
She couldn’t be thinking the same things that he was, surely? Violet didn’t think about him like that, did she? Not since that night when she’d had a few glasses of wine.
What was the story with Violet Connelly?
There didn’t seem to be a man in her life. In fact, in the three years she’d been at the DPA he couldn’t remember ever hearing Violet refer to a boyfriend or partner.
From his casual enquiries he knew she lived alone.
But why? Why was a knockout like Violet unattached?
She might be prickly around him, but she was warm and gregarious around others. She was well liked. He couldn’t imagine she was short of offers, so why didn’t she pursue them?
Because right now, in this confined environment, he was looking for an excuse not to act.
In fact, he needed an excuse not to act.
It would be so, so easy to lean forward and kiss those plump lips. In fact, he’d been waiting to do it for six months. Six long, long months.
But there had never been a sign, never been even a flicker from Violet. And yet here she was standing in front of him, her pale green eyes almost obliterated by those dilated pupils and her tongue running along her lips. It was enough to drive a man crazy.
Sawyer’s sister.
Did he care? Did he really care? His animosity toward Sawyer had burned away at him for years. But Violet affected him in a totally different way. Besides, right now he couldn’t think straight. Not when she was biting her lip like that. He took a tiny step forward. His body was starting to react an entirely male way.
She was going to report you for inappropriate behavior. She almost did report you to the director.
What if he was reading this all wrong?
There, that did it.
It stopped him in his tracks. If he kissed her now, what would the consequences be? Would he be accused of seducing her? Of taking advantage of a member of staff? That would be unthinkable.
He stepped back, putting some distance between them.
Violet started. Her eyes widened then she lowered her head.
She had expected him to act. She had expected him to kiss her. There was no misreading the confused expression on her face.
“I’ll go and get the iodine,” she mumbled as she headed out the door.
He shifted uncomfortably. While his body might think he was having a totally normal reaction, his head was telling him differently. Thank goodness she hadn’t noticed. It made him feel like some horny teenage boy.
He pulled open the door of the room. Violet and himself in a confined space would have to be avoided at all costs. Not when it caused reactions like this.
She appeared a few seconds later carrying the iodine, some lidocaine and a sterile suturing kit. The flush was gone from her cheeks and her demeanor was entirely professional. “It would probably be best if you sat down while I stitched your arm.”
The words sounded a little strained, and definitely formal.
He nodded and sat down at one of the tables while she opened the kit and cleaned his arm, removing all the little pieces of grit before she injected him with some lidocaine to numb the wound. Eleven deftly placed stitches later she placed a non-adhesive dressing over the wound. “Let me know if you have any signs of infection.”
She gathered up the waste and disposed of it. “Need anything else?” The question was an entirely innocent one, but it instantly conjured things up in his mind.
This would have to stop, he couldn’t continue like this.
She was frozen on her way to the door, looking at him again. Was she thinking about his possible answers to the question?
“Violet? Are you there?”
Their heads turned as one of the other team members appeared in the doorway.
“Yes, I’m here. What is it?”
“There’s a call on the satellite phone for you. I think it’s your brother.”
There. That would do it.
Nothing like slicing the tension in the air with a knife. Nothing like turning the sizzle of electricity into a damp squib.
He could see her bristle. Obviously anticipating his reaction.
She looked a little surprised.
“That’s great, thanks. I’ll be right there.”
Then she walked out the room without a second glance.
CHAPTER FIVE
“WHAT ARE YOU doing in Nigeria, Violet? And when were you planning on telling me?”
Violet sighed and sat down in the nearest seat. This time two weeks ago she would have sold her soul to hear her brother’s voice. But right now, when her brain was mush and her body was reacting to things she couldn’t seem to control, it really was the last thing she needed.
What had just happened between her and Evan?
“Get off my back. I’d applied for a transfer and the director granted it. We needed to leave at short notice because there were problems in the team. And how was I supposed to get in touch? You were still in the middle of the monkeypox fiasco.” She paused, then added, “It’s not like keeping in touch has been your priority in the past few years.” It was a cheap blow, but she was hoping he’d missed her faux pas.
“We? Who is we?” Nope. He’d picked up on it straight away.
She could almost hear the drum roll. “Evan Hunter got transferred too. He’s in Nigeria with me.” She moved the satellite phone away from her ear. But it didn’t matter, the noise reverberated around the room. She’d expected expletives, what she got was deep, hearty laughter.
“Matt? What are you laughing about? Why do you find it funny?”
“I can’t believe for a minute he’d request to go to Nigeria! Evan—Mr. Keep-everything-in-order Hunter. He’ll hate the chaos out there.”
She felt her hackles rise. “He’s actually doing okay. The polio program needed a team leader and the director thought Evan might benefit from a change.”