Hell, maybe it was time to break another bone just so he could get back there. He would do that for this woman. That was a humbling thought. Shaking his head, he just had to face up to the fact that he was protective of Lindsey, and he hated that something terrible had happened to her.

Still, he wasn’t leaving the hospital without her. Glancing at the clock for the fiftieth time, he sighed with relief. Her shift was over in ten minutes. He’d already sweet-talked one of the nurses to find out where the staff exited at the end of their day.

He didn’t trust Lindsey not to try to sneak off without him. And he needed to be with her tonight. He was afraid that a lot of their progress had just been smashed in a several-hour period.

It was okay if that were the case, though, because he was going to be there for her to help pick up these new pieces. He had plans to help her decompress after a trying day at work.

Getting up, he smiled at the nurse who had helped him and was rewarded by her nervous giggle. Why couldn’t Lindsey be so easy to mesmerize? His life would be much smoother if she were.

Leaning against the wall near the employee exit, Maverick smiled when he spotted Lins coming out, suspiciously looking around, and then making a dash toward her car. She was trying to sneak off.

“My truck is over that way,” he called, making her whip around.

“You scared me,” she exclaimed, holding her hand up to her heart.

“If you hadn’t been trying to sneak away, you wouldn’t have gotten frightened,” he pointed out.

“I wasn’t trying to sneak off. I just didn’t know the exact plans. I need to go home and shower and . . . stuff,” she said as she began moving toward her car again.

“You can shower at my place. I have plans tonight,” he said, easily reaching her and turning her in the direction of his truck.

“I can’t leave my car here,” she told him, tugging against his hold. “And Princess needs me.”

“Stormy is watching Princess,” he said. “And your car is fine. It’s in a secure parking lot. I’ll bring you to get it tomorrow.” They reached his truck and he leaned her back against it, boxing her in.

“I don’t plan on spending the night with you,” she said, gaining some fire in her eyes.

“Well, you should know that my plans for you go all the way to the morning.” The soft purr in his voice had been known to drop women to their knees before. Apparently not this woman.

“Just because we spent a spectacular night having lots of sex doesn’t automatically mean I’m going to keep on doing that with you,” she said, placing a hand on her hip.

She was turning his own words back around on him. Good for her.

“Sex is optional, sugar. There’s more to life than great sex,” he said with a laugh. “I’m still trying to figure out exactly what that is, but I’ve been told there’s more to life, at least,” he added.

Then he got the smile he’d been hoping for. Damn! When she smiled, it stole his breath, and made his heart lodge in his throat. Her lips were certainly deadly weapons.

“I still need clothes if I’m coming over. Why don’t I just meet you?” she offered.

“Because you’ll find a reason not to come. I have sweats and T-shirts you can wear. They’ll be baggy, but you’ll look adorable. Come on, sugar. Let’s be spontaneous,” he urged.

She looked as if she were pondering it for several moments, and then he knew he’d won. He could see the curiosity in her eyes.

“I’m not agreeing to all night,” was all she said.

Too tempted not to, he leaned in and took her lips, being gentle as he sipped her flavor. He wanted to crush her to him, but she’d had a hell of a day. Tonight, all the way into the morning, was going to be about tenderness and laughter. His libido could take a cold shower for now.

Opening his truck door, he helped her inside, then quickly rushed around to the driver’s side. Getting in, he knew what he’d been missing the last few days. It was the smell of her perfume engulfing him.

The hospital smells fell away, and all his senses were tuned into the beautiful woman sitting next to him. He’d never be able to drive this truck again without thinking about her.

He took his time getting home, letting her relax as the two of them looked out at the harbor lights when they neared his place. He was nervous for her to see it. He hoped she liked it. Really, it didn’t matter much, he tried to tell himself. It wasn’t as if he were asking her to move in or anything, but for some reason, he wanted her to like the place.

They pulled up and he sat there a moment as she looked at the front deck.

“When did you move here?” she asked.

“I just bought the place a couple weeks ago,” he admitted.

“And it’s already furnished?”

“That was one of the great things about the purchase. It came that way. I only had to move a few items. I got rid of a lot of my old stuff and took advantage of the decorating skills of the previous owners.”

“Lucky man,” she told him. “It looks beautiful—and very big,” she said with a nervous laugh.

“Wait until you see the inside.”

He rushed around the truck and let her out, then led her up the steps and to the covered front deck. When he unlocked the doors, Benji and Princess came running at them.

“Princess!” Lindsey exclaimed, true joy in her voice as she dropped down and enveloped the dog. After the day she’d had, he’d known she would want to see her.