Peyton was sure her cheeks were pink as she moved to block the nurse’s view of Scott’s hard-on. And that was ridiculous. She’d been in all kinds of scandalous situations that were perfect for blushing. But she never did.

One sweet kiss from this guy though and she felt flustered. And then he had to be all obvious about how he felt about her. Resisting this guy tried every ounce of her patience.

Dammit. It was always like this with Scott.

Worse this time because yeah, she’d been worried. Really worried.

He’d been shot, for fuck’s sake.

And now the panty-melting grins and smartass remarks were making her feel comforted. Because they meant he was fine. And she’d realized that she really needed him to be fine.

She swallowed and moved back as the nurse approached the bed. She was going to chalk her rattled emotions and reactions up to seeing Scott in a hospital bed. Big, tough, smart-ass, fix-everything, always-there Scott. In a hospital bed.

Peyton pulled in a breath and told herself that if she cried right now she was not getting French fries on her way home. She’d already cried—in the cab in Baltimore on her way to the airport after getting the call about the shooting, in the airport bathroom after she’d made it through security and realized she had an hour to kill, in the Atlanta airport bathroom when she’d realized she was still four hours away from him and that a lot could happen in four hours.

That was more crying than she’d done in a year.

“How are you feeling?” the nurse asked Scott, giving Peyton a smile. Her name tag said Angie.

“Groggy,” he said.

Peyton smiled slightly. She kind of liked groggy Scott. He was usually so on and intense. Nothing ever missed his notice, especially about her. Sometimes she thought he could read her thoughts. She didn’t mind having a break from feeling constantly exposed around him.

But, if this was as groggy as he got, there was no relaxing. He’d known she was hiding something. Even if they’d only been Corn Nuts.

“I can turn the drip down,” Angie said.

Scott nodded, but Peyton asked, “Is that a good idea?”

She was as surprised as they were that she’d spoken up. This was Scott. He always knew what he was doing.

“That’s controlling the pain, right?” she asked anyway.

The nurse looked back at Scott. “It is important to stay on top of your pain at this point,” she said.

“I don’t like the groggy feeling,” Scott said, looking at Peyton. “I’m fine with a little pain.”

Peyton frowned at him. He was such a stubborn ass sometimes. All the time. “It’s stupid to hurt if you don’t have to.”

“I’m fine.”

“I have to agree with your girlfriend,” Angie said. “There’s—”

“I’m not his girlfriend,” Peyton broke in.

Scott gave her a scowl. Well, she wasn’t.

“Oh.” Angie looked back and forth between them. “Okay.”

“Peyton is my…”

Peyton lifted a brow at him. How was he going to finish that sentence?

“Personal nurse,” he said. “She’s here to learn everything she needs to know about what I’ll need when I go home.”

“Oh,” Angie said again.

Peyton felt her eyebrows shoot up. She gave him a frown. Okay, so he was on morphine, but personal nurse? Really?

“You’re a nurse?” Angie asked.

“No. He’s loopy. He’s having flashbacks to my Halloween costume.”

“Well, she’s in nursing school,” Scott said.

She’d taken two nursing classes. Not even nursing classes, actually. Prerequisites. And she hadn’t even finished those. Nursing was very…caring. Not really her style.

On the other hand, her work at the bakery in Sapphire Falls was perfect. It was straightforward work—mix, pour, bake, frost. She could, and had, screwed even that up from time to time, but that was fixable. You could scrape icing off and start over. You could toss it all in the trash and start fresh. And people were happy about what she gave them at the bakery. Cookies, cupcakes, pie. Yeah, that was definitely better than shots and medicine and bad news. Definitely.

“She’s always wanted to be a nurse,” Scott said.

Peyton looked at him. She’d told him that once. A month ago. He’d remembered that? And more, he’d taken her seriously?

There was something funny in his voice when he said that. Pride? No way. She stared at him. Yes, that was freaking pride on his face when he talked about her being in school. Which she no longer was.

He gave her a smile that was a bit goofy and a lot adorable. And she knew that no one used the word “adorable” with Scott Hansen much. Or ever.

They could maybe turn the drug drip down a little, Peyton thought. “The kind of care I want to give you is probably not the kind the doctor is going to prescribe,” Peyton told him. “In fact, it might be on the list of things not to do for a little while.”

“Well, Kyle is a really good friend. I don’t think he’d put that on the list,” Scott said.

Yeah, he was definitely drugged, because Scott never went along with her teasing about sex.

“I definitely think that you should move in and nurse me back to health,” Scott said, just before yawning big.

Peyton narrowed her eyes. Wait a second. Scott never went along with her teasing about sex. Suddenly she wasn’t so sure he was as hopped up on morphine as she’d thought. He was being all sweet and kind of off-kilter, and he’d sensed she’d been worried. Hell, the way she’d gripped his hospital gown when he’d kissed her, as if she’d needed to hold on tight for fear of losing him? Yeah, that was one thing. But then she’d brought him Corn Nuts? That had been a stupid move. Like flying back here because all she’d been able to think about since the second Hope had said, “Scott’s in the hospital,” was that she could not lose him, couldn’t not be there.

Crap.

All stupid. Because all of this—from his goofy smile and big fake yawn and “she’s in nursing school” bullshit—added up to one thing. He wanted to play house. He thought this was the perfect chance to show her how a “real” relationship could be between them. The thing he’d been pushing for over a year now.

Yeah, he was stone-cold sober. And conniving. And nuts.

Well, he wasn’t the only one. On all of those counts.

“I guess you will need help bathing, won’t you?” she asked, running her hand up and down his lower leg. “Wouldn’t want Kyle or your mom or a total stranger doing that.”

Scott suddenly not only looked sober, but a little concerned. As he should be.

“I’m not going to need help bathing,” he said.

“And you won’t be able to get up in the middle of the night for a glass of water or anything without help, so it’s probably best if someone sleeps over—right next to you,” she said, still stroking his leg.

He tried to shift away from her touch, but he couldn’t do it without using his hand and being completely obvious about it. It was not a nice thing, but Peyton gave herself points. She also gave him a two-can-play-this-game smile. He wanted her around, fussing over him and spending extra time with him, just the two of them? Well, his left thigh was the only thing not working properly on him. He had to know that if she was taking care of that leg, she’d want to take care of the rest of him too.

“I think I can handle pissing in the middle of night,” he said with a frown. “Maybe if you could just bring over a casserole or two…”

Peyton flat-out laughed at that. Scott had no idea if she could cook. At all. The most he’d ever seen her eat was pizza at the Stop or a burger at the Come Again. He might be a little woozy if he thought he could have her at his house, hanging out, being together in every way except naked in bed. It seemed he was now realizing he’d made a mistake. Thinking Peyton would be sweet and concerned about his leg and not make any other moves on him? Yeah, big mistake.

He’d started this and she was so finishing it.

Peyton looked at Angie. “I definitely want to see him naked. And that’s a lot of what goes on with home health, right?” She had friends who worked as nurse’s aides in the local nursing home and for home health. There was a lot of bathing, dressing and undressing that went on in home health.

“Um, well, that would probably work,” Angie said slowly. She was clearly a little surprised by the blunt naked comment.

Though she shouldn’t be. Scott Hansen was gorgeous and strong and a freaking knight in shining armor with a dry sense of humor and a quick mind and an alpha streak that made Peyton weak in the knees. Of course she wanted to get him naked.

She just didn’t want to marry him.

“That’s great,” she told the nurse enthusiastically. “Just tell me what to do. I mean, Scott loves to tell me what to do…” She winked at Angie and squeezed Scott’s leg at the same time. “But I mean medically.”

She didn’t need to glance at Scott to know that he was part ticked off and part turned-on. Because St. Patrick’s Day had proven that he was every bit the bossy, demanding dirty talker she’d pegged him for early on. He loved the idea of her letting him boss her around. As much as she loved the idea. In the bedroom only, of course. Or on the hood of his squad car…

“Well, he will need dressing changes, and it’s much easier if someone else does those initially,” Angie said, pulling Peyton back to the present. “And he won’t be able to drive with the pain meds. Not until we can get him on something milder. And he’ll be on crutches for a time.”

“Crutches?” Peyton and Scott said at the same time.

“Yes. The gunshot tore some muscle. Until that heals, the doctor will want you resting that leg.” She looked at Peyton. “Simple things like getting up for a glass of water become a lot more difficult. You don’t have to be a nurse to help him with those things.”

Well, that was a good thing, because her two classes didn’t even qualify her to do CPR. “Great. I’m in.”

“And she’s right about the bathing,” Angie said to Scott. “That can be uncomfortable for friends and family. We do have home health available and many patients take advantage of that for those more personal things.”

Scott frowned. “I can handle that myself.”

“You won’t be able to shower or get into the tub without protecting the wound,” Angie said. “So it’s easier if you have someone else to help.”

Scott seemed to think about that. Then his gaze slid to Peyton. And for some reason she suddenly got suspicious.

“So a nurse’s aide could come over and help me though?” Scott asked.

“Right,” Angie confirmed.

Suddenly Peyton knew exactly what he was doing. One of the girls she’d gone to high school with, Sydney, was a nurse’s aide. Who did home health. And she was really cute. And she had a thing for Scott.

The jealousy card? Really? Well, okay then. He wanted her jealous? She could so do jealous.

She pulled herself up to her full height, put on her bitch-with-an-attitude and said, “If any other woman gets within twenty feet of your front door and she’s not your mother, your sister, or my sister, I’m turning the hose on her,” Peyton told him. “There’s only one girl in Sapphire Falls who’s gonna be soaping your junk, and you’re looking at her.”

Angie looked as if she wasn’t sure she wanted to be here for this conversation, but Scott’s eyes narrowed. And Peyton realized she’d done exactly what he’d wanted her to do.

“You soap me, you eat dinner across the table from me,” Scott said.

She narrowed her eyes right back at him. “Meatloaf for the chance to put my hands all over that big, hard body? Fine.” If he hadn’t been shot and she wasn’t still a little shaken about that, she might have held on to her resolution that sex without meatloaf was better. But fine, she’d try the meatloaf angle. Whatever.

“Fine,” he agreed. If he was surprised by her acquiescence, he didn’t show it.

“And in exchange for taking sweet, gentle care of your dressings, I get a shoulder massage after each dressing change.” Her hands on him? Yes, please. His hands on her? Oh, yeah.

Scott clenched his jaw. Then said, “Fine.”

She grinned.

“But,” he added, “I want to go out to dinner once a week. With you. The two of us, together.”

Negotiating. Interesting. Getting naked with Scott wasn’t a problem at all. She’d been trying to do that for over a year now. It was the other stuff—the hanging out and being “normal” stuff that tripped her up. Because there was no “normal”. People were crazy and relationships were hard and it hurt when people disappointed you. And she’d be damned if she would be the one to disappoint Scott Hansen.

She’d made it very clear what he could expect from her and that was what she was sticking with. Come hell or high water, as her grandpa would say. But if he thought eating meatloaf at home and going on a date once in a while would actually change anything, she supposed she would have to show him versus tell him.

She shrugged. “Then I get to sleep in your bed every night. I’m not sleeping on the couch, and you shouldn’t either, so don’t be thinking that you’ll just give the bed to me.”

He dragged air in through his nose, then let it out slowly. Finally, he said, “You have to wear pajamas.”

“Deal.” Like pajamas would matter. They could be taken off.

The sound of someone clearing their throat interrupted. But it wasn’t Angie.

Dr. Kyle Ames was standing inside the door. Grinning like an idiot. “Hey, everybody.”

“Hi, Kyle,” Peyton said with a smile.

“Hey,” Scott greeted. Without a smile.

“How’s everything in here?” Kyle asked, crossing to the bedside. He’d directed the question to Angie.

“Just trying to…get everyone on the same page,” she said.

Kyle laughed. “That’s virtually impossible with these two, but I appreciate the effort. And that no one’s yelling.”

“Oh, no yelling,” Peyton said. “I’m going to be Scott’s primary caregiver.”

Kyle lifted a brow and looked at Scott. “You okay with that?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Because she seems happy about it. She’s never happy when you get your way about something.”

Scott sighed. “We’ve…come to an agreement.”

“We understand that there will be a lot of naked time on Scott’s part over the next few days. And we all know how I feel about Scott and naked time,” Peyton said.

Kyle nodded. “That we do.” He glanced at Scott again. “But we also know how Scott feels about naked time.”

“Well, I figure if she gets me naked, the chances of her killing me are lessened,” Scott said dryly.

Peyton grinned. Love-sick puppy impression or not, the guy amused her, and she appreciated that. No one did sarcasm quite like Scott Hansen. “That is a very good point. And don’t forget—it’s not just seeing. There will be soap and rubbing too.”

Scott shifted on the bed and Peyton laughed. She did love having the upper hand. She really did not feel that very often with him.

Angie spoke up then. “Let me show you the dressing change.”

Peyton moved back to let the other woman next to the bed. “Okay.” She could change a Band-Aid and reapply ointment to the guy’s thigh. That was no big deal.

But when Angie pulled the sheet back, Peyton’s first word was “whoa”.

Angie looked up. “What?”

“That’s…a lot higher on his leg than I thought it was.”

“Yes, the bullet nicked part of his femoral artery,” Kyle said. “If I hadn’t been there, he could have died.”

Scott rolled his eyes.

Peyton frowned. “What?” she asked him. “Is that not true?”

“It’s the seventeenth time he’s said it since I checked in,” Scott said.

Kyle shrugged. “It’s true.”

“Please, go on,” Scott said. “Having someone digging around in my groin is preferable to listening to Dr. Ames pat himself on the back.”

Angie gave a little laugh, but she proceeded to pull on gloves and then lift the dressings from his leg.

Peyton had a strong stomach. And she really had no trouble being this close to this part of Scott’s body. But damn—that looked horrible.

“Dude, I might change my mind about the naked thing,” she said.

“Is that right?”

She looked up at him. He didn’t look concerned. “I’m afraid every time you uncover that,” she waved in the general direction of his cock, “I’ll flash back to this.” She waved at his wound.

He chuckled. “You still promised meatloaf,” he said.

Peyton shook her head. “Raw hamburger—not a good mental image right now either.”

“Suck it up, buttercup,” he told her. “You signed on. You can handle this.”

Suddenly he looked cocky again. Could she handle this?

The blood? Absolutely. Being around Scott twenty-four-seven? Not so sure.

She watched the rest of the dressing change and then crossed to the desk and grabbed her bag, pulling it up on her shoulder. “Okay, I’m gonna head home. Lots to get ready for.”

“Ready?” Scott asked.

“Well, I have to pack to move in with you for the next week,” she said. “Need to buy new batteries—don’t want to run out. Find my nurse’s uniform. Dig out my handcuffs.” She turned back and gave him a smile. “But I guess I don’t need to bring those, do I?”

“Your nurse’s uniform?” Scott croaked out.

“The one you wore for Halloween?” Kyle asked, a huge grin on his face.

“Yeah, I think that will definitely get me in the right mind-set.” The “uniform” was really more of a costume. A tiny, tight, short-skirted naughty nurse costume. If she remembered correctly, Scott had really liked it.

“Not fair,” he told her, his eyes flashing.

“See you soon.”

“I’ll bring him home tomorrow,” Kyle said.

“Doctors give their patients rides home?” Peyton asked.

“When their primary caregivers are going to be wearing the uniform that you wore on Halloween?” Kyle asked. “Hell, yes.”

Peyton laughed and reached for the door.

“Oh, but, Peyton?” Kyle called.

She turned back. “Yeah?”

“Be sure you bring enough batteries for two weeks.”

She frowned. “Two?”

“At least,” Kyle confirmed.

Two weeks living with Scott? Shit. But she gave them a huge smile. “Good to know, Doc. Thanks.” Her eyes found Scott again. Even lying in a hospital bed, he looked like everything she wanted and wished she could have. But couldn’t. “See you at home,” she said brightly.

She made it to the hallway before she blew out a breath and leaned back against the wall.

She was going to need more than her nurse’s uniform. A lot more.

* * *

He was going to need more than meatloaf. A lot more.

Looking back, Scott wasn’t sure how that entire negotiation and plan had actually gone down. He’d really felt like he’d been ahead. But now, Peyton was going to be helping him shower and sleeping with him in his bed? And wearing her naughty nurse costume? How the hell had that happened?

He’d like to blame it on the morphine, but he knew the truth. Peyton. She could always get her way with him.

In the past, being in public together had kept things from getting too out of hand. But behind closed doors? In his bed?

He was definitely screwed. Literally.

“Man, you are so screwed,” Kyle said. For what seemed like the hundredth time since Peyton had sashayed her cute butt out of his hospital room with a smile that said I’ve so got you.

“Don’t know what you mean,” Scott lied.

“That itch you can’t quite seem to scratch?” Kyle asked. “Yeah, it’s going to be living with you for the next two weeks.”

“By the way, thanks for that,” Scott said, ignoring the itch thing. Everyone knew it. There was no use rehashing it. Again.

“Hey, man, I don’t make the rules about muscles and shit healing,” Kyle said, typing something into the computer by Scott’s bed.

“Muscles and shit? Stop with all the technical talk, Doc,” Scott said dryly.

“You want me to go over all the anatomy that you ripped up?” Kyle asked. “Sure thing. But I kind of thought the important part here was how long Nurse Sassy Pants was going to be living with you.”

Nurse Sassy Pants. That was about right. “Just don’t tell Derek,” Scott said. “I don’t need you both thinking this is hilarious.”

“Oh, it’s fucking hilarious.”

Scott sat up quickly as Derek’s voice filled his room. His gaze narrowed in on Kyle’s phone propped up on the bedside table. And on speaker.

“You fuckers. Isn’t that some kind of HIPAA violation or something?” he asked, slumping back against the pillows.

Kyle nodded. “Which is why we should discuss your love life instead of your health.”

“Remind us again why you won’t just sleep with her?” Derek asked. Then added, “Again.”

Because, of course, they loved the fact that he’d fallen off the wagon on St. Pat’s Day. Because, of course, he’d made a big deal out of being so strong and focused that he could resist her.

That had been stupid.

“Every guy in the county wants to sleep with her,” Scott said. “And given half the chance, they would.”

Kyle nodded, and Scott knew Derek was in agreement as well. They both admitted that Peyton was stunningly beautiful, and that her smart mouth and spunk were a turn-on. Though they also both admitted that they wouldn’t want to be the one having to deal with a pissed-off Peyton on any kind of regular basis. Peyton could be sweet as candy. She could be funny as hell. She was a ton of fun and always up for anything. But she had a temper, and she didn’t even try to dial it back.

It almost always came out when someone she cared about had been wronged or someone had done something stupid or cruel to someone else. The guys who dated Peyton’s girlfriends knew that if they fucked up, their headlights and windshields were at risk, not to mention their noses and other body parts. Scott had taken a baseball bat out of her hands mid-swing, twice—once the guy’s truck had been the victim, and once the guy’s barbecue grill. Scott had also hauled her off a guy who was twice her size because he’d shoved her friend up against the outside wall of the Come Again and threatened her.

That time, Scott had let her get a few good swings and kicks in before he’d pulled her off.

Peyton was a little bottled-up and pressurized can of emotions, and you just never knew when she was going to erupt.

Her riled-up, passionate, defend-everyone side got him going. He’d admit that. He wanted to kiss the hell out of her every time and then throw her over his shoulder, carry her home, and unleash some of that passion without any clothes on.

But it was her sweet side that got him right in the gut. And that was how he’d ended up losing his mind a month ago. She hadn’t been pissed off that night. She hadn’t been spoiling for a fight. She’d been sweet and mellow.

“And you want to show her that she can be wanted for more than all of that,” Kyle said, completing Scott’s thought about why he had been avoiding sleeping with her.

Okay, he was going to blame this on the drugs later too, but he said, “Everyone just sees what’s on the surface. Her friends look at her and see a good time. Her sister looks at her and sees a girl who’s trying but just can’t quite get her shit together. Her parents look at her and see her independent streak and just feel relieved because they don’t have to do anything for her. Guys look at her and see a hot body and an adventurous streak and think ‘hell yeah’ for a weekend. And it’s all…not enough,” he said. “She’s more than all of that, but she’s comfortable with people just seeing these parts of her.”

Kyle was watching him, a slight frown on his face. “If she’s comfortable, why are you trying to get more out of her?”

“Because comfortable and happy aren’t the same thing,” Scott said.

“And you’re going to make her be happy?” Derek asked from the phone. “You can’t force someone to be happy.”

“But I can show her,” Scott insisted. “To her, letting someone close means being vulnerable. Like her parents. Neither of them could live without the other. Particularly her mother—there have been suicide threats, even an attempt or two.” Kyle and Derek both knew this. Everyone did. “She’s worried about turning out like her mom. And making someone miserable, like her dad.”

“Dan doesn’t seem miserable,” Derek said.

But Kyle was nodding. “They have a tough relationship. Dan doesn’t seem miserable, but he’s given his whole life to Jo. Maybe he doesn’t let himself think about being miserable. He convinces himself that he likes how things are.”

Scott nodded. “I think he gets off on being the only person Jo wants or needs.”

Kyle agreed. “So Peyton thinks being in a relationship, letting someone too close, makes you crazy.”

It sounded funny, but it wasn’t. “That, or she’s afraid she’s already crazy and letting someone too close will make them unhappy.”

Neither of his friends said anything for a moment. Scott appreciated these guys. They gave each other a lot of shit, and had a lot of fun, but he could be serious with them too. Kyle was an excellent physician. There was no one better to be standing beside Scott, taking care of the town they both loved. And Derek was an EMT, a volunteer firefighter, and a general go-to guy around town, along with helping Bryan Murray run the social spot in town.

The Come Again was a bar, and some could argue that a bar caused more problems than it solved. But Scott wasn’t convinced. The Come Again was a meeting spot, a place to kick back and relax, a place to laugh with people who had known you your entire life. There was something about stepping through the doors to that place that made everything feel better. Having a place to go, where everyone was welcomed and where you could always find a smile, to spend time with people you genuinely liked and enjoyed was, in Scott’s experience, incredibly important.

“I can see why she’s nervous about being with you,” Kyle finally said.

Scott looked up at him. “What?”

“I do,” his friend said with a nod. “She’s got some wild swing, you gotta admit. She can be sweet and happy, but she can also be a damned hellion. I can see her being worried about being with a guy she likes and cares about. You’re an all-in guy, Hansen. If you really start something with her, you’re not the type to bail when things get tough. So she figures if she gives in, you’re stuck. And she cares about you enough to not want to make you miserable.”

Scott scowled. Mostly because he knew Kyle had a point. Dan was all-in with Jo. He was sticking through everything the woman threw at him—sometimes literally. Peyton saw her dad in Scott. Not the whipped, clingy enabler, but the guy who wouldn’t leave even if he wanted to.

Dammit.

He shoved his hand through his hair. “When are you letting me out of here?” he asked.

“Tomorrow morning,” Kyle told him. “If your numbers stay good.”

“And you’re taking me home?”

“Sure thing. I have clinic hours in Sapphire Falls tomorrow. I’ll spring you from here around seven a.m.”

“Great.” The sooner he got home, the better. Before Peyton decided to put a sex swing in his bedroom. Or get on another plane out of town. He knew she was a flight risk at the moment.

“Oh, and Derek will come along,” Kyle added.

“He will?” Scott asked.

“I will?” Derek asked at the same time.

Kyle grinned and reached for his phone. “Let me give you a rundown of the things Peyton went home to pack and the uniform she’s going to be wearing when we get to Scott’s. You’ll definitely want to come along.”

Scott refused to give Kyle a reaction as his friend headed out of his room. Then he flopped back in the bed and threw his arm over his face.

The next couple of weeks were going to be tough.

And recovering from being shot was going to be the easy part.