standing so close to Trav. He’d always been skinny and gawky, freckled and redheaded. She’d called him “Opie” and “chicken legs” and a bunch of other names for as long as she could remember. The teasing was an equalizer between them. It helped erase the fact that Travis’s life had been so different from her own.
Travis had been the last of their little group to appear, his parents moving to Portland from New York City when he was seven. His father was a well-known attorney and, though the group lived within blocks of each other, Travis’s home was much more luxurious than the rest of theirs. He’d traveled all over the world, spoke two other languages and could discuss topics she had no idea about.
Getting stuck in public school for a year because his parents had missed registration when they moved, Travis was out of his element, away from the posh private schools he had attended in New York. He’d been small, skinny and smart—a prime target for bullying—until Penny, Colin and Miranda had rallied around and taken him into the fold. Travis had completed the group. Colin was the intellectual, Miranda was the adventurer, Penny was the no-nonsense one, and Travis was the clown.
She still recalled how when his parents had tried to register him for private school, he’d pitched a fit to stay where he was, and they’d let him. The Monroes were great. Penny had to admit they had never made her feel out of place or like they were rich and she was poor, though that was the truth of it.
When the four of them played, had parties, or otherwise got together, it was always at one of the others’ homes or some other location. The small apartment her mother had just didn’t have room for visitors, and besides Penny hadn’t really wanted anyone to come over anyhow. She’d slept on the sofa bed in the living room, and her mom in the too-small bedroom. There had been barely room for a desk and a secondhand computer for Penny out in the living room. Miranda had been the only one who ever had visited.
Penny had never wanted Travis to see where she had grown up, though now her mom lived in a modest but pretty home that Penny had helped her buy. It was the least she could do for all the sacrifices her mother had made for her.
She nudged her toe against the wall again and looked at Travis from beneath her long lashes. He was still skinny, but now it was in that lithe I-want-to-start-at-your-ankles-and-crawl-my-way-up-to-your-lips kind of way. His hair fell adorably over his forehead and he was always batting it away from his friendly blue eyes. She loved the color of his hair. Penny was also a redhead, but hers was more strawberry blond, where his was a deep copper. She tried not to notice—honestly she put forth her best effort—but he was just so hot.
She also had to put forth her best effort to hide her feelings when other women noticed him—every time they were out in a public place. Travis hadn’t been a monk, she knew, but most of his relationships hadn’t been under her nose, occurring when he was away at school. He always said residents didn’t have time for romance, which must be true, because she hadn’t seen him with anyone in a while.
She came back into the moment, grinding her teeth when she saw him grinning at her in that “Ha! You think I’m gorgeous” way that burned her butt. She put her hands on her hips, and faced him squarely.
“What?”
“You know you want me. Why don’t you just give in to your desires. Pen? Treat yourself. You deserve it.”
She barked out a laugh and rolled her eyes.
“Hey, maybe you can get one of your doctor friends to check out your ego, it seems to be a little swollen.”
He simply smiled wider and took a step closer. God, the one thing that hadn’t changed was what an annoying smart-ass he could be.
“That’s not exactly where I’m feeling some swelling at the moment.” His eyes were wicked, and she had to fight a smile.
“You’re disgusting.”
“C’mon, Penster. Go out with me. How many times are you going to shoot me down?”
Nervously jamming her hands into her pockets, she scowled. “Give it up. I’m never going out with you, Travis. You’re not my type.”
Those friendly blue eyes took on a little edge, and she tipped her face up, facing off with him boldly as he stepped even closer until he almost had her pinned against the tile wall.
“And what type would that be?” he asked, his voice low so only she could hear.
She craned her neck to look past his shoulder. “Randi will be back out any second. I wonder how she’s doing.”
Travis only extended one arm, planting his hand on the wall aside of her, leaning in.
“I’m sure they’re fine. What type of man do you want, Penny? I’m sure we could work something out.”
Penny inhaled sharply, which was a totally stupid thing to do because even in the antiseptic atmosphere of the hospital ward, Travis’s fresh, clean scent was heavenly.
“Back off, will ya?” She pushed forward, planting her hands on his shoulder, only to have him pull her up close, sliding a look from side to side to make sure they were alone. Then, before she could wrestle free, he swooped in and covered her mouth with his, one fast, hot kiss that shot heat straight to all the places that counted. Places that hadn’t received much attention lately.
He let his mouth linger on hers for a minute, then he backed away slowly, satisfied as he took in her flushed cheeks and dazed eyes. The night-duty nurse clattered down the hall with the medicine tray, rolling along in between them, but even that didn’t break the spell.
“Just something for you to think about, in case you decide I might be your type after all.”
Travis winked and turned to walk down the hall. Penny ground her teeth, berating herself mentally for melting from one hot kiss. She would just have to make sure that that never happened again.
FOR A MOMENT Miranda stood by the door watching Colin sleep. He looked so different from the vibrant man whom she had tried to seduce a few hours earlier. Embarrassment flowed though her as she recalled the disaster that had been. Well, Travis said Colin had lost his memory, so she could only hope and pray he didn’t remember.
She took another step forward, and then another, swallowing visibly as she saw how pale he was. Her heart constricted as she surveyed the purple bruises on his face and arms. Tears threatened again. Biting her lip hard, she reminded herself that he was fine. Travis said he was fine.
She didn’t want to wake him though she wanted to know what his response to her would be. Free to stare, to observe the angles of his face, the texture of his skin, she watched him, thankful that he was still here with her. What had happened between them almost didn’t matter, compared to this. Nothing mattered as long as he was all right.
Sighing, she figured she should leave. Tomorrow would come soon enough, and she would help in whatever ways she could. There was no reason for Ed and Joyce to miss their anniversary trip. Her work schedule was flexible, and she could reschedule appointments if need be to help out Colin.
Reaching forward, she smiled slightly and ran the back of her finger over Colin’s cheek.
“I’ll be back to see you tomorrow, big guy.”
When she turned to go, she heard a grunt and a croaking noise. Glancing back, she saw Colin’s eyes flutter open and her
