to be desired. I’m still not a big fan of beans and rice.”
And that should remind her, if nothing else did, that although he was Brazilian by birth, in his heart, he was just another rich man who’d left his roots far, far behind.
Her chin went up. “And I still love them.”
Something touched her wrist and then slid lower, wrapping around her index finger. She glanced down in surprise to find he was no longer putting pressure on his IV site but had hooked his finger around hers. A flare of something dangerous kicked to life inside her belly.
“They’re probably going to release me in a day or two. Maybe we could meet somewhere, and you could tell me what you remember from those days. Fill in some blanks. At least until Marcos gets back.”
And have him discover that, unlike him, she remembered quite a bit about their time together? That while Marcos might have been his lifeline, they’d both been hers? “I don’t think—”
“Please. I want to know.”
Deus. As much as she wanted to turn her back on him and forget their paths had ever crossed again, she couldn’t. Not only because of Marcos’s request but because—despite the macho display as he’d swaggered toward her desk earlier—there was a hint of something beneath the knowing smile he’d given her. Something she couldn’t quite put her finger on, but it was enough that she couldn’t just brush off his request.
“Okay. But until the doctor releases you, you can’t go around unhooking yourself from your IV. Deal?”
The smile he gave her was just as lazy as before, but this time it reached all the way up to his eyes, making her stomach do a back flip.
This was a big mistake. She felt it in her bones. But at least if she got him tethered back to his IV pole she could keep him in one spot. And she could remain just out of reach. Far enough away that he couldn’t touch her again without warning, because her finger was painfully aware that he was still holding onto it. And the cheek he’d stroked a few minutes ago still tingled.
Yes, staying out of reach was a good thing. For her own peace of mind.
And if that meant keeping him at the other end of an IV line then the man was going to find himself pumped so full of fluids that he’d inflate like a water balloon.
And that’s how he’d stay. At least until she could get herself—and her out-of-whack emotions—firmly under control.
CHAPTER THREE
“YOU’LL NEED SOMEONE at home to help you for at least a week.” Lucas’s doctor glanced up from his chart. “No driving or lifting anything heavier than a comb, so someone will have to take you to your physical therapy sessions. Is Dr. Pinheiro back from his trip yet?”
No, Dr. Pinheiro is not back yet.
Lucas’s temper flared for a second before cooling down again. He knew the standard protocol. It was just irritating to have it recited to him by another doctor. And as far as his dear brother went, who knew when he’d blow back into town. Not that he needed Marcos to run behind him and wipe his nose any more. Those days were long gone.
Lucas steadfastly refused to glance at the quiet figure waiting in the far corner of the room and tried to work through his options. If he were in the States, he could call on any number of friends, or simply ask to be moved to a rehab center for a couple of weeks. But here...
“No, he’s not back, but—”
“I’ll be staying with him.” The soft voice made both men look up.
Lucas’s jaw clenched until it became a tight ball of muscle. “There’s no need.”
He somehow got the words out, though he still avoided looking directly at her. He’d already racked his brain during his week of hospitalization, searching for any glimmer of memory that included the slender wraith who always seemed to be hovering nearby. But he’d come up blank, despite what Marcos had said about the three of them sticking together at the orphanage. The guilt over that ate away at him, even though Sophia acted like it didn’t matter one way or the other.
Well, it mattered to him. He had very good recall when it came to women—and Sophia was not someone he would have forgotten.
Only she hadn’t been a woman back then. She’d been a young girl.
“Would you rather stay at my apartment?”
The wry suggestion finally made his eyes light on her, and they stared at each other for a full minute. She might have been teasing but he wasn’t in the mood for games right now. Especially not with the dark thoughts that careened through his head whenever he laid eyes on her. Thoughts that made him do a mental penance dance each time they arose. It had become a vicious cycle, one he’d have no hope of breaking if they were forced to shack up together.
No, it wouldn’t be shacking up.
As if aware of his thoughts, Sophia’s throat moved in a quick swallow. Maybe she was about to take back her offer.
Yes. Please do.
The doctor spoke up. “Well, I’ll leave you two to work out the details. Sophia, if you could free him from that IV? I’m sure he’ll be glad not to be dragging it behind him any more.”
Something flashed through her eyes and her teeth came down on her lip before she answered, “Of course, Doctor.”
Lucas couldn’t hold back a small smile. She’d been none too gentle when she’d jabbed the catheter back into his vein the other day. He could have sworn she had been trying to get a wince out of him.
For not remembering her?
There it went again. He really needed to stop dwelling on this.
The doctor left the room, and he was alone with her. His smile widened just a bit. “I could always unhook myself, you know, if it makes you more comfortable. I did it once before.”
“No, I’ll do it.” She moved to the counter with quick, precise motions, snapping on her gloves and getting a cotton ball and sticking plaster.
As soon as she was within reach, he wrapped his fingers around her wrist. “You don’t have to do this, you know.”
“The doctor said to undo you.”
His thumb swept across her hand, grimacing when it met latex rather than the silky skin he knew lay beneath the gloves. “I’m not talking about the IV. I’m talking about you staying with me. I’m sure there are nurses I can hire. A...” He struggled to find the Portuguese equivalent of an LPN. “The kind that come to patients’ homes.”
Her brows went up in that indignant way he was coming to recognize. “You think I’m not qualified?”
Hell. How did he get himself into situations like this? “No, that’s not it. I just know that you’re busy with your job.”
“I don’t normally work at night. And the hospital is close to Marcos’s apartment.” She tugged her hand free. “Surely you can manage for a few hours here and there while
