heart’s racing really fast.’
‘It’s probably just adrenalin from the shock—you’ll be fine. Just sit a while. Try more deep breaths. In...slowly...and now out...that’s it.’ Calmly he took her hand, pressed two fingers just below her thumb and focused. After way longer than a minute he was still holding her wrist, his palm stroking her skin. Now her heart was beating erratically for an altogether different reason. Again in that considerate tone he said, ‘Here, lean against me. Keep your foot in the water until you feel you can stand. Then I’ll take you to a clinic.’
‘Clinic? I don’t have time... We’ve got to get back. Cameron needs us.’
‘Cameron will have to wait.’
‘Seriously? Have you tried telling her to do anything she doesn’t...?’ But the searing burn was turning now into an aggravating itch. She wanted to tear at her skin. When she looked down she saw huge red welts and blisters starting to appear. So she leaned against him anyway, taking strength from his heat, her fist coiled into his. ‘It’s starting to itch like crazy. Don’t suppose you have jellyfish antidotes back at the lodge?’
‘Sure, I have something for every kind of emergency; polar-bear bait, black widow spider anti-venin. Zombie-killer stakes.’ He pushed her matted hair away from her face with his free hand and pressed a kiss on to the top of her head—as he would to a child. ‘No, oddly, I don’t have jellyfish antidote, even if there is such a thing, but usually you just need cold water and something acidic. Seriously, we’ve got to get it seen by someone. If it was a jellyfish—and it may have been something else—we need to get the right treatment. Some of them are deadly.’
‘And now you’re making me feel so much better about this. But apart from wanting to rip my skin off, I think I’ll take a chance on walking.’ She let him haul her up from the sand and watched while he gathered their things together, then she let him half carry her as she hopped towards the motor scooters. ‘Maybe the cool rush of air as I’m scooting along will help.’
‘You are not driving that scooter on your own, Lola. You’re shaking; you won’t be able to steer. Climb on the front of mine. I’ll send someone to pick yours up later.’ Then he made a quick phone call, flicked his cell phone back into his bag and indicated for her to sit in front of him, old-fashioned side-saddle style.
‘I... Oh, okay.’ She didn’t want to, but she did anyway, sliding her arms around his waist, pressing her head against the solid wall of his chest, breathing in the scent of man and elements and some flowery fragrance from the beautiful blooms all around them, but she didn’t care about that. All she could think of was the pain and the itch and the kiss and the way he’d felt, so hard, so hungry for her. The way he’d turned away from her, denying what he’d so obviously wanted.
And the way he’d looked at her when she’d been hurt, as if he’d do everything in his power to help her. If he hadn’t been so nice she’d have bawled him out all the more for stopping the kissing. Because here she was, with a guy who was the hottest thing on two legs and who also had a damned conscience.
* * *
‘That’s fire coral rash, pretty sure, Dr Jake.’ Tina was standing over the couch, hands on her ample hips, peering at Lola’s leg. Thankfully the painkillers were kicking in and the intense burning was subsiding, but the itch was driving her mad and there were still angry red welts on her ankle. Not to mention swelling.
And outright humiliation. Typical. Only she would be in the middle of paradise and get attacked by a man-eating plant.
‘Fire coral?’ Jake frowned. ‘What’s that?’
‘Looks like coral, but has venom,’ Tina explained. ‘She’ll live. Vinegar to kill the barbs. Then you can tweezer them out.’
‘Great. I saw some vinegar in the kitchen and I’ll go grab my medical kit.’ Jake nodded. He’d been nothing but focused on her comfort since the second she’d screamed at him in the sea. ‘She needs a hot drink for the shock. If you can get that sorted for me, please.’
‘Sure. She looks mighty pale.’ Tina shook her head and frowned.
He frowned too. ‘She’ll be okay with rest and something to raise her blood sugar.’
‘Hey. I am here.’ Tired of being talked over, Lola managed a smile. ‘You can talk to me if you like. Tina, yes, I’d love a drink if you have time to make me one. And, no, Jake, you’re not going anywhere near me with vinegar and tweezers. I can do it myself.’
‘Really? You can twist your body at that kind of an angle and rip nematocysts out like a pro? This I’ve got to see. Wait right there.’
He dashed out of the room as Lola leaned back on the sofa, closed her eyes and groaned. She did not want to be beholden to him and she did not want him touching her again with all that kind consideration. Really, they needed to talk, not touch. Touching brought about way too many hot thoughts and not enough searing reality.
She didn’t need reminding that her particular searing reality was that she was here to work and not mess about with a doctor, no matter how much her body had other ideas. And now, accompanying Cameron to the location shoot was looking pretty touch and go. ‘Oh...why me?’
‘Because, Miss Bennett, you didn’t have a full wetsuit on.’
Lola had forgotten the housekeeper was still there. ‘Oh, sorry, Tina, I was thinking about how I was going to manage to work this afternoon.’
‘You won’t, no arguing.’ It was Jake again, back with them and holding his large black medical bag, which he set down on the floor. ‘Tina, it’s okay, we can manage here, thanks. I don’t want to take up any more of your time...except I’d be grateful if you could take the dogs for a while. Lola, you’re going to stay there and rest.’
Lola sat up. ‘I can’t do that. There’s too much—’
‘Shh. I’m the doctor and you’ll do what I say. I’ll go with Cameron. Once we’ve got the barbs out you can get some rest. You’ve had a bad shock.’ Not as shocking as necking in an ocean, to be honest, but there it was. He lifted her swollen leg onto a footstool, on which he’d laid out a dressing pack and drape, then he crouched down. ‘Now, this is going to sting so I’ll go slowly.’
‘It won’t sting if I do it.’ She reached for the tweezers, bent her legs and shuffled so she could see the barbs. She didn’t want him to see her frustrated tears or her weakest moments. She just wanted him to go and leave her to recover in peace.
He watched, eyebrows peaked. ‘And pray tell me how you’ll stop the sting if I can’t?’
‘I don’t know. Just let me do it and stop asking questions.’
‘Okay. Go right ahead.’ He rocked back on his heels and smirked as she tried to reach, couldn’t quite, and twisted some more. She got a deep ache low in her back. And still the barbs were stuck in her leg. ‘Go on, Lola, I’m waiting.’
‘Okay, clever clogs, you do it then.’ She all but threw the tweezers at him.
He rocked forward and grabbed them. ‘Stop me any time, there’s no hurry.’
‘No problem.’ She wasn’t sure where this big brave act was coming from, but in truth she didn’t want to owe him anything or to let him see
