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  Twenty-two, with jet-black curls and startling cornflower blue eyes, his coloring was his best feature. He was only a few inches taller than me, overweight, and had an unfortunate combination of features that made him look perpetually surprised. He was a comic book nerd, a self-proclaimed techie geek, but didn't have any of the stereotypical awkwardness that one would've associated with a guy like him. He loved to talk to all of us.

  The one thing he didn't talk about, however, was which part of the military he was involved with. Not that any of us asked. All of us knew what we needed to know about our patients. If they didn't volunteer extra information, we didn't ask. We respected what each and every one of these men and women did, no matter where or how they played their role.

  Ivar's personality just made it easier than some.

  “Hey, if it isn't my favorite nurse.” He grinned at me, or at least as much of a grin as he could manage with the amount of scar tissue he had on his face. “Miss Nori Prinz, when are you going to give all this up and marry me?”

  I rolled my eyes, but couldn't help but return the smile. “Why would I want to give up this?” I asked as I reached for his chart. “I'm sure you don't have anything even half as exciting as what I get to do here.”

  “I don't know,” he teased, his eyes sparkling. “If you like bedpans that much, I'm sure I could buy some.”

  I chuckled and moved up to the front of the bed to check his dressings. The burn on his face had been less severe than the ones on his arm and hand, so they were uncovered now. His hand and arm, however, were still swathed in gauze and needed new applications of the antiseptic constantly.

  I tried to be as gentle as possible, but cleaning something this badly injured was never a pleasant process. Ivar tried to keep things light, joking and talking about this or that. I knew it was his way of keeping his mind off the pain, so I just nodded confirmation that I was listening, and kept my eyes on the work.

  I wished I didn't have to look at it. I'd seen a lot of burns, but the ones on his arm and hand were the worst. It'd been acid of some kind rather than fire, though I knew that only from the burns themselves. It looked like someone had thrown it at him and he'd raised his hand to protect his face. The acid had eaten away most of the skin and muscle on the back of his hand and forearm, leaving it nearly bare to the bone. He'd already had two skin grafts, but if things didn't start looking better soon, I was worried they’d have to take his hand, maybe his arm all the way to the elbow.

  “Almost done,” I said quietly. My eyes flicked to Ivar's face. He was pale, and I could see the sheen of sweat on his skin. “Just a little bit longer.”

  “Do you think I'll ever be able to use my hand again?” Ivar asked suddenly, his expression strangely serious. “The doctors just keep telling me to wait and see.”

  “I don't know,” I answered honestly. “All I can tell you is to make sure you do everything they tell you to do. Listen to your physical therapist, do your exercises, but don't overdo it.”

  “One of the doctors mentioned that I should look into getting some help around the house,” he said. “Since I'm right-handed and all.”

  “That might not be a bad idea,” I agreed as I fastened the last of the bandages in place before stripping off my gloves. “I can't tell you how much use you'll get back, but I can tell you it'll be a long process.”

  “Thanks, Nori.” He reached over and touched my arm. “It means a lot to me that you were honest and didn't try to sugarcoat it.”

  I gave him a smile that was sadder than the one I'd given him before. “I wish I could say that you'll be all okay and good as new in a few weeks, but you're a tough guy, Ivar. You'll get through it.”

  “You know,” he said. “You're right.” He tried to give me the kind of smile that he always did, but not all of the sparkle reached his eyes. “Maybe you should be the person to come help me.”

  I shook my head and smiled. “I'm a nurse, Ivar. You need an assistant.”

  “I have one of those,” he said. “And a gardener and a housekeeper. But you know what I don't have? A nurse.”

  “You're impossible.” I laughed. “I'm not in the private sector.”

  “You should be,” he said. “It'd pay a hell of a lot more than you make here. Especially if you got some higher end clients. And with the references your former patients would give, I don't think that'd be a problem.”

  “I don't know about that,” I said. “I'm nothing special. All of the nurses here are excellent at their job.”

  He caught my hand with his good one. “I'm serious, Nori. I don't know how I would've gotten through any of this without you.”

  His fingers tightened around mine, but I knew he wasn't hitting on me. There was nothing sexual about his touch.

  “If you ever decide that you want to work independently, come to me. I'll get you in touch with the right people.”

  “Thanks, Ivar.” I smiled as he released my hand. “I'll keep that in mind.”

  As I left his room to continue on my rounds, I pushed his offer aside. It wasn't going to happen. I loved working at the hospital, despite the occasional Leta Coffee. I'd come here because I wanted to make a difference, specifically to the military men and women who found themselves here. It was my way of serving.

  I'd have to have a hell of a reason to leave it for the private sector.

  Chapter Three

  Xavier

  It had taken Zed all of two minutes to scope out our prospects for the night. We'd gotten a bit of a later start than Zed wanted, but I'd told him it was his fault. I'd been happy with the jeans and t-shirt combination I'd picked, but Zed had vetoed it. He'd eventually come up with a black t-shirt that I'd been meaning to throw away because it'd shrunk an entire size. Zed had insisted it was fashionably tight. I'd worn it more to shut him up than anything else. At least he'd let me keep the jeans.

  No matter how many times I told him that I was perfectly capable of dressing myself and finding a woman, he didn't quite believe me. As obsessed with my apparent lack of fashion as he was, if I hadn't known how much he loved women, I would've thought he was gay.

  “Let me guess.”

  A woman's voice came from my right.

  “You're the wingman.”

  I turned to see a tall, athletically built woman with short, cinnamon-colored curls walking toward me. She had a pleasant face and knew how to use her makeup to accent her best features, which were clearly those dark blue eyes.

  “What gave it away?” I asked wryly.

  “Your friend is dancing with my roommate.” She gestured toward the dance floor where Zed had plastered himself to a petite blonde.

  I chuckled and gestured to the barstool next to me. “Let me buy you a drink.”

  “Thanks.” She sat down, crossing one impossibly long leg over the other. “I'm Nance.”

  She put out her hand for me to shake, and I did. Nice and firm, without being masculine. “I'm X.”

  “X?”

  I grinned. “Yeah. It's short for Xavier.”

  She nodded and gave me a lingering once-over. “I like it. Easier to scream in bed.”

  My eyebrows went up, and I didn't bother to mask my surprise at her forward comment. “I suppose it is.”

  She smiled at me and motioned to the bartender. “Madras, please.”

  “Another Jack and Coke for me,” I said when he looked over at me.

  “Nice ink.” She motioned to my left arm.

  “Thanks.” I glanced down even though I knew what it looked like.

  The vines wound up my arm from my wrist, disappearing under my shirt sleeve, then across my shoulder and chest until they connected with the rose I'd had done over my heart. Two sets of initials were inside the rose, AH and MH. That had been my first tattoo. Two months after my eighteenth birthday. Two months after I'd decided I was going to do something with my life.

  “Do you have others?”

  Nance's voice pulled me out of the past and I was grateful. While I wasn'
t quite as determined as Zed, I wouldn’t say no to sex, and this conversation had the potential to end in bed. Much better than thinking about my miserable childhood.

  “I do.” I pulled up my right sleeve and twisted toward her so she could see the barbed wire around my upper arm. “There's a flag on my shoulder.” I straightened and pulled up the bottom of my shirt. “And this one.” The Celtic sun around my belly button had been part of a dare my senior year of high school.

  “Nice.” The admiration in her voice and eyes made it clear that she wasn't just referring to the quality of the design and the ink. “Army?”

  I nodded. “That obvious?”

  She shrugged, a smile playing around her lips. “Not exactly. Your friend likes to talk.”

  I laughed. “Yes, he does,” I agreed. “What about you?”

  “Do I like to talk?” she teased.

  I took a drink and waited for her to actually answer. This wouldn’t be anything beyond a night of sex, maybe two nights if she wasn't busy tomorrow, but I'd never been good at the sort of hookups that didn't have at least some of this song and dance.

  “I'm a teacher,” she said. “Kindergarten.”

  “Married?” I asked as I looked down at her hand. I may not have been looking for a relationship, but I still had rules, and one was that I didn't help women cheat.

  She shook her head. “Why bother?” She leaned closer and put her hand on my knee. “It's a lot more fun meeting people like you.”

  “Really?” I asked as I leaned toward her, giving her the opportunity to slide her hand higher up my thigh.

  She nodded and put her mouth next to my ear. “I also have a tattoo. And a piercing.”

  My dick jumped at her words, going from mildly interested to very interested in a matter of seconds. I could take or leave tattoos or piercings on women, but something about Nance told me that I definitely wanted to find hers.

  “You think your roommate will care if I take you back to your place without her?” I asked. “I'm pretty sure Zed'll end up back there tonight anyway.”

  She slid off the stool and moved between my legs. With me sitting, we were the same height. Her eyes met mine, then flicked down, as if she couldn't hold my gaze very long. I wondered if she was second-guessing her flirting. I hoped not, because I didn't want to sit around here, trying to find someone else.

  I slid my hands up her legs to her hips and pulled her closer, fingers just barely on her firm ass. “Look at me,” I said.

  She did.

  “Do you want me to take you back to your place so we can fuck?” I asked bluntly.

  She nodded.

  “Say it,” I said. “I need you to tell me what you want so we're not misunderstanding each other.”

  It might've seemed like overkill, but I'd known too many men who'd gotten themselves in trouble because they'd thought one thing and their date had thought something else. I would stop when and if I was asked, but I wasn't a mind-reader.

  “I want you to fuck me,” she said, her voice soft. Her hand slid down my chest to rest on my denim-clad crotch. “I want to make you feel good.”

  I stood up, wrapping an arm around her waist to keep her from stumbling as she took a step backward. I reached into my pocket, pulled out some cash and tossed it onto the bar. As I led Nance toward the door, Zed glanced my way and I gave him a nod. That damn smile gleamed even brighter in the lights.

  The ride to Nance's apartment was thankfully short. Her hands were all over me, her mouth on my neck until I was pretty sure I’d end up with a hickey. It wasn't until she tried unzipping me right there in the back of the cab that I took control. I wrapped my hand around both of her wrists and pulled her off.

  “No,” I said firmly. “I don't do exhibition.”

  She gave me a pouty look that made me wonder what it would be like to have those lips wrapped around my cock right here and now, but even that couldn't dissuade me. Hooking up with some random I met at a bar was one thing. The army wouldn't look too kindly on me being arrested for indecent exposure.

  Her apartment was on the third floor, but not surprisingly, the elevator wasn't working. With Nance being a teacher, and I was assuming that her roommate was something along the same lines, even their joint income wouldn't be enough to get them into something bigger. It was big enough for what I wanted though.

  It had two bedrooms, and that was all I cared about. The walls were thin, so I knew we'd be hearing Zed and the roommate when they came in, but I could deal with that. What I hadn't wanted was two beds in a single room where I'd have to actually see Zed performing. That was a little too personal for me.

  “So, how do you want to do this?” Nance asked as she took my hand and led me down the narrow hallway. On the right was an open door that led to the bathroom, then two closed doors on the left, one closed door on the right. She opened the one on the right.

  I didn't really see much of the bedroom because only a faint exterior light was coming in, making everything gray. I did see a bed, which was enough for me.

  “You didn't answer my question,” Nance said as she closed the door behind us. “How do you want to do this?”

  My pulse quickened as I realized she was serious. She wanted me to tell her what to do. Despite how forward she'd been in the bar, she was pulling back now, letting me call the shots.

  “Take off your dress,” I said as I pulled my shirt over my head.

  She immediately complied, reaching around to unzip the back and then shimmying out of it. At least that told me she wasn't too drunk for this. Then I was staring at the skimpy black lace bra and panties she was wearing. The bra barely covered her breasts, leaving a hint of her nipples showing. The panties were sheer enough that I could see the flames where hair had been.

  “Bed.” I jerked with my chin and then stripped off my pants. “Condoms?” I asked.

  She gestured to the bedside drawer. I took the few steps necessary to take me there. They were on top and I grabbed one, tossing it onto the bed next to her. I wasn't planning on having more than one go. I'd make Nance come at least once, but I wasn't planning on doing anything like cuddling afterward.

  I tossed my underwear onto my pants and shirt, making a mental note of where they were in the room so I'd be able to grab them easily when it was time to leave. I then climbed into the bed. Nance leaned on her elbows, looking up at me with a cat-that-ate-the-canary kind of smile. Her eyes ran down over me, and I wrapped my hand around my cock, letting her watch as I stroked myself.

  Her tongue ran out, licking her bottom lip, but she didn't take her eyes off my hand as I slowly moved it up and down. I wanted to feel that tongue on me, licking me, tasting me. Those lips were made to go around a cock, to suck every last drop of cum from it.

  It had been a long time since I'd had a good blow-job. One of the last girls I'd hooked up with had given me a decent one, but as long as there was latex in the way, it'd never be a great one, but I sure as hell wasn't doing any sort of sex without a barrier, oral or otherwise. I’d not been with the same woman more than once or twice since my only steady girlfriend when I was fifteen. Definitely not long enough for anyone to gain my trust. But that was okay. I considered myself fortunate to have two people who I could trust. Zed and the Father. That was more than enough.

  I ran my hands up Nance's legs, moving them apart and then settling between them. I leaned down, moving my hands over her hips, up her ribcage and around to cup her breasts. She moaned as I rubbed my thumbs over her nipples, feeling them harden under my touch.

  I reached up and pulled the straps of her bra down, taking the cups with it. I didn't take it off though. I left her breasts exposed, her arms lightly restrained by the straps. I leaned down, shivering a bit as my cock brushed against her skin. I hadn't realized how long it'd been since I'd had anything other than my hand.

  “Damn, you're hot.” Nance ran her fingers over my hair.

  “Right back at you.” I flicked out my tongue against her nipple, chuckling as
she made a whimpering sound. This wasn't the start of a relationship or anything like that, but I was, at least, going to enjoy myself.

  I traced a circle around her nipple with the tip of my tongue, then took the whole thing into my mouth, sucking hard and long until she was panting and writhing. Her nails dug into my scalp, each scratch sending a new jolt of pleasure through me. When I switched to the other breast, she gasped, her back arching up against my mouth. Her hips moved as if seeking the friction I hadn't yet given her.

  “Easy,” I said as I lifted my head. My eyes met hers, the heat I saw there fueling my own desire. “I'll get you there.”

  I dropped a hand down between us even as I began to kiss down her jaw and neck. I rubbed my fingers across the damp crotch of her panties and she pushed against my hand. I raised my head as my fingers found something hard.

  “Told you I had a piercing.” She was breathless, but grinned at me.

  Seriously? This kindergarten teacher had her fucking clit pierced? I smiled against her skin as I slipped a finger beneath the elastic and found her wet. I also caught a better look at her tattoo. Damn.

  “Oh, fuck!” she called out as I slid a finger inside.

  I raised myself up on my elbow so I could look down at her while I moved my finger in and out of her, letting my thumb toy with the little metal ball, each pass making Nance moan and squirm even more. After a couple strokes, I pushed a second finger inside.

  “Yes,” she hissed.

  “I'm going to make you come,” I said. “And then I'm going to fuck you and make you come again.”

  Then I curled my fingers and searched for that little spot inside her that would make her wail. I knew that I'd found it a few moments later when she did just that. Her pussy clamped down around my fingers almost painfully tight, but I kept up the pressure inside her, kept my thumb pushing against the piercing until I knew that sensitive bundle of nerves had to be screaming. I kept her coming until her body flopped limply onto the bed.