Body Heat (Simply 4)

“No. Every dish has a different name. Greek salad is called Hellenic Heaven. Hellenic, as in the ancient Greeks, you know?”

Jake didn’t know, but he wasn’t about to get into a history lesson, either.

“What did Neil order?” he asked.

A smile briefly crossed her face. “Apparently that Israeli dish also had a history-based name. He said he wanted to taste The Promised Land.”

“I’ll just bet he did,” Jake muttered. He had to admit, the place had a good gimmick going.

But if the substance in the pills or the dead man’s body was Ecstasy, Ramirez’s drug of choice, the cops would close them down in a heartbeat. Hopefully the toxicology answers would come soon.

Without warning, Jake’s beeper went off and he glanced down at the number, then rose from his seat. “Thank you for your honesty, Marina. If I have any other questions, I’ll be in touch.” He’d also make sure she had a good lawyer for the possession charge that was certain to follow and a counselor to ensure t

his never happened to her again. He squeezed her arm and stepped into the hall.

“Get anything?” Vickers asked.

“Everything. I’ll fill you in on the way out. I’ll grab a sandwich at the cafeteria, too.” He glanced around. Secure that he’d escaped without being seen by Brianne, Jake punched the elevator button and was lucky to make a fast escape.

BRIANNE’S HANDS had shaken as she’d worked on every client of the day. Even now as she got ready to take a lunch break, her insides were quaking. She wished she could put the reason into words.

She’d known making love with Jake would change her in some way. She just hadn’t realized how differently she’d feel afterward. How much she’d want to stay in his arms and forget the rest of the world—her job and his occupation. And for too many fleeting moments this morning, she’d wondered if there was any way for them to make a relationship work.

Before she could go off on another what-if session, someone tapped her on the shoulder. “Hey, ready to get a bite to eat?” Sharon, another physical therapist and Brianne’s usual lunch companion, asked.

Shrugging off the memories of Jake for now, she turned to her friend and nodded. “I’m starving.”

“Then, let’s go.”

They walked through a set of double doors and headed down the maze of corridors that made up the hospital, a maze Brianne could navigate in her sleep. But she wasn’t surprised they’d had to redirect more than one confused person who’d ended up in the wrong place.

“Did you hear about the commotion last night?” Sharon asked.

“You worked late yesterday? I thought you got off at five.”

The pretty blonde shook her head and laughed. “When was the last time either one of us got out on time? The wife of one of my older patients asked me to spend some extra time with him, and they’re so sweet, I couldn’t say no. So I was here when an emergency overdose case was brought in.”

Brianne shook her head and sighed. Although her job didn’t normally bring her near the Emergency Room, she wasn’t immune to the stories or gossip. She couldn’t work in a New York City hospital and ignore the often sad stories that floated through the halls. “There are always OD cases coming in at night. What makes this one so special?”

“She’s got her own personal bodyguard. A uniformed cop is stationed outside her door, watching who comes in and out. And you know what?” Sharon leaned closer and whispered. “I checked him out this morning and he’s gorgeous.”

Brianne had her fill of gorgeous cops at home, she thought. She didn’t need to see any at work.

“What happened to Tony?” Brianne asked of Sharon’s long-term boyfriend.

Her friend shrugged. “We’re taking a break from commitment. Anyway, you’ve got to see this guy.” Determined, Sharon grabbed Brianne’s elbow and pulled her down a hall.

“The cafeteria’s the other way,” Brianne grumbled, but she knew the faster she checked out the cute cop, the faster Sharon would be satisfied—and Brianne would finally be eating lunch. Since she’d skipped breakfast, she was starving. But the reasons why she’d missed a meal had left her sated in many other ways—ways more important to her than appetite.

She walked with Sharon, and when her friend paused, rather indiscreetly in Brianne’s opinion, across the hall from the uniformed cop, Brianne stopped as well.

“Don’t you love a man in uniform?” Sharon asked.

Brianne murmured a noncommittal response. Because one glance at the man in blue told her he couldn’t hold a candle to Jake. Then again, she hadn’t expected him to. Brianne had a hunch that Jake had set the standard by which she’d judge men for the rest of her life.

She turned to Sharon to ask if she’d had enough, when she caught sight of a pair of men standing by the elevator on the far side of the hall. There were many dark-haired men in the world, but only one with that rebel posture and rugged cutoff sweatshirt. Only one who made her heart race, made her blood pound and made her want to lose her clothes and fall into his bed.

And he was a detective who was so attracted to danger that he couldn’t stay away. Not even when he was on injury leave. Not even when he’d been shot and wounded and hadn’t completely recuperated yet. The disappointment racing through her system was strong as she accepted the truth: he was a man who would always place himself in danger on a daily basis, no matter what his occupational status.