"Well, Alexandra Alex Pierce," he said, taking my hand and shaking it warmly. "I'm Cameron Conner, but most people call me Cam."
"Hi, Cam," I said as I stared up at him, trying hard to control my breathing. If there was such a thing as a beautiful man, Cam Connor was it, and I had no idea how to act around him. Suddenly, I remembered why I was there in the first place and sputtered, "Do you need some help? I mean, are you hurt, too?"
"I'm not as bad as Danny over there, but I do think I got some grease on me," he said as he held on to my hand still shaking it. "Do you think you could give me a gauze pad or two to cover it up?"
"Gauze! Yes! I can do that!" I cried, remembering that I'd been stocking the supplies just before he'd come in. "I'll get some!"
"I'll just come with you, if you don't mind," he said, following me back to the back storage area in the trauma room.
Once inside the room, I became even more unsettled as he pulled his shirt up and revealed his bare torso. He had a lightly hairy chest and abdominal muscles that I would have killed for. The fire department logo was tattooed all the way around his upper bicep.
"Nice tattoo," I said as I wiped off the small area that had been hit by grease with an alcohol wipe. He winced, but said nothing. "Did that hurt?"
"A little," he said, watching me closely. "So, Alex Pierce, what made you decide to work here?"
"It's part of my nursing program internship," I said, l
ooking up at him and noticing that in addition to being mesmerizingly green, his eyes were flecked with gold.
"I see; so, technically you probably shouldn't be treating me?" He grinned.
"Oh my God, no, I shouldn't be!" I said as I stepped away ready to go get a real nurse. "You probably need a licensed professional to look at that burn."
"Nah, it's all good, I've had worse burns that I didn't get treated." He shrugged back into his shirt and stood up. He smiled at me and said, "I just wanted a few minutes alone with a pretty girl."
"Do you use that line on every woman you meet?" I asked, suddenly aware of the fact that a man this handsome was probably used to the constant attention, and that I was most likely acting like every other woman he came in contact with. Now it was his turn to be surprised.
"No, actually I've never used that line before in my life." He laughed. "And I'm not sure why I thought it was a good idea now."
"I see," I said, turning toward the door. "Well, it'll probably work if you try it again on someone else."
I walked out of the exam room and headed back to the nurses’ station where Liz stood chatting with the charge nurse as they watched the doctor examine Danny.
"Where have you been?" Liz asked.
"Stocking the exam room in the back," I said, looking away as Cam walked past the desk. "We needed more gauze and tape."
"Uh huh," Liz said as she looked at Cam and then back at me. "You'll have to tell me all about it on the way home."
"Nothing to tell." I shrugged. "Gauze and tape really aren't that interesting."
But Cam Connor was, and I knew it was going to be hard to get him out of my mind.
Chapter Five
Cam
After the doctor treated Danny and lectured him about proper cooking techniques, we loaded him back into the truck and returned to the fire station. Danny would be out of commission for a few days, but he'd be all right.
"Newsome is kind of an idiot," Victor said as he stood at the counter watching me finish preparing dinner. I'd volunteered to do it alone since we'd already fixed everything but the noodles.
"Shut up, Vangel," I said as I put two pots of water on to boil. "Everyone makes mistakes."
"Yeah, but frying meat without a shirt?" He laughed. "That ranks up there with ironing while naked and mowing the lawn without shoes."
"Like I said, shut the hell up, Vangel," I repeated as I felt my blood pressure start to rise. This guy pissed me off like no one else, but I knew that I had to keep my anger under control or I was going to get suspended.
"But you're not an idiot, are you, Connor?" he said with a sleazy grin. "You are totally on the up and up. A wise guy, maybe."