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watching her.
    She reached back, tucking her hair behind her ear. Then she ran her hand over her neck, squeezing gently. She looked beautiful. And exhausted. And tense.
    That was something I would be more than happy to help her with.
    I was very, very good at tension release.
    She looked up as I approached, her amazing eyes wide in the dim fluorescent lighting.
    “Trent. Are you alright? You should have paged me.”
    I grinned at her stupidly. I loved hearing her say my name. Damn if it wasn’t the best thing I’d heard in a long time.
    “I can’t sleep.”
    She frowned and reached for her keys.
    “I can give you something, but just for tonight.”
    “I don’t want anything. I just didn’t want to be alone.”
    Her mouth opened in the adorable way it did when she was surprised.
    “Oh.”
    I came behind the nurses’ station and sat in one of the chairs.
    “Do you mind?”
    She looked uncertain.
    “You really shouldn’t be back here, Trent…”
    I smiled and rolled the chair just outside the station.
    “Better?”
    She laughed, shaking her head at me.
    “Are you sure you don’t just want a sleeping pill? Hospitals aren’t the easiest places to sleep, I know.”
    I smiled, looking over my shoulder towards the bookshelf in the hallway. There were ratty old magazines, books and board games. Along with several, presumably incomplete, decks of cards.
    “Do you play poker?”
    She leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms over her chest.
    “Trent…”
    I held up my hands.
    “We don’t have to play for money.”
    She gave me a look, clearly knowing what kind of game I would like to play.
    “Or clothes.”
    She laughed, rolling her eyes.
    “Okay. It’s a good thing we aren’t playing for money though. I’m notoriously lucky at cards.”
    I grinned as she walked across the hall to grab the cards.
    I didn’t mind not playing for money, or clothes.
    I had plenty of other things I wanted to play for.

Lexi

    “I’ll stay.”
    Trent looked supremely confident as he held his cards. I doubted he could beat me though, I had three tens. And his outlandish bets were making me laugh. He’d even got me playing along.
    So far I’d won every hand. I’d won a puppy, having my car washed, by him, and a years worth of magazine subscriptions. The good ones too. Design and garden stuff. The kind of stuff a woman like me dreamed about.
    “What do you want this time?”
    “Dinner with me at the restaurant of my choice. When I get out of here, of course.”
    I shook my head.
    “You’re crazy.”
    “What do you want if you win?”
    I closed my eyes.
    “I don’t know. A housekeeper to come and deep clean the place. Just once.”
    I grinned at her.
    “Don’t sell yourself so short. Every week. For a year.”
    “Trent, that’s too much.”
    He grinned at me arrogantly. I felt a little flutter of excitement in the pit of my stomach. That had been happening a lot lately.
    Whenever I was around Trent. He smirked at me, leaning forward.
    “Doesn’t matter. I’m winning this one.”
    He cocked his eyebrow at me.
    “Ready?”
    I nodded. And watched as he laid down three queens. He had done it. He had won.
    I sighed, showing my hand.
    He smiled at me wickedly and I swallowed. I had just agreed to dinner with a patient. It was not professional.
    Of course, he wouldn’t be a patient any more by the time the dinner happened…
    He shuffled the cards and dealt again. I picked up my hand, glancing at the cards. I had nothing. Trent was already making a new wager.
    “If I win this hand, I get to give you a back rub.”
    “That doesn’t seem appropriate…”
    “It’s just your back Lexi. Don’t be such a killjoy.”
    I sighed and nodded. I was being reckless. But I didn’t care.
    Besides, I could really use a shoulder rub.
    I drew three new cards. I was having an unusual streak of bad luck. I knew the cards were random but it didn’t feel that way. It felt like fate was working against me. Breaking down my