The Forbidden Marriage

Heat swamped her cheeks to realize she’d almost forgotten about his broken ribs. That was one of the reasons she was here, to provide medical assistance.

By the time she reached him, he’d managed to lie down on top of the queen-size bed. His eyes were closed, his breathing shallow. The long thick lashes lay against his burnished skin. As she drew closer she noticed beads of perspiration along his hair line and black winged brows.

The shadow on his hard jawline and above his compelling mouth reminded her he was a man who could use two shaves a day, though she didn’t imagine he had the time or inclination for more than one. Either way, he was so incredibly good looking her mouth went dry.

Michelle averted her eyes, horrified to discover that she felt an attraction to Zak.

How was that possible?

She moaned deep down as Lynette’s words came back to haunt her. He’s not really my uncle. There’s no blood tie between us.

To her consternation, her body broke out in perspiration.

She placed the ice bags against his left side where she knew several two-by-fours being hoisted at a construction site had broken free to deck him and fracture two vertebrae.

“Ah…that feels good,” Zak murmured.

While she was bent over to listen to his heart and lungs with her stethoscope, an errant strand of silvery gold hair trailed against his hard-boned cheek. His eyes opened.

Through shuttered lids she felt their hazel depths absorb every feature of her face. He seemed to take his time studying her softly rounded chin, the lines of her pliant mouth. His gaze lingered on her finely arched brows and lashes which were darker than her hair.

“Still the same pansy-blue eyes though they’re not drenched with pain anymore. I’m glad to see the worst of your sorrow has passed.”

Shaken by his words, the intensity of gaze, she purposely flashed him her professional smile in an effort to conceal her awareness of him. “I’m much better these days, thank you.”

After she’d finished taking his blood pressure, she stood up and put her equipment away. “You’re the one your sister’s worried about. A collapsed lung is no joke. You shouldn’t have gotten up without someone to assist you.”

“I had my reasons.” That was the second veiled reference to something bothering him.

She felt for his pulse. “And I have mine.”

“Yes, Nurse,” he teased.

In this mood Zak was…irresistible. She was fast losing all objectivity.

“You were struggling in the doorway just now. Your vital signs don’t lie.”

He let out a frustrated sigh. “You’re right. I feel like hell. When do you think I’ll be well enough to get back on the job?”

If only once Rob could have admitted to his misery in front of her like Zak had done just now, they could have shared so much. But he wasn’t the kind of man to let go. His determination to suffer in silence had pushed her away, hurting her and he’d known it.

She let go of Zak’s strong, suntanned arm, noting the cleanliness of his hands and nails. Despite working in construction, he’d always been well groomed. He always smelled good.

Don’t do this, Michelle. What are you thinking?

“I’m not your doctor, but I’d say three to four weeks, barring no complications.”

“I can’t stay away from the condo any longer.”

She leaned back against the dresser with her arms folded. “You don’t have much choice. You need help.”

“I agree.”

His penetrating gaze followed the lines and rounded curves of her slender body dressed in cream linen pants and a sage colored, short-sleeved blouse.

Her pulse raced in reaction. She was helpless to stop it, and that made her more nervous than ever.

“You’ve put on some weight since the last time I saw you, Michelle. It looks good.” His husky tone sent a coil of warmth through her body. “Why don’t you pull up a chair and sit down. I want to discuss something with you.”

Zak hadn’t said or done anything wrong, yet she felt like she was suffocating in the enforced intimacy of the bedroom with him lying there so close and so…

She’d thought the brief feeling of guilt she’d experienced at the funeral when she’d found herself comparing Zak’s openness to Rob’s inability to let her comfort him would be gone by now.

In the interim she’d begun dating again and had met some very attractive men. Mike Francis was a case in point. So why wasn’t she thinking about Mike right now?

“Before I do that, can I bring you something else to eat? Some strawberry dessert maybe? It doesn’t look as if you’ve touched your breakfast.” The tray of food Sherilyn had brought up earlier still sat on the far side of the bed.

“The pills I’m taking have killed my appetite.”

“Then you need some medication to get rid of the nausea.”

“That’s the least of my problems,” his voice grated. “It’s important I talk to you about something else before Sherilyn gets back.”

Suddenly Michelle was transported to the past when a much younger Zak had sought her out to confide something in private.

Anxious to appear at ease around him the way she once was, she complied with his wishes and drew the bamboo chair from the corner of the room.

“What’s wrong?” she asked after subsiding into it.

His eyes were closed again, as if the mere act of talking was an effort for him. It probably was if he felt so sick to his stomach he couldn’t eat. “It’s about Lynette.”

Hearing her niece’s name reminded Michelle of the unpleasantness in the hall earlier. Without being aware of it, she rubbed her palms over her knees. “She wanted to stay home and help you.”

He made a strange noise in his throat. “Three weeks ago she lied to her parents about sleeping over at Jennifer’s and drove to Carlsbad to see me instead,” he explained without acknowledging her remark.

“When I came home for lunch, I found her waiting in my condo dressed, or should I say undressed, in the kind of bikini Sherilyn would never approve of.

“She’d let herself in the back entrance with the key I gave them in case of an emergency. To say I was shocked is putting it mildly.”

“I can imagine,” Michelle whispered. “I’m afraid you’ve been the object of hero worship for a long time.”

His lips twisted unpleasantly. “Throughout the summer she’s been acting out in an attempt to flirt with me. But I never imagined she would go so far as to actually come on to me.”

At that revelation, Michelle’s breath caught.

“When I told her to get dressed and go home before she was missed, she said Jennifer would provide an alibi for her. Then she walked over and threw her arms around my neck. After reminding me that we weren’t really related, she asked me if I was glad to see her.”

Michelle closed her eyes, unable to prevent the quiet gasp that escaped her throat.