A Man for the Summer Read Free

lulling high.
    And yet, even through all that, Griff’s skin still registered the way Junior Atkinson had traced her long, cool fingers along his brow, and the sensation of her touch seemed not the least bit dulled by the medication. Griff struggled to keep his eyes open even as a wavery image of Junior above him flitted through his mind.
    What the hell kind of name was Junior for a grown woman? Especially one like her, a long lean spill of milky-white legs, their outline tempting even under the filmy volumes of her skirt. With a warming sensation Griff remembered his last vision before he closed his eyes, the fascinating map of her freckles on that incredibly smooth skin.
    And then other memories came tumbling back. Voices, Rosie’s and Junior’s, the play of their words weaving patterns in his brain.
    Wait. A virgin . He remembered that. A dying virgin! Months…she had only months left. And Rosie had been trying to help her…Griff knit his eyebrows together in concentration—to help her figure out how to get laid.
    That couldn’t be right, could it? In his semi-stupor Griff felt his eyes misting at the thought. Junior had seemed so brave, her voice not even breaking as she discussed her plight with her aunt. Such a young woman, such a beautiful woman.
    It didn’t make sense. How had a woman like that, a woman whose fingers had a silken touch, whose lips invited further speculation—how had she managed to stay, you know….
    But—
    Griff’s eyebrows shot up even as he lolled in his semi-aware state. Could he be remembering right? But yes, Rosie had as much as said so. None of the guys in town would do it with her. Incredible! Either he’d read the redneck male psyche completely wrong, or there was something truly awful, completely repugnant about the strange yet alluring Doctor Atkinson.
    Hell, in his state, she could have had a third eye in the middle of her forehead and he wouldn’t have known the difference. Pain did funny things to you. He’d been riveted by the scary-looking tray of sharp objects before Junior had administered the anesthetic, barely able to tear his eyes away from the lethal-looking tools.
    On the other hand, he had a vivid recollection of glossy red curls gathered into a haphazard ponytail. Crazy-colored silk sliding along those lean, pale arms. Lips like satin flecked with tiny dots he longed to lick right off…
    Details were his business, after all. And Griff was skeptical that he would have missed a grotesque deformity.
    He made a mental note to take a closer look. And then shut his eyes and decided he might as well enjoy his little nap. Although, as he drifted off again, his thoughts were troubled by images of beautiful virgins holding power tools.
     
     
    “So, what are you going to do with him?” Rosie was finishing up her late afternoon ritual, checking the dozen or so flourishing houseplants, straightening the stacks of paper on their desks into some semblance of alignment, shutting down the computer. Their patient had finally woken up in a fairly alert state, although he seemed to have trouble building a complete sentence, much less keeping his eyes off Junior. They’d allowed their patient to make his way the three blocks to the motel only after calling over and making sure the proprietor would be standing out front waiting for him.
    There was silence for a few seconds after the door shut. Junior could feel Rosie’s gaze fixed solidly on her. She shrugged.
    “I’ll give him a call in the morning and send him on his way. I can forward the crown on wherever he’s headed. The temp ought to hold him at least a week. For being such a mess it turned out to be a pretty clean fix.”
    “Damn shame, then.”
    Junior bit her lip. In some far recess of her heart, she had to agree. It was a shame that a woman couldn’t just latch on to whatever reasonably intelligent, reasonably able-bodied man happened into her life when it was time to have a baby. If that woman didn’t have a