One Kiss in Tokyo... Read Free Page A

they didn’t know each other.
    Avery handed over the X-ray. ‘Explosion at a local factory. This is Mahito. I don’t have an age. Penetrating wound to the chest, two collapsed lungs, intubated but sats are poor.’ He nodded at the monitor. ‘Two IV lines, tachycardic at one-sixty and hypotensive. BP seventy over forty-five.’
    He frowned. ‘Sorry, didn’t have time to catheterise.’
    The surgeon shook his head. ‘My staff will get to that. We’ll take it from here.’
    Theatre staff dressed in scrubs surrounded them, one set of hands replacing the others and a stern-looking woman taking over bagging duties from Katsuko. She moved away swiftly. It was the first time he’d actually seen her relinquish control to someone else.
    The trolley moved forward, being pushed through another set of swing doors as the surgeon shouted orders.
    Just like that.
    Mahito was someone else’s responsibility.
    Avery looked down at his hands, smeared with blood. The rest of the staff turned and headed back out of the doors.
    Katsuko folded her arms and glared at his hands.
    â€˜If you ever come into my ER again and touch a patient without washing your hands and putting on gloves, I will make sure you live to regret it.’
    Her accent was odd. It had a lilt. A twang. Part Japanese, part American. Her English was completely and utterly fluent.
    â€˜And as for this...’ She lifted her hand and picked his fedora off his head. He’d completely forgotten about it. ‘Who do you think you are, Indiana Jones?’
    He let out a laugh. ‘It’s a pleasure to meet you too. And who said this was your ER?’ He glanced over his shoulder. ‘I was planning on making it mine.’
    A spark flashed across her eyes. It was almost as if he’d issued a challenge.
    There was a potent silence for a few seconds. Things had been chaotic before. Mahito had been the priority. Now the only noise around them was that of the swinging doors.
    She was looking at him. Sizing him up. Did he meet the grade? His curiosity was sparked. What was the grade for the firecracker?
    He couldn’t help but start to smile. The air around them had a distinct sense of sizzle.
    Despite the chaos of earlier her poker-straight hair had fallen back into place, framing her face perfectly. Those brown eyes could get him into a whole load of trouble. They hadn’t even had a proper introduction yet, but Katsuko was one of the most gorgeous women he’d ever set eyes on. She might be small but she had curves in all the right places. One thing was for sure—if she was only six inches taller she would be on the catwalk.
    It was odd. Avery had always gone for blondes—usually leggy. But all of a sudden leggy blondes had flown straight out of his mind.
    She crossed her arms over her chest and met his inquisitive gaze. From the determined tilt of her chin it was clear she knew he’d been checking her out.
    She plonked his hat back on his head, then turned and walked away, giving him a clear view of her tight, perfectly formed ass. The pale green scrubs looked good on her.
    He couldn’t help but laugh.
    Shaking his head, he walked after her, stopping at the nearest sink to wash his hands. He didn’t even have time to catch his breath. The siren sounded again and another trolley crashed through the doors from an ambulance outside. This time the patient was an adult. His colour was poor and he was rasping.
    The ambulance crew spoke rapidly in Japanese. Katsuko didn’t even blink, she just translated. ‘Thirty-five-year-old also injured in the factory explosion. Bruising across his torso already visible. No penetration wounds. They suspect broken ribs. Poor oxygen saturation. He’s complained of chest pain and he’s tachycardic. Probably tension pneumothorax.’ She bit her lip. ‘First the kid, now the adult.’
    She was mirroring his exact thoughts. Two cases of