Romance on the Edge 01 - Hooked

forever. How would it be to lie with her now?
    “Ouch.” He jerked as Eva poked him. “That hurts.”
    “Well, yeah.” Eva snorted. “You got your leg caught in a trap.”
    Weren’t nurses supposed to be compassionate?
    “Lynx, hand me that syringe.” She held her hand out. “Yes, that one.” She glanced at Aidan. “You’ve got a lot of crap in these wounds.” She glared at him like it was his fault. “I’m going to flush them out with saline and hope we wash out all the debris.”
    Aidan dropped his head back on the pillow as Eva went to work on him, snapping orders at Lynx for more towels.
    “What are you doing back here, Aidan?” Raven asked, her lips flattened into a line. She had such nice full lips that could stretch into a wide, welcoming smile. Why couldn’t she have smiled at him when she saw him instead of the scowl that wrinkled her forehead and made him feel like scum? Didn’t she have any memories of him that she revisited fondly?
    “Earl’s dead,” Lynx answered for him.
    “Well.” Raven folded her arms under her breasts—breasts that were considerably larger than they had been at eighteen. “It couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy.”
    “I need those tweezers.” Eva pointed to a sterile package in her bag, snapping her fingers for Lynx to speed it up. For such a little thing, she had a Napoleon attitude. She tore into the packaging and pulled out wickedly sharp, stainless steel tweezers. “I didn’t get all the debris with the wash. I’m going to have to dig some of it out with the tweezers. Raven, hold his shoulders down. Lynx, you hold his leg immobile. And I mean don’t even let it twitch.” She flicked a glance at Aidan. “You aren’t going to like this.”
    “Surprise,” he said. “I haven’t liked any of it so far.”
    She smiled at him as though she approved and then narrowed a look at Raven. “Hold him down.”
    Raven took a deep breath, her eyes slanting. She didn’t want to touch him. But then he didn’t want her touching him either, for different reasons all together.
    She sat on the edge of the bed and placed her hands on his shoulders. Her scent drifted to him. In all these years she still smelled the same. Earthy. Berries, ferns, exotic underbrush. He vaguely felt Eva poking at him. The real pain came from having Raven so close and discovering he still had unresolved feelings for her hidden in the depths of his mangled heart.
    And she still hated him.
    “All right, I hope I got it all,” Eva said. “That trap must have been decades old and reverting back to nature for the amount of rust I washed out of the wounds. When was the last time you had a tetanus? Earl Harte should he shot for leaving things like that around his place.”
    Aidan laughed, though the sound was more sardonic than happy. Earl had been shot all right.
    “Aidan?” Eva hollered at him. “Tetanus shot? When did you last have one?”
    “Can’t remember,” he mumbled.
    “Are you allergic to any antibiotics?”
    “Nope.”
    “Are you all right?” Raven asked, looking suddenly concerned.
    “Do you care?”
    She tightened her lips, released him and scooted off the edge of the bed. “No.”
    “Then don’t bother asking.” He shut his eyes. Man, he was tired. It had been a hell of a day. It had been a hell of a few months. Who was he kidding? His life had always been hell. He’d be better off dead then he wouldn’t have to feel. Darkness closed in on him. Not comforting, but numbing.
    Whatever. He’d take it.

A BOUT THE A UTHOR

    Photo by: Kelli Ann Morgan
    Tiffinie Helmer is an award-winning author who is always up for a gripping adventure. Raised in Alaska, she was dragged “Outside” by her husband, but escapes the lower forty-eight to spend her summers commercial fishing on the Bering Sea.
    A wife and mother of four, Tiffinie divides her time between enjoying her family, throwing her acclaimed pottery, and writing of flawed characters in unique and severe situations.
    To learn more about Tiffinie and her books, please visit www.TiffinieHelmer.com

F UN F ACTS
    Tiffinie grew up in Fairbanks, Alaska and married one of those wild Alaskan men she loves to write about.
    - She spends most of her summers working as a commercial salmon fisherman (er, woman) in Bristol Bay on the Bering Sea of Alaska.
    - Huge Stevie Nicks fan, not only her music but her wardrobe too.
    - Favorite foods: seafood (fisherman remember), olives, artichokes, mushrooms, cheese in general,