table, then stood up and started undressing.
"I think I'm probably just bruised a bit," he said, opening his shirt.
Andrea gave him a mildly exasperated look and said, "As if you'd know," then
sucked in her breath as she saw his chest.
Her reaction made Cade turn to see himself in the mirror and he saw the
bruising that covered nearly all of his chest.
"Well, damn," he muttered. "It got me good, didn't it?"
"Mandi said it hit your legs, too," said Andrea. "Off with the pants, too.
Do you know what electricity does to muscle tissue? It forms a cone of damage
below the skin and..."
"Yes'm," said Cade. "I know. I was a medic once."
He toed off his boots and unbuckled his pants, then let them drop and
stepped out of them. Andrea studied the livid bruisings on his legs, reaching to
touch his thigh.
Cade asked, "Um... Will you be getting naked, too, anytime soon, do you
think?"
With a small smile, Andrea said, "I want to check you out first. Does that
hurt?"
"No, but it probably won't hurt for a while, anyway. I expect to really
start feeling them later tonight or tomorrow, when I'm on the road back to
Florida and don't have anything else to think about."
Andrea's gaze narrowed slightly. "You drove here?"
"Yup. Thought I might need my car and I don't want to go through the
anti-terror hoops and barrels at airports."
She seemed to consider matters -- particularly the matter in the middle of
Cade that was stiffly pointing at her by that time -- for a few moments, then
she said, "We could stay here another night or two. I'd rather not take you home
with me because the neighbors... well, I'd just rather not take a man home with
me."
Shrugging, Cade said, "Yeah, here's good. Or I could drive halfway back and
get a motel room, then finish the drive Tuesday. That will get the car and me
home and still give us plenty of time to work on enhancing my conversion."
"Why use euphemisms?" Andrea asked irritatedly.
Cade stopped in mid sip and looked at her as he said, "I didn't. Isn't
enhancing my conversion the reason she called you in on this? You don't know me
from Adam, so..."
"Yes," snapped Andrea. "Sure. You're right. That's why she called me."
Striding to the desk chair and sitting down, she continued, "But it isn't the
only reason I'm here now."
She leaned to reach in the fridge and took out a soft drink, opened it, and
eyed Cade as s