Alexandra felt like she was on a major guilt trip. Damn her sensitive to hell. She sighed and hugged Mark.

“Don’t worry, I won’t tell the others. But you might have some problems with Kaylea by the way.”

She felt his hand on her ribs and flinched. She pushed him away again. He tried to look innocent, but a smile tugged at the corners of is mouth. Alexandra punched him on the shoulder.

“Stop that already!”

She said laughingly, doubling over with pain. She almost lost her balance and would have fallen if Mark hadn’t stuck out his arm just in time for her to grab on to it.

“If you keep this up, you will kill me, Mark. And I mean that literally.”

Mark searched her face for a hint of humour, but she seemed to be dead serious. The laughter died in his throat and he looked ashamed.

“I’m sorry, you’re right. You are in pain and my flirting isn’t even that good for you at the moment. Let’s just set the flirting aside and concentrate on the problem in front of us.”

Alexandra sighed. Finally, he seemed to get the message. She looked at him while she unbuttoned her shirt further. It still seemed terribly intimate, even though she didn’t want it to be. But when you undress for a guy that it’s not your doctor, there should at least be some feelings, right?

“I’m so undressing in front of the wrong guy.”

She looked to the side and sighed, but even the sighing started to hurt. She must be hurt worse then she first thought. Mark looked at her with a twinkling in his eyes.
“You’re going to have to help me take of the shirt. I can’t do it myself. And don’t think anything more about it!”

Mark nodded; the twinkling still in his eyes. He stepped close to her, took the edges of her shirt and slipped them gently over her shoulders and arms. A gently breeze blew over Alexandra’s exposed arms. She shivered and felt goose bumps march down her arms.

“Are you cold?”

Mark whispered the words in to her hair.

“What do you think, you dope? You just took of my shirt!”

next chapter