highlighted the upthrust of her breasts
against the fabric of her shirt. Between the motion and her teasing
tone, he was hard as a rock. Taking her now wouldn’t be wise, but
cuffing her to his bed was sounding better by the second.
“ I’m sorry you’re missing
work. I really didn’t want Simon to take me home. He doesn’t
approve of me living alone, and this accident, well, I was afraid
he’d use it as a chance to move me back home.”
“ He does understand we’ve
moved beyond the dark ages, doesn’t he?”
Another one of those giggles he loved popped
out. “Yes, but from what Mom’s told me, he was protective of me
even as a child, hovering over my crib and worrying when I
cried.”
Might make things harder for him, but he and
Simon had come to an agreement of sorts where Dena was concerned
this morning, and he could only hope the trust would stay in place
after Simon found out about the club. Not likely, but a man could
hope. And in the end, it would be Dena’s decision, not the
brother’s.
He watched her eyelids flicker and flutter
down to rest against her skin. She needed rest after her ordeal,
and he’d wake her for lunch in an hour or so. In the meantime, he
had a few things to get done for the Lindsay job. His foreman was
handling today’s wiring, but the control pads hadn’t shown yet and
he wanted to know why.
A day away from the jobsite would be
productive and still give him time to watch over his girl. His sub.
Yeah, well, he needed to get to that part of their relationship
before they went much further. He dug through the linen closet in
the hall and found the afghan his mother gave him a few years ago.
It was still in the box and smelled faintly of Christmas, but it
was soft and warm and all he had to cover her on the couch.
He looked around his house, so different from
hers with all her paintings and bric-a-brac. His place was lean, a
long sectional sofa, a recliner, and a big-ass flat-screen on the
wall. White walls, white carpet, black and white curtains covering
the windows. He hadn’t realized how plain the place was. Just a
place to crash, with little warmth.
But then, the women he brought home rarely
looked at the front room. They were more interested in the playroom
and they never stayed the night.
* * * *
Reindeer leapt over her bed one small
creature at a time, all wearing a red collar with a shiny bell on
it. The scent of peppermint floated in the air around her while she
counted them, first in pairs and then one by one. The numbers
didn’t make sense and she kept starting over.
And it was warm when there should be snow on
the ground at the North Pole. But someone was making hot chocolate
with peppermint sticks. Her mouth watered and she wanted to get up,
but her arms weren’t working right.
Her eyes popped open and she looked down her
body. A red and white afghan covered her from sole to shoulders and
her fingers were entangled in the weave. It all came back, the
wreck, the hospital, and Steve’s house. Her heart squeezed when she
lifted the light blanket. He’d thought to cover her while she
slept. Pushing her feet to the floor, she sat upright and waited
for the dizziness to return.
Nothing.
Turning slowly from side to side, she didn’t
have any wooziness, but her shoulders ached a little. She got to
her feet and stood. Still nothing. Well, a few aches and pains, but
nothing debilitating.
With no sign of her caretaker, she wandered
into
the kitchen and found a glass for water. The
medicine taste finally washed away and she went in search of
Steve.
A doorway to the left of the sofa opened into
a hall. The first door opened to an oversized room that housed the
weirdest gym equipment she’d ever seen. She went inside to
investigate and couldn’t figure out what the metal frame in the
middle of the room was supposed to hold. There were several metal
clamps attached to it, and even more leather pieces positioned at
different levels. Strange.
Turning
against the fabric of her shirt. Between the motion and her teasing
tone, he was hard as a rock. Taking her now wouldn’t be wise, but
cuffing her to his bed was sounding better by the second.
“ I’m sorry you’re missing
work. I really didn’t want Simon to take me home. He doesn’t
approve of me living alone, and this accident, well, I was afraid
he’d use it as a chance to move me back home.”
“ He does understand we’ve
moved beyond the dark ages, doesn’t he?”
Another one of those giggles he loved popped
out. “Yes, but from what Mom’s told me, he was protective of me
even as a child, hovering over my crib and worrying when I
cried.”
Might make things harder for him, but he and
Simon had come to an agreement of sorts where Dena was concerned
this morning, and he could only hope the trust would stay in place
after Simon found out about the club. Not likely, but a man could
hope. And in the end, it would be Dena’s decision, not the
brother’s.
He watched her eyelids flicker and flutter
down to rest against her skin. She needed rest after her ordeal,
and he’d wake her for lunch in an hour or so. In the meantime, he
had a few things to get done for the Lindsay job. His foreman was
handling today’s wiring, but the control pads hadn’t shown yet and
he wanted to know why.
A day away from the jobsite would be
productive and still give him time to watch over his girl. His sub.
Yeah, well, he needed to get to that part of their relationship
before they went much further. He dug through the linen closet in
the hall and found the afghan his mother gave him a few years ago.
It was still in the box and smelled faintly of Christmas, but it
was soft and warm and all he had to cover her on the couch.
He looked around his house, so different from
hers with all her paintings and bric-a-brac. His place was lean, a
long sectional sofa, a recliner, and a big-ass flat-screen on the
wall. White walls, white carpet, black and white curtains covering
the windows. He hadn’t realized how plain the place was. Just a
place to crash, with little warmth.
But then, the women he brought home rarely
looked at the front room. They were more interested in the playroom
and they never stayed the night.
* * * *
Reindeer leapt over her bed one small
creature at a time, all wearing a red collar with a shiny bell on
it. The scent of peppermint floated in the air around her while she
counted them, first in pairs and then one by one. The numbers
didn’t make sense and she kept starting over.
And it was warm when there should be snow on
the ground at the North Pole. But someone was making hot chocolate
with peppermint sticks. Her mouth watered and she wanted to get up,
but her arms weren’t working right.
Her eyes popped open and she looked down her
body. A red and white afghan covered her from sole to shoulders and
her fingers were entangled in the weave. It all came back, the
wreck, the hospital, and Steve’s house. Her heart squeezed when she
lifted the light blanket. He’d thought to cover her while she
slept. Pushing her feet to the floor, she sat upright and waited
for the dizziness to return.
Nothing.
Turning slowly from side to side, she didn’t
have any wooziness, but her shoulders ached a little. She got to
her feet and stood. Still nothing. Well, a few aches and pains, but
nothing debilitating.
With no sign of her caretaker, she wandered
into
the kitchen and found a glass for water. The
medicine taste finally washed away and she went in search of
Steve.
A doorway to the left of the sofa opened into
a hall. The first door opened to an oversized room that housed the
weirdest gym equipment she’d ever seen. She went inside to
investigate and couldn’t figure out what the metal frame in the
middle of the room was supposed to hold. There were several metal
clamps attached to it, and even more leather pieces positioned at
different levels. Strange.
Turning
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