He put the phone down on the kitchen counter, walking toward the back of the house and looking out at the property. It was pitch-black out now, and the snow was still coming down heavily. There was no doubt in Lucas’s mind that they were going to be stuck inside for the entire weekend.
He’d been alone for too long. How the hell was he supposed to survive this?
Chapter 3
Thirty minutes later, Emma emerged from the bedroom feeling ten times better. The hot shower had certainly helped and the ibuprofen had finally kicked in, easing more of her aches. Her ankle was still sore, but she found that she was maneuvering around a little bit easier.
Dressed in one of Lucas’s T-shirts, which was more like a dress on her, and wrapped in his robe, Emma slowly made her way toward the kitchen and the delicious aroma that was coming from it. Lucas’s back was to her, but she saw him stiffen slightly before turning around.
“I hope you don’t mind that I borrowed your robe,” she said as she sat down on one of the stools at the breakfast nook.
Lucas was speechless. The Emma Taylor he saw once a month at his father’s office was always beautiful, but this woman sitting across from him simply took his breath away. Her auburn hair was damp and curling wildly around her face. She had on no makeup and her deep blue eyes were staring at him right now with curiosity.
Oh, right. She had asked him a question.
“No, it’s fine. Like I said, I don’t have much here that you would be able to wear. I’m glad you can use it.”
“Your shirt was plenty big but I was still a bit chilled.”
He nearly groaned. Turning his attention back to the meal preparation, all he could picture in his mind was Emma wearing his T-shirt, most likely with nothing underneath. That image stayed there and he cursed when he burned his hand taking the steaks out from under the broiler.
“You all right?” she asked.
“Fine,” he lied, hating how hoarse his own voice sounded. “I wasn’t sure how you liked your steak.”
“Rare, preferably, but however you made it will be fine. Is there anything I can do to help?”
You can take off that oversized robe and let me see if the reality is as good as my imagination. Lucas shook his head to clear his thoughts. Now was totally not the time to be thinking this way. They were more than likely stuck together for the weekend, and it was going to be long enough without him indulging in naughty thoughts of Emma in various states of undress.
Emma continued to look at him expectantly and finally Lucas cleared his mind enough to respond. “No, no…everything’s ready. We’ll just eat here at the island so that you don’t have to move.” He quickly plated their steaks and added the potatoes that he’d baked. “I’d offer you some wine but I don’t think it’s a good idea with your head injury.”
Emma rolled her eyes at him. She wasn’t much of a wine drinker anyway, but the fact that he was still being so dramatic over the bump on her head was getting on her nerves. “That’s fine. I’ll stick with water.”
After setting down the plates, Lucas poured her another glass and took a seat opposite her. Right now he thought it was in his best interest to have three feet of granite between the two of them. He wasn’t feeling too confident in his restraint at the moment. Utensils in hand, Lucas was about to cut into his steak but waited to see how Emma was enjoying hers.
Her smile said it all. “It’s rare,” she said and looked up at him.
“It’s how I make mine, and I just naturally assume everyone eats theirs that way. Plus, if you didn’t, I could always have put it back under the broiler. I can’t un-cook it if it’s too well done but I can certainly tighten one up if it’s too rare.”
“It’s perfect, Lucas. Thank you.” Her voice melted over him and Lucas felt his body tightening. His throat felt dry and if he didn’t know better, he’d swear he was starting to sweat. How could she have this much of an effect on him? He’d spent many hours in her company and never felt like this.
Forcing himself to take a bite of his dinner, he stopped cold as Emma purred with pleasure. Lucas had to wonder if she even realized she’d done it. He took a large forkful of steak and focused on saying the alphabet backward in his head, chewing until his jaw hurt, all the while looking only at his plate. When he finally allowed himself to look up, Emma was smiling at him. “What?” he asked.
“Nothing,” she replied with a chuckle. “It’s just that I think you need to work on your social skills a little. You’ve been on your own for too long.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means that it wouldn’t kill you to try a little small talk while we eat.”
“Small talk?” he repeated. “We were talking just fine a few minutes ago. I figured you’d prefer a little silence rather than me talking with my mouth full.”
Emma let out a hearty laugh and Lucas couldn’t help but join her. “You’re right. The silence is preferable to that. Sorry. Maybe it’s me who needs to work on my social skills.”
“Your social skills are perfect,” he said before he even realized the words had slipped out.
Emma took another delicate bite of her steak, clearly deciding to ignore his odd compliment. “Everything is delicious, Lucas. I appreciate you cooking for me.”
“I couldn’t let you starve, could I?” he said, his tone more harsh than he intended and once again, he regretted his words. The look of devastation on Emma’s face nearly brought him to his knees. Thinking quickly he simply added, “Then we’d really have a problem with my social skills.”
The words were said lightly and had the desired effect; soon Emma was smiling and they returned to the comfortable silence while finishing their meal. When they were done, Lucas cleaned up and noticed how sleepy Emma was looking. Looking at the clock, he saw that it was only nine o’clock, but for all he knew, she was someone who went to bed early.
“Listen, why don’t you head on in and take the bed. I’ll sleep on the couch.”
“Oh, I couldn’t do that, Lucas. You’ve done so much already and really, the couch is perfectly fine for me.”
Lucas sighed wearily and hung his head. “Emma, I would really appreciate it if you didn’t argue with me on everything. You are a guest in my home, an injured guest. Please take the bed. I normally fall asleep out here anyway.”
Looking over her shoulder toward the bedroom, she sighed. “I hate kicking you out of your own bed.” That had all kinds of images coming to mind and she kept her face diverted so that Lucas couldn’t see the blush creeping up her cheeks.
He was suddenly at her side, guiding her into the bedroom. They stopped next to the bed and Lucas went about folding the comforter and sheets back, arranging pillows, and generally fussing with just about everything in sight. Emma bit back a smile.
“I’ll keep the fire going through the night and close the blinds here if you’d like,” he said gruffly, not willing to meet her eyes either.
“Lucas,” Emma said softly, waiting for him to stop moving around and look at her. When he finally did, she spoke again. “You can stop fussing with everything. I’m not happy about making you sleep on the couch, but I appreciate your hospitality.”
“You’re not making me do anything, Emma. You’re injured and I want you to rest comfortably while you can.”
Something in that statement struck her as odd, and her face must have conveyed that point because Lucas stepped forward and explained. “A head injury is a funny thing; you can feel fine one minute and then the next everything could be wrong. I’ll be waking you up every couple of hours to make sure you’re okay.”
Emma gaped at him. “Make sure I’m okay?” she parroted. “How?”
“Simple stuff; I’ll just ask you a couple of questions to make sure your thinking is clear.”
“My thinking is never clear when I’m asleep, Lucas. Wouldn’t it just be
better to let me get a full night’s sleep?”
He shook his head. “Afraid not. I’ve been through this enough times to know the drill.”
“So when will you get to sleep? And how will you know when to wake me up?”
“I’ll set the alarm on my phone for every couple of hours and I’ll probably get the same amount of sleep as you.”
Emma made a face. Hell, if she was going to be forced to be woken up all night by her ideal man, couldn’t it be for pleasure rather than for practicality? Her life really did suck. “I don’t suppose I have any say in the matter?”
Lucas shook his head. “You do not.”
Cursing under her breath, she glared at him and said, “Fine,” before she began to untie the robe sash from around her waist. Not caring that Lucas was standing there watching her every move, she let the garment drop from her shoulders and flung it on the foot of the bed before crawling awkwardly between the sheets. It wasn’t until she was sitting back against the pillows and ready to reach for the bedside lamp that she looked his way. “Anything else I need to know?” she asked defiantly.
Lucas looked like he wanted to say something, but then thought the better of it. “Get some sleep, Emma,” was all he said before storming out of the room.
Reaching for the lamp, Emma turned it off. If only it was as easy to turn off her feelings for a man who clearly couldn’t get away from her fast enough.
* * *
One hour and fifty-five minutes later Lucas was sitting on his couch staring at his cell phone like it was a time bomb. In five minutes he was going to have to go in and wake Emma up and check on her to make sure she was okay. The thought of seeing her in his bed, looking tousled and sleepy, was wreaking havoc on him. Clearly he must have done something wrong in this life, because he was surely being punished.
Most nights it didn’t bother him to fall asleep on the sofa, but tonight he couldn’t seem to make himself comfortable enough to sleep. Maybe it was the worry he felt over Emma, or maybe it was the knowledge that she was in the other room in his bed that was keeping him awake. Either way, he was going to have to get some sleep eventually.
The phone let off a little warning bell that told him to go and check on his guest. With a sigh of resignation, Lucas stood and walked like a condemned man going to the electric chair. He pushed the bedroom door open. The room was softly lit by firelight. His gaze immediately went to where Emma was curled up in the bed. Her hair fanned out on the pillow and her beautiful face was completely relaxed in sleep. Lucas could have watched her all night.
Unfortunately, he had a task to accomplish. He quietly walked over to the bed and whispered her name. When she didn’t move or respond, he said it again a little louder. Still nothing. With no other choice, Lucas reached out and gently shook her shoulder. “Emma,” he said with a little more force and watched as her eyes fluttered open.
It took a moment for Emma to remember where she was and when she was able to focus and saw Lucas staring down at her, her still-sleepy brain wanted to reach out and tug him down beside her. Bad sleepy brain!
“What time is it?” she whispered as she pulled herself up to a near sitting position.
“It’s a little after eleven. How’s your head?”
Emma had to think for a minute. “It actually hurts a little.”
“You’re due for more ibuprofen. I’ll get that for you.” Lucas went into the bathroom and rifled through the medicine cabinet before returning to the bedroom. Carefully he handed her the tablets and then the glass of water. Emma placed the glass on the bedside table and then looked at him expectantly.
“Did I pass?” she asked.
“Pass?”
“The concussion test,” she said and then yawned widely. “Can I go back to sleep now?”
Lucas chuckled. “Not yet. Tell me your full name.” She did. “Tell me where you work.” She did. “Tell me what day it is.” And she did.
“Anything else I can tell you?” Emma asked again as she slowly slid back down under the blankets.
Yes, that you don’t want to go back to sleep. That you want me to crawl in the bed with you. “No,” he said softly, pulling the blankets back up over her shoulder. “Get some sleep.”
Emma hummed a response and Lucas walked over to the fire to add another log from the bedroom side, watching as the flames roared to life again. A quick glance at the lounge beside the fire had him rethinking his plan for the evening. His knee had a dull ache and really, he’d pushed himself too hard today. As much as Emma needed his attention, he needed to spend a little less time walking around as well.
She was already back to sleep and Lucas walked out to the living room, grabbed his phone, and shut out the lights. Back in the bedroom, he grabbed a T-shirt and a pair of flannel pajama pants and went into the bathroom to change. Once he was done, he got comfortable on the lounge, set the alarm again, and finally let himself sleep.
Chapter 4
They repeated that routine three more times before Emma had realized that Lucas was sleeping on the lounge by the fire not five feet from her. Good thing she hadn’t noticed earlier, otherwise she would never have gone back to sleep.
From her spot on the bed, she watched him settle back in on the lounge. “Have you been sleeping there all night?” she finally asked.
“Pretty much,” he said wearily.
“Why? I mean, you said you were going to sleep on the couch.”
Lucas growled lowly and sat up and faced Emma. “This was just easier, Emma. I’m not used to having to get up every two hours, so I thought I’d make it easier on myself and sleep here.” His tone was sharp and he didn’t care. There was no way he was going to admit to Emma or to anyone that the real reason was because his knee wasn’t strong enough to get him from one room to the next.
“Oh,” she said and quietly lay back down, turning her back on him.
That one act caused a mountain of guilt. Lucas sighed and scrubbed a hand across his face before gently calling out to Emma. When she rolled over and looked at him, her eyes sad and wary, he felt even worse. “I didn’t mean to snap at you,” he began. “I guess you were right last night about my social graces or whatever. I’m not a morning person and just a little out of sorts.” He offered her a small smile and was rewarded when she returned it with one of her own.
“I’m sorry I’ve disrupted your life so much, Lucas. Believe me, this is a far cry from where I thought I’d be this weekend.”
“It’s not your fault.” He knew who was responsible, but stopped himself from telling her. “It’s still dark out, why don’t you go back to sleep.”
“What about you?”
“I plan on going back to sleep. Like I said, it’s still dark out.”
Emma sighed but didn’t move.
“What’s the matter? Is your head bothering you? Do you need something for it?”
“No, it’s just that—”
“Are you thirsty?”
“No, I’m just—”
“Is your ankle bothering you?”
“No, no, that feels fine, I think—”
“Are you cold? Because I can put another log on the fire.”
“Lucas!” she cried out with exasperation.
“What?”
“Stop asking so many damn questions for crying out loud and let me answer one!” Emma sat up and took a deep breath before facing him. “I’m a little weirded out by the situation.”
“Weirded out? What the hell does that even mean?”
“It means that I can’t go back to sleep now, knowing that you’re over there watching me sleep.”
Lucas rolled his eyes. “I wasn’t watching you sleep, Emma,” he lied. “I just didn’t want to keep going back and forth throughout the night. This was easier.”
She looked at him with disbelief. “It’s fine, it’s not like I th
ought you were being creepy or anything…”
“Creepy?” he chuckled.
“Yes, creepy.”
“How would taking care of you and making sure that you didn’t have a serious head injury be creepy?” This he had to hear.
Emma couldn’t help but chuckle with him at the ridiculous conversation. “Well, I mean it’s not like you were watching me through the window or something, but it’s just a little…awkward, shall we say…to know that a stranger is sleeping in the room with you when you weren’t aware of it.”
Lucas looked at her in disbelief. “Stranger? I’m hardly a stranger, Emma. We’ve known each other for years.”
“You know what I mean!” she said and flopped back down on the pillows and then winced at the pain it caused in her head. When Lucas immediately jumped up to see if she was all right, she held out a hand to stop him. “I’m fine, Lucas, relax.”
“You don’t look fine, Em; you look like you’re in pain.”
She wanted to correct him, but got tangled up in his calling her Em. They’d always been rather formal with one another, and the fact that he used her nickname stopped her in her tracks. She could only stare at him.
“Now you’re scaring me,” he said and came to sit next to her on the bed. “Talk to me; tell me the months of the year.”
“Oh, for crying out loud,” she mumbled, sitting back up, and found that they were nearly nose to nose. “I’m not in pain, not really. I just fell back too hard and it hurt for a moment.”
“You mean on the fluffy pillows? That hurt your head?”
Emma burst out laughing, she couldn’t help it. “You know something, Lucas? You can be quite funny sometimes.” She leaned forward in her fit of laughter and touched his arm. Suddenly she looked up and met Lucas’s intense green eyes, and her breath caught.
Wait for Me / Trust in Me Page 4