Lori Foster

by Get Your Guy; Messing Around withMax Tempted - Little Miss Innocent; Annie

  As if she’d stay home? “I’ll be there in just a few minutes.”

  “No! You’ll be here in about an hour. It’s a long drive for you and the roads are a mess. The freezing rain turned to snow and plows are out everywhere. Just take it easy and drive careful, all right? I don’t want both of you in here with me.”

  “I’ll be careful,” she promised, then hung up before he could caution her more. It was just like Daniel to be overly concerned with her driving at a time like this. He would hurry, but he didn’t trust her to do so.

  She was out the door in two minutes flat, her hair still ratty and uncombed, her clothes hastily donned, her shoes pulled on without socks. Daniel was right, she soon discovered. The roads were awful, and recognizing that fact only made her more anxious. How badly had Guy been hurt in this horrid weather? Daniel’s reassurances didn’t relieve her one bit. He was capable of softening the truth, to keep her from rushing. Guilt swelled inside her until she thought she’d choke on it.

  Her awesome seduction technique had driven him away! He’d literally raced from her apartment and it was all her fault.

  It took her half the time Daniel had predicted to reach the hospital, despite the road conditions. She rushed through the emergency room door and then skidded to a halt when Lace came forward to meet her.

  “Lace? What in the world are you doing here? Did Daniel call you, too?” Had he called the whole family? Was Guy even worse off than she’d first suspected?

  Lace gave her a generous smile. “I was here visiting Daniel when they brought Guy in. Come on, I’ll show you where they’re keeping him.”

  Though she hurried forward, Annie felt her own misgivings. “Is he really okay, Lace?”

  Lace gave Annie’s hand a squeeze. “He’s going to be fine, but he’s a little dopey at the moment. Ah, here’s Daniel, and Annie, you know what an excellent doctor your brother is.”

  Annie did know; Daniel was one of the very best. But at the moment that fact didn’t ease her anxiety one bit.

  “Daniel? Tell me what’s wrong with Guy. Why is he still here if he’s okay? And where is he? I want to see him.” She would only feel secure that he was truly okay after she’d scanned the length of his magnificent body herself.

  Daniel clasped her shoulders to stop her from pushing forward and gave her a brotherly squeeze. “Just hold on, sis. I need to talk to you before you go in.”

  “Oh God.”

  “Now, Annie, you have to get a grip. It’s not as bad as it looks. Guy has a lot of colorful contusions, but we’ve cleared his cervical spine. There were no neck injuries, no trauma to his head.”

  “You promise?”

  “Honey, you know what a hard head Guy has.” Daniel smiled at her.

  “But he doesn’t have much hair to cushion it.”

  “I promise, other than a few bruises, his head is fine.” Daniel patted her back in his brotherly manner. “He does have some pretty severe, and I’m sure painful, scrapes and bruises to his right shoulder and ribs, and his right knee might need some orthopedic care. Right now we can’t determine the extent of the injury to his knee because of the swelling. In a few days he can go to a specialist and see about the possibility of surgery, though I doubt it will be necessary. For the time being we’ve put an external, removable knee immobilizer on him, and he’ll need pain medication for a spell. He’ll have to use crutches to get around, and I’d recommend as much bed rest, with his knee elevated, as possible for the next few days.”

  Annie covered her mouth with a hand while tears welled in her eyes. And Daniel claimed it wasn’t too bad? It sounded worse than awful.

  It sounded like her attempts at seduction had almost killed him!

  “Now Annie,” Lace said, coming to stand by Daniel, then leaning against his side. Daniel slipped his arm around her, taking comfort from her nearness. “You can’t go in and talk to Guy if you’re falling apart. He really is going to be okay, you know. Your brother wouldn’t lie to you.”

  “Of course not,” Daniel said, doing his best to soothe Annie, but looking relieved to have Lace’s help. “Nothing is broken or seriously injured, but bruises can hurt almost as bad as a break, so he’s going to need some care.”

  “I’ll do it,” Annie blurted before she could temper her reaction.

  Daniel sighed. “That’s what I assumed. You two were always closer than most brothers and sisters.”

  Lace rolled her eyes, but at Annie’s pleading look, said nothing.

  “Can I see him now?”

  “All right.” Daniel reluctantly eased away from Lace, then took Annie’s hand to lead the way. “The thing is, honey, he’s a little screwy and disoriented at the moment. Considering his body size and his injuries, I gave him a whopper of a painkiller. But I think I may have overdone it.” Daniel laughed. “At least now I know why he never drinks.”

  Just as they rounded a corner of the emergency room, Annie could hear someone singing. It was an old Mary Poppins tune, shouted out in a flat, wavering baritone that had all the nurses holding their ears.

  Daniel merely chuckled. “He’s right through there. You can just follow the noise. But watch yourself. He tried to hug me—and nearly tossed me to the ground.”

  “I had to save him,” Lace said with a grin, sidling up to Daniel again. “We all three almost toppled.”

  Annie wavered forward, her steps tentative.

  Guy rested on his back in a narrow metal bed, a thin blanket pulled up to his waist. His hard, hairy chest was bare and decorated with numerous bruises. His short hair jutted out every which way, his eyes were squeezed closed, but his mouth was wide open.

  He started in wailing, “Ohhhh, su-per-cal-la-frag—”

  And Annie whispered, “Guy?”

  He grew instantly silent, then cocked one eye open. “Ahh, another little lady friend. Come to inflict more torture on my poor male person, have you?”

  He was grinning, but she flinched at his words. “Of course not. How do you feel?”

  “Like I fought with a semi and lost. And yourself?”

  A semi? Thank God he wasn’t killed. She approached his side slowly, her feet dragging, her heart pounding. “You look like you lost. You’ve got bruises on top of your bruises.”

  “You look like you’re ready to cry.” He studied her face with blurry, pain-filled eyes, then said softly, “I’d really rather you didn’t.”

  “I won’t.”

  “Did you like Mary Poppins when you were little?” Before she could answer, he laughed. “What am I saying? You’re still little. I meant when you were younger.”

  She nodded, pulling a chair up to the bed and sitting beside him before her knees gave out.

  Very carefully, she reached through the bed railing and closed her cold fingers around his large hand. “You used to watch it with me when no one else would.”

  “Impossible. I hated that damn movie. Still do. Maybe not the first dozen times I saw it, but after that…”

  She felt her bottom lip begin to quiver. Even though he’d hated it, he’d still watched it with her? “Guy, I lo—”

  “Are you wearing your panties?”

  Her declaration died in her throat. “What?”

  “Tell me the truth now, Annie. And no more of your teasing.” He eyed her body from head to toe, but since she wore her usual jeans and a sweatshirt, he couldn’t see a thing. “Well? Are you or not?”

  His brow was puckered with a suspicious frown, and Annie had to draw a deep breath to calm herself. Good grief, she’d almost blurted out that she loved him. Not that he would have thought that much of it. Her family was loving, and it wasn’t uncommon to show it, to say it, to make it known. But she wouldn’t have meant it the way he’d want to take it.

  She was trying to find an answer for him when Daniel walked in. “So, how are we doing?”

  “Daniel.” Guy suddenly had a sappy grin on his face. “Do you know you’re the best doctor in the whole damn world? I mean it, man. You s
aved me.” Then to prove Annie’s earlier point, he said, “I love you like a brother, Daniel.”

  Daniel shook his head. “I love you, too, Guy.” To Annie, he said, “That’s about the twelfth declaration of undying love I’ve gotten from him since the pain medication kicked in.”

  Annie stifled a watery grin.

  “And I mean it, too. It was my only spot of luck this dark night, that you were on duty.” Guy groaned, his eyes squeezing shut again. “Damn but I wish my head didn’t hurt so bad.”

  “As long as you insist on yodeling, your head is going to continue to hurt like hell. You need to rest quietly.” Daniel grinned as he said it, apparently amused despite his suggestions. “Annie, why don’t you step out here a minute. The nurse needs to check Guy’s vitals again and I want to talk to you.”

  Guy jerked his eyes open and his gaze landed on Annie. “Are you leaving?”

  He sounded almost desperate, and the dreaded tears threatened again. She pitched her voice low in a soothing tone, in deference to his aching head. “No, of course not. I’ll be right back.”

  “Promise?”

  “I promise.”

  Guy grimaced, then shouted loud enough for the fourth floor to hear, “Daniel, make damn sure she’s got all her underwear on!”

  Daniel started in surprise. “For crying out loud, Guy!”

  “She’s a tricky one, I tell you.” He winced as he lifted his arm to point an accusing finger in her direction. “You best keep an eye on her.”

  Daniel pursed his mouth shut, and Annie gasped. She quickly escaped out the door, towing Daniel behind her. Two nurses began to chuckle.

  The second they were out the door, Daniel laughed out loud. “I told you he was juiced. Never seen anyone quite so high on legitimate pain medicine before. So far he’s confessed to loving me, the X-ray technician and the nurse who took his blood.”

  “Has he mentioned me?”

  “Nope, sorry, honey, but he hasn’t said a word about you. He may be upset with you about this foolish scheme of yours to experiment.”

  Annie stiffened. “It’s not foolishness.”

  “Yeah, well, whatever nonsense it is, do you think you can put it on hold awhile?”

  “Why?”

  “Because I’ve thought of a way to save Guy from himself.”

  Lace sauntered up in time to say, “This ought to be good.”

  Daniel looked over the rim of his glasses at her. “I’m glad you’re still here, sweetheart. I think we can use your help.”

  “Oh goody.”

  Daniel had to force his gaze away from his wife, then he stated, “I want you to kidnap Guy.”

  It took a moment for Annie to realize that he was done. He wasn’t going to expound on that small instruction. She cleared her throat, tried to erase the sound of her burgeoning excitement, and inquired with a feigned calm, “Oh?”

  Lace looked at the ceiling and whistled. Daniel ignored her.

  “If you nurse him, and keep everyone else away from him, he’ll have nothing to do but think about how asinine it is to propose to Melissa. He’ll probably be laid up for a few days, maybe even a week before he starts feeling whole again. I could give you complete instructions to follow on how to care for him, how to medicate him—”

  “How to soothe his savage breast?” Lace asked innocently.

  Daniel shrugged. “If need be. It would be the perfect time for him to reflect on what he’s doing and why he shouldn’t do it.”

  “How, exactly,” Annie asked, intrigued despite her worries, “do you propose I do this? Guy is actually a whole lot bigger than me, so it’s not like I can bully him.”

  “He’s not up to a fight right now,” Daniel explained. “And with the medication, I think he’ll be more agreeable than not.”

  “He’ll want to check in at work, you know that.”

  “He can’t get around well enough for that. It’s important that he stays off his feet.”

  “By phone then.”

  “I don’t mind phone calls,” Daniel told her, “but he’ll need to take it easy, relaxing and recuperating until the swelling in his knee goes down. If anyone attempts to visit him—”

  “Like Melissa?”

  “Especially Melissa,” Daniel agreed. “But all things considered, she should understand that he’s not up to visitors.”

  Annie was beginning to take to the idea. Alone and isolated with Guy? It had possibilities. If he couldn’t run off, if he was grounded, mostly in bed—a perfect position—then his life wouldn’t be threatened by her seduction techniques, now would it?

  “That’s it?” she asked carefully, wanting to make sure she understood. “You want me to keep Melissa away from him?”

  “It’s a start.”

  Annie certainly loved the idea, but it had its drawbacks. “I’m not sure I can bar people from his home, Daniel. I mean, bedridden or not, Guy will have something to say about that, I’m sure.”

  Daniel cleared his throat. “I wasn’t exactly talking about his home. I think you should take him away from here.”

  “Take him away?”

  “From this area. Annie, you know he could use the time to reflect on this marriage business and to take a break from work. I’ll talk to Dad. He can certainly fill in, or find a replacement for Guy for a while.”

  Annie blinked at Daniel. “But…where would I take him?”

  Daniel removed his glasses and began polishing them on the hem of his white coat. “Well, now I had an idea about that. We have this, ah, cabin of sorts.”

  “A cabin?” Annie eyed the smile on Lace’s face and the way Daniel wouldn’t look at her. “You and Lace bought a cabin? When?”

  “Well…actually…” Daniel slanted a look at Lace, then stiffened his spine. “I bought the cabin before I met Lace.”

  “You did?” Her brother seemed very edgy all of a sudden, making Annie frown in contemplation. “How long have you had it?”

  “For a while now. It’s a nice place, but a little rustic.” He tried to distract her by changing the subject. “I’d take Guy there myself and force him to listen to reason, but I can’t manage time away from the hospital right now.”

  Annie was amazed—and not the least bit diverted. “You own a cabin and you’ve never told me? Do Dad and Max know?”

  Daniel wasn’t one to lie, but Annie could see he was considering doing just that. Then he nodded and looked resigned. “Dad and Max, and even Guy have all been there. It’s a bachelor’s cabin, Annie, and that’s why you didn’t know.”

  Lace hooted with laughter. “Now that really hurt, didn’t it? I mean, admitting to your sweet little innocent sister that you’re a normal man.” She turned to Annie, still grinning. “Since our marriage, however, Daniel has only been to the cabin with me.”

  “Actually,” Daniel said, his expression stern, “Lace and I were there before we were married.”

  Rather than being embarrassed by this divulgence, Lace seemed more amused.

  In a conspiratorial tone, she whispered to Annie, “All macho men need a place to indulge their baser instincts, a place to be human, without tarnishing their poor little innocent sisters with the lusty knowledge of it.” She leaned against Daniel’s shoulder and grinned widely. “That’s right, isn’t it, Doctor?”

  Fascinated, Annie watched Daniel turn his very stiff back on Lace, almost causing her to fall. “Everything you need can be delivered there before you arrive. I’ll call first thing in the morning and have a couple loads of wood dropped off so you’ll be able to stay nice and warm. The fireplace has a blower, so it pretty much heats the whole cabin. And I’ll have some food put in the fridge. The freezer is already stocked.”

  “You have electricity for appliances, but no heat?” Annie had a hard time taking it all in.

  It was Lace who explained. “Think about it, Annie. Isn’t a warm, cozy fireplace more of an inducement to romance than a furnace? There’s even a store of wine and soft music aplenty, isn’t there, Doc
?”

  Daniel didn’t answer her, but he did flex his fingers. Annie wondered if he was thinking of strangling his wife. “I wouldn’t suggest giving Guy any wine. Between his low tolerance and the pain medicine, who knows how he’d react to it.”

  Annie shook her head, still dumbfounded. “Max has been there. And Guy? And Dad?” It was bad enough imagining Guy taking a woman to a secluded cabin in the woods for sensual purposes. But her father?

  Again, Lace answered. “It’s as I keep telling you, Annie. No normal, healthy person lives as a monk. Responsible, mature sex is a vital part of life.”

  Daniel turned on her. “That’s enough out of you.”

  In a gentle tone, Lace asked, “What’s the matter, Daniel? Afraid little sister might find out how human you are? Or are you afraid she might find out how human she is?”

  Daniel seethed in silence for a moment, and Annie thought what a ferocious sight he was. It was the first time she’d ever thought of her oldest brother that way, he was generally so…so…placid.

  Daniel visibly calmed himself. “I’m not as dense as you think I am, sweetheart.”

  Lace lifted both brows. “No?”

  “No.” Then Daniel took Annie’s arm and dragged her three feet away from Lace.

  “I seriously doubt Guy would give up work and go to the cabin willingly. You know how devoted he is to the job. So we’re going to have to outmaneuver him.”

  Lace rejoined them as if she’d been invited. “You know, I’m all for Annie doing this. But tell me, what did this Melissa do that was really so bad?”

  “Nothing. She’s just not right for Guy.”

  “Why?” Now Lace sounded suspicious. “You aren’t intimately acquainted with her, are you?”

  Daniel gave Lace the most evil grin Annie had ever seen on his handsome face. “Jealous, sweetheart?”

  Lace’s eyes narrowed and she started to turn away, but Daniel caught her arm and whipped her back around to face him. Before Annie could blink, or give them a moment’s privacy—not that she really would have—Daniel treated Lace to a scorching kiss. Annie felt her cheeks heat.

  Who needed books when her own brother carried on so right in front of her? And contrary to Guy’s reaction, Lace seemed to wallow in Daniel’s technique. It was beyond fascinating.