Lisa was still standing in the same exact spot she had been in when she dropped the bowl. He started to ask her if she could move until he looked down at her feet. She was barefoot and didn’t want to take a chance in cutting her feet to ribbons.
Without thinking, he walked the rest of the way over to her, crunching glass under his work boots and leaned down and picked her up. She gasped and started shaking from the contact. He could see it in her eyes. She was remembering last night. The rush of the memories almost caused him to drop her. He had to work hard at holding on to her to walk across the room.
He dropped her legs, thinking to put her down gently. When she slid down his body, he wished he had thought things through a little better. Now, he was shaking. When he let go of her and turned back to sweep up the glass, everyone was staring at them like they were expecting something spectacular to happen. He decided to do his best to ignore them and get the job done.
By the time he got the glass swept up and dumped in the trash, everyone had started talking again, and had gone back to preparing dinner. He done his best to relax and join in, but every time he looked up, his eyes would be drawn to Lisa and she would be staring at him. He knew he needed to talk to her, but he wasn’t sure what he wanted to say yet. He had let Luke talk him into coming to dinner. He was starting to think it might have been too soon, but he really didn’t want to lose her. Even if all they ever were, were friends. He just didn’t know for sure he would ever be able to go back to the way things were before.
*******
Later, after they had finished eating dinner, when Lisa got up to get the chocolate cake for dessert, she stepped on something sharp and yelled, “Ow!” She stood there with her foot raised up off the tile, dripping blood. “James, I think you missed a piece of glass.”
Her voice came out in a much higher pitch than normal, and she was gripping the counter so hard, her fingers were turning white. Whatever it was, it was now embedded in the arch of her left foot.
James jumped out of his chair, and went over to kneel at her feet. She let him take her foot in his hand, mesmerized by the contrast in their skin. She found herself wondering what their child’s skin would be like if she were pregnant. She had to physically shake herself to snap out of the dream world she had just created in her head. She wanted to have children with the man, but she wanted to be married first.
He was looking at the bottom of her foot. “Yeah, there’s a piece of glass in there. I don’t think you’ll need stitches if we can get it out without making it worse.”
“Well, she’s dripping blood, and if she tries to walk on it, she might push it farther in. Do you think you can help her get to the bathroom?” Jamie asked, handing him a towel. “Here, wrap this around it. Gently. Don’t apply any pressure.”
He took the towel and wrapped it around her foot. When he stood back up, he looked her in the eyes, and took a deep breath. He leaned over and picked her up, trying not to think about last night. If Jamie noticed the way they were staring at each other, she didn’t give any indication of it.
“James, please take her to my bathroom, so she can sit on the edge of the tub. It’ll save us from getting blood everywhere.”
He left the kitchen and started down the hall. She had her arms wrapped around his neck, and had her forehead resting against the side of his head. So, when she spoke barely above a whisper, he could feel her breath in his ear. “You know, we have to talk about last night.”
When he reached Carl and Jamie’s room, Lisa had to lean down and open the door. He avoided answering until he had sat her down on the edge of the tub, making sure to sit her where her left foot rested inside the bathtub. “Yeah, we do. But this isn’t the right time. Your mom is going to be in here any minute.”
“James, are you going to try to avoid me? Just so you know, I’m not going to stay away from you. If we don’t talk about this, it could take us by surprise again.”
“Is that a promise, Tiger?” The second it was out of his mouth she could tell he wished he could take it back. It revealed way too much.
Rather than trying to say something to negate what he had just said, he sat down on the other end of the tub, and pulled her injured foot into his lap. “I’m sorry I missed this piece of glass.”
“It’s hardly your fault. I’m the one that dropped the bowl in the first place,” she said, sounding a little exasperated. “Is this something new? Are you going to take the blame for everything?”
“I will when it’s my fault,” he said, looking her in the eyes. She could see the anger and the passion warring with each other in their depths. The man could set her blood on fire with a look. They were going to have to be careful. It wouldn’t take much for them to be back in bed together.
She just shook her head at him.
“It was my fault you dropped the bowl.”
“No, it wasn’t. It’s not like you knocked it out of my hands,” she said, sounding really irritated. “You can’t take the blame for everything.”
“But after what I did last night, I...”
“James, I told you...”
Just then Jamie came through the door. She took one look at them, and seriously thought about walking right back out of the bathroom. She could tell their conversation had been pretty serious. There had been tension between them since she had kissed him. She knew something else had happened. Lisa normally wasn’t that clumsy. This was far more serious than a kiss.
She decided she’d pull the glass out, then escape the bathroom, and let James finish the rest. Maybe they would be able to get back to their conversation.
Jamie had gotten pretty good at performing minor surgery with sixteen kids to take care of. She left Lisa’s foot resting on James’ knee, and managed to remove the glass without any trouble. She placed the first aid supplies on the tub step beside James and turned toward the door. “I’m going to go clean the blood up in the kitchen. Do you mind helping her with that?” She walked out of the door without giving him a chance to reply.
James sat staring after her for a few minutes. He felt like he had just been set up. When he looked back at Lisa, it was to ask, “Did you tell her about last night?”
“No. I’m sure, if I had, she wouldn’t have left us in here alone.”
“I don’t know about that. She seems to know something is going on. Your mother is a very intuitive person. Especially where you and your brothers and sisters are concerned. Luke’s the only one I know who can read people faster than her, and sometimes he scares me.”
“I still don’t think she would have left us in here alone together.”
“She probably doesn’t figure there’s any reason, as they say, to close the barn door after the cows are already out. And besides, everybody is just down the hall. She probably doesn’t think we would risk it,” he said, his tone indicating he wasn’t so sure about that. He was already thinking about risking it.
“You’ve got a point. She does know us all really well, and she seems to always know what’s going on before we tell her.”
“Are you going to tell her?”
“I don’t know. If you’re right, I may not have to.”
James bent his head and started cleaning the wound. His touch was gentle enough, he didn’t cause her any unnecessary pain. He was in the process of putting the bandage on when she said, “It wasn’t your fault.”
He looked at her, fire in his eyes. “Yes, it was. I should have asked you to leave my room. I should have picked you up and sat you down in the floor.” He finished with the bandage, and sat her foot down, so she had one leg on either side of the edge of the tub.
“James, stop. I’m the one that went in there. I’m the one that crawled in bed with you.” All the sudden she was way too warm. She had started thinking about what he had done when he woke up and found her in bed with him. She could tell by the look on his face, he knew exactly what she was thinking, and he was thinking it too.
“Yeah. And what I did when I discovered you
there with me,” he said, reaching out and grabbing the front of her t-shirt, and pulling her toward him, and leaning down so their noses almost touched, “was rolled you under me, and stopped thinking. I practically ripped your clothes off. This morning, you couldn’t find your underwear, could you?”
“No. How did you know?” she asked with a confused look on her face.
“I had to throw them away. I ripped them last night. I didn’t want you to find them.”
“Do you really think it bothers me that you wanted me so bad, you couldn’t get my clothes off fast enough? I can assure you, it doesn’t.”
When she said that, it caused his eyes to burn even brighter. She wasn’t reacting at all like he had expected. “If we don’t get out of here now, I’m going to stop thinking again.”
She didn’t mean to say it. It just slipped out. It came out on a breathy sigh. “Please, stop thinking.”
She caught him off guard. That wasn’t what he had expected her to say. He had been expecting anger or shock. He hadn’t expected her to all but ask him to kiss her. Maybe even make love to her again.
He grabbed her and yanked her up on his lap, causing her to straddle his hips. He wrapped his arms around her and lost himself in the kiss.
Even after what she had said, he was still half expecting her to try and push him away. So, when she wrapped her arms around him, and he could feel her trying to pull him closer, his control slipped completely.
He was trying to get her shirt off her without letting go of her. He was needing to feel her skin against his again. She was the only one in his world right then. Nothing else mattered.
That’s why it took them a few seconds to realize they had company. Luke had to clear his throat three times to get their attention.
Lisa turned pink, and buried her face in his neck. James sat there, staring at the ceiling, with his arms wrapped tight around her. He couldn’t believe it. He had been about to do it again. In Carl and Jamie’s bathroom, no less.
Luke almost chuckled at the look on James’ face. It was part shame and part irritation. The reason for the shame was only slightly more obvious than the reason for the irritation. He was almost certain, that if James had less control, and he wasn’t the man’s best friend, he would have punched him right in the nose.
“Sorry. I was just trying to save you from someone else catching you, shall we say, more involved.”
Chapter 5 – Thursday, July 19
James had his head down, working on rebuilding a carburetor, and his mind was somewhere else entirely. It was a good thing this particular chore was second nature to him. He was only half paying attention to what he was doing. He was thinking about the night Lisa had spent in his bed. He was remembering how it felt when he woke up and she was still asleep in his arms, and how she snuggled into him trying to get closer when he leaned down and kissed her forehead. He wanted more than anything to be able to wake up with her beside him every morning. If he could only be sure she wanted the same thing he did, he’d ask her to marry him tomorrow.
With all that was on his mind, it was understandable that he was a bit distracted when Bridget called his name after stepping into the garage. When her voice finally penetrated his reverie, he just gave her a dirty look, and went back to what he was doing. He wasn’t really in the frame of mind to deal with her.
“Hi, James. I was wondering if I could catch you alone. With Luke worried about keeping Tracy away from Mindi until they catch her, I thought there might be a good chance of it,” she said, walking up beside him.
He didn’t even turn back to look at her. He knew he wouldn’t be able to keep from rolling his eyes at her. Lately, he found it very difficult to mind his manners around the annoying woman. He was getting really tired of having to turn her down. “What do you want Bridget?” The annoyance was so thick in his voice, a five-year-old would have caught on. “Like I don’t already know. Just like you already know my answer is a big, fat no.”
“James, why do we always have to play this game? I think you really need to get laid. I can help you with that.”
“The answer is still no,” James said with disgust in his voice. “So, why do we have to play this game? Most people would have caught on by now.”
“What is it about the Townsend women that sucks all you guys in so bad? They’re not that great. My own brother is panting after Hannah so hard, it’s disgusting. He said something about not realizing just how tiny she was until recently. He started going on about the things he could do with her. Like I really wanted to know,” she said, flipping her brown hair back behind her shoulder, sounding bored.
That caused James some alarm. Enough so, that he fully intended to talk to Zane later. Jeremy Hart was a real dangerous sort. His ex-girlfriend had told Jeff Campbell that when she broke up with him, he had attacked her. She hadn’t gone into detail, but Jeff suspected he had raped her. There was nothing they could do about him, because she had been too scared to press charges. Hannah was so tiny, if he caught her out alone, he could really hurt her bad.
“The Townsend women, as you put it, are very intelligent, charming and beautiful women. The don’t chase men for purely sexual reasons. And they respect themselves and others. Any more questions?”
“That sounds really boring,” Bridget said, mimicking a yawn.
“Maybe to you, but then what should someone expect. I don’t think you have much respect for yourself.”
“Whatever,” she snapped, sounding offended, and maybe a little hurt. “I’m sure that’s not my brother’s reason for wanting Hannah. I assure his reasoning is far more sexual in nature,” she said, curling up her nose in disgust.
“I’d be sure to warn your brother to stay away from Hannah, if I were you. Zane and Phillip will break him in half. Not to mention Luke and myself.”
She just snorted. “I’m sure that won’t stop him. Unlike a lot of the other guys in this town, he’s not afraid of all of you,” she smirked, flipping her hair back.
He finally turned around and looked at her. The anger in his eyes caused her to take a step back. “You might ought to warn your parents they’ll need to start making funeral arrangements then.” He stood staring her in the eyes for a few more seconds, waiting for the threat to fully sink in, then turned his back on her again. It took her a few seconds. She wasn’t used to such an aggressive tone from him. Much less an outright threat. He was normally very good natured. Even when he had to deal with her and her constantly coming on to him.
Once again, she just snorted, but this time it was only halfhearted. She was trying to seem braver than she was really feeling. “Whatever. My brother can take care of himself. That’s not why I came in here.”
“I know why you came in here. We’ve already covered that. Now, get out.”
“She’s never going to marry you.”
He slammed his hand down on the work table, and turned around to face her again. “You have no way of knowing that. No one does but her. I’ve not actually asked her yet. And even if she doesn’t, I still don’t want you.” He took a deep breath, and blurted out the one thing he might live to regret. “She happens to be crazy in bed.” He watched the shock cross her face, then turned around and went back to what he was doing.
“I don’t believe you. Little Miss Perfect would never sleep with a man without being married. Maybe that’s part of the fascination with the Townsend women. Their reluctance to give it up before they’re married. They present a challenge,” she said with barely controlled laughter. “Besides, if she did, there’s no way she would ever be crazy at it. She’s way too quiet. So, tell me another one.”
“She may be quiet around you, but she’s not me.”
“Whatever. Even if she really did have sex with you, I’m sure I can meet your needs better than she ever could. You just need to give me a chance.” She was trying to be seductive, and as always, it just ended up repulsing him.
“You couldn’t even come close,” he said, not even bothering to turn a
nd look at her.
“I still don’t believe you.”
“Whatever,” he said, turning back around to glare at her. “I don’t care what you do, or don’t believe. Go away.” He had finally ticked her off enough that she turned and huffed out of the garage.
He stood there hoping, as he watched her walk back to her car, she really didn’t believe him, but she had given him something else to think about. She was definitely wrong about Lisa’s quiet demeanor having any bearing on how she was in bed, but she was right about one thing. Lisa would never have intentionally ended up sleeping with him. What did the fact that she had mean?
Great. Now he had more to feel guilty about.
Chapter 6 -Friday, July 20
Being summoned by Carl or Jamie to come to dinner or a barbecue wouldn’t normally bother him. But all he could think this time when Carl came to tell him to be there tonight, was he wished he could say no. He really didn’t think he could face Lisa yet. Not after what he had said to Bridget yesterday. He was afraid the guilt would show on his face. But if he said he couldn’t come, he was going to have to be able to offer a reason. He didn’t think Carl would like his answer. Not his true answer anyway, and he would never be able to come up with a believable lie. Lying to Carl and Jamie was like lying to his own parents. He’d never be able to do it.
This wasn’t supposed to be a big barbecue. It was for Luke and Mindi. They couldn’t go anywhere right now because of Tracy. As it was, Zane said they both still had to stay in the house. They weren’t even allowed in the backyard. The barbecue had to be brought in to them. Carl and Jamie were hoping it would relieve some of the tedium to have other people over. Everyone else had agreed to eat in the kitchen with them so they wouldn’t be left out of the time with family.
James was wondering how Luke was taking being given orders to keep his head down. If the orders were coming from anyone else, he didn’t figure he would bother to listen, but everybody listened when Zane got serious.
Oh, Baby! (The Townsends Book 2) Page 5