by Suzy Shearer
“Well, the shoe throwing didn’t seem to work, neither did the swearing. Any other ideas?”
“Funny man.” She tried to sound serious but had a giggle in her voice. “I’m going to be very dignified and change it.”
“In that skirt? And didn’t I notice you limping?”
Okay, maybe the skirt was rather tight for kneeling on the ground, and he must have been watching her walk out to notice the limp.
Before Emma could protest, he swept her into his arms and carried her to a large dark-blue-coloured SUV facing hers a few spaces alongside. He unlocked the door and then set her in the driver’s seat.
“Keys.”
Oh, Mr. Bossy.
Emma handed her keys over and watched as he expertly changed her tyre. What would have taken her at least half an hour he had done in a few minutes. He walked back to the car after putting the flat in her boot.
“Sit there, I’m just going to wash my hands.”
Emma was a little taken aback. She had intended to just thank him and drive away but he still had her keys. A few minutes later, he was back.
“Are you going to be able to drive with that ankle? I noticed your car is a manual.”
“It’s my left foot so I should be fine. I only have to drive for about twenty minutes.”
He bent down and picked up her ankle. It did look swollen, maybe a little bruised in the light from the car park and the inside car light. He pressed it and she could not help the groan of pain that escaped.
He looked up at her.
“You should have kept off it.”
Emma felt guilty as she replied that she had work to do and could not. His hand was rubbing her ankle and she was distracted as she shook her head.
“A little hard to do I’m afraid.”
“Yes, I supposed so. By the way, I’m sure I’d have enjoyed your demonstration if I’d managed to get a ticket.”
Emma looked up at him in surprise.
“You don’t seem the type to like cooking.”
“You’d be surprised at what I like.”
Emma felt herself blush at his words. It was as if he was speaking of something intimate, something dark. He looked at her legs. The tight skirt had ridden up and she realised he could see a lot more than she intended. She tried to pull it down. He laughed, she blushed even more, and his fingers seemed to do more than just rub her ankle.
“I’ll drive you home. Tomorrow, I can pick up your car and drive it back to you. I have to be in the city for a meeting.”
Emma could only stare at him and she realised her mouth was open. “No. No, it’s fine. I’m capable of driving home and I can get someone to pick it up.”
Talk about Mr. She-Must-Obey-Me!
He shook his head then reached in and picked her up again, took her to the passenger side of his car, opened the door, and looked down at her. Emma had the urge to kiss him. She was sure she moved forward slightly but he put her in the seat. He walked back, checked her car was locked, and got in his driver’s seat.
“Address.”
Emma was sitting there slightly shocked, but there was a frisson of excitement as well.
“Look, I appreciate your help but I’m sure I can manage to drive myself home.”
“Not with that ankle. You’ll only get a few minutes from here and be in agony. Not to mention the extra damage you’d be doing to it. At the moment it will take about two weeks to heal, more damage and you could be looking at a month or longer.”
Emma groaned at the thought.
“If you feel any better, I’ll give you my name, address, and driver’s license number. You can text them to a friend.”
Oh, hell. She may as well give in and let him drive her home. It was obvious that he had no intention of returning her keys.
“You win.”
“Phone.”
She opened up her text messages and quickly wrote to Alison. She was going to send it to her best friend Nina but didn’t want her worrying about Emma going off with a stranger. Alison, on the other hand, wouldn’t give a damn. She quickly wrote a message saying she was getting a lift home with someone, that her car was in the car park after getting a flat but would be collected tomorrow. She handed the phone over and he expertly entered details and hit send before returning her phone.
She told him her address and he drove from the car park. She felt nervous. Understandable, really, she had no idea who he was, he could be anyone. Hell, what if he was a serial killer or a rapist? Maybe she should have just called for road service and grabbed a taxi, or seen if Greg was still in the hotel.
They drove in silence for a while. She tried to look at him under her lashes. Goodness, he was a hunk. Emma wondered what those lips would taste like. He had a smile on his face. As he drove he glanced over and she felt as if she had been caught doing something wrong.
“Um…do you live around here?”
“Further out of the city.”
“Oh, I hope I’m not taking you out of your way.”
“Not really, I can easily drop onto the freeway near your area and be home in fifteen minutes.”
Fortunately, her street appeared. “The white house, two from the corner.”
Emma pointed it out. He pulled into the driveway and turned off the car. He looked at her car keys and saw that there were several other keys attached.
“Any of these the front door?”
She said yes and he walked around the car, opened her door, then once more lifted her. She could get quite used to this. His arms felt very safe around her. She put her arms around his neck. Carrying her to the door, he gave her the keys to unlock it and pushed it open.
Emma pointed to the lounge room and he carried her in, closing the door with his foot as he moved. He set her on a couch and then stood looking down at her.
“Um…thank you. I appreciate all your help tonight.”
His eyes seemed to glow in the pale light of the room. He reached down and took her hand, holding it to his lips and kissing it.
“You’re most welcome.”
Emma felt her heart lurched as his lips lingered on her hand. She knew she was breathing fast. She wasn’t sure what to do. He looked at her and she felt naked under his gaze.
“Where’s your bedroom?”
Chapter Two
“Pardon?” she squawked, a little frightened.
“Bedroom, the room you sleep in.”
“I know what a bedroom is, but why do you want to know?”
“I don’t want you on that foot unless it is essential. If you keep off it and do exactly what I tell you, it should be a lot better in a few days. As I mentioned, it should take about two weeks to heal completely.”
“Oh.”
He just looked at her and grinned. It was a very sexual dominant grin and Emma felt herself start to get wet.
He lifted an eyebrow. “Bedroom?”
She pointed and breathlessly replied, “Over there.”
This time when his arms lifted her, she could feel one hand pressing against her breast. Was it accidental or did he mean to do it? Without knowing, he was exciting her. She wanted more. It had been a long time since she had sex and now she was desperate for this man. Emma thought it was the confidence and command he was generating, along with the risk of sex with a stranger. It appealed to her. She realised she was giving control to him. Of course, the fact he was as handsome as hell helped a lot, too.
He walked into her bedroom and set her on the bed. Emma looked everywhere but at him as she thanked him. He put a finger under her chin and lifted her head. His eyes held hints of passion, hints of darkness, hints of desire.
“I want to check your ankle in better light.”
Emma could only whisper, “Oh.”
He switched the light on then got down on his knees in front of her. He lifted her ankle gently, his fingers rubbing up and down. He pressed it and moved it about very gently.
“Okay I’m pretty sure it isn’t broken but you definitely need to k
eep off it. Do you have any ice or an icepack?”
Emma nodded. “Yes, there’s an icepack in the freezer I think.”
“What about elastic bandage or something similar?”
“Linen press in hall. There’s a container of bits and pieces on the second shelf. You can’t miss it, it has a red cross drawn on it.”
He stood and left the room. Emma tried to calm her racing heart. When he had been on his knees before her, all she could think of was spreading her legs apart and asking him to taste her. She took a few deep breaths and tried to look relaxed and at ease, with little success.
A few minutes he was back with the ice pack, a tea towel, and a bandage. Carefully he bandaged her ankle then wrapped the icepack in the towel then put it around her ankle.
“Let me know if any of this hurts.”
His hands began massaging her foot, his fingers rubbing her toes, then they would run up and down her leg. Emma knew she had difficulty breathing. She tried to settle her racing heart as his hands got higher and higher with each pass. She kept holding her breath wondering where his hands would finish with each pass.
It was the most erotic thing to watch. Emma could not take her eyes off his hands as they touched her knee. She thought she ought to tell him that he was a long way from her ankle but no words came out. In the back of her mind was the fear that he could do anything to her and no one would know. Or maybe it wasn’t fear—maybe it was hope that he would.
Maybe she was consciously wishing he would do something, something to show her that he was as aroused as she was. She thought he must be able to smell her, she could feel how wet her panties were. It was all there, her need, her desire, her worry.
She needed that element of fear. She wanted more. Her foot was hurting. That prickle of pain combined with his hands was exciting her. When sex and pain mixed, she lost all control.
Back down his hands went to her foot.
They wrapped around her ankle and slowly travelled up her leg to above her knee, then back down to her foot again. His fingertips rubbed lightly under her foot then began the return journey. This time his hands stopped mid-thigh before moving down her leg.
There was no doubt in Emma’s mind that if he had come anywhere near her pussy she would climax then and there, so she was disappointed when he stopped. She let out a soft moan of pleasure or perhaps it was displeasure.
He looked up into her face and stood. She felt small as he towered over her, looking into her eyes. He looked away, then back to her face. A shiver of fear and excitement ran up her arms and the hair on the back of her neck tingled. She could send him home now but she wanted him, wanted him badly. He turned away and took a few steps from the bed.
She heard him plainly say, “Dammit!”
He turned back and within two strides, he was in front of her again. He grabbed her and pulled her toward him to latch onto her mouth. Emma felt the icepack fall to the floor as she threw her arms around his neck as he forced his kiss onto her. In the back of her mind, she thought she was crazy but it was what she wanted, at last. Then, as his kiss turned more passionate, more aggressive, she threw caution out the window and returned it.
His hands were all over her. She could only mewl into his mouth as his hands pulled her tight against his body, and she felt his erection pushing against her. She should send him away but instead she pushed her tongue into his mouth, giving him her acceptance, her hand trying to squeeze between their bodies so she could rub his cock.
Roughly, he broke the kiss and looked at her. His eyes were filled with passion, with desire, with heat. He shook his head and stared at her.
“This is so wrong. I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t be. I wanted it as much as you. I allowed it. In fact I would have been disappointed if you hadn’t kissed me.”
“I am so glad your shoe broke and your tyre was flat.”
He picked up the icepack and put it on her foot again. Emma felt brave and replied as he sat down beside her on the bed.
“I think I am, too.”
He hit his forehead with his hand. “I have no idea what your last name is, I mean I read Emma something on your poster. I’ve just almost attacked you and I…well…”
“It’s Emma or Em. Emma Cunningham.”
He laughed and said, “Hello, Emma Cunningham. My name is Simon Harrington.”
She grinned shyly at him. He leant over and kissed her. “I could get very used to kissing you, Emma Cunningham.”
“I’m pretty sure I would like that, Simon Harrington.”
He looked serious. “I still feel bad about what happened. I mean, I didn’t know anything about you and yet I forced myself on you. Didn’t give you a chance to even say no. In fact, I ignored whatever you wanted and took what I did.”
“Maybe I was projecting what I wanted and you just responded.”
“Maybe. I still feel bad but I want to do it again.”
“And if you did, I would let you.”
Simon gave a little groan and closed his eyes as if he was trying to get his emotions under control. He exhaled loudly.
“I’ll take your car keys and drop off your car later but please, please tell me I can see you, talk to you, spend time with you.”
“Yes. Yes I would like that.”
He sighed as he pulled her tight to him, as if he had tried to resist but couldn’t, his arms holding her gently but tight. Then he kissed her hair, her eyes, her ears, her lips. When he lifted his head and looked at her, she smiled. He grinned down at her.
“I’ll be here around one. Is that okay? Emma, I really want to see you. I want to learn all about you.”
Emma nodded, Simon stood. Then he bent down and kissed her forehead.
“Don’t walk on that foot unless you really have to. You can take the ice off after ten minutes or so but you need to put it on for twenty minutes when you wake, then again every few hours.” He grinned wickedly. “I’m a very bossy man and I’ll get angry if you don’t.”
Emma’s eyes widened at his statement. He waggled his fingers at her.
“I’ll know and I’ll punish you. Sleep well. See you in a few hours.”
With that, he was gone.
Emma lay there thinking on what had just happened. For the first time in years, she actually felt excited. Heavens, excited wasn’t the word for it. Several times she thought she would orgasm just from feeling his lips on hers or his hands on her body. She wondered if Simon really meant the things he said. All she could do was wait and see.
Pulling off the ice pack, she hobbled into the bathroom, washed her face, and threw on her nightie then hobbled back to bed. She lay thinking about the strange events of the evening. Never in her life had she accepted a lift from a stranger, let alone ask them into her house.
But there was something about Simon, something that sang to that hidden place deep inside her. She wondered if there was some sort of invisible scent that likeminded people gave off. From the moment she had almost fallen down the stairs and she’d felt him grab her, her mind had been on him. Even through the demonstration, she kept thinking about him.
When he was driving her home she kept wondering what his hands would feel like on her body, what it would be like to kiss him. What it would be like to be writhing under his body. He seemed so strong, so assertive. Maybe that was it. Maybe the fact that he seemed so assertive, so in control, and that was what was singing to her.
He had brooked no refusal and she had handed over her keys, allowing him to drive her home, letting him carry her into the bedroom with no argument. She had effectively handed control over and he had expertly taken it and ran. When he kissed, her whole body had ignited. If he had begun to strip her, to make love to her, she would have let him. She was so attracted to him, so besotted that he could have done or asked for anything and she would have complied without a second thought. Her excitement, the fear, and the pain from her ankle, all combined to call to her.
She hugged herself and whispered aloud.
/>
“Please let him be the one. Please let him be strong enough to control me.”
She looked around the room as if checking no one was listening before adding in a very quiet, tiny voice, “And let us fall in love.”
She gave a little giggle, lay looking at the ceiling, recalling how it felt when Simon had kissed her as she slowly drifted off to sleep.
Chapter Three
The next morning Emma found her ankle swollen but rather than risk any further damage, she would keep off it as much as possible. She followed Simon’s instructions, and after a shower and dressing, she iced her ankle and re-strapped it. Hobbling into the kitchen, Emma made herself a coffee and some toast with strawberry jam. Simon had said he would be back around one. She had slept in and it was now after eleven.
She hopped into the family room and settled down on the couch with a book. At least she would be able to honestly say she had rested her foot when he came.
By two o’clock Emma was starting to feel edgy. When the doorbell went at two thirty, she got a buzz of excitement. She limped to the door. Simon stood there. He handed over her keys.
“Hi. Sorry I’m a bit late.”
“That’s okay, please come in.”
Emma turned to walk back down the hall but Simon gathered her up in his arms and, pushing the door closed with his foot, carried her into the living room. He set her down on a couch and sat alongside her.
“Let me see your foot.”
Blushing, Emma lifted her leg. Simon unwrapped it and then she felt his strong hands touch it gently. He re-bound it.
“Looks good. Not too much swelling. Did you ice it a few times?”
“Yes.”
“Good girl!”
For some reason those two words made Emma feel excited. He sat on a nearby couch and looked over at her.
“You know you take my breath away. I haven’t stopped thinking about you.”
“Oh.”
“I want to know everything about you.”
“You do?”
“I do, very much so.”