When he was finished, he dropped the phone to the pavement.
“Will you please drive over that thing so they can never find me again?”
Laughing, Suzanne bent to pick it up. “You’re such a drama queen.”
“You saw them. You heard them.”
“Hey, no getting your blood pressure up. Think nice relaxing thoughts. I’ll tell you what. Let’s get you into my car and then I’ll put some Enya on and maybe spray some rose petal fragrance and—” She broke into laughter at his outraged glare.
“I see what’s happening now. Now that you’ve learned how to torture me, you’re kidnapping me so you can try all those same things at home.”
“Bwhahahaha. You’re on to me.” She let fly her best evil laugh as she opened the door of the Miata. “My car’s kind of small. You might have to stick your cast out the window.”
“At this point, I’d gnaw my leg off to get out of here. Come on, let’s make this happen. Wheel me next to the door.”
Following his instructions, she got him close enough so he was able to maneuver himself inside using the sheer strength of his arm and chest muscles. His command over his body was truly impressive, not to mention sexy. Every time she looked at his cast, her heart twisted. But still—he was here. Alive.
What was it going to be like when he was in her condo all the time? Where was he going to sleep? She really hadn’t thought this through very well, she realized as she hit the highway back to Jupiter Point.
He sat in the passenger seat, which was pushed all the way back to make room for his cast. The effort of getting into the car had worn him out, and he closed his eyes. In stillness, his face had a different appearance. When he was conscious, he was always laughing or talking, exuding life and playfulness. Now, she could see the laugh lines around his mouth, the creases fanning from his eyes, a scar next to his nose. He was still extremely good-looking, but different—as if another person lay behind the jokester version of Josh.
She wondered what that hidden part of Josh was like, and if she’d like him as much as she liked the one she knew. Or maybe she’d already seen that other Josh. He was the one willing to step in when Logan bailed. He was the one who got awkward kids at a party to join in on a game. The one who’d gone after Tim and saved his life.
More and more, she couldn’t believe how easily she’d dismissed him as nothing more than a cute, funny guy not worth taking seriously.
Maybe she was the arrogant one. Maybe she’d gotten everything all wrong.
17
Suzanne kicked off Josh’s rehab stay by reciting a list of rules as she made up the futon couch in her living room. “My bedroom is off-limits unless you’re specifically invited.”
Josh smothered a smile. As long as there was a clause in the rules that involved him entering her bedroom, he figured there was a chance. “Got it. Here’s hoping the invitation is pink and smells like roses.”
She made a face at him. He propped himself against the wall and watched her. Ever since she’d shown up in his hospital room, his feelings for her had shifted to something he didn’t recognize. Desire, yes. But something else, too. He felt…touched, even honored, that she was there for him.
Suzanne continued her lecture. “Rule number two. I have sensitive skin and require frequent facial masks. No laughing should you witness anything unusual on my face.”
“Fair enough. No laughing. Can I scream in horror?”
“No. Rule number three. I have the right to make up any rule I want at any moment.”
“Then why bother to have the first two rules?”
With a scathing glance that kind of turned him on, she continued. “Rule number four. I don’t have time to cook. I usually microwave something or order takeout. If you want anything beyond that, you’re going to have to do it yourself.”
He raised his hand from his position against the wall. “What about hiring a cook to move in with us? I’ll chip in.”
“No. Also, no interrupting during the announcement of the rules.”
“Are you done?”
She snapped the top sheet into place and tucked it in. “For now.” With a sassy smile, she tossed her long blond hair over her shoulder. “Your bed awaits, hotshot.”
She was so sexy, he couldn’t resist her another moment. “Thank you. I might need some help, though. Can you come give me a hand?”
As soon as she got close enough, he reached for her hand and tugged her against him. Her light scent, which had been driving him crazy in the car, now surrounded him. He bent his head closer and breathed her in. “Thank you. I’ll never forget this.”
She swayed toward him ever so gently, and more than anything he wanted to take her head between his hands and claim her mouth in a deep and passionate kiss. The moment drew out as he sorted through all the feelings cascading through him. Her eyes grew large and her breath hitched. He read desire on her face, along with hesitation.
He bent his head closer, electrified by the proximity of her soft skin and wide eyes. Despite the persistent ache in his leg, his cock stirred. Maybe being close to Suzanne had healing powers.
“Rule number five,” she whispered, a warning filtering into her deep blue gaze.
“Don’t say it. I’ll behave.” He dropped his hands. “I shouldn’t have done that. I don’t want to put you in an awkward position. I take it back.”
“Rule number five,” she repeated, still pressed against him. “Before I was so rudely interrupted, I was going to say that rule number five is that you do nothing to interfere with your recovery. I’d feel terrible if I made you worse.”
“You think you’re making me worse?” He shifted his hips so she could feel his growing erection. “I’m feeling about five hundred percent better right now.”
Color flooded her cheeks. Instead of moving away from the hard cock against her thigh, she rubbed her center against him. Her warmth penetrated through the sweatpants she’d bought for him in the hospital gift shop. God, he wanted to be inside her, feeling her wet, silky flesh against his. Nestling his crutches under his armpits, he planted his hands on her ass and amplified the grinding motion of her hips. Her breath came faster, her eyelids drooped, cheeks got more and more pink.
“You know what would really make me feel better?” he growled. “If you came against my thigh right now.”
“But…it might hurt you…”
“Honey, I’m alive. I could have died. Watching you come would be like coming back from the dead. Please, for me. Because you feel sorry for me. Because it will make me feel like I’m not half-dead still. Because you’re gorgeous and sexy and I want you so badly I could scream, except it’s against the rules. Come on, baby. Come for me.” As he poured hot murmurs into her ear, he manipulated her sex against his thigh, his hipbone, any part of his body he could bring into play.
Even though his injured leg was throbbing, it was nothing compared to the ache in his cock as she slid her lithe body against him. “Are you wearing that underwear you wore at the party?” he murmured. “Do you have any idea how many times I’ve dreamed about those panties?”
“No,” she gasped. “Not those. I think they’re…pink…maybe…oh my God…harder Josh…right there…faster…ahhhhh!”
She erupted into an explosive orgasm that made her entire body shake against his. He held his arms tightly around her, loving the tremors that ran through her slim frame. She didn’t hold back her cries of fulfillment. He loved that too. A girl who knew what she liked and wasn’t afraid to show it—yeah, he loved that a lot.
When they finally separated, she pushed her tumbled hair away from her flushed face. “Um…I didn’t intend…I’m pretty sure the rules…”
“We weren’t in your bedroom, I didn’t laugh or scream, and you didn’t have to cook. I think we’re good.” He grinned at her. It took some effort to look casual, considering the extreme state of his arousal.
“I’m definitely good. But what about you? It doesn’t seem fair.” She slid her h
and between his legs to touch the hard shaft forming a tent in his sweatpants.
“As much as I would love every second of that, better not,” he said regretfully. “I should really get off my feet now.”
“Yes, of course. Oh my God, I’m so sorry.”
“I’m fine. Just tired. Can we come back to this later, maybe? After I’ve slept for about a week?”
“Yes. Okay.” She tucked a long strand of blond hair behind her ear. Really, it was amazing how rattled she looked. Maybe she wasn’t used to coming like that—against the thigh of a man who happened to be on crutches.
If he had his way, it would be the first of many times she came, in any number of ways.
He slept solid for the next two days. The aftereffects of the disaster in the forest and then the surgery took a heavy toll. Also, the painkillers made him groggy as a rock star on a bender. He hated taking the stuff, but did as Suzanne said the first couple of days. Those were the rules. Besides, he owed her.
She’d rescued him. Okay, maybe not from a life-or-death situation like a fire. But something almost as painful.
No surprise, Suzanne turned out to be a very organized caretaker. She filled the coffee table with everything he might possibly need while she was at work. Water, medication, snacks, books, TV remote. She programmed meds reminders into his phone before she left for work, or for Pilates class, or her volunteer shifts at the Y, or margaritas with her friends, or… Suzanne had a very busy life.
He was a little bit in awe of her at this point.
When he wasn’t sleeping, he soaked in the comforting, cheerful ambiance of Suzanne’s condo. She had a real sense of order. Everything was tidy and well arranged, with no extra clutter. She liked a classic style, with a few bold splashes of color, such as the red upholstery of the couch. Framed photos decorated the walls.
He spent a lot of time looking at one shot in particular, which showed Suzanne and Evie playing on the beach as kids. Suzanne was about to dump a pail of sand on Evie’s legs, while Evie laughed and egged her on. Corkscrew curls bounced on Suzanne’s head like little blond springs, and she wore an expression of manic mischief.
She was so adorable it hurt.
Other photos showed her parents—he assumed. An older man gazing adoringly at a much younger, fragile-looking blonde. He could see Suzanne’s physical resemblance to her mother, but he would never use the word “fragile” for Suzanne. She must have gotten her strength and sass from somewhere else. Wherever it came from, he liked it. A lot.
At first he worried that it would be awkward staying at her place with her. In the past, he’d rarely spent more than one night in a woman’s space. It wasn’t his style. That sort of thing might lead in a direction he didn’t want, so he avoided it. He kept telling himself that staying at Suzanne’s was different. It was more like…roommates. Roommates, with a dash of post-surgery recovery. Definitely nothing romantic. Hell, they weren’t even sleeping together.
Just because he looked forward to the moment when Suzanne’s key turned in the lock, just because the sound of her zapping dinner in the microwave made him smile, just because the connection between them still sizzled with heat, none of that added up to romance.
Did it?
Neither of them mentioned the moment he’d brought her to orgasm. First of all, he slept a lot the first few days. Second, he wanted to follow her lead. After all, she’d just broken things off with her fiancé and now she had an injured firefighter on her couch. He didn’t want to push her into anything.
Also—go figure—he had fun just hanging out with her during those few hours when she was home. She liked to make sweet and salty popcorn with coconut oil and cayenne pepper. She set up Monopoly on the coffee table and they battled it out over the course of days. They talked about all sort of things as they played. Favorite movies…the kid who used to bully Josh in third grade until he took Tae Kwan-do…the time Suzanne saved someone from drowning at Stargazer Beach, the time she’d gotten stung by a jellyfish, the time Josh accidentally asked two girls to junior prom.
He still wanted her, more than ever. But he liked this, too.
The next time the hotshots were home, Sean stopped by with news about Tim.
“Apparently there was an incident in Afghanistan that he suppressed. Like it never happened. A chopper nearly clipped him. He got knocked out and when he woke up, he didn’t remember what happened. I guess being out with those C-130s triggered a flashback.”
“I figured it was something like that. How’s he doing?”
“He’s getting a psych evaluation. He broke a couple of ribs too.”
“Man, I’m sorry, Magneto. The crew’s down two guys now, must be pretty tough.”
“Hey, don’t worry about any of that. Worry about getting yourself healed up.” He fiddled with a glass dish of pebbles that sat on Suzanne’s end table. “Why do girls like to keep bowls of rocks around?” he asked, puzzling over it.
Josh settled his leg back onto its pillow. “It’s called decor, you barbarian.”
“Huh.” Sean shrugged and left the pebbles alone. “We miss you, man. It’s not the same without you.”
“Yeah.” Josh poured a glass of water from the pitcher Suzanne had left him. “I miss the action, but I have it pretty good here. There’s a beautiful girl leaving me snacks and doling out meds. And I think she’s letting me win at Monopoly. Can’t complain.”
Sean eyed the game board still set up on the coffee table. “Speaking of real estate, is Suzanne okay about losing the house?”
Josh frowned at the crew leader. “What are you talking about? She got the house.”
Sean made a face, as if he wished he hadn’t said anything. “Sorry, I figured you would know. She cancelled the signing so she could get to the hospital. Someone else weaseled in and made an offer.”
“Mother…” Josh bit back a stream of swear words. The thought that he’d been responsible for her losing the house didn’t sit right at all. “I’m going to call Mrs. Chu. She put Suzanne through more hoops than a hula contest. This is total crap. Hand me the phone, Sean.”
“Hell no. You’re supposed to be relaxing and recovering. Forget it, it’s done. If Suzanne hasn’t said anything, maybe she’s fine with it. Maybe she doesn’t want a monster mortgage after all. Evie thinks it’s for the best.”
“Well, that just goes to show that Evie doesn’t know as much about Suzanne as she thinks.”
Sean looked at him strangely. “What, and you do?”
“Yeah. I do. Some things, anyway. She deserved that house.”
He brooded over the injustice for a moment, then forced himself to let it go. “Did you bring my laptop?”
“Yup.
Sean reached into the knapsack he’d brought with him and pulled out Josh’s laptop, which was encased in a hard rubber shell because he carted the thing everywhere. He set it on the couch. “Are you getting bored? Lying around waiting for a beautiful girl to come home isn’t all it’s cracked up to be?”
“That part’s just fine. But I’m the worst couch potato in the world,” Josh agreed gloomily. “I hate TV. If I’m going to be flat on my back, it ought to be at a beach.”
“Just take it easy, bro. The worst thing you can do is push yourself too hard.”
Josh lay back, ready for a nap. “Thanks for coming by, Magneto.”
After a last fist bump, Sean took off. Josh was still trying to decide what to say to Suzanne about losing the house, when the door opened and a furry meteorite flew in. Snowball jumped onto the couch and began licking him with wet thoroughness.
“Snowball! Gentle.” Suzanne tried to grab her collar, but she squirmed away. Josh didn’t mind the tsunami of affection that came his way from the dog. When she was done licking his face and sniffing various parts of his body, the pooch curled up next on him on the couch and started storing.
“I was wondering what ol’ Snowball was up to,” Josh said, delighted to have the dog’s warm body curled up next to him. “How d
id she behave for Evie?”
“Just fine. And actually, my aunt Molly really likes her, so Evie’s been leaving her over there while she’s at the gallery.”
“Look at you, Snowball. Miss Popular.” He scratched the dog’s head. “Everyone in town wants a piece of you. Which reminds me.” He shifted his attention to Suzanne. “Why didn’t you tell me about Casa di Stella?”
She got up and cleared away the dishes on his coffee table. She looked cool and crisp in a cobalt-blue tunic style top and white leggings. “Because I’m over it. We gave her every single bit of information she wanted. I jumped through every possible hoop and even some she didn’t ask for. Then I miss one meeting and suddenly it’s all off. It’s ridiculous! So when Lisa told me another offer had come in, I told her I was out. They can have it. I don’t care anymore.”
“You did care. A lot.”
She shrugged and whisked the dishes toward the kitchen. “I also used to care about who would get the rose each week. Doesn’t mean I care now.”
“The rose? What are you talking about?”
“God, you and your freakish ban on TV.”
“It’s not a ban. I just don’t like it.”
“Well, if you watched you would know what I’m talking about. On The Bachelor, you get a rose if he wants you to stay.”
“I still have no idea what you’re talking about.” He swung his leg over the side of the couch and propelled himself into a standing position. He stumped after her.
“Forget it! Forget the rose and The Bachelor. My point was that just because I used to care doesn’t mean I have to care forever. I made a choice. I missed the meeting. I called her and told her I was going to miss it. It shouldn’t have been such a big deal. That just proved to me that I’m not meant to have Casa di Stella.”
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