by Debora Ryan
She rolled away from him. “I’m not in a coma. Go back to sleep.”
The next time she woke, she was alone. Carefully, she pushed herself up and glanced around for a clock to see if she could take something more for the pain in her head. She was in the midst of resisting the urge to lie back down and give in to the softness beneath her when the door opened and Will poked his head in.
“You’re up. Good. I let you sleep too long. I was starting to feel guilty.” He sat next to her on the bed and moved her hair out of her face to check her bandage. “Are you hungry? It’s almost noon.”
The blood drained from Leah’s face. Her skin became suddenly clammy, and she was both cold and hot at the same time. The faint nausea she had been ignoring blossomed and demanded attention. She ran to the bathroom and lost the little bit of liquid in her stomach. Her last meal had been lunch the day before.
Will stood over her and held her hair away from her face until she finished. With her eyes closed, she sat back against the cupboard behind her to gather her strength and to be nearby in case of an encore, though she doubted there was anything left.
She heard the water running and then felt a cool cloth against her forehead and her cheek. “Let’s get you back into bed,” he said. “And I’ll call the doctor.”
Leah opened her eyes to find him kneeling on the floor, pale with worry. Her grimace was meant as a smile. “I’ll be fine. This is normal for a head injury.”
Uncertainty settled in his eyes. “Are you sure?”
She put a reassuring hand on his and squeezed it weakly. “I’m sure. You know what I really want?”
“What’s that?”
“A shower and a shirt that doesn’t have splashes of vomit on it.”
“You can’t get your stitches wet,” he said. “I’d be willing to help you shower, but something tells me you’d rather wait for Anne. She said she’d come by after work.”
“I’ll wait for Anne.”
He didn’t hide the regret in his smile. “I don’t think she packed you another shirt. Let me see what I have that you might like.” He helped her to her feet. He would have carried her into the bedroom, but she put out a hand to stop him.
“If it’s all the same to you, I’m going to brush my teeth.”
It might have been because she was so weak and tired and because she had a concussion, but something seemed different between them. Leah couldn’t quite put her finger on it, but it felt like they had crossed some invisible line. If she thought about it objectively, nothing had changed. She was with him because he insisted on it, not because she had chosen to be. Yet, if she were to be completely honest with herself, she had to admit she didn’t want to be anywhere else.
He returned with several shirts. “I didn’t know if you would prefer a button-down or a pullover or a T-shirt.” He held each one up in turn. “I don’t have any women’s clothes larger than what a seven-year-old would wear.”
Leah gave him an odd look. “A seven-year-old?”
“My niece, Jaden,” he explained. “She likes to leave some clothes here so she has options when she visits.”
“Options?” Leah echoed.
“I’ve never seen a girl go through more clothes. Even my sister is amazed.” With his head, he gestured in the general direction of the closet. “I installed a low bar so she could hang up her things. Erika thinks I spoil Jaden, and maybe I do, but I want her to feel like she’s welcome here.”
“What about your other niece? Aren’t they sisters?” It seemed like he favored Jaden.
“Quinn is only six months old. She doesn’t seem to care about her clothes at all. I do keep her favorite crackers on hand, which I’m going to feed to you after you change.” He held the shirts out to Leah. “Which one do you want?”
She reached over and snagged a plain blue cotton shirt. “Thanks,” she said.
Will hauled her to her feet and helped her change her shirt.
Leah was able to eat a few of Quinn’s crackers, which turned out to be regular saltines, and she managed a weak tea. Will sat across from her, monitoring her progress.
She blew over her tea to cool the surface liquid. “You know, that line between your eyebrows is going to become permanent if you keep looking at me like that.”
He relaxed a little. “Sorry. You scared me yesterday. I don’t know what I would do if anything happened to you.”
“Find someone else to blackmail?” she suggested dryly.
The expression on his face managed to be both disapproving and disgusted. He changed the subject. “I’m going to run to the store when Anne gets here. What do you need me to pick up?”
Leah shrugged. “Nothing. I’ll have Anne take me home tonight.”
“You’re not going anywhere until the doctor says you can be left alone.” Will’s response was quiet and matter-of-fact. “So, are there any special foods you like? Do you need shampoo? I don’t have anything flower-scented.”
She laughed at him. “Neither do I.”
“But you always smell so good.”
“Pheromones,” she said solemnly. He raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. She continued, “Anne packed toiletries in my bag in case I had to stay at the hospital. I think I’ll call her and see if she can swing by my place to pick up some more clothes.”
“I can do that,” Will said.
“She knows where everything is,” Leah explained. “It’ll be faster.” A wave of exhaustion swept over Leah. She nearly toppled from her chair. “I don’t know why I’m so tired.” She yawned, stretching out that last word.
“I drugged your food.”
“Really?” She wouldn’t put it past him.
“No, Leah. You’ve been running yourself ragged for months and you totaled your car yesterday. There’s absolutely no reason you should be tired.”
“You’re the reason I’ve been running myself ragged.”
He scooped her up and carried her to bed. She laid her head against his shoulder and held on to him. “Sorry. I’ll make up for it, honey.” He kissed her carefully on the good side of her forehead as he tucked her under the covers. “Sleep.”
“I have to call Anne,” she murmured with her eyes half closed.
“I’ll call Anne,” he assured her.
She grabbed for his hand as he went to turn away. “Will?”
He threaded his fingers through hers. “Yeah?”
The affection in his warm eyes nearly made her swallow her words. “I wanted to go out with you. Before…you know.”
“Why didn’t you?”
“I was afraid I’d fall for you. And now it’s too late.” Consciousness slipped away.
* * * *
Her lips barely moved when she spoke, making her words almost unintelligible. By the time her meaning translated in his brain, she was sound asleep.
Will stayed with Leah for a while longer, hoping she’d wake up so he could find out whether she’d already fallen for him or if she meant he’d ruined everything.
Chapter 11
The next time Leah opened her eyes, late afternoon sunlight slanted through the open blinds. She sat up and stretched. She couldn’t remember the last time she had slept the whole day. Her body wasn’t nearly as sore as it had been before, and her head didn’t ache as much. Tentatively, she rose from the bed. She found Anne in the living room flipping through channels on a large, flat-screen television mounted on the wall opposite the larger sofa. Leah hadn’t noticed it before.
Anne grinned widely at Leah. “Hey, sleepyhead.” Her long blonde hair was pinned neatly back into a French braid, and she wore a tailored charcoal-grey business suit. She looked fabulous. “How are you feeling?”
“Much better,” Leah said. For some reason, she refrained from asking Anne to take her home. One word and she wouldn’t have to be in his apartment. But the idea of leaving made stones churn in her stomach. She and Will were at a crossroads in their relationship, and Leah didn’t want to run away.
“Well, you lo
ok a lot better than the way Will described you. He said you threw up.”
“Yeah. I’m not nauseous anymore, though, so don’t worry about that.” Leah sank into the richly upholstered sofa next to Anne and arranged a pillow behind her.
Anne motioned to a bag on a nearby chair. “I brought you a few outfits. You know, you really need to go shopping. I had a hard time finding things in which you could lounge around and still look good.”
Leah sighed. “Annie, I’m wearing his shirt and no bra. I don’t care if I look good or not.”
Raising a sculpted brow, Anne snorted. “You know you look incredible in that color blue. It brings out the red highlights in your hair, and it makes your skin look less pale. You need to get out in the sun more.”
Leah waited for Anne to continue. When she didn’t, Leah narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips. “Are you finished critiquing me?”
A hurt expression creased Anne’s forehead. “I didn’t mean it that way, Leah. You are so gorgeous, but you hide it from everyone but me. I’m the only one who knows how beautiful you are. You really lucked out with Will. Not many men can see past the plain clothes you wear and the lack of care you take with your make-up and hair.” Anne tilted her head to the side thoughtfully. “You know, maybe you have the right idea. At least you know he likes you for your personality.”
Leah didn’t say anything. After all these months, she didn’t know why Will continued forcing her to be with him. He certainly wasn’t getting anything out of it. Beyond a few heated kisses, he hadn’t forced the issue.
Anne’s face was pensive as she thought, but when she spoke, she changed the subject. “Will said you needed my help taking a shower. I think he had some wistful thoughts in his head about that. I assume you meant you wanted me to help you wash your hair, since you only need help keeping your stitches dry. He should be back any minute. Did you want to try to get that done before he gets home?”
Will returned a half hour later to find a freshly-bathed Leah sitting cross-legged on his bed watching while Anne pulled items from the bag she had packed and showed them to Leah. The room looked like it had been hit by a cyclone. Women’s clothing and toiletry products were scattered everywhere. Just when she expected him to bluster about the way she had taken over his bedroom, he smiled and kissed her temple.
“I see you’ve been busy.” He handed a bag to Anne. “Is this what you wanted?”
Anne peeked inside. “Yep. Thanks.” She handed it to Leah. “I had him pick up some Epsom salts and other bath things. A nice, long soak in a steamy bath should help with the soreness. Don’t lie and say you aren’t still sore. You might be feeling better, but I can tell by the way you move that you’re still hurting.”
“I’ll take something after I eat,” Leah said.
“I brought Chinese,” Will said. “I guessed at what you might like, Anne. Hopefully something captures your interest.”
“You can’t go wrong with macaroni and cheese,” Anne said. “It’s Leah’s favorite, too.”
Leah smiled modestly. It was her favorite, but the smell that had followed Will into the room was heavenly. “Something smells good,” Leah said as she slowly rose from her seat at the foot of the bed. “I think you’re safe.”
Anne stayed for dinner but left soon afterward. “Last night was a late night, and I’m still tired. Some of us actually worked today.”
Will saw Anne to the door. They both told Leah to stay on the couch. “I’ll be out until Tuesday, at least,” he said.
“I figured,” she said. She turned suddenly back to Leah. “The people at the office want to send you flowers. Should I have them sent here?”
Leah shook her head. “Don’t tell people I’m here.”
“They know you’re not at home. Several have tried calling to see how you are and nobody answers.”
“Give them her cell number,” Will suggested.
“She doesn’t have a cell phone,” Anne said.
Will smiled and nodded. “She does now. Wait here.” He ran to the kitchen and wrote something on a piece of notebook paper. “Here’s her number.”
After Anne left, Leah watched from her perch on the sofa, puzzled. Will fished around in a bag on the counter that divided the kitchen from the living room. “Here it is,” he said triumphantly as he removed a small box.
Careful to not shake the sofa too much, he sat down beside Leah and handed her the box. She could tell by the logo, if not from his conversation with Anne, that it was a cell phone. The first thing that came to mind was the stack of unpaid and overdue bills that waited for her at home. She couldn’t even afford the phone she had in her home. The last notice indicated she would lose her phone in thirty days. Her credit cards were maxed out and she’d been served a few eviction notices. “Will, I can’t accept this from you.”
The last gift he had given her had been the flowers she had promptly deposited in the trash. “Don’t throw it away.”
She handed it back to him. “I don’t want a cell phone.”
“You don’t have a choice,” he said, refusing to take it from her. “I want you to have one. You seem to have a penchant for getting into trouble. What if there is no nice paramedic to loan you his phone next time? I want to make sure you can always call someone for help. Look,” he said opening the box. “I programmed in my cell and home numbers, and Anne’s as well. I don’t know Cecelia’s number or your parents’ number or I would have put those in as well.”
At her doubtful expression, he said, “It wasn’t expensive, I swear. I know how you hate spending money. I added you to my plan.”
The gesture was well-intentioned. She looked at it for several minutes while she pondered the ramifications of accepting the gift. He hadn’t done it to tie her to him, but it had the same effect. As the bill payer, he would know every call she made or received. Still, she didn’t have to use it. She could keep it around for emergencies.
Will mistook her ruminations for acceptance and began pointing out the features of the phone and of her plan. It appeared she had access to everything via the little gizmo. She could surf the internet or check her email. She had unlimited texting and more minutes of talk time than she had probably used in the last year.
She thanked him for the gift and put it on the table behind the sofa. She was too tired to make an issue of it. Her eyes had begun to close of their own accord.
He touched her shoulder. “You look like you’re ready for bed.”
She shook her head in denial. According to her new phone, it wasn’t even eight o’clock. She had slept too much already. “I want to stay up for a while. I’m tired of sleeping.”
“Did you want to watch some TV? Or a movie?”
Leah shrugged. She didn’t own a television, so she had no idea what was on. “I’ll watch whatever you watch.”
Will covered her up and sat close to her. She rested her head on his chest and relaxed into the heat and the clean smell of him. Gently, he stroked the hair at her temple. The images on the television blurred and faded as she fell asleep.
She awoke in the bed sometime in the middle of the night, wide awake. Will lay next to her. The bed was large, but she found she was very near him.
Slowly, Leah turned her head to see if he was awake. Moonlight spilled through two of the open shades, cutting a swath through the room and across Will’s side of the bed. Leah could see his face clearly. She caught her breath at how handsome he was. The paleness of the moonlight only served to emphasize the darkness of his eyelashes against the plane of his cheeks and the fullness of his lips.
He was lying on his side, facing her. The covers had slipped down to his waist. Leah could see that, once again, he slept shirtless. Her hand floated across the insignificant distance, and her fingertips came to rest on his chest. Lightly, she traced the contours of his muscles, mesmerized by the smoothness of his olive skin.
Will made a sound, and Leah stopped suddenly, afraid she had disturbed him. Her eyes shot to his, and she saw they h
ad opened. She began to withdraw her hand, but he stopped her. Leah watched, fascinated, as he brought her hand to his lips and tenderly kissed her palm before laying it against his cheek. Overcome, she cupped his face in her hands and kissed him fully on the mouth.
He responded slowly. His hand moved carefully, gradually weaving itself into her hair before sliding down the length of her to move her closer. Leah was in heaven. She had left herself behind. Nothing seemed real and yet nothing had ever seemed further from a dream than the feel of his body against hers. Heat from every place he touched her radiated outward to spiral in her center. She couldn’t remember where she was.
Increasing the pressure of her hands, she touched him more insistently now. Her hands roamed across his back and his chest, pulling him closer, and exploring lower and lower. She raked her nails across his abdomen, eliciting a moan of pleasure. Pleased at his response, she pushed him until he rolled onto his back, taking her with him. His hands were now both available, and they roamed her body freely, pressing her into him as their kiss deepened still further.
Later, they snuggled together, limbs tangled. Will held Leah in his arms until he fell asleep.
Leah lay awake for a good while longer. She frowned as reality intruded upon her thoughts. Something had changed between them. It was her fault. She had fallen in love with him. Why, then, was she so bereft?
The answer was quite simple, and she had always known it. She wanted a fresh start. She wanted to be with him with no conditions between them. She wanted to know he wanted to be with her because he had feelings for her, not because he enjoyed controlling her through blackmail. She wanted him to know that she hadn’t stolen six million dollars from his father’s company.
She was in love with him, and she could see no way to undo the damage.
* * * *
Consciousness returned slowly to Leah. She couldn’t remember the last time she had slept so peacefully. Surely it was before her parents’ accident, well before Cecelia had needed such expensive and constant care. Before Cecelia had needed any sort of care at all. A patch of sunlight caressed her cheek and begged her eyes to open, bringing her to full consciousness.