Heat of the Moment

by Lori Herter

  She swallowed hard, pushing down the surge of fear mixed with the outrageous excitement she felt. Calm down! she told herself. You’re okay. You have the upper hand.

  Josie didn’t look at him as she answered his question. “You know.” When he said nothing, she added, “It seems you’re aroused, too.”

  She hadn’t thought that was possible. This changed everything. What had been in his mind when they’d made their agreement last night?

  She heard him exhale and from the corner of her eye could see him run his dripping hand over his face.

  “That often happens to a guy when he gets close to an attractive woman.” He leaned against the pool tiles, too, so that they were side by side with about two yards of space between them. “I guess you were going on the assumption that biological function wasn’t in the cards for me anymore. You were happy assuming I was impotent.”

  Josie drew her brows together. “I wasn’t happy thinking that. But I thought… I guess you aren’t paralyzed, are you?”

  “No. I never said I was, did I?”

  “In the newspaper, it said that you couldn’t feel your legs.”

  “There was swelling near my spine at first. When the swelling went down, the feeling came back.”

  He glanced at her and she momentarily looked at him. “I’m glad,” she told him sincerely. But that didn’t mean she wanted to get anywhere near him anytime soon. Kissing was one thing. Getting prodded by that part of his body was another. Her one experience with a fully aroused male had been painful and degrading.

  “So you didn’t realize I was completely functional until now, and you’re shocked.” Peter’s tone had grown wry. “Speaking for myself, I’m relieved! You’re the first woman I’ve been near since my accident. I’m happy to find that I can still get aroused as efficiently as ever.”

  Josie stiffened, wrapping her arms around her waist. The pool suddenly felt cold. “Were you using me to test yourself?”

  “Using you?” He grew concerned. “I’m damned attracted to you. I find it a major challenge to keep away from you.”

  This revelation didn’t exactly make Josie feel better. She grew silent, thinking, remembering. Two things played on her mind—what had happened with Max, and what she’d agreed to last night with Peter. She’d trusted Max and he’d turned mean. Maybe she shouldn’t trust Peter, either.

  “You’re not saying anything, Josie. That makes me nervous.”

  She moistened her lips, as her mouth suddenly seemed to feel like cotton. “Look, Peter, maybe we need to forget our agreement and go back to just working together. You’re my boss. I’m your employee. The flirting and playfulness was fun. But all at once, it’s more than I bargained for.”

  He stared at her, his eyes sharpening. “Do you see this as sexual harassment? I never meant it that way. Your job doesn’t depend on you—”

  “No, I never felt it that way,” she told him honestly. “It’s just not the best idea, while I’m working for you, to be…to be kissing you and so on. I never expected you to pursue me.”

  “So you’re chickening out of our agreement already.”

  Josie chewed her lip. Yes, that was indeed what she was doing. “I thought our agreement just extended to kissing and maybe some touching. I didn’t expect…”

  “To have to deal with a fully aroused man. You thought you were safe from all that because I’m in a wheelchair.”

  “Frankly, yes. You seemed to even assure me of that, always saying you can’t chase me around the room, remember?” Peter knew her private history now and ought to understand. “Look, I like you as a person, but—”

  “But not as a potent male.” He finished the sentence for her.

  “Well…where do you think it will lead, if we keep on kissing and…and…”

  “And I keep getting erections?”

  A shudder went through her. “Do you have to be so blunt?”

  “Might as well call it what it is. If we kept on, I suppose it might lead to sex.”

  “I’m not ready for that, Peter. Not by a long shot.”

  “You could have fooled me.”

  “Huh?”

  “The way you were responding to me, I kind of thought you were heading in that direction. Maybe not today, or even next week. But your body was definitely speaking to mine.”

  Josie headed for the steps and climbed out of the pool. Whether what he’d said was true or not, she didn’t want to discuss it anymore.

  “Josie, don’t go. Let’s talk about this.”

  “Don’t care to,” she said, grabbing a big striped towel he’d left by the side of the pool.

  “You’re giving up already? I thought you wanted to get over your fear of men. If you’re going to do that, you’ll have to get used to what happens when a guy gets next to a woman. It’s an involuntary response. I didn’t get hard on purpose. Honest.”

  She wrapped the towel around her, more for the protection it seemed to offer than because she was wet and cold. “I know. I know. But it was a little too…real for me.”

  He swam close to where she was standing. “Josie, don’t give up before you’ve even begun. Unless you’re planning to go on living like a nun, you’re going to have to get used to what men are like.”

  “Not a pleasant thought,” she muttered sadly.

  “If your first experience with sex hadn’t been so frightening, you might have a different attitude. Don’t you know women have a saying? ‘A hard man is good to find.’”

  Josie bowed her head. She’d heard that saying. It was one of Ronnie’s favorites. And it always reminded her of how different she was from other women. Edgy and upset now, she looked at Peter as she wrapped the towel even more tightly around her. “What do you want from me?”

  “Another chance. I’ll take things slower. And—” he glanced at the steps out of the pool “—some help getting back into my wheelchair?”

  Oh, my God, she thought. She envisioned him stuck in the pool, unable to get out. “I’m not strong enough to pull you out. You should have thought of that before you went in.”

  “Don’t worry, I can get out. All you have to do is hold the chair still. That’s the part that always gave me trouble.”

  Gave him trouble? It was odd that he used the past tense. She chalked it up as a slip of the tongue. Nervously she watched him grip the rail at the side of the ladder. As she hovered near, worrying, he used the rail and one hand on the rim of the pool to lift himself out of the water. She marveled at how deftly he moved, like a gymnast mounting a pommel horse.

  He sat on the edge of the pool and, using his hands and arms again, lifted himself away from it to sit in front of the wheelchair. “Just hold the chair for me, will you? The wheels are locked, but it helps if someone stabilizes it while I climb on.”

  She did as he asked and watched him use his strong arms to push himself into the chair. But she saw that he must have some use of his legs. She was surprised at how muscular his legs looked. And then she noticed the long scars on his thigh and near his knee.

  “Gosh,” she said softly as she came around to the side of his wheelchair. “Those scars are pretty nasty. Does it still hurt?”

  “Achy sometimes. The leg and pelvic bones were shattered when I fell. Had to have three surgeries. There’s metal inserted in two places.”

  “Will you be able to walk again eventually?”

  He hesitated. “I believe anything’s possible.” He looked up at her, studying her. “You look very grave right now.”

  “You had such a dreadful injury. You have a positive attitude, though. That’s so admirable.”

  Peter drew in a long breath and exhaled. He took hold of her fingertips and gave them a little yank. “Josie, I appreciate your nurturing qualities. But I liked the laughing woman who was splashing me in the pool even better.”

  “Peter—”

  “I’m just saying I liked the way we were getting along. Before a certain part of my anatomy reared its ugly head. Can’t we jus
t go back and start from there again?”

  Josie had liked the way they were getting along, too. Still, she needed to feel she had more control over how things progressed between them. “All right. But we should draw some more specific boundaries.”

  “Okay.” Peter smiled. “Let’s think about what those boundaries should be and discuss it later. Sound reasonable?”

  “Sure,” she said, but she didn’t feel as secure as she pretended.

  Her brain was an equal match for his when it came to earthquake science and technology. But when it came to male-female interaction, he was a little too good at mental foreplay—and Josie had no experience in that arena. Even if he slowed himself down for her, she sensed he’d still be moving too fast for her comfort.

  “But since it’s Saturday,” she added smoothly, “I think I’d like to go back to my condo for the rest of the day. To think it over there, while I do laundry and pick out some new clothes to bring over on Monday.”

  She could see the light dim in his soulful green eyes. “But you are coming back?” he asked.

  “Yes, I promise I will come back. I just need a little time by myself.”

  His powerful chest rose and descended as he let out another long sigh. Josie’s barely regained equilibrium grew shaky again, and she made herself look away.

  “Part of our bargain was that I wasn’t supposed to be lonely,” he reminded her with big, tragic eyes. “There’s an Irish saying, ‘There is no need like the lack of a friend.’”

  Honestly, he was so charming, he could have easily broken her heart if she hadn’t already grown used to his natural blarney.

  “Peter, I’ll only be gone a day and a half. I’m sure Martin is over his tantrum by now. And you have family and friends.”

  “No one like you.”

  She smiled. “Well, after I’ve had a day to myself to recover from your unexpected virility, maybe you’ll like me even better!”

  She tossed her wet towel on him and walked to the cottage.

  MONDAY MORNING, Josie returned to Peter’s house with her suitcase full of clean clothes. She used the key he’d given her to enter.

  Being away from him the rest of the weekend had been good for her. She’d had time to center herself, to know who she was again and where she wanted to go. Peter had a way of pulling her out of herself and her own world into territory she had no map for. And what good were boundaries if she didn’t have a map?

  When he appeared, wheeling himself out of the kitchen, he looked very glad to see her, smiling his most radiant smile. His eyes crinkled at the corners in the most adorable way, and she realized she was really happy to be back.

  He leaned forward in his wheelchair, looking up at her. “I just had breakfast. Did you eat?”

  “At home. Are you still planning to go to the plant today?”

  “Yes. I called Al, and he’s expecting us. I think we should do that now, before we get started in the lab.”

  About ten minutes later, Josie and Peter were in her Volkswagen, his wheelchair folded and stashed in the back seat. When they reached Frameworks, he directed her to park in the lot to one side of the building. She got the wheelchair out for him. Again she was surprised at how easily he managed to transfer himself from the car seat to the chair, using mostly his arm and shoulder muscles. She could see his biceps working beneath the blue Polo shirt he wore. For some reason, he’d stopped using the blanket over his legs. She didn’t ask why.

  Josie followed behind as he wheeled into the building. His half-dozen employees quickly gathered around, happy to see him. He introduced Josie to them. She felt nervous, reminded that she was from the enemy camp, Earthwaves. But they all seemed curious and pleased to meet her. She was carrying the heart-stamped white envelope in her hands. When she was introduced to Amy, the young brunette smiled and said, “I see you’ve learned about our secret seal.”

  Josie chuckled. “Sealed with a kiss. I definitely know what that’s all about.”

  Suddenly Al was standing next to her, joining the circle. “Sounds like Pete gave you a thorough explanation!”

  There was an insinuation in Al’s tone and it made Josie blush. Peter gave his partner a quelling look.

  “I see I was right!” Al quipped. “Never knew him to miss a trick. Getting any work done?”

  “Plenty,” Peter said. “The data is all there in the envelope. Time to apply it, see how it works.”

  Tim Hollings, the engineering expert, a gray-haired man in his mid-fifties with a kind face, said, “Since that quake a few days ago, there’s been a swarm of continuing quakes. Can’t feel them, of course, but they’re there. The experts seem puzzled.”

  “I know,” Josie said. “My contact at Cal Tech is quite concerned. What’s happening fits a new theory about earthquake activity, and she feels a major quake could happen any time.”

  Tim looked worried now. “I hadn’t heard that.”

  “It hasn’t been publicized,” Josie explained. “The theory is unproven. If it came out in the news, it might cause panic. And if it turned out to be incorrect, then earthquake science would lose credibility.”

  Al shook his head in a dismissive way. “There are so many unknowns. Hell, we don’t even know all the fault lines—new ones are discovered all the time. You might as well try to predict what’ll happen on Wall Street.”

  “The San Andreas is fairly well understood,” Peter argued. “And that’s the fault that’s long enough to produce a really huge earthquake.”

  “A new theory is worthless until it’s proven right,” Al said, as if stating a universal truth. “Lots of theories have come and gone.”

  “That’s true,” Josie said. “This theory may be wrong, too. But the sooner we can get our earthquake-proofing method perfected, the sooner we can save lives.”

  Al gave her a quirky smile. “I’m glad you called it our method. No yearning to return to your old buddies at Earthwaves?”

  “Al! She left them for ethical reasons,” Peter objected sharply. “There’s no reason to question her allegiance.”

  Josie felt stung by Al’s comment. She glanced around and saw the other employees looking uncomfortable. Tim and Amy both made an effort to smile at her reassuringly.

  “It’s all right.” Josie kept her tone cordial. “I know I’m new and still on trial. But Peter is right, I did leave Earthwaves because I didn’t agree with their policies. Besides that,” she added with a smile, “I like to be on the winning team.”

  Everyone applauded, even Al. Josie felt more at home then, but Al was still a puzzle. On the day she’d met him, and again today, he’d questioned her loyalty to the company and insinuated that Peter was pursuing her romantically. At the same time, she got the feeling that Al wanted Peter to go on pursuing her. Which didn’t make sense, if Al really thought she might still be loyal to Earthwaves. Well, Al was brilliant and offbeat. Even Peter couldn’t figure him out, and the two men had been friends for years. No use her trying after meeting the man only twice.

  After Peter showed her around the plant, they left to go back to work at Peter’s home. Al had new work for them to do. As Josie was driving, Peter turned to her.

  “What did you do at your condo over the weekend?” he asked, apparently just making conversation. “Laundry?”

  “Yes. Also did some shopping. I tried calling my mother, too, but she wasn’t home. It was her birthday yesterday.”

  “And you couldn’t reach her? Try her again tonight. We’ll be working late, so don’t forget. If she’s on the East Coast, you don’t want to call past six o’clock or so our time.”

  Josie smiled. “Oh, I can call later than that. My mother won’t mind.”

  He didn’t reply and Josie concentrated on finding the right street to turn into. When she glanced at him again, because he was still quiet, she was surprised to see him with his eyes downcast, his eyebrows furrowed.

  “Something wrong?” she asked.

  “‘My mother won’t mind.’ I think th
at’s how that old song begins.”

  “The one you keep humming? That’s an odd lyric.”

  “I’m trying to remember what precedes it. ‘My true love’ or ‘My sweet love’?” He shook his head. “No, it must be, ‘My true love said to me, “My mother won’t mind….”’”

  “And?”

  “I can’t remember what comes next.”

  Josie couldn’t help but laugh. “Why do you like the song so much if you can’t even remember it?”

  He shrugged. “I don’t like it or dislike it. My great-grandfather used to sing it, and it’s been in my mind lately. It’s like a puzzle I need to work out. I’m the same way with a technical problem. I can’t let it go until I’ve solved it.”

  “You sound tenacious. Well, try singing it. Maybe it’ll come back to you.”

  Peter hummed a couple of notes, as if trying to find the right pitch. “Okay, I think it goes like this. ‘My true love said to me, “My mother won’t mind….”’” He hummed more of the melody when he couldn’t remember what came next. “‘She stepped away from me, and this she did say…’” and he finished humming the rest. Then he sighed with annoyance. “I can’t remember what it is she says.”

  Josie sneaked another glance at him. She found him gazing out the front window, apparently still searching his brain for the lost words. He looked so stunning with his intense eyes and handsome profile, she almost drove into the curb.

  “You know, you have a nice singing voice.”

  He turned toward her, looking genuinely surprised. “I do? Must run in the family. My great-grandfather was an excellent singer. A tenor.”

  “I don’t think you’re a tenor with your low voice, but it’s very pleasant to listen to.”

  His eyes brightened and he seemed pleased to receive a compliment from her. “In what way?”

  “Well, you sing in tune for one thing. Not many people can. I can’t. And your voice has a soothing quality.”

  He took a moment to absorb what she’d said. As she pulled into his driveway and parked the car, he said, “Thank you. I appreciate that.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  She unbuckled her seat belt, got out and took the wheelchair out of the back seat. He transferred himself into it. As she locked the car door, he watched her. She could see telltale lights playing in his eyes.