Isolated Encounter

by Sarah Alabaster

  Shit! Why couldn’t I focus?

  “…gave you something for the pain.”

  Well, that explained the focus thing, at least.

  I held my hand up to try and get some control over my body’s reaction to him, only to clench my arm from the pain the stretch of skin caused. I gasped before he once again tried to calm me down.

  “Easy. The stitches will be tight for a while.”

  “Stitches?” What stitches?

  “The box cut your arm pretty badly.”

  He smiled in that bad boy kind of way that he obviously knew had all the woman in town willing to do anything for him.

  When I just kept staring at him, he continued trying to reassure me. “Like I was saying, when you got up after you fell, you saw the blood drip to the floor and it caused you to faint. Thank God I was there to catch you, otherwise we could be here for something more than just stitches.”

  “Seriously? You caught me when I fainted from the sight of my own blood?”

  His eyes sheepishly glanced away from me as he responded, “yes”. It’s the softest voice I think I’ve ever heard, just a hair’s breadth higher than a whisper.

  I was lost in the thought that I was in his arms, and didn’t even know it. It occurred to me, for the first time in a very long time, that I wanted to be back in a man’s arms. Shocked at this realization, I scooted back into the hospital bed, putting some much-needed distance between us, only to realize that wasn’t possible.

  “Thank you” was all I could think to say after several minutes of silence that seemed to echo around the tiny enclosed space.

  He met my gaze with a smile that lit up his face, and I instantly found myself lost in the here and now.

  “You’re welcome.”

  Leaving the bed to stand opposite me, he tried to busy himself with the never-ending messages that came every few seconds on his phone.

  “What happened, exactly? I know you were trying to explain it, but I wasn’t in the frame of mind to listen.”

  I lifted myself off the bed to sit up fully as Zack placed the phone back in his pocket, giving me his undivided attention. Even though it was a small space, his presence in the room was miniscule in comparison to the heat that radiated between us, drawing us closer together.

  Not wanting to examine that much further, I focused on finding out what had happened. Questions ran through my mind. How had I ended up here with Zack? Where was my mother? And most of all, why was this man so concerned about my welfare?

  My head was foggy from whatever they had given me, but it still swam with all these questions. There was also so much more that didn’t make any sense to me, but I was determined to figure out what in the world was going on, despite the mental fog that wouldn’t seem to lift.

  Taking a deep breath, Zack tilted his head and watched me squirm under his perusal. Then he closed the space between us by sitting on the chair next to my bed.

  Clearly more composed, he took a moment to watch me, probably to gauge my reaction to the situation thus far. Seemingly satisfied with my demeanor, he smiled.

  “I brushed against you, causing you to take a step back, only to have you trip on a box. When you began to fall, the box in your hands flew into the air, and on the landing it cut your arm when it fell over to the side. I’m so sorry again for all of this. I obviously didn’t realize my own strength.”

  Eyeing him, I realized that he was a complete idiot and klutz, just like me. Sympathy bloomed in my heart as his eyes pleaded for me to understand and forgive him. Shaking my head, I leaned forward to face him.

  “No, it’s my fault. You just grazed me, and I lost my balance. I was just startled by the contact, I think. That’s all.”

  “I’m just glad that you’re okay. I’ll be more careful next time, I promise.”

  “It wasn’t your fault.”

  Then something dawned on me.

  “Wait, did you just say next time?”

  He was staring at me with that haunting look of his that I was starting to realize was his flirtatious side.

  “Caught that, huh?”

  “It’s funny that this is the way we’ve finally found a chance to talk. I’ve been trying for what seems like years to get your attention, and all it took was me pushing you to the ground. When I saw you next to me at the stoplight, I thought fate had finally stepped in and granted my wish. I wanted to talk to you so badly, but when I saw your little dance, I just couldn’t get the words out. When you realized I was watching, you rushed away so fast I couldn’t think about anything other than getting another chance to talk to you. Oh, before I forget, we do need to discuss how fast you were going in your haste to get away from me. You could’ve hurt someone!”

  I completely ignored his scolding, deciding to focus on the rest of what he’d said.

  “You wanted to talk to me? Why?”

  Dumbfounded, he blinked hard, but then regained his composure quickly, with a smile that lit up his whole face.

  “Why wouldn’t I want to speak to you? When a beautiful, intelligent woman comes into town inserting herself in the community with such grace and compassion, I make it a point to get to know her better.”

  “So, you do this all the time?”

  Disappointment rapidly spread through my body, extinguishing all the confidence I’d felt over the last few minutes of our interlude.

  “What? No!”

  “It’s okay, I understand. And don’t worry, I can take care of myself from here.”

  “Wait! You have this all wrong.”

  “No, I’m pretty sure you just explained everything pretty clearly.”

  “Apparently I haven’t if you think I’d do this for anyone other than you.”

  “I get it. Don’t worry. I’m fine on my own.”

  “I can see that, but I’m worried about you.”

  Getting up from the bed, I retrieved my clothes and began putting on my pants—rather haphazardly as I nearly toppled forward, almost smacking my head against the chair.

  “Take it easy! Let me help you with that.”

  His hand suddenly came to my rescue as his body shielded me from the landing on the floor, yet again.

  “I can do it myself, thank you very much.”

  “Too bad.”

  “What did you say?”

  “I know your accident didn’t affect your hearing. I said, ‘too bad’!”

  “I’m helping you.”

  “No, you’re not.”

  “Yes, I am!”

  “Stop it.”

  I shooed his hand away from my shirt, trying to free it from the tight grip his fingers had on it.

  “Give me the shirt.”

  “No!”

  “Yes!”

  “Sir…”

  “Get OUT!”

  We both shouted it in unison as the security detail outside the room made his way inside to respond to the commotion. At our heated response, he promptly closed the door on his way out, only to stand in front of it, ensuring no one else entered.

  “Stop it! Give me my shirt.”

  “No! You need help, and I’m helping you, you stubborn woman.”

  “I’m not your charity case, you don’t need to help me!”

  “Charity case? Are you kidding me? Why in the world would you be my charity case?”

  “You feel bad, and you’re just trying to make up for everything that happened.”

  “Seriously, are you kidding me?”

  I stopped speaking at the sound of his sharp tone, taking a step back instinctively. His harsh reaction to my words had me frozen in my tracks. Then all coherent thoughts were gone as my world slipped back into my previous nightmare.

  I could feel myself pale at his tone. Tears threatened to fall, rimming my eyes, but they didn’t. My face stayed impassive, as though locked in a trance, with all the color completely drained. The hairs on the back of my neck stood at attention, waiting for what would happen next.

  “Holy shit! Are you going to fa
int again?”

  Unaware of my previous history, Zack panicked as I instantly changed into someone he had never seen before.

  I just stared straight ahead, not wanting to see the look in his eyes. I didn’t want to find something in them that I had once seen in another man.

  Just blink and try not to breathe, I told myself over and over again. It was like a mantra. I tried not to draw any more attention to myself. My sense of self-preservation kicked into overdrive as I just stood in front of him, not moving, not speaking, not doing anything at all.

  “Jesus, Katie! Snap out of it! You’re seriously scaring the crap out of me.”

  Without saying another word, Zack looked me over again quickly and cautiously took one step toward me. Realizing I wasn’t going to scream, he closed the distance between us and enveloped me into his arms.

  Then he sat us both down on the chair. Cooing his apologies, he began to rock me back and forth for what seemed like an eternity. Eventually I molded into his body without being aware that I was even doing it. My labored breaths slowly began to turn into full expulsions of air, and my stiff body relaxed into the chest of a man I barely knew. Well, that wasn’t completely true. Over the years, at various parties and gatherings, we’d become more than acquaintances. Not friends, mind you, but two people who had things in common and seemed to run into one another on a regular basis.

  His sudden kiss on the top of my head surprised me out of my thoughts, and I stiffened.

  “Shush. It’s okay, I promise. It’s okay. Everything is going to be okay.”

  The air left my lungs in a whoosh that caused my breasts to brush against his arm. He was holding me to him as though I was the most cherished person in his world.

  “You are. You just don’t know it yet.”

  Finding my bravery, I turned my head to look at him. “I am, what?”

  “Cherished.”

  That one word from his lips turned the world as I knew it upside down.

  “I didn’t mean… You can’t mean that… We only…”

  “I do mean it.”

  “But I barely know you!”

  “Yes, you do. You know me very well.”

  “That’s not true.”

  “Why isn’t it true? You think when I see someone upset, I gather just anyone into my arms and try to make things right her world?”

  “No! Yes? I mean… I don’t know!”

  “Katie, come on. It’s me. We know each other well enough by now that you should know that I only want you.”

  “How could I possibly know that?”

  I tried to free myself from his grasp to get some distance, but he just held on tighter, not allowing me to break contact.

  “Katie, it’s past time we hash this all out.”

  “Hash what out?”

  Zack simply lifted his brow and tilted his head in a move I recognized as his “serious” look.

  “First, you totally misunderstood me, and I want to make this as clear as possible. Are you listening?”

  I narrowed my eyes at him. I would listen to his every word, but his haughty tone made my lips purse in anger.

  “Katie, I want to be with you. I want to go out with you to all our community events. I want to get to know you better. I want to date you, and no one else. I want to cherish the shit out of you, if you’d just let me.”

  I laughed at his words, even as tears fell down my cheek.

  He brushed them away with his thumbs and lips, kissing a path to my neck.

  “Come on, Katie. Surely you had to know?”

  “What?”

  Breathless, I gasped out the question.

  “You had to know that I want to be with you. All those functions, all those chance encounters? You had to have some idea that I wanted to spend time with you.”

  “How would I know that? I just thought we liked the same things!”

  “Come on! It was so obvious!”

  “No, it wasn’t. Not to me.”

  “Well maybe not to you then, but to everyone else it was!”

  “Who? Who was it obvious to?”

  “Your mother knew.”

  Astounded, I just blinked at him.

  “You seriously didn’t know?”

  I shook my head from side to side.

  “I seriously had no idea.”

  His laugh shook his whole body, and mine as well, since I was still clutched against his chest.

  “Well, that explains a lot, doesn’t it?”

  “I’m sorry, Zack.”

  “Sorry?” He’s clearly puzzled by my reaction. “For what?”

  “I didn’t know.”

  “Oh, thank God! I thought you were going say you weren’t interested!”

  Was I interested in the most handsome, sweetest man alive?

  Um, yes!

  “I just said that out loud, didn’t I?”

  Smiling with a twinkle in his eyes, he just hugged me tighter.

  “Don’t worry, as long as I’m the only one listening to what goes on in that head of yours, we won’t have any problems.”

  “Did I mention that ‘funny’ is also on my list of attractive qualities in a man?”

  “Not that I heard.”

  “Well, it is, and you are. Funny, that is.”

  “Good to know. So are we done here? Can we go now? I want to spend some time with my new girlfriend. She needs some more tender loving care, mind you.”

  “She does, huh?”

  “Yep.”

  At that moment, my stomach decided let out the most unladylike growl I’d ever heard. Embarrassment shot through me as I returned the hug he had been giving me.

  Girlfriend!

  “Yep, girlfriend. Now, it sounds like my girlfriend needs food right away, before that thing in her belly escapes.”

  I nearly peed myself laughing as he slowly got us both up from the chair.

  “Can I help you dress now?”

  “Well, as your girlfriend, I certainly don’t mind if you help.”

  “Good, because I’m dying to get out of here. My stomach may not be talking as loud as yours, but it’s still complaining, just the same.”

  I couldn’t remember a time when I’d laughed so much with a man. His sense of humor had helped ease all the fears I’d had in such a short period of time, too.

  “Stop thinking and finish dressing. We’re both starving, and I won’t let you hold us up any longer.”

  Even his demands were endearing. From anyone else, they probably would have seemed slightly intimidating. I knew he was teasing me now, but I hadn’t realized it when we were arguing. He’d just been trying to make me listen to him. Deciding to blame it all on the pain meds, I finished getting dressed.

  Then Zack handed me my coat, kissing me with so much abandon that I instantly felt my body come alive.

  “I’ve wanted to do that for so long.”

  I cupped the back of his head, holding him in place as he kissed me again. This time his tongue lightly caressed my lower lips, drawing a gasp of surprise from me that allowed him access into my mouth. It seemed to be his plan all along as he dipped me backward, tonguing me with all the pent-up lust he’d stored up for just this moment. Getting his fill, he finally righted me and let me go, but only when he was sure that I wouldn’t fall over again.

  All I could do was nod at him in a dazed kind of way.

  “That’s better. Are you ready?”

  I nodded again. It seemed to be my only form of communication at the moment, which caused him to laugh as he took my hand into his, leading me out of the room.

  “Mr. Collins? Ms. Shephard?”

  The security detail was bewildered when he saw us holding hands, seemingly unsure of how to proceed.

  “Ms. Shephard will be coming with us. Consider her my girlfriend from now on, gentlemen.”

  We walked along the corridor of the emergency room toward the waiting car just outside the doors. Both of the security men appeared unsurprised at his words, and they follow
ed just behind us, intently watching for any signs of danger.

  Chapter Three

  As we made our way from the hospital back to the church, we stopped for some much-needed nourishment along the way, only to find that the day had completely slipped away from us. Everything was closed for the night. An episode of unconsciousness, some communication misunderstandings, and an unexpected romantic declaration will do that to some people—make you lose track of time, that is.

  “Looks like everyone has left for the day.”

  “Crap! My mom must be so worried.”

  “Nah, I texted her and let her know what was going on.”

  “You texted my mother?”

  “Yeah. Is that okay? We talk regularly for work things, and I didn’t think anything of letting her know that you were alright.”

  “Did you mention that we are now together to her, too?”

  “No! Why? Are you embarrassed of me already?”

  “No! It’s not that. It’s just that I want to be the one to tell her about us.”

  “Why don’t we tell her together?”

  “Together?”

  I launched myself into his arms, kissing his sweet lips as a reward for just being him.

  “Wow! I think we’ll need to do everything together if that’s the reward I get!”

  Laughing, I couldn’t stop the smile from spreading across my face.

  “Together it is, then.” The words felt like a balm on an old wound. “I’d really like that, Zack.”

  “Good, because I would like that, too. Hold on.”

  Pulling the phone free from his pocket while still holding on tight to me, he put it against his ear.

  “Yeah? Okay. When? Well, we just got back from the hospital and we’re totally famished. Can it wait until morning?”

  “I see. Okay, we’ll be there in ten.”

  Concern was clearly written all over his face, but he didn’t seem willing to say anything quite yet. He just watched me intently as he tapped on the shoulder of the security man who was driving.

  “Reynolds, it looks like we need to head over to foxtrot tango, if you don’t mind.”

  “Foxtrot tango? Am I going to this foxtrot tango?”