by Carrie Elks
As Nate drove them back to his house her ankle throbbed like crazy. Every now and then, when the car hit a bump in the road, a sharp pulse of pain would shoot up her leg, making her wince in her efforts not to cry out. It didn’t help that her heart was clamoring against her ribs like a crazed animal, either.
Nate pulled the Lexus up to a pair of black gates and hit the remote control that was attached to the dashboard. As they slowly opened, he edged the car in, speeding up as they made it to the driveway.
Like so many of the houses in this part of town, Nate’s home was a sprawling ranch-style building, the low white frontage bigger than the footprint of her condo building. Beyond the palms that had been planted to give the building some shade she could see the yellow sand that led to the azure ocean, which had chosen to be still today.
It looked glorious, and so much easier to navigate than her own building. And yet the idea of spending two weeks there with Nate, and Riley, was making her anxious. Her muscles were urging her to run in spite of the heavy cast on her leg.
Nate turned off the engine and climbed out, walking around the car to help her. With his support, she managed to make her way to the bottom step on crutches. There were only six of them – wide white flagstone stairs that led up to the oak front door – but the thought of trying to get up them made her feel exhausted before she’d even started.
“Why don’t you practice the steps tomorrow?” Nate suggested, as though he could read her mind. “It’s been a long day and you’re looking pretty tired.”
“How’s she going to get up to the house if she doesn’t use her crutches?” Riley asked. Nate pointed at himself with a finger, and she let out a little “oh.”
“Can you take the crutches?” he asked his daughter. Then he turned to Ally. “Are you okay with me lifting you up there?”
Was she okay? No, not really. None of this was okay. Ally felt like one of those fish that jumped out of the sea, flapping uselessly on the sand until somebody put them out of their misery. She was so unused to accepting help from other people. Add to that the crazy attraction she felt toward Nate every time he looked at her and she was pretty much done for.
“That’s fine,” she managed, though it felt anything but.
A second later he was sliding his hand under her thighs, his palm soft as it brushed against her skin. His other arm hooked around her back as he lifted her easily, pulling her body against his chest to keep her steady.
“Put your arms around my neck,” he instructed, his voice soft.
She did as she was told, looping her hands around him, feeling the ridges of his shoulder muscles. She tipped her head to look at him, and he was staring right back at her, his gaze intense.
Her stomach contracted. She’d never been this close to him before. She took a deep breath in, but it only made things worse as she inhaled his warm scent.
He carried her carefully, as though she was some kind of precious cargo. And not once was she afraid he might drop her. His hold was strong and sure, comforting, even. She closed her eyes for a second to try and savor the moment. She wanted to commit it to memory – the warmth of his skin beneath her hands, the feel of his chest against her cheek – and maybe that would be enough to get her through the next few days.
“Ally? We’re here. I’m going to put you down now. There are no stairs inside the house.” If he’d thought she was crazy for closing her eyes as he carried her, he gave her no indication.
“Shall we give her the tour?” Riley asked, passing the crutches back to Ally.
“I don’t know. How are you feeling? Do you need some rest?” Nate asked, studying her. “We can show you around later if you prefer?”
She gave him a small smile. “I’m feeling pretty beat. Plus, I think it’s time to take some more painkillers.”
“We can show you to your room, then,” Riley said, grinning. “Or if you prefer you can go in the living room. There’s a TV there, and a footstool. And dad makes a mean batch of popcorn.”
“The living room sounds good.”
She followed them, the sound of her crutches echoing through the hallway as they hit the flagstone floor. As she walked into the vast living room, Nate helped her over to the sofa, gently lowering her until her bottom hit the cushion. Riley slid the footstool she’d talked about beneath Ally’s leg cast. Ally turned to look out of the huge wall of glass that led to the small backyard and the beach beyond. The sun was shining in the sky, the surf calm and gentle. After yesterday’s storm it was a beautiful day. The sort of day she could run down the beach until her lungs couldn’t work any more.
She sighed. How the hell was she going to manage to go without exercising? It was the one thing that kept her sane. And right now she needed to keep her thoughts under control more than ever. She was going to be cooped up in this house with Nate and Riley for at least two weeks.
The thought both alarmed and excited her.
“I need to do some homework,” Riley said, giving them both a wave as she left the room. “Catch you later, mashed po-tay-ta.”
“Homework.” Nate smirked. “That’s her code word for spending the rest of the night on Snapchat and Netflix,” he told Ally. “In case you were wondering.”
She laughed. “I’m glad social media wasn’t such a big thing when I was a teenager. At least nobody got to share photographs of all the stupid things I did.”
“I can’t imagine you doing stupid things.”
“Can’t you?” she asked him. “Things like running on wet grass and tripping over a huge rock I hadn’t even seen.” Her eyes widened. “Hey, they didn’t get a photo of that, did they?”
Nate grinned. “Not that I’ve heard. Though I’d probably pay good money to see it.”
“Thanks.”
Her eyes were drawn to the beach again. Somebody was running along the shoreline with a dog. She shifted in her seat to try and get comfortable.
“You really hate sitting still, don’t you?” Nate asked.
“It’s not my favorite thing,” she admitted, surprised that he’d noticed. “I like getting things done, I always have. I prefer to be on the move instead of sitting around doing nothing.” She shrugged. “But I’ll be okay. I’ll read a book or something.”
He inclined his head at the bookshelves that lined the far wall. “Help yourself. And there are movies on demand on the television.” He handed her the remote, his fingertips brushing against hers. “Anything you want we can order in.”
“I’ll be fine,” she said again, embarrassed that he’d even noticed her discomfort. He was being so nice to her, and it was taking some time to get used to.
He tipped his head to the side, looking at her as though he was trying to work her out.
“Well at least let me get your pain meds and a drink.” He slowly ran his thumb along his jaw. “And then I should do some work. That’s if you’re okay here. You can holler if you need anything, if I don’t hear you Riley will.”
Embarrassment washed over her again. “Of course. I must have really messed up your day. Go and do whatever you need to do.” She picked up the remote and aimed it at the television, trying to look busy.
“If you’re sure…”
She looked up at him, smiling. “Go.”
He nodded as the screen lit up and the sound cut through whatever was happening between them. “I’ll check on you in a bit.”
“Sure thing.”
She watched as he left, then switched the television off again. She barely watched the thing anyway. Between work and running and seeing her friends, there was little time to keep up with a series.
Yeah, well. You may need to rethink that, sweetheart.
Strange how the voice in her head seemed to sound just like him.
But maybe it was right. Two weeks in close proximity with Nate Crawford. With no work to do, and no ability to run off her feelings.
She was either in seventh heaven or the seventh circle of hell. Right now, she couldn’t tell the diffe
rence.
11
Could a day really feel this long? Ally stared out of the window at the beach beyond the house, watching the rhythm of the waves as they broke against the shore. The tide was out, leaving an expanse of golden sand, and she curled her toes at the sight of it.
Or one set of them, anyway. The others were too constrained by the plaster.
She tried to keep herself busy, pulling down a book from Nate’s extensive collection, settling down in the corner of the sofa, and opening it up, hoping it would use up some time. But her mind was too active, her body too fidgety, and every time she finished a paragraph her thoughts would wander. She’d think about the café and what everybody was doing there right now.
What Nate was doing, in particular.
Ugh.
The television wasn’t much better. She’d never watched daytime TV before, but it was full of grown women arguing with each other as their rich husbands ignored them – and those were just the reality shows.
She made a really terrible patient, that much was for sure. It was a good thing Nate and Riley weren’t here to see her embarrass herself. Maybe if she got the restlessness out of her system now, they wouldn’t notice.
But her body had other ideas. After Nate called her at lunchtime to check that everything was okay, she let her head fall back on the leather cushion of the sofa and felt her eyes fall down like curtains on a play. The next thing she knew the door was slamming and she heard Nate and Riley talking as they walked up the hallway, their footsteps loud as they reached the living room.
“Hey, Ally,” Riley called out through the open doorway. “How was your day? Did you have fun?”
Ally smiled. “Yeah. I did some reading and watched some TV.” Lie, lie, and lie.
Riley sighed. “Sounds like heaven. I wish I could break my ankle and stay home from school.”
Ally couldn’t help but laugh at her wistful expression. It was so nice to have people home with her. She’d never tell them how lonely she’d been while they were both out at school and work, though. It would be her secret.
“I gotta go and finish my homework. I’ll see you at dinner, okay?”
“Sure.”
Behind her, Nate raised his eyebrows. Ally remembered what he’d said yesterday about homework being a code word and grinned again.
He smirked back at her and yep, her heart stuttered. Just a little.
“How are you feeling?” he asked her, walking in. It was only then that she saw the huge box he was carrying. “Did you get any rest?”
“A little.”
He put down the box and opened up the lid, sliding some white Styrofoam out. “I got you something on the way home,” he told her. As he removed the foam, she saw exactly what he’d bought. “I thought it might help.”
“A game console?” she asked as he put the white box on the floor.
“Yep. It works for teenage boys who have more energy than they know what to do with.” He pulled the leads out, connecting them up. “Well, that and other things, but I figured we’re keeping this family friendly, so the console will have to do.” He gave her a wink.
She couldn’t help but laugh. “I don’t think I’ve been compared to a teenage boy before. What is it, the low voice or the bad attitude?”
Nate plugged the console in. “I’ve never met anybody less like a teenage boy,” he told her. “But the energy thing is a shared problem.” He pulled open the shopping bag he’d brought in, and took out some games. “I asked the guy at the counter for his recommendations. He says that Echoes of War is the best thing to get rid of any excess energy.”
“Echoes of War,” Ally repeated. “It sounds dangerous.”
“There’s lots of running which should be right up your street. I’m not so sure about the blood and gore.”
She glanced down at her leg. “Apparently, I’m good at that, too.”
Nate switched on the television and sat next to her. He handed her one of the controllers, keeping the other in his hands, and waited for the console to boot up.
“I should give you some money for this,” Ally said. “I can’t believe you went out and bought this for me.”
“It’s fine. I’ve been looking for an excuse to get one of these for ages. I just haven’t had the time to think about it.”
Half an hour later and they’d both worked out how to use the controllers. On the screen, their soldiers were kneeling behind some barrels, trying to snipe at their enemies. “You’re a terrible shot,” Ally said as she managed to hit another mercenary. “You want me to do all the work?”
“I’m just being polite,” Nate replied, squinting his eyes as he took another shot. “I’d hate to beat you on your first try. I’m a gentleman.”
“You unpacked the console,” Riley said, wandering into the den. She slumped next to Nate on the sofa. “Who’s winning?”
“Your dad,” Ally said, at exactly the same time Nate said, “Ally is.” The two of them looked at each other and started to laugh.
“Look out,” Ally said, bringing her eyes back to the screen. “Too late. You just got shot.”
Red covered half the screen as Nate’s soldier died.
“Don’t worry,” she told him. “I’ll make sure you have a decent burial.”
Riley shook her head. “You two are weird. And it’s dinner time. Aren’t you hungry?”
“Not really, “ Ally said. “When you’re trying to save the world there’s no time to think about your stomach.”
“Good job you have us to do the thinking for you.” Nate put his controller down on the arm of the sofa. “I guess I’ll call for some take out. Is there anything in particular you’d like?”
Ally shrugged. “I’ll eat anything. But you have to let me pay for this one.”
One look from him was enough to shut her up.
“You’d better get back to the game before you die too,” he suggested. “You still owe me that decent burial, remember?”
It was dark when Ally opened her eyes. Silent, too. Her heart skipped with panic as she looked around the unfamiliar room, her breath catching in her throat until she remembered where she was.
And why.
She looked down at the cast covering her leg from beneath her calf to the tip of her foot. Only her toes were visible. She wiggled them to make sure they were still working.
Ouch. Maybe that wasn’t such a good idea.
“You’re awake.” Nate walked into the room. Though he was still wearing his dress shirt, he’d rolled the sleeves up and unfastened a few buttons. He rocked the business casual look.
“Sorry, I must have dozed off again. It’s getting to be a habit. How long was I out?”
He checked his watch, the glass glinting against the light of the moon. “It’s almost ten, so I guess a couple of hours? I’ve been in the office working.” He glanced into the hallway. “Your friend Brooke called for you, but she didn’t want me to wake you up. She said she’d come visit you tomorrow morning if you’re up to it.”
“Thank you.” A yawn came out of nowhere, stretching her jaw muscles. She covered her mouth with alarm.
Nate laughed. “You should head for bed.”
Ally wrinkled her nose. “I should, but I still haven’t unpacked.” Last night she’d just grabbed her toiletry bag and pajamas out of the suitcase Ember had brought over. But it would be so much easier if she took everything out of the bag so she could see what she had. Even getting dressed was like planning a military operation.
“I can help if you need it. I’ve finished work for the night.”
She smiled at him. On top of those good looks he really was a nice person. Much too nice for her. “That sounds like a good plan.”
They walked into the oversized guest room, Ally being careful not to let her crutches get caught in the beautifully woven rug that half-covered the polished wooden floor. The walls were painted a warm blue that reminded her of the ocean.
Not that she needed reminding – the glass doo
rs at the far end of the room looked out onto the beach and beyond. When she’d woken up this morning she had laid there a while and stared out, wondering what it would be like to wake up to that view every day.
Nate must have followed her gaze. “Riley and I have the same view. They built it to maximize the location. There’s something awe inspiring about seeing the ocean right as you wake up.”
“Do you sleep with the curtains open?” she asked before thinking it through. “Ugh, you don’t have to answer that. I’m way too nosy for my own good.”
He gave a soft chuckle. “Yeah, I do,” he said, nodding. “And not just because I’m too lazy to close them, either.”
She turned to look at him, trying to keep her voice steady, even though she was feeling overwhelmed all over again. “I really do appreciate you letting me stay here,” she told him. “I’m not the easiest person to live with. So, thank you.”
“You’re the easiest person in the world to take care of,” he told her. “And it’s my pleasure. We want you to be here.”
Her whole body felt light at his words. Even her leg with that damn cast on. When was the last time somebody said something like that to her? “I’m happy to be here, too.”
“Then let’s get you unpacked and settled in.” He led her over to the bed, helping her sit down on the edge, then he leaned her crutches against the wall. “I was thinking we should only put things in the top drawers of the dresser. That way you’ll be able to reach them while you’re supported on your crutches.”
“That sounds good.”
Ally watched as he unzipped her case, then pushed it across the mattress toward her. “Would you rather Riley helped you with this?” he asked her. “I can call her if it makes you more comfortable.”
“No, it’s good. Stay.” She reached for his wrist, curling her fingers around it without thinking. She wasn’t sure who was more surprised. She opened her lips, but she couldn’t think of a word to say. Nate was silent, too, unmoving, but he didn’t look angry at her touch. The shock on his face melted into something very different. Something that made his skin flush and his eyes narrow.