Innocent Next Door (Military Men Book 1) (11 page)

She sighed. “Not really. Not enough to pick him out from a group of people.”

“Number plate?”

“It was covered with mud.”

A nurse bustled into the room, her soft-soled shoes squeaking on the hard floor. “How are you feeling? Still have a headache?”

“Yeah.” Summer sounded rueful, and Nikolai noticed she refrained from nodding this time.

“How long before she can go home?”

“Tomorrow morning,” the nurse answered with a cheerful grin. “Keeping her overnight is a precaution. Your wife will be fine, Mr. Williams.”

“Thank you.” Nikolai caught Summer’s hand and laced their fingers together, ignoring the soft choked sound that emerged from her.

“There was a phone call at the desk for you earlier. Your brother. He said he’ll be by later to visit,” the nurse said.

Summer’s hand tightened within his, and her mouth opened to deny the possibility. Nikolai sent her a silent warning with an imperceptible shake of his head.

“Thanks,” he said to the nurse. He waited until the squeak of her shoes faded before he voiced his suspicions. “Did you get someone to contact your family?”

“No. I asked the detective to ring you.”

“It took him long enough.”

“He apologized for the delay. Your cell phone was switched off, and then he was called out on another case and forgot. He was embarrassed. And I couldn’t ring anyone because my phone was in the car. The detective found it. Like I said—embarrassed. I think that’s why he made a special trip to drop it off. Anyhow, I didn’t ask him to ring my family. If they get wind of me being in the hospital, they’ll arrive
en masse
and ship me back to Eketahuna before I have time to blink.” She clutched his arm with a hint of desperation in her blue eyes. “Please don’t contact them. You heard what the nurse said. I’m all right.”

“If that wasn’t one of your brothers on the phone, then we have a problem.” Nikolai thought rapidly and came up with one solution. He needed to take her home, but first he’d check with the medical staff.

He stood. “I’m going to find a doctor. If anyone comes in here and you think they’re suspicious, press on the call button. Don’t let up until someone answers. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

He returned in under ten minutes, his gut twisting with uneasiness the entire time he was away from her. When he strode back into the hospital room, he found Summer asleep, her hand clutched around the call button. He considered telling her the clotheshorse intended to drop by to see her but decided to ignore his conscience. He’d keep her away from the man until he knew what was going on and where the danger lurked.

Her eyelids flickered. “Nikolai?”

“Yeah, sweetheart. Come on, let’s get you dressed, and we’ll split this joint.”

“We’re going?” She sounded fractionally more alert.

“Yeah. Under the circumstances, the doctor said I can take you home.” He tugged away the thin sheet and helped her stand. No point filling her in on the rest of their conversation.

“Stay in the front,” she mumbled.

Her disgruntled tone brought a grin. “Scared?”

“Cautious.” She wobbled a little.

Nikolai held her firm. “I’ll close my eyes.” Not that he meant a word. He was a red-blooded male. Of course, he’d peek if she gave him the opportunity.

She wavered again, and he took control. He deftly undid the tapes that laced the hospital gown at the back and tugged it down her arms. She wore high-cut, pale blue panties beneath and nothing else. Nikolai paused, his gaze on her luscious breasts.

“You’re beautiful,” he murmured with a trace of awe. Coral-colored nipples were puckered, as if begging for his touch. He swallowed before recalling the need for urgency. They needed to leave before Summer’s so-called brother turned up.

Wordlessly, he held out a T-shirt for her. Once she was safely covered, he handed her the pair of leggings and steadied her while she dressed.

Nikolai shrugged out of his leather jacket and handed it to her. “It’s cold out,” he said at her hesitation. Once she donned the jacket, he curled his arm around her waist, and they walked from the room.

Despite the need to get her home and into bed, Nikolai took the precaution of driving in a roundabout route to make sure they didn’t pick up any followers. Thirty minutes later, he drove into his garage and lowered the door using his remote control.

By the time he carried a sleeping Summer inside, stripped her to the sexy panties and placed her in his bed, all hints of temper had dispersed, leaving outright fear. Her reckless behavior of jumping before she considered the consequences had landed her hip-deep in trouble. If he wasn’t careful, it would get her killed.

Nikolai brushed tendrils of blue-streaked hair from her face. His gut twisted with tenderness at her childlike innocence while an ironic smile curled his lips. He couldn’t wait to see the expression on her face when she woke to find him in the same bed. Difficult to guess her reaction. It could be outright horror or it could be…

His body tightened enough that he didn’t have to second-guess his thoughts. He was bloody sick of fighting the sexual thing hovering between them.

Gritting his teeth, he ripped a black T-shirt over his head. He couldn’t afford to relax his guard even if he gave into the lure of the woman. Summer was his responsibility and this time he intended to prove his competence, despite the fact he’d never asked for the job in the first place.

His hands went to the button closure on his jeans. He hesitated, shrugged and removed them, tossing the denims on the floor. She wanted grown-up. This adult male slept naked and since she was the guest, she’d have to abide by house rules.

He snorted at that piece of brilliance. Hell, and he thought she pushed the boundaries. Seemed he was ready to do some shoving of his own.

* * * * *

Summer woke cocooned in warmth and sublime comfort, apart from something digging into her back. Half awake, she stretched and tried to wriggle away from the object. A masculine groan froze her mid-wriggle. Her heart leapt while her brain processed the available information.

Warm. Male. Hard object.

Holy heck! She hadn’t. She didn’t.

Who?

She scrambled from the warmth, clutching the sheet to her naked breasts.

“You awake?” Nikolai asked, his voice low and gritty.

He looked sleepy, sexy and dangerous as hell to every single one of her resolutions to stay away from men of her brothers’ ilk.

Yep, temptation personified.

She eased farther away even as her gaze traced the dark stubble on his jaw and slid lower to take in his broad shoulders. Naked shoulders. She searched for answers and came up empty.

Just her luck. She’d managed to corral a sexy man, there wasn’t a parent or brother in sight, and she remembered zilch about the experience.

Zilch. Zip. Nada
.

“Are you okay?” Nikolai propped himself up on his elbow and scrutinized her face.

A surge of heat collected in her cheeks. Inwardly, she tested her body. Nothing ached. Nothing hurt. She still wore her panties, but that didn’t necessarily mean anything. She didn’t feel the slightest difference. She should feel something.

Shouldn’t she?

“Did we…ah…do anything I should know about?”

Nikolai’s eyes narrowed then a slow grin spread across his lips. “Was it good for you too, sweetheart?”

“Don’t you know?”

The grin transformed into a full-out chuckle. “Nothing happened.”

The surge of disappointment wasn’t unexpected it, but hiding it…

She averted her gaze from his humor-filled face, chagrined by his lack of action. She had a man in the same bed, and he couldn’t bear to touch her.

“
Not yet
.”

The husky tone drew her back, but it was the seductive grin that held her still.

“Not…not yet?” Her words were scarcely louder than a whisper, and they seemed to hang in the air.

His gaze dropped to her breasts. “I thought we might explore a few possibilities.”

Summer’s jaw dropped. “Possibilities?”

“Is there an echo in here?”

“You’re not making any sense. I’m confused.”

“That makes two of us,” he muttered and pounced.

She found herself flat on her back, staring up at him. “What are you doing?”

“I don’t know.” His grin was slow and very personal. “If I find out, I’ll let you know.”

“Reassuring,” she whispered. The hot look in his dark eyes made her breasts throb unbearably.

He combed his fingers through her hair, gently removing snarls from her curls. “Do you have a headache?”

“No. Is that my way out?” Her heart beat so fast she was sure he’d notice. The sweet ache in her breasts intensified, and she writhed uneasily, curious and yet nervous.

Nikolai traced the shape of her mouth with his forefinger. “That mouth of yours is full of sass. One day it’s going to get you in trouble.” He dipped his head and replaced his finger with his mouth.

Summer huffed, feeling as if someone had yanked the ground from beneath her feet. But not Nikolai. He took total control, angling and aligning their mouths for deeper contact. She clutched his shoulders and let him kiss her, part of her surprised and astonished by the reality.

Nikolai was kissing her of his own free will. What was wrong with this picture?

He lifted his head and smoothed the back of his hand across one cheek. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m not sure. You tell me.”

“You’re looking confused.”

She frowned. Although she found Nikolai attractive—very attractive—she wasn’t sure the idea of them together was a good thing. In some cases, one plus one didn’t equal two. She sucked in a deep breath and met his gaze without hesitation. “That’s because I’m feeling confused. What’s happened to change your mind?”

He toyed with one of her blue curls. The man seemed fascinated by her hair. “Someone is after you. You could have died yesterday.”

Yesterday seemed hazy. Dreamlike. “Oh, yeah. The goat.”

“The scum ball who ran you off the road,” he said in a hard voice. “It made me realize we’re wasting time. We want each other. We should act on it.”

She darted a gaze past his right shoulder then shifted her attention back to him. “Who are you, masked man? What have you done with the big, bad SAS man?”

“He’s still here, and he’s fed up with talk.”

“Oh, an action man,” she purred.

Nikolai bent to kiss her again, his hands gliding beneath the sheet covering her partial nakedness. “I could always put you over my knee.”

A quiver rocked her. “I must be sick. That actually sounds like fun.”

He drew in a sharp breath. “Enough.” He took her lips in a masterful kiss that left her in no doubt of his impatience with talk. The sheet disappeared from between them and without warning, skin touched skin.

She forgot about talk, her mind on his bare chest flattening her breasts. He traced the shape of her lips with his tongue and teased them apart. Her pulse danced in an erratic beat. Her hands curled around his upper arms, her fingers flexing against his biceps. She made a shy foray with her tongue, probing the cavern of his mouth, learning his taste and texture.

Nikolai pulled away to study her. “I shouldn’t be doing this, but so help me, I don’t think I can stop.” His voice was low, smoky and a trifle unsure, but his eyes blazed full of passion.

“I want this, Nikolai. I’m not a child. I know what I’m doing.”

“Glad one of us does.”

If he started spouting about their age differences…well, murder looked enticing. She thought frantically and came up with one possible solution. Not her best but it might work. She pushed his shoulders until he moved off her.

He flopped over on his back and stared at the ceiling. “You don’t have to shove—”

She launched across the bed and pinned him in place. “Don’t move an inch.”

For an instant he appeared nonplussed, then a sexy grin sprang to life, making his eyes twinkle with pure devilment. “Sweetheart, I’m all yours. Do your worst.”

A snort tickled her throat. Now why didn’t she believe that? The man couldn’t help himself. He’d take control at some stage. Her lids lowered to hide the burst of excited emotion that tore through her body.

She might not have experience with sex, but she wasn’t a librarian for nothing. She, Summer Williams, was hell on wheels when it came to research and intended to put every bit of her knowledge to use.

Sucking in a breath, her gut and all other necessary parts, she stood and rounded the bed. He followed her progress, his avid scrutiny on her breasts, her waist and hips. Everywhere his gaze touched, her skin tingled.

A light-headed sensation flooded her mind—part fear, part exhilaration—sort of how she imagined a person felt while standing on the edge of a bungee platform. If she added hunger to the pot, along with curiosity and good old-fashioned lust, then she had the makings of a successful affair.

She stooped close, giving him a good view of her breasts. The sharp intake of his breath gave her confidence a boost. There were two people in this game. At the same time as she flashed her boobs, she tugged the cotton sheet covering him. Feeling like a kid at Christmastime, she peeled it back and excitement flooded her, drying her mouth as inch by inch she revealed his body.

She mentally added tight abs, muscled and strong, plus slim hips to the set of broad shoulders and the spectacular almost hairless chest. The sheet snagged at this point, and a renewed surge of heat flooded her features. Somehow, seeing a male penis in books was different from viewing the real thing.

A soft choking noise dragged her gaze from the tented sheet at his groin to the glint in his eyes. His mouth twitched as though he was trying to choke back a laugh.

“Your wish is my command, sweetheart.”

She’d have to be both blind and deaf to miss the overt challenge.
Your wish is
my command
. Huh! She forced a sly smile to her mouth even though the effort brought another flood of mortified to her skin. Then, recalling an article from
Miranda
magazine, she let her tongue snake out to lick her lips, while making sure he had an excellent view of her performance.