Wait for Me / Trust in Me (7 page)

They were well into the third movie when Lucas noticed Emma's eyes were starting to close. She had reclined further on the sofa and somehow her feet were now in his lap and he was gently massaging them. When did that happen? She looked so relaxed and so comfortable that he hated to do anything to disturb her. Considering his options, he decided to just pretend that he hadn't noticed that she was nearly asleep and put his focus back on the movie.

Emma, on the other hand, was doing her best to stay awake and wanted to purr with delight at the touch of Lucas's hands on her. She was trying not to react, but his hands were truly magic. She snuggled down lower on the sofa and almost smiled when Lucas automatically shifted to accommodate her while never taking his hands from her feet. Sighing silently, Emma decided to give in to the urge to close her eyes and just enjoy the sensation.

She felt as if she had just closed her eyes when Lucas softly called her name. She wanted to open her eyes, she truly did, but she was so comfortable and her eyes just felt so heavy that all she could do was murmur his name quietly back to him.

His name on her lips washed over Lucas like silk and he bit back a groan. It was well after midnight and his legs were starting to cramp from sitting in the same position for so long. He had long since taken off the heating pad, but what he really needed to do right now was get up and move around. When Emma didn't wake up, he carefully lifted her feet from his lap and shifted so that he could stand, then placed them gently back on the sofa. She sighed and curled onto her side and Lucas smiled. The woman slept like the dead. Waking her the night before to check for a concussion had been no small task.

He stood and watched her for a few moments and smiled as she hummed in her sleep. He tested his knee by taking a few hesitant steps, then lifted it to his chest several times for good measure. Yup, the ice and heat always did the trick. If only he could get to a point where it wouldn't be necessary to use them at all. Ever.

Have
the
surgery.

That nagging little voice in his head told him daily to have the surgery, but Lucas always chose to ignore it. He knew what he was doing. What was the point of opening himself up to more invasive procedures when he'd never get back all that he lost? What could he possibly gain from putting himself through all of that again?

The
freedom
not
to
have
to
sit
for
hours
on
end
alternating
heat
and
ice
while
you're in pain.

“Shut up,” he mumbled as he headed to the kitchen to get himself something to drink. It was too late for a beer, so he opted for some water, leaning against the countertop while he looked in the direction of the sofa.

Emma.

What was he supposed to do now? He hated to wake her but he'd feel like crap if he just covered her and left her on the couch while he took the bed.

It's your bed…

“I know, I know,” he said softly out loud. Still the thought bothered him. He may live on his own and be a little rough around the edges, but he was still a gentleman. Flexing his leg again to be sure that he was okay, Lucas put his glass in the sink and headed back over to the couch and stared down at Emma.

“It's not like I haven't done this before,” he said with a sigh and reached down to scoop her up into his arms. She curled into him and Lucas felt her warm breath on his neck and groaned. He was a glutton for punishment.

It was one thing to carry Emma when she was unconscious and hurt, it was another to carry her to bed while she was all warm and sleepy and know that he wasn't joining her in the bed. He thought of their kiss earlier and had to force his mind instantly into another direction. He had wanted her desperately right then and there, and if he were honest, he'd admit that he wanted her the same way right now.

But she was asleep.

“Lucas,” Emma whispered sleepily against his neck. She slowly lifted her head from his shoulder and looked at him through slumberous eyes. “What are you doing?”

Looking down at her sleepy face, Lucas couldn't help but smile. “You fell asleep on the couch and I wanted you to be comfortable.”

“Why didn't you wake me?”

“I tried,” he replied softly. “You're not an easy woman to wake.”

Emma yawned and placed her head back on Lucas's shoulder. “I would have been fine on the couch.”

“It's not very comfortable.”

“You sleep there,” she reminded him.

“I'm used to it. I promised you the bed, so I'm just helping you get there.” No sooner were the words out of his mouth than he was standing next to the bed and lowering Emma on to it. She looked up at him with her big blue eyes and Lucas's mouth went dry.

She cleared her throat and blinked. “Is the marathon over?”

Lucas chuckled. “I think it goes on well into tomorrow. You'll have time to watch more of it then.”

“Are you going back out there to watch TV?”

He leaned forward and pulled the comforter over her, doing his best to hide the temptation. In yoga pants and a T-shirt, Emma shouldn't have been so appealing, but she was. “Go to sleep, Emma. You can watch those movies anytime.”

“It's not about the movies, Lucas,” she said. “I guess I'm asking if you're going to go back to the living room or if you're going to stay in here with me.” He could practically hear her heart beating nervously.

Lucas could only stare. There was no way he could answer her at the moment; not with the blood pounding in his ears. She was offering him exactly what he wanted, but there was a war waging within himself. The primitive male in him wanted to strip them both down and finish what they'd started earlier in the day. But the practical man in him, that annoying little voice, reminded him that she was his employee and that engaging in any type of physical relationship with her would not be wise.

He heard Emma sigh. “Aren't you going to say anything?” she asked.

“Emma, there is nothing that I want more than to climb in that bed beside you,” he said honestly, and felt weak at the relieved smile on her face. “But I don't think it's a good idea.”

Emma's heart sank. She had been certain that Lucas was going to want to sleep with her. That's what had made her able to ask him so boldly to join her. “Why not?”

“For starters, you're injured.” Emma was about to tell him that was a lame excuse, but he cut her off before she could get the words out. “Secondly, you work for me.”

“I don't work for you, Lucas. I work for your father. There's a difference.”

“Not to me there isn't,” he said firmly. “You're an employee of Montgomerys and I'm one of the owners of Montgomerys. You may be my father's assistant, but you still work for the company that I own.”

Emma pushed off the bed and stood toe-to-toe with him. “That's rich, Lucas,” she spat. “You're going to hide behind the company right now? Most of the time it practically takes a stick of dynamite to get you out of your cave here to remind you of the company, and now you're using it as an excuse not to sleep with me? If you don't want me, Lucas, then just say so. You don't have to make up ridiculous excuses. That's the coward's way out.”

Lucas inhaled sharply at her words. “That's the second time today you've called me that,” he warned in a low growl. “I don't appreciate it.”

“Then don't act like one. At least be man enough to be honest with me.” Her breathing was ragged. Emma knew she was provoking him and didn't care. He'd been nothing but frustrating her for months and even more so since she'd arrived here yesterday. There was only so much she was willing to take.

“Dammit, Emma, I am being honest with you!” he yelled. “I'm trying to be the good guy here and you're turning it into something it's not!”

She heard his words; they just weren't the ones she wanted to hear. “That doesn't change my opinion,” she said as she crossed her arms and stood staring defiantly at him. “I wasn't asking for some sort of long-term commitment—I wouldn't dare. I was simply asking you for tonight. I thought it was the logical conclusion after the kiss we shared earlier.”

Lucas was dumbfounded. He wasn't sure what exactly about her declaration ticked him off the most—the fact that she wouldn't dare ask him for a commitment or the fact that she was being so flippant about the whole thing. He leaned toward her until they were nose to nose; his eyes bore into hers.

“There is not one thing logical about this whole situation, Emma,” he growled. “I wouldn't think you to be the kind of woman who'd want a one-night stand with her boss.” He'd hoped to anger her, possibly discourage her. He certainly didn't expect to encourage her.

“Then I guess you don't know me very well,” was all Emma said as she reached out and wrapped her hand around the back of Lucas's neck and pulled him toward her. As soon as her lips touched his she knew she'd won.

Lucas wrapped both arms around her and literally swept her off of her feet. “Be sure, Emma,” he said breathlessly between kisses. “Be very sure about this.”

With her mouth traveling ravenously down his jaw and throat, Emma managed to say, “Believe me, Lucas, I'm one hundred percent sure.”

It was all the encouragement he needed. Carefully lowering them both to the bed, Lucas was content just to keep kissing Emma. Her mouth was soft and wet and she tasted like heaven. The purring sounds she made as his hands began to wander were like hitting the launch button.

In an instant everything changed, as somehow Emma managed to reverse their positions and was on top of him. She lifted her head and smiled down at him, a slow, soft, sexy smile, and Lucas felt everything in him go hard. Without breaking eye contact, she lifted her T-shirt over her head. She smiled triumphantly at him as she sat there in a white lace bra and her yoga pants.

She was unleashing the beast in him, the one he hadn't allowed to come out since before his injury. If he wasn't careful, Lucas knew he could be too rough. He took a calming breath and waited to see what she was going to do next.

Lazily, Emma let her hands trail down Lucas's chest to the hem of his T-shirt. Her hands found their way underneath the fabric, and as they traveled up, Lucas accommodated her by simply pulling it over his head. Bending forward, she trailed kisses from his belly back up to his throat until she made her way back to his mouth and settled in for a while.

When she finally lifted her head, her eyes were glazed and Lucas's gaze was eating her up. He reached out and cupped her face in one of his large hands, running his thumb over her swollen lower lip. “I could lie here all night kissing you, Emma,” he said gruffly, “but I'd be lying if I said that was all I wanted to do.”

She smiled with womanly satisfaction. “What is it that you want to do, Lucas?” she whispered, and then let out a squeal of delight as he switched their positions again so she was on her back underneath him.

“I'm not really good with words, Emma,” he said with a wicked smile. “I'm more of a man of action.”

Emma found that she could easily live with that.

There was nothing like a good full-body stretch when waking up. Emma always found that a great way to start her day. The feel of a very warm, hard male pressed up against her back as she stretched, she decided, was an added perk.

Peeking over her shoulder, she met Lucas's slumberous eyes. “Good morning,” she said softly, and when he chose to say nothing Emma felt the first pangs of panic. She had essentially said last night would be a one-time thing—well, not one time, but one night. No, they had gone beyond one time multiple times over. Was he regretting their night? Was he angry at her for provoking him until he couldn't say no?

Even now, Emma could not believe how brazen she'd been. Never in her life had she been so turned on and so determined to have exactly what she wanted. From the way Lucas was staring at her right now, she was beginning to regret being so bold.

She turned her gaze away from him and glanced at the clock. It was after ten. No surprise there, they had finally fallen asleep some time right before dawn. Giving up on Lucas having something to say, Emma made to move from the bed.

Lucas's arm banded around her waist and pulled her back against him.

Emma turned her face slightly toward her pillow and smiled. So he wasn't as unaffected by their night as he was trying to make her believe. The feel of him pressed up against her back had that boldness coming to the surface again. “Something I can do for you, Lucas?” she asked sweetly and she heard him chuckle.

It was well after noon before he breathlessly turned to her and said, “Any chance you'd be willing to throw together some more of those grilled cheese sandwiches?”

Emma laughed out loud.

* * *

Later in the afternoon, Emma was sitting on the sofa reading a magazine she'd brought with her when Lucas came in from outside. She looked at him expectantly. “Well, how goes the big thaw?”

“I can't speak for everywhere but it looks as if the plows have come through around here. It's still below freezing out so I'm sure that if anything thaws, it's going to freeze up again quickly. Have you watched any of the weather reports on the TV?”

She shook her head. “Sorry, I got caught up in my reading.”

Lucas stepped forward and before she realized his intent, he'd grabbed the magazine from her hands.
“Ten positions to make him crazy in bed?”
He looked at her incredulously, reading the rest of the headlines on the cover of
Cosmo.
With a chuckle, he handed it back to her, then leaned down and placed a searing kiss on her lips. “Trust me, Emma, there's nothing that article can teach you.” Without another word, he headed into the mudroom to hang up his coat.

Emma merely sat there and fanned herself with the magazine. “Well,” she said quietly to herself, “I guess that answers that.” Tossing the magazine aside, she reached for the remote and turned on the TV to try and find the local weather. Lucas came and sat beside her and together they listened as the forecaster predicted nothing but warming temperatures.

Inwardly, Emma knew this was good news. She could go home safely and get back to her everyday routine. Unfortunately, doing so meant leaving all of this behind. She wasn't stupid enough to think that what she and Lucas had shared was going to carry over into their lives once she got home. No, they'd go back to the same awkward, quiet relationship they'd always had when he came to the office, kicking and screaming, once a month. That thought made her sad and a sigh escaped before she could stop it.

“What's the matter?” Lucas asked, concern lacing his voice.

“What? Oh, nothing,” she stammered. “I was just thinking about all that's waiting for me. I have to call my insurance company and then talk to the repair shop about my car and deal with the rental…”

“I already told you that we're handling all of that.”

“I know, I know, but eventually, I am going to have to handle it. It's still my car and I'll have to get back up here to get it and I hate driving a rental and…”

“You're rambling, Emma. What's really going on?” His tone was quiet, serious, and when Emma looked at him, her heart stopped.

“I'm not ready to go home yet,” she said honestly.

A small smile tugged at Lucas's lips. “I don't recall kicking you out.”

She relaxed a bit and chuckled. “There's no reason for me to stay. It's already Saturday, the roads are clear…it's time to go home.”

Lucas leaned forward and skimmed a hand down the side of her face. “You can't leave if you don't have a ride.”

Her eyes met his. “You said you'd drive me home when the roads were clear,” she reminded him.

“That's true. I did say that. But I'm not comfortable driving in these road conditions,” he said lightly as he slowly began to lean toward her.

Emma thought that she could really get used to this playful side of him. This must have been what he was like before he got hurt. “There is the possibility of ice,” she said with a dramatic sigh. “I would hate myself if something were to happen to your truck.”

“Exactly,” he said as he lowered his head to her throat and began taking light nips of her skin. “I appreciate your understanding. I would be really upset if something happened to…my truck.”

“I'm a considerate person,” she purred as she let her head fall back to give him better access.

“Very,” he agreed before lifting his mouth to hers and claiming it. He couldn't get enough. Lucas had been sure that after last night he'd be just fine with packing Emma up and taking her home today. The roads were fine, the temps were climbing, and at this time of day, it was the perfect time to drive without it being hazardous.

Selfishly, however, he wasn't ready to let her go. Once they left his home, it was over. There would be no repeat performance, no continuing with an affair; once he had her home safely, there was no going back.

So he had to keep her here with him for one more night. Tomorrow. Tomorrow he'd be fine with walking away.

As Emma slid her body beneath his on the couch and wrapped herself around him, Lucas let all thoughts of tomorrow fade away so that he could fully embrace and enjoy the present.

* * *

By Sunday afternoon, they were on the road. Neither felt much like talking, so most of the drive was spent in silence. Emma knew that this time was going to come; there had been no way to avoid it, and yet she wanted very much to. How was she supposed to see him at the office and pretend this weekend had never happened?

True, he only came in once a month, and if she had enough advance warning, she could keep herself busy to the point of not having to really be around him. Chancing a quick look at Lucas from the corner of her eye, Emma gave herself a mental kick. Who was she kidding? When Lucas came to the office, she was going to do as she'd always done: she would smile and bring him his coffee just in hopes of him giving her one of those slow, soft smiles that she loved.

She was pathetic. If Lucas wasn't sitting right beside her, she'd be berating herself profusely out loud. Instead, she turned her attention to the passing scenery and just hoped that when they got to her home, she wouldn't do something completely foolish like beg him to stay.

Lucas wished he could figure out what was going on inside Emma's head. She'd been sitting there like a damn statue since they'd pulled out of his driveway and she was making him crazy. He expected some sort of scene, expected her to try and reason with him on all of the ways they could continue their relationship once she was back at home. But she hadn't said a damn word.

He thought maybe she'd have regrets and want to tell him how he should have had more self-control. But she never said a word.

Dammit, the woman had been a chatterbox all weekend and now that he really wanted her to talk, to tell him what was going on in her mind, she had clammed up! Women! Gripping the steering wheel until his knuckles were white, he drove on. The faster he got her home, the better. They'd had their time, their fun, and now it was over. She didn't want to talk about it? Fine.

No, he was lying to himself. It was anything but fine. Lucas thought back to just this morning when he'd found her in the kitchen dressed in one of his T-shirts and making pancakes. She'd looked so damn perfect standing there in his home and after he'd caused her to burn the first batch, he'd helped her make the second.

That batch had gone cold before they even got to it.

By the third batch, Emma had wielded the spatula like a weapon to keep him away. He smiled at that picture. They'd finally sat down to eat and then had showered together, but once he'd left her alone so she could pack it was as if a switch had been flipped. There had been no more silly bantering; they both had gone somber. He'd loaded her stuff into his truck and silently climbed in. Emma had programmed her address into his GPS so they didn't even have to talk about where to go.

For a man who had thrived on silence for almost two years, it was killing him now.

To break up the monotony, Lucas switched on the radio. It didn't take long to realize that every song had a message of loving and losing, and it irritated the crap out of him. He slapped the system off. His action must have shocked Emma out of her own reverie because she gasped and turned toward him.

It was the first sound she'd made in almost an hour.

“Why'd you turn the music off?” she asked quietly.

“Nothing on that I wanted to hear.”

“Oh.”

And then the silence was back. How was it that they had talked all weekend and now there was nothing to say? How was he supposed to just drop her off at her place without having spoken a word to her?

He suppressed a groan. This was why he shouldn't have gotten involved. This whole thing had him looking like some sort of stereotypical player: he'd had his fun with her, his dirty weekend, and then he was done with her. Was that how she was going to remember him? No, he had to do something, say something to clear his conscience.

“So,” he began awkwardly, “those papers that Dad had wanted, did he mention anything about them when you talked to him on Friday?”

Work. A safe topic. He felt dumb asking, as they had already had this conversation, but he couldn't think of anything else. “Actually, no. We talked more about how I was feeling and he apologized for all of the confusion with the directions. I know he said it was a simple mistake, but that was still kind of odd for him, wasn't it?”

Lucas agreed but didn't share his thoughts on his father's motives. “Yeah. He's not usually that careless. And it's still bizarre to me that he never mentioned needing them before leaving to come up here.”

Emma nodded. “I thought so, too. Your father is very organized and meticulous in his planning; to just sort of throw something like that out there was a little weird.”

“Well, clearly he was able to do without whatever it was, since he didn't call back and ask you to go over it on the phone with him.”

“I don't think it was something he wanted to discuss.”

“Why would you say that?”

Emma could have bitten off her own tongue. William had specifically said that he didn't want his sons to know about this, but how could she possibly say that to Lucas? “Oh, um, you know, he was feeling bad about my accident so he probably didn't want to bother me with work stuff.”

Lucan made a noncommittal sound and put his full attention back on the road. “I guess we'll find out soon enough.”

“I guess.”

“Will you be at the office tomorrow?” he asked suddenly.

“Of course. Why wouldn't I?”

“I just thought maybe you would want to go to a doctor and get checked out to make sure that your head and ankle are healing okay.”

“Oh,” she sighed, secretly hoping that he had been leading up to asking her to lunch or something. “My ankle is just fine and other than an ugly bruise, my head is fine too. My hair hides it so no one has to see it.”

Lucas had seen it plenty all weekend and it broke his heart a little every time. He thought of the many times her hair and been fanned out on his pillows and he'd wanted to kiss the injury away.

“I still think you should see your doctor,” he murmured.

“Please don't start with that again, Lucas,” she replied wearily. “We've been over this like a hundred times and I am fine. Please just leave it alone.”

Lucas felt confident that this was the better way for them to leave things, with Emma being angry and irritated with him for nagging her. He could live with that. He shot one last glance at her, but Emma's attention was back to the passing scenery and so he let it be.

He'd lived with the silence for two years. What was another thirty minutes?

* * *

Monday morning, Emma woke up and went about her usual routine. She had spoken to Mr. Montgomery the night before and he promised her that a car would be there for her this morning to get her to work. She had showered and dressed and was pouring herself a glass of juice when she heard car doors slamming in her driveway. A quick peek out the window had her heart pounding.

There in her driveway were Lucas and Jason. They had dropped off a car for her to use and were getting back into Lucas's truck. She hadn't expected the Montgomerys to lend her one of the company cars; she thought a rental car company would meet her here this morning to drop something off. She'd have to talk to Mr. Montgomery when she got in, because she didn't feel right about driving one of their luxury cars.

Before she could open up her front door to say thank you, the men were gone. What had she expected? Lucas had barely said two words to her when he'd dropped her off last night. He'd helped her bring her things into her house and then said a very quiet good-bye before simply walking out and closing the door behind him.

She wanted to strangle him.