begin to explain away the strange emptiness his apology created. What kind of trick had he played on her, and why?
Reed glanced into her narrowed eyes, then studied the floor. As he spoke, he looked up at her every now and then, as if to gauge her reaction.
"I fell asleep last night on the floor of your study, and as God is my witness, I did not realize you were asleep, too. I have never compromised a woman in my life, and I can only try to excuse my behavior by saying that I was exhausted. Had I not been in that physical state I never would have allowed myself to spend the night in there beside you."
It took several seconds for the meaning of his words to seep into her twentieth century brain. When it did, she went limp with relief.
"You've got to be kidding. Good grief, I thought you'd actually done something. Believe me, in this day and age, falling asleep on the same floor with a woman several feet away is definitely not going to compromise her. Now that I think about it, there's not much of anything that compromises a woman today."
With a skeptical look, Reed stared at her as though he couldn't believe such unacceptable behavior was viewed with so cavalier an attitude. It took Elise several attempts to reassure him that she was neither offended nor compromised, and even then she felt certain he still didn't believe her.
"Well, I am sorry, also, that I hovered. But I am so overwhelmed by all of these...devices. It has become somewhat of a game to try and figure out the purpose of each one." He flung his arms wide to encompass the entire room. The gesture made the already-too-small shirt stretch tightly across his chest, exposing a generous amount of well-developed muscle. Through the taut shirt she could see the ripples of his stomach muscles. A sudden "zing" shot through her chest and her heart thudded against her ribcage.
Lust. Simple lust. He's too good-looking for his own good. Her body didn't want to respond when she willed her heartbeat into a slower cadence.
His story of the day before settled more comfortably around Elise when she watched Reed pick up an electric can opener and jump a foot when he accidentally pushed on the lever. When she turned on the oven to bake some biscuits and he had to open the door and gingerly check the heat with his hand, she forgot all about calling the police.
She cracked open a can of biscuits by slamming it on the edge of the counter. Reed watched her with undisguised curiosity as she doled them out onto a cookie sheet. She also noted he was trying desperately not to "hover."
She shot him a sheepish grin and said, "I'm sorry I snapped at you earlier. I guess I'm not a morning person today. Hover all you want."
Reed beamed and stepped closer, so close she could feel the heat of his body. She had to fight the urge to lean back into him - to lean against the length of him and have him wrap his arms around her while she snuggled the back of her head against his chest.
Get a grip, Gerard, she admonished herself when she realized how close she'd come to giving in to the urge. She'd been too long without a man, and it was making her weird.
*******
During breakfast Elise watched Reed's discreet attempts to adjust and readjust his snug-fitting shirt. She realized he needed some clothes that fit him better, since he didn't appear to be going anywhere. From the look of what he'd "arrived" in, he was accustomed to tailored clothing with a precision fit. When she brought the subject of a shopping trip up she was sure she noticed a look of relief, even though he insisted that he was fine and could make do with Don's wardrobe.
"Nonsense." Elise grabbed her plate and cup and slid them into the dishwasher. "We don't know how long you'll be here and you need more than one change of clothes. We can leave right after I clean up."
"Elise, the only currency I possess is the twenty dollar gold piece I showed you, and I
Reed glanced into her narrowed eyes, then studied the floor. As he spoke, he looked up at her every now and then, as if to gauge her reaction.
"I fell asleep last night on the floor of your study, and as God is my witness, I did not realize you were asleep, too. I have never compromised a woman in my life, and I can only try to excuse my behavior by saying that I was exhausted. Had I not been in that physical state I never would have allowed myself to spend the night in there beside you."
It took several seconds for the meaning of his words to seep into her twentieth century brain. When it did, she went limp with relief.
"You've got to be kidding. Good grief, I thought you'd actually done something. Believe me, in this day and age, falling asleep on the same floor with a woman several feet away is definitely not going to compromise her. Now that I think about it, there's not much of anything that compromises a woman today."
With a skeptical look, Reed stared at her as though he couldn't believe such unacceptable behavior was viewed with so cavalier an attitude. It took Elise several attempts to reassure him that she was neither offended nor compromised, and even then she felt certain he still didn't believe her.
"Well, I am sorry, also, that I hovered. But I am so overwhelmed by all of these...devices. It has become somewhat of a game to try and figure out the purpose of each one." He flung his arms wide to encompass the entire room. The gesture made the already-too-small shirt stretch tightly across his chest, exposing a generous amount of well-developed muscle. Through the taut shirt she could see the ripples of his stomach muscles. A sudden "zing" shot through her chest and her heart thudded against her ribcage.
Lust. Simple lust. He's too good-looking for his own good. Her body didn't want to respond when she willed her heartbeat into a slower cadence.
His story of the day before settled more comfortably around Elise when she watched Reed pick up an electric can opener and jump a foot when he accidentally pushed on the lever. When she turned on the oven to bake some biscuits and he had to open the door and gingerly check the heat with his hand, she forgot all about calling the police.
She cracked open a can of biscuits by slamming it on the edge of the counter. Reed watched her with undisguised curiosity as she doled them out onto a cookie sheet. She also noted he was trying desperately not to "hover."
She shot him a sheepish grin and said, "I'm sorry I snapped at you earlier. I guess I'm not a morning person today. Hover all you want."
Reed beamed and stepped closer, so close she could feel the heat of his body. She had to fight the urge to lean back into him - to lean against the length of him and have him wrap his arms around her while she snuggled the back of her head against his chest.
Get a grip, Gerard, she admonished herself when she realized how close she'd come to giving in to the urge. She'd been too long without a man, and it was making her weird.
*******
During breakfast Elise watched Reed's discreet attempts to adjust and readjust his snug-fitting shirt. She realized he needed some clothes that fit him better, since he didn't appear to be going anywhere. From the look of what he'd "arrived" in, he was accustomed to tailored clothing with a precision fit. When she brought the subject of a shopping trip up she was sure she noticed a look of relief, even though he insisted that he was fine and could make do with Don's wardrobe.
"Nonsense." Elise grabbed her plate and cup and slid them into the dishwasher. "We don't know how long you'll be here and you need more than one change of clothes. We can leave right after I clean up."
"Elise, the only currency I possess is the twenty dollar gold piece I showed you, and I
Similar Books
