Lean on Me (The Mackay Sisters) by Angela Verdenius Page A

I’m a paramedic.”
    “That doesn’t qualify you for
dealing with those cats.”
    “What if I was a member of the
SAS?”
    Amusement glimmered in her eyes. 
“I’d even fear for them.”
    “True.”  He returned her smile. 
“But I assure you, I am up to the task.”  When she opened her mouth to object
further, he shook his head.  “I’m doing it, you’re resting your ankle, and
that’s the end of it.”
    For the first time he could
remember since meeting her, annoyance flared in her eyes, those plump lips
tightening.  “I appreciate your help, Matt, but don’t presume to order me
around.”
    Well, hello .  His eyebrows
rose in surprise.  Where had this spitfire been hiding?
    As soon as she saw his expression,
she bit her lip.  “Oh, I-I’m sorry.  I sound so ungrateful.”  Pulling her leg
off the chair, she placed it on the floor and made to stand.
    “Lori, stay seated.”  One hand
reaching out for her, Matt surged to his feet.
    Ignoring him, she managed to
balance on one foot, the toes of her injured foot just brushing the floor.  “Thanks
for everything, but I assure you I am fine.”
    Hands on hips, he studied her. 
There was a definite tilt to her chin, a hint of stubbornness, and he knew that
he’d only just scratched the surface of Lori Mackay.  Shy she might be, but
underneath all that quietness was a woman of passion.
    He had the chance to test out that
newfound knowledge when she stepped forward, wincing as her ankle undoubtedly
throbbed like the devil.  Without hesitation he stepped forward as well,
catching her around the waist and drawing her right up against him. 
Automatically her hands came up to rest on his shoulders as she eased her foot
back up.
    Interestingly, her eyes widened at
the sudden realisation that she was pressed up against him.
    Oh Christ, was she ever pressed up
against him.  The soft swell of her belly against his muscled stomach, her rounded
thighs resting against his harder thighs, her soft, very bountiful breasts
snugged against his chest.
    Those little nipples pushing against
his pecs.  The woman wore no bra under her nightgown and he could feel the
warmth of her skin through the thin nightie, the curves of her breasts, those
demanding little buds pebbling so deliciously into him.
    Staring down into her eyes, he saw
the heat simmering, felt it sucking him in as surely as those soft lips
trembled every so faintly and then, God in Heaven, opened ever so slightly. 
Just parted, the moistness within beckoning to him, making him lean down,
closer and closer, and-
    Jerking her head away suddenly,
Lori released his shoulders, placing her palms against his chest to push away. 
“Matt, I - you better go.”
    The push and the words combined
were enough to bring him to his senses.  He might be more than willing to kiss
her, but she sure as heck wasn’t prepared to return the gesture.
    Maybe she didn’t want to?  Maybe
he’d misread her?
    The sudden fear that he’d mistaken
her reactions had him ready to step back and apologise, reluctant to release
her but loathe to force himself on her, the words already on his tongue ready
to spill free, his mouth opening even as his muscles tensed, readying to step
him back, but then his attention was caught by one fleeting little gesture.
    Her hands on his shirt tightened
momentarily, hanging on, her fingers twining in the flannel cloth, a flash of
wistfulness that crossed her face in a lightening move so fast he’d have sworn
it was yet another mistake on his part if he hadn’t been aware of the way she
hung on to him.
    Yeah, she hung on in a move fast,
fleeting, swift, over almost before it had begun, but he knew.  He knew.  Lori
Mackay was pushing him away physically, but mentally and sexually, she wanted
him.  She didn’t want him to let her go.
    Even as the knowledge flashed
through him, his body responding immediately, he saw her expression.  Like
everything that had happened, it came and went in a