his reverie and looked at her face. When she nodded to the bubbles and then looked back at him, he got the picture.
âOh, right. Sorry,â he said and backed out of the bathroom, closing the door behind him.
Emma sagged with relief once the door was closed. What in the world? For a minute there she thought Lucas was going to strip and join her. Wouldnât that have been nice! But no, clearly she still was looking too much like a troll to tempt him.
Well, she wasnât going to let it bother her. She sat back and let the jets do their magic on her body. It really seemed to work, and twenty minutes later she had to force herself from the tub. Drying herself off with a towel from the heated towel bar, Emma couldnât help but wish once again for her overnight bag. Besides wanting her toothbrush, sheâd kill for some moisturizer right about now.
Wrapping the towel around her, Emma realized that she hadnât brought Lucasâs robe in with her. Opening the door, she stepped into the bedroom to grab it and ran directly into Lucas.
âOh!â she cried as his arms came around her to steady her. Dammit, why here? Why now? Why couldnât she have just stayed in bed all day and avoided all of this? If sheâd listened to her original instincts, she wouldnât have to fight the urge to snuggle closer into Lucasâs arms and beg him to finally kiss her.
A muscle ticked in Lucasâs jaw as he stared down at the damp and barely covered Emma. He had knocked, dammit, and when she hadnât answered heâd felt that he could come into the bedroom and grab an extra sweatshirt without seeing her.
This was way more of Emma than he could handle seeing.
He stared down at her and swallowed hard. âI was able to find a towing company to come out and get your car,â he said, his voice sounding like gravel. âThey should be here within the hour.â
âOh.â Slowly she raised her eyes to his and released her breath, bringing her body into closer contact with his.
âEmma,â he sighed, so ready to say to hell with his doubts and just take what he so desperately needed from her. âIâ¦â
âYes, Lucas,â she whispered, and he swore she became more beautiful right before his eyes.
âIâ¦â He hesitated and studied Emmaâs face. He saw desire there for sure, but he saw something else: trust. She trusted him. He silently cursed because he knew he didnât deserve her trust. Emma did not strike him as the kind of woman who would be okay with a one-time encounter and he was in the awkward position of being somewhat of an employer to her. As much as it pained him, again, Lucas knew that he could never betray her trust. âI just needed to grab another sweatshirt. The snow has stopped but itâs still below freezing outside.â
He released her immediately and Emma nearly wept at the loss of his warmth. Frantically she reached for the robe and turned her back to Lucas as she put it on, all the while cursing him for sending her such mixed signals. Before she could turn back around and speak her mind on the subject, she heard the door close and knew he was gone.
The urge to scream was nearly overwhelming. Dropping the towel to the floor, Emma kicked it into a corner and then stomped back into the bathroom. She ransacked the bathroom in search of a spare toothbrush and was rewarded when she found a new one in the back of one of the drawers. She scrubbed her teeth and then took her hair down from its messy twist and shook it free.
âDamn him, damn him, damn him!â she said, slamming a cabinet door shut after being unable to find a suitable comb for her hair. Storming from the bathroom, Emma went to the bedroom and went about the task of setting everything back to its original appearance. She wanted to wipe away all traces of her having been there. With any luck, she could get a ride with the tow truck driver into town and
âOh, right. Sorry,â he said and backed out of the bathroom, closing the door behind him.
Emma sagged with relief once the door was closed. What in the world? For a minute there she thought Lucas was going to strip and join her. Wouldnât that have been nice! But no, clearly she still was looking too much like a troll to tempt him.
Well, she wasnât going to let it bother her. She sat back and let the jets do their magic on her body. It really seemed to work, and twenty minutes later she had to force herself from the tub. Drying herself off with a towel from the heated towel bar, Emma couldnât help but wish once again for her overnight bag. Besides wanting her toothbrush, sheâd kill for some moisturizer right about now.
Wrapping the towel around her, Emma realized that she hadnât brought Lucasâs robe in with her. Opening the door, she stepped into the bedroom to grab it and ran directly into Lucas.
âOh!â she cried as his arms came around her to steady her. Dammit, why here? Why now? Why couldnât she have just stayed in bed all day and avoided all of this? If sheâd listened to her original instincts, she wouldnât have to fight the urge to snuggle closer into Lucasâs arms and beg him to finally kiss her.
A muscle ticked in Lucasâs jaw as he stared down at the damp and barely covered Emma. He had knocked, dammit, and when she hadnât answered heâd felt that he could come into the bedroom and grab an extra sweatshirt without seeing her.
This was way more of Emma than he could handle seeing.
He stared down at her and swallowed hard. âI was able to find a towing company to come out and get your car,â he said, his voice sounding like gravel. âThey should be here within the hour.â
âOh.â Slowly she raised her eyes to his and released her breath, bringing her body into closer contact with his.
âEmma,â he sighed, so ready to say to hell with his doubts and just take what he so desperately needed from her. âIâ¦â
âYes, Lucas,â she whispered, and he swore she became more beautiful right before his eyes.
âIâ¦â He hesitated and studied Emmaâs face. He saw desire there for sure, but he saw something else: trust. She trusted him. He silently cursed because he knew he didnât deserve her trust. Emma did not strike him as the kind of woman who would be okay with a one-time encounter and he was in the awkward position of being somewhat of an employer to her. As much as it pained him, again, Lucas knew that he could never betray her trust. âI just needed to grab another sweatshirt. The snow has stopped but itâs still below freezing outside.â
He released her immediately and Emma nearly wept at the loss of his warmth. Frantically she reached for the robe and turned her back to Lucas as she put it on, all the while cursing him for sending her such mixed signals. Before she could turn back around and speak her mind on the subject, she heard the door close and knew he was gone.
The urge to scream was nearly overwhelming. Dropping the towel to the floor, Emma kicked it into a corner and then stomped back into the bathroom. She ransacked the bathroom in search of a spare toothbrush and was rewarded when she found a new one in the back of one of the drawers. She scrubbed her teeth and then took her hair down from its messy twist and shook it free.
âDamn him, damn him, damn him!â she said, slamming a cabinet door shut after being unable to find a suitable comb for her hair. Storming from the bathroom, Emma went to the bedroom and went about the task of setting everything back to its original appearance. She wanted to wipe away all traces of her having been there. With any luck, she could get a ride with the tow truck driver into town and
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