Right Here Waiting (16 page)

“Was this why he suddenly was on the Internet and wanted
to email our boss?”

“Yes. He was requesting a flight back. When you were in
the bedroom getting ready to go, he checked his email and your boss booked his
flight. He emailed me the information and let me know the two of you were
getting ready to come here like I asked.”

“You mean this whole evening was planned?” She couldn't
believe the two men managed to pull this off.

“How else was I going to get my woman alone on a date to
talk to her?”

“I’m not your woman.”

Blade laughed. “We’ll see,” he said and before she could
respond. He tilted her chin up, and looked deep into her eyes before claiming
her lips with his.

She surprised him when she didn’t push him away. Instead,
she leaned into him and deepened the kiss. She breathed in the scent of him.

“Catching up on lost times?” a female voice called out
over the country music pumping from the jukebox.

They both pulled apart and looked up to see Karen
standing at the table with two beers.

“Karen, just put the beers down and go,” Blade snapped at
her.

“Why? So you can go back to what you were doing before I
interrupted you?” she asked as she set the drinks down on the table.

“Just go,” Blade growled, “before I report you to your
boss.”

“Okay, I’m going,” she said, turning around and walking
away, swaying her hips as she went.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

A
fter drinking six beers, she regretted
it. What was she thinking?

She wasn’t used to drinking, so she was really feeling
the effects of it. How was she going to get back to the ranch? She didn’t think
she could drive her car in this condition.

As if reading her mind, Blade said, “You’re not driving
your car tonight. I’m driving you back to the ranch in my truck.”

She allowed him to guide her out of the bar and out to
his truck. There was no way she would have made it there on her own.

She leaned her head on his shoulder on the way back to
the ranch. “I don’t want to sleep in the cabin tonight,” she whispered.

“Do you want to sleep in your parents’ bedroom?” he
whispered back.

“I want to sleep in your bed.”

“Are you sure?” Under different circumstances, he would
have been jumping for joy.

“Yes. I don’t want to be alone tonight.”

“What about other nights?”

“I don’t know. I just don’t want to be alone tonight.”

“You know I’m here for you when you need me. You never
have to be alone.”

“I’ll be alone when I go back to New York,” she
whispered. She snuggled closer to him. Her eyes closed and she was asleep.

* * *

B
lade stroked her cheek as she slept. How long did she
feel she didn't have anyone in her life? Did she feel this way since the day
she left on her eighteenth birthday? A feeling of guilt washed over him. If he
only knew exactly where she was in New York, he could have gone to her. Maybe
he should have hired someone to track her down.

He asked her parents for her address on several
occasions, but they always felt it best to give her the space she requested. He
couldn't blame them though.

Who was there to hold her and comfort her when she was
sad? Who was there to see to it she was safe in the big city? Was anyone there
for her? He knew if anyone was, it should have been him.

It would be him from now on, he vowed. He pulled the
truck up the gravel drive and cut the engine. He glanced over at Megan. She was
still sleeping. He didn’t want to wake her up.

He stroked her cheek with his thumb. She looked beautiful
and peaceful as she slept. He watched the rise and fall of her breasts as he
tried to figure out the best way to get out without waking her up.

He opened the truck door and breathed in; filling his
lungs with the cool night air. Somewhere in the distance he could hear the
lonesome howl of a wolf. He got out carefully, not waking her. She slumped
over, but continued sleeping.

He closed the truck door as quietly as possible before
walking around to the passenger side. He carefully opened the truck door and
slid her out, scooping her into his arms.

Blade managed to get her into the house and upstairs to
his room. He gently laid her down on the bed and removed her shoes and socks
before pulling the blanket over her.

* * *

T
he next morning she awoke and
stretched. She remembered very little from the night before. She slowly opened
her eyes.

The first thing she saw was Blade and her head was
resting on his chest. How did she end up in Blade’s bed?

The last thing she remembered from the night before was
dancing with Blade and ordering another beer. How did things get this far? Did
she have sex with him again? God, she hoped not. She couldn’t remember if she
did or not. She thought hard about it, trying to recall. This only caused her
head, which was already throbbing, to hurt even more.

She tried to sit up, but her head was swimming and the
movement made her feel light headed. She was stuck right where she was.

She worried about what Blade thought about her. He
already thought she was a slut. Could his opinion of her have gotten any worse
after last night?

She needed to get up. She couldn’t stay here in Blade’s
bed. Josh must be worried sick about her and they needed to get a lot of work
done on the project they were working on.

She made another attempt, but without success. The
movement caused Blade to wake up.

“Where are you trying to go?” he asked sleepily. “It’s
still kind of early.” As if to prove his point, he yawned and pointed at the
clock on the night table.

“Josh and I still have a lot of work we need to get done
on the project we’re working on.”  Suddenly a new problem occurred.

Blade must have known something was wrong because he
asked, “What is it?”

“I need to go to the bathroom.”

“Why do I have a feeling you need to do more than the
usual business in there?”

“Maybe because I do,” she said as she tried to get up
again, but fell back down.

“Wait right there and don’t move,” he said as if she had
any other choice.

He climbed out of bed and came around to her side. He
pulled her into a sitting position and onto her feet. The whole room began to spin
and she needed to hang onto him just to keep them from going out from under
her.

He helped her into the bathroom and stayed right by her
side as she threw up. He kept an arm around her the entire time, holding her
hair back and stroking the back of her head. She knew she looked a mess. She
felt embarrassed.

When it was all over and he was leading her back to the
bedroom, she told him, “I need to get my shoes and socks on so I can get back
to the cabin.”

“The only place you’re going is back to bed,” he told her
as he led her over to the bed. He helped her get back in.

She was drenched in sweat. This was the last time she
would drink so much. She knew she should have stopped after the one beer.

Blade disappeared into the bathroom and a few minutes
later, he returned with a cool, wet washcloth. He placed it on her forehead.

“What am I going to do now?” She couldn't stay holed up
in his room.

“I would suggest you stay in bed for the day.”

“I can’t.”

“What other choice do you have?”

He was right. She couldn’t even sit up on her own without
the room spinning. There was no way she’d be able to walk out to the cabin on
her own.

“I’m sorry Blade.” Why couldn't she have stopped at one beer?

“Why are you sorry?”

“I look a mess and I’m stuck in your bed.”

“You look beautiful, as always.”

“But I have responsibilities I need to take care of. 
This must be an awful inconvenience for you.”

“Darling, don’t worry about it,” he said as he climbed
back into bed next to her and pulled her into his embrace. She was too sick to
stop him. “As far as I’m concerned, this is your bed too. You’re right where
you belong.”

He held her, and brushed away the few strands of hair
falling across her cheek. She fell asleep there in the comfort of his arms,
feeling safer than she felt in a long time.

* * *

A
few hours later, she woke up. She was
surprised to see Blade was still in bed with her. What about the ranch? Why
wasn’t he up working? She never meant to disrupt anything around here.

Her head still hurt and she felt a little sick to her
stomach. Other than that, she felt fine. She needed to get up.

She studied Blade as he slept. He reminded her of a
statue of a Greek God. His body was perfectly sculpted and muscular.

She allowed her eyes to roam and look his body up and
down. Her hands, which were still resting on his chest, longed to explore it.

She bit her lip as she tried to decide if she dared let
her hands roam or not. As if having a mind of their own, her hands began to
glide over the expanse of his solid chest.

She was surprised and jumped back, retracting her hands,
when she saw a lazy grin spread across his face. How long had he been awake?
Did he know she was checking out his body? Her cheeks burned bright red with
embarrassment.

His eyes opened and they were dark with passion. “Why did
you stop?” he whispered.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have crossed the line,” she said,
turning away from him.

He pulled her back into his embrace. He left her no other
option than to look at him. “Why are you apologizing?”

She squirmed, trying to pull away from him, but he kept a
strong grip on her. “Please let me go.”

“Not until you answer my question.”

“I shouldn’t have done it.”

“Why shouldn’t you have? It was nice. I would love to be
woken up this way every morning for the rest of my life.”

“That’s why I shouldn’t have been touching you.”

He looked confused. “Are you saying you shouldn’t have
been touching me because I liked it?”

“Well, yes,” she said around the lump forming in her
throat.

“What if I want you to?” he asked, taking both her hands,
and placing them on his chest, holding them there when she tried to pull them
back.

“I can’t. It was a mistake.” She wished he would drop it.

“How could it be? Didn’t you like what you were doing?”

“Yes,” she admitted reluctantly. “I admit I liked it. Are
you satisfied?”

“No, not yet I’m not. If you liked what you were doing
and I liked what you were doing, how could it be a mistake?”

“It would lead to other things.”

“What other things?” he asked, pressing for more details.

“Sex,” she said, turning an even deeper shade of red.

“Would that be so bad?”

“Shouldn’t you be working or something?”

He looked disappointed when she changed the subject. “No.
Rex has everything under control now, just like he will when we are in New York
City.” She forgot all about that.

“You don’t need to go with me. I’m perfectly fine on my
own.”

“Don’t argue with me, darling. I’m going with you.”

“I would prefer you didn’t.”

“You say it now, but I know you don’t mean it. My place
is with you.”

“If you are planning to come with me so you can protect
me, don’t bother. I can take care of myself. I’m a big girl.”

“That isn’t the only reason I’m going with you.”

“Give me one good reason you feel you should go with me.”

“I want to be with you.” His answer wasn't enough. She
wanted to hear him say he loved her.

There was still no mention of love. No mention of
commitment. If she allowed him to go with her, how long would it be until he
grew tired of her and went running back to the blond?

“What about your girlfriend?”

“What are you talking about? I’ll be with you.”

“The blond woman I’ve seen you with. Don’t tell me you’ve
forgotten about her already.”

“I don’t know what makes you think she’s my girlfriend.
She’s not and she never was.”

“You could have fooled me. I know you dated her at some point.
Is she your type?”

“I don’t have a type and I’ve never dated her. Who told
you we did?” By the expression on his face, Megan could tell he was confused.

“My first night here, she asked you when you were going
to take her out again.”

Blade started laughing. “All this time you thought I was
dating Shanice?”