Emily lifted a ring off the hook by the front door, taking another down another bright yellow key and handing it to him. “It’s for the front door.”
“Colorful,” he noted, taking the key and dropping it into his pocket.
“I like color,” she said simply, glancing at his brilliant yellow and red shirt. “Must explain my attraction to you, huh?”
“I’m not protesting at all, Emily,” he moved ahead of her, waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs, noticing the bright pink toes. “Do you own shoes?”
“Of course I own shoes,” she waved a palm and walked with him around the front of the building. “It’s very warm, Jack…and my feet like being free…I wash them before I go to bed.”
Emily stood in the doorway for a long minute. It wasn’t very different, just a little more stuff. She felt his hand take hers, guiding her to the living area. A desk was situated in the corner, a laptop sitting with a stack of papers and envelopes.
“You have a nice place…very comfy,” she said, sinking onto the extra big cushions and relaxing. “So what’re we watching?”
Jack leaned back next to her, the remote aimed and titles scrolled through. “Have you seen that one?”
“No…is it good?”
“It’s a must for sci-fi fans,” he told her, keying the movie up and tossing the remote to the empty chair. He lifted her palm and tugged gently, turning her and letting her lean into him, his arms circling her from behind. “This is nice.”
Jack liked hearing her laugh. He liked having her in his arms, the scent of her morning shampoo as potent as the most expensive perfume. It was dark when the movie signed off.
“That was very good…funny…it’s almost like having your own theater,” Emily said with a yawn.
Jack took the vial from his pocket, sighing when she straightened up and looked at him like a stubborn child.
“Are we going to argue, Emily?”
“I don’t like pills.”
“Ordinarily I don’t, either. But you haven’t been sleeping…”
“It doesn’t stop the nightmares,” she said with a pout, holding her palm up and accepting the single tablet dropped into the center.
“I’ll get you some water,” Jack went into the kitchen and brought back a glass of cold water. He watched her, one brow arched. “Now take the pill, Emily,” he laughed at the face she made, deliberately moving slowly and dropping the pill onto her tongue, draining the water and sighing.
“You better get me home before they take effect,” Emily stood up slowly and stretched.
“The bathroom is over here,” Jack gestured, striding into the bedroom and coming out with a plain black tee shirt. “You can sleep in this tonight.”
Emily looked from the shirt to him. “Here?”
“My bed is bigger…more room…I’m not leaving you alone, Emily. First because that idiot is on the loose. Second, your stitches and third, the nightmares,” Jack went back into the bedroom and came out with his pajama bottoms.
“Do you ever ask?”
“You know…I gave that some thought and decided it was a bad idea in your case,” Jack put his hands on her shoulders and turned her to face the bathroom. “Come on, lady…you got a line forming out here.”
Emily mumbled the whole time she was in the bathroom, her skirt and vest left lying on the large counter and his tee shirt going to the tops of her thighs and a whole lot wider than she was. She was still mumbling as she walked out, shaking her head and wandering past him into the bedroom.
She stood staring at the king sized bed, four large round posts framing the corners. Emily took the side facing the window, unaware of the view she afforded as she climbed into the bed, one long leg stretched out behind her.
“You make your bed…” She noted, sitting cross legged in the center of the bed. “This thing is huge.”
“Old habits,” he answered with a shrug, deciding this was definitely something a man could get used to. His hand tapped the light switch. He waited while she scooted to one side before he folded the blankets to the bottom and used the same light blanket she was using. “I like to sprawl out.”
“Hmm…you know…” Still sitting cross legged and watching him curiously. “This isn’t a situation I thought I’d be in…it’s kind of like an adult sleep over…”
“Only we’re not sitting up talking all night, Emily,” his eyes had adapted to the dappled light streaming in from the back parking lot. She was staring at him. “Lay down, Emily…”
“It’s very warm tonight,” she said, easing to her back and staring. “How long do you think before the pill takes effect?”
“I’ve no idea,” he said from behind closed eyes, a slight grin on his lips.
“Do you think the nightmares are what was before? That’s bothered me…”
“I don’t know,” was the honest answer. “But I do know you’re strong enough to handle it, whatever it was…”
“You say a lot of nice things,” she replied, yawning softly. “I might have been a really bad person before…..you don’t know….”
“I have instincts,” he moved to the side, his hand wrapping around her slender fingers. “Go to sleep, Emily.”
“Good night, Jack,” she whispered, rolling to her side and wrapping his palm completely in both of hers, her face pressed against his arm and breathing slowly leveling off.
Chapter Nine
Like the morning before and most mornings in several years, Jack eased from the bed and found his running clothes, changing in the bathroom. He carried his shoes to the front door, checked for his keys and quietly stepped out into the fog. His mind flit between the Tri-Seas takeover and Emily Temple.
The nightmares bothered him. He wasn’t sure what she would be afraid of because of them haunting her memories. She’d woke in a cold sweat in the middle of the night, still under the influence of the sleeping pill though, so he hoped she wouldn't remember the fear in her voice.
She was still sleeping when he stepped out of the shower, mumbling to herself and making him smile as he went in search of coffee and toast. He wandered down to the shop with his coffee, opening the back door and letting the cool fog flow around him. He looked up from his desk at the sound of a car, a light tap and he waved for Ian to enter.
“She’s still sleeping…whatever you gave her, put her to sleep but it didn’t stop the nightmares,” Jack remarked, closing the back door and guiding him up into the apartment. “Okay…so she was sleeping…”
Both men stood staring at the woman sitting cross legged in the center of the bed, blankets tossed aside and pale lashes blinking slowly.
“He drugged me,” Emily said with a long sigh. “I hate pills…and I will not be taking any more of them.”
“Good morning to you, too,” Ian set his bag on the bed. “How about laying down for me…on your side…good girl…Emily, you have to let go of the shirt…”
“Oh…yeah…” her eyes closed again. “I want a shower. A long, hot shower…”
“I can put a plastic patch on for you, if you let Jack put the bandage on when you’ve finished…I can’t stay that long,” Ian brought out a pair of small scissors, clipping the end stitch. “You’re healing nicely…no stretching, no strenuous activities…”
“How about sex?”
Ian heard Jack choking behind him but just closed his eyes and peeled the strip off the adhesive edge, gently applying it to her side and front.
“Just don’t get too athletic for a while,” Ian answered with a straight face.
“Oh good…Jack was worried about facing you if we ripped the stitches out,” Emily smiled sweetly over at the still choking Jack.
“I can’t say I’d be a happy camper if that happened,” Ian remarked, working hard to keep from laughing at his friend. “There…you’re ready for the shower. I won’t be back until Monday…between you two, use the extra plastic barriers and lighten the gauze…leave the bandage off at night, alright?”
“Got it…no problem�
��” Emily assured him, sitting up carefully. Her eyes caught on the vial sitting on Jack’s side of the bed, her legs sliding off and her palm closing around the plastic. “Thank you, Ian…”
“See you guys later,” Ian waved and left the bedroom, the sound of the door following.
Emily was standing at the entrance to the bathroom when Jack’s voice reached her.
“I saw you lift them,” he said quietly.
“Oh?” Emily raised the vial, spun the lid and dumped them into the toilet. “Then you can see that, too. I am not taking them again.” She flushed the toilet and met his glare.
Jack cursed.
“They did not stop the nightmares.”
“You remember that?”
“Yes,” she answered, not moving when he stepped closer. “I’ll drink hot milk or a bottle of rum…but I am not taking those pills or any other ones. I don’t like the way they make me feel…like I can’t…focus right.”
“I’ll be down in the shop if you need anything.”
“I’m going to my apartment and shower and get dressed,” Emily told him. He watched while she gathered her clothes and lifted her keys from the counter in the kitchen.
“I have the stuff Ian left…let me know when you’re done and I’ll bandage you up again,” Jack followed her out, his head shaking at the bare feet and tee shirt roaming around the back of the building to the stairs on her side of the building.
An hour later Emily wandered carefully down the stairs into the shop. It was definitely getting easier, she thought, glad to see Grace unlocking the back door.
“I am so glad to see you…” Emily held up her brush. “You said you could fix this for me? Please…”
Grace laughed and took the brush, motioning her to the chair. “I saw Jack pacing in his shop…”
“Oh, crap…another favor…I’ll go in the little office and take off my top, Jack has the bandages that are supposed to go on after my shower…I completely forgot…”
“I’ll get them…are you feeling okay?”
“Better…lots better, thanks…” Emily went into the small office, the buttons on the vest opened and her arm slid out of the opening. That part was still just a little stiff and her groan wasn’t contained.
“Still hurts?”
Her head went up, holding the vest to her front, her eyes went from the closing door to the brightly colored shirt and shorts on the man now filling the space.
“Grace is talking to Chet…I told her I’d take care of this for you,” Jack set the bandages on the desk and motioned for her to turn. He waited, her fingers tightening on the vest over her breasts. “I won’t look.”
Emily closed her eyes while he carefully peeled the plastic covering off. She worked to keep her breathing steady, exhaling only when it was finally off.
“Better?” Jack asked, carefully lying out the gauze.
“Is it very bad looking?” She asked, trying to sound casual.
“I’m not going to answer that, Emily. It’s a scar caused by an idiot with a knife,” Jack said through his teeth. “It’s nice and pink and healthy, according to Ian, who laughed his ass off on the way to his car.”
“Oh? A little embarrassed, are you? Wow…wouldn’t know what that felt like,” Emily murmured dryly.
“Was dumping the pills a way of getting even, too, Emily?”
“The pills were just that…stop treating me like a five year old, Jack. I don’t want to be your child,” she said fiercely. “I…”
“It’s wrong for a guy to want to protect his girl?”
“Protection is different than…than bullying me into taking those pills at night,” Emily shot back petulantly.
“Emily…those nightmares…” Jack finished the tape and tipped her chin up. “All done.”
“Turn around,” she ordered, not returning his smile. She held the vest tightly to her until he turned, his hands in his pockets. She quickly slid her arm into the vest, buttoning the tiny buttons and sighing heavily. “You think the nightmares are real…were real…don’t you?”
“I know I would risk your wrath and beat him to a pulp if I met him,” Jack told her angrily.
Emily sighed. “I…it’s frustrating…and…and I get angry that something like what happened in the nightmare…and that knife thing…”
“You don’t think guys get caught up in stuff like that? Where all the fighting back in the world doesn’t help the outcome,” Jack guessed at what she was trying to phrase, turning and moving to stand in front of her, his hands on her shoulders. “A guy like in your nightmare uses the fact that he’s bigger and bulkier than you, Emily. Using brute force on a woman…” his head shook. One palm slid down her arm, lifting her hand and absently fingering the bracelet she wore. “How about lunch with me? Just you and me…away from the shops…”
“I’d like that,” she said with a sigh, stepping into his arms and letting her head rest on his shoulder. “It all gets so muddled inside a girls brain, you know? Between the…independence…or protection…bullying…there are so many grey areas,” she mumbled testily.
“I can see where that’s a problem,” Jack nodded, easing her back and kissing her, softly at first. Then that indescribable hunger began building. That something mysterious that happened when he kissed Emily Temple. A small fire would suddenly turn into a raging inferno before he was equipped to handle it properly. “Don’t work too hard…how about one-thirty?”
Emily nodded and followed him into the main room, his palm up with a jaunty wave at Grace as she entered. She held up the hairbrush and gestured to the chair. “To business,” she said with a smile.
Grace returned from lunch shortly before one and tapped Emily on the shoulder, holding up a flower patterned red and white off-shoulder sarong. Emily closed one eye and looked up at her over the small glasses she wore.
“Jack says you need to dress for lunch,” Grace grinned and held up a pair of strappy sandals in the other hand.
“Where the heck is he taking me?” But Emily moved behind the dressing screen and slowly removed her vest and skirt, letting the decidedly tropical dress fall over her head. She turned and let Grace do up the zipper, appraising the effect in the mirror.
“I think it’s that Bahama Breeze place in South Center. It’s over eighty five out there, Em…and they have the nicest shaded patio,” Grace nodded her approval. “You two will make a great entrance. He even switched to his black shorts…something about you like those best.”
Emily was laughing as she stepped into the small heels, sitting back in the chair and raising her ankle to the desk to wind the strap around it, then doing up the other one. She checked the small purse she had for keys and wallet before snapping it shut and going back to her sewing.
Jack stopped at the back door to the costume shop, keys gripped in his palm as he watched Emily put things away and stand up slowly, holding on to the edge of the desk and flex her foot. She lifted the little purse from the desktop and turned, smiling broadly at him with arms wide. He had switched shorts, she thought with a little bubble of laughter tickling her.
“Wow…” Jack let his eyes slide appreciably over the slender curves encased in the bright colors, the slit along the side a nice bonus.
“Grace said this was luncheon attire?” Emily asked walking to him and accepting the palm he held out to her.
“Hey…we match now,” he said with a wink. “Come on...it’s Friday afternoon and we’ve had a rough week.”
“We certainly have packed a lot into three days,” Emily agreed, reaching for the handle inside the SUV to pull herself up. The sarong clung to her curves and stopped half way past her knees with very little wiggle room inside. She was prepared to hike the dress up considerably when he stopped her.
“Whoa…” Jack considered lifting her and changed his mind. “Let’s take your car…got the keys?”
“It would be easier for me to get into in this dress,” Emily pulled the keys from inside and handed them to him. She waited w
hile he folded the tarp and stuck it into the back of the SUV, locking it and chirping the red sports car. “This is really comfortable…”
“This is decadent,” Jack countered, adjusting the seat and steering wheel before sliding inside.
“I had Chloe check for me…to see if I owed money on it,” Emily fastened the seat belt and shifted her knees to the center to face him. “She said I didn’t,” her fingers ran over the expertly tooled dashboard. “This is a very expensive car.”
“Yeah…it is,” Jack remarked, glancing at her as he turned the key, the engine purring into action without a hesitation. “Are you okay with this, Emily?”
“With driving it? Sure…why not? It’s mine…I have no earthly clue how I got it, but it’s in my name,” she turned the radio on, humming to the music. “I’m going with the belief that I had a really nice fairy godmother,” she announced, grinning cheekily at the laughter from Jack.
“This is some pumpkin, lady,” Jack hadn’t driven one like that in ages, down shifting and taking the turns carefully. “This is a police trap waiting to happen.”
“In the right hands,” Emily murmured, lips pulled into a taut purse. “I’m discovering that memories are really…tricky…”
“You remember getting a speeding ticket?” He asked with a laugh.
“I think there is an entire world of topics out there for us to explore,” Emily decreed innocently, ignoring his deep laughter. “Actually, it’s probably safest that it’s under the tarp for a while. Chloe says I have insurance on it, full coverage that’s good until next June, so I’m insured. I have no idea why they would make a car like this when you can’t…open it up and enjoy it! Legally…”
“Yeah…go figure,” Jack said with a chuckle, throwing cruise control on before he hit the highway.
“You put on the right music…and it’s a gorgeous day like this…and before you know it…open road…girl…sunroof…”
“So how many violations do you have?”
“There are some things that are simply too personal to discuss,” she said loftily, tipping her nose up and looking out the front window.
WindSwept Narrows: #3 Emily Temple Page 8
