by Timms, Lexy
She brought her empty cup to the kitchen and kissed Elijah lightly on his forehead. She didn’t plan on mentioning him asking her to go tomorrow. Best to pretend it didn’t even happen.
Her bed seemed strangely empty when she crawled into it. Falling asleep took a long time even though she was exhausted from the busy day. Whenever Elijah moved or made a noise, her heart would speed up and she would listen hard to see if he was waking up. She knew he needed to sleep, but the idea of him crawling into her bed kept her body tense and aroused.
She somehow managed to drift off to sleep at one point in the night. The last she’d looked at her watch it had been after three a.m. It seemed she’d only shut her eyes a moment and the next she was curled in her bed and the smell of bacon filled her nostrils. At first she thought she had to be dreaming, but the sounds of someone moving about in her kitchen proved she was no longer sleeping.
She squinted to focus on the numbers of her watch. Nearly nine. She rolled over to enjoy a few more moments of half-sleep but bolted up a moment later. The computer tech said he’d email her the results of the silent auction and she had to send them to the newspapers as a press release.
Her iPad lay charging on the nightstand beside her. She checked the results and grinned. A few auctions had gone up higher before the night ended. She sent the press release out and closed the iPad cover. She leaned across the bed to set it back on the stand and froze when Elijah appeared in the doorway of the bedroom. He’d showered while she slept and changed into a pair of jeans and a grey top. He held a tray in his hands and smiled when their eyes met.
“Mornin,’” he said.
She wore only a tank top and panties. His full clothing made her conscientious of how bare she was. She tucked the bed sheet under her armpits and held it tight. How did her hair look? Frizzy? All over? Had she even bothered to wash her makeup off last night before she fell asleep? She sniffed… something smelled good.
“I’m not much of a cook, but you had bacon and bread, so I made you bacon, tomato on toast, and a cup of coffee.” He walked to the end of the bed and set the tray down near her feet. He tilted his head slightly as he watched her. “Everything okay?” He blinked. “I wasn’t rude last night, was I? A bit of the evening’s gone a bit fuzzy.”
She shook her head. “You were fine.” Maybe he wouldn’t remember he’d asked her to come to New Zealand. No need to bring it up if she didn’t have to.
He sat on the end of the bed. “I’m… uh… sorry about the alcohol.” He stared at the wall across from them and rubbed the stubble forming on his chin and jaw line. “Guess I was a bit surprised.”
“Don’t apologize, silly. I don’t care.” She watched him a moment. “Everything okay?”
“Besides a bit of a hangover I fully deserve? I’m fine.” He handed her one of the mugs of coffee on the tray.
She sampled the hot liquid in the mug. He made good coffee. Good to know.
“I hate to jet, but I need to get back to the airport to drop the rental car off before I catch my flight.” He slowly stood and sighed.
The air between the two of them felt weird. What had always seemed easy now seemed awkward – like they were hiding secrets and both knew it and didn’t want to admit it. Charity slid her feet over the side of the bed. She got up and grabbed a pair of jogging pants from the clean, folded laundry basket by her dresser. “Thanks for breakfast.” What a dumb thing to say. The guy lost his father and she had to make silly pleasantries? Pants on, she moved closer to him and gave him a tight hug. “I’m sorry.”
Touching him seemed to break the awkwardness between them. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her hair. “I was curious what you were hiding under the sheets. Shame I didn’t get to figure that out last night. I’m such a dufus for taking the bottle of whiskey the bartender slipped me.” He shook his head. “My own fault and I completely regret the opportunity I missed out on.” He grinned at her appreciatively, before squeezing her tight and running his hand down her back. “Shoot, I gotta go. When I get back to New York, I need to get in touch with the hospital’s travel agent.”
She needed to tell him she wasn’t going to go. She looked up at him, not wanting to move from his warm embrace. His hard chest muscles felt good against the thin cotton of her tank top. “Wait a minute. Your hospital has a travel agent?”
He grinned. “Your dad made a deal with a local travel company. He figured with the amount of flying to conferences, meetings and all that stuff it was worth it for the hospital. Turned out to be a great idea. The gal who we work with finds fantastic deals.” His eyebrows came together. “Didn’t your father set you up with Chrissy for all your flying?”
“No. He never mentioned her.” She bit on her lower lip. “When–”
“Are you still planning on coming along? If you don’t, I understand.” His words came out rushed.
So he did remember asking her last night and now he was offering her a way out. Or maybe he had changed his mind and didn’t want her to come along. How was she supposed to respond? “I’m not sure, to be honest.” She swallowed. He had flown here to surprise her and showed how much he liked her but this was way bigger. How big of a step was she ready to take?
Elijah’s head tilted slightly. He said nothing and watched her with incredible patience. His bright blue eyes seemed to be reading everything inside of hers, like he’d found the latch to open a window inside her.
She gave him a small, tight smile. “What do you want?”
“I don’t know.” He stuffed his hands in his back pockets, his bicep muscles flexing long and lean. “I don’t want to go on my own. I know it sounds dumb. You don’t know my family or my father.”
“That would be kind of awkward.”
He bent his knees, leaned back and straightened. “That’s why I think you’re perfect to come with me! You’ve got this amazing ability to make everyone comfortable in a room. You aren’t scared to talk to strangers and… well…” He scratched behind his ear and grinned. “You’re gorgeous.”
“You plan on showing me off?” She laughed. “Seriously?” The guy was beyond handsome and needed a trophy?
“Nah, I just said that in the hopes it’ll help convince you to come.” He checked his watch and groaned. “I really need to get going or I’m going to miss my flight.” He brought his head inches from hers. “Will you think about it?” His lips brushed lightly against hers.
Her eyes closed of their own accord. She inhaled slowly through her mouth. “I will.” She opened her eyes and met his gaze.
“I’ll call you after my surgery.”
He misunderstood what she meant. “I meant, I will go.”
He blinked. “Really?” The grin he wore made his eyes light up.
“I can get about five days off.”
“That’s all we’ll need.”
“But I don’t want my father to know.” She didn’t know how to explain that to Elijah. “I know he needs to know you’re going, but I don’t want him to know I’m coming with you.”
A single eyebrow rose.
“I’m not hiding you from him.” She shook her head. “I… you’re…” she blew out an exasperated breath. “Okay, here’s the blunt truth ’cause you really gotta go.” She turned and started walking to the door, hoping he would follow. “My dad likes you. He respects your skills, but you’re a playboy doctor. You date the nurses and probably most of the staff.” She refused to turn around to see his face. “I don’t want the lectures from him.” She opened the front door and finally looked at him.
He was trying to hold a smile in. “No problem.”
What? No argument? No denying it? What was she getting herself into?
Elijah grabbed his bag by the door and threw it over his shoulder. His hands reached for her hips and he pulled her hard against him. He kissed her deeply, leaving her breathless. “I’ll call you tonight.”
Chapter 8
The day blew by with calls made to winners of the silen
t auction, contacting the press and making sure everything was picked up at the hall, along with catching a few more people to sign up for the Valentine’s Dinner. Malcolm stopped by the hall just as Charity was putting on her coat to leave.
“Hey stranger.”
“Hello! I’m going to guess that you made it home last night and aren’t just waiting for me to now take you home?”
She laughed and shook her head. “No, you’re safe.”
“Is Dr. Bennet alright?” He looked genuinely concerned. He was such a sweetie.
“Probably hung over at the moment. He’s back in New York.” Was now a good time to mention she would be away?
“I hope you aren’t too upset that I put you up for the Valentine’s Dinner.”
She waved her hand. “Not at all. You did a great job on stage. You’re a natural.”
He smiled. “You made it easy. It was fun.” He cleared his throat. “And a big success. Job well done.”
“Thanks! I’m really pleased with how things went. We raised almost double to what we expected.”
“That’s fantastic.” A series of beeps sounded from his pocket. “Sorry, that’s the hospital. I told them to page me if there was an emergency.” He reached for his phone and checked it. “Darn. It looks like I’m going to have to head back. I came here to help.”
“It’s all basically finished now. You could take a box of brochures back with you if you feel the need to fulfill your noble duty.” She pointed to one of the two boxes she had stacked by her purse.
“Would love to!” He picked both boxes up. “I’ll even do double duty.”
“Thanks.”
A staff member came up and tapped Charity on the shoulder. “Sorry to interrupt. We just found some cables that I think belonged to the computer-guy who hooked up the big screen.”
“No problem. I’ll come check.” She turned to Malcolm. “Duty calls.”
He saluted. “I’ll see you on Monday.”
“I forgot to mention I’ll be out of town again for a few days.” Why did she feel nervous about telling him? It felt like she was lying. She ignored her inner thoughts. Her personal life was not included in the contract she signed with the hospital.
“I hope it’s a holiday. After all the work you put in for yesterday, it’s more than well deserved.”
“Not really a holiday.” She didn’t feel the need to say any more and thankfully Malcolm did not pry. “I’ll be working on stuff for Forever Hope while I’m away, so if anything comes up, just drop me a line.”
“Will do.” His pocket beeped again. “I’d better get going. Enjoy the rest of your weekend.”
“You too.” Charity held the door open for him and went to collect the cables.
Her cell phone rang just as she got back to her place. She dug through her purse and checked the caller ID. Elijah.
She checked her watch. It was just past three o’clock. He had said he would call tonight. “Hello?”
“Hey, it’s me.”
She smiled. She liked the way he assumed she would recognize his voice so easily.
“Am I calling at a bad time?”
“Not at all. I just got in. Perfect timing, actually.”
“Good. I called my travel agent and have a tentative book on flights. I wanted to check with you first.”
“Sure.”
“There’s a flight from Atlanta to Chicago and I can fly out of LaGuardia and meet you there. I actually arrive about half an hour before you do, but we can leave from Chicago. Then it’s transpacific to Auckland. It’s a long, lousy flight but it’s the quickest route with barely any waits between the stopovers.”
“That’s fine. Whatever works. When do we leave? Tomorrow? Tuesday?”
“Actually, no. My mother left a message while I was in surgery. She’s already had my father cremated and planned the ‘celebration of life’ for Wednesday. We have to leave tonight.”
“Oh wow.” Though surprised, she really didn’t mind. She was used to planning last-minute flights. Seeing Elijah again tonight didn’t seem so bad, either. “It’s a good thing I’m all done for the day. I’ll start packing. What time does my flight leave?”
“In three hours. I’m sorry it’s so rushed. My mother…” He sighed. “She kinda forgets to think about other people besides herself.”
She felt bad for him. “Are you able to postpone any of your surgeries or get someone to cover for you while you are gone?”
“I’m working on that now. Simon and Julie have offered to cover quite a bit and so has your father. I just need to schedule it for them. Then I’m heading home to pack.”
“Did you…” She felt shy asking him if he mentioned anything to her father about her, but needed to ask.
He knew what she meant. “I didn’t mention you were coming to any of them. I wasn’t sure so I just left it.”
“Thanks.” She pulled her suitcase out of her walk-in closet.
“I have us returning Sunday. We’ll be home Sunday. It gives us a few days. I thought maybe you’d like to see the sights.”
“And hang out with you?”
He chuckled. “That’s the plan.”
“Sounds awesome.”
“Well… I should let you go… to pack and stuff…”
“You sound like you don’t want to go.”
“I just keep remembering last night. Before we left for the fundraiser.”
Charity warmed at the pictures flashing in her head. It had been in the back of her mind all day and now Elijah admitting it… “I’ve been thinking the same thing.” She swallowed.
“Stop. You’re going to turn me on and I’m sitting in my office.” He groaned. “What are you wearing?”
She pulled her coat off. “Black skirt, tight top.” She giggled. “But I won’t be in them for very long.”
“You won’t?” His breath grew heavy.
She’d never done the phone sex thing, but the thought excited her and strangely, it felt natural with him. She lied down on her bed, thinking it might help. “I might just let my hands wander about. Who knows? Maybe I’ll be naked soon.”
“I wish I was there to take them off you.”
She sighed. “I wish you were touching me right now.”
“Me too.” He suddenly cleared his throat and the tone of his voice changed. “I should probably get going then. I’ll send you a text when I arrive in Chicago.”
Huh? Charity sat up. Oh shit. “My dad’s in your office, isn’t he?”
“Yes.”
She chuckled. “That’ll definitely kill the moment. How about you email me my flight details and confirmation number when you have it?”
“Will do.”
At least they would be spending the night together – just not quite the way she imagined.
When Charity arrived in Chicago, she phoned Julie as she was waiting for the plane to begin de-boarding. Her friend’s voicemail picked up.
“Hey Jules. I just wanted to let you know I’m going with Elijah. I’ll be back in about a week. Please don’t mention it to my father. I just figured someone should know I was out of the country. Let’s catch up when I get back.”
The fasten seatbelt light clicked off so she stuffed her phone in her purse and gathered her things. Her flight from Atlanta had taken off late and she didn’t have much time to get to the other terminal and meet Elijah at their boarding gate for the next flight.
Off the plane she had to dash through the airport. She waved when she finally caught sight of Elijah pacing near their gate. He looked tired but his face lit up when he saw her. “You made it!”
A stewardess came up to them. “We’ve got to board now. Sorry.”
“No problem.” Elijah smiled at her. “We’re good to go.”
They boarded the plane and Charity grinned when she realized where they were sitting. “First class?”
Elijah helped put her bag in the compartment above. “I’m just trying to impress you. Is it working?”
“Y
ou don’t even have to try.”
They quieted as the stewardess appeared again to rush them to sit and get ready for takeoff. She brought them each a glass of wine. The plane rolled to the runway and took off in no time. Charity let her head rest against the comfortable leather seat and relaxed. She couldn’t believe they were actually on their way to New Zealand. She wondered what his house looked like and if his mother would show photos of Elijah as a child. She’d probably go on and on about her handsome son. Charity wouldn’t mind. She could do the same thing, just not to his mother. She might not be interested in the parts of Elijah that Charity particularly appreciated. She giggled at the thought.
“Everything okay?” Elijah murmured. He had also leaned back into his chair, his eyes closed and his face relaxed.
“It’s all good. Just seems surreal that we’re actually on this flight.”
“Hmmm…”
She glanced over and smiled. His mouth now hung slightly open and she expected a snore to start at any moment. She pulled her iPad out of the bag near her feet and clicked on one of the books she’d downloaded a while back. She finished the book a few hours later and eventually nodded off. She woke again and started a second book but never finished. She leaned her head on Elijah’s shoulder and dozed off again.
She woke when the pilot announced they were starting their descent into Auckland. Elijah stirred beside her and bolted forward. He blinked and looked around confused. “Did the pilot just say we’re landing soon?”
“Yup.” She stretched and yawned.
“I have no idea how but I think I basically just slept the entire flight.”
“Probably trying to catch up on years of deprived sleep.” She teasingly pinched his cheek. “Like a babe in a car. So cute.”
“And so not tired anymore. I don’t believe I’ve flown back or to America without jetlag. How are you feeling?”
“Not bad. I’m sure it’ll catch up with me at some point.”
A stewardess came around with cards to fill out for customs. Before long they landed. Soon they were through customs and picking up the rental car.
