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Erica stood and gathered Megan into her arms. Lilly started to back out of the doorway so they could get through, but Erica waved her off. “She can take her nap in here. I’m sure that’s what Jason would want.”
Lilly watched as the nanny pulled open one of the chairs, converting it into a small but plushy bed. Erica got on it with Megan and cuddled with her. Another pang. A huge one. Erica was doing all the things that Lilly knew she should be doing.
“The guest room’s right across the hall,” Erica told her. “That’s where you’ll be staying.”
A guest. Not that Erica had needed to emphasize that. Lilly knew her place. For the moment, anyway. But she wouldn’t remain a guest in her daughter’s life for long.
“The door’s already open,” Erica added. “But if you need help getting in, just let me know.” The offer had a get-lost tinge to it.
Since Megan seemed to settle right into the nap and since Lilly felt like an intruder, she turned her wheelchair around to face yet another door she couldn’t enter.
“Enough of this,” Lilly mumbled. She put on the brake, shoved the metal footrests to the side, grabbed on to the chair arms, stood up and took a step.
Her muscles responded. Flexed. Moved. The way they should respond. Almost. For several moments, she concentrated just on that. It didn’t exactly feel right, but it was better than being in that chair.
She took it one small step at a time and not without support, either. Using the wall and furniture, Lilly began to make her way around the room. She was doing okay until she banged her knee into the protruding Shaker-style dresser. But she didn’t let a little pain deter her. She kept moving. An inch at a time toward her goal.
And her goal was the bed.
Where she was likely to drop like a landed trout once she reached it.
The physical exertion sent beads of sweat popping out on her forehead, and she felt dizzy. She ignored both the sweat and the light-headedness and continued. If she had any hopes of taking care of her daughter, it started with her regaining her independence.
“What the heck do you think you’re doing?” she heard Jason ask.
And he asked it just as she made a final, haphazard grab for the bedpost. Her reach landed short, and she off-balanced herself. Lilly tried to grab something, anything, but it was too late. Her shoulder smacked against the bedpost, which felt as if it were made of granite.
Jason hurried across the room and got to her just in time to loop his arm around her waist. But it didn’t stop her forward momentum. In fact, it threw him off balance, as well, and they both fell hard onto the bed.
Just like that, she was in Jason’s arms. Touching him all over. That touching part was even more noticeable because her top shifted in the fall and her now-bare stomach slipped against his midsection.
Body met body.
Breath met breath.
So did their gazes. They met. Held. And kept holding until there was a lot of unwanted energy simmering between them.
The entire encounter was powerful because it seemed to drain her brain and her common sense. For one moment she forgot all about the bitterness, she forgot all about Greg. Heck, she forgot how to breathe. And all she could remember was that being held had never felt this right.
Which meant it was wrong.
Totally wrong.
Lilly cleared her throat, hoping it would clear her head. It didn’t. Worse, Jason seemed to be having the same problems with his thought process. She pulled away from him before she said something stupid like, kiss me. And for some reason, she did want him to kiss her. She wanted to know how that strong, sensual mouth would taste. She wanted to know how his lips would feel against hers.
She was obviously going crazy.
“We’ll blame this on adrenaline again, okay?” he said.
It wasn’t a suggestion.
Lilly nodded and adjusted her top so that her stomach was covered. She also quickly changed subjects. “I guess you must be sure the bad guy isn’t close or you wouldn’t be here?”
“The police arrived and are patrolling the neighborhood. If he’s in the area, they’ll find him. If he’s long gone, then they’ll beef up security at the gate. Double access codes. Extra security cameras.”
All of those things were good ideas, but they wouldn’t find him. Lilly was certain that the guy was long gone, which left them to deal with the aftermath. Unfortunately, part of that aftermath meant she owed Jason an apology.
“I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you about calling the lawyer.”
