She frowned, both because it had been Mari, rather than the E.R. doctor, who had offered the pills, and because Geoff had turned them down. “I don’t know, Geoff. You’re going to be awfully sore. There’s nothing wrong with taking something to make you feel better.”
“You know what would really make me feel better?”
She looked up from his bruises to his face. His smile gave her a clue what he was going to say when she asked, “What?”
For a man whose left side looked as though it had been attacked by a cheese grater, he moved surprisingly quickly. He pulled her against his bare chest, letting his mouth hover only an inch above hers. “I’m prescribing my own medication.”
She slid her hands up his chest, taking care where she touched. “And just what do you prescribe, doctor?”
“You.”
She smiled against his lips. “I just happen to be available.”
He might have murmured something about being glad to hear it, but since the words were lost in the depths of a spectacular kiss, she would never know for sure. Truth was, she didn’t really care.
It was very…interesting making love to a man who had recently been injured, Cecilia discovered. When he had insisted that he was up to the activity even as she expressed her doubts, Cecilia had willingly cooperated.
On one condition, she had added. She would do all the work.
It was quite a challenge. She had to take great care to give him only pleasure and not cause him any pain. Oddly enough, doing so greatly enhanced her own pleasure.
She covered him with gentle, tender kisses. And then she covered him with herself. And when tears rolled down her cheeks as they experienced their release together, she knew it had much more to do with almost losing him that afternoon than with the physical gratification she had found with him now.
It was pain that drove Geoff from Cecilia’s bed sometime around midnight. Gritting his teeth, he slipped stiffly from beneath the covers. He was relieved when she didn’t stir. Remembering her description of her day, he knew she must be worn out.
He found nonprescription painkillers in her medicine cabinet. Though the dosage was two tablets, he swallowed four.
He really was hurting. He doubted that the four little brown pills would be nearly as effective against his pain as Cecilia’s tender loving care had been earlier, but it didn’t seem like a particularly good idea to wake her for another dose.
Wearing only a pair of boxer shorts over his sorely abused body, he prowled restlessly through Cecilia’s house while he waited for the medicine to take effect. He ended up in the room they had painted together last week.
The nursery.
Looking at the maple rocker that was the only piece of furniture in the green-walled bedroom, he allowed himself a few minutes to savor the memories of that day that seemed oddly longer ago than it actually had been. The laughter. The kisses. The long, arousing shower that had followed their silly play with the paint.
And then his thoughts drifted forward. To the future that might be. He could almost see a crib against the far wall, and a tiny body sleeping peacefully in that crib. He could picture Cecilia lifting the baby from the crib and settling into the rocker for a middle-of-the-night nursing. And he saw himself, st
anding in the doorway to watch.
But no, that wasn’t right, he thought with a shake of his head. He didn’t belong in that particular scene. He wouldn’t be here for feedings and baths and bedtime stories and first smiles. That was the agreement they had made. He would be the part-time parent, the one who popped in for weekend and holiday visitations, while Cecilia would handle the day-to-day responsibilities he had said he didn’t want.
Hadn’t this evening proved he was right about having someone else to answer to if he got seriously involved with a woman? After being chewed out by his family just for trying to have a little fun on his bike, he’d had to endure pretty much the same from Cecilia. Another lecture about his obligations to family and business. More wounded looks that had made him feel guilty for being in an accident that hadn’t even been his fault.
So why did he find it sort of nice that she had been so frightened on his behalf?
“Geoff?” Cecilia’s sleepy voice came from the hallway behind him. “Are you all right?”
Turning away from the empty wall where he had just imagined a crib to be, he responded. “Yes, I’m fine. Just a little sore.”
He snapped off the nursery light as he went to meet her and to assure her again that he was okay—physically, at least. Emotionally—well, he seemed to be a little shaky in that area this evening.
Chapter Fourteen
Cecilia was on her way to Mari’s office for the scheduled consultation Friday morning when she crossed paths with Vanessa. Because it was so unusual to see Vanessa frowning, Cecilia had to take a minute to stop and ask what was wrong.
“Everything is just so crazy around here lately,” her friend complained. “Have you noticed it, too, or is it just me?”
“Trust me, it’s not just you. I’ve been wondering if the planets are misaligned.”