For His Brother's Wife

“I was coming to find you,” he said, grinning from ear to ear. “I can’t sleep without you.”

“Why don’t you try?” If he was going to attempt to find her whenever she wasn’t in the room with him, it was going to be a big problem. She might just have to curl up in the armchair for the night.

He stubbornly shook his head and started to get up again.

“What if I sit beside you and we watch a little more TV together?” she suggested. Maybe if she humored him, he’d relax and drift off for the night. Then once she was sure he was sound asleep, she would get up and move back to the armchair.

That seemed to placate him, so she took off her shoes, went over to the other side of the bed and, propping some throw pillows behind her, stretched out her legs on the mattress. As they watched another crime drama, Paige couldn’t help but think about the difference in Cole when he was on the pain medication. Once he took one of the capsules it wasn’t long before he was as happy as a lark and willing to go along with just about everything she suggested.

But he wouldn’t be zonked out on painkillers forever. Yawning, she briefly wondered how much longer he would need them. Probably not more than another day or so at best. She just hoped his disposition improved when his discomfort eased. The smiling, affable Cole was much easier to deal with than the grouch he could be when the medication wore off.

Maybe then they could discuss what had happened the other night, she could apologize for her role in the matter and they could move on.

* * *

When Cole woke up it didn’t take long for him to realize he wasn’t in bed alone. Paige’s head was resting on his shoulder and his arm was around her. He briefly wondered how the hell they had gotten that way. The last thing he remembered was taking another dose of pain medication and lying back to watch an episode of his favorite television show. Paige had been sitting in the armchair just a few feet away.

How did she end up in bed with him and why? He’d bet every dime he had it hadn’t been her idea. Did that mean the pain pills had him doing something besides just sleeping? If that was the case, he’d taken the last of the pain pills, no matter how much his knee hurt.

“Paige,” he said softly, not wanting to startle her. “It’s time to wake up.”

He watched her blink a moment before she tilted her head to look up at him. Her eyes widened as she realized where she was.

“Oh, Cole, I’m so sorry,” she apologized as she tried to pull away from him. “I must have fallen asleep while we watched TV. Is your knee all right? Is it still elevated? I’ll get up and get you some more of your medication.”

“Slow down, Paige,” he said, tightening his arm around her to hold her in place. “Yes, my knee is sore but it’s not intolerable right now. Yes, it’s still elevated. And no, I don’t need any more of that damned medication. I have a feeling it’s responsible for you being in bed with me.” He took a deep breath. “Exactly what did I do or say while I was under its influence?”

“Let me get out of bed and we’ll talk,” she said, pushing on his chest again.

This time he released her and struggled to sit up without moving his knee. Glancing at the clock on the mantel, he realized it was just before dawn. Had they spent the entire night in bed together?

“What time did you get in bed with me?” he asked.

“I’m going to start a pot of coffee,” she said, brushing her long hair back away from her eyes with both hands. “Then we can talk.” If she was evading his questions like this, it wasn’t a good sign.

“That might not be a bad idea,” he said, hoping the caffeine would clear his head and help him remember the events of the night before.

He didn’t like being unable to remember what he’d said or done. It made him feel out of control— something he tried never to allow himself to be.

A sudden thought had his heart pounding hard against his ribs. Surely they hadn’t made love again. He glanced down at his T-shirt and gym shorts. He was pretty sure they hadn’t. For one thing, they were both fully dressed. And for another, she seemed just as surprised to be waking up in his arms as he was to be holding her.

“Would you like for me to make your breakfast?” Paige asked, walking back into the room with two mugs of coffee. “I know you must be hungry.”

He figured her offering to fix breakfast was her way of putting off talking to him. “Not right now. I want answers more than I want something to eat.”