Thwarting Cupid. Lori Crawford

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СКАЧАТЬ Never once had he imagined she lived here. To be honest, that wasn't so strange in a city where people relied more on cellphones and emails to keep up with friends than neighborly visits to one another's home. He followed her directions and climbed the stairway to the upstairs balcony. From what he could see, the building contained three apartments and three garages. How big was this building?

      He stopped outside the first door on the second floor and took a deep breath. This was it. Carissa's home. He was here. He shoved a hand through the hair that insisted on falling into his eyes because he didn't cut it often enough to keep up with how fast it grew.

      Enough. Knock on the door, you big 'fraidy cat, he chided himself. He got a perverse sense of rebelliousness when he noted the doorbell, and rang it instead, as if defying himself would lead to any kind of victory.

      The bell chimed within the apartment. This was it. No turning back now. Wait, why would he turn back? He wanted to see her. And that right there was the crux of the whole issue. He wanted to see her. His spine straightened a bit while he waited for Carissa to come to the door. And waited. He reassured himself that she was probably like most women. Never on time.

      Except she'd never been late to any of the events they'd worked in the past. He cocked his head and double checked the letter on the door. This was it. Unless he'd misunderstood her. Oh crap. What if he had? What if he had the wrong building altogether? What if she was waiting for him next door? What if she thought he'd stood her up? What if–

      The questions in his head ground to a halt when he heard the locks turn on the door. Whew! This was it. He hadn't messed things up after all. He just knew she'd love his favorite restaurant. The food was wonderful, the atmosphere was intimate. They were in for a lovely evening together.

      Hutch took one look at Carissa and his heart sank. She was wearing a t-shirt with the neck and sleeves cut off, along with a pair of shorts that showed off her legs from almost the top of her honey colored thighs all the way to her slim, shapely ankles and bare feet. He'd seen her in skirts before, but he'd never seen this much of her legs. He had to admit he was miffed she'd been keeping them so well under wraps.

      “Hey there. Am I early?” Hutch asked, even though he knew he was right on time despite all the hemming and hawing along the way.

      The smile she gave him was fleeting. That was his first clue that something must be wrong. Carissa never greeted anyone without the full wattage of her smile turned on.

      “I hate to do this, but I think I need a rain check for tonight. Would you mind?”

      “What's the matter?” Now that he'd centered his focus on her, he could see how gingerly she was standing. Not to mention that her eyes looked a bit more red than normal. Had she been crying? “What happened, Carissa?”

      She shook her head a tiny bit then clenched at the door with her hand. “It's silly. I was kinda in a car accident this morning. Then that incident on the beach… My back is not very happy with me right now.”

      Hutch's jaw dropped. Kinda in a car accident? What the heck? “Why didn't you say something? We should get you to a hospital.”

      “I'm sure this will pass. The pain’s not as bad as when it first started. I'll just go to a chiropractor tomorrow.” She was still stubborn to a fault. He shook his head and took her free arm before inviting himself into her home.

      “Where does it hurt?” he asked. Carissa pressed a hand to her low back. His hand joined hers. Her muscles were super tight and he swore he could feel a spasm. She was going to be in pain until she got them to unlock. He spied a yoga mat the corner and unrolled it with a snap, perpendicular to her couch. “Lie down.”

      “Excuse me?”

      “You've got to relax your muscles. Lie down and put your feet up on the couch. It'll take the pressure off your low back.”

      Carissa eyed the mat, then him. “I've been hanging off the edge of my bed for the last hour. I think that's helping.”

      “This will help more.”

      She looked at the mat again. “I'm not sure I can get down that low,” she admitted.

      He took her arm in his. “I'll help you.” She stared at him for a moment. He stared back. He almost forgot where he was and what he was doing. Something connected between them. Hutch couldn't explain it. But he could see she felt it, too. It was in the way the pain-filled lines eased from her face for just a second. Then they were back, and Hutch remembered his task. He put an arm around Carissa’s waist and guided her to the floor. Tears pooled in her eyes, but she didn't let them fall.

      “It's okay, sweetheart. You're doing great.” He tried to soothe her with his tone, but he could feel her trembling in his arms. Hutch helped her lay on her back, then lifted her feet to prop them on the couch. He watched Carissa exhale a breath of relief. “Better?”

      “Surprisingly, yes.”

      He grinned down at her. “Have you ever known me to steer you wrong?”

      She arched an eyebrow. “Are we grading on a curve?”

      They shared a chuckle that was cut short by her quick gasp. She turned pleading, uncertain eyes on him.

      “Trust me?” Hutch said. She gave a tiny nod. “Do you have any Advil?”

      “There should be some in the kitchen. Second drawer down on the right.”

      “Hang in there.” Hutch stood from where he'd been crouched beside her. Without giving it a second thought, he kicked off his shoes next to a line of hers by the door before heading into the kitchen. How funny that she did the same thing he did? He found the Advil and snooped a bit more until he found some plastic baggies. Hutch filled a couple with ice and grabbed a bottle of water from her refrigerator before rejoining her in the living room.

      He held her head while she took the pills. “Three?”

      “Yep. Two are a pain killer. We need anti-inflammatory. The ice will help, too.” He held up the bag for her to see. She washed the pills down and then showed him where she needed the ice. Once she was settled again, she closed her eyes in relief.

      Hutch sat next to her with his back propped against the couch. Now that the crisis had somewhat passed, he allowed himself a long look at the legs she'd so callously kept hidden from him all these years and decided that he liked what he saw. They were much longer than he would've imagined, had he had the foresight to imagine them. To think, he'd only given serious thought to her well-formed and generous bust line when he allowed his mind to wander where it shouldn't.

      Speaking of shouldn't...what in the world was he doing right now? She was injured, for goodness sake. The last place his mind should be is in the gutter. But in the gutter is exactly where it was determined to be, he decided, when his eyes swept over her in one more full-bodied caress.

      “Hutch?”

      Her quiet voice had his gaze racing back to meet hers. She'd just caught him checking her out. How embarrassing. Usually he was much better at being discreet. Speaking of discreet, another problem was on the rise. He bent his knee closest to her and draped his arm over it hoping his movement looked casual. “Yeah?” Crap. Why the heck was he using his bedroom voice?

      “How do you know so much about this?”

      Oh СКАЧАТЬ