Single Dads Collection. Lynne Marshall

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       Chapter Six

      She’d been behind that closed door for so long, Noah wasn’t sure if he needed to knock, call her name, or barge in to see if she was still alive.

      He’d notified his sitter and explained where he was and that he may be a tad late in picking up Emma. Apparently, Emma was in no hurry to get home because they were baking cupcakes and other surprises for him.

      Noah stifled a yawn and stretched his arms above his head. As tired as he was, he still hadn’t calmed down from hearing Lucy had been in a hit-and-run. Maybe it was the fact he’d lost his wife tragically, or perhaps he’d been so shaken because he’d actually come to care for Lucy. Regardless, he hadn’t been able to get to her house fast enough.

      When he’d heard she wasn’t being taken to the hospital, he’d figured she was fine, but he’d needed to see for himself. He didn’t care if that was crossing some unspoken professional boundary. There was something about Lucy that stirred a desire in him, a desire he’d tried to ignore, but one that was only getting stronger.

      Now that he stood in her bedroom, glancing at the pictures of her and her friends that she’d placed on her dresser, he realized just how intimate this moment was. He hadn’t been in a woman’s bedroom since before he was married. And suddenly he found himself in Lucy’s, a woman he’d only known a short time. But in that time she’d completely taken his world for a spin. She made him fantasize, desire, ache.

      Since when was that okay for a grieving man? What were the rules exactly in this situation?

      Noah glanced at his watch and realized she’d been in there for nearly an hour. He crossed the room, skirting around her four-poster bed and antique trunk.

      Using his knuckles, he tapped on the door. “Lucy, you all right?”

      No reply. He listened, but even the sound of her swishing in the water had stopped. But how long ago?

      “Lucy,” he called louder in case she had earbuds in. Still nothing.

      He rapped his knuckles on the door harder this time. After a minute or so of no response or noise from the other side, he didn’t even think twice. Instincts kicked in and he went for the knob. She’d been in an accident and she could’ve had internal injuries. What if she’d passed out? What if she’d drowned in her bathwater?

      He opened the door and was met with steam. Lucy lay in the tub with her arms resting on the lip of the old claw foot bath, her head tipped to the side on one of those bath pillows. All of that blond hair had been piled up on top of her head with a few random strands clinging to her damp skin.

      Noah crossed the room, wondering if she was passed out from injuries or just asleep. He crouched down next to the tub and checked for a pulse. Instantly, Lucy jerked awake. Those bright green eyes met his and his worries were put to rest as his question was answered. She’d been asleep.

      And now that she was awake, he felt like a fool for standing here. All of that creamy skin was on display and it took every single ounce of his willpower to keep his eyes fixed on hers.

      “Noah?” she whispered, not blinking or even attempting to cover herself.

      “I thought something was wrong.”

      That sounded so lame, but it was the honest truth.

      Lucy blinked. “I must’ve fallen asleep.”

      When she shivered, he figured the water had gotten cold since she’d come in so long ago. Noah reached for a towel and extended it to her, keeping his head turned away.

      “I’m sorry for just barging in here,” he stated.

      Water sloshed as she must have stood up, and took the towel from him. “No. Um… I just didn’t realize you were still here.”

      Noah turned to give her privacy, but before he could step back into the bedroom, Lucy let out a hiss in pain. He spun back to her, instantly finding his arms around her.

      “I’m all right,” she insisted, but she clutched his arm as she leaned into his chest. “I guess I’m a bit sorer than I thought. I just stepped wrong, that’s all. My hip is not cooperating.”

      She’d managed to wrap the towel around her body, but she hadn’t dried off. Her damp skin soaked his T-shirt, her body lined up with his perfectly, and that heaviness of guilt he’d been carrying since meeting her was growing lighter. Because holding her didn’t feel so wrong after all.

      Without thinking twice, he lifted her in his arms once again and carried her from the bathroom.

      “Noah—”

      “You’re fine. I know.” He went into her room and set her on the edge of her bed. “What else is hurting?”

      She clutched the ends of the towel between her breasts. “Just my hip. I banged it against the door when the other car plowed into me.”

      Rage coiled within him at the thought of someone hurting her and fleeing the scene. Noah knew the guys were out looking for the mangled car and he hoped like hell they found the culprit.

      “Go home and rest,” she insisted.

      Her eyes held his and he couldn’t pull his gaze away from just how stunning she looked with glistening skin and honey strands framing her face.

      “I’m going to rest here.” He hadn’t thought about that before, but he could grab some shut-eye on her couch.

      “Surely there is some department rule against coworkers fraternizing.”

      Noah crossed his arms over his chest, his gaze never wavering from her. “Are we fraternizing?”

      “Well, you’ve seen me naked and carried me to bed.” She quirked a brow as if she had him. “The closest thing I’ve ever done with a coworker is have breakfast with some guys after our shift. Not one has ever been in my bedroom, let alone seen me without clothes.”

      Noah shrugged. “We’re friends. I was worried and for good reason.”

      Lucy came to her feet, standing only inches from him. “My friends don’t come into my bathroom when I’m taking a bath.”

      Why did his eyes have to go to her lips? And why did she challenge him? Couldn’t she just accept his help and not be so defiant? Yet something about that independent manner turned him on.

      “Get dressed,” he told her. “I’m going to crash on your couch.”

      “Why СКАЧАТЬ