Read Online Perfect Stranger (Novella) by Carly Phillips - Free Book Online
Authors: Carly Phillips
Ads: Link
a few scrapes. He frowned at the sight. “Hurt?” he asked, rubbing his hand over first one cheek then the other.
“A little sore,” she admitted, her words muffled in the pillow.
“Sorry, sugar. I never meant to cause you pain.” He pressed a kiss to her cheek and she giggled.
“I’ll live,” she assured him.
“I hope so.” He massaged her skin and she sighed in contentment.
“When do you leave?” she asked, the question muffled. She didn’t peek out from where she’d buried her head in her arms.
The question was long overdue. “I have to be home for my niece’s birthday party on Saturday.” He pulled in a deep breath. “So my flight’s tomorrow.”
Silence surrounded them, the mood broken as reality intruded.
“You’d really like my nieces,” he heard himself say. “Cute little things. Girly girls, with bows in their hair and cowboy boots on their feet.” He continued to speak, unsure of how to bring them back to before, when it was just Luke and Alexa in the cabin. Not Luke from Texas and Alexa from New York.
He heard what sounded like a hiccup. Or her choking back tears.
Shit. Shit. Shit.
“Take the weekend and come with me to Texas,” he said.
She popped up in bed and flipped over. Her eyes were red as they zeroed in on him. “Say that again?” she asked.
The suggestion came out unexpectedly but the sentiment was heartfelt, he realized. “Come to Texas. Meet my family. You’ll have fun and they’ll love you.”
Her eyes opened wide. “But…work. The hospital. My patients.” Her father. That last one went unsaid.
“Will all be here when you get back.” He didn’t know what he hoped for out of the request. He only knew he wasn’t ready to be apart from her.
The rest he’d figure out.
If she said yes.
CHAPTER SEVEN
A lexa sat up in bed, the sheets pulled up over her breasts as she stared at Luke.
Come to Texas
, he’d said, and boy was she tempted. She’d never wanted to chuck the responsibilities in her life and take off for the weekend, but she did now.
Unfortunately, the reliable, dependable side of her spoke louder in her head and took over. “I can’t just pick up and go when the whim strikes me.” She winced, knowing she sounded more like her father than herself.
And the hurt on Luke’s face confirmed it.
“Luke—”
“I get it. You have to work.” He’d been sitting on the edge of the mattress and now he reached down and grabbed his pants off the floor.
She wasn’t ready for their time together to end, especially not like this. “No, you don’t get it. I want to go with you. I really do.”
He paused in the middle of pulling on his jeans and glanced over his shoulder. “It’s not as hard as it sounds. I’m guessingyou have plenty of vacation time built up, and since you managed today, I figure you also have people to cover for you. Hell, knowing you, half the hospital probably owes you a favor.”
Her cheeks burned because he was right and he’d figured her out in a very short time. “I want to go,” she repeated, needing him to hear her and believe. “But I can’t leave without giving any notice.”
He secured the button on his jeans before answering. “Lex, I’m not gonna lie to you. These past few days weren’t just unexpected, they were fucking amazing,” he said, letting loose with his language for the first time.
She grinned but said nothing, mainly because, a) it didn’t bother her, and, b) she agreed. Their time together had been exactly that.
He hooked his fingers in the loop of his jeans, his chest bare, his gaze level on hers. “Nobody respects discipline and routine more than me. I wouldn’t be where I am in my career if I didn’t dedicate myself one hundred and ten percent during the season and stick to some kind of schedule on the off-season. And if I thought you were saying you couldn’t come because you wanted to work or it would affect your career, I’d never push. But that isn’t it, is it?”
With
“A little sore,” she admitted, her words muffled in the pillow.
“Sorry, sugar. I never meant to cause you pain.” He pressed a kiss to her cheek and she giggled.
“I’ll live,” she assured him.
“I hope so.” He massaged her skin and she sighed in contentment.
“When do you leave?” she asked, the question muffled. She didn’t peek out from where she’d buried her head in her arms.
The question was long overdue. “I have to be home for my niece’s birthday party on Saturday.” He pulled in a deep breath. “So my flight’s tomorrow.”
Silence surrounded them, the mood broken as reality intruded.
“You’d really like my nieces,” he heard himself say. “Cute little things. Girly girls, with bows in their hair and cowboy boots on their feet.” He continued to speak, unsure of how to bring them back to before, when it was just Luke and Alexa in the cabin. Not Luke from Texas and Alexa from New York.
He heard what sounded like a hiccup. Or her choking back tears.
Shit. Shit. Shit.
“Take the weekend and come with me to Texas,” he said.
She popped up in bed and flipped over. Her eyes were red as they zeroed in on him. “Say that again?” she asked.
The suggestion came out unexpectedly but the sentiment was heartfelt, he realized. “Come to Texas. Meet my family. You’ll have fun and they’ll love you.”
Her eyes opened wide. “But…work. The hospital. My patients.” Her father. That last one went unsaid.
“Will all be here when you get back.” He didn’t know what he hoped for out of the request. He only knew he wasn’t ready to be apart from her.
The rest he’d figure out.
If she said yes.
CHAPTER SEVEN
A lexa sat up in bed, the sheets pulled up over her breasts as she stared at Luke.
Come to Texas
, he’d said, and boy was she tempted. She’d never wanted to chuck the responsibilities in her life and take off for the weekend, but she did now.
Unfortunately, the reliable, dependable side of her spoke louder in her head and took over. “I can’t just pick up and go when the whim strikes me.” She winced, knowing she sounded more like her father than herself.
And the hurt on Luke’s face confirmed it.
“Luke—”
“I get it. You have to work.” He’d been sitting on the edge of the mattress and now he reached down and grabbed his pants off the floor.
She wasn’t ready for their time together to end, especially not like this. “No, you don’t get it. I want to go with you. I really do.”
He paused in the middle of pulling on his jeans and glanced over his shoulder. “It’s not as hard as it sounds. I’m guessingyou have plenty of vacation time built up, and since you managed today, I figure you also have people to cover for you. Hell, knowing you, half the hospital probably owes you a favor.”
Her cheeks burned because he was right and he’d figured her out in a very short time. “I want to go,” she repeated, needing him to hear her and believe. “But I can’t leave without giving any notice.”
He secured the button on his jeans before answering. “Lex, I’m not gonna lie to you. These past few days weren’t just unexpected, they were fucking amazing,” he said, letting loose with his language for the first time.
She grinned but said nothing, mainly because, a) it didn’t bother her, and, b) she agreed. Their time together had been exactly that.
He hooked his fingers in the loop of his jeans, his chest bare, his gaze level on hers. “Nobody respects discipline and routine more than me. I wouldn’t be where I am in my career if I didn’t dedicate myself one hundred and ten percent during the season and stick to some kind of schedule on the off-season. And if I thought you were saying you couldn’t come because you wanted to work or it would affect your career, I’d never push. But that isn’t it, is it?”
With
Similar Books
