Read Online When Next We Love by Heather Graham - Free Book Online
Authors: Heather Graham
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room keys are in the kitchen somewhere, and it could take me the rest of the night and half of tomorrow to find them without asking Emma or James where they are. None of the other rooms are made up. Emma believes in making up a bed fresh when a guest arrives.” He turned and stalked toward his closet.
“Where are you going?” Leigh asked hesitantly.
His back was to her and she saw his shoulders rise and fall in an unconcerned shrug. “It’s almost five. I’ll make myself some coffee.”
“Five? It can’t be!” Leigh exclaimed.
“Well, it is. I guess we both slept quite comfortably for some time before discerning one another’s presence.” He pulled a shirt and a pressed pair of jeans from the closet. Turning to glare at her impatiently, he added in a growl, “Go back to bed. Get some sleep.”
Leigh pushed a billowing strand of hair behind her shoulder and remained standing awkwardly. “No—no, Derek,” she stammered. “I’ll go back downstairs. This is your room.”
“Get in bed,” he said firmly. “Unless you want me to put you there.”
She hastened to obey. Their recent, bruising, crossed-swords encounter was too fresh in her mind to chance arguing further. Pulling her pillow to her chest, she watched as he obtained underwear from a drawer and headed for his bathroom, unwittingly admiring the span of his tanned shoulders as she did so. When the door had closed behind him, she glanced nervously about the room, focusing on the green luminescent face of a clock radio as she scanned it. It wasn’t almost 5:00 A.M ., it was only 4:30. She gnawed on a nail indecisively as she waited for him to reappear. When he did, she plunged quickly into stilted speech.
“Derek, I, uh, I really don’t feel right about kicking you out of your own bedroom. This bed is king-size, and we did sleep well for hours before discovering one another. I mean, we could both stay on a side and go back to sleep.” She shimmied as close as she could to the edge. “See?”
He laughed. “Are you serious?”
“Yes, I am.”
Rubbing his chin absently, he thought over her suggestion. Then he tossed the sheet he had been trailing to her. “Thanks. I’ll admit I’m not crazy about early hours.” He tossed off the sneakers he had just donned and crawled back into the bed, safely clad in his jeans and shirt. He switched off the light and settled in.
There was silence for a time and Leigh believed he slept. All that she could hear was their suddenly loud breathing and the howling of the wind. She curled into her pillow, but sleep wouldn’t come.
“Leigh?”
She would have feigned sleep, but his question in the darkness startled her so badly that she jumped.
“What?”
“I’m sorry.”
The gentle tone of his voice tore through her defenses as none of his harsh jeers could. The tears that had threatened before fell silently down her cheeks and she fought for control to reply.
“It’s all right.”
She felt his weight shift and then the touch of his finger on her cheek. She stiffened as his arm then came around her, drawing her to him.
“Don’t,” he said softly. “I’m not going to hurt you.”
He didn’t, but held her close instead, smoothing her hair with a lulling tenderness. She began to relax against him and her tears subsided. As the wind continued to howl, she drifted back into a contented sleep, dreaming again of white puffy clouds and a beautiful azure sea.
The sound of the wind, which had helped put her to sleep, also awakened her. She blinked the fuzziness from her eyes, yawned and stretched, and bolted up as she remembered the night. A quick look about assured her that Derek had arisen earlier and left her. At the foot of the bed lay the box with the second set of clothing he had purchased for her. She smiled with appreciation, then bounded to the window to strip away the curtains and view the action of the ferocious howling.
The sky was dead gray and the palms dipped so low from the
“Where are you going?” Leigh asked hesitantly.
His back was to her and she saw his shoulders rise and fall in an unconcerned shrug. “It’s almost five. I’ll make myself some coffee.”
“Five? It can’t be!” Leigh exclaimed.
“Well, it is. I guess we both slept quite comfortably for some time before discerning one another’s presence.” He pulled a shirt and a pressed pair of jeans from the closet. Turning to glare at her impatiently, he added in a growl, “Go back to bed. Get some sleep.”
Leigh pushed a billowing strand of hair behind her shoulder and remained standing awkwardly. “No—no, Derek,” she stammered. “I’ll go back downstairs. This is your room.”
“Get in bed,” he said firmly. “Unless you want me to put you there.”
She hastened to obey. Their recent, bruising, crossed-swords encounter was too fresh in her mind to chance arguing further. Pulling her pillow to her chest, she watched as he obtained underwear from a drawer and headed for his bathroom, unwittingly admiring the span of his tanned shoulders as she did so. When the door had closed behind him, she glanced nervously about the room, focusing on the green luminescent face of a clock radio as she scanned it. It wasn’t almost 5:00 A.M ., it was only 4:30. She gnawed on a nail indecisively as she waited for him to reappear. When he did, she plunged quickly into stilted speech.
“Derek, I, uh, I really don’t feel right about kicking you out of your own bedroom. This bed is king-size, and we did sleep well for hours before discovering one another. I mean, we could both stay on a side and go back to sleep.” She shimmied as close as she could to the edge. “See?”
He laughed. “Are you serious?”
“Yes, I am.”
Rubbing his chin absently, he thought over her suggestion. Then he tossed the sheet he had been trailing to her. “Thanks. I’ll admit I’m not crazy about early hours.” He tossed off the sneakers he had just donned and crawled back into the bed, safely clad in his jeans and shirt. He switched off the light and settled in.
There was silence for a time and Leigh believed he slept. All that she could hear was their suddenly loud breathing and the howling of the wind. She curled into her pillow, but sleep wouldn’t come.
“Leigh?”
She would have feigned sleep, but his question in the darkness startled her so badly that she jumped.
“What?”
“I’m sorry.”
The gentle tone of his voice tore through her defenses as none of his harsh jeers could. The tears that had threatened before fell silently down her cheeks and she fought for control to reply.
“It’s all right.”
She felt his weight shift and then the touch of his finger on her cheek. She stiffened as his arm then came around her, drawing her to him.
“Don’t,” he said softly. “I’m not going to hurt you.”
He didn’t, but held her close instead, smoothing her hair with a lulling tenderness. She began to relax against him and her tears subsided. As the wind continued to howl, she drifted back into a contented sleep, dreaming again of white puffy clouds and a beautiful azure sea.
The sound of the wind, which had helped put her to sleep, also awakened her. She blinked the fuzziness from her eyes, yawned and stretched, and bolted up as she remembered the night. A quick look about assured her that Derek had arisen earlier and left her. At the foot of the bed lay the box with the second set of clothing he had purchased for her. She smiled with appreciation, then bounded to the window to strip away the curtains and view the action of the ferocious howling.
The sky was dead gray and the palms dipped so low from the
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