Jane had always struck him as a calm, self-possessed female, not at all prone to hysteria. But what had transpired this evening would upset anyone, and all things considered, he thought she was handling herself pretty well. She shivered hard. He realized that the frigid air pouring through the busted-out window had filtered to the back of the shop. He could handle it, even without his coat, but Jane was in a vulnerable state. He glanced down at her feet and cursed as he realized for the first time that her slender feet were bare. He ground his teeth, trying to remember that she had dealt with a lot tonight and didn’t need him berating her. Biting back his scolding words, he stood, took the cup from her, and set it aside. When he scooped her up in his arms, she flailed wildly. “Put me down.” He grunted and nearly dropped her. “Be still, for godsakes.” She continued to struggle, traces of pink blooming on her cheekbones. Her expression was mortified. “I’m too heavy, Ethan. Don’t be ridiculous.” He had already reached the foot of the staircase leading up to her apartment. “You’re tall,” he said, breathing heavily. “There’s a difference.” Her foot hit the wall as he moved up the stairs. He muttered an apology and hitched her a bit higher in his arms. Her bare toes struck him as sexy, and the thought made him uncomfortable, especially considering the fact that her left breast was nestled against his chest. He could smell her soap and a faint trace of perfume. Where her head rested on his shoulder, strands of her hair tickled his chin. It was disconcerting as hell. On the second floor, he thought about setting her on her feet, but he’d made it this far, so he might as well finish his chivalrous posturing. He spotted her bedroom through an open door and managed to maneuver through it without doing any further damage to his cargo. He dropped her on the bed and ignored his aching back. Instead, he turned to the dresser and yanked open a drawer. “Where are your socks?” He tossed the question over his shoulder and froze when the first thing his hand touched was a hot pink bra. He dropped it like it was a poisonous snake and moved one drawer down. “Jane?” “One more,” she said. Her voice sounded stronger, and he thought she might possibly be laughing at him. He sighed in relief when he found a pair of wool hiking socks. As he replaced the drawers, his mind flitted back to a beautiful spring day when he and Jane had hiked in the Smokies. They’d laughed and talked, and at the top of a steep incline, they had simply paused to savor the view. His chest tightened as awareness slammed into him of how much he had missed those fun-filled times with Jane. She was easy to be with, and he had always felt comfortable and relaxed around her. But somehow... not today. |
