"Do you mind if I sleep on this side in case I have to get up in the middle of the night?"
"Uh..."
"Russell, could you move over and let me sleep on this side?"
"Sure..." Parker's eyes were glued on her.
"Russell?"
"Yeah..."
"Russell!! Look at my face when I talk to you!"
"I'm sorry, it's just strange seeing someone else wearing one of my shirts." Parker let out a small laugh.
"Yeah, right. Move over."
He slid over, and after he knew she'd gotten in bed okay, he reached up and turned off the light. His body was facing the window. If he was any closer to the edge of the mattress, he would have fallen on the floor.
"Good night, Russell, and thank you for everything."
"Good night, Emily, sweet dreams."
Emily was still awake at two in the morning. She could feel his body heat under the covers and, occasionally, their skin briefly touched. She found herself wanting to move closer to him, as it had been such a long time since she'd been in the comfort of a man's arms.
Parker tried to move as little as possible. He knew better than to turn his body so he was facing her, but his side and back were starting to get sore. Slowly, trying not to wake Emily, he turned. Her body was just inches from his, and he saw her quickly shut her eyes.
"You can't sleep either, Emily?"
"Not really. This bed isn't very comfortable."
"Yeah, I know what you mean. I think I'll try to relax in the chair. That'll give you more room to stretch out." Parker quickly got up and leaned back in the chair. He still couldn't sleep. Emily had moved around in the bed and the covers had slid down around her feet. His t-shirt was bunched up above her waist, and the beautiful curves of her body were quite visible. Parker tried to keep his eyes closed but failed miserably. The light that filtered through the break in the curtains illuminated her body. She's making me nuts.
Emily was sleeping until she heard his loud sighs behind her. She turned on her back, wishing her right side was an option. The big cast was really uncomfortable.
"Russell, you still can't sleep?"
"You want honesty?"
"What's wrong?"
"I was in bed with a half-naked, beautiful woman, and that isn't very conducive to sleep. I should probably go sit in the truck." Why the hell did you say that?
Emily reached down and pulled the covers up to her neck. "I'm sorry, Russell. I wish there was someplace else I could go. I can put my clothes back on if you think that would help." Knowing she was turning him on was making the situation impossible.
"No, I just need to stop acting like a teenager." Parker laughed, but he was having serious trouble breaking the attraction for Emily. She's mean, she hates you, she hit you, she's a train wreck...Convincing himself wasn't working.
"I'll put my clothes on..."
"No. You're doing fine, I'm the one acting like a misbehaving male."
"Come to bed, Russell. You can't touch me if I don't let you; you're not that kind of guy. If you were, you'd have done something when you helped me get dressed at the house. You aren't going to get any sleep in that chair."
"Not a good idea, Emily," Parker warned.
"I promise to stay as far away as possible and keep the covers up to my chin. You won't even have to look at me."
"It's not about having to look at you. I want to look at you. This is a really bad idea..." Parker stood up and let the blanket fall, but wasn't fast enough in getting his jeans from the floor.
Emily saw his arousal and felt like she hadn't allowed herself to feel in a long time. "Wait, Russell. Where are you going?"
"I'll sleep in the truck." Parker looked down at himself, then at Emily's moonlit face. He quickly reached for his jeans, that didn't quite fit anymore.
"Come here..." What the hell are you thinking? Emily couldn't believe her thoughts spilled out of her mouth.
"If I come over there, I'm not going to behave. We both know this."
"I know," said Emily. "It takes two, so don't worry about it. I'm totally in control of myself."
"Okay, but just keep the covers up and try to avoid touching me and breathing heavy. Don't let your hair brush my chest or arm anymore, and don't stretch. Please don't stretch..."
"Russell, it's late. Come get some sleep."
Parker slid his uncomfortable jeans off and then climbed back in the bed. Sleep continued to evade him, especially with Emily's long, soft hair on his arm, her deep breathing, and periodic stretching. At six in the morning, he woke her up.
"Emily, let's go get some coffee and breakfast before the restaurant gets crowded. The motel is full."
Emily opened her eyes and stretched.
Shit. Parker quickly got out of bed.
"Okay, let me just throw on my clothes. Will you help me?"
"Uh sure." He was beginning to think that maybe she should have gone with that Tyler guy.
"You know, I can call the agency and have Tyler come and help me. Yeah, let me do that."
Before Parker could protest, she was on the phone giving them the room number. The cold shower only helped briefly. He watched her walk around, gathering her clothes and running a brush through her long hair. The knock on the door brought him back to his senses.
"I'm here to help Emily. Russell, isn't it?" Tyler stuck out his hand.
The thoughts of this man looking at Emily naked were pissing him off. "No, I'm helping her. I was sleeping when she asked for assistance. I'm awake now so no need. Thanks though." Parker shut the door.
Emily walked out of the bathroom. "Who was that?"
"Wrong room. I'm starving so let me help you. We need to get going."
"Are you sure?" Emily looked at him suspiciously.
"Absolutely." Parker tried hard to keep his eyes closed as he helped remove his t-shirt off her body. When she leaned against him as he helped with her jeans, she felt his arousal.
"Just hurry, Russell, and it won't be that bad."
Parker went as fast as he could. He knew he was in for a very long day.
Just when he thought there was some hope, Emily began to nibble on her fruit. The way she put the section of orange in her mouth, the sounds, her wet lips, sent him over the edge. He couldn't help himself. Parker got up, slid on her side of the booth, put his hand behind her head and quickly brought her mouth to his. He suckled the juice from her wet lips.
Emily thought about fighting the kiss which shocked her beyond belief, but it felt too good, too powerful. Her lips parted and the pressure of his mouth on hers, his hungry tongue tasting hers, and his pent-up moan made her over respond. But the kiss didn't last long.
"Get a room!" Shouted a father sitting with two gawking teenagers.
With a slight smile, Parker threw money on the table, grabbed Emily by the hand, and led her out of the restaurant.
"Russell, I'm sorry about that. I promised to be the strong one..."
Before she could snap out of the mood, Parker took her mouth again and pushed her up against the building. He pressed his body firmly against her, wishing more than anything to be back in the bed. Thoughts of her beautiful body flooded his mind.
"Wait, stop." Emily walked forward as Parker instantly moved away.
"Sorry, Emily, I got carried away."
"Well, at least we got that out of our system, so let's go take care of business." Emily fixed her hair and straightened out her clothes the best she could. That kiss did anything but get this gorgeous man out of her system. "I want to go by the property and see it."
"Okay," said Parker as he reluctantly walked to the SUV. The last thing on his mind was taking care of any business.
The destruction was still evident. Luckily, the tornado hadn't spent much time on the ground. The trees and debris still littered the long driveway, and he worried about Emily walking through it all. For the first time, Parker noticed the barn was barely touched. He smiled at the thought of Emily's face when he unveiled her new truck. Everything else on the property was gone or destroyed. The place where he'd parked the RV was totally covered with debris and huge trees. He would have been killed if he was still there.
"Russell, there's really no hope of salvaging this house. Seeing part of the old place I grew up in would just remind me of the tornado. I'd rather just keep the good memories I have."
When Parker saw the sadness and water in her eyes, he put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close to him. "Emily, I'll get someone out here to clean the area up. I don't think you should come out to the property anymore until it's finished."
Before Emily could respond, Parker's phone rang. It was Russell.
"Excuse me, Emily, this is a boring business call." Parker quickly stepped away, knowing that Russell was calling him over something important.
"What's up?" answered Parker.
"Get to New York. We got a big problem on our hands. Speaking of big, that RV is huge. Thanks, bro."
"I'll be on the next flight, and you're welcome. I can't chat, Emily's close by."
"The jet's on its way to Denver. Keep little Miss Carson away from the paper, or your cover is blown."
Parker hung up the phone with feelings of utter doom.
"Emily, I have to get back to New York and take care of some business. We need to pack and get you on a plane with me."