Douglas’s eyes opened and he grinned again.
She wanted to stamp her foot in frustration but she forced herself to turn calmly to the doctor. “How is he?”
“He’s fine. Didn’t hit anything major and went clean through. I’ll want to have a scan of it tomorrow but he needs rest tonight. No moving the shoulder. I’ve given him something for the pain.” He looked at Douglas. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
He clasped his case closed and Nick left with him.
Julia stared down at Douglas suddenly deflated and overcome with relief that everything was going to be okay. Not relieved that he’d shown up in the middle of the night with a gunshot wound, a wound which somehow didn’t send him into shock and a wound which he would not allow her to phone the police to report, but that particular discussion would have to wait for tomorrow.
“Well, now that I know you’re okay, I’ll go upstairs and sleep,” she announced.
“Why don’t you sleep here?” Douglas suggested, his voice slightly slurred making her think the painkiller was working.
“As comfortable as that chaise lounge is, I don’t want to sleep on it.” She was grabbing her slippers and robe but she heard him pat the bed.
“No, not there, here.” He was watching her, his eyes half-shut and she had to admit, he looked unbelievably sexy. He had a very nice chest, well-defined abs and she just noticed the snug black jeans…
She tore her gaze away. “I’ll find a bed upstairs, there’re plenty.”
“No,” Douglas returned. “Mother keeps them unmade. Doesn’t like the sheets gathering dust. Only made up for guests. The children will hear you if you make up a bed.”
“Then you stay down here and I’ll sleep in your bed.”
His eyes went from half-shut to fully-open, regarding her sharply. “Julia, you don’t sleep in that bed until I’m in it with you.”
Her stomach flipped at his words, his tone and his look.
To hide her fluster, she said with false bravado, “Well, at this point, I’m not entirely certain what you’ll do about it considering the… shape… you’re…”
She trailed off as he stood up and stalked, absolutely stalked, toward her.
He didn’t stop until he was towering over her.
“If I have to, I’ll open this wound and carry you back down, or join you up there. Your choice.”
She stood there, stunned.
“I’ll find a couch,” she offered.
“Julia, I’m tired, I’ve been shot, for Christ’s sake, just get into the bed.”
“Why?” she asked shakily.
“Because I want you to. Because I need something warm and soft and alive beside me tonight. Something that smells good and feels good. After what I’ve seen…” he stopped when her eyes widened in curiosity at his words. It was then the shutters closed over his features, he gave up and turned away from her. “Forget it, find your couch.”
She stood there and stared at him as he fell back on her bed and closed his eyes.
And she couldn’t help but wonder, what exactly had he seen? What on earth could make Douglas Ashton’s renowned composure slip?
Pulling herself from her thoughts, Julia went around turning off the lights and making up her mind (or making up excuses, depending on how you looked at it).
It wouldn’t hurt, just tonight; he’d had a painkiller which eventually should kick in.
And he’d been shot, for goodness sake.
And he needed human companionship and gone so far as to admit it. She couldn’t say no as she knew exactly how that felt.
She decided tomorrow she could go back to being aloof and unaffected by him.
Tonight, she was going to give Douglas what he wanted.
Just this once.
She climbed into bed cautiously and no sooner had she begun to lay back, his arm shot out and pulled her closer.
Then he hissed, “Bloody hell, your hands are like ice.”
Hastily she explained, “I was in the chapel, I didn’t want to children to hear me pacing. It was cold.”
“Get under the covers,” he ordered and she jumped out of bed as he rolled off the other side. He carefully took off his boots as she ran to put on a pair of socks so her feet wouldn’t freeze him, returned and got under the covers where he already was.
Just as before, the minute she lay her body down, he pulled it towards him. The way they were laying she had no choice but to rest one hand on his chest and her cheek on his good shoulder. She felt his muscles tense at the coldness of her hands but he said nothing.
She felt like a fool.
“I’m sorry my hands are cold,” she whispered.
He made a noise that sounded a lot like a grunt.
Then, silence.
She tried to relax and couldn’t.
So she asked, “Where’s Nick?”
Another grunt and no further reply so she assumed Nick wasn’t coming back.
She waited another moment.
“Who is Nick, by the way?” she inquired, not able to stop herself.
“Julia, if you don’t shut up, I’ll be forced to shut you up and although I have a feeling we both would very much enjoy what I have in mind, it might cause me to bleed to death. So, I’m asking you please, just be quiet and go to sleep.”
“Okay,” she relented, too terrified to say anything else.
“And don’t be scared of me,” he demanded in that tone that again said he expected her to obey even though his demand was impossibly ridiculous.
“Okay,” she repeated meekly, trying to get him to relax as she could tell by the muscles flexing under her hands that he wasn’t. “Goodnight. I’m glad you’re okay,” she whispered.
At that, he pulled her closer.
And, much sooner than she ever expected, she fell into a dreamless sleep.
Chapter Fourteen
Fire and Ice
Douglas awoke in an empty bed, moving his head to the side to see Julia was gone. He looked at the clock and it was seven forty-five. The children would have left for school and he was wondering where the hell she was when he heard the shower.
He felt his body involuntarily relax.
The painkiller hadn’t started working until after Julia had fallen asleep. He could tell when she finally dropped off and the tenseness went out of her body, the weight of her settling against his side.
He very much enjoyed that feeling.
He awoke sometime in the night to feel that Julia had settled in quite well. The freezing cold hand she’d laid tentatively on his chest was now a warm arm that draped across his abdomen. Her face was snuggled deeper into his shoulder and she’d crooked her leg, the knee settled just under his groin, her calf falling between his legs. Her body was remarkably warm in sleep and he found her heat strangely comforting.