Page 61 of Right in Front of You

MOLLY

I never liked surprises. Not unless I was the one setting one up. Last week I invited Mr. and Mrs. Clark for dinner, and today, Carter would see them for the first time since his release. They’d been away, as Mr. Clark was fighting fires in the Northwest and Mrs. Clark helped cook for the firefighters. They didn’t want to leave when they found out that Carter would no longer be staying at the hospital, but after my continuous assurance that I’d watch over him, they agreed, promising to see us as soon as they returned.

I leaned over the table and blew out the candle. Carter hated when I left the room and one was still burning. Though it had only been a week since Carter had moved into my apartment, he was already beginning to use his crutches. The limp on his left side was still noticeable, and from the look on his face when he moved forward, it was painful. In the evenings, after a long day of straining his leg, he preferred the wheelchair. Actually, Carter didn’t prefer the wheelchair. He hated the “four-wheeled Satan’s ride,” as he called it, referring to himself as a useless cripple. His frustration seeped out of his pores, but I learned that with Carter, it was better to let go and let him have a time out for a while, like a little child, until he could cool off and think like a man again. With my complicated work schedule, we hadn’t seen much of each other, but I made time to assess his progress and change some of his dressings once each day, because Carter was apparently ticklish around his torso and wouldn’t let me touch those, and help him get to the hospital for his checkups. Yes, it had been busy.

Today is going to be a good day,I thought, just as something clattered on the bathroom floor and Carter yelped out in pain. I jumped over the chair, bumping into a cabinet corner with my thigh. The imprint would leave a healthy bruise the size of an orange. I opened the bathroom door without thinking about knocking, only to see him buck naked on the floor, staring up at me in all his natural glory.

“I’m so sorry.” I quickly pulled my hand up to cover my eyes, though not quick enough. The image of him naked and splayed out on the floor was not one that any woman could ever forget. “Are you okay?”

Instead of getting frustrated, the way I expected, he started laughing. “You can look now, Molly. I’m covered.”

Cautiously, I slid my palm off my eyes. He might as well not have been covered at all because the small face towel did little to hide him. Each curve of him, partially hard, was outlined against the wisp of fabric. The worst part was that I couldn’t stop staring. While I’d seen him in practically nothing before, today something new woke up within me. My heart was pounding and my palms became sweaty. As my eyes caught the pulse of his vein in his thigh, I felt my own blood rush through me. Most of it was now concentrated below my belt. This new feeling surged inside me as a need to touch a real man grew. I wanted him to hold me and hug me, skin to skin; and I’d never had that urge to feel someone else’s body. In fact, I’d sworn off men altogether. That was until I thought about Carter Clark. The twitch in my palm grew to meet his size as I wondered whether I’d be able to wrap my fingers all the way around him.

“My eyes are up here, babe.”

I jumped with embarrassment and met his cocky grin.

“I’m sorry. It’s just hard… I mean, difficult… not to stare when you’re all… naked.”

“Haven’t you seen a naked man before?” he asked, his voice lowering to a deep growl. He kept his gaze fixed on me, completely focused on my reply.

“Of course I have.”

On an operating table.

Seeing Carter naked reminded me of the buffed guys in workout videos, muscled, dripping wet, and enticing. Holy goodness of all the delicious things! Despite his injuries, this man had nothing short of an amazing physique. Warmth swirled inside me. It shortened my inhale to a quick gasp and I grabbed the side of the door for support.

“Something tells me it’s been a while since you’ve seen one.” His brow rose in that sexy way only he could do as he pulled his fingers through his hair. And when the dimple cut into his right cheek again, I melted. If this continued, I’d be the one on the floor, in desperate need of relief.

I cleared my throat, my eyes darting away from him to the crisscrossed print on the wall. It was the same wallpaper as when I’d moved in, and it irked me as much now as it did on day one. Speaking of things that irked…

“Carter, can you not call me babe?”

“Yes, of course. I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s not you. It’s just that Father used to call me baby, and… well—”

“No need to explain, Molly. Consider it done. And I’m sorry that I brought up such a bad memory for you.”

Wow, he was really trying, wasn’t he?Sometimes I wondered why he didn’t bring up the barn fire again, or Father for that matter, but maybe he had listened to my plea. Perhaps we could start fresh after all. I reached for a bath towel hanging on the wall and threw it down toward him, covering most of the lower part of his body.

“How have you been showering up until now?” I asked.

“I crawl over the top and sit. It’s actually much easier than using those stupid plastic seats at the hospital.”

“You bathe with the bandages?”

“Yes, the skin’s sensitive. I don’t want water on the wound.”

“But the doctor said to remove them before a shower. I thought you did them on your own because you’re ticklish. Carter, don’t smile at me like that. This is serious.”

He didn’t let go of that sexy grin. I found it difficult to speak to him when he looked at me in that adoringly cute way.

“Are you giving me the third degree?” he asked.

“No, I’m being a concerned friend, and looking at it from a doctor’s point of view, that area must be cleaned. Fluids come up. They need to be washed away to prevent an infection.”

“Well, they’ll just crust and fall off.”

---