Page 66 of Only for Christmas

Sarah’s stomach flipped at the reminder Lucas was leaving soon. She’d got so used to him being around.

Stephen straightened his shoulders. ‘I’m sure you don’t want a bad reference.’

‘And I’m sure you don’t want a lawsuit.’ Lucas’s voice was calm, and yet there was no denying the warning in his tone. ‘Which is what will happen if you try to defame my name over a personal issue, when there’s been no problem with my work performance.’ Lucas stepped closer to Stephen, forcing the man’s back against the far wall. ‘A lawsuit that will include you showing up at Sarah’s apartment and harassing her.’

Stephen looked outraged. ‘I’m not harassing her.’

‘Sending her flowers and buying her a dress? You don’t call that harassment? ’Cause I sure as hell do.’ Lucas handed Fred to Sarah, his eyes meeting hers briefly, before turning to the medical director. ‘You have two options, Stephen. Leave of your own accord. Or I call the cops. Which is it to be?’

A weighty silence hung in the air.

Sarah watched Stephen’s face, a range of emotions making his jaw twitch. He was clearly torn between wanting to punch Lucas, and backing down and retreating.

Eventually, he turned to Sarah. ‘A fine way to treat your boss. Such disrespect won’t be tolerated. I’m disappointed in you, Sarah. Expect repercussions.’

‘Oh, there’ll be repercussions,’ Lucas said, pointing a finger in Stephen’s face. ‘You come here again and I won’t be so polite next time.’

Enraged, Stephen pushed past him and headed for the stairs.

‘You have a good night, sir!’ Lucas called after him, as Stephen disappeared down the stairwell. ‘Don’t call again!’ He turned to Sarah. ‘You okay, honey?’

She shook her head.

‘Come here.’ Lucas moved so quickly that before she knew it, she and Fred were enveloped in his arms and being hugged.

Tears ran down her face. Angry tears. Aggrieved tears. The kind of tears that physically hurt. Her chest ached, her eyes stung and her throat was so constricted she could barely speak.

‘I’ve got you,’ Lucas whispered, his arms holding her tightly. ‘He’s gone. I have a feeling he won’t be back.’

Sarah wasn’t so sure. Logic dictated he’d got the message; he’d clearly been humiliated at Lucas challenging him. But Stephen wasn’t a logical man. He couldn’t be; no rational person would act in such a way. She had a horrible feeling they hadn’t deterred Stephen at all. Instead they’d stoked the fire. They’d picked a fight with an angry bear and made him even more determined. The worst part was realising that this time next week Lucas would be back in the US and she’d be dealing with this alone.

Fred yelped and began wriggling in her arms. He was fed up of being squashed.

‘Let’s get you inside,’ Lucas said, releasing her so she could lower Fred to the floor and he could fetch his shopping. Closing the door, he reached out and gently wiped away the tears from her cheeks. His expression was kind and trusting, and she wanted nothing more than to be held by him again. Which would not be a good development.

Self-preservation kicked in and she stepped away, rubbing brusquely at her wet cheeks. Falling apart wasn’t going to solve anything. She needed to dig deep and muster her inner strength and fight this problem herself. She hadn’t spent the last five years becoming independent only to collapse now. There was no way was she going to succumb to Stephen’s bullying.

She searched for her sock on the sofa, lifting the throw and tossing cushions away.

She also wasn’t going to succumb to her feelings for Lucas Moore. Because, like it or not, she did have feelings for him. Dangerous, destructive feelings. The kind of feelings that could undermine her determination to live a strong and independent life. She’d come too far to return to relying on a man for her happiness. She’d been fine before she’d met Lucas. She’d be fine after he’d left too.

Lucas located her sock. ‘Yours, I believe.’

She looked into his smiling face. Okay, so perhaps she wouldn’t be fine. Adequate, at best. The problem was, adequate had been good enough when she hadn’t known what extraordinary had felt like. She had a horrible feeling there was no coming back from that.

She dropped to the sofa so she could wiggle her foot into her sock.

‘I’m staying, by the way,’ he said, heading into the kitchen with his grocery bag. ‘No arguments. You can fight me and lose, or accept the situation and let me cook you dinner.’ His face appeared around the door. ‘Where will I find a food blender?’

She pushed Fred away, who had decided it was play time and was trying to eat her sock. ‘Why do you need a food blender?’

‘We’re having curry. Chicken tikka masala.’

She joined him in the kitchen. ‘Wouldn’t it be easier to order in takeaway?’

‘Yes, but where’s the fun in that?’ He emptied the contents of the carrier bag onto the counter. ‘We don’t have Indian takeaways in the US, not like the ones over here.’ He reached for a knife. ‘Mind you, I haven’t researched food options in Houston, so maybe they do. I’m not taking any chances. I need to know how to make curry, just in case.’ He began chopping onions.

‘Curry takes ages,’ she said, searching the cupboards for the blender she’d never used. ‘You have to cook off all the spices first and then marinate the chicken. Anything you make tonight won’t be ready for hours.’

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