His hand slid up her calf before traveling back down again.“I thought I was dreaming,” he said huskily.
She didn’t try to tug free, because she didn’t trust her balance.Also, she didn’t want to.Her skin tingled at his touch, and the deep timbre of his voice sent shivers down her spine.She felt the wild urge to sink to the floor with him.She closed her eyes and tried to suppress it.“Did you carry me inside?”
His fingers flexed around her ankle.“I did.”
She was still drowsy from the medication, but not too numb to experience a second wave of embarrassment.He already believed the worst of her, and her actions last night had reinforced his opinion.She’d gone out with his mother and returned insensible.He’d had to take care of her.Meredith moistened her lips, unsure what to say in her defense.The heat of his palm seared her skin.She got the impression he wanted to let go but couldn’t make himself.Just as she couldn’t force herself to pull away.
His thumb stroked along her instep, which scrambled her thoughts further.Though she wasn’t ticklish, he’d found a sensitive place.His hand was warm and rough and long fingered.She remembered those hands on her back, caressing her bare skin.
The sound of an approaching vehicle startled them both into stillness.A truck pulled to a stop in front of the house.The living room window was open, curtains drawn back to reveal the scene outside.Wynona had arrived with her friend, Patty.
Meredith glanced at Wade, wide-eyed.He was shirtless, with a light sheet tangled around his waist.His erection tented the plain white cotton like a Halloween ghost.He released her ankle so abruptly she stumbled backward.
“Go,” he mouthed.
She didn’t have to be asked twice.She made a mad dash for the hallway, but she wasn’t at her best.She bumped into an end table and almost sent a lamp crashing to the floor.While she steadied the lamp, Chico caught sight of the tented sheet.The dog raced toward Wade and barked at the strange protrusion, his tail wagging.
Meredith couldn’t hold back a burst of laughter.Chico thought she’d hidden a toy under the blanket; it was a game they played often.She tried to hush the dog, to no avail.Wade rolled onto his stomach, groaning.
The truck outside drove away, and Wynona entered the house.She turned on the kitchen lights, attempted to hang her purse on a hook, and missed.Meredith clapped a hand over her mouth to suppress her giggles.She hoped Wynona was too buzzed to notice the chaos in the living room.
No such luck.
The woman frowned blearily in their direction.“What’s going on in there?”
Chico put his paws on Wade’s backside and barked again.He really wanted that toy.When Wade didn’t cooperate, Chico bit the seat of his sweatpants and tugged.Meredith scrambled forward to help him, still giggling.She lifted the Chihuahua into her arms.Wade’s shoulders shook with laughter, but he didn’t roll over.He couldn’t.
“What in the world’s got into you two?”Wynona asked.
Meredith held Chico against her chest and fled the room.Her legs were a bit wobbly, but she didn’t pause.Stifling her laughter was a more difficult task.A trip to the bathroom confirmed that she was a mess, her hair tangled and cheeks flushed.She washed her face, changed into pajamas, and went back to bed.
In the morning, she woke with a slight headache.She rose at her usual hour to make coffee, only to find that Wade had already done it.He’d made scrambled eggs and bacon, too.He sat at the table with a full plate and a steaming mug.Chico was parked at his feet with a hopeful expression, as if waiting for a scrap to fall.
She mumbled a greeting and poured herself a cup of coffee.Avoiding him would be cowardly, so she took a seat at the table.She sipped her coffee in awkward silence.He scraped his plate without making eye contact.The humor they’d shared last night had evaporated.Now they were both stone-cold sober, and she was still embarrassed.
“I’m sorry about last night,” she said.“I was really out of it.”
With a shrug, he got up and went to the sink.He always washed his own dishes.Today he washed them with extra vigor.
“I took one of your mother’s pills,” she said.
He turned off the faucet.“What?”
“I took one of your mother’s pills.”
“Yeah, I know.”
“It was too strong.”
“Did you check the dosage?”
“No.I should have.”
He nodded an agreement.
“You’re angry,” she surmised.
“I’m not.”
