Crash Into My Heart Read online

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “So far, all you have done is complain.”

  She stared at him. “That is not true.”

  “What’s your name?’

  Her expression grew mutinous.

  “Janice.”

  “See. That wasn’t so hard.”

  She stuck her chin out. “You’ll never know if it’s my real name.”

  “It is.”

  “How do you know?”

  “You look like a Janice.”

  “That’s ridiculous. There’s no such thing as a Janice look.”

  “All the Janices I’ve known have been blonde and thin.”

  She harrumphed.

  “First of all, I’m not really blonde. I have highlights.”

  “You’re not natural?”

  She ignored his question.

  “Second, I imagine that all the women you’ve known have been blonde and thin. I seriously doubt they’ve all been named Janice.”

  “True. About the name.”

  “Anyway, I prefer not to talk about myself. Take a right at the stop sign ahead.”

  Adrian slowed, and turned. They’d been traveling on a quiet road that appeared to mark the edge of town. Just a mile up, housing tracts broke up the desert landscape.

  “Shall I talk about myself then?”

  “Oh, most certainly. You look like a man who likes talking about himself.”

  “Do I?”

  Adrian shifted and the car shot forward.

  ***

  Janice couldn’t understand why she kept arguing with the man.

  Adrian Margolis had to be the most attractive man she’d ever met. She resisted the urge to check the mirror under the sun visor. She must look awful. Her nerves were rattled. Her heart still raced from when he’d picked her up and carried her. His touch had sizzled. She honestly couldn’t recall reacting to any man like that ever. Not even Karl.

  Karl! How could she be thinking sexually about a man after Karl? Since his fatal accident, she vowed she would never love any man like she’d loved him. But sex wasn’t love. Did that mean she couldn’t have a meaningless fling?

  She tried to shut down the direction of her thoughts, but they careened wildly out of her control. It’d been four years. Not even the distraction of the boys and work made up for that ache that sometimes started when the day was finished, the lights out, the house silent.

  Tonight, the house would be lonely with the kids away visiting their grandparents. In fact, she faced two weeks of solitary nights. Caring for the boys staved off her general loneliness. She didn’t expect complete life satisfaction as a single woman. But men were a lot of work. She hadn’t met anyone since Karl who she could imagine spending the evening with watching movies, much less inviting to bed.

  Until now.

  She cast a covert look Adrian’s way. He was about her age, maybe older. He was fit, confident. She could imagine unbuttoning his shirt and running her hands over his hard chest.

  What was she thinking? He would never find her attractive, especially all beat up and battered. She swung the mirror down to inspect her face. She couldn’t tell whether the shadows were from the hour of the evening or from the accident.

  “You’re beautiful, I’m sure you know,” he said softly.

  Janice laughed in disbelief. “With black and blue eyes?”

  “I only noticed the baby blues.”

  “Hmmm. My street is coming up. First left after the light.”

  She watched him handle his powerful car with assured confidence.

  “I’m the second house on the right.”

  He slowed and swung his car up her driveway as if he’d done it a thousand times. He pulled up to the garage door and cut the engine.

  “Well. Thank you so much for the lift. I do appreciate your help. I might have been in serious trouble back there.”

  “My pleasure. Now. Let’s get you inside and treat your injuries.”

  He had his door open, closed and the passenger door ajar for her before she could process everything he’d said.

  She climbed a bit shakily out of the car and he caught her elbow drawing her up against his side.

  “I’m perfectly—“

  “Fine,” he interrupted with a grin. “I know. I happen to disagree. Fortunately, my mother raised me to be a gentleman. If I dropped you at the door and left without making sure you were going to stay fine, she’d be disappointed.”

  “She won’t know.”

  “I might accidently tell her.”

  Janice actually laughed. “That’s unlikely.”

  “I like to tell my mother about the ways her son is heroic. It makes her proud.”

  Distracted by their banter, Janice didn’t notice Adrian leading her to the door. He stood, holding his hand out expectantly. She dug through her purse and pulled out keys. He took them and unlocked the door. He pushed open the dark paneled door and guided her inside, his hand pressed possessively against the small of her back.

  Suddenly, Janice felt drained and exhausted. No one had taken care of her in years. So she let him in.

  ***

  Adrian found the switch and flicked on the overhead light. The house was small, but neat and tidy. He led her into the adjacent kitchen. A homey wooden table occupied half of the room. He pulled out a chair and sat her down. He hit another wall switch. The kitchen lights flooded the space. For the first time, he could see just how banged up her face was.

  “Poor baby,” he murmured as he stroked a gentle finger down her cheek, skirting the bruises around her eyes and nose. “Let’s get some ice for those baby blues.”

  He opened the freezer door and pulled out an ice tray.

  “Plastic baggie?” he asked as he started opening cabinets.

  “Bottom drawer,” Janice told him.

  He found a bag and filled it half full of ice. Further searching resulted in a clean, thin kitchen towel that he wrapped around the bag. When he turned back, Janice was resting silently, her head leaning against the high back of the chair, her eyes closed. She’d fizzled out damn suddenly.

  “Would you like a painkiller?”

  Without opening her eyes, Janice answered. “In the top cupboard, next to the sink.”

  Adrian located two pills, and filled a glass of water. He handed her the pills and water. She swallowed both.

  “Let’s get you horizontal so we can lay this ice on your bruises.”

  “Okay,” Janice mumbled.

  “Are you feeling okay? You sound wiped out.”

  “That’s how I feel. Tired.”

  “Which room is your bedroom?” he asked.

  That woke her up. She sat up straight.

  “You should leave.”

  “Janice, I can’t leave you. You’re weak, tired and have just had an accident. Someone needs to make sure you’re okay through the night.”

  “Through the night?” She was definitely wide awake now. She took the ice bag from him and stood.

  “Thank you for driving me home. I don’t want to keep you from your journey any longer. You’ve done more than enough to make your mother proud.”

  He stroked her arm soothingly.

  “I’m not interested in what my mother thinks anymore. What if you have a concussion? In hindsight, I think I should have taken you to the emergency room.”

  “No. I can’t face sitting for hours on a plastic chair waiting for a doctor to run tests and then declare me good enough to go home.”

  “I should stay then to make sure you’re going to be okay.”

  “You can’t stay,” she protested. “We don’t know each other.”

  “So. Are you afraid of me?”

  Janice sighed.

  “No,” she admitted.

  Adrian smiled down at her. “Good. I’m not afraid of you either,” he teased. “I promise, I’m only interested in getting you settled into bed to recover.”

  And when she was recovered? Then he wanted to join her the
re.

  The returning slump of her shoulders told him he’d won this battle. She stared up at him, looking forlorn, and he realized again just how fragile and tiny she was. He felt a sudden desire to protect her from all harm. Which was bad. He wasn’t interested in being attached to anyone. Work consumed his life at the moment.

  Then she smiled, albeit faintly. His heart squeezed tight. That was bad, definitely.

  “Okay. Only overnight and only because I don’t have anyone else to call and I don’t want to go to the hospital,” she conceded. “I still don’t know why you want to help me.”

  “I told you. I’m a good citizen.”

  Janice lifted a skeptical eyebrow. But she didn’t say anything. Progress? Or a signal she was fading again.

  “Come. Let’s get you to bed.”

  She let him support her as he led her down the hall.

  “Last room,” she told him as he started to lead her into the first doorway. He could see that the room they were bypassing had two sets of stacked bunk beds lining opposite walls.

  “You run a hostel on the side?” he joked.

  “Those are my sons’ beds.”

  “Damn,” Adrian swore.

  “What?” Janice stiffened under his arm.

  The woman swung from ragdoll-limp to full-of-starch in record speed.

  “You have four boys?”

  “Two,” she corrected. “Twin seven-year-olds. They like to have friends overnight.”

  Adrian tried to shake his surprise. It wasn’t like he was interested in a long-term relationship. Since the last thing he needed was getting involved with someone with kids, it was actually perfect. He forced a light tone.

  “So you’re used to having men in your house.”

  “I’m used to having boys in my house,” she corrected.

  “This is a long shot, but you’re not a teacher, are you?”

  “What if I am?”

  Adrian grimaced. A teacher and a mother. Not the type he usually meets. More like his mom, really. At the door, she pushed away from him.

  “I can handle myself from here.”

  “I have to come in to check on you.”

  “I’m well enough to change into pajamas and wash my face all on my own.”

  Adrian acquiesced.

  “Call me when you’re ready to be tucked in.”

  He hid his grin as he heard her snort softly. He could imagine what little Miss Priss was thinking. She took offense at anything sounding remotely condescending. Her bedroom door clicked crisply shut. No wild slam. Janice was a woman who held herself in tight control. He itched to make her lose control.

  He returned to the kitchen, turned on his phone, checked his messages, then contacted a towing company to pick up and deliver Janice’s car to a local shop. That settled, he called his VP to cancel their meeting until the following day.

  A desk with a laptop dominated the corner of the family room running along the rear of the house. He noted the sectional with deep cushions. Tolerable for a night. He’d loved to join her in bed but she really did look affected by the accident and he was essentially a gentleman. Or, he was certain he could act like one. He hadn’t felt tested like this before though.

  He wandered over and flipped open the laptop. It was running, the web browser activated. Janice’s email address showed two boarding passes for a round-trip flight, LAX to Denver, leaving today, returning in two weeks. Her sons. She must have been driving home after taking them to the airport when she crashed. Had they flown alone? Or had someone, like an ex, taken them? He felt a twinge of disquietude. The guy better not make her life hard. His sister’s ex was still around, trying to control her, while pretending to play daddy to their adopted daughter. In truth, Adrian was more of a father figure than that jerk.

  He opened another browser window and searched concussions. Headaches, loss of consciousness, dizziness, nausea, slurred speech, fatigue. Individuals should see a doctor within a day or two if any symptoms presented or worsened over time. If necessary, he could take her to a clinic in the morning.

  He arrested his thoughts. What was he doing here? She wasn’t his responsibility.

  He heard the sound of her door opening. He rose to meet her. The hall light illuminated her shoulder-length pale hair and scrubbed skin. Her eyes, shadowed by her injuries, disconcerted him with their haunting beauty. Face it. She was why he was here.

  “Adrian?” She obviously was wondering what he was doing too, standing there dumbstruck.

  ***

  Janice knew she looked like hell. The harsh bathroom light had exhibited the bruises on her face. She looked like she’d been enthusiastically beaten. The stunned look on Adrian’s face reinforced that assessment.

  She was too tired to care. She’d had an emotionally wrenching day seeing the boys off with their aunt, Karl’s sister, for a holiday with their grandparents in Denver. She’d never gotten along well with Karl’s family. She did her best to maintain a positive attitude, but she suspected while the boys were with Karl’s family, they were indoctrinated both into his family’s politics and religion. She wondered whether the education included an anti-mommy agenda.

  The fact that she could have died today—that her sons could have lost a second parent to an accident—put Karl’s family issues in perspective.

  “The boys!”

  Janice headed down the hall.

  “Whoa! Where are you going, princess?” Adrian intercepted her.

  “I need to call my sons to make sure they arrived safely.”

  “Do you want your cell phone?”

  “Yes. And I have to call for a tow truck.”

  “Already done. It’s being taken to the shop written on that paper by the computer.”

  Something shifted in her. No one had been so helpful to her in years.

  “Thank you.”

  Janice went to the kitchen table and pulled out her phone. She hit the buttons to call her sons. With her eyes, she followed Adrian wandering back into the living room and sitting down on the sectional. He appeared to be testing the firmness of the cushions. After several rings, Christian answered his cell phone.

  “Hi. It’s Mom. Did you and Nathan arrive okay?”

  Christian responded, sounding happy. They were having a barbeque with their aunts, uncles and cousins.

  She watched Adrian lean back and close his eyes. She turned her back on his appealing form.

  “Sure, dear. Put Nathan on.” She could hear voices chattering, laughing in the background. Nathan came on, breathless.

  “So you and your brother went swimming? They have new puppies too? Yes, go and eat your hamburger. Don’t keep Grandpa waiting. I love you. Tell your brother I love him. Okay, talk to you tomorrow.”

  She clicked the phone off and set it down. She felt…left out.

  Then a large, warm hand stroked down her back and all thoughts of her ex-in-laws and her boys fled. She felt the intense, masculine heat radiating from Adrian’s body. Her body reacted like a sunflower turning towards the sun, all her senses tuning into the physical presence of this man she’d just met.

  “Come sit down. Want something to drink?”

  She leaned into him. Just for a moment.

  “Wine sounds good. There’s Cabernet Sauvignon in the wine rack.”

  “I’ll get it,” Adrian said as he seated her on the sofa. “Opener?”

  “Top drawer, under the rack.”

  Janice studied Adrian as he walked back into the kitchen. She loved watching him. He moved so fluidly. She would bet serious money that he sported a six-pack under that white business shirt. As he twisted the wine opener into the cork of the bottle, his shoulders muscles flexed, his pectorals straining the shirt sleeves.

  “Glasses?”

  “Top cabinet by the sink.”

  She sank into the corner of the sofa and closed her eyes. The sound of wine pouring soothed her. She rolled her shoulders to relieve her tension. Adrian settled next to her. The glasses clinked on the
glass table as he set them down.

  “Let me rub your back.”

  His hands were on her shoulders, urging her to turn. She allowed him to spread his hands across her upper back. All her senses flashed into awareness as his warm fingers gently massaged her tight muscles.

  Janice sighed appreciatively.

  “That feels divine.”

  “My pleasure.”

  Adrian continued to work his way across her shoulders, her back and down towards her waist.

  Janice felt her tension evaporate.

  “Most people practically maim a person by pressing too hard. You’re doing it just right.”

  “My sister Lissa is a professional masseuse.”

  “Really?”

  “She works in professional sports. She has some famous clients in LA.”

  “If she taught you how to do what you’re doing, I owe the woman a huge bar of chocolate if I ever meet her.”

  Adrian’s breath was hot on her neck as he chuckled. “I’ll be sure to let her know you approve of my skills.”

  Janice thought naughtily about how she’d like to experience his full repertoire of skills.

  “Have some wine,” Adrian encouraged her, bringing the glass around to her face.

  She took the glass and sipped, letting herself fantasize that they were together on a date rather than due to a freak meeting. Kallie always encouraged her to take more risks. Open up to opportunities. Mustering her courage, she took a risk. Dug up some long-buried flirting skills.

  “You aren’t going to get me drunk and take advantage of me, are you?”

  His mouth was at her ear immediately, his voice gruff.

  “Would you like me to?”

  Then he kissed her neck, and she struggled to breathe.

  “Umm…I don’t know if I can make a sound decision tonight.”

  “I’ll make it for you.” He nuzzled her neck, nipping her lightly.

  She started, astonished.

  “Did you just bite me?”

  “You smell so wonderful, I’m dying to know what you taste like.”

  She felt self-conscious, awkward.

  “I doubt you’ll get much flavor from my neck.”

  “Where do you suggest I sample you?”

  Janice flushed. It was hard to resist his charismatic draw. She leaned back into his chest and he slid his hands around her waist and pulled her firmly into his lap, straight onto his aroused cock. He leaned down over her shoulder.