Page 23 of Winning Back His Wife
She straightened. “I feel better now.”
“Good, but let’s not take any chances.” He swept her up into his arms, ignoring her sharp inhalation and how good it felt to hold her. “I don’t want you to fall.”
As if concern explained the acceleration of his pulse or his breathlessness.
Wariness clouded her eyes. “I don’t want you to strain your back.”
“Thanks for the concern, but you hardly weigh anything.” Sarah had always been fit, but never this thin. He carried her to the couch. “We’ll have to put some meat on you.”
Sarah’s gaze narrowed. “That’s not what a woman wants to hear.”
As he walked, her breasts jiggled.
Desire slammed into him, hard and fast like a line drive to third base. A fire ignited low in his gut.
Forget the Latin. Organic chemistry equations might work better. “Men like women with curves. Gives them something to hold on to.”
Awareness flickered in her eyes. Sarah parted her lips.
All he had to do was lower his mouth to hers and...
“Some men,” she said.
If he’d had a thermometer under his tongue, the mercury would have shot out the end and made a real mess. “This man.”
Tension sizzled in the air. The physical chemistry between them remained strong, and, if the past sixty seconds were anything to go by, highly combustible.
Fighting the urge to get the hell away from her before his control slipped any further, he placed her gently on the couch. “Rest while I finish getting dinner ready.”
He strode to the kitchen with one purpose in mind—put distance between him and Sarah, even if it was less than twelve feet. Attraction or not, this had disaster written all over it. She was injured. She was his soon-to-be ex-wife. Thinking of her as anything other than a patient would be...wrong.
Cullen checked the beans and the rice. He glanced at the clock on the microwave. “Time for your meds.”
“I’d rather not take them.” The back of the couch hid all but the top of her head. “They make me loopy.”
“Staying ahead of the pain is important.”
“I’m ahead of it.”
Not for long. Her voice sounded strained. He filled a glass with water and dispensed her pills. “This isn’t up for negotiation.”
She poked her head up. “Whatever you’re cooking smells so good.”
“Enchiladas.”
“One of my favorites.”
Changing the subject wasn’t like Sarah. She must not feel well. He carried the water and medicine to her. “Here you go.”
She stared at the pills as if they were poison. “Your patients must call you Dr. Hardnose.”
He handed her the pills. “They might, but not to my face. Well, except you.”
“I’m not your patient.” She shot him a chilly look, popped the pills into her mouth and drank the water. “Satisfied?”
“Very. It’s not often you do what you’re told.”
“I only took the pills because you made dinner.”
“Then it’s a good thing I didn’t tell you someone else made the meal.”
“Who?”
“Carly Porter.” He placed Sarah’s water glass on the coffee table. “She stopped by while you were sleeping.”
A thoughtful expression crossed Sarah’s face. “That sure is nice of Carly.”
Sarah’s voice sounded tight, almost on edge. A good thing she’d taken her pills. “Carly and her husband are good people. Jake’s the one who owns the brewpub.”
A corner of Sarah’s mouth curved upward in a lopsided smile. “Oh, you mentioned him earlier.”
The timer on the oven dinged.
“Dinner’s ready,” Cullen said. “You can eat on the couch.”
“I’ve been eating in bed. I’d rather sit at the table, if that’s okay?”
His stomach twisted. This would be their first meal together since she’d brought up divorce.
She touched her cast. “If you’d rather I eat here—”
“The table works.” He was being stupid. Just because the last time had ended badly didn’t mean this time would. Hell, he’d wanted to kiss her a few minutes ago. No matter how he looked at this situation, an epic fail seemed imminent. “Give me a sec.”
Cullen set the table. Utensils clattered against the plates. His hands shook. He wasn’t sure what had gotten into him, but he felt clumsy, a way he wasn’t used to feeling.
He placed the hot casserole dish, bowls of rice and refried beans and a bottle of sparkling apple cider on the table. He left the six-pack of Wy’East Brewing Company’s Hogsback Ale, courtesy of Jake, in the refrigerator. Cullen needed his wits about him with Sarah here. “Dinner’s ready.”
