Page 48 of Winning Back His Wife
Sarah nodded once. She took the pills from him and put them into her mouth.
He handed her the water.
She sipped and swallowed. “Thanks. Now I’m going back to sleep.”
“After you undress.”
Sarah rested her head against the pillow and closed her eyes. “I’m too tired.”
Sleeping in her clothes would be uncomfortable, but she was an adult. Controlling Sarah never was something he’d wanted to do. Or could do for that matter. He wanted only to control her influence on him. “At least get out of your jeans.”
Her eyelids fluttered. “I’m not sure I can. I still have trouble with the button when I’m wide-awake.”
“Want help?” he offered.
“Please. If you wouldn’t mind.”
Mind? He wasn’t sure what he felt at the moment, but this seemed a light penance for his wrongdoings with her.
His fingers trembled with anticipation and need. He touched the button on her waistband.
Get a grip, Gray.
This had nothing to do with sex. He was supposed to help her. He wanted to help her, if only to make amends for what he’d put her through. But the crazy push-pull of regret versus the physical attraction was giving him whiplash.
Cullen unbuttoned the waistband of her jeans. He tugged down on the zipper. The teeth of the zipper released. This wasn’t so hard. He glimpsed a patch of pink lace.
His groin tightened. He jerked his hand away.
They might be soon-to-be divorced and she might be the last woman in the world he should want to be with, but that did nothing to lessen his attraction. His reaction had nothing to do with being celibate for nearly a year. It was Sarah. No one else had ever made him feel like this.
He liked that. Liked how she’d held his hand tonight as he talked about Blaine. Liked how she trusted him to help her in spite of all his failures.
“It’s okay. I’ve got it,” she mumbled.
Suck it up, Gray. Any fool could see she was exhausted. He needed to think about her, not himself. “Go back to sleep. I’ll take care of it.”
That was the least he could do.
Cullen pulled her jeans over the curve of her hips and down her thighs. His hand touched her skin. He ignored the sparks arcing through his fingertips with each brush and slid the jeans all the way off.
Sarah lay on the bed. Her eyes closed. Her lips parted.
Cullen wondered what she dreamed about. Him? If only...
He wanted to crawl into bed next to her and hold her, not only until the sun came up, but...forever. He yearned for the future he’d dreamed of having with her. But that wasn’t what she wanted. Even if she did, it might not be the best thing for her. He didn’t know how to act or how to be more open. But maybe with Sarah’s help, he could learn....
CHAPTER TEN
SUNLIGHT WARMED SARAH’S face. She opened her eyes. Light flooded the room through the open blinds. Usually she closed them before she went to bed.
But last night hadn’t been usual. Cullen had opened up to her in a way she’d never expected. He’d given her medicine and removed her jeans. But no good-night kiss or even a peck on the forehead.
Sarah had been...disappointed. She chalked up the reaction to exhaustion. The last things she needed were any more kisses.
She shrugged on her robe, tied the strap as best as she could and walked out of her room. She had no idea whether Hannah, Leanne or Zoe would be here this morning. Sarah had a feeling Bill wouldn’t be back.
She entered the living room.
“Good morning,” Bill said, holding on to a ream of paper.
She did a double take. “You’re babysitting me today?”
“Nope, I am.” Cullen sat on the floor next to a leather recliner working on a printer.
Sarah looked around the living room filled with cords and boxes, the chair and a table she’d never seen before. “What’s going on?”
Bill grinned as if he’d eaten three canaries and two parrots. “You know how your head hurts and arm aches when you work on your laptop?”
She knew the feelings all too well. “Yes.”
“Well, we had a great idea—”
“We?” Cullen asked.
The firefighter winked. “Doc had the idea to set up a more comfortable workstation for you.”
“You can print pages if the screen gives you a headache,” Cullen said.
She covered her mouth with her hands. “This is...”
His gaze met hers. “Not exactly the definition of fun.”
“It’s mine.” She studied the oversize leather recliner. “Where did the chair come from?”
He motioned his head toward Bill. “Paulson is good for a few things.”
“A lot of things, if you happen to be a lovely lady.” Bill ran his fingertips along the buttery leather. “This is my favorite chair. It’s yours for as long as you need it.”
