Chapter 13
Luke's smirk is too damn obvious when I say the word stiff, and I mentally kick myself for leaving that one wide open.
Sleeping here last night was damn near impossible despite the exhaustion, because every time I rolled over, all my body wanted to do was find Luke's room and ride him like a damn cowgirl.
Stop that! You can't. You know you can't.
I'm still in the pajamas I bought last night, which, in retrospect, are way too skimpy, and Luke is just staring at me.
I know exactly where his mind is at because mine is right there, too, and I have to swallow down the need to kiss him again.
"We should work on your range of motion."
Internally, I hope that clarification does some good. I push up from the island, gesturing toward the large area in front of the couch.
Luke doesn't let that smirk drop for even a moment, and he comes around the island, walking past me with a chuckle.
"Oh, right, of course."
I follow him over, shaking my head, and then we're standing in his open living room.
He's shirtless, with that mouthwatering chest on display, and these shorts do nothing to help me stay covered. I only know my nipples aren't on full display, thanks to the simmering arousal.
It's not like I can risk checking for myself, so I just focus on what I do best—assessing wounds and helping patients.
Which Luke still is, remember?
"Let's take another look, okay?" I nod down at his bandages.
"Sure thing, doc." His deft fingers go for the tape. "At least I didn't bother with a shirt this time."
I force a laugh, helping him as best I can to unwrap the bandage just enough to check if the wound is seeping or if there's anything else I need to be concerned with.
"All right. It looks good."
We wind him back up again, our fingers brushing as we deal with the loose wrappings, and my heart rate ticks up.
Again.
"Okay, so we're going to go through some basic range of motion activities. You need to be honest with me about what's pulling or hurting or doesn't feel right. It does you no good to act tough, got it?"
"Aye, aye, captain."
He fake salutes me, and I roll my eyes.
"Okay, lift your arms out straight in front of you to shoulder level." He does, keeping up that easy smile. "All right, now slowly raise them higher and let me know where you feel something."
Luke gets pretty far, and it's not until the very apex of the raise that he stops and offers a nod.
"About there."
I actually smile back at him, happy about the progress. "Hey, that's great."
With a playful eye roll, Luke sticks his lips out in a mock pout.
"Yeah, I'm not too shabby, huh, doc?"
"All right." I narrow my gaze at him. "Let's try sideways movement."
I take his wrist, keeping his arms at shoulder level.
"Stay here in terms of height, but try to twist from your middle."
Luke starts to move, and I notice he's moving from his upper back, not his midsection.
"No, here." My hands go to his waist, holding him where the bandage wraps around him. "Twist from here, not your shoulders."
Heat crawls through my cheeks, burning there like a furnace when Luke glances down at me with his arms up and my hands still on him.
Our eyes connect and hold, locking onto each other as Luke decidedly does not twist. He's just staring down at me as I look up into those deep eyes.
"Um, Luke, can you…" I finally break eye contact and gesture at his midsection with my head. "You know, twist."
"Right." He swallows hard and then does as asked, rotating his body.
When he turns, angling toward the side that matches his injury, he seems all right. But then Luke goes the other direction, and he stops short.
"Oh, okay. So what's that feeling like? Muscle immobility or just the stitches?"
Luke laughs a bit, lowering his arms and I step away, dragging my hands from his sides and trying to ignore how I wanted to leave them there.
"How am I supposed to tell?"
"Oh, right." I nod to myself, a slight chuckle escaping. "This is why I suggested a trained physical therapist."
He shakes his head. "It's cool. We'll figure this out together. I promise you're no worse than the people trying to help us when we were deployed."
The way Luke says help makes my chest pinch, and I frown at him.
"Well, that's not very encouraging to hear about the medical system for soldiers."
"Oh, it's not." He nods before offering a tired shrug. "But that's how it is. Not much I can do about it."
I frown, my eyes falling to the floor. "Isn't there? I mean, you're a big shot CEO. Couldn't you donate money to improve resources or training?"
Luke falters for a moment, his face screwing up in a combination of shock and remorse.
"I suppose I could…" Something I can't name crosses over his expression then, but he shakes it off too fast for me to study it.
"I'll admit, I don't think about my time there much, so I've let that one slip by the wayside. But why not, right? I could float them a little cash."
Despite everything, I'm noticing quite quickly that Luke uses humor to deflect.
It's not surprising that he does, but I still wonder if it's a fact he's self-aware about.
"Well, anyway." I refocus, blinking hard as I give Luke a professional smile. "I think it should mostly feel like moving something you strained if it's still on course to heal correctly. If it feels numb or tingly, or like you're trying to twist and the muscles aren't cooperating, that means nerve damage."
Luke scoops his head in a buildup to a single nod, the corners of his lips turned down.
"Okay."
At once, his smirk is wicked, and my heart pounds as I worry what he's up to now.
"Would you mind putting your hands back so I can feel where I'm supposed to twist from again?"
I roll my eyes, putting my hands back where they were to direct him but making sure to keep them in a solidly platonic place.
"Here."
Luke smiles, humming. "Oh, right. Got it."
He starts to move, keeping it slow, and I feel his muscles flex beneath the bandage.
Maintaining a stare at his chest, I don't dare look up at him. I know that dazzling grin and his charming gaze are just waiting for me.
Getting a bit farther into the twist than before, Luke stops, and now I'm forced to converse with him again.
"Okay, so, cooperating or no?"
He laughs, and it brings my eyes up to his. Oh, dammit. Yup, there they are.
"Oh, there's definitely cooperating."
I'm not an idiot, and the innuendo is clear. And yet…
I can't look away. I'm falling into those deep wells of his eyes, and I'm completely forgetting how to swim against the current.
We hang there in the quiet space of his living room, and Luke licks his lips. I watch the motion, enraptured, and I know I really shouldn't be.
All I can hear is my heart going a million miles a minute behind my ribs so that it booms up to my ears.
All I can see is the way Luke's full, pouty lips are moving closer to me, and I'm not pulling back.
He's just so…
It doesn't really matter, does it? Because whatever he is, Luke is right here, and right now, he could be mine if I wanted it.
All I'd have to do is let him crash his mouth against mine, claiming me in a kiss that I shouldn't be craving as desperately as I am.
"Luke, I…"
My words trail off, and he sinks closer.
"Yes, darlin'?"
Time is a crawl as Luke begins to close the distance even more.
No, this is bad. Clara, don't! Get out of here!
I yank myself back, leaving Luke a bit wobbly as I take several backward steps out of the living room.
"I think that's good for today. Wouldn't want to overdo it, right? Right. Okay, great."
I spin around, hurrying down the hall where I know the guest bath is located.
"I'm hitting the shower!"
Everything in me is so aware that I just completely bailed because it was what had to be done, and still, I have a feeling I'll be using the shower for personal time.