Free Make Me Lose Control by Christie Ridgway Page A

takes another hit, forget about it. I—”
    “Already don’t think much of me?” he finished for her, lifting his head.
    He looked terrible. There were lines of pain around his eyes and he squinted as if the light were torture.
    “Why would you say that?” she asked, ignoring her guilty flush.
    His mouth twisted in a wry smile. “I caught the hint from those emails you sent.”
    Shay swallowed. Not only had she written all that stuff about dancing lessons and field trips to chocolate factories, but she also recalled subtly—or maybe not so subtly—expressing her opinion on absentee parenting. “You read them?”
    “Finally. After I recovered.”
    Her eyes rounded. “Um...recovered? Recovered from what?”
    “I need to get some pain relievers.” He stood abruptly, the uncharacteristically clumsy movement knocking over the stool. At the loud clatter, he put both hands to his head as if to hold it together.
    “Jace.” Shay rushed around the island to right the seat. Then she urged him back into it, tugging gently on one elbow. “I can get it. Something special? A prescription?”
    “No. Just a couple of the regular kind.”
    He took the tablets with the water and without argument. For a few moments he sat, eyes closed, just breathing. Shay gripped the metal edge of the island, watching him with concern.
    When his lashes lifted, she could see some of the discomfort had left him. “Better?” she asked.
    “Yeah.”
    “Are you going to tell me what’s up?”
    He shrugged. “Construction accident. I ended up with a badly sprained ankle and a concussion. For a time I found it difficult to think, read, communicate clearly. I still get headaches, obviously—tension brings them on.”
    Remorse flooded Shay. While she’d been sending snarky emails and thinking uncharitable thoughts, he’d been laid up thousands of miles away with serious injuries. Still... “There wasn’t someone who could send an email for you? Make a call?”
    “This was a lay-of-the land mission, four of us in the middle of nowhere. My interpreter-slash-fixer understood a limited amount of English and my Arabic is sketchy. Beyond blueprints, we had a difficult time making ourselves known to each other. So I concentrated on getting here as soon as I could.”
    Frowning a little, she drew closer, continuing to watch him with assessing eyes. Definitely better, but—
    “Christ, I don’t need a nurse. Stop hovering.”
    Affronted, Shay spun around.
    “Wait.” Jace reached out, but her arm slipped through his fingers. “I’m sorry. I’m not used to...”
    Hot showers, Shay thought, with sudden understanding. Birthday celebrations. Depending upon someone else, if only for a glass of water and a couple of aspirin. “It’s all right,” she said, insult evaporating. “I’m going to make coffee. Would you like some?”
    “Sure,” he said. “Thanks.”
    Her back was to him as she ground the beans and fiddled with the settings on the coffeemaker. Silence grew between them as she pulled mugs from the cabinet and readied the cream and sugar.
    Before she sensed a single footstep, heavy male hands closed over her shoulders. Shay jerked once, then stilled. When he wasn’t hurting from a headache, she thought, the big man moved with such smooth grace. Unnerved by it, Shay placed her palms flat on the countertop and tried to calm her thudding heart.
    “Shay,” Jace said, bending his head so his mouth was close to her ear. “I’m sorry. Really.”
    She closed her eyes, willing herself not to lean into his warmth. A ripple of desire rolled over her skin, slid down her arms, over her breasts, her belly, her hips. God, she’d never felt like this, so aware of a man, so greedy for his touch.
    She’d expected only one night with him, but now, now there was another possibility. There could be a summer of such moments, she thought, aching to feel his heat surrounding her, his weight on top of her, his thick column of flesh inside her again. Her