Free Road to Recovery by Natalie Ann

accident. She was coming
up on a year soon. A year was a long time to go without being held
by another person, touched, caressed or kissed. And the truth of
the matter was—she was missing it.
    She was also missing Lucas,
his presence, his smile, his charm and his thoughtfulness. She
hadn’t realized how much she had come to depend on his smiling face
each day, or the little things he did that always seemed to put a
smile on her face.
Joking with her in the gym, winking at her when he caught her
staring at him, stopping by with a coffee in the guise of a work
issue.
    He said he would be back on Friday.
Well, it was Friday. Not knowing when she would see him today, she
went about her day as normal, but remained on edge.
    As she tried to focus and get work
done, that low drum of anticipation never left. She knew beyond a
doubt she would see him before the day was out. And by this time
tomorrow everything would stay the same or change completely.
Because she had some things to say first and she wasn’t sure how he
would react.
     
    ***
     
    It took a huge amount of willpower for
Lucas to not contact Brooke the last few days. He lost count of the
number of times he started an email, only to stop and delete
it.
    He was glad he didn’t have her cell
number, because he knew he would have been as tempted to send her a
quick text. Or worse yet, call her for some made-up
reason.
    He left the ball in her court. He
didn’t want to push, but he was starting to realize that if he
didn’t, he could be waiting a very long time. Trying to think of
excuses to stop in and see her, even though they were legitimate
concerns, or rushing through work to get to the gym knowing she
would be there only made him feel like a stalker.
    He was itching to get his hands on her.
And those gym visits were the worst. Seeing her all hot and sweaty
was putting images in his head. Images that stayed there, resulting
in many sleepless nights.
    He was actually glad that he was away
these last few days. It was good to give her time, time to let her
get comfortable around him. And he was sure she was, but his normal
patience was wearing thin and he wasn’t sure why. He wasn’t sure
what it was about her, what pulled at him so fast and so early, but
he needed to be around her. Needed to see that slow smile start at
the corner of her lips, spread to her eyes, brightening them,
making the flecks of gold stand out more.
    He shook his head of those thoughts
about her. It seemed like one thing after another had stopped him
from seeing her today. He had wanted to rush down the minute he
walked into his office late morning, but emergencies and visits
from staff kept him away. And now it was almost four.
    Without thought, and fearing
he would be interrupted again, he quickly pulled up his email. He
would test the waters and start simple. Gym
tonight? he typed.
    Almost immediately he
received her response. Yes. Good sign.
    Keeping it simple, he
inquired. Alone?
    The response didn’t come
back quite so quickly this time, but not enough time passed to
alarm him. Once he read it he could almost picture her at her desk,
internal debate waging war on what to write. Internal debate or
not, he couldn’t help grinning or letting out the next breath he
had been holding. Yes, unless you’re going
to be there?
    It was the opening he was
hoping for. How about dinner
instead?
    OK.
    Looking at the clock once more, Lucas
started to form a plan in his mind. He was going for broke. He
could keep it professional if need be, but only for a backup plan
if the night didn’t go as expected. He sincerely hoped that
wouldn’t be the case.
    He typed back. Pick you up at home at 6:30? I’ve got your address
from your résumé, he added quickly, not wanting her to alarm her.
    Sounds good.
     
    ***
     
    A few hours later, Brooke
paced back and forth in her closet. Why had she agreed to this? She
was terrified, and for the life of her couldn’t figure out why.
Well, she knew why,
but still