Free Silk on the Skin: A Loveswept Classic Romance by Linda Cajio Page B

Dallas made it to the bed. She was in awe of the effort it must have cost him to get there under his own steam. She also admired his tautly muscled backside, of which she’d had several glimpses. The man had a great tush, she decided, and instantly chastised herself for even noticing.
    He hissed in pain and shivered as his back and shoulders made contact with the cool percale sheet. Settling the towel in a modest position, he said, “You did warn me.”
    “It happens,” she said, picking up the telephone receiver. She dialed her physician’s number. “It’s a tradition to get sunburned at the shore. Just be grateful the backs of your legs didn’t get burned too.”
    He chuckled. “Been peeking, have you?”
    Cass flushed bright red. She was saved from replying, when the answering service came on the line. She gave the information, and the service promised the doctor would call back promptly. He did, and when she hung up the phone after talking to him, she said, “The pharmacy is going to send over a prescription for you. In the meantime I’m supposed to give you some aspirin and put on an analgesic to numb the burn. Also, you have to have fluids.”
    He managed a grin. “I can’t wait. Your hands all over my body, smearing on the ointment—”
    “It’s a spray, Dallas,” she interrupted, with a chuckle. If she didn’t know better, she’d think the sunburn had turned him into a sex maniac.
    “Party pooper,” he muttered.
    “Never mind.”
    She had no sooner dosed him with aspirin and the analgesic spray, when the delivery boy showed up with the prescription. Taking it out of the bag, she read the label and sighed in resignation at the big blue sticker proclaiming the medication might cause drowsiness. It looked as though Dallas were about to become an overnight guest. She filled a pitcher with water and ice, put it on a tray along with the prescription and a glass, and carried everything into the bedroom.
    She set the tray on the nightstand, then got out two tiny capsules, and poured water into the glass. Handing them to him, she said, “Here.”
    After he swallowed the medication, he said, “Thanks, Cass.”
    He lay back on the bed and closed his eyes. She stared at him for a moment, then decided rest was the best thing for him at that point.
    Out in the kitchen, she finished fixing her dinner. She saved Jaws for Dallas. After all, she figured, the crab had tried to eat him, so it was only fair that he have the final victory over the beast.
    The rest of the evening brought not a sound from the bedroom, and when she tiptoed in to get a nightgown for herself, he was sound asleep. When she was finally able to settle into her makeshift bed on the sofa, she sighed gratefully and closed her eyes. Her body was aching with exhaustion, and she knew she’d drift right off to sleep.
    Outside somewhere a piece of wood creaked.
    Cass’s eyelids snapped open, and she boltedupright. Her stomach churned with anxiety; her muscles poised stiff and ready to move. Wide-eyed, she turned and watched the patio deck for long minutes. No shadows deepened or re-formed into a human shape. Nothing moved.
    “Hell,” she muttered, realizing that she’d probably heard a normal house noise she’d never noticed before.
    She tried to relax, but her ears were attuned to the tiniest creak, swish, or groan, and she mentally jumped at the slightest of noises. When a car engine suddenly roared to life, she literally leaped off the sofa, her heart pounding frantically.
    She would never get any sleep this way: Her burglar, real or imaginary, was definitely winning. She glanced toward the hall leading to the bedroom, wondering if it would be wise to spend the night in there.
    Immediately she cursed her foolish thought. After all, the man was in pain, and when he wasn’t, he was unconscious from the medication. He probably wouldn’t even know she was there. And if he did, he was in no condition to do anything about it. Promising herself