Free WINDOW OF TIME by DJ Erfert Page A

keeping herself in her own little world, cut off and lonely from anyone who might hurt her. As she watched Johnny fill a glass with water, she thought about what his life might be like, and if there would be any way she could fit into his daily routine, if he would even want her.
    When she heard the single beep of his phone go off, yet again, she noticed he chose to ignore it.
    “Here,” Johnny said, handing her a glass. He took the packet from her hand and tore it open, dropping the tablets onto her palm. As Lucy swallowed the pills, he opened another chemical icepack from his bag and rubbed to activate it. He took the empty glass from her hand and gave her the icepack. “Okay, it’s that time. You may go to sleep now.”
    “You promise I won’t die?” Lucy asked as she grabbed the top pillow and clutched it to her chest.
    Johnny sat on the couch next to her hip and pulled up the blanket. “Since I can’t see my own windows, I can’t guarantee a meteor won’t come crashing through the roof and knock you on your head.” He gently ran his fingers through her wet hair, moving a few strands off her face. “But I can promise you that you won’t die from your head injury, if that makes you feel better.”
    Lucy pushed the icepack under her hair and let the cold sensation seep into her skin. “It does,” she said with a sigh of relief.
    Johnny leaned down closer, sliding his arm under her back. “I don’t think I thanked you for saving my life—twice.”
    Before Lucy could tell him he didn’t need to thank her, he kissed her again. Time slowed to a stop while in his arms. Powerful bolts of desire surged through her body, bringing to life in her a longing—a frantic yearning she’d desperately missed. Lucy felt herself reeling in blissful dizziness as she clutched at his shoulders, trying to keep him close.
    “Thank you,” Johnny said when he pulled back, his voice gruff and low. He carefully repositioned the icepack to the back of her head. “If you need anything during the night, a drink of water, or you get hungry, or need the bathroom …” He pulled the blanket up over her shoulder. “Just feel free to help yourself to anything you want.”
    “What if I want … you?” Even saying those words sent Lucy’s heart racing.
    Johnny brushed his lips against her cheek. “Then you’ll know where I’ll be,” he whispered, and he kissed her before clearing the coffee table of dishes.
    A tingling sensation lingered on her skin where his mouth had touched. Her lips continued to throb after being crushed so insistently. Lucy closed her eyes and listened contently to the soft clinking of bowls and spoons being washed while she thought about just where he would be after the dishes were done. A dozen steps would take her into his bedroom and into his arms. He had clearly invited her.
    Maybe she should have insisted on him taking her back to her hotel, but Lucy had only basic first-aid training, so she needed Johnny tonight.
    More than that, though, she found herself wanting him just as much as needing him. He’d listened to her spill her guts about her secret, and he hadn’t been repulsed by the truth. He amazed her with his ability to accept. He believed everything she’d told him.
    Lucy’s thoughts turned toward tomorrow. There was a report to write up outlining her being chased on the staircase and on the freeway by the men-in-gray. She also needed to explain, in a creative way, why she had to follow the last-ditch protocol of destroying her package instead of letting it fall into the hands of the foreign agents, lest her superiors question her actions.
    Even if she did write about what happened, she’d probably be fired for lying on a report. Sometimes telling the truth just didn’t work. Lucy knew one thing for sure; she couldn’t let anybody at the agency find out about her curse, or she’d be royally screwed.

 
 
 
Nine
     
    As hard as Johnny tried, he couldn’t close his dresser drawers