A Wrong Bed Christmas: IgnitedWhere There's Smoke Read online

  “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry about...uh, you know.”

  Eloquent. He nearly bit his tongue in half with embarrassment at his bumbling apology, but was there a more suave way to apologize for sleep-sexin’ someone up?

  “All I’m saying is that I’m not that kind of guy,” he added gruffly.

  Alexis seemed to accept that he was being truthful and nodded, though her cheeks brightened a bit. “Sure. Honest mistake, I guess.”

  “Yeah.”

  Layton set her gently on the bed and started to leave, but Alexis stopped him, saying, “Um, so, yeah, sorry about your balls. Self-defense 101, take out the jewels.”

  “Effective. It’ll be a miracle if I can have kids.”

  She bit her lip around a smile when she realized he was kidding.

  Layton exited the bedroom just as Emma was entering. Emma shot Layton a quick look and then joined Alexis on the bed.

  “Well, that was eventful,” Alexis said with an embarrassed laugh to break the ice. “I bet that was hecka awkward with Erik. Sorry about that. Are you traumatized for life?”

  “It’s okay,” Emma murmured, but there was a subtle flush to her cheeks that made Alexis wonder if Emma had enjoyed the view. Okay, so if Alexis were being objective, her brother was pretty decent to look at, so she supposed it wouldn’t be far-fetched to imagine Emma liking what she saw. But Alexis couldn’t go there. Emma was her best friend since grade school. Erik had pulled Emma’s pigtails and made fun of her braces. Alexis shuddered. “Let’s chalk this night up to one unfortunate incident and try to forget about it. Tomorrow, we’ll hit the road as soon as the roads are clear. Sound good?”

  “Mmm-hmm.” Emma climbed into the bed and was already snuggling up to the pillow, all too ready to return to dreamland.

  But it wasn’t that easy for Alexis. Her adrenaline was still pumping and, worse, the memory of those heated dream kisses that turned out to be real, after all, was making her restless.

  She should’ve known that something was off when she’d been so incredibly aroused in her dream. No dream was that good.

  Not even if chocolate was involved.

  She liked to think of herself as relatively smart—she was, after all, in the master’s program for her business degree—but if one looked at her track record with relationships, she might not appear to be so intelligent.

  Which was why she’d made a vow to herself that until she finished school she was not going to even think about guys. Boys, as her dad used to warn her, were bad news.

  Except her brother, of course; Erik was a doll.

  But all other boys...were persona non grata.

  A small sigh escaped her lips. Goodbye fun times, hello celibacy.

  It wasn’t for forever—just until she got her act together and on track.

  So why did it feel like a death sentence?

  * * *

  LAYTON RUBBED THE sore spot on his dome and tried to ignore the dull, throbbing ache from where the book had connected with his shoulder, not to mention the residual sore spot from where Alexis had abused his groin.

  Erik had mentioned his younger sister was living with him for the time being while she finished her master’s degree, but he hadn’t mentioned anything about the woman being a live wire.

  Erik also hadn’t mentioned anything about how gorgeous his sister was.

  That part shouldn’t matter, he reminded his randy self as he closed his eyes against the pain. Sexy and crazy were a bad combination—like pickles and eggs on a peanut butter sandwich or Tabasco sauce on chocolate. All sorts of bad and bound to give you indigestion.

  But even as he knew it was better to just go to sleep and forget all about Alexis Matheson...how was he supposed to forget the memory of that hot woman writhing in his arms, her mouth on his? Guilt nudged at him. If Erik knew where Layton’s mouth had been, Layton would have more than an aching dome to contend with. But damn, if she’d been that hot asleep, what was she like when she was awake?

  Those kinds of thoughts were not helpful, he told himself.

  Neither was the fact that when she’d leaped from the bed wearing next to nothing, he’d gotten an eyeful of rounded, feminine hips and a rack that wouldn’t quit. A nice, generous handful for sure. And that thin silky chemise hadn’t given much coverage. He was pretty sure he’d caught a tantalizing view of her breasts—and what his eyes had only caught a glimpse of, his hands had touched, albeit without his conscious knowledge, and he couldn’t stop replaying the memory.

  Aaaannnnd cue the boner.

  Goddamn.

  Erik would set him on fire if he knew what kind of thoughts he was having about his little sister.

  Hey, it’s not as if she’s a kid, a voice protested in his head. Likely the same part of his brain in charge of his downstairs region. Layton pushed at his growing erection with irritation and an increasing sense of frustration. He wasn’t going to jerk off on his buddy’s couch. Just go to sleep. Tomorrow would come soon enough and he could bail. Right about now he wished he’d just ignored Erik’s offer to stay and taken his chances on the road.

  Erik was his buddy, a good man and a better firefighter. They shared the same shift and looked out for one another and that meant he couldn’t start looking cross-eyed at the guy’s sister.

  Layton tossed back the blankets and climbed from the couch, needing aspirin for his head. Padding quietly into the kitchen, he began opening cabinets in search of a painkiller when a voice at his back made him turn.

  “Okay, I’m willing to overlook the fact that you climbed into my bed without asking, but now you’re rummaging through my cabinets? Should I be worried? If I find you going through my underwear drawer next, we’re not going to be friends.”

  Alexis stood there, wrapped in a filmy robe that wasn’t much more coverage than the shirt and panties she’d been sporting earlier, and he wondered what he’d done in a past life to deserve such a test. He also noticed she was still favoring her right foot.

  “Just looking for aspirin. Someone hit me in the head with a shoe,” he responded, trying to keep his eyes from straying. “You really did a number on that ankle. You ought to have it checked out.”

  “It’s nothing. I twisted it a little when I was chasing after you. It’ll be fine by morning.”

  “Are you sure? Sprains can do some damage.”

  “I’ll take that under consideration.” Alexis limped in his direction and went to the last cabinet to retrieve some aspirin. She tossed the bottle his way and he caught it with a small smile.

  “Thanks,” he said.

  “Sure.” She waited as he shook out two. “So...sorry about the shoe. It was the first thing I could grab and I thought you might be a murderer.”

  “How many murderers stop to take a snooze before they do their murdering?” he asked, tossing back the aspirin with a swig of water straight from the tap. He wiped his mouth. “I mean, if you really think about it, highly unlikely that I was a murderer.”

  “Logic and reason don’t play when you’re jolted out of a dead sleep.”

  “Okay, I’ll give you that,” he conceded, wondering if she was going to mention the other thing that happened. What was the protocol on something like this? Should they pretend they hadn’t been wrapped in each other’s arms, about to do the deed if they hadn’t woken up? Sobering thought, even if she was sexy as hell. “So why are you up?”

  “Funny thing about getting an adrenaline shot laced with pure survival instinct...hard to sleep after that.”

  “Sorry,” he said. “I should feel guilty, right?”

  “A little.”

  “I do feel bad,” he admitted. “I mean... I didn’t know you were in the bed. I’m not that kind of guy.”

  She nodded, accepting his apology, and they both knew he wasn’t only talk
ing about the mishap with her ankle.

  “Don’t worry about it. I’ve done worse and been just fine. Thanks for caring.” A small smile played on those luscious, pouty lips and he had to remind himself that she was off limits. But he couldn’t seem to stop himself from thinking about things that were better kicked to the curb. Alexis limped to the fridge. “However, when I can’t sleep, I drink warm milk. Want some?”

  Yuck. “Not since I was a toddler,” he quipped. “But by all means, help yourself. Don’t let me get in the way.”

  “I won’t.” Alexis grinned more broadly. Yeah, firecracker was right. This gal was all sass and vinegar wrapped in a sizzling package of hips and luscious breasts. Thank God he was leaving in the morning or he might be sorely tempted to see if she tasted just as good when he was awake as when he was dreaming. Alexis poured a mugful and stuck it in the microwave. “So, how long have you and Erik been friends?”

  “Awhile. Same shift. Makes for tight friendships under the right circumstances. He’s a cool dude.”

  “He is a very cool dude, but then I’m biased.”

  The microwave dinged and she retrieved her mug of milk. “You’re really going to drink that?” he asked, grimacing.

  “Every drop.”

  “All right then.” He watched her leave and damn if his eyes didn’t go straight to her ass. Yeah...it was definitely a good thing he was leaving as soon as the roads were clear. He was only human and he really didn’t want to lose Erik as a friend.

  But Alexis Matheson was going to haunt his dreams.

  3

  ALEXIS WOKE EARLY in spite of the night’s events, but mostly because Emma was already up and showered, anxious to hit the road.

  “Aren’t you a bowl of sunshine?” Alexis said, yawning. “Did you sleep okay? I mean, after everything?”

  “Slept fine. But I’m sad to report that you still steal the covers. If I hadn’t wrapped myself up like a burrito, you’d have left me with nothing.”

  Alexis laughed softly. “Bad habits are hard to break. Sorry.”

  “It’s okay, I still love you, but I feel bad for whoever you marry. It’s always going to be a battle for the bedding.”

  “True story.” Alexis climbed from the bed, stiff, and still not quite awake. She needed coffee and quick. She swung her legs over the edge of the bed, but as soon as she put pressure on her right foot, she nearly yelped from the shock of pain. Well, if that isn’t a fine way to wake up. She lifted her ankle and grimaced at the black-and-blue bruising and swelling. Crap, this doesn’t bode well. Alexis tried to put some pressure on her ankle, but it was a no go. She bit her lip. “Em? We have a problem.”

  Emma plainly hadn’t heard Alexis. “Can you be ready to hit the road in about an hour? I think the roads should be open by then,” Emma called out from the bathroom where she was doing her hair.

  “Em? Come here a minute,” Alexis said, sinking back down on the bed. When Emma appeared with a concerned frown, Alexis said flatly, “Houston, we have a problem.”

  “What’s wrong?” But just as the question left her mouth, her gaze fastened on the nasty bruising on Alexis’s ankle and she gasped. “Oh my God! Oh no! That looks terrible, Lex. We need to take you to the doctor. It definitely looks worse.”

  Alexis had to agree, but she wasn’t about to ruin Emma’s weekend by spending it in the ER. “It’s the weekend, which means an ER visit, and I cannot afford a bill like that right now. I just paid for all my books for the semester. I’m practically living on ramen noodles at this point. I’ll just have to wait until my regular doctor’s office opens. Besides, what can they do for my foot that I can’t?”

  “What if it’s broken?” Emma fretted.

  “It’s not broken,” Alexis insisted, feeling fairly confident that she was right, but there was a shadow of a doubt that was dogging her. It hurt pretty bad. And the swelling wasn’t helping, either. “I probably just need to ice it.”

  “And elevate it,” Emma added with a fatalistic shake of her head. “There’s no way you can sit in the car for the next two hours.”

  “No. This is not going to ruin our girls’ weekend. I’ve been looking forward to this party for weeks. You know Arnold is going to be crushed if I don’t share a cookie with him. I’ve already promised.”

  Emma’s parents ran a school in Colorado Springs for mentally challenged adults, and Alexis and Emma were planning on surprising Emma’s parents at the annual Christmas bash. They were going to serve dinner on Saturday with a full-fledged girls’ weekend thrown in the mix.

  Alexis enjoyed volunteering at the school. The residents never pretended to be something they weren’t—unlike the guys she seemed to attract like bees to pollen.

  “Arnold will have to take a rain check,” Emma said, then decided, “If you’re not going to go to the hospital, then I’m canceling my trip, too. I can’t leave you alone like this.”

  That was exactly what Alexis didn’t want Emma to do. “No,” Alexis said emphatically. “You are not canceling your trip over this. It’s no big deal. It’s not as if my foot is going to fall off or something. I just need to baby it a little.”

  Emma pointed. “Your foot looks like it was beaten with a bat. If it’s not broken, I’m willing to guess it’s badly sprained.”

  There was no denying her foot looked terrible. So much for her idea of getting a pedicure. “Please don’t cancel on my behalf.”

  “I can’t leave you like this,” Emma said, appalled that Alexis would even suggest it.

  “Seriously, I’ll just putter around the house and watch a movie marathon all day. There’s no need for you to cancel your plans because of this, and I would feel ten times worse if you did.”

  But Emma knew her too well and called her out. “No you won’t. You’ll try to hang lights and bake and decorate the Christmas tree because you can’t stand to sit still. You have the attention span of a gnat and an inability to sit still for any length of time. I’d have to tie you to a chair if I wanted you to stay off that foot.”

  “That’s a little extreme.” Alexis pretended to appear offended. “For your information, I recently took up crocheting and that takes a lot of patience.”

  “You tried it once and then got frustrated and haven’t touched it since.”

  “Okay, fine. Crocheting isn’t my thing. But neither is yoga and you’re the one who told me to find something to help me relax.”

  “Yes, and you’re still looking because you have a hard time being still. So, forgive me if I don’t believe you when you say that you’ll take it easy.”

  Alexis knew Emma was right, but it killed her to think that Emma would cancel over something so dumb. Miserable for ruining her friend’s weekend, she rose on unsteady legs with the intent of hobbling her pathetic self to the kitchen for some coffee, but Emma was already slipping her arm beneath her to help. “I’m sorry,” Alexis said, feeling like doggie poo. “I didn’t mean to ruin our weekend.”

  “It’s okay.”

  But it wasn’t okay. Alexis could hear the sharp disappointment in Emma’s voice even as she tried to hide it with a cheerful smile. That was Emma in a nutshell, always thinking of others before herself and it broke Alexis’s heart that she was the cause of Emma’s disappointment.

  Erik and Layton were in the kitchen getting coffee when Emma and Alexis made their way in.

  Erik frowned. “Lex? Is that ankle still bothering you?” he asked.

  “It hasn’t gotten any better,” she answered glumly as her butt found a dining room chair. Her mood was rapidly plummeting as quickly as the temperature outside. Another storm was coming. “It actually seems to have gotten worse during the night.”

  Layton came forward. “Let me take a look.”

  “It’s fine.”

  But Erik chimed in, saying, “Let Layton ta
ke a look, Lex. He’s got paramedic training.”

  Hard to argue with that, seeing as she didn’t want to rush to the hospital. “Fine,” she grumbled, allowing Layton to gently examine her foot. He slowly manipulated her ankle, carefully gauging her reaction. She winced a few times and then yelped when he pressed her foot. Layton nodded and released her foot with care. “Well, I don’t think it’s broken, but you’ve probably got one helluva sprain. If you go to the ER they’ll order an X-ray, which won’t show soft-tissue damage, but it’ll definitively show whether or not you have a fracture.”

  “But you don’t think it’s broken, right?” Alexis said.

  “I don’t, but that doesn’t mean you couldn’t have a hairline fracture. Best to check it out.”

  “See?” Emma said, lightly tapping Alexis’s head for being difficult. “I’ll drive you to the hospital.”

  “No, I’m not going to the hospital,” she said stubbornly. “And you’re not missing out on your parents’ bash. Erik, please tell Emma that I’m a big girl and I can handle myself, even slightly injured.”

  “Lex, it’s fine, really. I don’t really want to drive alone anyway, so we’ll just do that movie marathon you mentioned. It’ll be fun.”

  “Erik can go with you,” Alexis volunteered, shocking Emma. She didn’t know why she’d offered her brother’s services, but it seemed to make sense. Erik was a total gentleman.

  “Oh! That’s not necessary. I’m sure he has plans,” Emma said, darting a look at Erik. “It’s fine, really. I don’t mind canceling. Lex really shouldn’t be alone with her foot the way it is.”

  Alexis sent an imploring look Erik’s way, C’mon, bro, don’t let me down!

  But it was Layton who spoke up first. “I can’t believe I’m going to say this, but... I could stay behind and help you out so your friend doesn’t feel like you’re being left behind all alone. It’s kind of my fault you’re all banged up anyway.”

  All eyes turned to Layton. Did Layton just volunteer to babysit her?