Lightning Strikes

She nodded.

“This bed that’s in my bedroom.”

She nodded, her eyes widening.

He should count to ten. “Tell me.” One, two, three. “How the hell did your bed get into my bedroom?”

“Rawlf,” she whispered, followed by a cough.

His gaze slid down, over her arms—for a compact type, she’s got some biceps— down to her belly button, which is where the mattress cut off his view. Nothing looked familiar, yet heated memories of satiny skin and soft breasts ricocheted through his mind.

Had they…?

He glanced down. He was naked, too. Not that he really gave a damn. Growing up on a ranch with three older, rowdy brothers had permanently eradicated his shy gene.

But considering he was naked, and she was naked…

He cocked an eyebrow and shot her a look. He caught her scent. Sweet, like almonds. That little detail sizzled through his brain, triggering other memories. The taste of her lips. Her lusty moan.

Details…small details taunted his memory. If he didn’t need the money so bad, he’d blow off future back-to-back business trips. Because to forget what you experienced with a woman had to be one sorry statement for a man’s life.

First things first. “Where’s my bed?”

Her plump little lips opened into a little O—and remained stuck in that position. Finally, she blurted, “Your bed?”

Back in college, this would have been one of his buddies’ tricks. Plant a naked woman and a strange bed in good ol’ Donnie’s room. But he didn’t have buddies like that anymore. Had no buddies, actually, unless he counted Bill, the bartender at The Keg.

“My bed. Wooden. Plain.” He’d never described his bed before, just slept in it. It was comfortable, cheap…and up until last night, reliable.

She wriggled her nose, as though she were going to sneeze again, then pursed her lips and appeared to hold her breath for a long moment. Finally, she released her breath in a whoosh, looking relieved. “Don’t know.”

He nodded. Forget the coffee, I’ll just go straight for the vodka. But despite the insanity of the situation, he detected a logical thread. “Did Rawlf take it?”

She cleared her throat. “R-A-L-P-H,” she spelled.

“Oh, Ralph.” It was hard to stay ticked listening to such a cute, stuffed-up nose. Attached to such a cute, compact body. He rubbed his bottom lip, trying not to smile. “So did, uh, Ralph take it?”

“Prob’bly,” she answered.

Donovan dragged his hands through his hair, blew out a gust of air, then shoved himself across the bed. He swung his legs over and stood in front of Ms. Big Green Eyes. Her female scent wove around him, drugging him with more eerily familiar sensations of heat and sin….

He gave his head a shake, forcing his thoughts to stay focused on the problem at hand.

Although part of him didn’t feel this was such a big problem anymore. Hell, it’d been so long since he’d had fun, he almost didn’t recognize the feeling. It was almost like being the old Donnie again, enjoying the moment, feeling alive….

“I take it Ralph then delivered this bed and picked up my bed—although you’re still a big question mark.” He stepped closer.

Her green eyes darkened, as though a shadow had passed over a sparkling sea. And in that moment, he realized this woman was nervous about whatever had happened between them. Not shy-nervous, but anxious-nervous as though she was in way over her head. To look at her strong little body, she appeared to be a woman who could handle anything.

But that look in her eyes betrayed a fragility.

The realization stabbed him, right to the core of a memory he wished he could forget. He knew how people could appear strong, yet be so fragile that when they shattered, pieces of their life splintered far and wide, some never to be found again.

“I guess Milly can fill in the details,” he said quietly. Only his neighbor Milly could have let these people in. And she would have had a good reason. Yeah, she’d explain everything…except why and how this woman got naked…

Another steamy memory burned through his brain. Too real, too hot to be merely a dream. He reached over and touched the woman’s hair. The silky strands fell through his fingers…a sensation he recalled from last night…

“Did we—?” he asked. “Are we—?”

Her eyes moistened as though she couldn’t contain her feelings any longer. She nodded, her chin trembling.

“We’re…we’re…” A tear spilled down her cheek. “…lubbers.”

3

“LUBBERS?” DONOVAN ASKED, cocking an eyebrow.

She swallowed, hard. “Lubbers,” she said slowly.

He noticed she was breathing through her mouth. Allergies. Then it hit him. “Lovers,” he repeated slowly.

She closed and opened her eyes, then nodded sadly.

Was I that bad? Maybe he hadn’t been with a woman in a while—okay, months—but that didn’t mean he’d lost his touch. Hey, once you learned how to ride a bike, you never forgot, right?

Which somebody needed to remind this lady.

“Let’s get dressed,” he growled, turning around, “then discuss this bed situation.”

She coughed. “Question.”

He paused. “What?”

“Are you…healthy?”

“What?” Coffee. Black, hot, now.

“Healthy.” She coughed again. “You know, no diseases or anyting.”

Then it dawned on him what she meant. They hadn’t used…damn, he never did that. If he hadn’t been so exhausted.

“I’m healthy. Just had my annual. I’m a hundred percent.” He paused. “You?” After all, he should ask, too.

She snorted. “Very, very healthy.” She coughed.

“For the record, except for last night, I always use protection with a woman. I don’t know what happened…” It was the truth. Honest to God, he thought it was a dream.

“I don’t know what happened, either.”