His Comfort and Joy

“Are you okay?” she said gruffly, as if she didn’t like being concerned for him. “You look like you’re really cold or something.”

No, he wasn’t cold. He could have jumped buck-naked into an ice bath and had the damn thing boiling in a matter of minutes.

“Gray?”

“I’m fine.” Yup, for a guy being tortured by his libido, he was just Jim-dandy.

He took his hand off the steering wheel and gave the throttle a push to speed them up. She might have a point about getting the ride over with.

“Your father seemed to enjoy himself tonight.”

“He did.”

There was a pause. “He looks better than when you and he ate at White Caps last month.”

“He’s coming along. It’s been hard for him.”

“And you, too, I imagine. I, ah, I saw how carefully you watched him tonight.”

The words were soft. He looked at her.

Joy was staring out at the lake.

“How’s your brother doing?” he asked, thinking she must know all about how tough it was to see someone suffer through rehab and recovery.

“He had another operation two weeks ago. They replaced his tibia with a titanium rod and he still might need to go back under the knife again. They’re not sure. He’s also been struggling with a post-op infection.” She pulled up the edge of the blanket and began braiding the fringe. “He’s been so brave. He never complains even though it’s obvious he’s in a great deal of pain. I think the hardest thing for us is the fact that he’s a terrible patient. He won’t take his meds a lot of the time. He drinks too much. And he never talks about what happened.”

Gray wanted to reach out for her hand.

“I’m really sorry,” he said instead.

Her eyes came to his face. “Thank you.”

“You take care of your grandmother, don’t you?”

“Yes.”

“That’s a lot of responsibility.”

Joy shrugged. “No one would tend to her as well as I’m able to. And she really can’t be alone. The dementia has taken away most of her internal logic and reasoning and replaced them with paranoia. We’re trying her on a new medication right now and I hope it calms her. I hate to see her distressed.”

“You’re a very good person, Joy,” he said abruptly.

She shrugged. “Alex and Grand-Em are my family. Of course I’d take care of them.”

“There’s no ‘of course’ about it.” His mother had had no compunction about letting others worry about him. Hell, when he’d contracted viral pneumonia in first grade, and had spent two weeks in a pediatric intensive care unit trying to breathe, he’d seen the woman only once. “They’re fortunate to have you care so much.”

Joy looked away. They were quiet for a while, but some of the tension had been eased.

It wasn’t until White Caps came into view that he broke the silence.

“I’m sorry about what happened tonight.”

She gave a short laugh. “This boat ride hasn’t been too hard to endure.”

“No, in the library.”

Joy stiffened. “Oh, that.”

Yeah, that.

“I’m glad Cassandra came in when she did,” he muttered, replaying the scene in his head and having to shift in his seat.

“So am I.” Her voice had an edge.

So he had offended her, he thought.

Gray cleared his throat. “I don’t want you to think that I’d ever…take advantage of a woman.”

“Believe me, I don’t,” she said dryly.

As he pulled into the dock, he knew she was angry again, but he didn’t regret making the apology. It had been the right thing to do.

He threw a rope around a cleat to keep the boat in place and then lifted out her bike. He wanted to say something else, but she didn’t give him the chance.

“I can take that up,” she said quickly. “Thanks for the ride.”

And without a backward glance, she rushed away, the wheels of her bike bumping along the dock planks.

He watched her until she was all the way up to the house, heading around the corner, disappearing out of sight.

He had an absurd impulse to run after her.

But then what?

Then he would take her into his arms and pull her so close that he’d feel every breath she took. And he’d kiss her until neither one of them could stand up.

Get in this boat, he told himself. And go home, Bennett.

It was another ten minutes before he could make himself leave.

Joy marched up the lawn, grip tight on the bars of her bike.

God, he’d apologized.

How humiliating was that? As if she needed the confirmation that what he’d been feeling had had nothing to do with her. Sure he’d been happy to see Cassandra! Happier still, no doubt, to hear she was heading for bed. Because he’d clearly been thinking of the redhead when he’d become…well, aroused.

And of course, he didn’t take advantage of women. A man like him didn’t have to, because who would turn him down? God, as much as she hated to admit it, she wouldn’t have. If he’d reached out to her, she would have stepped right into his arms and opened herself up to him, even though he’d had another woman in his mind.