Ever After by Jude Deveraux Read Free Book Online

him lean back on the pillow, and at last he seemed to sink down into a restful sleep.
    She watched him for a few moments, then turned to go back upstairs. But she got only as far as the couch at the end of the room. What if he had another nightmare? He could fall off the bed and damage his torn knee.
    Looking at the old couch, she sighed. Upstairs was a bed with crisp, clean sheets and a down comforter. The couch had nothing on it but one small pillow.
    She hesitated, but with a sigh, she stretched out on the couch. If Jamie again became restless, she’d hear him and would be able to keep him from falling.
    I’ll settle him with sleeping kisses, she thought, smiling as she began to fall asleep. As barren as the couch was, it felt better not to be alone in a strange house.

Chapter Three

    “S
o you decided to get up, did you?” Jamie said when Hallie walked into the gym.
    He was teasing, but his words implied that she was someone who lolled about in the mornings. It was tempting to tell him the truth about her night of wrestling with him. At five she’d awakened on the couch, her body stiff, her teeth chattering from the cold, and made her way upstairs to her bedroom. She’d staggered to the bed and flopped down on it, awoke hours later, took a shower and washed her hair, then went downstairs. On the kitchen table was a lovely breakfast of boiled eggs, little apricot turnovers, sausages with bits of apple inside, and cut fruit. Jamie must have just prepared it because the dark tea in the pretty ceramic pot was still hot.
    But Hallie didn’t tell him about last night. Using kisses tocalm him from a nightmare wasn’t exactly professional behavior. “Thanks for breakfast,” she said. He was straddling a bench and doing lat pull-downs. Her eyes widened at the amount of weight he was using.
    He finished his set before speaking, then picked up a towel to wipe his face. His thick shirt was soaked with sweat. “I’ll tell Mom thanks for you.”
    “I want to see your leg.”
    “It’s fine today. No need to go poking around.” He gave her a smile of such promise that she was sure it had made many women forget their resolve.
    Hallie smiled back at him with the sweetest look she could manage. “Do you have your cell phone with you?”
    “Sure. Want to check your emails?”
    “No. I want to call Jared and tell him that you’re not allowing me to treat you.”
    After a moment’s hesitation, Jamie laughed. “All right, you win. But we keep it to the leg.”
    She didn’t know what he meant by that, but she went outside to get the big massage table and set it up. When Jamie came out on his crutches, he was still wearing his heavy clothes.
    “Everything off,” she said as she began coating her hands and forearms in almond oil. “Or if you’re modest, leave your undies on. I’ll keep you covered.”
    He was frowning at her, as though trying to decide what to do.
    She knew that people varied in their sense of modesty. Some people quickly stripped down to their skin while she was in the room; others wouldn’t remove their shoes without absolute privacy. It looked like he was the latter version. Excusing herself, she went into the gym for a few minutes.
    When she returned, Jamie was on the table, but he’d only partially undressed. He still had on his heavy sweatclothes, but on the right side, he’d slipped out of the pants and rolled theirleg to one side. Except for his brace, he was nude from waist to toes. But his left leg and the upper half of his body were completely covered by his heavy gym clothes. “This isn’t what I meant,” she said. “You need to—”
    He didn’t let her finish. “This is what you get,” he said in a tone she’d not heard him use before. His usual manner was teasing, as though he were on the verge of laughter, but now he looked as though he were daring her to take what he was offering—and if she didn’t, he’d leave.
    Angering an injured client was not something she was going