Wait for Me by Samantha Chase Read Free Book Online Page A

full name.”  She did.  “Tell me where you work.”  She did.  “Tell me what day it is.”  And she did.
    “Anything else I can tell you?” Emma asked again as she slowly slid back down under the blankets.
    Yes, that you don’t want to go back to sleep and that you want me to crawl in the bed with you.  “No,” he said softly; pulling the blankets back up over her shoulder.  “Get some sleep.”
    Emma hummed a response and Lucas walked over to the fire to add another log from the bedroom side and watched as the flames roared to life again.  A quick glance at the lounge beside the fire had him rethinking his plan for the evening.  His knee had a dull ache and really, he’d pushed himself too hard today.  As much as Emma needed his attention, he needed to spend a little less time walking around as well. 
    She was already back to sleep and Lucas walked out to the living room and grabbed his phone and shut out the lights.  Back in the bedroom he grabbed a t-shirt and a pair of flannel pajama pants and went into the bathroom to change.  Once he was done, he got comfortable on the lounge, set the alarm again and finally let himself sleep.

Chapter Four
     
    They repeated that routine three more times before Emma had realized that Lucas was sleeping in the lounge by the fire not five feet from her.  Good thing she hadn’t otherwise she would have never gone back to sleep. 
    From her spot on the bed she watched him settle back in on the lounge.  “Have you been sleeping there all night?” she finally asked.
    “Pretty much,” he said wearily.
    “Why?  I mean, you said you were going to sleep on the couch.”
    Lucas growled lowly and sat up and faced Emma.  “This was just easier, Emma.  I’m not used to having to get up every two hours so I though I’d make it easier on myself and sleep here.”  His tone was sharp and he didn’t care.  There was no way he was going to admit to Emma or to anyone that the real reason was because his knee wasn’t strong enough to get him from one room to the next.
    “Oh,” she said and quietly lay back down and turned her back on him.
    That one act caused a mountain of guilt.  Lucas sighed and scrubbed a hand across his face before gently calling out to Emma.  When she rolled over and looked at him, her eyes sad and wary, he felt even worse.  “I didn’t mean to snap at you,” he began.  “I guess you were right last night about my social graces or whatever.  I’m not a morning person and just a little out of sorts.”  He offered her a small smile and was rewarded when she returned it with one of her own.
    “I’m sorry that I disrupted your life so much, Lucas.  Believe me, this is a far cry from where I thought I’d be this weekend.”
    “It’s not your fault.”  But he knew whose fault it was and had to stop himself from stating it.  “It’s still dark out, why don’t you go back to sleep.”
    “What about you?”
    “I plan on going back to sleep, like I said, it’s still dark out.”
    Emma sighed but didn’t move.
    “What’s the matter?  Is your head bothering you?  Do you need something for it?”
    “No, it’s just that…”
    “Are you thirsty?”
    “No, I’m just…”
    “Is your ankle bothering you?”
    “No, no that feels fine, I think…”
    “Are you cold?  Because I can put another log on the fire.”
    “Lucas!” she cried out with exasperation.
    “What?”
    “Stop asking so many damn questions for crying out loud and let me answer one!”  Emma sat up and took a deep breath before facing him.  “I’m a little weirded out by the situation.”
    “Weirded out?  What the hell does that even mean?”
    “It means that I can’t go back to sleep now knowing that you ’re over there watching me sleep.”
    Lucas rolled his eyes.  “I wasn’t watching you sleep, Emma,” he lied, “I just didn’t want to keep going back and forth throughout the night.  This was easier.”
    She looked at him with