"You caught me on an off day," he said with chagrin. "I was sulking because Lilah had spurned me. Besides, I wanted to see how far you would go. I had hoped I was wrong about you. It's a cliché, but I gave you enough rope and you hanged yourself."
"I was being put through a silly test, is that it?"
"No, actually Lilah was. She passed her test with flying colors. You flunked."
Lucretia's lip curled with contempt. "Speaking of clichés, your attraction to this foulmouthed tart is laughable and pathetic. Any man in your condition would fancy himself in love with his physical therapist."
"That's almost verbatim what she said. But I don't think either of you is right."
"And you pride yourself on your intellect," she sneered. "Don't you see that she's the only woman available to you?"
"You've been available, Lucretia," he reminded her softly. "I didn't want you, did I?"
"Bastard."
He looked taken aback. "And you accused Lilah of being foulmouthed?"
"She dresses like a whore!"
"You were the one willing to sell herself."
"I can't believe that you seriously want her."
"Oh, I want her," he said as a slow grin spread across his face. "And I intend to take her up on her offer."
From her bedroom window Lilah watched Pete hold open the back door of the car for a huffy Lucretia. After she had climbed in, he went around to the driver's side. Poor Pete. He would have to endure the ride to the airport in Lucretia's company. She didn't appear to be in the best of humors.
As for Lilah, her heart was soaring.
She had overcome all the obstacles standing in the way of Adam's recovery: his initial rage, his adolescent puppy love for her, his sympathetic ally. Invariably patients had a friend or spouse who countermanded the therapist's instructions. Though they were motivated by love and compassion, they were detrimental to the patient's progress.
Hopefully Adam and she had seen the last of Lucretia von Elsinghauer. It should be smooth sailing from here on.
Well, there was that one tiny personal glitch, but Lilah chose to shelve that dilemma for the time being.
She waited until the car's taillights had disappeared into the dusky twilight before she went to Adam's door and knocked. Getting his permission, she slipped inside the room. She stayed near the door, stricken by a sudden and uncharacteristic shyness.
"She's gone."
"Good riddance."
She shook her head in puzzlement. "You're not upset?"
"Vastly relieved."
"Care to explain?"
"Nope."
"Had a dilly of a fight, did ya?"
"My lips are sealed."
"Damn! I was hoping to hear all the juicy details."
"Sorry to disappoint you," Adam said, smiling hugely, "but I'll save the explanation for another time. I've had all the Lucretia I can stand for one day."
Brimming with pleasure over his words, Lilah said, "She had the house in an uproar while she was packing and making travel arrangements. I decided to postpone your session until after she left."
"I sensed that was the reason for the delay. But now that you're here, can we do the bars again?"
She thumped the side of her head with the heel of her hand. "Am I hearing right? Aren't you the patient who put up such a stink about the bars this morning?"
"I've had a change of heart."
"So I see. Well — "
"Oh, wait. Where's my poster? The one Lucretia called 'an abominable eyesore' that was desecrating my walls."
"That bitch!" Lilah exclaimed, propping her hands on her hips. "She said that about my poster? What could she find wrong with a picture of a lady and a fruit basket?"
"I don't think she objected to the subject matter. It was the juxtaposition of the lady and the banana that she found fault with."
"Some people have no taste."
"Where is it?" he asked, laughing at her exasperation.
"In my room. She told Pete to throw it away, but he passed it to me."
"Bring it back."
Looking perturbed, but actually extremely pleased, Lilah went into her room and came back with the poster. She replaced it on the nail she'd hammered into the wall herself.
When she had the frame hanging straight, Adam said, "There. Much better. Now we can get started."
They went to the bars again. His arms supported him better than during the morning session, but he relied more on his legs too. She had to coax him to quit. "Adam, you're wearing yourself out."
"Five more minutes."
"What good will you be tomorrow if you exhaust yourself tonight?"
"I'm not exhausted, I'm exhilarated."
Eventually she urged him back into his wheelchair. "Let's skip the mat table. Get back into bed. I'll give you your rubdown there. I think you could use a sponge bath too."
It was after his sponge bath and after his rubdown and when she was saying good night that he looked up at her beguilingly and asked, "What about the other?"
"The other?"
"The recreational and procreational marital bed skills I'm going to get so good at with your help." His voice dropped to a husky pitch. "When do we start working on those?"
Chapter 9
Lilah said nothing.
For several moments he waited her out, then said, "Well?"
"Well what?"
"When do we start that therapy?" Reaching up, he curled his hand behind her neck. "I say now."
She forced a tight little laugh. "You didn't think I was serious, did you?"
His eyes narrowed and smiling, he nodded his head. "Yeah, I think you were."
"That just goes to show how wrong a person can be. I was talking off the top of my head, spouting off, letting my mouth overload my rear, as my dad used to say. It was a ploy to get rid of Snow White. I would have said anything to get rid of her. She was undoing all that we had done. She was undermining — Why are you shaking your head?"
"All those excuses are valid up to a point. Lilah, but you were emotionally involved. You were upset. Without intending to, you said exactly what was on your mind. It just popped out in the heat of the moment."
Reflexively and somewhat nervously, Lilah wet her lips. Adam ran his thumb along her lower lip behind her tongue. She angled her head back and away, but he didn't remove his hand from around her neck.
"Look, Cavanaugh, I was bluffing her, okay? Can't you take a joke?"
"I can when someone's joking. You weren't."
"How do you know?"
He sat up and leaned forward, until she could feel his breath on her face. "Because you're hot for me."
"I am not!"
"You've been running this show for weeks. I've had no choice but to let you take charge." He whisked an airy-light kiss across her lips. "This is my show. I'm taking over."
"I won't let — "
"Shut up, Lilah."
His hand made a yanking motion against her neck that brought her face down to his. His lips rubbed several hard, rough kisses on hers before they gentled. Sipping at her lips, he whispered, "Open your mouth."
"Adam — "
"Thanks." His tongue spiraled down into the sweet, wet heat of her mouth.
Lilah whimpered, first in protest, then in longing, finally in gratification. Her rigid posture relaxed and she collapsed against him. The resisting muscles in her neck became pliant, so he released his hold on them and slid all ten fingers into her hair and folded them around her scalp.
Tilting his head to one side, he ate at her mouth with gentle ardor. Lilah laid her hands on his bare chest. The hair was crisp but soft. It curled around her fingers. She loved having them ensnared by it.
When they drew apart, she breathlessly spoke his name. His lips went in search of the tastiest parts of her neck. "You're a lightning rod," he said.