Knight In Black Leather Gail Dayton (classic books for 12 year olds .TXT) 📖

sigh sounded. She'd almost forgotten the feel of skin against skin. She'd definitely forgotten how absolutely delicious a hard male body could be. She had to remember that all his little innuendos were just a game. He didn't mean any of it.

"Can you reach the brake?" She shook off the wistfulness.

"Let's see." He reached down and found the lever without having to lean too far. "Though I don't know what good it's going to do if it won't hold."

"Maybe I didn't set it right." Marilyn watched him work it a time or two. "It sure does seem to be in a bad place for somebody in a wheelchair to work it."

Eli shrugged. "It's a rental. And it's not the top of the line. I didn't see any sense getting one of those self-propelled things. I still have one or two parts that work, myself, even if the chair has problems."

Marilyn shot him a sharp glance, but he didn't seem to be referring to anything other than his unbroken arm and leg. His attention was on the wheelchair as he rolled it back and forth short distances using his still functional limbs.

"How did you manage to--?" She stopped to rephrase. He didn't break his own bones.

He looked up at her. "How did I--?"

"How did they manage to break your arm and leg on opposite sides? I'd have thought they'd both be on the same side."

"They did the arm before I went down and the leg they did after." Eli's matter-of-fact tone told of a world he knew intimately, and sent cold chills down Marilyn's spine.

Not because she was afraid of him. She'd never have brought him home if that were true. Knowing that he was accustomed to such violence, that it was routine and perhaps even expected made her want to wrap him up in her arms for comfort. Whether his or hers, she didn't know.

He glanced up at her when she didn't speak. "I put my arm up in front of my face when they first came at me," he said, apparently believing she wanted further explanation. "That's when they broke it. I heard the snap. When I went down, I rolled on that side to protect it, and they got the leg."

Marilyn reached for bright-and-cheery again. "So, are you ready for the return trip?"

Eli still watched her, his eyes searching her face, but for what, she hadn't a clue. After a second, his lips twitched into a brief smile. "Sure. Why not?"

He set the brake better than she had, because the chair didn't budge as they hauled him out of it. The exit maneuver required as much or more contact than getting him into the wheelchair. They practiced both directions one more time before moving him back into the chair.

This last time, his overworked leg gave way. Marilyn had to grab him with both arms and barely managed to steer his fall into the chair. Her feet slipped and she fell on top of him, her face bouncing off his stomach, her arms draped over his legs as she slipped down between them.

Eli gasped, obviously biting back the swear words he wanted to use. She found it endearing, the way he tried to censor his language around her and managed, except when under extreme stress. She was surprised he didn't cut loose now. But maybe pain bothered him less than fucking helplessness.

Marilyn scrambled up, trying to be careful of his casts, his bruises. "Are you okay? I am so sorry."

"Not your fault." He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "We probably should've quit two trips back." He braced himself to scoot more securely into the chair. Marilyn wanted to help, but before she could see where to safely touch him, the job was done.

"But then," he went on, "if we'd quit sooner, I wouldn't have got the thrill of your face in my lap. I'm just sorry I didn't get to enjoy it more."

Marilyn smacked the back of his head. "Keep it up, mister and you'll really be sorry."

"Why is that?" He grinned his wicked grin at her.

"I might actually take you up on one of your offers."

"I'd never be sorry for that."

The sincerity in his voice made her shiver anew. He was quite an act. She ruffled up his hair in another almost-smack and walked away.

"What do you want for supper?" She opened the freezer to see what was available for melting. "We have chicken and--" She turned a package over. "Chicken."

"Chicken sounds good."

The grin in his voice warmed her. She couldn't let herself get used to it, though. Eventually--sooner rather than later--he would be gone, back to his old life. She didn't need any more holes in hers.

Five

***

Marilyn did bring flowers home from her class and presented them to Eli. He knew she was teasing, paying him back for all the teasing he'd done, but it still got to him. Nobody ever gave him flowers before. Nobody had ever done a dozen of the things for him that Marilyn had. He tried not to let that matter, but it did.

That night, Eli lay in the bed next to Marilyn, eyes open in the dark, staring at the ceiling. He ached with exhaustion, though he hadn't done anything all day but move in and out of the wheelchair. The dull pain in his broken bones kept him awake. The warmth of Marilyn's body beside his had nothing to do with his sleepless state. It was the pain, not his excruciating awareness of just how close, how soft she was. He let a breath sigh out through his nose and wondered how much it would hurt to turn on his side.

"Eli?" Marilyn's voice came softer than a whisper. "Are you all right?"

He was rock hard with wanting her and knew he'd never have what he wanted. He slid a hand down to hide his condition in case she could see in the dark. "I'm fine."

"Do you need a pill?" The bed rocked as she moved, rustling