Falling for Mr. Unexpected Read online

  Damian picked at his potatoes. Did it even matter? In two days or so, she’d be out of his life. He’d never have to see her again. He was better off not knowing her name.

  Damian finished his meal and forced himself to not think about the woman on his sofa, even though he found it difficult. His self-enforced banishment to the kitchen made the whole situation hard to ignore.

  I should go for a swim. A swim would clear his head, give him perspective. He put his plate in the sink and then rubbed his forehead. He’d have to go get her dishes before he went out, though. There was no way she’d be able to do it herself. Again, definitely something a civilized person would do, and he’d never been known to mistreat anyone.

  With a deep sigh, he made his way back into the living room. Even though he tried to not be hostile, he couldn’t keep annoyance from setting in.

  She noticed him only when he came up on her. Normally, women seemed to instantly take note when he walked into a room, as if they had a built in Damian-radar. It usually didn’t work out well when he aimed to be incognito.

  “I’ll take care of the dishes.”

  She paused for a moment and then lifted the tray and handed it over. “Thank you.”

  For some reason, she didn’t face him. “Is there anything else I can do for you?” he asked, curious and to get her to meet his eyes, not really knowing why it was important she did.

  “Um…. If you could help me to the bathroom, it would be much appreciated.” Her gaze landed on him at the end of the sentence. He hadn’t seen her request coming but understood how difficult it would be for her to do it on her own.

  “I’ll get rid of the tray, and then I’ll be back.”

  He walked to the kitchen. Now that she needs my help, I’m good enough.

  On his return, she swung her legs off the sofa and attempted to stand. Without a word, he rushed in and lifted her up in his arms, cradling her like a small child, surprised at how light she was.

  Her gasp teased an involuntary smile from his lips. “The bathroom, you said?” he asked unnecessarily.

  She rolled her eyes but didn’t meet his, though a telltale blush had spread on her face. “Yes,” she replied curtly.

  “Okay then.” He couldn’t help noting how strange the day had been. When he’d first met her, he’d wanted to throw her out of his home, and now he was carrying her up the stairs to the nearest bathroom

  Halfway up, she asked, “Are you all right? You don’t have to carry me you know.”

  “And how do you plan on getting to the bathroom if I put you down?” He stopped mid-step.

  She looked from the staircase to him and back again. “Crawl…?”

  He laughed. “It could work.” He started to move again.

  At the bathroom door, she worked the handle. He carried her inside and then placed her on the toilet seat.

  “You’ll be able get on by yourself?” He knew how much embarrassment he’d caused but was unable to stop himself.

  “Of course!”

  “Shout, and I’ll help you down again,” he said in a friendly and accommodating tone to aggravate her.

  She didn’t like relying on him for help, the evidence plain to see from the frown creasing her forehead. He closed the door behind him when she didn’t reply and waited a couple of seconds to make sure she didn’t topple over or injure herself before strolling off to his bedroom two doors down. He would hear her when she called.

  Chapter Three

  Emma cringed. Once she started thinking of bathroom breaks, it seemed her mind couldn’t let go. She knew, inevitably, she would have to go. The worst part, she had to ask him to help her.

  She closed her eyes for a moment then contemplated how she was going to do what she needed with minimal stress on her feet. But she still was unable to avoid using them completely.

  She winced her way through the whole ordeal of trying to balance without hurting herself and realized whatever he’d given her had started to wear off because the throbbing she had felt earlier had become a full-blown pounding. When finally done, she maneuvered herself so she sat on the edge of the bath and ran water over her soapy hands. She decided to splash her face, and when done realized she’d have to move across the room for a towel.

  She sighed. I have to call in the cavalry. He’s anything but a knight in shining armor.

  “Damian!” His name on her lips caused a faster rhythm to her heart. Taking a deep breath she bellowed, “Damian!”

  The door swung open with a flourish.

  “You summoned me, my lady?”

  The irony was not lost on her. “I did. Could you hand me the towel there?” Though a question, she hadn’t intended it as one.

  He grabbed it off the rail and handed it over. She dried her face and then her hands.

  “Thank you,” she said tightly, and gave it back to him. “I would like to go downstairs now.”

  “Of course. I’m here to do your bidding.”

  Before she could reply, he picked her up again so swiftly her breath hitched. This is insane.

  One day into her holiday, and she was being carried around like some damsel in distress. She bit the inside of her mouth in a bid to ignore her close proximity to his chest. They didn’t talk as he moved casually down the hallway, as if she weighed nothing.

  She knew it to be male bravado. She might be short, but she had never been petite.

  He’s clearly putting on a show. She snorted mentally. She had tried to warn him. If he wanted to break his back, it was no concern of hers.

  “What did I do now?” She shivered as his warm breath caressed her ear.

  She struggled to keep from turning to him. “What do mean?”

  “You had that look on your face you get whenever you think I’ve done something annoying.”

  “What look? I don’t have a look.”

  “You forget I’m an actor. I make a living studying and interpreting people.”

  “Yeah, well, whatever you are studying or interpreting is wrong. Believe me, I don’t need a facial expression to tell you when you are annoying me. I think you pretty much already know,” she snapped.

  He laughed. The sound vibrated through her. The first time he’d laughed, the resonance had coursed through her like a tidal wave, causing all sorts of circuits to go into overdrive. She’d never had anything like it happen to her. The physical reaction unnerved and amazed her at the same time, the realization she had so many conflicting emotions going through her. She had never seen a man laugh like him, with the reverberation having such an effect on her.

  Now she steeled herself against the onslaught on her body. She didn’t like being so unnerved or how he caused her to be so unnerved. He’d kicked her out of his home earlier. As much as he helped her now, he didn’t want her there. As simple as that—

  His laugh stopped, but he still had a grin on his face. She willed herself to turn away.

  “Yes, I do know when I’m annoying you.” He paused for a moment at the sofa before he placed her on it.

  She tucked the pillows around her, needing something to do with her hands, since she no longer had him to hold onto. Gosh, I’m acting silly.

  “I called Mark. Everything’s sorted out.”

  “He’ll never let anyone stay here again,” she said.

  “Not without my permission.”

  She stared at him for a moment and then asked, “Is it true? All the stuff about the women? Do they really stalk you?”

  It seemed like he wasn’t going to answer her, but then he shrugged. “It’s what every celebrity goes through.”

  “The price of fame.”

  “No. The price of working in the industry. Not all of us do it for the fame. Some of us actually do it for the art.”

  Sufficiently snubbed, he left her alone and went back up the stairs.

  Her brow wrinkled; she hadn’t meant any offense. She sighed and laid her head back. She couldn’t see how this would work, with her feet still swollen and painful, which
reminded her of the pills he’d left her. She took two and then made herself comfortable again.

  Is this how I will have to spend my holiday? Lying on a sofa, staring at the ceiling.

  Footsteps sounded as he stomped down the stairs, and she turned toward the noise. Her eyes went big. Damian had changed into swimming trunks and had a towel casually over one shoulder.

  “I’m going to take a swim.” He stalked past her.

  Kind of obvious. “It’s dark outside.”

  His eyebrow lifted. “And?”

  A snort escaped. “You know what you’re doing.”

  “Exactly.”

  He disappeared through the doors. She wished she could see beyond the terrace, but no light shone on the patio.

  Fine, if he drowns in the dark ocean, it will be his own fault. She made a move for one of the books on the coffee table, toppling some of the hardcovers, and then finally grabbed hold of one close to her. A book she had promised herself to read for a while now, but never had the time to do so. She smiled. Now I do.

  Emma opened to the first chapter and was quickly immersed within the plot. But, a couple of pages in, the words blurred together and with a yawn she placed the book next to her on the sofa and closed her eyes.

  The food and painkillers are doing their work. She sank into oblivion.

  ***

  The next morning Emma woke feeling comfortable and surprisingly refreshed. She frowned, staring up at an unfamiliar ceiling.

  Where am I? Why am I in a bedroom?

  The answers to those questions would become apparent, hopefully, once she was fully awake. She stretched out, lazily aware of the softness of the duvet rubbing against her, the pleasant firmness of the bed underneath her, and the fluffy pillows cushioning her head. She winced as she moved her feet, still feeling pain, but not as strongly as the previous day. She sat up and pulled the covers back, gasping when she saw she wore nothing more than her underwear.

  He can’t have undressed me? The fiend!

  She stared at her bare legs. She could have slept in her clothes. She would have been comfortable.

  “I see you’re finally awake.” His voice came from the door.

  She quickly grabbed the duvet and covered herself.

  He raised a mocking eyebrow. “I brought you some breakfast. I’ll be back in half an hour to help you to the bathroom.” He walked out again.

  Emma glanced from the tray on the bedside table to the open door. Strangely out of place, this was more like the Twilight Zone than reality. This isn’t my life. I’m sure of it.

  Somehow she’d gotten stuck in someone else’s life because some strange man hadn’t stripped her to her underwear, placed her in bed, brought her breakfast, and dispassionately told her he would help her to the bathroom.

  She flipped the duvet off and winced in pain when she touched her foot. No, it’s all real. Some of the swelling had gone down, but the one with the broken pinky toe was still fairly sore.

  She turned to the tray and spotted the painkillers next to the plate filled with eggs, bacon, and toast. Her first instinct was to berate him for not waking her up. Her second to take a painkiller for the throb in her feet.

  She reacted on the second, popping two pills in her mouth, which she downed with the glass of juice on the tray. She ate some toast to help things along, but not being a big breakfast person, she stared at the overstuffed tray with a frown. However, she was a big coffee person. There was no coffee on the tray.

  But she wasn’t going to do anything that would get him back into her room again, embarrassed enough already by him having do things for her. After she finished the toast, she lifted the duvet and swung her legs off the bed.

  I can manage on one foot. She gave an assured nod to herself she didn’t quite feel.

  Biting the inside of her cheek, she placed most of her weight on her arms as she held on to the bed, easing her “good” foot down to test it. The pressure didn’t hurt too much, so she tried more weight on it. Then, with more confidence, she tried to stand. This accomplished, she balanced precariously in an awkward position, hands still on the bed, knowing she’d have to completely let go to see if her theory worked.

  Butt in the air, she tried to gather the courage to test her foot. Taking a deep breath, Emma let go of the bed. She only stood for a mere second before her foot complained.

  “Ah,” she groaned as she sank down against the bed.

  “It would’ve been impressive if you had held it for five minutes,” Damian said from the door.

  She made a quick dive for the covers, hiding under them.

  “Why do you have to sneak up on a person?” Her tone was laced with anger. He lazily walked toward the tray.

  “Why didn’t you finish your breakfast?”

  “I don’t usually have a big breakfast.”

  “Most important meal of the day,” he said, lifting the tray.

  “Are you really going to give me a lecture on my eating habits?”

  He stared down at her. “You’re right. I shouldn’t lecture you. I usually don’t let strange women whose names I don’t know sleep over.”

  “This is so not a sleepover of any kind,” she said with a snort.

  He laughed. “Not by a long shot. But I’d still like to know.”

  “Emma.”

  “And are you as meddlesome as Austen’s Emma?”

  “No. You read Jane Austen?”

  He gave a wide mocking grin. “Read the book and script….”

  “You starred in the BBC special.” She finished for him.

  “Would you like some coffee before you take a bath?”

  “Sounds great,” she replied grudgingly, annoyed at his thoughtfulness. His actions contradicted the man who had thrown her out of his home yesterday. He’s confusing.

  Before he left, however, he said, “Your sister called. I told her you were still in bed. She should call again later.”

  Emma’s eyes widened. A sinister shiver went down her spine. “Damian! Damian!” He didn’t come back.

  She made a frustrated sound, imagining how glib he must have been with Stephanie and all the wrong conclusions her sister must have jumped to.

  Oh this won’t do! She tried to get out of bed again on her “good” foot and fell backward because her weight placed too much pressure on her sensitive feet.

  “Okay, you are going to have to seriously stop or I will really start to think you are out to seduce me.” He strode back into the room.

  She frantically tried to cover herself again, knowing full well she resembled the deepest shade of red. “You’re not funny.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “I’m not joking.”

  She took the mug he offered. “Tell me what you said to Stephanie. Exactly. Word for word.”

  He shrugged. “She asked where you were; I said in bed. You shouldn’t be disturbed. Then I asked her to call later, right now wouldn’t be a good time.”

  She stared at him in disbelief. “And you hung up on her after? Nothing else?”

  “Yes. I had things to do. I’m not your PA.”

  “How can you be so callous?”

  “I don’t understand. How am I callous?”

  Is he deliberately obtuse? Groaning she ignored his question. “What time did she call?”

  He frowned. “Around eight.”

  “And what time is it now?”

  He checked on his watch. “Ten.”

  “Where’s my phone? I need to call her.” She put her coffee on the bedside table.

  “You can’t use it. Remember the rules,” he reminded her.

  “I don’t care about your rules. Give me my phone!”

  His brow creased at her tone. “I confiscated it. You’ll only get it back when you leave.”

  “I want to reassure her. You don’t know my sister. If you think me having my phone will be a problem, then wait till she gets here!”

  He aimed to take another sip but stopped midair. “What?”

  “Da
mian. Don’t you realize how ambiguous your words were? And you’re known as a playboy. She’s not going to rest until she knows what exactly is going on here. Give me my phone.”

  He frowned at her for a moment and then stalked out of the room. When he came back, he had a phone to his ear, but not hers. “She’s right here,” he said and handed it to her.

  “Stephanie,” Emma started but didn’t finish.

  “What’s going on? I tried to get through on your phone but it went to voicemail. Mark said you had an accident with books? And then Damian tells me you’re still in bed….”

  She doesn’t even take a breath. Emma listened to her sister rant, knowing interrupting her wouldn’t help. Stephanie had to get all her worries out first. “And he doesn’t even explain what’s going on; he hangs up. How rude.”

  “Um…I’m sorry, Steph, I overslept. The painkillers Damian gave me were kind of strong. They helped though. But everything’s fine. I’m fine.” She hoped to keep Stephanie at bay with her reassurances.

  “Oh, Emma! Why must you always be such a klutz? Don’t answer. I’m on my way anyway. I’ll be there in an hour or so….”

  “No. Steph, you can’t come!”

  Damian’s eyes went big.

  “Why not?” Her sister’s voice rife with suspicion.

  “Stephanie, Damian really wants to be alone. Right now we’re the only ones who know he’s here. He’d like to keep it that way.”

  “Fine. He can be alone, right after I come and fetch you. I can take care of you.”

  Emma ran a hand over her face. Oh, this is not happening. She really didn’t want Stephanie to come. She’d never stop hearing about how she couldn’t take care of herself.

  “I don’t need anyone to take care of me. I’m fine like I said. You don’t need to come. I’ll probably be home by this afternoon anyway. So, it’s okay. Say hey to Mark for me. I hope his birthday went well,” she said in a bid to distract her sister.

  It worked. “Yes!” Stephanie replied excitedly, “He was so surprised when all of us jumped out….” She started telling Emma about the surprise birthday party she’d organized for him.

  “All’s clear,” she mouthed to Damian. She almost laughed at his relieved sigh.