by Carmen Cook
“I don’t think it’s Erin’s stalker,” Mitch said, leaning against the back of the booth. “What do you have that they could be looking for?” he asked Chloe.
“I have no idea,” she answered, sounding more like herself, much to Regan’s relief.
“They obviously think there’s something.” Regan tried to think. “Did Becca leave anything in the car when you took her home from Gavin’s the other day?”
Chloe scrunched her face, trying to think. “I wasn’t really paying attention. I don’t think so.”
Connor and Logan strode through the tavern door, the paramedics on their heels, Chloe’s purse clenched in his fist. “Whoever it was was gone by the time I got there. This was on the ground about twenty yards from the car. And…” he shot an uncertain look at the group. “The car has been trashed.”
“What?” Chloe shrieked. That car may not have been much, but it was hers. A symbol of independence. She loved that car. Regan’s heart ached for her sister. “What did they do?”
“Tires have been slashed, windows busted.”
“Plus,” Mitch interrupted, looking at Chloe, “you’re always supposed to name a car a girl’s name. Didn’t you know that?”
Chloe reared her head. “You did not just insult Ollie.”
“Now you did it.” The humor in Gavin’s voice was obvious to everyone, but Regan was concerned Chloe was going to hit Erin’s handsome shadow.
“You did not just insult Ollie,” Chloe growled again, narrowing her eyes.
“No. Those jackwads who took a tire iron to her windows insulted her. They insulted her when they slashed her tires.” Mitch paused and leaned closer, bracing his hands on the table. “And you insulted her when you named her Ollie instead of Olivia or Olive or Ophelia or some other girl name.”
Regan grinned as the tension started to dissipate and cut her eyes to everyone around the table. Mitchell’s approach was unorthodox, but it was working. Gavin shook his head and shot her a wink, clearly thinking the same thing.
“You don’t know anything about me.” The color had returned to Chloe’s cheeks as she leaned forward to go nose to nose with Mitch.
Mitchell grinned, but didn’t move back. “You’re right. I don’t know anything about you. But those guys who tore up your car did. And now it’s up to me to keep you safe until they’re caught.”
“You’re not responsible for me,” she told him. “You keep track of Erin and those people who can’t keep track of themselves. No offense,” she quickly said to Erin.
“None taken,” the blonde assured her, leaning back against the back of the booth. Erin looked more amused than offended by the entire exchange.
“We’ve got you covered while you’re here,” Gavin assured Erin before looking square at Chloe. “We’ve got you covered too. Whether you like it or not.”
Chapter Nine
Gavin felt the shiver race up Regan’s spine as he guided her out of the bar. Chloe was fine, heading home with Erin, Logan, and Mitch. The sly smiles the women shared when that was announced didn’t go unnoticed, but Gavin didn’t say anything. If they wanted to play matchmaker, fine by him. As long as he wasn’t in their crosshairs this time.
He’d been serious when he told Erin they had her covered. They’d spent several hours going over her grandfather’s house, outlining the plans to add motion sensors to the perimeter and increase the video feeds. Between the local authorities and Peaks, whoever the sick fuck was that broke into her house wasn’t going to get near her while she was in Sapphire Creek. What she hadn’t mentioned to the group—or her grandfather—were the letters. Those would be harder to stop.
Now this attack at Chloe’s car. While neither Chloe nor Regan had been seriously injured, Gavin’s mind was playing out all the possibilities. It could be connected.
Despite what had happened tonight, Sapphire Creek wasn’t ordinarily a hot bed of criminal activity. The normal action around here was a drunken brawl, a little vandalism when the kids got bored, maybe the occasional domestic dispute. Typical small-town stuff. More nuisances rather than felonies. Nothing people ever thought much about.
Gavin gritted his teeth and took a deep breath. In through his nose, out through the mouth. That was supposed to relieve stress, right? It wasn’t working. Bone-numbing fear had grabbed hold when he turned and saw the abrasions and bruises blooming all over Regan and Chloe. That fear hadn’t loosened its grip yet.
He slid his hand up Regan’s spine and settled it on her shoulder, needing to touch her, to assure himself she was really all right.
The lights and sounds from the historic downtown area buzzed around them while their feet crunched on the gravel littering the lot behind the bar. “You okay?” he asked again, because he couldn’t not ask. The silence was becoming suffocating as it settled around them. Something he definitely didn’t want with her.
She shot him a quick smile and stepped closer, settling herself against his side. Maybe she was cold and seeking his warmth, so he took the opportunity to wrap his arm around her. Her hip brushed against his leg with each step, shooting sparks of awareness straight to his groin. He’d never realized how arousing such a simple movement could be.
“I’m okay,” she assured him, seeming not at all disturbed by the friction their bodies were generating as they walked. “Just thinking.”
“About what?” Please let it be about getting naked. He held his breath, not daring to hope their thoughts were lining up so perfectly.
She stopped so suddenly his feet skidded on the gravel. Before he could ask why she’d stopped, she turned to face him.
His arms were suddenly full of woman. Soft, beautiful, sensual woman. Strong, capable, amazing woman. His hands didn’t wait for instructions. One lifted and buried itself in the silky strands of her hair while the other gripped her hip, and pulled her more firmly against him.
This. This was what he’d been aching for. From the moment he saw her in his kitchen, he’d been desperate to hold her like this again. Nose to nose. Knee to knee.
Her fingers locked in his hair, tugging his willing mouth down to meet hers, her lips demanding as she took what she wanted.
She didn’t need to know that he’d be more than happy to let her take everything he had to give.
But not here.
He slowly pulled back, unable to resist capturing her bottom lip between his teeth and gently tugging as he did. Her answering moan almost had him changing his mind. Her grip on him was solid. Tight.
Viciously, he reined his lust in. She deserved more than being mauled in a parking lot. Especially after what had happened earlier. Their previous encounter had been hurried, fraught with the idea of getting caught. This time, when they got together he wanted to take his time and explore every inch of her.
Leaning in, he gave her another soft kiss, just a brush of his lips against hers, and tried to remember what he needed to tell her. “Not here,” he whispered. “Let me get you home.”
She whimpered and pulled her hands from where they were clinging to his neck, resting her fists against his chest before she blew out a breath. She dropped her forehead against him.
Yeah. He felt the same way.
“I shouldn’t have done that.”
Okay. Maybe they weren’t on the same page. “Why not?” he asked, startling himself with how gravelly his voice sounded. Gavin ducked his head to search her face, but her eyes were squeezed shut. “I’ve got to say, that was the highlight of my night and I definitely want to do it again. That and more.”
When she remained silent, he gripped her shoulders and set her away from him. “What’s going on, Regan?”
She scrubbed her hands over her face. “I don’t know,” she muttered as she turned and started walking again.
He grabbed her arm before she’d taken more than a couple steps. “Yes, you do. Don’t run away again. Talk to me.”
Leaning her head back, she looked him square in the eye. He was once again struck dumb by how beauti
ful she was. Even with the scrape across her cheek—which matched the healing one from when the tree knocked her down—and her mouth drawn in a worried frown, she was the most stunning woman he’d ever seen.
He desperately wanted to kiss away whatever was bothering her, but he waited. Knowing she wanted him as much as he wanted her helped give him the patience to hold back and see if she’d admit it to herself.
She shuddered, like a wet dog throwing off water, and spoke in a voice so soft he had to lean forward again to hear her. “I was so scared.”
Gavin forced himself not to react as those soft words pierced him. It was a knife, straight to the heart, her quiet admission.
All thoughts of seduction flew from his mind as he struggled with how to respond. Words didn’t seem enough, but they were all he could offer. “You’re safe here, Regan. Safe with me.”
It wasn’t enough, he hadn’t kept her safe. None of them had.
“That’s not what I meant.” She reached for him, wrapping her arms around his waist and placing her head against his chest. “I’m afraid of you.”
Gavin reared as far back as he could in her arms. He couldn’t have heard her correctly. “What?”
Regan was shaking her head before he could question her further. “Not like that. Not afraid afraid. I’m afraid of what I’m feeling. Of how I could get lost in this. In you. I’d convinced myself that a fling was the answer.”
She hesitated. “But when those guys jumped us at the car, I was afraid of not taking the chance. Of missing out on something because I’m too scared to put myself out there.” Her cognac eyes were shiny with unshed tears.
Several heartbeats passed while he continued to hold her, doing everything he could to ignore her soft curves this time and the surge of lust that her words sent right to his groin.
When she let out yet another shuddering breath, he decided enough was enough. Time to get her home, behind closed doors. Resisting every urge to toss her over his shoulder and drag her away, he offered his hand. “Come on. Let me take you home.”
They stepped around the back end of yet another pickup truck and he paused next to his motorcycle, holding out the spare helmet for her. When she didn’t immediately take it he looked up. “Regan?”
“That’s a motorcycle.”
He nodded slowly. “A Triumph Bonneville.”
She took a step backward but nodded. “I’ve never ridden a motorcycle before,” she admitted.
With a smile, Gavin gave the helmet a little wiggle. “Afraid?”
Regan stared at him for a moment before breaking into her own smile. “Not anymore.”
The ride to her little house was over quickly, too quickly for Regan’s newly discovered sense of adventure. Between her misadventures with the Mini and the muggers, she ached from the top of her head to the soles of her feet, but she realized she was having fun as they cut through the small mountain town.
The porch lights barely reached the sidewalk when they parked and the darkness allowed her to pretend they were the only ones out. She inhaled deeply and loosened her arms around Gavin’s waist only a little, dragging the moment out a little longer. The night had a bite in the air, indicating they would most likely wake up to a dusting of snow. She’d nearly forgotten the distinctive smell in the air. Reluctantly, she let go so they could go inside.
Gavin pulled Regan close after they both climbed off the bike, wrapping his arm fully around her. “It’s a nice night.”
She jerked to a halt and stared at him. She could feel her cheeks rosy from the cold. From the thrill of the ride. Both. “How can you say that?”
“Okay,” he admitted, “it’s not the way I’d planned out our second date to go.”
She stifled a laugh as she dug into her pocket for her keys. “Your date nights are turning out to be dangerous.”
“Not my plan,” he assured her as he took the keys from her and unlocked the door. “The air is fresh, the stars are out, and I’m walking with the most beautiful woman in town. That’s what makes it a nice night.”
The words surprised a laugh out of her, and some of the tension drained from her limbs. Despite everything that had happened earlier, she’d enjoyed spending these moments with him. But in the quiet of her front porch with the dim light shining down on them, uncertainty started to creep in again.
Licking her lips uncertainly, she tried to figure out how to proceed. The last thing she wanted was to be a burden to him, be someone he needed to take care of. If she was going to go through with this seduction—and holy God, she wanted to—she needed to level the playing field. “You don’t have to come inside. I’m fine, really.”
“I heard you the first time, but that’s not the deal.” Gavin grinned at the mulish expression that crossed her face. “I’m going to escort you inside. And I’m going to walk through your house, making sure there’s no boogeymen hiding anywhere. And then, I’ll go if you want. Or I’ll stay, but only if you want. But you were attacked tonight, so I need to make sure you’re safe. Okay?”
She opened her mouth to argue, but he shook his head. “Please.” The door swung open and Gavin touched Regan’s arm as she took the step to cross the threshold. “Wait here,” he ordered, slipping farther into the house.
Reaching inside, Regan flipped on the entry light and stifled a scream when she realized Gavin had a man on the floor, his knee firmly planted in the guy’s back while he restrained his hands. “Regan.” Gavin’s voice held a hard edge. “Call Connor.”
“Oh my God, who is that?” Her phone was shaking in her hand as she dialed his brother.
The man on the floor suddenly started thrashing about, seeming to come out of a stupor at their voices. “Goddamn it, get off of me!”
Oh.
Regan felt the blood drain from her face as Connor answered. “I’m sorry,” she said into the receiver. “Gavin just brought me home and we thought there was an intruder, but it’s a false alarm.”
Regan blinked back the angry tears that threatened to erupt. “It’s just Todd,” she told Connor. “My ex-husband.”
Gavin sat across the table from Todd while Regan made coffee. His jaw was beginning to ache from clenching it so tightly to keep himself in check. Connor had shown up despite Regan’s assurance that Todd wasn’t dangerous. The fact he’d been in her house the same night she and her sister had been attacked outside the bar was too much of a coincidence for Gavin to accept. Connor too.
“What are you doing here?” Connor asked, his voice mild as he leaned on a barstool and crossed his arms. He appeared at ease with the situation, which Gavin knew was a load of bull.
Todd straightened and looked Connor dead in the eye. His attempt to be intimidating would have been more effective if his hair wasn’t sticking up in the back and his lip wasn’t bleeding. “I came to talk to my wife.”
His eyes flashed and words dripped with disdain. How Regan had ever been married to this buttoned-up prig was beyond Gavin. “I was napping on the sofa, waiting for her to come home when I was attacked,” Todd accused, looking toward Gavin. “I didn’t have any time to defend myself or explain my position before Regan called you.”
Gavin cut his gaze in Connor’s direction, but at the slight shake of Connor’s head said nothing. After Regan’s announcement that the intruder was none other than her ex-husband, she’d retreated to the kitchen. Connor had spoken to her when he’d come in, but Gavin had given her some space while he made sure Todd didn’t follow her.
“Your ex-wife didn’t invite you here, nor did she give you a key to her house, which means you entered illegally,” Connor stated. “Do you want to try again?”
Todd glowered as he leaned back in the chair, crossing his arms. “I was invited. And given a key.”
“Stop lying.” None of them had heard Regan enter. She handed Connor one of the mugs she carried and set the other one in front of Gavin with a decided thunk. When she didn’t move toward Todd or say anything else, the asshole leaned forward and reached ou
t like he was going to take her hand.
His movement disrupted the papers stacked on the table, scattering them. Gavin gave them a quick glance, surprised to find flyers for advanced nursing programs and air flight trauma nursing training, as he swooped them up and handed them to Connor, who also took a quick look and placed them on the counter behind him.
Regan backed away from Todd, pressing against Gavin’s arm as she stood next to him. “Stop lying,” she repeated. “I’m done being lied to.”
“I’m not lying,” Todd objected, shrinking back from the anger in her voice. “Your father invited me up here to work everything out. Your mother gave me the key and told me you were expecting me.”
“They wouldn’t.” But Regan didn’t sound all that convinced. She closed her eyes, drawing in a deep breath. Unsure what to do, Gavin slid his arm around her, offering what comfort her could.
After a couple of heartbeats Regan found her voice. “I want you to leave,” she told Todd quietly. “Give me the key they gave you and leave.”
Todd shook his head, even as he pulled out a key and placed it on the table in front of him. “I need to talk to you. I’ve been trying to call, but you never answer.”
Regan wiped at her eyes as she shook her head. “I have nothing to say to you.”
And with that, she strode from the room.
Connor shifted then, placing his mug on the table and sliding the key toward Gavin. “It’s time for you to leave,” he told Todd. “And next time, make sure your invitation comes directly from Regan, rather than her parents.”
Gavin remained seated as he watched Connor escort Todd through the door to drive him…wherever Todd was staying. Probably with Regan’s parents. He couldn’t imagine the betrayal she was feeling. When Regan didn’t come out, he stood, trying to process everything that had happened. Without a doubt, this had been the shittiest second date in the history of dates.
He picked up both mugs and brought them back to the kitchen, taking the time to look around. The room was worn, as was the rest of the house, with outdated appliances, peeling paint, and cracks in the laminate countertops. It was obvious that no one had paid any attention to the upkeep of the house after Regan’s grandparents died a few years ago. Weariness settled in as he moved to lock the front door, frowning over the flimsy latch and weather-warped jamb. Regan had said she was going to do some work on the house in exchange for rent, but this looked to be more work than he’d imagined.
