Love You Madly

by Ashlee Mallory

  The sound of crickets followed. Real crickets that chirped in the warm summer air just outside, making his silence more pronounced.

  This was awful. Why hadn’t she just let it go?

  Finally, he ran his hand through his short hair. “Hell, Mer. Thing is, it’s all so tied up, our past, that I don’t know if I could answer that. Since I first saw you the other day, in many ways you’ve been the same, but in other ways also…different. And I want to believe that you’ve finally changed.”

  “But you don’t think people can change.” He’d said it earlier, in reference to his dad.

  “Yeah. I don’t,” he admitted.

  “I’m kind of confused…so your answer. It’s no.” He didn’t think she could change. “Right?” She barely managed the last before the air seemed to be sucked out of her lungs. She turned and walked out of the kitchen and down the hall. His footsteps followed. “I seem to be unable to stop humiliating myself tonight.”

  “You haven’t humiliated yourself. Far from it.”

  What else was he going to say? She took the stairs two at a time, her lungs ready to burst. She reached her door and was ready to shut it, but he was there, his face framed in the doorway. More softly, she asked, “But you do think I’m a monster. That I’m capable of causing you pain all over again. Right?”

  He smiled and for a minute she considered slamming the door in his face. “You’ve done some pretty mean things in your life, but I don’t think you’re a monster. Your pranks…they were mean, yes. They hurt people. But I can see now that in many ways, the person they hurt the most was…you.”

  Instantly, shame washed over her again. Shame and regret. She’d been cruel, to him and so many others. “I’m sorry. I really am. For everything. For the pain and humiliation I caused you. And despite all I did, you’re still here. Helping. Even if I don’t deserve it.”

  “Wrong. You deserve a hell of a lot more than you think you do, Mer. When you stop being such a pain in the ass, you’re actually kind of amazing. Surprisingly witty. Strong. Intelligent. Fiercely protective. And near as I can tell, the most beautiful woman I’ve ever known.”

  It was so quiet now, the only sound her heavy breathing thanks to her race from the kitchen, and she processed what he’d said. She smiled. “You think I’m funny?”

  No one had ever accused her of that.

  “No,” he said, and she looked at him in confusion, until she saw his lips turned into that breathtaking smile. “I said you’re witty. There’s a difference.”

  And he thought she was beautiful.

  …

  The faint street light outside crept through the crack in the curtains and lit the room enough so Travis could see her dark eyes, wide and disbelieving.

  “How is it you can see all these qualities in me after what I’ve done to you?” she asked, incredulous. “How can you not hate me?”

  Hate? He thought he’d hated her, all these years. But only now he recognized that using hate had helped mask the range of feelings that he’d likely always felt for her, despite everything she’d done to him. Feelings that he’d been fighting all over again since the moment he saw her in that coffee shop.

  “I don’t hate you, Mer. It would be a hell of a lot easier if I did.” His hand reached out to outline her lip with his finger, noticing the way it trembled under his touch. Always so damned responsive. “It’s taking every ounce of strength I have not to hold you again and feel you respond so easily to my touch. To not taste that damned fine mouth of yours and feel those endless legs of yours wrap themselves around me. To not show you just how much I really do like you.”

  She sucked in her breath, blinking a few times as she processed his words. Words he couldn’t take back now. When she spoke, she raised her chin as if to challenge him, even though her bottom lip quivered. “Then…do it. Show me.”

  Damn. He’d tried to take the high road. He really had. But she was making it impossible.

  Before he could rethink his actions, he pulled her toward him. His kiss was more forceful and demanding than the one she’d given him earlier.

  The kiss that had felt like she’d branded him. That had left him tossing and turning in that damn guest bed for what had felt like hours.

  Now he was going to brand her with his kiss and with every touch. To hell with everything else.

  It was as if a dam unleashed, and Meredith’s legs—those legs he’d dreamed about far more times in his life than he’d care to admit—were wrapping around him. His hand slipped down and cupped her ass, bringing her closer as he walked to her bed.

  Her mouth was so sweet, and he wanted to taste every inch of her.

  Shit. Did he even have protection? With reluctance, he brought his mouth from hers. “Hold on. I’ve got to check if I have any—”

  “The drawer,” she said and motioned to the nightstand.

  An unopened box of condoms. Hell, they could do this twelve more times before they even had to leave the room. He ripped the box open and tossed a couple on the bed before he turned his attention back to the woman in his arms.

  The woman he’d told himself for so long that he hated, even though somewhere in his subconscious he’d known he’d just wanted, one day, to be good enough for her.

  And despite her pleas for more, to stop the torment, he grinned. After all this time, having this woman finally here, nearly naked and waiting for him?

  He was going to take his time. Even if it nearly killed him.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Travis woke up at eight thirty, something that shocked him when he caught the time on the clock by Meredith’s bed.

  By Meredith’s bed.

  That full realization brought him to his feet before he could even turn to see the woman still asleep next to him.

  How the hell had he let this happen?

  He gazed down at Meredith, her face relaxed in slumber, her hair tousled around the pillow. Beautiful. Okay, he kind of understood how he could let that happen. But now in the light of day, he had to get his shit together. Sleeping with his client was not one of his brightest moves.

  Quietly he slipped his jeans on and headed down the hall to the guest room to finish dressing and grab his cell phone. He couldn’t believe he’d cut himself off from all communication for the past few hours. Sure enough, he’d missed three calls. Unbelievable. He played the voicemail while he headed down the stairs and started the coffee.

  Two from Jace. He had some information on Claire’s fiancé that he’d relay to Travis when he called back.

  And Meems. Seemed that a company by the name of New Horizons based out of Vegas owned both the club and the property where Darcy was taken, as well as a few other properties in Nevada, Idaho, and Utah. The registered agent for the properties was a John Smith—which was undoubtedly not a real name. She was getting him a list of those properties.

  He dialed her back first. “Meems. Got your message. Any word on the list yet?”

  “I’ll email it to you now. By the way, I caught the news this morning. You know you saved seven girls last night, right?”

  But it wasn’t enough. Not for the girl already gone. And not for Darcy.

  “Yeah, but there are a lot more out there, and the clock’s ticking. So maybe you can narrow that list of properties down to those that have the kind of privacy that would be necessary to pull off this kind of operation, as well as the access they’d need to transport all those girls. Maybe something that has its own airstrip or is close to a private airstrip?”

  “I’ll get on it. I’ve also pulled a list of all employees for New Horizons. I’ll send it to you.”

  Shit. He hadn’t thought that far ahead, which was exactly why he was glad to have Meems on his team. This thing he had with Meredith, this crazy attraction, was throwing him off his game. If he didn’t want to endanger the entire investigation, he had better get his head back in the game, and fast.

  “Hey, can you check that list of employees for anyone by the name of Lance?
He’s one of the bouncers at the club and is Matt’s primary source of contact for this thing.”

  He poured a cup of coffee as she searched her database.

  “Not finding any reference to a Lance, not as a first or last name. Do you have anything else, another name?”

  “Nothing. Wait. I might have something. Hold on.” He raced up the stairs to dig through the jeans he’d worn last night. How had he forgotten this? He pulled out Matt’s cell phone and powered it up. Scrolling through the recent calls, he found what he needed. “Meems? I’ve got a telephone number. See what you can find. I’m still at Meredith’s and will probably be here until I get my ride back. Can you stop by here this morning?”

  “I’ll be there in half an hour.”

  He headed back downstairs and was just about to press Jace’s phone number when he heard someone pull into Meredith’s driveway. He brushed the curtain back from a window by the front door.

  His sister and Allie were bearing down on him.

  …

  Meredith woke up to a beam of light piercing through her eyelids. She brought her hand up to shade them and blinked, trying to get her bearings. Nine forty? She’d actually slept in?

  That was a first. It had been a good sleep, too, and even if it was only a few hours, she felt more rested than she had in a long time.

  No. Wait. It was more than that…

  The events of the early morning hours came sharply into focus.

  She’d slept with Travis.

  No, more than slept—she’d completely lost her mind and made love to the man. And now…she looked around, noting the wrinkled sheets next to her…he was gone.

  Her heart lurched in her chest, and she sat upright.

  This is ridiculous, Mer. Get a grip. He’s probably just downstairs. In fact, she was certain she could smell coffee brewing. He hadn’t taken off, hadn’t abandoned her. He couldn’t, even if he wanted to. She was his client, and she was paying him to do a job.

  Wow. That didn’t actually make her feel any better.

  A few minutes later, she was dressed and had managed to put some mascara and a little lip gloss on before heading downstairs to find Travis. She tried to shrug off the irrational twinge of disappointment that he hadn’t bothered to wake her up, or to at least say good morning. They’d slept together, that was all. They hadn’t made a blood pact to be the other’s soul mate or anything.

  But would a simple good morning have been so hard?

  The sounds of voices coming from the kitchen told her they weren’t alone, and her steps slowed as she tried to figure out who was there. Lots of voices—she should say lots of female voices, that was for sure.

  Trepidation slowed her approach even more. Which was ridiculous, since it was her house. But with the chatter from the other room, it all felt foreign.

  “You know, finding a wedding date and sticking to it shouldn’t be this difficult,” Allie said in a teasing voice.

  Meredith had no doubt who Allie was talking to, confirmed a minute later when Claire answered. “Hey, can I help it if my one and only brother can’t pinpoint an available weekend until mid-September?”

  “Uh-huh,” Allie said. “And last time it was because you didn’t want to miss the senior class trip to DC, and what was the excuse the time before that?”

  The chatter continued, but Meredith was still stuck on Claire’s comment. Travis certainly had a busy schedule. Wouldn’t be back in town until at least September. Two months from now.

  What had she expected? He had a life, and it wasn’t here.

  Which made what they’d done a few hours ago—the feelings she had let herself feel for a man who wasn’t going to be around beyond possibly as early as tonight—another mistake to add to the growing list.

  It was a hard lesson but one that apparently she had to keep learning. But for now, she was going to push that to the back of her mind. They had just fourteen hours left to locate her daughter. No more pity party.

  “You’re awake,” Travis said when she walked in.

  She’d known that Allie and Claire would be sitting at the table along with Travis. But she hadn’t expected to see Meems and hadn’t expected to see her and Travis bent over a laptop together, their shoulders touching. Jealousy reared up to bite her in the butt.

  “I am. Did you at least save me some coffee?” She sounded like a bitch and didn’t care. It was her freaking house.

  “I’ll make a pot,” Meems said and came to her feet, stretching her arms up, exposing a ripped six-pack. Lord. If that was what her abs looked like, Meredith could only imagine what she looked like everywhere else. She really had to increase her own weight-lifting regimen.

  “That’s okay, I can manage.” Meredith opened the canister of coffee beans and measured them out. She took the opportunity with her back to the room to get a hold of her emotions.

  She had yet to make eye contact with Travis.

  “I heard about what happened to you two last night, Mer,” Allie said, coming to join her, raising her voice to be heard above the grinding beans. “That was really brave of you guys. I just wish you’d had better luck. Claire and I came over to see if we could offer a hand in some way. We’re looking over topographical maps right now and comparing them to a list of Utah properties that are owned by the same company that owns the club and warehouse. Meems put it together.”

  They’d all been busy. While she was upstairs dreaming.

  She flipped the coffee to brew and turned, slowly, to find Travis watching her. His face so stoic, his jaw set in a hard line. Unreadable. Hard to believe he was the same man who had called her witty, strong, and beautiful.

  “We’ve got some leads then,” she commented.

  He nodded. “So far Claire and Allie have found three prospects. Meems is trying to hack into a couple different area satellites that might give us a good aerial view of the properties.”

  His tone was informative, professional, and completely appropriate. For a robot.

  Not what she was hoping for from the man who had made her scream his name more than once just hours before. Who’d shown with every touch that he was a man of some expertise but also was incredibly intuitive to her every need and desire.

  So why couldn’t he see that she needed something…more? She looked away, growing angrier, but at herself. She was an idiot. Her stomach gurgled, and she realized she needed something to eat. From the fridge, she grabbed a string cheese and a plum that she took to the table.

  So preoccupied with who Travis was and wasn’t paying attention to, Meredith realized that she had been under some scrutiny herself when she sat down and met Claire’s gaze. She looked like she’d been watching her for a while, her pencil spinning back and forth between her fingertips.

  “It’s nice that you have such a big house, Meredith,” she finally said. “Saved my brother from having to find a hotel room.”

  Good God. What did the woman know?

  It wasn’t like she and Travis were wearing signs that said, “Just did it,” but she was almost certain that Claire was on to them.

  “Just three rooms, including Darcy’s and mine.” But the size of Meredith’s house wasn’t really what the woman had been commenting on. It was that her brother was staying under the same roof as Meredith. “So where’s Rick this morning?” she asked, deciding it was time to put someone else in the hot seat.

  Claire shared a look with Allie before she answered. “He was called out of town yesterday, just after you and Travis left. He’ll be back by tonight.”

  The gala. Something she, as chairwoman, was supposed to be heading, yet she hadn’t even remembered to check with any of the other committee members to see how it was going.

  “Allie? I can’t believe I’ve been so derelict in my duties. Is everything going okay?”

  “Please. Don’t worry about it. Sam and the rest of the committee have it all under control. Everyone caught your bit on Annabeth’s show and knows you have bigger things to tend to.”

>   Travis suddenly came to his feet, a small eleven-inch laptop in his hands. “I’ve got a signal.”

  She looked over in confusion. “For what?”

  “Lance. I found his cell phone in Matt’s list of numbers and triangulated the coordinates. I think I’ve got him.”

  “Got him? What are you planning on doing? Shouldn’t you give this info to the police?” This was Claire.

  “Eventually. But right now Lance is our best bet on figuring out where this auction is later tonight, and I have interrogation…techniques that are probably more effective than anything the police might have.”

  “I’m going with,” Meredith said and came to her feet, which were noticeably bare, since she hadn’t expected the whole breakfast brigade so early.

  He didn’t respond, just studied her. “All right. But I’ve got to go now. Can I get the keys to the Rover, Claire?”

  “Oh, yeah. Here.” She pulled the keys from her pocket and tossed them to him. “Which brings me to my own question. I couldn’t help but notice Bonnie wasn’t out front. Is she in the garage?”

  Meredith saw the look of something close to terror cross Travis’s face. So he hadn’t told her.

  “I’m going to run and get shoes on and I’ll be right back,” she said, fighting back a smile, leaving the unhappy task of breaking the news about the car to Travis.

  Only two minutes later, a pair of comfortable and stylish Toms on her feet, her lip gloss refreshed, the joke was on her.

  The women around the table had the grace to look uncomfortable as they broke the news. Travis had left a minute before. Without her.

  Something she took with as much dignity as she could manage, gliding across the room to pull her biggest mug from the cupboard and fill it with coffee and half-and-half. They gave her uncertain glances, but thankfully, returned to their tasks.

  She sat, staring into space as she guzzled the coffee, trying to tell herself that Travis wasn’t avoiding her. And even if he was, it wasn’t because he regretted what had happened between them.

  But she couldn’t convince herself of either charge.