Shelter Me

by Allyson Charles

  Sarah patted him on the shoulder.

  James turned to her friend. “Have you known Sarah long?”

  “About twenty-five years longer than you.” Cassie tipped her head. “So. James. I hear you’ve been a big help to Sarah.”

  He leaned back. “You mean with her nonprofit.”

  “Sure.” A devious smile lit up Cassie’s face. “Let’s start with that.”

  Ah. She was that kind of friend. One who liked to probe and poke and generally make a nuisance of herself. He smiled. Just the kind of friend Sarah needed.

  “Whoops, hold on to your ass. Incoming.” Tucking a piece of flaming hair behind her ear, Cassie passed him a bowl of Chex Mix then smiled brightly at the two Martineau siblings crossing the room towards them. “Have you met Ellie and Brad?”

  Another round of handshakes. He set the bowl on the coffee table in front of him and inched forward in his seat, his thighs tensing. The way Brad was eyeballing him could require defensive tactics.

  Ellie dropped into the chair across from the sofa and crossed her long legs, her foot swinging. “So, James, how do you know my sister?”

  “She treated my dad’s dog, and I’m helping her with her nonprofit filing. We’re friends.” James let that thought roll around in his mind. Something about the word ‘friend’ didn’t sit right in his gut. Not when it came to Sarah, and he didn’t understand why.

  Sarah slid into the spot next to him and the end of the couch, the space too small for a normal-sized person. She barely fit, one leg wedged against the armrest, her other thigh pressed into his. He could move over a couple of inches, give her some space.

  He took the longneck she handed him and settled in more deeply. Her leg was warm against his, and, besides, he didn’t feel like moving.

  “What are you guys talking about?” Sarah brought her bottle to her mouth, the glass indenting her lower lip as she took a swallow. She licked away an errant drop, and James reconsidered sitting so close to her. He couldn’t get a hard-on when there were four men within fifty feet likely to kill him if he so much as looked at Sarah wrong.

  Ellie leaned across the coffee table and snaked Sarah’s beer, taking a long pull, before Sarah yanked it back. “I just wanted to know how you and your new boyfriend met.”

  “He’s not my boyfriend,” Sarah said the same time James said, “I’m not her boyfriend.”

  They glared at each other.

  “Besides,” Cassie said, angling her body toward James, “he’s too tall for her. A woman who’s only 5’3” should only date men 5’9” or shorter. It’s a rule.”

  “Who says?” Sarah shot back.

  “Biology.” Cassie narrowed her eyes. “Body parts don’t line up right if the height difference is too great. Important body parts.”

  Brad groaned. “I don’t want to hear about my sister’s body parts.”

  “I’ve wondered about that.” Ellie rooted through the bowl until she found a nut she liked. “That jackass you were dating. Brett. He was big. Weren’t you sore?”

  Cassie spit out a mouthful of soda. Brad closed his eyes, looking pained. James’s stomach rolled. Who the hell was Brett? Had the relationship been serious?

  “A sore neck leaning back to kiss the giant.” Ellie shook her head in disgust. “You all have dirty minds.”

  Wiping at the spill on her jeans, Cassie cleared her throat. “Be that as it may, I still say that men with James’s height should be reserved for us taller ladies.”

  “Here, here.” Ellie raised a pecan in agreement.

  “Don’t us men have a say?” James asked mildly. Not that he had anything against tall women. Sexy was sexy, regardless of size. But he wouldn’t want to eliminate such a large portion of the female population from his dating pool. Especially not when Sarah was among the vertically-challenged.

  “No,” both Cassie and Ellie replied.

  Robert and the twins came in from the front porch. “Time to get the meat on the grill,” Robert said. “Joe, get the steaks.”

  “And get me another beer,” Conner yelled at his retreating back. Joe raised his middle finger and disappeared into the kitchen.

  Robert paused at a sliding-glass door that led to a large deck. “James, why don’t you come outside while we grill. We can get to know you.”

  “Sounds good.” Maybe. Depended on what exactly was going to be grilled. But if it came down to hanging with guys out by the barbeque, or being the only man surrounded by women talking about dating, he’d take the third degree, even if it turned out to be a burn.

  When he stepped out on the deck, James whistled, long and loud. Now that was a grill. Encased in a brick structure, the barbeque was built into the deck and featured the grill, a smoker, and a gas-powered stove-top. A wet bar ran alongside it, and James experienced a serious case of envy.

  Robert shrugged. “I like to barbeque. Raising the kids, we ate out here more than indoors. The investment seemed worth it.”

  “No arguments here.” The smell of cedar chips teased his nose. “You don’t use the gas to grill?”

  Joe joined them with a large platter of T-bones. Conner followed carrying plates of foil-wrapped potatoes and ears of corn. “We like the flavor the fire-grill gives the meat. We only use the gas when Ellie wants to cook something stupid, like sweet potatoes. Don’t want to waste the wood chips on that.”

  James nodded. “I’ve always wanted a setup like this. But my condo in the city is on the fifth floor. My dad has the space for it.” Not for long, not if James was able to convince him to move into assisted living. His dad would have to give up a lot of his comforts, but at this point, it didn’t look like it could be avoided.

  Aging was a bitch.

  “You staying with your father?” Robert asked.

  “He had a heart attack a couple months ago and recovery has been a long road. It shouldn’t be much longer.” James sucked down his beer. “We won’t survive together much longer without killing each other.”

  “I hear that.” Brad clapped his dad on the back.

  “You’re not exactly a peach to live with, either,” Robert grumbled.

  Through the window, Sarah threw her head back to laugh at something Cassie said. She looked so relaxed now that she was away from her house.

  “So what’s the story with Sarah’s dad?” He caught Robert’s narrowed eyes. “Sorry. Her biological father. No offense,” he said to Brad, “but the guy seems like a tool.”

  Brad clenched his fists, nodding. “You don’t have to tell me. I had his number by the time I was four years old.”

  Robert clasped Brad by the back of the neck, gave him a reassuring squeeze. He turned to James. “Why do you say that?”

  “Him disrespecting her house with his smoking. And that bullshit about his car.” He took a swig of beer, shaking his head. “It doesn’t sound right.”

  “What about his car?” Joe asked.

  Whoops. He’d assumed Sarah was as free with her information to her family as she was to him. He hesitated. “He says he can’t go home without a new transmission. She’s paying for it.” His stomach burned all over again at the idea. Sarah was a veterinarian, owned her own home. He was sure she could afford it. He thought about her crappy hatchback and small cottage. Probably afford it, he revised.

  But it was the principle. An able-bodied man shouldn’t be mooching off his daughter, especially not one he’d abandoned and ignored for most of her life. Why couldn’t Sarah see she was being used?

  The Martineau men shared a look.

  James nodded at Joe. “You’re the cop, right? You’ve checked him out?”

  Joe crossed his arms. “Using government resources for personal inquiries would be an abuse of power.”

  Four pairs of eyes stared at him.

  He scowled. “Of course, I checked him out. There wasn’t much there. Harry Kiraly has been married and divorced twice. No kids other than Brad and Sarah. Was a welder and went
out on disability about a decade ago. No priors. Never been a party to a civil suit. Nothing that threw up any red flags.”

  “Well, I don’t like it.” Conner flipped the ribeyes. “He’s been at her house too long. It’s time for him to leave.”

  James nodded.

  “That’s not our decision to make,” Robert said. Brad snorted, and his dad tightened his grip on his neck. “It’s not. We have to let Sarah make the decision what kind of relationship she wants with the man. We’ll just be there for her if she needs us.”

  His sons didn’t look convinced. James couldn’t say he was, either. He’d never understood the idea of letting people make their own mistakes. If he could stop someone from doing something stupid, why wouldn’t he?

  But Sarah wasn’t his to worry about. Looking through the window, he caught sight of her fiddling with the end of her braid. He scratched at the tightness behind his chest. Something in her current conversation was making her unhappy.

  He shook himself. The four men in front of him would take care of her. James couldn’t imagine what it would be like having all those siblings watching his back. He’d never thought about what it would be like being a part of a large family, but he could see now that it could have some benefits.

  He tipped his bottle to his lips.

  She had plenty of people to look out for her. Plenty of people she could turn to.

  So why did he feel so uneasy about the thought of leaving her when he returned home to San Francisco?

  Chapter Fourteen

  Sarah’s cheeks heated. He was watching her. Again. And she didn’t quite know what to make of James’s penetrating gaze. Especially since he was talking to the men in her family. Any conversation he could be having about her with her dad and brothers couldn’t be good.

  Something small struck her cheek, and Sarah flinched. She glared from the peanut on the ground to her sister. “You could have hit my eye.”

  Ellie shrugged. “You weren’t listening to me.”

  “What?” she asked, exasperated.

  Ellie scraped at the label to her bottle. “I was wondering if you had any temporary work for me. My rent is coming up and it might be a bit tight this month.”

  Her little sister was twenty-three. And she was smart. She should have been able to find a full-time job by now. “You temped at my office because Melanie was on vacation. I don’t need two assistants.”

  “Right. Of course.” Ellie dropped her head, her chestnut hair hiding her face.

  Sarah blew out a breath. This was going to hurt her checkbook. “I could use some help with the feral cats, though. I’m going to be busy setting up the nonprofit so I’ll need someone to go out and feed them and look for any injured ones.” A couple of requests to volunteer had come through her website, but as she hadn’t had time yet to interview the candidates, Ellie was the next best, if more expensive, option.

  Her sister brightened, flashing Sarah a million-dollar smile. And even though Sarah knew she’d been played, just a little bit, warmth flushed her body at making her sister happy.

  She was such a sucker.

  Brad poked his head in the door. “Steaks are almost ready. Can you ladies do something useful, like set the table?”

  He ducked back out before Ellie’s handful of nuts could hit his head. Cassie scowled. “Ever since he’s got back, your brother has been an even bigger jerk than usual.”

  Standing, Sarah stretched, her shirt rising over her belly button. She caught James staring and started to yank it back down. Oh, what the hell? She liked the appreciation in his gaze. She stretched deeper. “He just likes to rile you up. I’ll get the plates and silverware.” She lightly kicked Ellie as she passed. “You can get the salad and bread. And a broom for all the nuts you wasted.”

  They sat down on the wood table on the deck, a light breeze cutting through the early evening’s warmth. James already seemed like best friends with her brothers, laughing and joking, part of the group. He slid so easily into her family, Sarah was almost jealous. Her father caught her eye, nodded at James, and winked.

  Great. He even had her dad’s approval. Which would have made her happy if James had any intention of sticking around, but this was just a fling. It wasn’t every day her dad gave his approval to a man she brought home. He had to go and waste it on James.

  Leaning back in his chair, James rubbed his flat stomach. “Damn, that was good. Even better than the steaks at the Wagon Wheel. Thank you, Robert.”

  “My pleasure. Next time, bring your dad with you. The more, the merrier.”

  Next time? James could be back in San Francisco next week. She ignored the small pit of nausea in her stomach. “Dad, that’s nice of you, but—”

  “Thanks,” James interrupted. “I’m sure he’d like that. He always says I don’t cook him anything worth eating.”

  Robert chuckled. “Sarah, why don’t you show our guest the creek? James can walk off some of his dinner.” Conner hopped up, and her dad stared him down. “The rest of us will clean up this mess.”

  “Dad!” Conner huffed. “I have a date with Charise.”

  “Sunday night after dinner?” Her dad raised an eyebrow. “What the hell kind of date is that?”

  “I’m taking her for ice cream.” Connor’s face couldn’t have looked more angelic.

  Nobody bought it.

  “KP duty. Now.” Her dad shook his head as he pressed to his feet. Sarah was happy to escape what was sure to be ten minutes of whining by her brother. Never a good look on a grown man, and a fireman to boot.

  She grabbed James’s elbow and tugged him to the steps off the back of the deck. The mowed lawn turned into a field of long grasses and wildflowers as the land sloped down to the small creek behind the house.

  James inhaled. “You grew up here? What an amazing yard for a kid.”

  She tipped her head back, letting the last rays of sun warm her face. “I didn’t appreciate it when I first moved here. My mom had just died and no creek or pool was going to fix that.”

  He brushed his hand against hers, their pinkie fingers entangling. “I’m sorry. How old were you when she died?”

  “Ten.” And twenty-three years later, the pain of it could still steal her breath. The awful realization that her mom was never coming home. Seeing the tears in her new dad’s eyes.

  The guilt.

  Mostly the pain was muted now, like a fire dampened by a heavy blanket, but it still sparked up. She rubbed her knuckle into her breastbone.

  “You don’t want my dad coming to dinner.” James bent and picked up a stone. He chucked it into the burbling stream.

  “Your dad is fine. It’s you I’m not sure I want back.” Dropping to a squat, she brushed a small space clear of stones and sat down, stretching her legs out. “Nothing personal. I just don’t want to give my family the wrong impression about us.”

  He settled next to her, his jean-clad thigh warm against hers. “We told them we were friends.”

  “And if we were just friends, there wouldn’t be a problem.” She leaned back on her elbows. “But we both know we aren’t, no matter how much we wish we were.”

  They stared at the creek as the sun dipped lower in the sky.

  “For someone with kids, I can see the appeal of Shelter Bay. This is a nice place to grow up,” James said.

  She turned to stare at him. His profile was damn near perfect. A straight nose, kissable lips, and a firm jawline. “But no appeal to single adults?”

  His lips quirked up. “There’s one thing here I find very appealing.”

  She didn’t know whether to feel pleased by his compliment or annoyed he was dissing her hometown again. She settled for a small sniff before relaxing back against the earth.

  The crickets started talking to each other and the wind soughed through the leaves, but everything else was silent. James lowered himself back, his shoulder brushing hers, and he tucked his hands behind his head. He was so sol
id next to her, and it took all of her self-control not to curl up into his side and wrap an arm around his chest.

  “You aren’t just a woman I want to have sex with.” He sounded surprised. “Not anymore.”

  Sarah’s laughter burst out of her. “Oh, the sweet things you say.”

  He turned on his side, propped up on one elbow, and rested his head in his hand. His eyes caught the last of the sunlight, glittering darkly down at her. “I didn’t say that to be funny. I didn’t mean to say it out loud,” he grumbled.

  “I know.” She rolled to face him, her breasts grazing his chest. Tracing the faded print stretched across his pecs, she said, “I like you in a T-shirt and jeans. You’re sexy when you go casual.” Not that he wasn’t sexy in a suit, especially when he loosened his tie and rolled up the sleeves of his button-down shirt.

  She blew out a breath. Yep, definitely a hottie in a suit. But business clothes were for the city, not Shelter Bay. She didn’t like the reminder that he didn’t belong here. She traced the sleeve of his stretchy, blue cotton shirt, her fingertip trailing over his impressive biceps.

  Grabbing her roving finger, James pressed her hand flush against his chest. His heart pounded against her palm.

  She looked up from their joined hands, and caught his eye. “You’re leaving in a week or two.” Her heart squeezed. Another person leaving her. Damn, she wasn’t supposed to get attached.

  “I’m here now.” He lowered his head, his breath skipping across her lips.

  “I want you, but I don’t know if I can have a meaningless affair.” She rubbed her thighs together, trying to ignore her body as it screamed at her to shut up. To not ruin this moment. Because her body needed him, needed the connection.

  But she knew herself too well. Try as she might, she wouldn’t be able to stay emotionally distant from a man she let inside her body.

  He wrapped his arm around her and dragged her body flush to his. Wrapping his hand around her braid, he tugged her head back and dropped his lips to her exposed throat. “I think that ship has sailed, too.” His teeth grazed her skin, and she shivered. “No matter how short our affair, it won’t be meaningless. And who knows? Maybe we’ll suck together in the sack and this attraction between us will fizzle out. And we will be just friends.”