Shelter Me

by Allyson Charles

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  His ass was numb. Which was probably a good thing considering the rug burns he was sure marked his flesh. As soon as he got feeling back, he was going to hurt.

  Sarah shifted, notching her nose in the crook of his neck. She sighed contentedly.

  James ignored the god-awful scratchy carpet beneath him and enjoyed the sensation of her hot breath licking across his skin. His discomfort was forgotten. Just lying and holding a person was underrated. Why hadn’t he known how good having a woman draped across him felt? Had he always been too busy to stay afterward, just moved onto clean-up and either getting the hell out of there or going to sleep?

  Razor-sharp teeth sank into his calf. “Son of a bitch!” He shook his leg, dislodging the furball, the motion reminding his cock that it was still buried in Sarah’s heat. It considered perking up again, but relaxed, as tired as the rest of him.

  “Your cat just bit me.”

  “Which one?” Her voice was a throaty murmur.

  Turning his head, he caught a glimpse of orange fur over the curve of Sarah’s rear end. “I don’t know. Does it matter? They all look the same.”

  “Probably Pumpkin. Just checking to make sure you’re still alive.”

  “How nice of him.” The sarcasm in his voice must have been as tired as his dick because she murmured an easy agreement.

  “We should probably get up.” Sarah shifted, and a sheaf of her hair slid across his shoulder and chest. His cock showed definite signs of revival from that. Damn, he loved her hair.

  Starting at the base of her neck, he combed his fingers through her thick mane. “Sure.” Neither of them moved.

  Her lips curved against his neck. “This isn’t going to be one of those situations where the authorities find our bodies half-eaten by my cats because we were too lazy to move, is it?”

  His hand paused. “Your cats would eat us?” He searched with more interest for the trio of devils. Now that he wanted to know where they were, the sly bastards had decided to play hide-and-seek.

  “If they got hungry enough. Sure. They’re just—”

  A knock rattled the front door, and they both froze. A reedy voice called out. “Princess. It’s me. I’m back.”

  Sarah tensed in his arms.

  Shit. It was her dad. The crap one, but a father nonetheless. Not someone James wanted discovering him naked with his daughter. Rolling, he placed a hand on the floor.

  Sarah jerked her head back with a shriek. “My hair!”

  He cursed. A link on his watch was tangled in her hair, and the more he tried to disentangle it, the more the fucker seemed to attach itself.

  The pounding got louder. “Sarah? Are you all right, Princess?”

  “Princess?” James hissed.

  Sarah sat up with her back to the couch, and he moved with her. She grabbed her hair above the watch. The loss of warmth to his body was immediate. “He started calling me that a couple days ago. I didn’t have the heart to tell him I don’t like it.”

  James scowled. There were a lot of things she was too soft-hearted to say. The front door reverberated on its hinges. But now wasn’t the time to explain it to her. Grabbing her hair right above the tangle, he yanked and pulled his watch away.

  With a knot of broken hair still trapped between the metal links.

  “Shit.”

  Standing, she hopped over him and started pulling on her clothes. “Don’t worry about it. It’s just a bit of hair.”

  Just a bit of hair? He ran his finger over the gnarled mess. It was like frickin’ spun gold. Thankfully, she had a mess of it so the loss of a couple of strands shouldn’t make a difference. But the destruction of something so beautiful still hurt.

  “Just a minute, Harry,” she hollered. “I’ll be right there.” Sarah kicked his pants over to him, and they landed on his chest.

  In less than a minute, they were mostly decent. Sarah took a step toward the door, but he grabbed the back of her jeans and pulled her back. Lifting the hem of her shirt, he drew it over her head, turned it right side out, and pulled it back down.

  Her lips twisted adorably. “Thanks.” She took another step, and he pulled her back again.

  Lowering his mouth to hers, he kissed her hard and dirty. When he pulled away, they were both breathless. “With the return of parental supervision, I didn’t want to miss my chance.”

  “Right.” She stumbled on the way to the door, dazed. She swung the door open to a narrow-eyed Harry.

  Harry rolled his suitcase over the doorway, glaring at James with each step. “Sorry. I didn’t know you’d have company. But I didn’t want to spend any more time away from you. Not when we’ve lost so much as it is.”

  James snorted. More like he didn’t want to pay for a hotel room another night. Sarah had told James about needing her house painted, and the man’s timely removal, and he had put two and two together. With most of the painting already finished, the man was safe from having to put in any real labor.

  James swiped his socks and shoes from the floor. If he didn’t leave now, he was going to tell Harry just what he thought of him. And if he did that, he would piss Sarah off. And that was something he increasingly didn’t want to do.

  And she thought he couldn’t learn new tricks.

  With a hard look at Harry, James bent his head to press a light kiss to Sarah’s mouth. “I’ll call you tomorrow.”

  The smile she gave him warmed him in all the right places.

  He shut the front door behind him and sat on the porch to pull on his shoes. The night sky seemed to explode with stars, and he took a moment to enjoy the view. He didn’t get this in San Francisco; the sky wasn’t dark enough.

  He rubbed his chest. He needed to be careful. He was getting too comfortable in Shelter Bay. Actually starting to like it. And the woman in the house behind him was responsible.

  He just wasn’t sure if this was something he should be worried about yet.

  ****

  Sarah placed Harry’s bowl of ice cream on the coffee table and retreated to her armchair with her own. Tucking her bare feet up under her, she swirled her spoon through the melting chocolate. The strawberries and cream she’d seen at the grocery store had called to her, but Harry liked chocolate. So she’d bought the chocolate.

  She blew out a breath. She really was a doormat.

  “I’m sorry about your fella.” Harry wiped his mouth with the back of his sleeve. “I didn’t mean to send him running.”

  “Don’t worry about it. I’ll see him later.” She stabbed her spoon into the ice cream, wishing it was Harry’s head. Which was just mean of her. It wasn’t Harry’s fault his presence put the kibosh on her alone-time with James.

  Scraping the side of his bowl, Harry licked his bottom lip. He stared at her, his dark eyes narrowing.

  “What?”

  “Nothing. It’s just…”

  Harry hesitated, and Sarah wanted to scream. She’d gone from happy and satisfied to tired and pissy in three point two seconds flat. With James gone, and the mind-numbing effect he had on her, all the things she needed to get done and hadn’t that day rushed through her mind.

  First and foremost, a fundraising plan for her rescue. She still had to link her website to Paypal for donations and think of some way to persuade people to give her money.

  Then there were the emails to respond to. She’d been so excited to see emails in her cat rescue’s inbox only to quickly become disillusioned. They weren’t asking questions about her rescue or how they could help, but rather about James and the pics of him on the internet. Was he single? Could they get his contact information?

  She growled. There were too many women who expressed appreciation for James’s butt, and Sarah was starting to feel decidedly proprietary about that bit of his anatomy. And other bits. She was frustrated, jealous, and worrying about the day James left Shelter Bay. Was it too much to ask for some frickin’ strawberry ice cream
and some quality time alone in her own bed?

  She eyed Harry and bit her tongue. James would have told him to spit it out already. She merely waited.

  “Well, I didn’t want to bring this up.” He set his empty bowl on the table. “I didn’t want you to lose your good opinion of me.”

  “O-kaay.” She shifted. “You don’t have to—”

  He flapped a thick palm. “I know I don’t have to. But I don’t like keeping things from you. You deserve better.”

  Now she was really getting nervous. Nothing good ever came after the words ‘You deserve better.’

  Harry wore a hang-dog expression. “I’ve been having some problems lately. My pension isn’t keeping up with my rent increases. And Social Security?” He snorted. “That ain’t worth nothing. That’s why I’m back here tonight. I just can’t keep paying for a hotel to visit with you.”

  She cleared her throat. “I’m sorry to hear that. I know things have been a little tight for you…”

  He shook his head. “More than a little, Princess. I just didn’t want to worry you. Or make you think your dad was a loser.”

  “Of course not.” She leaned forward. “I would never think that.”

  He smiled, relief creasing his face. “‘Course you wouldn’t. You’re a sweet girl.”

  “And anything I can do to help—”

  The creases denting his cheeks deepened, right along with the pit in her stomach. She’d meant her offer. But she didn’t have a lot of ready cash. “I mean, help with a rent payment or two. Just enough to get you back on your feet.”

  “That’s real nice of you, Princess. I can see you were raised right. Helping out a father just like a daughter should. And with your fancy degree, I knew it wouldn’t be asking too much.”

  Her stomach twisted. “Of course. I’m happy to help,” she said woodenly.

  But it was a lie. She knew. She may be optimistic, but she wasn’t blind. She knew Harry was using her. That James had been right about him. But he was her father, and she still wanted a relationship. “I don’t have a lot of extra cash,” she repeated, “but I’ll try to help when I can.”

  He stood and walked to her chair. Bending, he kissed her cheek. “I’ve got a real sweet girl, and I couldn’t be prouder.” His shoulders raised and lifted with his sigh. “I’m gonna turn in now. See you in the AM.” He shuffled slowly from the room.

  Sarah stared after him, her throat going thick. He was manipulating her, using her, and still it felt good to hear him say he was proud of her. In that moment, she hated herself for her weakness. For letting herself be played even when she knew the game he was playing.

  She stood and picked up his bowl. She took both bowls to the kitchen sink. She wanted to call her dad, ask him for his advice, but it didn’t feel right. She didn’t want to set the men up against each other.

  And Brad finding out that Harry asked her for money wouldn’t be good. She snorted as she filled her sink with soapy water. That was the understatement of the century. Her brother would drag Harry out of her house and send him back home. In the trunk of his car.

  Steam moistened her face, and she breathed in the warm air, her muscles relaxing. She wanted to talk to James, but then she’d have to admit that Harry wasn’t who she’d hoped he would be. He wasn’t a bad person, just…not good.

  Peeling off her yellow gloves, she wiped her forehead with the back of her wrist. She closed her eyes and leaned against the counter. She was exhausted, but her mind raced. Sleep would be hard to find.

  When had life become so friggin’ complicated?

  Turning off the lights, she picked Clementine up. Of the three, she was the most willing to cuddle.

  If Harry hadn’t come back tonight, she’d be cuddling up to James.

  Sometimes life just sucked.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Spotting the foursome at a high table in the bar of The Rusty Nail, James considered executing a neat about-face. He didn’t need the interrogation, the dick waving, that was sure to ensue.

  He got it. Sarah’s brothers were big men who wouldn’t hesitate to beat the shit out of him if he did her wrong.

  He understood, and could even appreciate the sentiment. He just couldn’t deal with it tonight. Not after the day he’d had.

  The one woman of the group spied him and raised a hand, beckoning him over.

  His shoulders dropped. But this was the kind of day he was having. All sorts of shit he couldn’t handle was getting dumped on his plate.

  “Hi, Ellie.” He kissed her upturned cheek and shook hands with Brad, Conner, and Joe. “It’s nice to see you guys.”

  “Are you meeting Sarah here for a date?” Ellie narrowed her eyes. “That stinker said she had to work late tonight.”

  “She does.” Pulling a barstool over, James rested one butt cheek on it. “I’m picking up dinner for me and my dad.”

  That got the nod of approval from the Martineau clan. Sarah had told him how tight they all were with their father, and James had seen proof of that with his own eyes.

  He rubbed the back of his neck, looking longingly at the beer bottles scattered around the table. He could use one of those. Or ten. Thinking about his dad left him hollow inside. Like someone had taken a serving spoon to his guts and scraped them clean.

  After the news today, his first thought had been to call Sarah. She’d gone to medical school. For animals, but still.

  But his father had a doctor. And after taking him to see the man, and sitting in the waiting room for over an hour while his dad was examined, his father had told him the diagnosis.

  It all made too much sense. This wasn’t a problem Sarah could solve.

  “Can we get you a drink?” Conner looked around for a waitress, but James waved him down.

  “Nah. I called my order in and it should be ready soon.” James searched for a neutral topic. “So, Sarah’s house is looking good. She told me you guys painted it.”

  “No biggie. We couldn’t leave her with scorch marks up her walls.” Conner took a long drag, then started hacking as it went down the wrong way when Ellie elbowed him in the ribs.

  “No thanks to you,” she said. “James, never ever let this one near a paintbrush. He’s banned from painting.”

  Conner waggled his eyebrows. “Maybe that was my plan all along.”

  She opened her mouth, but Joe cut her off. “It was a team effort. Everyone helped.”

  “Everyone except Harry, of course.” Brad’s scowl would have made a Navy SEAL take a wary step back. “Dad said the man took off for a day-trip to the beach when he got there on Sunday to finish touch-ups.”

  James kept his own thoughts on the man quiet. Sarah wouldn’t appreciate his interference.

  Then again, Sarah wasn’t here.

  “How much has Sarah told you about Harry?” he asked. “What he’s asking from her?”

  Joe glowered. “What’s he asking?”

  James rubbed the back of his neck. He shouldn’t get involved. He had his own crap to deal with. His dad. His work. In a move that seemed designed to rub salt in his wounds, his boss had told him that his family leave was officially up today. No extensions allowed.

  But Sarah was the one bright spot in his life right now. He couldn’t stand to see her hurt, not if he could do something about it. “I was on her front steps putting my shoes on when I overheard Harry asking for money.”

  That announcement went over just about as well as James expected.

  “Son of a bitch,” Connor muttered.

  Brad cracked the knuckles on his right hand. “We take him out tonight before he sucks her dry.”

  The rest of the Martineau siblings glanced uneasily at each other, a look James didn’t find reassuring. He’d hoped Brad merely meant peacefully remove Harry from Sarah’s house, show him on his way, even though the words sounded more sinister. But if even his brothers and sister looked worried…

  “Sarah’s smar
t,” Connor said. “There’s no reason to think she can’t handle this on her own.”

  Brad snorted.

  “You’re not giving her enough credit.” Connor planted his elbow on the table. “She runs her own practice, owns her house. She isn’t some flighty nitwit that can never make rent. She makes good financial decisions.”

  “Hey!” Ellie frowned. “Just because a person has a little trouble with her bills each month doesn’t—”

  “I didn’t mean you.” Connor leaned over and gave her a side-hug. “You’re young. You still haven’t figured out what you want to do with life.”

  Ellie narrowed her eyes even further. “You have just as many gig jobs as me,” she muttered.

  “Perhaps there’s a middle road.” Joe tilted his head. “Somewhere between physical violence and absolute faith in Sarah standing up for herself.”

  A waitress stopped by James’s side holding a white paper bag. “Here you go. One cheeseburger and one pastrami on rye.” She looked around the table. “Can I get you guys another round?”

  Everyone shook their head. When she left, Brad stood. “I think it’s time I had a talk with dear old dad.”

  Ellie yanked on his arm until he sat. “Calm down. Harry can’t really be dumb enough to think a small-town vet is rolling in dough. Especially as Sarah gives every spare cent to any charity that sends her a sob story letter.”

  “That’s just it,” Joe said. “She’ll give money to any charity case. Harry could work that.”

  James shifted. Sarah would be a sucker for a con-man. especially one related to her, but she also wasn’t the push-over they were making her out to be. The edges of his lips quirked up for the first time that day. She certainly had no problem standing up to him.

  Ellie pointed at her brothers. “Sarah won’t appreciate you going and dragging Harry out of her house. You guys already aren’t in a good place. Don’t make her choose.”

  “She’ll always choose us,” Conner protested.

  “Besides,” she continued as if Conner hadn’t spoken, “even if he is trying to get money out of her, Sarah will be fine. She can take care of herself.”