Out of the Mist (Can't Help Falling Book 1)

by Lauren Giordano

  That seemed to stop her cold, TJ noted. Ignoring the baby's cries, the pixie froze in her tracks and spun around. He'd read her mind— not that it'd been terribly difficult to recognize the sudden flash of inspiration in her eyes. "You wanna see some ID before you go callin' the cops?"

  "What'd you say your name was?" The woman took a step closer, umbrella still pointed at him.

  She was all big eyes and sexy hair and smelling better than anything his nose had come in contact with for the better part of a year. And that husky little catch in her voice was crawlin' down his spine like nobody's business. But when she'd held him off with the umbrella, he'd had a hard time choking back laughter. Pixie was the epitome of wild contrasts.

  Platinum hair that he'd venture to assume was usually sleek and stylish was spiking up around her head. She looked like a leprechaun. . . on crack. When she'd attacked him, her eyes had burned like molten sapphires. Now, as she cautiously approached, they reminded him more of the dusky purple violets Mama Lou grew on the windowsill in the kitchen.

  "O'Brien," he muttered, a little floored by his stupefied reaction to her. It wasn't as though he'd never seen a sizzlin' hot woman before, for God's sake. Hell, he'd seen plenty. TJ was too damned tired to muddle through what he was feeling. The knot in his gut was pain and frustration and awareness all twisted together. She was sexy as hell. . . although definitely not the type he'd grown accustomed to. But since he'd been without any type for nearly a year, he wasn't about to be choosy.

  As she closed the distance, he realized he had her by at least a foot in height. Yet she'd successfully broken his wrist. And she'd brought him to his knees when she'd latched onto his finger. Although she'd only managed that miracle, TJ felt the urge to quantify, because he was severely sleep deprived and she'd caught him completely off guard. Still, you had to admire a woman with canines like a Rottweiler.

  "When I left here a year ago. . . this was my apartment. If Barnes sublet my place-" TJ scratched his whiskers, frustration mounting. He should've been horizontal by now. "We had a deal, that sonofab-"

  She froze. "D-did you— you know Matt?"

  There was no doubting the sudden squeak he heard in her voice. "Yeah, Matt Barnes. You know him?"

  "I-"

  "If he told you I wasn't comin' back . . . then, darlin', you've been seriously misled." TJ wasn't about to allow his tiny opponent the opportunity to make excuses. "I paid a full year's rent last year before I shipped out. And we had an agreement. If I got held up longer than a year— Matt was supposed to let it slide until I could square it with him."

  "Matt's. . . he's. . . he's on vacation-" She inched toward the kitchen counter, her gaze focused on her cell phone.

  "Perfect." Translation— he'd be stuck unraveling his best friend's screw-up. And in this situation— the squatter usually won. Who would've thought he'd be trapped in his own doorway being held at bay by an elf with an umbrella.

  "You'd better go pick up that kid." The wail from the guest room— from his room grew louder, piercing the exhaustion shrouding his brain. The night just kept getting better.

  Snatching her cell from the counter, she nodded. "Don't go anywhere," she warned. "I get that you know Matt, but I still need information."

  "I won't move." TJ contemplated collapsing on the couch, but knew if he did, he'd be asleep in thirty seconds. And he wouldn't get up until Tuesday.

  If Matt really had sublet his place to Pixie, then he'd simply have to finagle a way to move in. If he could talk his way into a heavily guarded missile storage site, he sure as hell could schmooze an invitation back into his own apartment. If he played his cards right, she could be downright useful. A home-cooked meal would hit the spot after endless months of MRE's. All it would take was polishing off that tarnished O'Brien charm.

  And frankly, the hunger in his blood wouldn't be quenched with a one-night stand. Once he'd had a bath and slept for a couple days he'd be feelin' a whole lot friendlier. A sudden realization swept him, leaving him cold. What if she was Matt's girlfriend? She had to be someone important to his friend, otherwise, why was she living there? The baby. Hell, it might be theirs. When he'd left fourteen months earlier, Barnes hadn't been attached to anyone. Could his friend's life have been ruined in the space of a single year?

  One thing was certain— he sure as hell couldn't have the hots for Matt's girlfriend. He ran his good hand down his face, grimacing at the whiskers he found there and tried to remember the last time he'd shaved. Weeks? A month? He mentally added another chore to the list of things he had to do before he could finally sleep.

  The pixie reappeared, a tiny, squalling bundle cradled expertly against her shoulder. Again, he took a stinging punch of awareness straight to his gut. He added sex to the rapidly growing laundry list of needs. And it just might have to come before sleep. . . or even his wrist.

  "Are you-" Married? Available? Easy? "Are you and Matt?" Hell, TJ was actually tongue-tied. "Who's the kid?" he finally managed to blurt out. Keenly aware that she was still unnerved by his presence, he approached slowly.

  "This is TJ, but we call him Joey. He's nearly six months old." For the first time, she smiled and the action suffused her face with joy. He felt that damn scraping sensation along his nerves again.

  TJ? "Wait— that's . . . my name." TJ suspected this conversation should be making more sense to him, but his brain was clouding faster than a desert sandstorm.

  Her indrawn gasp drew his attention. "You're . . . Teagan."

  The ice in her voice rolled over him, her gaze lasering in on his face. How the hell did she know- He glanced at her. Then again— studying her face. It couldn't be. The hair was different— short. Way short. It couldn't be her. Jesus— not now. Not here. He winced. "Allie?"

  "Alyssa," she corrected.

  Her frigid tone skated down his spine. Fear finally vacated her eyes, replaced by a smoldering anger he suspected had lain dormant for a decade. A volcano waiting to erupt. Probably hoping she'd run into him again someday.

  Christ— he may as well go to a hotel. Because sleep would be off the agenda here. "Matt's sister . . ." In his home. Glaring at him as though she'd just caught him all over again. Climbing out her window.

  ***

  "Matt's douchey friend."

  "That's a little harsh-"

  "You're right. How about asshat?" Alyssa tried to control her breathing. She'd fantasized about this moment for years. And now— it was ruined. She was supposed to be gorgeous. Dressed to torture him. Not in yoga pants and a t-shirt stained with baby barf. Damn it, she'd dreamed of looking hot.

  Teagan O'Brien was supposed to take one look at her and regret the night he'd leaped from her damned window to get away.

  She broke off, startled when the baby started whimpering— as though he had a built-in tuning fork and she was vibrating with hostility. Releasing a deep breath, she snuggled TJ against her shoulder, rocking him in soothing motions. "That was a long time ago," she announced, consciously lowering her voice. Instead of unloading a verbal assault that would likely confirm his suspicions about her mental state, she instead took pleasure in Teagan's paralyzed expression. Wondering whether she might fly off the handle and attack him.

  "Is this your kid?"

  She refrained from rolling her eyes. Who named a baby after a guy who'd left her in the middle of the night— choosing the window instead of the door? "TJ is Matt's son. . . Thomas Joseph Barnes. The TJ part— that's after you." Clearly, her brother had no taste in friends. Alyssa forced a smile on his behalf. "You're his godfather."

  "I'm— I'm what?"

  She enjoyed his stupefied reaction for a moment longer than necessary. "Even though he couldn't track you down, Matt wanted his best friend. You were somewhere in the Middle East, right?"

  "I-I can't say-"

  She waved away what would have been a convenient denial. She'd heard enough about TJ O'Brien to fill an encyclopedia. And a man with a nickname like 'Wildman' had never been someone she'd e
ver felt the slightest urge to get to know better. Except . . . that one night. When she'd gotten to know him really well. She just hadn't known his name.

  Although her recollection of that night had long grown hazy, in hindsight she'd acknowledged that a conversation taking place in front of the blaring speakers in a frat house common room meant she'd heard very little. Mesmerizing eyes and a killer smile had made everything seem just fine. The hot guy she'd spent several hours flirting with had already mentioned his name. And she hadn't heard it. As he likely hadn't heard hers. And probably hadn't cared.

  In the years since, Alyssa had received her Teagan information in occasional snippets from Matt— not that she'd been looking for any. O'Brien had become some sort of military hero. . . chasing around the world doing God knew what. That grain of knowledge added to the fact that her mother absolutely adored Teagan was enough to make her steer clear whenever his name came up. If Madeline Stanhope had taken a shine to TJ. . . eventually she'd catch him. Simply one more reason to stay far away.

  "Matt figured you'd return to Boston eventually-"

  His gaze on Joey, a fleeting smile lifted his serious mouth. "This is Matt's kid. I can't believe it."

  "You're not worried about the godfather duties?" She enjoyed watching his mouth contort to something close to horror under the thick, scruffy growth of whiskers hiding his face. "You'll have some serious character-building to do."

  "Listen, Allie-"

  "Alyssa," she reminded coldly. She hadn't had a problem with Allie that night— until he'd fled.

  He shot her a worried glance. "What I don't know about character-building would fill the Library of Congress. Please tell me you're kidding."

  Though it made him distinctly more human, she ignored the flare of panic in cool, gray eyes. She couldn't risk him becoming likeable. "The christening was three months ago."

  "Damn him. Matt probably did it as a joke." When he waved his hand, he jerked back in pain.

  She heard his indrawn breath and was surprised by the rush of sympathy she experienced when he winced. "How's your wrist?"

  "Broken." His tone matter-of-fact, he studied his swelling wrist. "I'm gonna splint it up before I leave, if that's all right with you."

  "But this is your apartment." After all she'd heard about him— superhuman feats; endless charm; cocky self-assurance— she'd imagined the hulking giant giving her a harder time over stealing his apartment. "Wait-" Alyssa did a doubletake. "Did you say broken? I couldn't possibly-"

  He snorted with something akin to disgust. "Trust me."

  The training actually worked! Exhilaration coursed through her. She'd successfully defended herself.

  "I can see by your smile how upset you are." His assessing gaze picked up on the exultation she tried to hide.

  She bit her lip. "I'm sorry," she blurted, pride turning to horror over attacking an innocent man. "I didn't mean to hurt you. After everything that's happened . . . I took a self defense course-" She risked a glance, but his expression remained stoic. "I thought you were breaking in."

  "Whatever." TJ dismissed her apology with a shrug of powerful shoulders. For the first time, Alyssa noticed the dusky hollows of fatigue beneath world-weary eyes. And she remembered where he'd most likely spent the past year. Imagined what he'd witnessed. . . and experienced.

  "You can't go." Guilt made the words tumble from her mouth before she thought to stop them. He swung around, intent for the door and she moved swiftly past him to block it.

  His eyes lit with humor, as though the idea of her stopping him was vastly amusing. "I'm getting a splint from my duffel."

  "You should stay here," she urged. "There are two bedrooms anyway."

  "You've got your hands full with the kid. I can find a hotel just as easy as staying here. Chances are, I won't be home more than a few weeks anyway." Cradling his broken wrist, TJ glared at her one last time. "Please move. I don't have the energy to lift you out of the way."

  Alyssa stood her ground despite the wintry chill in his eyes that softened only when Joey began slurping his fist. Steeling her courage, she continued. "Truth is, when I borrowed this place, I'd forgotten all about you."

  It had been easy, really. There were so few reminders in the apartment of the brooding man standing before her. The scant possessions TJ seemed to own were locked in a closet in the guestroom— his room, she reminded herself. Otherwise, the space was devoid of clues to his personality, his likes or dislikes. No pictures. No personal items. She wondered if the air of mystery was practiced or preferred. Perhaps he was a man who enjoyed a near obsessive sense of privacy. Or maybe in his line of work, he couldn't afford to leave any clues behind when he disappeared.

  "Borrowed?" TJ's forehead creased in confusion. "Don't you live in town?"

  Belatedly, Alyssa realized the fog surrounding him was probably a combination of jet lag and exhaustion, coupled with the excruciating pain she'd inflicted on him. TJ's frustration was nearly palpable, the facade of charm finally cracking with the strain of not knowing what the hell was going on. A wave of sympathy for the scruffy giant caught her by surprise.

  "My apartment is-" Too dangerous since the break-ins. "Being . . . renovated," she finally finished. At the flare of interest in his eyes, she hurried to distract him. "Matt and his wife, Julie are on a second honeymoon in Hawaii."

  His eyebrows scrunched together. "So— you're staying here?"

  That had been the plan. With her brother out of town, who would've known? The weird stranger pursuing her hadn't known about Matt's rental properties. She'd camped out for three days with no problems. "I can't afford a brownstone on Beacon Hill so I traded my babysitting services for a couple weeks in this gem," she lied.

  Now, she'd be forced to move to her mother's place. Which would be safer for TJ, she admitted. After the second break-in yesterday, Alyssa had already decided to drop the baby off with Madeline. When she'd agreed to watch TJ, her life had been normal. But rather than worry Matt and Julie, she'd stuck to the plan.

  Until the weird, bearded stranger had begun following her. Leaving notes. Pictures shoved under her door so she would discover them in the morning— of her. A quick shudder coursed through her. Madeline would have a meltdown— which was the last thing she needed so soon after her surgery.

  "Behind those pretty eyes, your brainwaves are on fire." TJ's calm words belied the scrutiny in his eyes. "What's really going on?"

  Startled, she ran her gaze down his hulking frame. A built in bodyguard— at least for the nights. She'd finally sleep. "Maybe we could . . . share the space?"

  ***

  Look for Book 4 of the Blueprint to Love series, Hank Freeman's story, SHELTERING ANNIE.

  Love Under Construction . . .

  Solitary widower Henry Hank Freeman has relearned how to be alone. In a world gone colorless with grief, he views life in varying shades of gray. Until bumping into Annie McKenna, a mysterious woman walking her own lonely road. But when their paths cross, he sees only light. And a rainbow of opportunity.

  Annie McKenna doesn't need any distractions. Perpetually on the run from her abusive ex- husband, she has two kids to hide and protect. No job. No money. No hope. Until she meets Hank Freeman at the shelter she's living in. For the first time in years, she's awakened to a sharp sense of longing. For a normal life. With a man she can trust. But Hank seems too good to be true.

  Falling for Annie and her boys was the easy part. Convincing her to build a new dream with him might take longer than the addition he's constructing for the shelter. And protecting them from her ex is a full-time job. Believing Henry's beautiful blueprint will take all the faith Ann can summon. She can't afford another mistake. Because where she's escaped from . . . mistakes can kill.

  SHELTERING ANNIE

  Available Winter, 2017

  Dear Reader:

  Thank you for reading OUT OF THE MIST. I hope you enjoyed Matt and Julie's adventure on their way to love. If you liked this book, please consider leaving
a review on Amazon or Goodreads. I hope you'll return for Teagan and Alyssa's story, OUT OF REACH. Solitary Army sniper TJ O'Brien has resisted Alyssa Barnes for too many years— except for a single hot night a decade earlier. His best friend in the world had extracted only one promise— stay away from his sister. Keeping several continents between them has worked just fine.

  When Teagan breaks down the door, Alyssa's memories come flooding back. One horrible, amazing night she's never been able to erase. With an off-limits man she's never forgotten. When their paths unexpectedly cross again, TJ wants to believe it's only to keep his best friend's sister safe. Because hunting her stalker is less intimidating than facing the woman he left behind. OUT OF REACH will be available January, 2017.

  Other books:

  Blueprint to Love series:

  Trusting Jake

  Falling for Ken

  Chasing Marisol

  and a standalone novel, FOR HER PROTECTION. To learn about upcoming books, please visit my Website or at Lauren Giordano Amazon page. Visit Lauren on Goodreads, follow Lauren on Twitter or Facebook.

  Happy reading!

  Lauren Giordano

  About the Author

  Lauren Giordano is an award-winning author of eight contemporary romance and romantic suspense novels. She also blogs about her troubling encounters on the journey to 'create' in her kitchen. Her Cooking Disasters blog can be found at laurengiordanoauthor.com. Originally from New England, Lauren and her family live in the Mid-Atlantic.

  PUBLISHED BY:

  Harvest Moon Press

  OUT OF THE MIST

  All Rights Reserved.

  Copyright 2016, Lauren Giordano

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment. This ebook may not be re-sold or given to other people. If you would like to share this book , please do so through proper retail channels. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author. To obtain permission to excerpt portions of the text, please contact the author. This is a work of fiction. The events and characters described herein are imaginary and are not intended to refer to specific places or living persons.