A voice startled both of us and popped our bubble. “Oh shit! I’m so sorry. I’ll just wait out here.”
Mac jumped and instinctively pushed her top down. I dragged my fingers free, pivoting my head around to find Trudy standing in the doorway, cheeks red, hand at her throat. I attempted to shield Mac, but it proved futile. Trudy had obviously seen way more than she should have.
Dragging my fingers slowly out of Mac, disappointment causing me to snap, I barked, “Wait for us in the living room.”
When she spun on her heels and disappeared, I lifted my fingers to my mouth, licking them while searching her face. Our connection had been broken at the interruption, her body stiffening.
Even as her wide eyes latched onto my tongue swiping away her juices, I knew I’d lost her again.
She pushed me away and stood, pulling up her panties and jeans, making sure her clothes were back in place. God, she looked a sight with flushed cheeks and enlarged pupils. Damn Trudy for coming over. I’d become so tightly coiled, needing my own release I teetered on the edge of charging out and raging at her.
“This isn’t finished. Not by a long shot,” I threw at Mac before turning on my heels and going to greet my wife.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Mac
Mortified didn’t accurately describe how I felt. My body had betrayed me and Trudy had walked in on us. She’d probably heard my cries of bliss. What must she think and how could I face her now?
Before I stepped into the kitchen, I listened to Harley’s heated voice.
“Jesus, Trudy. Ever hear of knocking?”
“I did knock! I called out but no one answered, so I tried the door and found it unlocked. I searched the whole apartment before hearing noises in the garage. I…uh…I’m sorry I walked in on you.”
A breath huffed out. Harley’s. “Look, I appreciate you dropping this off. I’m struggling with knowing what to think or feel. I can’t pretend like I know you, Trudy. Christ, I’m still trying to decide if I want to visit my own mother!”
“She’ll understand if you tell her what happened.”
Making an appearance, I stepped into the living room. Both heads turned to me.
“Coffee?” I squeaked, not knowing what else to ask, but desperately needing a caffeine hit. My embarrassment followed me into the kitchen as I heard both Harley and Trudy answer yes.
Keep busy, Mac. Don’t lose it.
I made a mistake. A silly, beautiful mistake. I couldn’t let it happen again. The sooner Harley moved back into his own place, the better. After tomorrow when my alarm got fitted, he could begin getting his life back. Without me.
After the coffee brewed, the three of us sat in an uneasy silence, until I piped up. It had to be done.
“So. My opinion about keeping some distance from you both still stands. Trudy, Harley’s moving back in here tomorrow so he can pick some of his life up.”
Two sets of eyes on me were grilling. Especially Harley’s. I avoided looking at him until he let loose.
“Jesus, Mac. Are you still set on me living back here? I can’t access my bank accounts yet. How am I supposed to survive? After what just happened…”
He didn’t finish because Trudy interrupted. “You can stay with me. You know, until we get your money situation sorted.”
How convenient, I thought. She jumped right in there, probably waiting for the moment. Why did the idea of them living together turn my stomach? As much as I wanted to step back, I didn’t like the thought of them living under the same roof. God, I’d morphed into a hypocrite.
Harley gave her a look that screamed, are you serious? And then pinned me with one that set my skin alight. His dusky eyes bored into me with such intensity I had to look down. He hadn’t finished his argument with me.
“Not to mention, Angel. Your apartment was broken into, in case you forgot. How can I protect you from here?”
“Once my alarm gets fitted you won’t have to,” I rebutted.
“What about the times you’re not at the apartment?” He rose and took a step toward me and I put my hand up to stop him so I could think straight.
“I can’t live in fear. It may have been a random, one-time thing. Criminals searching for drug money?” I didn’t really believe that, but I could give him nothing else. Picking up my mug from the small table beside the chair, I took a large swig, letting the taste comfort me and steeling me for what I needed to add. “I think Trudy’s right. You should move in with her.”
His neck reddened and he balled his fists as his side. Definitely angry. “Fuck, Mac! Are you crazy? I’ve already led danger to you. Do you want me to lead it to Trudy as well?”
He had a point, but if we were being watched right now, that theory went out the window.
She chimed in, “I have an alarm fitted and live in a safe complex with security. It’s probably your best bet until the guy who shot you is caught. Don’t you think?”
Harley flung his head back and let out a groan, the arteries in his neck engorged. I hated to agree with Trudy, but she had a good argument. In his apartment he would be vulnerable to an attack.
“Besides,” Trudy went on, “I think we had an old joint bank account which still has some funds in it. I don’t know why I didn’t think of it earlier. It may not be much, but every little bit will help.”
Why did she have to be so practical? Maybe that’s why Harley had married her, besides her obvious beauty. I imagined her taking care of everything while he dove into his missions and tours. A good little wife.
Downing the rest of my coffee in three gulps, I silently wished vodka would appear so I could wallow in it. Already knowing Harley’s answer, I steeled myself.
“Fine. But it won’t be for long. Just until I figure things out. It doesn’t mean we’re back together. And it won’t be until after Mac’s alarm is fitted.” He shot Trudy a warning glare.
She nodded but had a smile plastered on her face. I felt like throwing my empty cup at her head, but I needed to be civil for Harley’s sake. “Okay, that’s settled. Now, I have to go and pick up some things from the store. I’ll leave you two in peace.” Her cheeks pinked and I knew she was recalling that dreaded moment when I’d been half-naked.
We didn’t walk her to the door. She found her way out. Once her car drove off, Harley approached me. “Why do you want me out so badly?”
He overtook my personal space again as if doing so might intimidate me, but I held my ground. “It’s not that. I’m attempting to help you. You just can’t see it.”
“All I see is a beautifully, stubborn woman who can’t see what’s right in front of her. Look at me, Angel. Front and center.”
Sighing, I obeyed and absorbed the encompassing male energy he exuded. His ripe mouth glistened and his eyes were nothing short of sinful. Hellfire. What had I been going to say? My mind shut down in a millisecond. Were we now going to finish what we started earlier? I could feel some fierce testosterone breach my comfort zone. He patiently waited for a response, so I blurted out, “I don’t want you to go. Not at all.” What then? Did I even know? Maybe I ran scared because the man in front of me had me feeling things I never could have dreamed of.
His pointer finger lashed across my lips, backwards and forwards, backwards and forwards.
My insides were a horrendous accumulation of knotted nerves. I wasn’t game to blink.
“Then what are you doing, sending me to live with Trudy?” He feathered my cheek.
“You’ll be safe there.”
“And you won’t.”
We were going round and round in circles. Stepping out of his trajectory, I moved to the couch, where I plonked down and changed the subject.
“Tomorrow while I’m at work, you need to call the police and see if they have any leads as to who shot you. Surely the cops have a clue by now, if they’re doing their job properly.”
“It’s not black and white like that, Mac. If it’s connected with the military, the police might be clueless.”
I hadn’t thought of that. I’d never lived in a world which involved criminals and attempted murder. Somehow my life had stepped across the threshold of normal into something else entirely.
“I’ll be fine. It’s you they’re after, not me. I’m just a nurse with no life. What could they possibly want with me?”
Harley sat on the coffee table, facing me. “Leverage.”
I let the word ring in my head for a few heartbeats. Could it be possible? I would have thought Trudy would be a better target. Not that I wanted her in mortal danger, but it made more sense.
“I’ll keep my trips outside of the hospital to a minimum, if it will make you feel any better. It’s not like I had a life before you came along.” Immediately I regretted my words. His lips compressed and his pupils enlarged.
He hung his head and shook it. “If I’d known the trouble I’d bring to you, I never would have agreed to come home with you.”
I’d insisted. Now I would live with the consequences, whatever they may be.
“If you had your memory, we wouldn’t be sitting here having this conversation.”
Truth be told, I made the right decision in bringing him home, even if he carried a mountain of baggage. I’d been looking for excitement and fire, and I’d certainly found it.
The million dollar question, though? How would I cope going back to mundane and routine?
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Mac
Work offered a welcome reprieve and left me little time to contemplate anything other than doing rounds and tending to patients.
The accident victim who had taken Harley’s place awoke with his full faculties, thankfully. He had been moved to a general ward for recovery.
Char caught up with me in the staff cafeteria at lunch time, eager to learn about my new housemate.
“So, how’s our John Doe doing?” Her eyes twinkled and the grin stretched her face wide.
Pouring a coffee, I shucked off my shoes and sat at an empty table. We had the room to ourselves so I was able to talk.
“Ugh, Char, where do I begin? So much has happened since Friday.” Waiting for her to fill her cup and join me, I began. “My apartment got trashed on Saturday.”
“What? Oh shit, Mac! That’s terrible. Are you okay? Did they take anything?”
“Nothing appears to be missing. They did a good job of upending the place, though. If Harley hadn’t been there…”
“So they broke in and stole nothing?” Disbelief marred her features.
“I know. I’m surprised too, but I’m certain it’s connected to Harley’s past.”
“Jesus, girl. What have you got yourself into?”
“There’s more.”
She downed some of her coffee, shaking her head. “I’m not sure I want to know after hearing that.”
“Oh, it gets better. We went into town to the festival and who should we run into but his ex-wife? She recognized him, but of course, he didn’t have a clue who she was. Turns out they had separated but were in discussions about working everything out.”
Char’s eyes grew exponentially. “He’s married? Wow. How do you feel about that?”
Fingering the handle on my cup, I slanted her a quick eye roll, then peered down at my cup again. “Honestly, I don’t have any right to feel anything.” I took a deep breath and then blurted out, “But we kissed and sparks flew big time. I’m talking scorching. And now I’m so confused because I want him to stay but I told him he needs to move in with his wife.”
I gritted my teeth at the last declaration because it sounded idiotic.
When my friend didn’t answer, I peeked up. Her mouth had opened as if to speak but she appeared at a loss for words. I couldn’t blame her. I waited. And waited.
“Have I totally lost the plot?” I asked.
Finally she spoke. “Hell, girl. You don’t do anything by halves. I can’t believe all this has gone on over the span of two days. It’s better than a daytime soap.”
I needed her to give me advice. Something to help me deal with it. “As my friend, do you have any suggestions?”
“First of all, why in God’s name would you send him back to his wife when they’d separated? This is one of the hottest guys to ever grace this medical establishment. Do you need me to slap some sense into you?”
I giggled at her rebuttal. Charlotte and I thought differently when it came to men. If she became attracted to one, nothing else mattered. I, on the other hand, had a conscience.
“It’s only until the guy who attacked him is caught.”
“That might take years! By then they’ll have ten babies! Oh girl, I need to teach you a lesson in catching a man and keeping him.”
Coughing on my coffee as I swallowed, I spluttered out, “Nick will be home in a few days.”
“And? What’s your point? You kick his distant ass to the curb and zero in on the herculean package who clearly wants you.”
Heat burned my neck and my eyes shot backwards and forwards nervously.
“You’re keeping something else from me. What is it?”
“What?”
“Don’t what me! You’re doing that thing with your eyes when I know there’s something else you haven’t told me. Now spill.”
No one could read me like Char. I both hated and loved that about her. At the moment I hated it. Gulping some more caffeine, I tried to act as nonchalant as possible by leaning my head on my right hand, and fiddling with the sugar bowl in the middle of the table. “He kinda gave me an orgasm.”
“Mac! You better not be shitting me! This is insane! See, now do you understand what I’m telling you? The Man God is hot for you. Shit!” She clutched the edge of the table to keep herself in her seat. She looked like she wanted to get up on the table and twerk. “Tell me details! Tell me you flew to the stars! I need you to tell me that.”
Char didn’t exactly have an exciting life either at the moment, so hearing about my tryst would no doubt be the highlight of her day.
Recalling how Harley had dragged every ounce of pleasure from me had me grinning like a fool. “It was…incredible.”
“God. He hasn’t even dipped his dick in yet. Imagine what that will be like?”
“Charlotte! Can you not?”
My friend roared laughing, throwing her head back fully. I didn’t find her humor funny at this point.
“Just saying.” Checking her watch, she stood. “Gotta get back to it. Call me tonight if anything else happens.” Blowing me an air kiss, she breezed out, leaving me with two minutes to get back to it. Confusion gripped me more than ever. Part of me wanted to throw caution to the wind and take a reckless chance on Harley, but I still had to deal with Nick, so I didn’t need any other drama. For now I’d stick to my guns and send Harley on his way.
***
The rest of the day flew by and I couldn’t help the flutter of anticipation in my belly at going home to the hunk of a man who’d be waiting. Tonight being our last night together, I would stop by the supermarket and get some fresh ingredients to cook him something special.
On my way down to the basement garage of the hospital, my cell pealed out. Checking the screen it read, Charlie. I didn’t know anyone by that name. Unless…remembering the message I’d left when I’d called Harley’s military buddy, I quickly answered. “Mackenzie speaking.”
“Hi Mackenzie. It’s Charlie O’Donnell. You called a couple of days ago. I’ve only just got back in the country. What can I do for you?”
His rich, husky voice befitted an armed forces soldier. “Hi Charlie. I’m a friend of Harley…uh Declan’s. I needed to talk with you. Can you speak freely?”
“Yep. All good. Dec, huh? What’s he up to since he’s been home?”
“Ah. Well, here’s the thing. He was shot and taken to hospital…”
“Son bitch! Is he okay? Did they catch the motherfucker who did it? Where is he now? I need to see him!”
Fury laced his words as he talked way too fast. I quickly
replied before he could say anything else. “He’s fine. He’s out of hospital and has been staying at my place. I cared for him in ICU. Physically he’ll make a full recovery, but he’s got no memory prior to the shooting. He suffered head injuries when he collapsed.”
“Jesus! I’m going to find out who did this and tear their head from their shoulders. What do you need from me? Anything. Name it.”
I could already hear Charlie’s loyalty to Harley. It pleased me they were close, and he had another ally, even if it were one-sided. “He won’t remember you, so maybe just give him some space for now. Trudy is going to let him stay with her until the perpetrator is caught.”
“Trudy? Ex-wife Trudy?” His voice turned bitter.
“Yeah.”
“Oh, she’s a piece of work that one.”
“What do you mean?” My curiosity piqued.
“She’s the reason they separated in the first place. Dec obviously doesn’t remember, and I’m pretty sure she won’t spill the beans.”
Oh, this just got very interesting. Skeletons were coming out of the closet.
“Dec was away on missions a lot, like me, but Trudy knew his goals going in. Turns out, while he was away she was getting it on with Reno. You won’t know Reno, but he went on a couple of missions with our team. He spent more time at home than us, so Trudy obviously took advantage of it.”
Holy hell. Huge didn’t cover it. I wonder if Harley ever found out. “Did Harley know about it?”
“He did when I found out and told him.”
“How did you find out?” I submerged deeper into the story as more unfolded.
“I discovered a letter Reno had dropped. The last page was open on the floor of the rundown building we were holing up in. The words always yours, Trudy caught my eye, so I read the page and put two and two together. Trudy felt guilty and didn’t want Dec to find out.”
“Wow.” I wasn’t sure what else to say.
“Wow, is right. Dec freaked. At first he denied it, but when I told him I’d read the letter, he went ape-shit. He threatened to kill Reno. He was going to confront him as soon as possible but he never got the chance.”
True Identity (The Lost and Found series Book 1) Page 16
