by Heidi Rice
‘You know,’ Linc continued, ‘I think he’s beginning to regret his way with the ladies.’ He laughed, the sound low and relaxed as they watched Monroe pick Emmy up and turn her on her head. The chorus of squeals that followed made Jessie wince.
‘Ali sent me to tell you the food’s ready.’ Linc glanced down at Jessie. ‘Could you corral the kids over to the pool? I’ve got a surprise for Monroe, too. I’m going to go get it. So make sure he doesn’t run off.’
‘I’ll make sure he’s there.’ Jessie’s eyes followed Linc as he left the room. A surprise for Monroe. That sounded intriguing. She clapped her hands over her head but still had to shout to be heard. ‘Emmy, kids. Tea’s ready out by the pool. Last one there’s a rotten egg.’
As the little girls ran off in a flurry of frills and shrieks, Monroe collapsed on the rug.
‘Hell, they’re like a swarm of locusts,’ he groaned.
Jessie smiled down at him. ‘You survived.’
‘Just about, but it was a close call.’ He looked up at her, his arms propping up his long, lean body as he lay back. ‘Ali forgot to mention they operate in a pack, like ravenous wolves.’
Jessie laughed, but stopped abruptly when warm, strong fingers gripped her ankle. She gasped when a quick pull had her stumbling on top of him.
‘That’s better.’ His hand shot out and before she knew it she was on top of him, his arms banded around her back, in the middle of the living room floor.
‘What do you think you’re doing?’ She wanted to sound indignant but the heat in his eyes was making her pulse leap like a scared rabbit.
‘What I’ve wanted to do since the last time we did this.’ He turned over, taking her with him. Her back was on the floor, his body pressed on top of hers and his lips hot on her mouth before she could blink.
The sudden rush of heat and intensity shocked her. She struggled for a moment, then went still, letting him explore her mouth with his. The flames licking at her belly, making her centre throb, were so shocking and so sudden she couldn’t seem to find the will to stop him, or herself. She could feel every inch of him, but most of all his lips. Wet and wonderful on hers. Then he pushed his tongue into her mouth. She gasped and the kiss went deeper, so much deeper it scared her. She struggled against him, pushed him back.
‘We have to stop.’ Her voice panted out on a breathy sob. ‘We’re at a children’s party.’
He cursed then and moved off her.
She scrambled up. ‘I can’t believe we did that.’
Her face was so hot it burned. He sat up, draped his arm over one knee and stared up at her. He gave his head a rueful shake. ‘Seeing as I’ve been planning it for over a week, I guess it lacked a bit of finesse.’
‘What do you mean planning it?’ Why did she suddenly feel totally out of her depth?
He stood up and rested his hands on her hips. She tried to step back, but he held her in place. ‘We need to talk, Red.’
Monroe couldn’t believe he’d blown it so badly. But, hell, he’d been watching her for the whole afternoon in that sunny yellow dress. Seeing the way it fitted so demurely, giving a tantalising glimpse of the curves beneath—and he’d wanted to kiss her again ever since that afternoon by the grocery store.
He wasn’t a man used to denying his instincts. Damn it, he wasn’t a man who usually had to.
So when she’d grinned down at him a moment before, her red hair rioting round her face, that bright, friendly look in her eyes, instinct had taken over. Seeing the way she was staring at him now, flushed but wary, he could have kicked himself.
‘What do you want to talk about?’ Her voice was tremulous, unsure.
‘I want to talk about us.’
‘But…’ she hesitated ‘…there is no us.’
‘There will be. Don’t tell me you don’t know it.’
Jessie scrambled about for something coherent to say. She could still feel the pressure of his lips on hers, the solid weight of his body covering her own. And the way he was watching her was making her legs shake and the heat in her belly feel like an inferno. She couldn’t seem to get a single coherent thought into her head.
‘We can’t talk about it now. We have to go cut the cake with Emmy.’ She knew it sounded ridiculous, but she couldn’t think of anything else to say.
He stroked a finger down her cheek, and then tucked it under her chin, forcing her gaze up to his. ‘Sure, Red, but afterwards we talk.’
The bustle and noise of a children’s party in full swing helped to calm Jessie’s nerves as she stepped out onto the pool terrace.
Five little girls stuffed down biscuits and sweets and chattered away as if their lives depended on it. Linc was pouring out soda into plastic cups like a pro and Ali was busy sticking candles into the cake they had baked that morning.
Monroe gave her hand a quick squeeze, making her heart skip another beat, before walking over to Emmy. Jessie watched as he stroked the little girl’s head, leant down to whisper something into her ear. Emmy giggled and handed him a cake off her plate.
‘Jessie, great, grab this, will you?’ Ali huffed out a breath and handed her the cake—a huge chocolate structure that was supposed to be a fairy-tale castle but looked more like a mound of newly-turned earth. ‘Are you okay, Jess? You look a little flushed.’
‘I’m fine.’ Jessie tried to sound offhand, but as Ali bent down to light the candles, Jessie met Monroe’s gaze over her sister’s head.
His eyes were intent on hers as he bit slowly into the pink-frosted fairy cake Emmy had handed him. Jessie’s heart pounded heavily in her chest. What exactly had she unleashed here?
After a rousing chorus of Happy Birthday and much merriment as Emmy tried three times to blow out her candles, Monroe sauntered back towards Jessie. She couldn’t seem to draw her eyes away from him as he came to stand beside her. He flashed her that dimple-cheeked grin but said nothing. She was searching her mind for something to say to him, when Linc’s voice boomed out from the other side of the terrace. Thank God, it took Monroe’s eyes off her as he turned to listen.
‘Now, folks, before we start digging into this—’ Linc glanced down at the cake ‘—very interesting-looking cake—’ Ali jabbed her husband in the ribs, making him laugh ‘—I’ve got an announcement to make. It so happens Emmy’s not the only person in the Latimer household with a birthday this month.’
As Linc reached under the table and drew out a large brightly-wrapped package, Jessie felt Monroe go very still beside her. She turned to look at him. His jaw had gone rigid.
‘Turns out—’ Linc walked towards Monroe with the package in his arms, smiling ‘—her uncle’s birthday was last Wednesday.’ He offered the present to Monroe. ‘Better late than never. Happy Birthday, Roe.’
Jessie could hear Emmy and her little friends applauding and doing a spontaneous chorus of Happy Birthday. Ali and the other adults were clapping, Linc was still smiling.
But something was wrong. Monroe made no move to take the gift. He stared down at it, then back at Linc. Embarrassed for both men, Jessie nudged him. ‘Take it, Monroe.’
He glanced round at her then. He looked dazed.
‘Roe, it’s okay,’ Linc said softly. Jessie saw his smile fade as he lowered the present.
Ali came up behind her husband and rested her palm on his back.
Monroe still said nothing, still made no move to accept the gift.
Jessie could feel the hollowness inside her. Linc had been so eager, so pleased about the surprise he had planned. It was awful to see him look so dejected. Why didn’t Monroe just take the present? Why was he hurting his brother’s feelings like this?
She gave Monroe’s arm another nudge. ‘Take it, Monroe. It’s for you.’
Jolted out of whatever trance he seemed to be in, Monroe slowly took the gift out of his brother’s hands. But he didn’t look at Linc, Jessie saw, her temper rising, he just continued to stare at the prettily-wrapped present.
‘I…’ Monroe clear
ed his throat. His Adam’s apple jerked, tension snapped in the air around him, tension and something else Jessie couldn’t explain. ‘I’ve got to go.’
With a quick nod to Linc, he slung the present under his arm and strode past the dismayed party-goers. He disappeared across the lawn, without looking back once.
Jessie stood dumbstruck. She heard Linc sigh and speak quietly to Ali. ‘Hell, that went well.’
Jessie watched Ali rub her husband’s back. ‘It was the right thing to do, Linc.’
‘I don’t know,’ Linc murmured. ‘It was too soon.’
Jessie could see the thin glaze of tears in her sister’s eyes as she shook her head, the look of desolation in her brother-in-law’s. What were they talking about?
‘I can’t believe you’re being so nice about this,’ Jessie said. ‘That was rude.’
Both Linc and Ali stared at her. It was as if they’d only just seen her. Jessie’s temper and her confusion spiked up another notch. ‘I’m going to go and tell him so,’ she said. But as she tried to march past them both Ali stopped her.
‘Jessie, don’t go over there now. Monroe needs time.’
‘I don’t give a toss what he needs,’ Jessie hissed.
Linc had walked off to talk to the other adults, obviously to try and smooth things over. Watching him, Jessie felt her anguish increase at the shoddy way this good, strong man had been treated by his own brother.
‘Monroe was totally out of order, Ali. He didn’t even say thank you.’
‘There are things going on here you don’t understand, Jess. This is between Linc and Monroe. You mustn’t interfere.’
Jessie bit down on her lip, trying to shore up her temper. What didn’t she understand?
‘Come on.’ Ali gave her a weak smile. ‘We need to sort out the party bags. And don’t forget Emmy’s still got all her presents to open. Will you help me?’
Jessie nodded, but couldn’t bring herself to smile back at her sister.
The fact that she didn’t understand, that she didn’t know what was going on, didn’t make her feel any better about what had just happened. It only made her feel angry and insecure. She had come to like Monroe in the last week or so, had come to think she knew him a little. He’d been right when he’d said there was something between them. But it wasn’t just passion she felt for him. She had come to care about him. A lot, if she was honest with herself.
The cavalier way he had treated Linc proved to her that she didn’t really know him at all. It seemed she had come to care about a man, desire a man, who was a complete stranger. And that frightened her.
Jessie’s unhappiness increased as the party bags were handed out and Emmy’s presents were opened. The little girl was thrilled with the mechanic’s kit Monroe had given her, but threw a small fit when her mother told her she’d have to wait to thank her uncle. Emmy’s reaction made Jessie’s anger towards Monroe grow. Why had he skulked off like that, without even a thought for Emmy? After spending so long picking out her present yesterday, why hadn’t he at least stayed to see it opened? It showed a careless, callous disregard for the little girl’s feelings that couldn’t be excused.
Finally the last of Emmy’s friends and their parents had left the house.
Jessie gritted her teeth and set about tidying up the mess from the party while the rest of the household packed for their trip to New York. By the time she’d finished an hour later, the room was spotless and she’d managed to work up a pretty good head of steam. Monroe had not appeared to apologise.
Jessie helped load up Linc and Ali’s people carrier. She mentioned to Ali again that someone should go and talk to Monroe, but Ali simply shook her head as she climbed into the car.
‘Let it go, Jess. Don’t worry about him.’
It had been on the tip of Jessie’s tongue to say she wasn’t worried, not about Monroe anyway. But she stopped herself. Ali looked tired, Linc was clearly subdued and they needed to get on their way if they were going to get into the city before midnight.
The minute the car was out of sight, Jessie closed the property’s gates and scowled at the garage apartment.
If Ali and Linc were worried about hurting Monroe’s feelings—she snorted; as if the man had any feelings—she certainly wasn’t. She stalked across the lawn, righteous indignation wrapped around her like a cloak.
She could hear the music blaring from his apartment as she crossed the lawn. Rock music was howling at a decibel level that could make your ears bleed, masking the sound of the cool sea breeze rustling the flowers and tall grass.
It was just another sign of his thoughtlessness. There was no point in knocking, so she marched on in, sailing through on a wave of anger. She shouted his name at the top of her lungs.
And then shouted it two more times before the music shut off.
Her eardrums were still throbbing in time to the rebel chant when Monroe strolled into the room. His chest and feet were bare, his T-shirt hooked through the belt loop of his jeans. Flecks of paint stood out against the dark hair that curled lightly across his chest. The easy grin she had come to expect was gone. His face was hard, his eyes flat and expressionless. He looked savage and intimidating.
‘How long have you been here?’
‘Long enough.’ Jessie clung onto her anger, ignoring the weakness she felt at the sight of him. ‘Linc and Ali and Emmy have left, by the way. Just in case you’re interested.’
He gave her a dismissive nod. ‘If there’s nothing else, I’m busy here. I don’t have time to chit-chat.’
Jessie sucked in a breath. How dare he talk to her like that?
‘You don’t say.’ She marched up to him, stabbed a finger into his chest. ‘You should have come and said goodbye. You should have apologised to Linc. You hurt him.’
Something flashed into his eyes at the mention of his brother’s name. But then his face went hard again. He grabbed onto her finger, held it away from him, but his voice remained calm. ‘You don’t want to be around me right now. I’m not feeling civilised.’
She heard the menace in his words and pulled her finger free. She didn’t know this man at all. He looked dangerous. He was breathing heavily as if he’d been running, the firm bronzed skin of his chest glistened with sweat, but his eyes were so remote it was frightening.
She took a step back. ‘What happened by the pool? Why was it so hard for you to take the gift?’
Suddenly, she wanted desperately to know, to understand. Where was the man she’d come to care for?
‘Just because we’ve shared a few hot kisses…’ he gave her a slow, deliberate once-over ‘…just because I’d like to see you naked, doesn’t mean you’re my shrink.’
He was trying to upset her. With a flash of insight she saw that he wanted her to run. ‘Why are you being deliberately cruel? It’s not like you.’
‘You don’t know what I’m like.’
Something swirled into his eyes as he turned away. Unhappiness? Pain? Was he hurting, too?
‘Monroe, what is it?’ She walked up behind him. He stood in front of the window, the muscles of his back and shoulders rigid.
‘I’m warning you, Jessie. You need to get out of here.’
He didn’t look round. She studied the thin white scars that marred the smooth, bronzed skin. Reaching up, she hesitated a moment and then stroked her fingers down his spine.
He shot round. ‘Don’t touch me.’
She could see his eyes clearly now. Desperation and confusion burned in the blue depths.
‘Tell me. What is it? Why was it so hard for you to take Linc’s present?’
‘I didn’t know how.’ He shouted the words, fisted his hands in frustration and thrust them into his pockets. ‘I’ve never been given a birthday gift before in my whole damn life.’
CHAPTER TEN
ANGER at himself churned like molten lava in Monroe’s gut. Anger and a desire that he was struggling real hard to ignore.
He’d been raw, ragged with emotions he’
d never felt before ever since Linc had handed him the birthday gift two hours ago. And guilt was right slam-bang at the top of the list.
He’d played them all, like an orchestra. He’d done a few odd jobs, befriended the little girl and managed to con them all into thinking he was a good guy—Emmy, Linc, Ali and most of all, Jessie.
Since he’d got out of prison, Monroe’s life had been nomadic. It was the way he liked it. Women had come and gone, friendships had been shallow and fleeting. He didn’t want it to be any different.
But when Linc had held the present out to him, the sparkly wrapping paper glinting in the sunshine, all those foolish old feelings of wanting to have a place to belong had come flooding back. He’d realised in a rush that they’d all accepted him into their home, into their hearts. The yearning that had gripped him at the thought, the desperate need to be accepted, had stunned him. But worse had been the knowledge that he could never have a place here.
Because he wasn’t a good guy, not really.
He was a user. He used people and moved on. That way he didn’t have to be bothered by anyone but himself.
He’d taken Linc’s gift in a daze of confusion and pain. He’d stormed back to the apartment, turned up the stereo to blast level and painted like a madman. But the storm of emotions had continued to churn inside him. And when Jessie had shown up, the only thing he could think was he had to make her run before he took something he could never give back.
She was beautiful, fresh, impulsive and honest. No wonder he wanted her so badly; she was all the things he wasn’t.
Looking down at her, seeing the concern in her eyes as she absorbed what he’d said about the present, he wanted to take her so badly, claim her so badly, it hurt.
‘Why did you never have a birthday gift before?’ she asked gently.
He could hear the compassion and it crucified him. He shrugged. ‘I don’t live like that. All neat and pretty.’
He turned, stared blankly out the window at the gathering dusk, the darkening red of sunset mirroring his own shadowed thoughts. He couldn’t look at her and tell her the truth. ‘I do what I want, when I want. I don’t have a family. I don’t need one. Nobody’s going to tie me down. That’s the way I like it.’
