01 Untouchable - Untouchable

by Lindsay Delagair

  He sighed.

  I knew the sigh well. It was the one he used just before he caved into whatever it was I wanted at the moment.

  “I don’t cry to get my way,” I defended my emotional inabilities, and then began wiping away the tears. “It’s just this is really hard.”

  “Annalisa, if I thought for one second that the tears were fake, you wouldn’t sway me. But, I’ve never seen so many honest tears in my life.”

  “Sorry,” I choked, grabbing a dinner napkin and trying to stop the next downpour.

  He moved beside me and pulled me into that place in his chest where it seemed I fit so perfectly. “Don’t apologize. In this business I haven’t seen much honesty, and I’m finding that I like it.”

  “So can I go?” I implored, looking up at him with my still watery eyes.

  “Yeah,” he laughed softly. “But we’ll plan that out in a little bit. How about dinner?”

  We sat at the small dinette and avoided talking business. I think we both needed doing something normal, like sharing a meal, to take a little of the stress off. But as soon as I put the leftovers in the fridge, I had to ask where he had gone today.

  The ‘I-don’t-want-to-tell-you’ face appeared.

  “You might as well tell me because…” Then a horrible thought crossed my mind. I flashed back to our conversation this morning about his needs and how frustrated he had been when I stopped his advances once again. What if he… I know I went pale.

  “What is it?” He was genuinely concerned.

  “Unless you… Never mind, maybe I don’t have to know everything.”

  “Annalisa,” he said, his head cocking sideways slightly. “What is it? You’re upset about something.”

  “It’s nothing, I’m just being stupid. Forget I even asked.” I was trying to find something distracting to do, anything to stop this conversation that I initiated. “Let’s watch the news—I hear an heiress turned up today.” I was trying to put a little humor back into our evening.

  He caught me before I got to the television and simply picked me up in those massive arms and carried me into the bedroom. It was completely dark, not even the bathroom light was on. He laid me down softly and pulled me in close.

  “You want to know where I went today. Okay, let’s discuss it.”

  My heart felt as if it was going into defibrillation and I had to catch my breath. This sounded like a hideous confession coming and I really didn’t want to hear it. I knew I wasn’t the first young woman to be in his arms, but somehow if he was to tell me what I suspected, everything would change for me and I’d never be in these arms again. “Please don’t. There are some things I’d rather be ignorant about.”

  “What is going on inside that brain of yours? I got Sharon’s address and went to scope out her house.”

  The oxygen returned to my system. “Oh, I thought—I thought there was something you didn’t want to tell me.”

  He was quiet in the darkness, and I knew there was more. “You’re right. There are some things that I don’t want to tell you.”

  Okay, now I’m back to feeling like I could pass out on this internal coaster ride. It didn’t take all afternoon to find the woman’s house. I was picturing Sharon and the fact that she was a beautiful blonde, far too young for Robert, but not for… “I’m gonna be sick,” I said trying to rise up.

  “You don’t need to know every…”

  “Yeah, okay. I get that. Just let me up and…” He was still holding me as I began to tremble. I needed to get away.

  “She’s using Robert to get to your families fortune.”

  “Duh. I didn’t figure a woman that looked like that was really interested in him.” I snapped.

  “I found out that she and I are a lot alike…”

  That was all I could take of this confession. “Stop it! Let me up!” I was struggling hard against him now, but he had decided I wasn’t going anywhere. He rolled on top of me, pinning my arms above my head and stopping my thrashing legs with his own. I felt almost crushed as his full weight came down on me.

  “What the hell is wrong with you, Leese? Stop it, and be still.”

  “I don’t want to know what you did with her today,” I struggled to get out. “Next you’re gonna tell me she just has a lot of needs—just like you.” I was sobbing at this point and I knew if he gave me a second of freedom, I would be out the door and I really didn’t care who was waiting beyond it.

  He paused so long on top of me that I wondered if he was trying to crush me. “Ah, Leese—I didn’t mean for it to come out sounding like… You think I went over there and slept with her? No, I found out she’s a mob princess. Like me, her family is all mob—she’s… My God, Leese, why would you think—how could you think that I would do that to you?”

  “After this morning you said—you talked about your needs—and then you were gone all afternoon—and you didn’t want to tell me—you and I can’t…” I was on the edge of hysterics at this point.

  “Leese,” he crooned, his hand released my arms and cradled my face. “I haven’t even been able to think about another woman that way since I met you. My needs are for one person, and that’s you.” His body relaxed and he positioned himself to take the weight off me. “I didn’t want you to know she was mob. And that I think she’s sleeping with either Ricky or Jack— they’re staying together. I’m pretty sure she is waiting for Robert to get sole control of the money and then she’s going to take it from him and give her daddy a big financial boost. I’m certain she’d be happy to have all of you dead, Robert included.”

  “I’m sorry,” I whimpered. “I just didn’t want to know if you had…”

  His face descended in the darkness, his cheek rubbing slowly in the soft pile of my hair by my earlobe. “You may ruin this for me for life,” he breathed quietly. “Nothing has ever felt this way. I’ve never had a need like you before.” His mouth found its way to my neck, his body provocatively pressed against my own, and his hands beginning to slide down where there had always been breaks before.

  I heard him whisper something urgent to me, but I couldn’t hear anything except the roar of my pulse in my ears. With trembling fingers, I began undoing the buttons on his shirt, feeling the hot muscled skin beneath. He moaned at the touch of my hand. The voice came again, clearer and frantic, surprising me with his request.

  “Tell me to stop, Baby. Tell me before it’s too late.”

  “I love you, Micah,” I replied. “I can’t hurt you this way anymore. Make love to me.”

  It was as if I could feel him coming undone. Passion descended like fire. I knew he needed me the same way I felt the night he pulled me out of the pool; more than anything, more than air, more than a beating heart, more than life.

  “You didn’t want it this way, Leese.” His body pressed firmly against my own as if two pieces of a puzzle were about to come together. “You said it had to be forever.” His mouth was now in the hollow of my throat and moving lower.

  “We don’t have forever, Micah—tonight will have to be forever.”

  He stopped, his head resting against my breast. His breathing was being reigned in and control was returning. “No. You aren’t doing this for yourself, you’re doing it for me. I can’t let you give up on forever. I can’t let you change that part of your beliefs because you want to satisfy me. You said this morning that you had a hard time believing it means anything to a man. I want you to know that it means something to me.”

  “You’ve been waiting for a yes.” I swallowed hard. “I’m giving it to you.”

  “And I’m giving it back. I’m saying no.”

  With that he rose from the bed and went into the shower. I lay there and tried to let the magnitude of what just happened work its way through me. I was relieved and yet I was still aching for his touch, the feel of his lips on my skin, and the feeling of a consuming passion. Would I have regretted it in the morning? I know I would have, but as far as tonight my only regret was that he was the on
e who said no.

  I wondered when he came out of the shower if he’d get anywhere near me; we came too close this time. But he surprised me, crawling into the bed and putting me securely in his arms. “Now we can talk about my day.”

  “I thought we did talk about your day.”

  “We got distracted—at least I was distracted and…”

  “Me too,” I added, snuggling against his chest.

  He wrapped me tighter in his hold. “When I left to get our breakfast this morning, Mom called and gave me the low down on Sharon. I didn’t want to tell you because you had enough on your mind about your mom. When she was checking up on her, she found that Norton was her married name.”

  “She was married?”

  “She was twenty-two at the time and her husband was fifty-seven. He had several million in the bank, but, mysteriously enough, he had a serious car accident three months after they were married and died.”

  “Funny how that happens, isn’t it?

  “Her maiden name is Moretti. Her family works the east coast. That’s where she got connected with Jack and Ricky several years ago. Evidently she has hired them more than once. She’s sloppy when she does something or else that bank withdrawal would have never shown. I guess she figures her daddy will get her out of any fix she gets into.”

  “So you think she’s got her sights on Mom’s money so that she can give it to her father?”

  “Actually the extra money that has been keeping Robert afloat has been coming from the mob like we suspected, but particularly from the Moretti clan. I guess she figured they would be getting back their investment when she gets finished with him.”

  “So why did you say you think she’s sleeping with one of the brothers?”

  “Did I tell you that?”

  “You really were distracted, weren’t you?” I was smiling in the dark, letting my hand trace the pattern of his abdominal muscles through his cotton tank.

  He squeezed my shoulders. “Don’t derail me. When I left the hospital, I drove down to check out a rental in her name by the beach. The house next door is for sale so I called the realtor and asked her to show it to me.”

  “Wasn’t it obvious to the realtor that you spent most of your time looking at the house next door?”

  I could actually hear the smile appear on his face. “I didn’t keep the realtor there long. But I spent plenty of time in the house.”

  That wasn’t making sense. “But…”

  His fingers found my lips to hush me. “Most people don’t check to see if the person beside them is watching when they enter a combination or a code. It was easy to see her enter the lockbox code, 9-3-9-7. The realtor left and I let myself back inside. The key is now in my pocket.”

  I was considering how he easily remembered the size of my clothes, undergarments and shoes. “Do you have a photographic memory?” I simply had to know.

  “Pretty much, but usually only if I’m interested in what’s going on.” He seamlessly moved on to the next detail. “They were all three there at the house. I watched until about four o’clock, I think that was when the news broke that you had been at the hospital. They must have been getting ready to go out and see what they could find when I saw her lip-lock with one of the guys before they left. She may have paid to get rid of you, but I wouldn’t be surprised if one of those guys is itching to get rid of Robert for free.”

  “Kimmy!” I stated, suddenly sitting upright. “I’ve got to find out if he took her back from Bev and Matt!” Panic like a wave of nausea washed over me. “If she’s here, those guys won’t care…”

  “Slow down, Leese. Nothing is going to happen until Robert has Power of Attorney. And I’m sure Sharon won’t try anything for a few months, at least not until she can worm her way into the finances.”

  “I’ve got to call them and ask…”

  “You can call them, just not tonight. It’s getting late. It’ll be okay. I wouldn’t be surprised if Robert had decided to at least let her finish the school year there. And I’m sure with all this messy business with your mom, he didn’t want her around to see it.”

  “So what now?” I asked resting my head against his chest. “I didn’t think we’d get to have tonight together.”

  “Me neither. I assumed I’d be in the other bungalow pulling an all-night surveillance—there are two beds in the other unit if you’d rather spend the night in it.”

  “I told you this morning that this one was okay. By the way,” I said remembering something that I wanted to bring up. “When I called the office for the delivery I found out how you registered us.”

  “You didn’t like the idea of me nearly ruining your reputation at the high school, so I assumed you would be more comfortable as my—my wife while we’re here.”

  I wanted to tell him that I’d be comfortable as his wife anywhere. I would be comfortable in his arms every night. What would it be like to spend a wedding night with him? I had nearly found out, if he hadn’t been the one to come back to reality before we vanished into passion. “Yeah, I think it’s better this way.” I sighed as I nestled deeply against him, “Micah, are you comfortable?”

  He had been propped against the head board when I asked him, but now he was sliding down to a full recline with his head on the pillows. He moved my body effortlessly as he moved his own. “I am now,” he answered.

  “Could we sleep this way tonight? It’s not going to cause a problem, is it? I just want to fall asleep in your arms.”

  His lips pressed to my forehead and stayed there for a long moment. “Good-night, Baby. I…” There was nothing now but silence. Whatever he had started to say, he decided to stop himself.

  “Good-night, Micah. I love you.”

  “Leese,” came a whisper in the dark.

  “Yeah?”

  “I can’t help but notice, you aren’t calling me Evan anymore.”

  “Evan was a dream,” I said softly, sleep starting to invade the warm corners of my mind. “You’re my reality, Micah. I guess I just want you to realize I love you no matter who you are, or what you’ve done.”

  “Good-night.”

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Morning wasn’t quite as harsh as yesterday. The curtains were all drawn, but the sunlight filtered in through every available crack and crevice. I was so very, very comfortable. I was still against him, his arm wrapped around my waist and the sound of his peaceful breathing on my shoulder. I lifted his hand to my mouth and tenderly kissed each scarred knuckle, the back of his hand and then his wrist. I heard him take a deep moaning breath as his arm slipped from my grasp and he rolled to his back and stretched on the bed.

  “What time is it?” I asked quietly.

  “Almost eight.”

  “The doctor’s office opens at nine,” I said wearily, rising up from where I had been so comfortable. I went to the bathroom for my morning routine and returned to find him up, dressed, holstered and slipping on his jacket.

  I had ironed my clothes yesterday and had set them out, ready to put on. I couldn’t see any reason to go to the bathroom to change; after all he’d seen me in bathing suits skimpier than my bra and underwear so I simply stood at the dresser and dropped my skirt and slipped into my jeans. Off came one top and on went the next. I had brushed my hair once, but changing shirts necessitated messing it up. I turned to go back to the bathroom to brush it when I found him standing there staring at me.

  “What?” I asked as I side-stepped around him and went into the bathroom.

  He followed me. “You just changed clothes right in front of me.” He sounded a bit dazed.

  “My bikini is tinier than my underclothes, that and the fact that you have, unfortunately, seen me butt-naked as well doesn’t leave much reason for me to run and hide.”

  He smiled. “So now I get to change in front of you, too?”

  “I’ve seen you in your board shorts. You do wear underwear right?”

  He smiled.

  “You’re already dressed, bu
t if you don’t wear anything under that gun belt, cowboy, keep your pants on in front of me.”

  He pulled down slightly on the top of his jeans and a pair of boxers became visible.

  “Well, that answers that question.” I stated.

  “About whether I wear underwear or not?” He winked.

  “No, the boxers or briefs question,” I laughed.

  I used his personal cell to make a long awaited call to Bev and Matt’s house. They didn’t usually leave the house until eight-thirty so I knew they should be home. Bev answered, her tone was cautious because she didn’t recognize the phone number, but when she heard my voice she began to cry.

  “Are you okay? Where are you? I heard on the news you were back in Palm Beach. Are you with Evan?” Her questions were in rapid fire order, but she put the most emphasis on her last one.

  “Calm down, Bev. I’m fine and I am in Palm Beach—with Evan.” It was funny, but after last night, calling him Evan was now odd to me. “There are a million things I’d like to tell you, but I’ve got to know if Kimmy is with you or did Robert come get her?”

  “She’s still here with us. You’re dad said things were still crazy down there. How is your mom?”

  “Things are pretty bad right now and I can’t talk long, but could you do me a favor if he calls and wants her to come home; give him an excuse. Any excuse that he’ll believe will do. It’s really, really important that she doesn’t come back here until this mess is straightened out.”

  “Ah—Leese—if you’re dad wants her…”

  “Bev, he’s not my dad. You know that and I’ve found that he is at the root of all these problems, especially Mom’s. Please keep her away from here if you possibly can.”

  “Do you want to talk to her?” she asked quietly.

  “I want to but I can’t. I’ve got to go see Mom’s doctor. If everything works out down here, I’ll call you when we can talk longer. And Bev, would you tell her I love her and I miss her.”