by S. M. Butler
She didn’t like admitting she’d fallen for a psycho.
If Carsen had found her then the last thing she intended to do was put Grey’s life in danger, too. No matter how flattered she was that he’d already endangered himself for her by chasing off the stranger.
Torn between wanting to lean on his broad shoulders and let him handle Carsen—because she wasn’t sure she could go through that again—and pushing him far, far away to protect him, Reganne leaned into his touch. She couldn’t help it. His callused hand felt so good. It had been a long time since a man had touched her.
When his hand opened, his thumb lightly stroking her cheek, she closed her eyes, absorbing his caress. The way he touched her indicated she could trust him, that he would protect her. She turned her head and pressed her lips to his palm.
“If this is your way of distracting me, then you’re doing one hell of a good job,” he said, low and husky.
“Good, because I’m not going to bore you with my past.”
His hand cupped her nape, his thumb feathering down the side of her neck. Goosebumps rose on her arms, traveling to her toes.
“I doubt I’d find anything you said boring.”
Oh, this man was going to be the death of her. In more ways than one if she didn’t send him packing. It took effort, but she pulled away, put distance between them. “Thanks for staying and keeping an eye on things, but you can go.”
“You’re sure?”
No. “Yes.”
“I’d like to see you again.”
Her heart fluttered. More than anything she wanted to spend time with him. But, until she found out if Carsen had found her she couldn’t take the risk.
“I’ve got a busy schedule this week.”
He leaned over, kissed her cheek, and rose to his feet. “You have my number. If anything changes, give me a call.”
She walked him to the door, disappointment riding her. Men had asked her out in the past eight months but she’d turned them all down. Not because of Carsen, but because she simply hadn’t been interested in any of them. Until now. Grey turned the tables on her. All she wanted to do was be with him.
Grey paused halfway through the door. “If you feel threatened again I’m only a few minutes away.”
“Right. You’re staying at your place tonight. Thank you.”
With a two-fingered wave he strode across the porch and down the steps. She waited until his taillights disappeared around the bend before turning off the lights and returning to bed. This time she couldn’t sleep because the lingering effects of Grey’s touch on her skin kept her awake. Longing to feel his caress again.
She was in big trouble. In so many ways.
Chapter Six
‡
Monday morning Reganne walked outside, dressed for work. Balancing travel cup full of freshly brewed coffee, purse and tote she carried all of her work in, she hit the key fob button to unlock her car. The skies were overcast, heavy, dark clouds building in the west. The news channel had predicted a storm tonight. Looked like it was rolling in early.
Fumbling for the door handle, she pulled it open, tossed her bags in, then slid behind the wheel. She was about to push the start button when she saw a folded, pink note trapped beneath her wiper.
A rock settled in her stomach as she leaned out and snatched the note off the windshield. Forcing her hands not to shake, she unfolded it. Written in a familiar script were three lines. A poem. Not one she’d read before. But she recognized the script, the flow of words, the message.
Carsen had found her.
The note fell out of her hand, drifted to the floor to rest next to her heel. Reganne clamped a hand over her mouth. God help her, he’d found her. She hadn’t imagined seeing him in the crowd or at her window this weekend. He had been there.
And he’d seen her with Grey.
Drawing in a deep breath to calm her nerves, she brought her car to life. From past experience she knew to keep the note, even if it wasn’t threatening. Well, to the average reader. To her, those three simple lines represented underlying danger.
Tucking the note in her purse, she drove toward the office, her mind reeling. She’d done everything right. Even went as far to have her name left off the practice advertisements. No one would find her in the phone book, online, or on the sign out front of the office. Word of mouth had built her patient list. She gave the term ‘silent partner’ new meaning. Neither of her partners had questioned her request to be left out of the publicity. They were too busy to worry about why she didn’t want to be promoted.
But, no one could completely disappear or erase their existence unless they went into Witness Protection. Since Carsen had never been convicted of anything, that hadn’t been an option for her. No one believed the charming, prestigious neurosurgeon could be responsible for stalking her and putting her in the hospital for three days. No one believed her.
This time she refused to play the victim. She wouldn’t run again. No more new starts. She knew this man and how he operated. That gave her the advantage. Granted, she’d never thought he’d chase her, but that had been her first mistake. Thinking a man like that could ever let her go was her second.
Not again. This time she would be smart.
Even if the man did scare the life out of her.
The day flew by. She barely had time for lunch, let alone to think about the consequences of Carsen finding her. However, she did have a certain Navy SEAL on her mind. As she wolfed down a salad for lunch she picked up her phone and started to dial his number more than once. It may be hanging on her fridge, but she’d committed the numbers to memory. Each time she disconnected before punching in the last number. He’d said to call him if anything changed or if she needed him. Wanting to hear his voice didn’t exactly qualify.
Until she dealt with Carsen, Grey remained off limits. As much as that disheartened her. Her ex was unstable. There was no telling what he would do if she continued to see Grey. He’d overreacted when she went out with her girlfriends. Claiming she wanted to spend more time with them than him. Completely irrational and untrue, but Carsen chipped away at her until she’d given up her friends, her life, completely.
She’d only just met Darci and Cloe but they’d become good friends almost immediately. She adored Darci’s spunk and Cloe’s easy nature. Not to mention they were married to hot SEALs. A rough life both women handled like pros.
Although Carsen hadn’t made his intentions known yet, she knew where they would head in the end. And she wasn’t willing to give up her newly-found friends so easily. She liked California. Loved the ocean. Had settled into private practice more comfortably than she’d expected. Leaving wasn’t an option. This time, she would stand her ground and find a way to get Carsen out of her life once and for all. Somehow make him see she wasn’t the woman for him and he didn’t love her like he thought he did.
Now, to figure out how to do that.
Dr. Cummings poked her head in the doorway. “There’s someone here to see you.”
Reganne frowned. Her next patient wasn’t due for another fifteen minutes. Usually the receptionist, Penny, buzzed in when a patient or salesman arrived.
“A patient?” she asked the gray-haired woman.
“No. He asked specifically for you. Penny is in the restroom so I took the message.”
Hmm. Her mood lightened. Maybe Grey had stopped in to see her. She certainly wouldn’t object to that. In fact, it would make her whole day better. “I’ll be right out. Thanks, Pamela.”
“No problem. Oh, I’ll be taking off early today. Granddaughter has a dance recital tonight. I promised her dinner first.” With a smile and a wave, Pamela walked back to her office.
Reganne quickly finished her salad, tossed the carton and checked her hair in the mirror before walking out to the patient waiting area. Nervous anticipation dogged her steps all the way out to the front desk. She searched the faces for Grey, then froze when she saw the man sitting near the door.
An
ticipation turned to anger and shock as she hurried toward him. He stood when she approached, a smile stretching across his handsome face. That smile sent chills down her spine.
“Carsen.” She came to a stop directly in front of him. “What are you doing here? How did you find me?”
He held up a hand to ward off her questions. “Hello to you, too. Is there somewhere we can talk?”
“We have nothing to say to each other. Please leave.”
“Just hear me out.”
She turned to leave but he caught her arm. Going rigid, she whispered, “Get your hand off of me.”
Immediately, he let go. “I just want to talk. I traveled a long way to see you. Five minutes. Please.”
“No. We’ve said all there is to say to each other. I have patients waiting. Goodbye, Carsen.”
With that, she walked back to her office, head held high. It wasn’t until she closed herself in her office that her legs gave out and she fell into her desk chair. Tears welled in her eyes, emotions surging to the surface.
Her worst nightmare had come true. Her ex had found her. Although she’d suspected it, nothing could have prepared her for coming face to face with him again.
Trembling, she wrapped her arms around her waist. Part of her wanted to believe that he’d changed and he’d come thousands of miles to apologize. The other part wanted to pack her bags and run far and fast.
Her phone buzzed, startling her. She clamped a hand over her mouth then cursed her reaction. She’d lived like this for over a year in New York. Never again could she give that power to Carsen.
“Dr. McCain, your one o’clock is here.” Penny’s voice came through the speaker.
Reganne pushed a button. “Thank you, Penny. I’ll be right there.” Only a slight waver in her voice.
Pulling herself together, she grabbed her stethoscope and went to see her patient, firmly pushing her ex out of her mind.
*
With quick steps, Reganne walked to her car. The storm hadn’t moved in yet, but dark clouds hung low in the sky. She wanted this day to be over. Carsen had left and not bothered her again, but she’d feared him returning the rest of the day. Made it hard to concentrate on work.
Glancing around the empty parking lot, she unlocked her car and slid in, holding her breath to look at the windshield. No note. Thank God. Maybe he’d gotten the message and left her alone.
Pushing the button to start her car, she slipped on her seatbelt. Nothing happened. Frowning, she tried it again. Still nothing.
A sigh escaped her lips. Her car was a hybrid, barely a year old. How could it be having mechanical problems already?
Trying one more time without results, she slammed her hand on the steering wheel. A sleek sports car rolled up alongside of her. Maybe they could help.
Getting out of her car, she waved to them. The passenger side window went down and to her horror Carsen leaned over the seat.
“Need a ride?”
Flags went up inside her head. How did he know she had car trouble? Most people would ask if she was having trouble, then offer a ride.
“No. I called for a tow. They’ll be here any minute,” she lied.
Carsen put his car in park and climbed out.
Reganne took a step back as he rounded the hood to stand in front of her.
“I can take a look.”
“No. It won’t be long.”
Something shifted in his calm demeanor, causing a rock to drop in her stomach. No one else would notice it, but she knew this man.
“I’m just offering a hand.”
“I don’t need your help.”
His hand shot out, gripping her neck. He slammed her back against her car, his face close to hers, eyes blazing. “I drove thousands of miles to find you. The least you can do is accept my help.”
Her lungs burned, striving for air. She grabbed his arms, trying to dislodge his hold. “Let me go,” she choked.
“You never were grateful,” he spat. “I can’t believe I drove all this way for you.”
As quickly as he’d seized her, he let go. She slid down the car until her feet caught her. Somehow she remained standing as Carsen reached inside his car and threw some kind of cap at her. It landed at her feet.
Then he got in and squealed his tires out of the driveway, peeling off down the road. Reganne threw open her door and jumped in her car, locking the doors. With shaking hands she grabbed her cell phone and dialed Grey’s number.
He picked up on the second ring.
“Grey.” Her voice shook. “Could you pick me up at my office? My car broke down.”
Chapter Seven
‡
Grey pulled into the driveway of the pediatrician office Reganne worked at. Only one car sat in the parking lot. A blue hybrid he recognized as Reganne’s. Her call had sent him running out of the house. She had sounded upset and his instincts told him something had happened besides her car breaking down. She would call a tow truck for that.
Glad she’d called him since he couldn’t think of anything besides her, he pulled up next to her car. The moment he saw her face he knew something was wrong. He turned his truck off, climbed out and walked around to her door. On the ground next to her front tire lay a distributor cap.
What the hell?
Reganne’s door opened and she got out. Not only had her face lost all color, there was bruising on her neck.
“What the hell happened?” He reached for her but she jerked away. Forcing his temper down, he said, “Who did that to you?”
Her hands went to her neck, covering the redness. “Nothing. I…” She swallowed and winced. “Please just fix my car.”
The hell with that. Someone had choked her and he sure as shit would find out who and why. Then he’d find them and kick their ass for hurting a woman.
She looked ready to fall apart, barely hanging on by a thread. On impulse, he reached out and took her in his arms, wrapping her gently against his chest. That’s all it took. She came willingly, her arms circling his waist. Sobs wracked her shoulders, surprising him.
He held her close, absorbing her tears, wanting to kill the bastard who had done this. He stroked her hair, pressed a kiss to the top of her head, hating that she suffered and he couldn’t do anything about it.
Thunder cracked in the distance, causing Reganne to jump. Her head lifted from his chest and she swiped the wetness from her cheeks.
“I’m sorry.” The sadness in her eyes created an anger in him to hurt whoever had scared her.
“Don’t be. I’m glad you called me.” With his thumb he wiped a stray tear off her cheek. “Why don’t you get in my truck while I fix your car?”
She nodded and stepped out of his arms. He helped her into his truck before grabbing the distributor cap off the ground and popping the hood of her car. How the hell did she drive a vehicle so small? He’d never fit. At least not comfortably.
Bigger question: who had removed her distributor cap?
He put the cap back on, moved to the driver’s seat and pressed the button to start the engine. It purred to life. Returning to the hood he closed it and turned to see Reganne staring at him through the windshield, confusion mixed with fear on her face.
She climbed out of his truck. “What was that you used to fix my car?”
“The distributor cap. Someone removed it so your car wouldn’t start.”
Disbelief crossed her features. “He planned this.”
Thunder burst overhead. Reganne jumped. She looked more together, but still spooked. In no condition to drive. He pulled out his cell phone and punched in a number. Malloy answered on the first ring.
“Hey, Chameleon. Need a favor. Grab Mikey and pick up Reganne’s car at her office, will ya?”
“Sure thing. Everything okay with the lady doc?”
Grey glanced at Reganne. “Rough day.”
“Copy that. Want us to drop it off at her place or yours?”
“Hers.”
“On our way.”
>
“Thanks.”
He hung up and dropped his cell in the pocket of his cargo shorts. “I’m taking you home.”
“You called someone to bring my car home?”
“You met them at the party. Jace and Mikey. They’ll get your car home safe.” And, make sure no one followed. Whatever was going on, he wasn’t taking any chances. Sure as hell wasn’t letting Reganne go home alone.
“You didn’t have to do that.”
“I wanted to.” He strode to her side, guided her back to the passenger seat of his truck and helped her in.
“Thank you.” He closed the door and went around to slide into the driver’s seat.
They arrived at her house minutes later. Reganne hadn’t spoken a word during the drive. He didn’t press. Not yet, anyway.
After she unlocked the door he put a hand on her arm. “Let me go in first. Wait here.”
He did a quick recon of the house, making sure no one lay in wait. Finding nothing, he returned to find Reganne still standing in the doorway.
“All clear.”
She entered and he closed and locked the door. All the windows were shut, not tampered with that he could tell. Leaving them that way, he put his hands on Reganne’s shoulders. “Got any whiskey?”
Her eyes widened in surprise. “What? No.”
“Beer? Wine?”
“Is there something you need to tell me?”
He chuckled. “I’m not an alcoholic if that’s what you mean. Thought maybe a drink would calm your nerves.”
Thunder rumbled outside. Reganne stiffened beneath his grasp. “Trying to make me talk, huh?”
Remembering her joking about her loose tongue when she drank, he grinned. “Busted.”
Some of the tension left her shoulders. “How about a cup of coffee?”
“Deal.”
“I’m going to change out of my work clothes first.”
He nudged her toward the stairs. “You go. I’ll make the coffee.”
With a look of gratitude, she went upstairs while he found the supplies to make a pot of coffee. By the time it poured into the pot Reganne had returned, wearing a pair of jeans and t-shirt. She met him in the kitchen.
