by S. M. Butler
“Cups?” he asked.
She pulled two out of the cupboard and he filled them. Together they walked into the living room. He let her sit first, then chose the opposite end of the sofa.
They sat in silence for a moment. Reganne spoke first. “I don’t want to drag you into my problems.”
“I’m volunteering.”
She sighed. “Why couldn’t I have met you two years ago?”
“What happened two years ago?”
Her hands tightened around her cup. “I met the most charming, handsome man I’d ever known.”
Jealousy shot through him. Not what he wanted to hear. Or what he expected.
“His name was Carsen Dyne. He’s a neurosurgeon at Mount Sinai. Very respected in his field.”
Grey stifled a growl. “He sounds perfect.”
“He was. In the beginning.”
His chest tightened. “What happened?”
“We started to date. Got serious really fast. Faster than I was comfortable with, but Carsen had a way of blinding me to the truth.”
Lightning flashed, followed by a crack of thunder. Reganne continued. “Within months we were engaged and without even realizing it I had alienated myself from my friends. I stopped going out with the girls, stopped returning calls or texts. The only time I left my apartment was with Carsen or to go to work.”
She took a sip of her coffee. “I caught him checking my phone, going through my mail. He always had a good excuse and like a sap, I fell for it. Every time. Until I worked late one night—I was working at Mount Sinai, too—and one of the residents walked me to my car. We were co-workers, nothing more. Little did I know, Carsen had been following every move I made for months. Stalking me, although we were engaged. When he saw us walking out together he…” She trailed off with a shudder.
Grey scooted closer to her, set his cup on the table. “Go on.”
Her shoulders lifted and fell. “He assumed we were having an affair. Snapped. He put me in a coma for three days, and the resident in ICU for a week. Neither one of us knew what happened, he attacked so fast. I don’t know how he convinced the resident not to go to the police, but to this day he hasn’t said a word.”
She drew in a deep breath. “That snapped me out of my haze. I gave a statement to the police, but they didn’t believe that Carsen was responsible. I had no proof and the resident wasn’t talking. Who would believe that an esteemed neurosurgeon could do such a thing? Especially to his fiancée?”
Grey cursed beneath his breath.
“Carsen came to visit me the day I woke from my coma. My rose-colored glasses were gone and I saw the monster he really was. One that would never let me go. I’d thought that sentiment endearing when he’d promised it so many times before. Never thought he meant it literally. I signed myself out of the hospital that day, put in my notice and disappeared. I didn’t hide well enough, though, because Carsen found me. Only this time he stalked me. I got a restraining order against him, but it didn’t do me any good. He still managed to get to me. That’s when I realized he truly would never let me go. I erased my digital footprint the best I could. Cut up my credit cards and switched to a cash-only system. Closed every bank account I had and moved here. Thousands of miles away. I even buried my name among two other doctors at the practice so anyone looking would find them, not me.”
She set her cup on the table next to his. “That’s it in a nutshell.”
“Damn. So your ex has found you again? That’s who took the distributor cap out of your car and left those bruises on your neck?”
She nodded. “I wasn’t sure until he showed up at my office today.”
Anger raged through him when he thought of this man hurting her. “Did he do anything else to you?”
“Just small things like leaving notes on my car. Peeking in my window the other night. But, that’s what he does. He stalks me until I’m looking over my shoulder every second of every day, waiting for him to make a move.”
Grey ground his teeth together. “One thing is different this time.”
“What’s that?”
“Me.”
Chapter Eight
‡
“No. I won’t put your life at risk,” Reganne shook her head.
Rain began to pelt the windows. Grey put his hand over Reganne’s. “I’ve dealt with more dangerous people than a neurosurgeon who likes to hurt women.”
Her gaze met his, full of hope and regret. “You don’t know him. What lengths he’ll go to.”
“I know the type.” Terrorists, stalkers, criminals, they all shared one trait. They were ruled by their ideals, however demented.
“I appreciate the sentiment, but you won’t be here long. Your leave will end soon and you’ll be gone.”
Like he’d been slapped in the face, he pulled back. Hadn’t his mother said the very same thing to his father when they almost lost the house? He’d left her behind to deal with digging them out of bankruptcy while his dad went off to fight someone else’s war.
Had Grey really thought he could set things right? Change the past. Do what his dad hadn’t been able to. What had begun as a challenge to prove he wasn’t his father just knocked him on his ass. Fool. He thought keeping women at a distance, being the best SEAL he could be, would erase the fact his mother had committed suicide when she couldn’t do it anymore. That, somehow, he could redeem her faith in men, in him, by being there for her when she needed him. When in reality having her only son go into the military had pushed her over the edge. Regardless if Grey had paid off her house, took care of her bills and called every chance he got. Things his dad had never done. His dad went radio silence the second he walked out the door. Grey stayed in contact, had a backup plan in case his mother needed anything, and always called home.
But, none of that had mattered. She had swallowed a bottle of pills during one of his deployments. In the end, he hadn’t been there for her either.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to sound crass.” She rubbed her forehead. “It’s been a long day.”
Agreed. He didn’t want to think about the past anymore. Didn’t want to admit he may not be here long enough to help her deal with her ex. Damn it, he never should have let Darci set him up on a date.
“How about I make us something to eat?” he asked, rising to his feet.
She sent him a relieved look. “I’m not sure there’s much in the fridge.”
“I’ll make do.”
He strode into the kitchen and opened the fridge. Rummaging through the contents, he pulled out what he needed to make a pasta salad. Reganne appeared at his side.
“Can I help? I’m not much of a cook. In fact, that chocolate cake is the only thing I can make that I’m willing to share.”
The cake had been delicious. He handed her a pot. “Fill that with water for the pasta.”
“Something I can do,” she joked, carrying the pot to the sink.
Lucky for him Reganne liked healthy foods and had a fridge full of fresh fruits and veggies. While she put the water on to boil, he deveined and cooked a half-pound of fresh shrimp. Then scored and sliced a cucumber. With ease, he chopped a red pepper, carrot and some green onions.
“I’m glad you’re using up that shrimp. I’d planned on cooking it, just never found the time.” Reganne stirred the pasta that now boiled.
Snatching a lemon from the bowl on the counter, he zested it and squeezed the juice into a bowl. He added dill and sour cream to the mayo and whisked it together to make the dressing.
“Run that pasta under cold water,” he instructed when Reganne drained it into a colander. She did as told, then poured it into the serving bowl behind her.
Grey put all the veggies in with the pasta, then poured the dressing over top and mixed it. He stuck it in the fridge to chill while he mixed up some cheddar biscuits using pre-made mix, shredded cheddar cheese and herbs.
Reganne set the table while the biscuits baked. Outside, the storm cranked up. Heavy winds shook the w
indows. Lightning flashed in rapid succession, followed by booming thunder. The lights flickered.
“Hope we don’t lose power,” Reganne murmured.
“Have flashlights just in case?”
“One. But, I have lots of candles.”
Grey opened the oven and took the biscuits out as the lights blinked. “Might want to go get them.”
With a nod, Reganne ran up the stairs. He put the salad and biscuits on the table, noticing she had put a couple beers in a bucket to chill. Damn, his kind of woman.
Reganne reappeared with an armload of candles and a lighter. She set them on the counter just as the lights went out. Everything went quiet except for the storm raging outside. The lighter clicked on as Reganne lit the candles. “Got some.”
“Just in time.” He took two candlesticks from her and setting them between their plates on the table.
“Candlelight dinner on a stormy night. Sounds perfect.”
He met her gaze. “It does.”
A soft smile touched her lips as they lit the rest of the candles and set them around the house.
“Shall we eat?”
She nodded and he held out her chair for her. Once she sat, he sat across from her.
“I hope beer is okay. I didn’t have any wine.”
“Perfect.”
He popped the tops on two bottles while she dished out the pasta. One of the beers he handed to her. She tapped hers against his and they began to eat.
After a few bites Reganne said, “This is delicious. I can’t believe you just whipped this up.”
“Thank you. I taught myself to cook as a teen.”
“Your mom wasn’t a cook either?”
He sipped his beer. “No, she didn’t cook.” Because she was always depressed and sleeping.
“Sounds like there’s more to that story.”
He shrugged. “My dad was Navy, too. Never home. My mom didn’t deal with being alone very well. She took a lot of pills to deal with the life and washed them down with alcohol.”
“She had you.”
“Yeah, but that wasn’t enough to pull her out of her depression. She couldn’t deal with military life.”
Reganne set her fork down and cocked her head. “It sounds to me like she was clinically depressed and just never got the right treatment.”
Grey put the biscuit he’d picked up back down on his plate, mind reeling. Could that be true? Had he misinterpreted his mother’s addiction and inability to handle military life for a treatable disease?
“Did she sleep a lot? Stop eating or lose weight? Seem to be in a fog all the time?”
Baffled, he nodded. If he didn’t know any better he’d assume Reganne had met his mother. “She blamed my dad. Told him if he’d been home more she wouldn’t have been so lonely. So miserable.”
“Transference. She avoided her own problems by making them someone else’s.”
Mind blown and guilt riding him hard, Grey took a long swig from his bottle. How could he have missed this? His mother had been sick and he never once considered that. He just assumed she hated her life and dealt with it by taking pills. Hell, she said it every other day. He suspected his dad stayed away because he didn’t know how to help or fix it.
God, had they both been wrong? Failed her?
The thought weighed heavily on him.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything.”
“No, it’s okay. I just never considered that.”
Reganne’s hand covered his where it rested on the table. “Is your mom still alive?”
“No. She OD’d a few years ago.”
“I’m so sorry.”
“Me, too. Now that I know I may have been able to help her and I never did.”
“We can’t be sure of that. Just because her symptoms fit the disease doesn’t mean she had it.”
Deep down, he knew that she had. And he hadn’t done anything about it. The dinner he’d eaten churned in his stomach. Couldn’t change the past, he knew that, but it didn’t make it any easier to swallow.
“It’s been quite a night, hasn’t it?”
He drained his beer and met her eyes. “It has.” Between hearing of her ex, wanting to pound the guy’s face in for what he’d done to Reganne, and learning he might have failed his mother it had been one hell of a night. And it was only eight o’clock.
“How about we clean this up and play a game of Yahtzee?”
He quirked a brow. “Yahtzee?”
She sent him a devilish smile. “I’m pretty good at dice games.”
He me her grin with one of his own. “So am I.”
“Ooh, a challenge. Shall we?”
He grabbed his plate. “You’re on.”
They cleaned the dishes, loaded the dishwasher, put the leftovers in containers in the fridge and met at the coffee table. Reganne sat on the floor across from him, a red box between them.
She lifted off the lid. “Ready to lose, sailor?”
“I never lose.”
Their eyes met and something passed between them. The air charged, and not from the storm raging outside. Reganne licked her bottom lip, drawing his eyes there. Sinful. No woman should have lips so kissable.
Her gaze dropped first, breaking the spell. Damn, this woman was getting to him. In more ways than one.
She handed him a score pad and pencil then set the dice on the table. They both picked one up and rolled. He got a five. She got a six.
“Won that one.” She sent him a wicked smile as she gathered all five dice.
He chuckled as she shook the dice and dropped them on the table. She set aside three ‘fours’ and rolled again. Slowly, as the game progressed, the weight on his shoulders lessened, replaced by the teasing banter of the game.
Reganne proved to be a worthy opponent. She beat him two out of three games. He didn’t mind. If it put a smile on her face he would let her win all night.
All the candles filled the room with utterly female scents. Roses, something a bit spicy he really liked. Reminded him of one of the jungles he’d been in.
“I should probably wrap this up.” She put the dice in the box. “I have to work in the morning.”
Grey put their score pads in the box. “I’m not comfortable leaving you alone. Not until your ex has been dealt with.”
She slid the lid on the game. “There’s really nothing you can do. But, thank you.”
The hell there wasn’t. “Do you have someone who can stay with you?”
Her gaze dropped. “No.”
“Then you’re stuck with me. I’ll take the couch until we figure this out.”
“What? No, I can’t do that to you. You have a life. Babysitting me isn’t part of it.”
“I’m not leaving you alone knowing that psycho is out there.”
She laughed. A short burst of nervous energy. “I’ll get you some bedding.”
Game in hand, she picked up one of the candles and went upstairs. When she returned she carried sheets and blankets in her arms. He took them from her and set them on the end of the sofa.
“I can make up the bed for you,” Reganne offered.
“I got it. Get some rest. I’ll be right here if you need me.”
She nodded before going back upstairs. He watched her go, wishing he could go with her. Sleep in her bed. Feel all that silky skin wrapped around him.
Grey cursed softly. He’d usually worked off this restless energy by now. Since meeting Reganne he had no desire to visit a bar and take a ready, willing woman home to satiate his needs. He’d rather be here, with her, learning everything he could about her. Getting close to her.
Wasn’t that a complication he didn’t need?
Despite his revelation tonight about his mother, he still had no intention of bringing a woman into his world. Clinical depression or not, his mother hadn’t been able to handle military life and he couldn’t bear losing another woman because of his career.
With jerky movements he made up his bed and lay down to
listen to Reganne moving around upstairs.
Better not to imagine her undressing for bed.
Muttering, he rolled onto his side. He wished her ex would make a move so he could blow off some steam in the second best way: physically.
The first was sex.
Grey groaned and closed his eyes. Looked like a long night ahead of him.
Chapter Nine
‡
Reganne lay awake in bed. Knowing Grey was downstairs should be a comfort. Instead it had her in knots. Knots only a woman could understand. Especially if she hadn’t been with a man in almost a year.
A tall, muscular, handsome Navy SEAL who made her stomach flutter every time she looked at him. Someone who made her smile and laugh again.
A man who hadn’t run hard and fast in the opposite direction after hearing her story. The fact he stayed made her uncharacteristically melancholy. Having him watch over her made her feel safe and protected. Something she hadn’t felt in a long time.
Something she wanted to feel forever.
Reganne threw the covers off and swung her feet to the floor. She had fallen for Senior Chief Petty Officer Greyson Stone. Head over heels, never-felt-this-way, let’s-spend-our-life-together fallen. Not even with Carsen had she felt such a strong attraction to someone. This felt different. More real. Stronger.
And if she’d learned one thing from her experience with her ex it was that life was too short. She’d once been the kind of woman who decided what she wanted and went after it. No holds barred. It had gotten her through medical school and residency. Carsen couldn’t steal that away from her. He might have caused her to bury it and forget the real her for a while, but Grey brought her back. With him, she felt normal.
Feeling free, happy, she walked softly down the stairs. The instant her bare feet hit the landing Grey’s voice drifted through the darkness.
“Reganne? What’s wrong?”
Drawn to his deep timbre she crossed the room to where he half-lay, half-sat on the couch. She put her hands on his shoulders and climbed on top of him, gently pushing him back against his pillow.
