Liz rebuttoned her sweater, keeping her face down. “Show’s over.”
“I don’t understand.” She darted a glance at his face and saw puzzlement.
Liz could feel tears in her eyes. “Guys like you aren’t supposed to happen to women like me, okay? Over a certain age, if single, we’re either supposed to settle for some pudgy, balding middle-aged insurance salesman because he’s ‘nice’ and ‘will be a good husband’ or we’re supposed to finish the journey alone. Being in love doesn’t enter the picture. You, on the other hand, are the handsome prince. And you can have any woman you want. I’ve got at least 15 years and as many pounds on the women you date. I’m not arm candy, I know this.”
“Angie says I’m in love and she’s right, God is she ever right. I have never felt like this for anyone, Ty and if you don’t want what I want, it’ll kill me. You have the power to utterly destroy me, whether you mean to or not and I’m scared to death. Let me get over it and get on with my life. Please.”
Ty pulled Liz into his arms. He held her close and kissed her forehead. Liz put her arms around him and leaned into his body. She could feel the energy flowing between them, both reassuring and exciting. She closed her eyes and just felt. This could be as close as she ever got.
Ty spoke quietly, “I will kill the first insurance salesman who comes near you. And the second. And the third. And any other man who tries to take what’s mine. I said I loved you and I goddamn meant it.”
Ty tilted Liz’s chin up and looked into her eyes. “I’m not just playing, Liz. The woman I want is right here in my arms.” And his mouth came down on hers.
The Barrister’s Ball kiss hadn’t been a fluke. Liz found her knees going weak as they had at the Ball and she tightened her grip on Ty. He held her even closer.
There was a knock at the door. “Lizabetta?” Liz reluctantly broke off the kiss. “I’m okay, Angie. Be out in a minute.” She shifted her hands and gently pushed Ty away. With a smile, he kissed her quickly before turning to flush the toilet.
Liz unlocked the door and peeked into the dining room.
“All clear.” She took Ty’s hand and led him back to their table. Since he nearly hit his head on it, Ty noticed the mistletoe and pulled Liz in for another kiss. She didn’t stop him.
“Ahem.”
Liz and Ty both looked up to see Angie. She stood with feet planted, hands on hips and a baleful expression on her face, mostly directed at Ty. Vinnie and Tony stood behind her looking equally displeased.
“Who are you and what are you doing with our girl?” Angie demanded.
Ty hastily released Liz, who, still unsteady on her feet, fell into her chair. “Uh, my name is Tyrone Hadley, Ma’am, and I was talking to Elizabeth.” He sounded just like any sixteen-year-old boy facing a girl’s father after getting caught necking on the porch swing.
Angie snorted. “In my day, we called that kissing. I just got a call from my Joseph. He told me all about you and said if you upset Elizabeth any more, I should tell him so he and Rocco could take care of it.”
Angie looked at Liz. “Lucky for you, Young Man, she doesn’t look upset. In fact,” Angie peered at Liz’s face, “she looks a lot better than she did when she came in here. Vincenzo, get our girl another glass of wine and one for the Kissing Bandit here,” she pointed at Ty. “You, Mr. Lips, come with me.”
Angie turned on her heel and marched towards the kitchen, Ty following closely, protesting, “But she kissed me first!”
Tony yelled after her, “Ma, what should I do?”
“Stay out of trouble.”
Tony muttered, “Shit.”
“Anthony!” from behind the door.
“Sorry, Ma.”
Vinnie replaced Liz’s wineglass with a fresh one and one for Ty. He looked towards the kitchen door thoughtfully.
“That’s a determined man, you’ve got there, Liz. I bet he’s been in every restaurant and hotel in town looking for you. He showed up right after you got here, wanting the phone book.” Vinnie smiled at Liz. “You know, when he came back, he just sat at the bar and watched you. I was wondering how long he’d do that until he saw you take a swing at Tony for kissing you. He kind of smiled, asked me to send some Merlot to you, got on his phone and told Tony that if he didn’t knock it off, he was going to stuff him into a manicotti shell ass first.” Tony nodded.
No one emerged from the kitchen. “Angie must be giving him hell. Think she’s showing him the big knife?” Liz asked.
Vinnie and Tony both nodded. “Oh, yeah,” they said.
Vinnie patted Liz’s shoulder. “Every man needs to meet his girl’s family.” He kissed the top of Liz’s head. “It’s clear you two are in love with each other. He’d better be good enough for you.”
Finally, the kitchen doors swung open and a shaken Ty emerged. He took Liz’s hand as he seated himself. She looked at him, imagining the conversation. “And?”
Ty swallowed, “Counselor, if I disappear, don’t order anything that comes with just two meatballs.”
“Oh, Honey, if you think that was bad, you should have been here the night someone asked for ketchup to put on Angie’s risotto. Vinnie had to hide the scaloppini mallet.”
Ty picked up the hand he was holding and kissed the fingertips, the palm and the inside of the wrist. Liz could hardly breathe. They just looked at each other for a moment.
“Wait a minute. How did you find me?” Liz asked suspiciously. “And I never gave you my cell number.”
Ty just smiled. “I have my sources.”
“Uh huh.” An idea occurred to Liz. With her free hand, she picked up her phone and dialed Millie’s office. She laced her fingers through Ty’s, who kissed her hand. Liz was not about to let go.
“Attorney Wentworth.”
“Millie, it’s Liz.” Ty looked at her curiously.
“Liz, are you okay?” Millie sounded anxious.
“Yeah, I’m with Vinnie and Angie. Listen, put me on speaker and get Corey in there, please.” She heard the change in the phone to speaker, heard Millie summon Corey and heard them return.
“Hi, Liz,” Corey sounded a little too chipper.
“Hi, Corey. Millie, I want you to look into Corey’s eyes. Corey, Tyrone Hadley has been prowling Hyannis today. He’s even been in Vincenzo’s to look for me. Any idea how he’d know where to look?”
“No,” Corey’s voice was careful. “Maybe Joe told him…”
“Wrong. Try again. Who gave me up?”
Ty nodded. Liz mouthed “thought so.”
“Nobody, Liz, I swear.” Corey said stoutly.
“Millie?”
“Look me in the eyes, Corey.” A slight pause. “He can’t look me in the eyes, Liz.”
“Corey, you told Ty where to find me, didn’t you?” Liz’s voice took on the tone of a mother who has just caught her child in a lie.
“Maybe.”
“Corey, how much?” Liz looked at Ty who mouthed, “One hundred.”
Liz mouthed back, “Are you nuts?” Ty nodded and kissed her cheek.
Liz could hear the panic as Corey said, “I don’t understand the question.”
Millie jumped in, “Bullshit, Corey. How much did he pay you?”
“Twenty bucks.” Liz had to bite back a laugh. “That’s all? Man, you’re cheap. Ty says he’d have gone to two hundred, no sweat.”
Dead silence from the other end. While waiting for a reaction, Liz looked at Ty with arched eyebrows and smiled.
Corey’s voice finally came through weakly. “He’s there?”
“Well, hell, Corey, did you think he’d pay you a hundred bucks if he wasn’t going to use the information?”
Liz could hear Millie’s, “OHMIGOD!” in the background. Liz also heard Millie smack Corey, who whined, “Ouch.”
Corey protested, “She just hit me.”
“Hit him again.” Liz heard another smack. “Millie, since I’m not there and Attorney Dennis has found himself understaffed, I’d say that it
would only be in the spirit of the Christmas season to lend our assistant to Dan.”
“You wouldn’t,” from Corey.
Millie fell right in, “Why, Attorney Gardner, that’s an excellent idea. And I believe Attorney Dennis is between assistants right now, isn’t he? He’d be so grateful…,” Here Liz heard a muffled scream from Corey, “for the help with his handwritten notes and dictation.”
Liz heard a rhythmic thumping over the phone. “What’s that?”
“Corey pounding his head on the desk.”
“Tell him knocking himself unconscious won’t get him out of it. Go, Corey. Millie, I’ll catch you later.” Liz hung up. Ty was chuckling.
Liz smiled at him, “Rule Number One: never betray my trust.”
“I won’t, Love, I promise,” Ty squeezed her hand. They looked into each other’s eyes for a long moment, not speaking or touching except for their clasped hands. Screwing up her courage, Liz leaned forward and kissed Ty, gently taking his bottom lip between hers and stroking her tongue along its surface. When she leaned back, his eyes were dancing with anticipation and he was breathing hard. Liz thought it was one of the sweetest sounds she’d ever heard. Ty picked up his wineglass and motioned for Liz to do the same. “To us.” They drank.
Ty set down his wineglass and smiled. “You know, Liz, I have a confession. Ever since that crazy softball game when you kissed me,” here his eyes glinted at her, “I’ve wanted you. I wanted to comfort you and make love to you the night it rained. I want those legs of yours wrapped around me. I’ve had dreams about us being together,” his voice got soft and husky, “and they were wonderful. I want the reality tonight.”
Liz could only nod, her eyes locked with his. Ty leaned in and kissed her. “I can’t wait,” he whispered. “That night in October…”
“Yes?”
“I stood outside the door to your room for a while after we’d said goodnight. I wanted you very, very badly that night.”
Liz reached over to touch Ty’s face and gently guide it to hers. She kissed him softly, running her fingers through his hair as she did. His eyes were closed as she pulled back. “If you’re going to do that, we’d better have dinner.” He leaned forward to kiss her as softly. “God knows when we’ll eat again.” He pressed a quick kiss on her. “Do you think it’s safe for me to eat here or is Angie going to put saltpeter in my scaloppini?” They both laughed and Liz wrapped her arms around Ty and kissed his cheek. He pulled her close and held her. When she looked up, Tony was standing awkwardly a few feet away, menus in hand.
“Ma says the two of you have to eat and you’ll do it here,” Tony eyed Ty with some fear as he handed him a menu. “Liz, you want chicken saltimbocca? You know Ma’s gonna make you eat broccoli one way or another.”
“That’s great, Tony.” She turned to Ty. “Angie serves her saltimbocca with broccoli sautéed in garlic instead of pasta.”
“And for you, Sir?” Tony was very nervous.
Ty smiled at him. “Call me Ty. Saltimbocca sounds pretty good to me, too.” He offered his hand to Tony, who shook it with relief.
“Okay, great, sure, Ty,” Tony almost stuttered. “Let me get your salads.” He turned and fled.
The jukebox was playing Nat King Cole and “The Christmas Song.” Ty stood up and offered his hand to Liz. “Care to dance? We didn’t get to the dip last time.”
They swayed together, bodies pressed against each other, Liz’s head on Ty’s shoulder and his head against hers. It felt even better and more right than she had hoped.
Ty asked, “Why is Angie force feeding you broccoli?”
“Oh, that. Angie read somewhere that it has anti-cancer properties, so she makes me eat it every chance she gets.” Liz answered. “Has been ever since I left the hospital. Lucky for me, she knows how to make it edible.”
Ty’s hand moved up to her shoulder, gently squeezing. “Still tense? I can fix it for you.” His thumb rubbed up the back of her neck. “I know a great method for relieving stress, but we can’t do it right here. It might shock Angie.”
Liz smiled into his shoulder. “Now that you mention it, I’m feeling much more relaxed. But you can keep doing that.” She tilted up her face to kiss him.
The music changed to “At Last” by Etta James. Ty and Liz started laughing. “Just can’t get away from that song, can we?” Liz said with a smile.
“I’m not complaining,” said Ty. He pulled her closer again. “Maybe it’s meant to be our song” and he kissed Liz again. “Damn, that’s fun,” he said huskily.
“Ahem.” Angie interrupted their dance. “Eat. Already, Vinnie’s getting phone calls wanting to know if we’re open. I’ll need you two working. And you,” she glared at Ty. “Will NOT be distracting Lizabetta while she’s working. Can you wait tables without breaking all my dishes?” He nodded as he led Liz to their table.
They ate quickly without rushing. Ty would sneak a kiss when Angie wasn’t looking. When the tiramisu was served, Liz dug a spoonful and fed it to him, relishing the sudden heat she saw in his eyes. “Vinnie told me this is a love potion,” she whispered. “I’m not taking any chances with you.” She followed up the dessert with a kiss.
Gradually, the restaurant began to fill with the voices of hungry locals, coming in out of the snow. Angie and Liz bustled around the kitchen preparing orders, Ty helping with serving.
When the doors finally closed and Angie shooed them out, Ty and Liz strolled back to the hotel under the fast falling snowflakes. Ty’s big Mercedes sat next to Liz’s battered VW in the hotel lot. His luggage sat in the hallway next to the correct door for her room. As he took the key from Liz’s hand, he said, “See? You can run, but you can’t hide from me.” As the door swung open, he added softly, “I will never let you get away from me.” With that, he swept Liz off her feet and carried her over the threshold.
Chapter 7
Liz opened her eyes. The light in the room had the ashen look of pre-dawn. She tried to orient herself in the unfamiliar surroundings. She was still in Hyannis. There was a strange weight across her legs and another across her ribs, something warm and solid against her back and someone’s face in the back of her neck.
Ty’s face. Ty’s face was in the back of her neck because they were in bed together and he was holding her as he slept.
Liz tried to move and was thwarted when the arm around her sleepily tightened its grip and Ty’s leg moved even further over hers. Liz surrendered and contented herself with remembering last night.
They had taken their time. The shaking had come back as soon as Ty had pushed Liz onto the bed. He’d lowered himself next to her and pulled her body against his, just holding her close and stroking her hair until she’d stopped shaking. No, this man did not want to hurt or humiliate her.
In the weak morning light, Liz remembered how, after he had removed her sweater, she had instinctively tried to shield her breasts from his sight. Instead of cajoling or trying to remove Liz’s hands, Ty had just smiled and slid one bra strap off her shoulder. He had bent his head and left a lingering kiss where the elastic had been. His kisses followed a trail down to her hands and he had whispered, “They’re beautiful because they’re yours,” before gently sliding her hands out of the way. He had kissed the scarred area of her left breast, his tongue and lips caressing every inch, slowly working his way down to the nipple. The gesture was so loving that Liz had wanted to cry.
As she lay there, listening to Ty’s deep breathing, Liz knew that her previous sexual experience had been just that – sex and nothing more. Her pleasure had been as important to Ty as his own and the pleasure had been deep, powerful and mutual. Last night, for the first time in her life, Elizabeth Gardner had actually made love.
Ty rolled onto his back and Liz slipped out from under his arm and leg. She wandered to the window, anxious to see the sunrise. Instead of sun over ocean, Liz found herself looking at a snow storm. Liz watched the flakes falling, swirling and rising according to the shifts in the wind. H
er mind was like the snow still in mid-flight, now here, now there, not settled onto the ground. The one thought dominated.
What happens next?
One part of her mind said, “It’s okay. It’ll be fine. He’s the one” while another questioned, “Maybe so, but am I the one for him? Is he going to disappear now that he got what he wanted?” She stood and stared, not seeing.
“Liz? Honey?”
Liz had been so lost in thought she hadn’t heard Ty get out of bed. He came up behind her, wrapping them both in a blanket. As he pulled Liz’s body close against his, one of Ty’s hands slid across her midriff and up to her breasts, cupping and stroking. He kissed her neck and asked, “Everything okay, Babe? You’ll get cold standing here.”
Ty looked out the window. “Good thing we’re not going anywhere, huh? C’mon.” He tried to draw her back with him, but Liz resisted. She could feel his body tense as hers did. Liz knew she was testing his patience, but she really needed to sort out things in her mind. Liz heard Ty exhale slowly before he caressed her belly again, pulling her body back against his. She leaned into him, loving the feel of his chest against her back, his arms around her. Her hand slid along his arm to his hand and she laced her fingers through his.
“Want to tell me what’s wrong, Liz?” Ty’s voice was soft and gentle as he kissed her ear. “Please, Honey, let me help you.”
Liz shrugged. “Nothing, really. Just being neurotic, I guess. No big deal.”
She felt him nuzzle her neck, trailing kisses up to her face. He paused when he got back to her ear and softly whispered, “Bullshit,” before kissing her ear.
Startled, Liz turned her head. Ty said, quietly and firmly, “If something’s bothering you enough to get you out of bed, naked, to watch snow fall, it’s not ‘no big deal.’ Now, tell me. What’s wrong?”
Liz leaned into him again. “I just want to know what happens next.”
Ty considered the question while he leaned his cheek against her hair. “I don’t know, Liz.”
Liz wasn’t satisfied with the answer. Ty turned her around to face him. Almost automatically, their arms encircled each other. They looked into each other’s eyes, Liz’s questioning, Ty’s full of love and reassurance.
These Foolish Things Page 15
