“A punching bag,” Vince explained. “It’s very good for practicing kicks. Do you really have three books filled with recipes?”
“Yes, but I’m not interested in having them published.”
“If you change your mind, let me know. My publisher is big on cookbooks and self-help books. I heard you write too.”
“Oh no,” Ken interrupted. “No talking shop while I’m around. Sit with me, Amy.” He sat cross-legged on the mat. He was flexible, his movement sensual, almost hypnotic. Amy kicked off her sandals and sat facing him.
“So, what do you want to know about Fitzgerald?”
His bluntness took her completely by surprise. “Which one?”
“The one that matters and I don’t mean Chase. He’s just trying to piss off Eddie. So? What do you want to know about Detective Eddie Fitzgerald?”
“I, uh, already know all I need to know about him.”
“Smart answer,” Vince said from behind her, his voice firm. “Stay out of their business, Lambert.”
Ken ignored him. “Did he tell you how he ignored orders from his captain, jumped on a plane with Vince and flew to the Caribbean to rescue Jade from a deranged psychopath?”
Amy blinked. She could see Eddie doing something heroic like that. “He forgot to mention that.”
“He got a two week suspension for it,” Vince added, contradicting his earlier statement. “He’s a hard ass…pardon me, Amy. He’s tough but fair and loyal.”
“Then there was the time he tried to follow Ron into a burning building to rescue Ash. Luckily, I was there to stop him.”
Vince chuckled. “I thought the firefighters stopped him.”
“I talked sense into him.”
“You should have tried convincing your boy instead,” Vince retorted, grinning when Ken glared at him.
“Ever reason with a crazed man? Noble thought he had lost her.”
Amy wanted to hear more about Eddie’s exploits without appearing nosy. “Sounds like trouble follows your wives.”
The two men exchanged a glance and chuckled.
“All the time,” Ken said.
“Tell her how Eddie saved your life,” Vince added.
“He was about to board a plane for some exotic locale when Faith’s ex fiancé decided I was expendable.” Ken grinned. “If Eddie hadn’t ditched his plans and stormed the place, I’d be six-feet under and my Faith…” he went silent then sighed. “I owe the guy my life. But you know what?”
Amy shook her head.
“He’s too stubborn to ask anyone for help. So whatever you are doing to chip at his defenses, keep at it. It’s working.”
Before Amy could respond, the side door opened and Eddie poked his head inside the garage. “We need your help, Lambert.”
Amy tried to catch his attention, but he was already gone. Ken followed. Left alone with Vince, Amy vocalized her protest. “I’m not doing anything to chip at his defenses.”
Vince just smiled and indicated the punching bag. It was in the middle of one of the mats. “What do you think?”
She jumped to her feet. “It looks like it might pop.”
“It won’t. The bladder holding the water in the middle is covered by a second layer made of foam. The rolling motion of the water will help you with your footwork.” He kicked off his shoes and toed off his socks. Then moving fast, he aimed a roundhouse kick at the punching bag.
So sure the bag would burst, Amy closed her eyes and braced herself for the splash of cold water. Instead, the bag wiggled and bobbed, but stayed upright.
“Always practice kicks barefoot and no brass knuckles or anything sharp on your hands or you will damage it.” He stepped back and nodded. “Try it.”
She flushed. “Ah, I really suck at kicks.”
“Most beginners say that. Imagine the bag to be someone about to hurt you or your little girl, shift your weight to your left foot for balance and swing your right foot across the bag.”
She didn’t need a second urging. Moving closer, she did as he instructed and stumbled a bit. Vince came to stand behind her and showed her what to do. After several attempts, he stood behind her, his hands on her waist.
“Move left…no, not too much. That’s better. Now raise this,” he patted her leg. “Good. Rotate on the ball of your grounded feet as you kick.”
She got it. Kind of. After more tries, he showed her how to counter a roundhouse kick. “Work on them. Now say you are hit and landed on your back, and he’s pinned you down. How do you defend yourself?
Amy grimaced. “I press the gun against his gut and fire.”
Vince laughed. “Good. But just in case you don’t have a gun, fake passiveness then act. I’ll show you. Lie down on your back.” He straddled her without sitting on her. “Say he’s pinned you down with his hand over your mouth or his elbow on your neck,” he imitated, “and is sitting on you. Bend your knees, plant them firmly on the ground and thrust upwards. Most women’s strength is on their hips and thighs. Surprise him and you will buck him either over your head or sideways. Once he’s off you, you can either take off or if you can, kick or knee him in the balls before running and calling the police. Try it.”
“Kneeing you?”
He chuckled and dimples flashed. “No, bucking me off.”
He was a big, gorgeous guy and their position was intimate, and he’d been issuing instructions in his wicked, sexy voice yet she felt nothing. No humming of her senses. No adrenaline rush or palpitation of her heart. No burning need to lean back and seek his warmth, which meant her hormones acted like sorority girls at a frat party when she was around one man—Eddie Fitzgerald. Not wanting to dwell on it, she focused on Vince.
She actually managed to shove him off her. Not far enough but still, it was something. She tried it again and again. They were laughing at her pathetic attempts when the door opened.
“What the hell is going on out here?” Eddie snarled.
CHAPTER 11
Amy’s gaze connected with Eddie’s and her mouth went dry. Gray eyes burned with fury. Did he think…? What the hell was his problem?
“You’ll get better, Amy,” Vince said, getting to his feet then pulling her up. “Keep practicing. You are an idiot, Fitzgerald,” he added as he walked past Eddie.
Amy didn’t hesitate. She marched over to where he stood. “What did you think we were doing?”
His jaws clenched. “He was all over you.”
“Training, you jackass. At least he didn’t act like I was a leper the way you’ve been doing the last few days.” She moved closer, her chest almost touching his. “And why would you care if he were ‘all over me’ as you put it?”
“He’s a married man.”
“So? According to you, they get bored with their nagging wives and have mistresses. He likes me, and I think he’s funny and gorgeous. So if I want to flirt with him, there’s nothing,” she poked his chest, “you can,” poked him again, “do about it.”
One second she was in his face, the next he had pulled her into his arms. Her softness met hot, hard body, thighs like steel. A low growl rumbled through his chest and her body responded, shuddering as though a live wire ran through her core. His erection rose and pressed against her stomach. She stopped breathing.
“You drive me crazy,” he snarled.
She gulped, air rushing into her lungs, but her eyes didn’t leave his. There was so much frustration on his face, but she didn’t back down. “What do you want from me, Eddie?”
“Nothing,” he ground out. Then he kissed her, contradicting his words.
The kiss was fierce, meant to punish. But as soon his tongue thrust inside her mouth and met hers, the kiss became gentle. Worshipping and soothing.
Amy responded, a moan escaping her. She pressed against him, reveling in the hard length of his body. Her breasts grew heavy, nipples tightening and begging for his touch. He reached down and cupped her breast, playing with the tight nubs. She gasped as sensations rocked her body.
> Maybe it was her sharp inhale or something else, but his head whipped away from hers. For a moment, his gaze caressed her face as though memorizing her features, then his face hardened.
“I’m not going to apologize,” he said.
“I don’t recall asking for an apology.” She stepped away from him, her legs almost giving out from underneath her. “When you ask for nothing, Fitzgerald, that’s exactly what you get. Remember that.”
With her head held high, Amy entered the house, walked to her bedroom then dropped on her bed and curled up. Tears rushed to her eyes and flowed down to her pillow. She was so screwed. No, she was beyond screwed. Like a runaway train, she was falling in love with Eddie Fitzgerald and there were no speed bumps or emergency breaks to stop her.
The more she learned about him, the more she found to admire, yet he’d been honest about what he wanted. No love. No relationships. Nothing long term. She was selfish enough to want everything from him.
How the hell was she supposed to deal with him? Ignoring him wouldn’t work. The sensual energy he exuded drew her to him whenever he entered a room. Leaving was out of the question, not with Nolan out there. She was also too broke to afford an apartment. Where did that leave her?
Amy worked through her dilemma. The solution was so simple she wondered why she hadn’t reached it. All she had to do was keep her distance and treat Eddie as she would any other guest. After all it was only for two weeks. She’d cook, clean and be the perfect housekeeper. She would pretend he was just like any other member of the Fitzgerald family.
Swiping at the wetness on her cheeks, Amy picked up her cell phone. It was time to deal with something she’d put off for days. She closed the door connecting her bedroom to Raelynn’s then locked herself in the bathroom. Her heart pounding, she searched the contacts for her mother’s cell number then she hesitated, her thumb hovering over the ‘send’ button.
Ever since she told Eddie she planned to call home, she’d tried to call her parents only to chicken out the last minute. Her parents’ past behavior often clouded her judgment. Her only hope was they’d listen to her this time.
She pressed ‘send’ button, then brought the phone to her ear and waited.
“Yes,” her mother said impatiently.
“Hi, Mom.”
“Amy? Amy! Sweetheart, where have you been? We’ve been worried sick. Please, tell us where you are, so we can come and get you.”
Fresh tears rushed into Amy’s eyes. “Don’t worry about us, Mom. I just wanted to tell you that we are doing fine. Raelynn misses you guys. I’ll bring her to see you when all this is over.”
“When what’s over? You’re scaring me, Amy. Where are you? You shouldn’t be in hiding with a child. We miss you.”
“I’ve got to go now, Mom.” Amy tried to wipe the tears but they were falling faster. It was nice to hear her mother’s voice. “I’ll be in touch again.”
“You sound so different. Please, don’t go yet. Your dad wants to talk to you.”
“Next time, Mom. I promise.”
“Don’t hang up, Amy. Nolan wants to talk to you too.”
Shock slammed through her. “He’s there?”
“Yes. He’s been searching for you. He’s worried about you. We all are.”
Amy didn’t want to talk to Nolan or even discuss him, but the nerve of the man had her doing something she hadn’t planned. “Did he tell you he knows where we are?”
There was silence on the line. “Uh, no. He spent the last week at his cottage in Lovingston and just arrived back this morning. He stopped by the house to see if we’d heard from you.”
“He found us, Mom. I don’t know how, but he found us and once again, he’s stalking me.”
“Oh, Amy. Not that again. No one is after you, sweetheart. It’s all in your head. We talked to Dr. Chambers and he’s willing to work with you—”
“I don’t need a shrink, Mother,” Amy said through gritted teeth then took a deep calming breath before she continued. “I don’t need help. Nolan does.”
Silence on the line.
“I am not going to beg you to believe in me. But I’ll say this one more time. Nolan terrorized me when I was in Virginia and he’s doing it again.”
“I’m looking at him right now, Amy. How can he be over there and be here at the same time? He was at the cottage. He even brought us fresh fish.”
They hadn’t received a single call or had an intruder alert since Raelynn saw him outside the lake house, which meant Nolan was covering his tracks. She knew him well enough to know he probably drove to his cabin first, stopped by the local diner so everyone saw him, left his car parked outside then had someone drive him to and from the airport. Lovingston was a small town outside Charlottesville and the locals knew him. They would swear they saw him when he arrived and left. Eye witnesses, from the way he used to brag, were very unreliable.
“Amy, please talk to Nolan.”
Hysteria bubbled to the surface. “I don’t want to talk to him, Mother. Ask him where he’s been the past week.”
“He would have told us if he knew where you were, Amy. Like I said, he was at his cabin for a week and just got home.”
“He lied to you. For once give me the benefit of doubt, mother. Believe me, not him.” Amy hung up the phone and paced in the small space between the sink and the shower. Her mother made her so angry sometimes she wanted to scream.
Amy stopped, closed her eyes and sighed. There was no point in getting frustrated with her parents. She’d lied and twisted half-truths most of her teens and never gave them a reason to believe anything that ever came out of her mouth. It wasn’t their fault they didn’t believe her now when it mattered. Showing them that Nolan was guilty was the only solution.
Amy splashed water on her face and studied her reflection in the mirror. She looked like a crazed woman. Taking deep breaths, she patted her face, put eye drops in her eyes to get rid of the redness, applied lip gloss and pinched her cheeks to add color to her face. Happy with her appearance, she checked in on Raelynn then went in search of Eddie.
Eddie, Ron and Vince were hunched over a computer tablet on the coffee table. It had eight split screens. One showed Ken walking around the house. He appeared to move from one screen to the next in a smooth, continuous flow.
“How’s the audio feed, boys?” he asked. “I’m about twenty feet from the house now and closer to your neighbor’s compound. A woman is staring at me through her window like I’m an escaped felon or something. I don’t blame her since I’m talking to myself and this is the third loop I’m doing around the house.”
Eddie adjusted the angle of the camera and the neighbor’s yard came into view, then their house, where Catherine, Jimmy’s grandmother, scowled at Ken. The new cameras had a wider range and angle than the ones she’d bought. Eddie touched the screen again and the screen with Ken dominated the screen while the remaining seven lined up under it.
“You have a winner here, Noble,” Vince said.
“I know. We’re giving a demonstration to the local P.D. next month, so if they like it, the money we spent developing it will be worth it.” Ron looked and saw her. “We’re almost done here, Amy.”
Eddie looked over his shoulder and frowned. In one smooth, graceful move, he stood, rounded the couch and came to stand in front of her.
“Are you okay?” he asked, searching her face.
She started to nod, then shook her head. Behind him, the other men were on their feet too looking at her expectantly. She lowered her voice when she spoke. “Can we talk privately?”
He nodded then took her arm and led her outside just as Ken came around the corner and asked, “How was the audio feed?”
“Great,” Eddie said, but his focus was on her. He led her to the pier, where the chairs were, and took the one across from hers. The boat was gone, which explained Chase’s absence.
“Before you say anything,” Eddie said, leaning forward in his chair. “I want to apologize for what I
said earlier. Vince is a happily married man and you are not the type to come on to a married man. This mess with Nolan is screwing with my head.”
She wanted to say bullshit, but housekeepers didn’t sass guests, so she bit her inner cheeks and smiled. “I’m sorry for dragging you into my mess when you are supposed to be on vacation.”
He shook his head. “You didn’t drag me into anything, Amy. You need help and it is my duty as a police officer to give it to you.”
Meaning he’d just be as involved if she was someone else. It made her growing feelings seem even more illogical. “Nolan is back in Charlottesville.”
“How do you know?”
“I just spoke with my mother.”
Concern flickered in his eyes. “How did that go?”
“Same ol’ same—I make up stories about Nolan and need a shrink.” Her voice trembled to a stop. She cleared her throat before continuing. “She didn’t believe me before and she doesn’t believe me now. You know what pisses me off the most?”
Eddie shook his head.
“He was at their house when I called, which made my accusations sound pretty crazy.”
Eddie’s lips tightened. He reached for her hands. “We both know the truth and that’s what matters. You didn’t tell her where you are, did you?”
“No, but Nolan knows I called her. He wanted to talk to me.” She stared at their hands, her smaller hands swallowed by his larger ones. Did he even realize he was gently caressing her knuckles? She swallowed and pulled her hands from underneath his and placed them on her lap. “At least, that’s what she said. He’s planning something, Eddie. He always did something that drew attention to him while his men did his bidding.”
“Thereby establishing an alibi.” He leaned back against the chair and slouched lower, his knee brushing against hers.
“He’s using my parents this time.” Anger hit her hard as she explained everything her mother told her. “They’ll vouch for him just like the people near his cabin will and once again, no one will believe me when I say he’s behind all this.”
Forever Hers Page 16
