by Dee J. Adams
This kiss didn’t invite second thoughts, it demanded action and participation.
And Kim complied.
Leo’s need washed over Kim like a tidal wave and she nearly drowned in it. He kissed her with a desperation that made her ache. As disoriented as he’d been when he’d lost all his money, his despair hadn’t been this palpable.
Keeping Megan safe had been his whole purpose and now that she was exposed, so was he.
Kim wanted nothing more than to ease his pain. Sure, it was a trip down a one-way street she’d been on before and yes, she was bound to get hurt, because as much as she tried to fight her attraction and respect for this man, she couldn’t do it anymore.
Seeing him struggle after the financial mess, then watching him battle back to finish his film had made her realize he was a better man than he gave himself credit for. But after watching how quickly he got to Megan’s side after her seizure, seeing how her health and privacy really mattered to him, she slid off that slippery slope.
She was hopeless.
And hopelessly in love with him.
Which probably accounted for the reason that she jumped on board so quickly when he pounced. She wanted to do something to ease the pain, but it made her sick inside to go two steps forward and four more backward. Why did she constantly put herself in these situations?
“Leo.” Kim leaned back and stopped him before he went in for another kiss.
He opened his mouth to say something, but her phone rang from the counter. It was the second time she’d been saved by the bell. She welcomed the distraction, moved off the couch and picked up her mobile. Los Angeles Police Department flashed on her caller ID.
“It’s the police in L.A.,” she said, accepting the call. “Hello, this is Kim. Can I help you?”
“Hello, Ms. Jacobs. This is Detective Browning at the LAPD. Sorry I wasn’t able to finish our conversation yesterday. I was wondering if you could come by the station.”
“Did you find something?” she asked.
“I’d rather talk about it in person, if you don’t mind.”
He wouldn’t be calling her again and asking her to talk if he hadn’t found something. “I wish I could, but at the moment, I’m in New York. I’d really like to know what you’ve found.”
“Normally, I wouldn’t discuss this over the phone, but since you’re out of town and I think this is information you should know, we should probably finish the conversation we started yesterday. We checked out your car and it looks as if it had been tampered with.”
Kim’s heart started pumping double time as she glanced at Leo. “Tampered with? How?” Leo jumped off the sofa in a second and came by her side. She leaned the phone toward him so he could listen in.
“It looks as if someone deliberately sabotaged the hose to the power steering. A small section of the hose seemed to be sliced, but not all the way through. Then someone shaved it and punched in tiny holes. Whoever it was wanted this to look like average wear and tear, but the car is too new to have this kind of issue. Between that and the incident in the canyon, I think you may be in danger.”
But Leo had also been hurt. “What about the burr under the saddle? Do you think that’s connected in any way?” Kim asked.
“It’s certainly suspicious. Are you sure there wasn’t anyone around who previously knew you?” he asked.
“Just my cousin, but he’s been ruled out.”
Leo’s eyes widened. “Just because he has an alibi for the car accident and the shooting doesn’t absolve him of the Smokey incident,” he said. “Maybe he hired someone to tamper with your car and shoot at us.”
“Detective Browning, hold on a second. I’ll be right with you.” Kim covered the mouthpiece. “What? So now you think my cousin has criminal contacts and knows how to hire a hitman? That’s crazy.”
“Don’t you remember, I said you could ride Smokey when we finished the shot. We broke down the tracks. Anyone not under that screen at video village might’ve thought we were done with Smokey and planted that cactus for your benefit.”
“By anyone, you mean Wilson.”
“Ms. Jacobs?” Detective Browning said. “I’m going to take another look into your cousin’s alibi.”
“You think he’s lying?” Kim couldn’t believe it.
“Is he with you in New York,” the detective asked.
“No, he stayed in Los Angeles. He was hanging around in case I needed help or ran into trouble since I don’t have my ID.”
“Well, that’s either very noble or very suspicious. My partner and I will talk to him again. Also, we checked out Carl Wyncott, but there’s nothing that leads us to believe he’s behind this. Please call me back when you return to town or if you think of something that might help us.”
“Yes, of course. Thanks for the information.” Kim disconnected the call and sat on the nearby stool.
Leo took her phone from her hands and set it aside. “It’s possible that someone messed with the car before you ever got in it. Meaning they didn’t know who was going to be driving it.”
“But what’s the point of that? Unless they hoped the fluid leaked sooner. Maybe the police should be asking who rented that car before me.”
Leo ran a hand over his head, ruffling thick dark hair. “I don’t know.” He sounded as frustrated as she felt and paced next to her. The bullets in the canyon didn’t feel like anything accidental, and only a few people had heard Leo say she could ride Smokey after they got the shot, but she couldn’t say for sure if Wilson was one of them. None of it made much sense.
“All this talk about your cousin has me wondering if maybe he made the phone call to the paparazzi and told them about your pregnancy. They pay big money for information like that.”
“But they didn’t mention me. They just asked if you were going to be a father. Maybe they were pulling that out of thin air, trying to shock you or something.”
“Doubtful,” Leo said. “Someone tipped them off and the list of people who know you’re pregnant is very short.”
“You really don’t like my cousin, do you?” she asked.
“I just don’t trust him, that’s all. Not after what you’ve told me. I don’t think you should trust him either.” Behind her, Leo set his warm palms on her shoulders, gently squeezing all the tension locked in her muscles. “How about, for right now, I make you forget all of this for a few hours?” When she turned around he saw the misery in her eyes. “I guess that answers my question.” He sounded so forlorn she almost reconsidered, but that sick feeling in her stomach wasn’t just her emotions battling it out, she really didn’t feel that great.
“I can’t.” She swiveled in the stool and stroked a finger down his cheek. “I’m sorry. I’ve got so much running in my head and I just can’t do this knowing…knowing it’s a dead end. I like you. A lot.” More than a lot, but what was the point of telling him otherwise. “But we have fundamental differences that I can’t get past. And I don’t think you can either.” He moved back, the desolation in his eyes nearly crippling her. “To be really honest, I’m not feeling that great either. I don’t know if it was the plane trip, the shopping, the pizza or this latest news about the car, but my stomach is not happy.”
Concern took over in Leo’s eyes as he stood up. “Why didn’t you tell me?” He pulled her off the stool and walked her across the room to the bed. “Here, lie down.” He pulled the blanket back. “I’ll get you some ginger ale. I know Gino keeps it stocked. It’s half of his favorite drink.” When she lifted questioning brows, he continued, “Seven and Ginger.”
“Ah. Cousin to your favorite Seven and Seven.”
“Yep. You remembered,” he said over his shoulder as he went to the fridge.
“How could I forget?” How many cocktails had they shared when they first met? Too many. Kim ran her hand along the crazy soft sheets. It was too easy to imagine making love to Leo in this bed. She watched as he poured her a glass of ginger ale and brought it back. The concern in his eyes
only made it harder to keep an emotional distance.
Kim sipped her drink and leaned against the pillows. “Thanks. And don’t look so worried. I’m fine. It’s like backward morning sickness because I get nauseous in the evening. Not the first time it’s happened, but I’ve finally put two and two together.”
Stella mewled from the floor, her yellow eyes piercing the dim room.
Leo picked her up and set her next to Kim. “Here, Stella will cure you. She specializes in cute.”
Actually, Leo did too, but Kim didn’t dare tell him.
“Anything else I can get you?” He sat at her side, the bed depressing with his weight. The crease in his forehead deepened with the question.
Kim ignored the warm fuzzies he sparked. She categorically ignored his sweet blue eyes and broad shoulders. She refused to think about the mouth-watering sex she was missing at this very moment. “Ginger ale and cat. I think I’m good.”
Leo nodded. “It’s no big deal if you’re not up for meeting Megan tomorrow. She won’t know the difference.”
Maybe he didn’t want her to meet Megan. She hadn’t considered that. “I’ll be fine. I’m just tired. I didn’t sleep much on the plane either.”
“Why didn’t you say so? You should’ve crashed with me this afternoon.”
“I had too much to do. I needed some clothes and essentials. So did Stella. And I wasn’t feeling it this afternoon. It just hit me in the last hour or so.” Even as she said the words, a fresh wave of nausea rolled through her. Not fun.
“You’ve got to take care of yourself, you know.”
“I know.” Her body was speaking a new language and she was doing her best to make sense of it. “I’ll be good as new tomorrow morning.” She closed her eyes with Leo’s hand in hers and that was the last thing she remembered.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Leo sat next to Kim for a long time before he finally crashed on the sofa. He didn’t feel right taking the space next to her on the bed. Not when she’d put the brakes on what had surely been a runaway train. Granted, she hadn’t felt well, but he didn’t want to push her or make her uncomfortable. Sure, he wanted her almost more than he wanted to breathe, but even more than that he respected her. When the hell had that ever happened? Besides, he knew damn well if he spent horizontal time next to her, he wouldn’t have the discipline to keep his paws off her. She was too much of a temptation.
He forced himself to stop fantasizing about Kim, and focused on Megan. Was The Institute still the best place for her? Had it gone downhill and he hadn’t noticed because he hadn’t visited in so many months? Or was Kim right and it was simply the bad timing of a seizure that made this incident so bad? Kim’s words kept replaying in his head. Maybe The Institute was the best place. Maybe Megan would’ve been hurt worse with a seizure somewhere else where people weren’t as trained as the employees there.
Kim was probably right. She’d been right with just about everything else so far.
Leo tossed and turned on the sofa. The only good thing about the night was hearing Kim’s steady breathing as she slept. Luckily, she woke up feeling fine and relief chugged through Leo like spring water. She threw on a casual pale green dress that hugged her hips and made her eyes pop. No remnants of her nausea existed.
They arrived at the hospital when visiting hours started. Leo wanted Megan’s doctor to sign her release papers ASAP so he could get her back to familiar and comfortable surroundings.
Kim suggested they enter through the front door, but hire a second limo to wait for them at the E.R. entrance in the back. That kept the first limo as a decoy for the paparazzi staked out front.
As a treat for Megan, they decided to bring Stella along for the ride. Kim had played hard with her in the morning so they kept her in the limo with the driver to nap when they went inside the hospital.
Leo didn’t expect to find Megan sitting up in the bedside chair and already dressed. His mood lifted exponentially. “Hey, good morning.” He gave her a gentle hug, afraid he’d do extra damage to her small battered frame.
Her eyes lit up. “Leo!” She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek. “I get to go home today!” Her contagious smile let a little more sunshine into his heart.
“I know. I came to take you.”
“Who’s that?” Megan pointed to Kim, her smile still in intact. She loved people and especially loved meeting new people. Her innocence and total acceptance of everyone shone in her bright eyes. She took in every inch of Kim’s beauty.
“I’m Kim.” Kim extended her hand and Megan shook it. Leo shoved back his emotion. He shouldn’t care about this meeting except that these two females were the most important things in his life.
Megan looked from Kim to him and back to Kim before an even wider smile broke out across her face. “Leo has a girlfriend.”
“Oh, uh…” Kim hesitated and glanced his way.
No reason to make her more uncomfortable than she already was. In a perfect world, his sister might’ve been right on target. “She’s a really good friend, Megan. She’s been helping me figure some things out lately.”
“But you guys like each other too.” Her smile beamed wide.
He more than liked Kim, but he didn’t know if he could give her what she wanted. Plus she seemed pretty damn sure it wasn’t him. Leo was saved from answering when Dr. Noori entered the room with a chart in his hand and a nurse in green scrubs behind him. Though Megan didn’t have to wear the neck brace, the doctor suggested she take it easy for a few days. She still had some serious bruising on her face.
It took some time to get Megan in a wheelchair and into the elevator. Leo kept glancing around, waiting for the boogey man to pop out and start snapping pictures. Getting her into the limo stretched every nerve taut, since she moved so slowly, and Kim took the opportunity to let Stella do her kitty business in the small grassy area along the building. Ultimately, Kim’s idea worked and they got away clean.
Megan’s excitement over the limo doused every one of Leo’s worries as they headed back to The Marion. She oohed and aahed upon meeting Stella and the two became instant pals. She didn’t seem the slightest bit aware of the nasty bruising on her face or the soreness that must accompany it.
“What happened to her? She got hurt like me?” Megan asked.
“Kind of,” Leo said, dodging the real story. No need to tell Megan about the coyote attack. “She went to the hospital just like you did and she got some stitches in her side.”
Stella purred in Megan’s lap all the way back to The Marion.
Love at first sight.
Happy to be back home, Megan hugged the employees they passed as they walked to her room. Leo had sometimes wondered if they gave her attention because of his fame, but their genuine happiness at seeing Megan changed his mind. She waved to all the residents in the hall as she went by and the smile on her face said she was thrilled to be home.
Leo had made sure she had all the comforts of a regular bedroom. The only sign that marked her extra care was the hospital bed with guardrails in case Megan had a seizure in the middle of the night. She had round-the-clock care, and the nurses treated her like family. Leo made sure the whole staff understood his appreciation and everyone got gifts for birthdays and holidays. He still had to figure out how to manage this year, but he was determined to make it happen despite his catastrophic financial loss.
“I like your room, Megan,” Kim said, surveying the space. She kept a hand in her bag, no doubt petting a hidden Stella. Baby blue paint covered the walls and stuffed animals lined the top of a four-foot-high circular bookcase filled with books and toys. His mom had sewn the old fashioned quilt on her bed. Some of Megan’s artwork was prominently displayed next to a few old pictures from home. Leo’s favorite was a shot of his mom holding Megan and him smiling at something she said. It had been taken a few months before she died. He’d been a twenty-two-year-old kid without a clue how his life was about to change. He looked around the room to
see if she needed anything and buried the ache in his chest.
“Come see the art house.” Megan grabbed his hand after they dropped the hospital bag with her belongings on her dresser. He wasn’t sure she should be out and about after just getting back. “Leo.” Megan tugged on his hand. “Let’s go.”
“Maybe you should take a rest,” he said, “You just got here. Aren’t you tired?”
“No. I have to show you. It’s so cool.” Her enthusiasm kicked him right in the gut. Leo couldn’t deny her. She took Kim’s hand as well so the three of them walked down the hall together. Megan looked up at Leo. “I like her,” she whispered loudly.
“Me too,” he whispered back.
Megan giggled. She talked nonstop, albeit in her slow cadence, telling them both about her artwork and some of her friends. Once inside the new building, she made a beeline for the corner of the room. “This is mine,” she stated, her voice full of pride. “I get this whole space ’cause I’m in here the most of everyone.” She showed them drawings, ceramics and paintings. At the moment she was working on jewelry and beads.
Leo saw the patience Kim had while listening to Megan’s slower speech. The woman was going to make a great mother. She asked just the right questions and Megan delighted in talking to her. Watching them together made Leo realize just how important family was. He’d been working so hard to keep Megan cared for, but he’d cheated her with the absence of real family.
A little mewl sounded in the room. Kim glanced up. “Sounds like Stella wants in the on the action.”
Leo reached into Kim’s bag sitting on the floor between them and pulled out the little bandaged ball of fur. Megan came between them to pet her. Kim opened bottled water from her bag, poured some into a collapsible bowl she’d purchased yesterday and set it in front of Stella. After the feline had her fill, she went straight into Megan’s arms and purred her brains out. Sure, she’d purred for Leo, but never that loud. He might’ve been a little hurt if Megan and Stella hadn’t been so cute together.
