by Doreen Alsen
Alden muscled his way into the chair next to Shanna. He’d piled his lunch tray with enough food for five kids. “Hey, babe.” He kissed Shanna’s cheek.
That puking idea was looking better and better with each passing minute.
Luke, another guy from the tenor section in chorus, walked by. He was pretty hot and looked a little like that actor who played the sparkly vampire in Twilight. Ruark thought they might play for the same team. It definitely looked like Luke wanted to sit with him. However, when he saw Alden, he passed on by as fast he could.
Ruark wished he could do the same thing.
Well, that sucked.
“Right, Ruark?” Shanna sounded exasperated.
He looked up to find Cecily and Shanna staring at him, like they had asked him a question. Alden wore his usual douchey smirk.
“I’m sorry, I wasn’t paying attention.”
Shanna rolled her eyes. “We wanted to ask if you want to go to a movie tonight. Cecily and I want to see Bring It On Fifteen: Spirit Fingers Forever.”
As if. But, wait… “If I go, who’s gonna watch Patsy? Besides, it’s a school night. We’re not supposed to go out on school nights.”
Shanna scrunched her nose. “I forgot about Patsy. Thanks for saying you’ll mind her.”
Oh, yeah. She hadn’t forgotten diddley. “You can’t go to a movie on a school night.”
“I’ll make sure she’s home before your mom gets home,” Alden assured him.
Oh, yeah, that made him feel just fine and dandy.
“Please, Ruark? Let me go. I promise I’ll be home way before Momma comes home. I’ll do your chores for a week if you help me out.”
He caved, but not because of the chores, though that was sweet. He just wanted to make them stop nagging him. “Whatever. But I’m not taking the fall for you if Momma comes home early.”
“Deal.” Her mouth blossomed into a huge smile.
“I wish you could come.” Cecily stuck out her bottom lip. “Priscilla swears it’s an awesome movie.”
As if Priscilla’s opinion really mattered to him. “Sorry. Someone has to stay home with Patsy.”
Her face brightened. “Maybe you could bring Patsy with you.”
Alden scowled at Cecily. Clearly he didn’t like that idea.
“No. She’s got to go to bed early.” Ruark knew he had his get out of jail card right there. Never had he loved Patsy more than at that moment.
The warning bell chimed. Thank you, Jesus. He stood. “I gotta get to the music room. I’m outtie.”
As he scurried to dump his tray, he knew he’d also have to get rid of that asshole Alden for Shanna’s sake. Sometimes she could be really stupid.
This was one of those times.
Out of the corner of his eye he caught Luke watching him. Butterflies flew into his stomach and raised a mighty ruckus.
Please, Jesus, let Luke be gay.
****
Dave loosened his tie as he sat in his office chair. Hills of files covered just about every inch of space on his desktop. He glanced at his computer where his Word of the Day screensaver glowed. Clicking a key, he brought up his schedule. He had back to back meetings. His stomach growled. Too bad none of the meetings involved food.
Wait. There was a new appointment at 4:00 P.M. A very interesting appointment. His heart gave him a little kick. He buzzed Mrs. Rockland.
“Yes, Mr. Mason?” His secretary’s voice sounded a little tinny over the tiny speaker.
“You added an appointment with Mrs. Logan at 4:00?” There was that kick again.
“Yes. She called and asked to see you, something to do with the twins. Should I call her back and re-schedule it? I know it’s your only time to catch dinner.”
Food or Ainslie? No choice. “No, let’s leave it where it is. I’ll catch something at the vending machine in the faculty lounge.”
A sigh gusted out of the intercom. “I don’t think stale fake cheese and peanut butter crackers count as lunch.”
“Sure they do.” He felt a grin grow on his face. “They’re the perfect food in one small package: dairy, protein, carbs and nuclear orange dye #56.”
“You need to think about your health. You’re not getting any younger. Do you have any other questions?”
“No. You know, why don’t you take off early.” He didn’t want Mrs. Rockwell and her bionic hearing in the adjacent office.
“What?”
“You’ve put in a lot of extra hours lately. You should go home early.” Please.
“Um, okay.” She sounded dubious. “Do you want me to do anything before I go?”
“No, I’m all set.”
“Shall I leave your door open?”
“Yes, please.”
“Well, good night then.” The intercom clicked off.
He leaned back in his chair and enjoyed the hum of anticipation running through him. Seeing Ainslie would be a bright spot in an otherwise crappy day.
The part about the twins gave him some worry. He didn’t think there was anything seriously wrong. He kept a pretty close eye on them and hadn’t heard or seen anything out of the ordinary.
Maybe there was another incident in the locker room. He grabbed his cell and speed dialed Mike.
“Kelly.”
“Hey, Mike, anything happen with Ruark Logan in the locker room?”
Dave could almost hear Mike scowl. “Not that I know of. Why?”
“Ainslie called and set up an appointment to talk to me about the twins.”
He could actually hear Mike grin. “Ainslie? Maybe she just wants a little office booty call.”
“Of course your mind would go there. I don’t think booty calls are her style.”
“Well, you can dream. Anything else?”
He certainly could. “No. I’ll let you know if there’s any locker room stuff you need to know about.”
“Thanks.” Mike ended the call.
Dave thought about calling Andi, but she’d be in the middle of a rehearsal with the madrigal group. Checking his watch, he felt his heart bounce around like a soccer ball in Spain. Two hours until Ainslie came.
A different image of Ainslie coming flashed in his mind. He felt himself harden at just the memory of being inside her, feeling her wet around him, hearing the erotic noises she made, tasting the delicate skin of her beautiful breasts, that lovely contrast between pale skin and puffy, raspberry colored nipples.
Her unique scent of woman and exotic flowers.
Heaven.
His desk phone rang. Taking a deep breath, and counted to ten so his voice would be steady before he answered it and shoved all thoughts of Ainslie aside.
****
It wasn’t a booty call, per se. All she was doing was bringing food to the man she loved because she knew he didn’t have a lot of time to eat because of meetings.
And, well, to tell him she loved him.
It wasn’t the most romantic of venues, but they had so little alone time, and she needed him to know how she felt.
So she’d run home and showered. She’d have loved to dress up, but she had to get to The End Zone right after and wouldn’t have time to change. She did her make-up a little more carefully than she usually would and again raided her stash of vintage Nocturnes de Caron. Squirting a mist of lilies and jasmine in the air, she walked through it so the scent didn’t announce her presence or gag everyone within a ten-mile radius.
Besides, it was the perfume she wore when they’d made love, and she wanted to remind him of that.
Personally, she didn’t need a reminder of it. Every moment was etched in her memory.
She’d picked up a Daveburger and fries from Bobby and had the take-out bag tucked discreetly in a tote bag. She did her best to make sure she looked like a parent coming to discuss her children with the principal, not a woman with stars in her eyes and a song in her heart paying a visit to her lover.
Her delicious, amazing, incredibly handsome lover. It made her all hot and squirm
y just remembering all the delightfully wicked things they’d done together. She couldn’t wait to do them again. All her life she’d been conventional, then notorious, but never shameless. Until now.
Sweet Jesus. She should not be at the mercy of her hormones, not at her age and with her situation.
It’s just that it felt so damn good. She felt, well, happy.
And young, giddy with love.
No one sat at the desk in the outer office, but the door to Dave’s office was ajar. She felt a smile bloom on her face and tapped on the door.
“Come in,” Dave’s baritone rumbled from the other side. She shivered at the sexy sound. The man could make a dead woman jump up and sing hallelujah.
She pushed the door open. “Hey.”
He looked up from the file he wrote in and a smile spread slowly across his face. Taking off his glasses, he tossed them onto his desk, then stood. “Hey.”
She held up the End Zone take-out bag. “I brought you food.” She took a couple steps into his office.
Dave met her halfway. Sniffing like a dog on the trail of a juicy bone, he brought her further into his office. “Smells like a Daveburger.” He took the bag, then went to close and lock his office door. “Let’s do this the right way,” he said as he put the bag on his desk. His warm, skillful hands now free, he gently framed her face with them and kissed her.
Lovely. His lips, now so familiar to her, swept over her mouth once, twice, three times before he deepened the kiss. Her body softened and melted into his, helpless to do anything else. Surrounded by the woodsy scent of his aftershave, filled with the exquisite taste of him, coaxed by the warmth of his hands, she gave herself over to him.
Her lover. Her man.
He lifted his mouth from hers. “You don’t know how much I need this today.”
“I remember you said you had meetings into the night. You must be hungry.”
“I am,” he said. “For you.” He kissed her again. “Only for you.”
“I love you,” she blurted, unable to keep her feelings to herself a moment longer. Never had the time seemed so right for her to say those three little words.
Dave went very still in her arms. After a moment, he looked her straight in the eyes. “You’re sure?”
Her heart beat, knocking into her ribs. She smiled at him. “I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life.”
“Thank you, God.” He picked her up and swung her around in a circle. Landing her on the edge of his desk, he spread her legs open with his thigh and made a place for himself between them. She grabbed hold of his tie and brought his amazing mouth down to her level and opened up for his kiss.
Pulling her right up against him, he crashed his mouth down onto hers. The kiss was greedy and demanding, possessive, crackling like electricity down a live wire. He framed her face again and kept on kissing her and kissing her and kissing her. Her heart in her beat a hard, erratic rhythm, and she clung to him, kissing him back, all lit up by the love she felt for him.
Smiling, Dave murmured “I love you. So much.” Heaven was in that smile. He looked at her, his eyes warm and filled with magic.
She leaned in against him. “I think I’ve loved you all along. It just took me this long to believe it. To believe you.”
“I’ve believed in you all along.”
“Even when I was spilling food in your lap?”
He laughed. “Well, maybe not then. But once I got to see the real you, it only took me a little while to fall at your pretty little feet.”
She brushed a strand of her hair off his shirt. His heart beat strong and true under her hand. “I’ve got to get to work. I’m almost late as it is.”
“I’ll explain things to Bobby.”
“No, you won’t.” She slid off the desk, the full body contact thrilling. She just had to kiss him. “Now, I really have to go. Bobby’s onion rings wait for no woman.”
Dave stared at her for long moment, his blue eyes the color of a stormy sea. One of the corners of his mouth lifted in an adorable half smile. “Let me walk you to your car.”
“No, that’s okay.” She motioned to his burger. “You better eat before it gets cold, or, well, colder.”
“I don’t want to let you go.”
“You’ve got those meetings, remember?”
“Wish I didn’t.”
“Are you pouting?”
“No!” He adjusted his tie and cleared his throat with a gruff harrumph. “I never pout. Manly men don’t pout.”
“And you’re a manly man?”
“Didn’t I prove that yesterday? Like four times?”
“Mm.” She went on tiptoes to plant a quick kiss on his lips. “Yes, you did.”
“Okay, then. Just remem—”
His desk phone exploded with a strident jangle.
“Damn.” He rounded his desk to answer it. “Mason.”
Ainslie went to the door and unlocked it. Then she crooked her fingers into a little wave and blew him a kiss. He scowled, clearly not wanting her to go, but they both had work. She unlocked his office door and let herself out.
Free. She felt able to breathe easy for the first time in a long time. Once Ainslie thought she’d never be able to love and trust a man ever again. Dave Mason had changed all that. Maybe she had another chance at happiness after all.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
“When do you think Shanna’s gonna come home?” This must be the fiftieth time Patsy had asked Ruark that question.
He put his own concern aside and put his patient, everything’s-cool face on. “Soon.” He hoped. “The movie can’t go that long.”
“She’s gonna get in trouble, ain’t she?” Now Patsy looked less worried and more fascinated about the prospect of Shanna getting in trouble.
“I hope not. Momma will ground her, and you know how mean Shanna gets when she’s grounded.” God, wasn’t that the truth. They’d pay for days. Shanna had a way of sharing the misery.
“I guess not.” Patsy put down the book she’d been reading to Ruark. “But she shouldn’t have gone. It’s a school night.”
And wasn’t Ruark worried about that. Shanna had been sucked into Cecily and Alden’s world and acted just like them most days. She’d turned into someone he almost didn’t know anymore. There’s no way Shanna would have deliberately disobeyed one of Momma’s rules down in Charleston.
He wanted his sister back.
Twin bright lights poked through the living room window, swerved crazily then stopped. A minute or two went by, then Shanna opened the front door.
She was a mess. She’d clearly been crying, for awhile it seemed, judging by the puffiness of her eyes. Two rivers of black mascara flowed down her cheeks. Her arms clasped tightly across the middle of her stomach. “Don’t say anything,” she scratched out of a closed throat. “It was a sad movie.”
Bring It On Fifteen? A sad movie? No. A pitiful movie, yes, but not a sad one. “Patsy, go get washed up for bed right now.” He didn’t want Patsy to hear whatever Shanna had to say.
Patsy ran off without a complaint. For once. Good. Ruark turned to look at his other sister.
She looked terrible. He’d never seen her so undone. Her hair was sticking out all over the place, and she had it pulled forward into her face. As for her face itself, what he could see of it, was blank, like she was in shock and her eyes filled with despair. He began to feel the same way. Their twin bond, so unconnected lately, came zooming back to him, like being hit by a truck. He swallowed and it hurt his throat. “So you going to tell me what really happened?”
Shanna clutched her sweater around herself tighter. She started to rub her hands up and down her arms, then winced when she brushed over a place high on her biceps.
A sinking feeling descended upon Ruark. “Did Alden hurt you?”
She snuffled back some newly threatening tears. “No. He wouldn’t hurt me.”
“I don’t believe you.” That sinking feeling was quickly morphing into anger. “Show me
.”
“Ruark, please,” she begged. “Just leave it alone. I’m okay. Really.”
“Then prove it to me. Show me your arms.”
“Ruark, stay out of it. Let me handle it.”
“Show. Me. Your. Arms.” Though he hated his father, he did a good imitation of the old man’s do-what-I-tell-you voice. “Or I’ll tell Momma what you did.”
They looked at each other, at an impasse. Then something passed between them, a remnant from the time when they knew each other’s thoughts as well as their own, when they’d had a special language only they could understand.
Shanna slowly slipped her sweater down her arms. Leaking out from her tee-shirt sleeves, huge purple bruises in the shapes of huge hands marred the pale, delicate skin on her arms. She sobbed.
“Son of a bitch,” True, pure rage bubbled up inside him. “I’m gonna kill him.”
“Please, Ruark, you’re only gonna make it worse.” Shanna plopped down onto the sofa and hid her face in her hands. Her shoulders shook as she sobbed.
He sat down next to her, his angry hands shaking. Wanting to touch her, but not knowing how, he carefully clasped his hands in his lap. “What happened?”
She sniffed and kept her gaze fixed on the floor. “It was all my fault.”
“Alden holding you hard enough to give you bruises? I don’t think so.”
“Really, Ruark, it was. He wanted to, you know, do stuff and I, it didn’t feel good and I…I tried to stop him.” Her voice trickled down to a whisper. “He said if I loved him, I’d let him do what he wanted.” She swiped at her left eye.
“Bullshit.” Ruark was going to kill him. “If he loved you, he wouldn’t force you to do anything you don’t feel good about.”
Shanna started sobbing again, in deep, hard, wracking spasms. He reached out a hand and gently stroked her hair and hissed when she flinched.
Alden had left a nasty hickey on her neck. It looked like he’d tried to suck all the blood out of her, like a damn vampire or something. It sure didn’t look like it had felt good. It looked like Alden deliberately tried to hurt her, to punish her. Ruark didn’t think he could hate Alden more. Sick freak.
