His jaw clenched as he remembered how good it felt to touch her again. Really touch her, where he knew she couldn’t lie.
He played the stop-and-go game on the 210, allowing himself to fantasize about the body he knew, and loved, so well.
As the red taillights of the car in front of him beamed into his tired eyes, he thought of the last time they’d made love. It was at the cabin, of course. He recalled the way he’d smoothed his hand up her calf, over her thigh. He thought of grazing his mouth over her hip, dipping his tongue into her belly button, hearing her breathless laugh.…
His hands tightened on the steering wheel, knuckles turned white, as he imagined how the moonlight had shone on her breasts, and how he took a nipple in his mouth with firm lips so her hands would grip in his hair, a sign he was driving her wild, making her hot…. His cock twitched as he thought about running his tongue up her chest, her neck…about inhaling her unique scent, never getting enough of it. Then capturing her panting mouth in his, tenderly biting her lip with a soft whisper of desire, before thrusting inside her—
A car horn blasted behind him. “Hey, buddy!”
Traffic had moved yards in front of him while his mind had wandered to the past. He lifted a hand in apology and moved his car forward, determined to keep his focus from that moment on. If he daydreamed like this while driving, he could easily get in a wreck, even at five miles an hour. With a frustrated grunt, he shifted in his seat, his cock stiff and aching. He switched on the radio until he found a public broadcasting station discussing the vanishing frog species in South America. Perfect.
Minutes later, the speakers in his car interrupted the show. He didn’t recognize the number flashing on the screen of his dashboard as he hit the Answer button. “Jack Crandall.”
“Hello? Mr. Crandall, yes, this is your neighbor next door, Kenneth Vu.”
It took him a second to register. Mr. Vu lived adjacent to his real home in the Marina, not the corporate apartment. “Mr. Vu. Of course. What can I do for you?”
“I regret to be calling for this reason, but it’s about your wife.”
Jack’s heart stopped, his palms damp with quick anxiety as he shot his eyes to the speaker, as if the answer to a dozen unthinkable questions were there. “Grace. What’s going on?”
“Your house was being burglarized when she walked in—she’s all right,” Vu rushed to add before Jack lost his mind. “She came here unharmed and called the police. They’re at your house right now. She said I didn’t have to call you, but she’s pretty shaken up.”
His mind was shouting even as his voice remained calm. “Is she with you? I want to talk to her.” He had to hear her voice even though his neighbor relayed she hadn’t been harmed.
“She’s giving a report to the officer at the moment. Do you want to hold for her?”
Jack bit back a growl of frustration as he jerked the gearshift and eased forward, wishing he could rip through the traffic like a bullet train. “No, I’m on my way. Tell her I’ll be there shortly.”
“I will.”
“And thank you for calling me.” Instead of listening to my crazy wife. Don’t call him? What the hell, Grace?
“No problem. I’ll stay with her until you get here.”
He hung up and ran a shaky hand through his hair. Fear, anger, and other emotions he couldn’t name roared through his mind.
Grace. All alone. Walking in on a damn burglary in their home. What if she’d been in bed when the perpetrator broke in? What if she’d been attacked? He hit the horn with a tight fist. Though law enforcement had arrived, and nothing had happened to Grace physically, a raw anger Jack hadn’t experienced in ages burned hot in his blood. Anger at himself. He should’ve been there. He’d been waiting way too long to do something about their separation. It was his job to protect his wife. It was his job to do many things for her, but he’d failed. What would he have done if she’d been hurt—or worse? Hard to imagine he’d do anything less than rip the world apart and go insane.
Why hadn’t she called him immediately after calling the authorities? Despite their problems, she had to know he loved her, wanted her to be safe. Maybe she didn’t trust him to be there for her anymore. You must be scared out of your mind. Damn it, Grace. It would be over an hour before he got within city limits. It irked the hell out of him he couldn’t get there any faster.
Almost ninety minutes later, after breaking through the maddening traffic, he was finally able to take the exit that would lead him to the 405 and home. When he slammed the brakes in front of the house, the police cars were gone. Bounding up the steps, he burst in the front door. Grace was sitting with Mr. Vu. Both were taken aback by his abrupt entrance.
She rose. After a moment of hesitation, she rushed to him, crushing her arms around him. What a relief it was to have her come to him. For any reason.
“Jack.”
He embraced her as she shook in his arms, soothingly rubbed her back. “Everything’s going to be okay. I’m here now.”
Mr. Vu gave a nod, turning toward the door to let himself out. “If you need anything, don’t hesitate to call me.”
“Thank you,” was all Jack could say before the older man left.
He pulled back with his hands at the sides of her face. Seeing her watery eyes twisted something inside him. “Are you okay?”
Shaking her head, she sniffed. “The police left a few minutes ago. The burglar was barely old enough to drive, Jack, just a kid. It doesn’t look like he had time to take anything—”
“I don’t give a damn about stuff. All I care about is you.”
“You cared about the boat.”
He frowned. “That was different. I cared about you selling the boat.” With his fingertips, he lifted her chin so she would meet his gaze.
She blinked up at him. “I’m okay, really. Nothing happened. I walked in, he saw me, ran, and I ran to Mr. Vu’s. The police asked for a description of him, but I barely saw his face. I hardly saw him at all, because he was in the dark. I’m just so thankful he was as scared as I was when I turned on the lights.” Her lips began to tremble, and she covered her mouth with her fingertips. “But everything is fine. You didn’t have to check on me.”
Jack had the wildest urge to shake her. There she goes. Acting all brave and self-reliant, like she didn’t need him. Screw that. “Of course I had to check on you. Someone broke into our home and could’ve hurt you. Do you think I would do anything less than break several traffic laws to get here? Jeez, Grace, give me a little credit. What happened to the alarm?”
She bit her lip, guilt tracing across her features. “Well…it wasn’t armed. I must’ve forgot when I left on Friday. He got in through the sliding door.”
An easy mistake, but still. This woman would be the end of him. “Don’t you always set the alarm when you leave? And you didn’t lock the patio door? I’m always telling you even the nicest neighborhood has its share of crimes. Plus, you’re here alone.”
She crossed her arms, lifting and dropping her shoulders in hopeless defense. “Don’t lecture me. Like I said, I forgot! I was so anxious to get out of town I left in a hurry. It’s my fault.” She stood a step back from him. “Anyway, I checked for missing items but nothing was taken. They didn’t find any fingerprints, of course.” She walked over to the table and touched the crystal rabbit she adored. It was a gift for Chinese New Year from one of her clients. “He had this in his hands when I walked in. The police asked the neighbors if they saw anything, but no one did.”
The vulnerability she couldn’t hide in her voice tore at his chest. If only she’d come back into his arms and tell him to take care of her for once. Someone had invaded their home, terrified his wife, and it burned him to the core. His protective mode kicked into overdrive. If she didn’t want comfort, then he’d offer something else. “Where are you staying tonight?”
She gave him a confused look. “Here.”
“No way. You’re coming home with me. To my apartment.”
“Go with you….” She gave a mirthless, tired laugh. “Uh, no. I’m just as safe here. I’ll lock all the doors and check the windows on triple. As soon as you leave, I’ll set the alarm. The boy was just some young punk who got lucky with an unlocked patio door. He’s not going to scare me out of my own house.”
“Just for a few days,” he said, trying to negotiate with her. At her resistance, he added, “All right, just for tonight.”
“Jack, there’s really no need for me to be anywhere but here.”
He shrugged, coming to the same conclusion. “Fine. The same goes for me too, then.”
“What are you talking about?”
“There’s no need for me to be anywhere but here.” He set his hands on his hips. “I’m moving back in.”
“What?” She looked incredulous. “Move back in? You can’t—”
“I can and I will. This is just as much my home as it is yours. I can’t leave you here alone like nothing happened.”
“Why move back in now? Because you feel the need to protect me?”
“Yes. And I think this separation needs to be dealt with.” The more he thought about it, the more it made sense. He was going to use this perfect, albeit unfortunate, opportunity as the first step to repairing their marriage.
Grace didn’t seem to agree. “We can’t pretend our problems don’t exist just because you want to be man of the house again.”
“And we won’t solve anything separated,” he countered. “We tried that and it didn’t work.” He folded his arms. “Now we do things my way.”
“How is living together going to change things?”
“It might not, but I want to try.” His voice was direct and firm as he said, “Until I feel you’re safe. I’m not leaving you alone in this house and that’s final.”
They stared each other down for a minute. His was unrelenting, hers defensive. She wanted to fight him on it, he could tell, but there was nothing she could say to change his mind. And she knew it.
Before she could speak another word, he turned to the front door. “I’ll go pick up some of my things while you digest this.” He opened the door and gave her a pointed look. “Set the alarm.”
An hour later, he locked the door of his corporate apartment and took the last suitcase to his car. He had to restrain himself from packing the whole damn place. Instead, he took what he’d need for a week or two and prayed the next time he stepped foot in the apartment, it would be to leave it for good. He couldn’t assume he’d be in their home to stay, as much as he hoped he would be. As scary as the whole burglary attempt was, a part of him was thankful it had given him an excuse to move back in his own home.
Back in the Marina, he unlocked the front door and walked in, frowning as he put in the code of their high-tech alarm system. He found himself recalling how she used to greet him once upon a time. Before the long hours. When they couldn’t get enough of each other. She’d sway toward him with that coquettish smile, wrap her arms around his neck, and kiss him with the seductive ardor of a happily married woman.
What he wouldn’t give for such a miracle to happen again.
It wasn’t until he’d closed the door and set his keys on the stand that she came out of the hallway with a hesitant half smile. “Hi.”
His heart sank more than he cared to acknowledge at how they greeted each other now. It was damn near awkward. “Are you okay?”
She sighed with a nod. “I’m getting there. I was just cleaning.”
“Cleaning? You didn’t have to. I’m not a guest, Grace. I’m your husband.”
She shrugged, hugging her middle. “Look, before we do this, there is something I need you to agree to.”
“Anything.”
She took a deep breath. “Sleep in the guest room.”
Something punched him in the stomach. “No.”
“Please don’t argue with me about this,” she said, her voice wary.
“If you can give me a reason, a really damn good reason why I can’t share my bed with my wife, then I won’t argue.”
“Jack—”
“You’re doing this because you know I’ll want you,” he declared. “That even right now, standing in the middle of the hallway in the middle of the night, I want you…and you know it. You’re using something so natural and right between us to control me.”
“Control you? That’s unfair.”
“If this isn’t to control me, then what is it?”
“So much has happened,” she said. “I’m not ready to jump in with both feet. We need to take things slow.”
He absorbed this for a minute, realizing it had been wishful thinking and premature of him to assume she’d let him back in their bed. She had been through a lot and most of it had to do with him. Though he wanted to fight her on it, he knew he had to give her some control of the war, and he’d have to lose this battle. “All right. I understand,” he said, his chest tight.
She blinked, eyes wide. “You do?”
“If that’s what you really want, then I won’t touch you,” he promised. “I’ll sleep in the guest room.”
She gave a shaky smile. “Thank you.” Turning around, she walked to the second bedroom, at the opposite end of the house from the master. “I cleared out most of the closet for your things.” He followed her. Turning on the light, she headed to the closet and slid the door open. “Oh, I meant to get this box down.”
On her tiptoes, she reached up, but it was clear she wasn’t going to get it without assistance. Coming up behind her, Jack said, “Here. Let me.”
He was so close to her, he could smell her mint shampoo and felt the tiniest brush of her ass against his thigh. His jaw tightened when she snatched her hand down and slipped out of his way. Was contact with him that awful? He closed his eyes briefly at the overwhelming urge to yank her to him and damn her rules. But as he brought the box down and handed it to her, he knew that breaking her rules within minutes of making a promise was both disrespectful and selfish. He had to keep his hands off her as long as she needed. Even if it killed him.
“Thanks.” She took the box, her eyes searching his as if she wanted to say something. Maybe she’d changed her mind.
What do you need, baby? Tell me. I’ll do it.
Whatever she wanted to say, she seemed to dismiss it. “Do you need help bringing in your stuff?”
“No,” he said. “I’ll take care of it.”
With a nod, she turned and walked out.
So that’s how it’s going to be, he thought as he watched her go. Almost like strangers, as if they hadn’t shared so many things between them the last three years. Jack unpacked his car and systematically moved into the guest room instead of the master. Where he longed to be.
Chapter Four
Grace could hardly believe everything that had transpired. In less than forty-eight hours, she had been confronted by the husband she hadn’t seen in months, surprised when he’d coincidentally shown up at the cabin, and then she’d come home during a burglary attempt. Now she sat silently in her bedroom while he unpacked his belongings as if the past six months had never happened. She took a deep breath and rubbed her temples.
A knock on her half-open door. Jack stopped at the threshold. “Doing all right?”
Her stomach flipped like a hot pancake. All he had to do was stand in the doorway, speak a few words, and instantly she was overwhelmed with crushing desire. How she yearned to be close to him. She was sure that instinct, no matter what happened between them, would never go away. More than anything, she wanted to lie back like she used to, enfolded in his strong arms. They would stay like that for a while, not even talking, until his hands would begin to explore over her breasts, between her thighs, until he’d start kissing her neck. Just when she couldn’t take anymore, he’d turn her around, undress her, and they’d make love. She shook away her thoughts. “I’m all right. Truly. Do you need something?”
He gave her a look as if he didn’t believe her entirely. “No, I
wanted to let you know I’m all settled in. Wanted to make sure you secured everything.”
She pushed up from the bed with a weak smile. “Yes. We are on lockdown.”
His mouth twisted at her facetious remark. “You can never be too safe.” He took a cautious step inside. “Are you positive you don’t want me to sleep in here with you? We could draw a line down the bed. Or I could sleep on the floor.”
She held the need to sigh. Was she sure? No. Absolutely positive they would likely end up doing everything but sleep? Yes.
“I’m not going to change my mind, Jack.”
He nodded, turned to leave, then snapped his fingers. “There’s something I need to ask you. My mother and stepfather just got back from Europe and she wants to have dinner with us. I couldn’t say no. I was wondering, or hoping, you’d come. I haven’t told her about us. The separation, I mean. I was sort of hoping I wouldn’t need to. I also didn’t want to have to explain it over the phone while she was abroad. You know how she is.”
Of course he would avoid talking about them to his mother. Everything had to look perfect for her. “What do you mean? We’re supposed to pretend we haven’t been living apart?”
“All I’m asking is that you be there for dinner. Do you really want her to know about our problems right now?”
Grace closed her eyes at the weight of that question. And how casually he said it, as if asking what dress she’d wear to dinner. But he was right. Claire Crandall, well, Claire Williams now, was the one woman who hadn’t supported Jack and Grace’s relationship. If she knew they were on the rocks, she would never let it die that she’d been “right all along,” a constant refrain in that deigning, cultured voice of hers.
Grace sighed. “All right.”
He crossed his arms with a raised brow. “You make it look as though you’d rather stuff bamboo under your fingernails. It’s just dinner. You don’t have to do this. I can make up an excuse why you can’t come.”
All Said and Undone Page 4
