by Norah Wilson
Well, he had told her to make herself at home.
Moments later, she stood under the ceiling-mounted rainfall shower head in his enormous marble shower, letting the hot water chase away the chill, grime and tension of the last twenty-four hours. When she finally persuaded herself she should get out, the bathroom was well and truly fogged up. She dried herself with a fresh, fluffy towel, then snagged Ryker’s bathrobe from the peg on the back of the bathroom door. Wrapping it around herself, she cinched it. Then she wiped the steam from the mirror over the sink and laughed at her reflection. She looked like a child in a giant’s clothing!
She gathered her own clothes and made her way to the laundry room, intending to throw them in the wash. She found some of Ryker’s recently washed clothes in the washer, but when she went to transfer them to the dryer, she found the dryer full too. So she emptied the dryer, put Ryker’s wet clothes in it, then threw her own clothes in the washer and started it. And bonus—there were socks in the load that had come out of the dryer. She folded the dry clothes, then snagged a pair of wool socks to wear. They were even more hilarious on her than the bathrobe, looking more like legwarmers than socks.
Making her way to his TV room, she grabbed the remote and stretched out on his couch. She found a Firefly marathon on the sci-fi channel and settled back to watch. After an episode, she hopped up to tend to the laundry, folding Ryker’s stuff and putting her own clothes in the dryer.
Back on the couch, she somehow dozed off just as the Our Mrs. Reynolds episode came on, completely missing Mal in drag, swearing by his pretty floral bonnet to end the bad guy. Worse, she didn’t even dream of space adventures with Nathan Fillion. Her dreams were haunted by Jace, who held her, kissed her, rekindled those long ago passions.
The sound of Ryker’s key in the lock woke her just as the credits started to roll. She sat up, reached for the remote and clicked the TV off.
“Hey, Sleeping Beauty,” he said. “Where’s Prince Charming?”
She reached behind her, grabbed one of the small cushions and threw it at him. “That’s for calling me a fairy tale princess, especially that one. Jerk.”
“Jerk? Whoa, Red. My feelings are hurt.”
She snorted. “Yeah, if you had feelings.”
“Okay, you’re right. You’re the badass queen.” He tossed the pillow back at her and she caught it on her lap. “Nice socks, by the way.”
“Thank you.” She grinned, dropping the fake antagonism.
If he had feelings? The guy had plenty of those. He’d just spent hours working on his nephew’s computer. He was known for his solid construction skills. Few people knew that he was also brilliant with computers.
Even fewer people knew how kind he was under that big, gruff exterior.
“So did you get Alexander all fixed up?” she asked.
“Yeah, his laptop is fixed. I also hooked him up with a couple new games, and left his caregivers with some spare, charged-up batteries in case the power goes out.”
“Thank goodness for computers, huh?”
“Absolutely. He watches movies. Plays lots of learning-based games. I’m trying to get him comfortable with Skype. His mom needs a break—needs a vacation. I’d love to send her south for a week or so this winter.”
“And if Alexander could Skype with her, he’d be less anxious?”
“Probably, but I was thinking more about his mother. If Paisley could see him every day and know he was all right…”
“Would she go? I mean, knowing you’re here taking care of things?”
He sighed. “Probably not.”
He sat down in the recliner across from Ember, yawned and stretched his six foot seven inch frame. He pulled a hand along the back of his neck.
“Sorry to have gotten you up and on the river so early this morning,” she said.
“No worries. Glad to help. And glad to fleece Picard’s wallet.”
She laughed at that. No doubt he had enjoyed taking Jace’s money, but he’d have done it for free. Hell, he’d have come before dawn if she hadn’t told him to hold off.
She wouldn’t say so though—that whole feelings thing.
“Want a coffee?” Ryker asked.
“Sure, but let me get it.”
“Mmm, I was hoping you’d say that.”
She knew her way around his kitchen too.
She ground the coffee beans and started the drip maker. While it burbled and spat, she went to the laundry room, grabbed her clothes from the dryer and dressed. Then she retrieved her backpack and headed for the bathroom to brush her teeth and freshen her face.
As she finished her toilette, she was struck by the eyes looking back at her.
That skinny kid from Harkness was long gone, but something about her expression today reminded her of young Ember. Had seeing Jace again put that restless energy into her face? Maybe it was kissing him. She looked into her own eyes, seeing the banked heat there. Was it the possibility that she might have misjudged Jace all those years ago?
Dammit! She was a decade past that point in her life. She was a completely different person. A wiser one, she hoped.
If I knew then what I know now…
Ah, there it was, that familiar old preamble to the what-might-have-been thoughts.
But what if she had known then what she knew now? What if she could go back in time and be the woman she was today and not the girl of yesterday who opened those photos? Would things be different?
She’d still be angry. Hurt. And yes, those horrible pictures probably would have still landed in the old stove, ripped to shreds and lit on fire. But would she have been so quick to run in the night?
Jace was ten years older too. Would he go after her now?
She sighed at her reflection, then went back out to find Ryker standing at the kitchen island, coffee poured for both of them. He opened a cupboard behind him, took out a jar of organic honey and plunked it on the counter.
She eyed him. “You think I need an extra dose of sweetness today, huh?”
“Extra?” he said. “That would imply there was some in there to begin with.”
“Jerk.” She put some honey into her black coffee and stirred it. She must have stirred too long.
“Must have been a strange night, Red.”
She looked up to meet his serious eyes. “We didn’t have sex, if that’s what you’re wondering.”
“I know.”
She didn’t know whether to be annoyed or impressed with his conviction. “How could you possibly know that?”
“Because I know you. When it comes to this guy, that old wound never quite healed. You’d be careful not to reopen it.”
She shrugged, trying to sound blasé. “Everyone gets hurt.”
“Yeah, they do. But some cuts are deeper than others. And it doesn’t take years of medical school to see that.”
Her mouth tightened. Why had she confided all of that to Ryker? How she and Jace had met, become friends, then more. How they were supposed to have taken their young love even further.
Of course, he’d confided things to her, too, that late night. The wine had flowed freely and so had the words. For both of them.
“I’ll tell you something else I know,” Ryker said.
“Man, I really want to see this crystal ball you’ve been peering into.” She said it in a teasing tone, trying to lighten the mood. “It might help me make a decision about where to set up practice. You know, which offer to accept.”
He ignored her not-so-subtle attempt to change the subject. “He’s sorry, Ember.”
She bit her lip, shook her head. “I know. But still…”
“And let me tell you something else.”
Apparently, there was no deflecting him. “Fire away.”
“You hurt him too.”
She put her mug down on the granite counter. “He told you that?”
“He didn’t have to. He still cares about you, Red.”
Chapter 14
JACE LOOKED out ove
r the Prince River. “So this is where the cool kids parked when we were in high school.”
Ember laughed. “Must have been for the view.”
“Yeah, right.”
Hours earlier, she’d dropped Jace off at the Gnome Sweet Home again. They’d intended to take a room closer to Crandler, just to get out of the rain, but the power was out everywhere they checked. When the Gnome Sweet Home had come into view, they’d looked at each other and grinned. As luck would have it, Mrs. Dufour still had power and was happy to put them right back into room thirteen.
They were close enough to Harkness that they could easily have gone on to his apartment, but Jace was loath to suggest that. They stood a much better chance of steering clear of Ember’s brothers, hidden away at the back of the motel. He also liked the idea of being with her on neutral ground.
So while she went to return Groves’s truck and pick up a rental, he’d hung out in the room, watching Jurassic Park, the original, on VHS. Or rather he tried to watch Jurassic Park. Not even a young Laura Dern or velociraptors could take his mind off Ember, the sale, the truth to come.
Around three-thirty, she’d called from the road, asking what he’d like her to bring him for supper. He’d told her that after looking at room thirteen’s walls for hours, what he’d really like was a change of scenery. So she’d driven straight back, helped him out to the rental car, and they’d gone together in search of takeout.
Now they were parked at Cupid’s Point, about a mile off the highway, down a dirt road. It was little more than a worn-down patch of gravel big enough for a couple of cars, but it offered a fabulous view from high above the river. It also offered privacy. More than a few memories had been made in the back seats of old Chevys at the Point over the generations. Jace had brought Ember here many times, but no matter how heavy the petting got, they’d never taken it all the way. And not just because of her decision to wait until she was eighteen. But because he was going to make her first time—their first time—special.
Rose petals.
What had made her bring them here to this spot to eat their take-out food? He glanced over at her, noting how refreshed she looked after her visit with Groves.
Dammit, he was jealous. And yeah, he knew there was nothing romantic or sexual going on between Ember and Ryker. She’d flat out said they were just friends, and Jace believed her.
Also, Ryker was letting her share a motel room with him. Not that anyone let Ember Standish do anything. But no man in his right mind could stand to see her in such close proximity with another man—old boyfriend or not.
Was Ryker an old boyfriend too?
He gritted his teeth on that one. It was a possibility…
Ember reached for the brown paper bag and dug out the food, handing him first the burger, then the fries. She attacked her fries first, just as she always had.
He unwrapped his burger and ate a bite as he looked out over the wind-tossed Prince River. “Man, what a view. Good choice.”
Of course, anything would be better than lying on that bed, looking up at the ceiling. But the view really was spectacular. The rain streaming down the windscreen leant the river and the landscape on the other side a certain softness, like an impressionist painting. The patter of raindrops on the car’s roof added to the sense of intimacy.
“Sorry, it should have occurred to me that you’d be going a little stir-crazy in that room.” She uncapped one of the bottles of water she’d brought and took a sip.
“If by stir-crazy you mean that I now know how many ceiling tiles there are in room thirteen, then yes, I’m officially stir-crazy. Hell, I can tell you how many dots are on each tile.”
She laughed, then gave him an apologetic look. “Sorry. I figured you’d sleep at least part of the time.”
“I did,” he allowed. “Counting dots is almost as good as counting sheep.”
“I’ll bet.”
They finished eating in silence. The burger was barely warm and the fries stone-cold, but in the confines of the car, with Ember? Best fast food he’d ever eaten.
She crumpled up her waste and stuffed it in the paper bag.
“You know, this place does look vaguely familiar...” She sent him an impish grin that hit him right in the libido.
Only with me. Never with anyone else.
The unexpected wave of possessiveness ripped through him. Without thinking about it, he leaned over, slid a hand behind her head and pulled her close so he could kiss the tantalizing white skin of her throat. She gasped, but didn’t pull away. Instead, she lifted her chin, giving him better access.
She used to love that delicate nuzzling before he moved in for a kiss. Throat, ears, forehead, closed eyes, cheeks. He covered all that territory now, thrilling to how familiar, yet how strange, it felt. Then his mouth found hers at last, caressing, nibbling. She tilted her head to achieve a better angle, and when his tongue touched the seam of her lips, she opened for him on a soft sigh.
His heart was pounding a moment later when he lifted his head to look at her. Her mouth was slightly swollen, her eyes glowing with desire.
“My memories of this place are very much alive,” he said, his breath stirring her hair. “I remember sitting here with a beautiful, fiery redhead, knowing I was the luckiest guy in the world.”
She pulled back then, her eyes cooling. “We were so young back then. Young and innocent.”
The sadness on her face wrecked him. “While we’re strolling down memory lane, remember Constable Douglas catching us out here? Lacey Douglas’s uncle?”
His words had the desired effect. Her eyes widened.
“Do I ever! I was mortified.”
He smiled at the memory. The place had been deserted then too. But no sooner had they steamed up the windows when there was a tap, tap on the glass. “I was thrilled. Proud as a peacock.”
“I remember. You grinned all the way home.”
She was fully back on her own side of the car now and so was he. His fingers ached to reach for her hand, but he contented himself with looking at her.
“God, Ember you were the most beautiful thing that ever came out of Harkness. You still are.” He shook his head at the memory. “Poor Scott. He had a full time job beating the boys back.”
Her smile faded, and he knew just what she was thinking about. That ass, Dundas Bloom. He shouldn’t have said anything.
“That Bloom boy spread those awful rumors about me in junior year, remember?” she said. “Junior year, for crying out loud. I’d barely even heard of some of the stuff he said I’d done. But the rumors got around to Scott and…”
“And Dundas Bloom soon learned to keep his filthy, lying mouth shut.” He and Ember hadn’t even started dating yet, but Jace had been tempted to give the bastard a thrashing. Scott had taken care of it before Jace had to. Which was just as well and a damned shame all at the same time. By then, Jace had been boxing for a couple of years, and Coach O’Bryan had strict rules. Zero tolerance for his boxers getting into fights. No second chances. Jace’s stepfather, who’d directed him into the boxing program, would have been so disappointed. Yet if Scott hadn’t stepped up, Jace would have. Gladly.
She reached for her water bottle, but made no move to drink from it. Just held it in her hands. “Well, that was a long time ago.”
“Yeah, long time.” Except he’d wager that it still angered her when she thought about it.
He reached for his own bottle of water and took a swig.
“I’m not a virgin anymore, if that’s what you’re wondering.”
He almost choked in his effort to avoid spewing his mouthful of water. Where had that come from? For God’s sake, she hadn’t left Harkness a virgin. Pretty hard to come back in that state ten years later. How could she possibly imagine he’d think that?
Unless...did she imagine Terry would have kept his mouth shut about sleeping with her?
He realized she was watching him with concern. “Are you okay? Did that go down the wrong way?”
/> It sure had. The words, not the water.
“Why would I wonder that?” Tipping the bottle up, he drained it, then carefully screwed the cover back onto the empty bottle and put it back in the cup holder. “It’s been ten years,” he said flatly. “We’re not kids anymore.”
She blinked. “Well, I thought you might be curious too.”
Too? She was curious about his love life? Or lack of it, lately. Whatever. He certainly did not want to hear about the men in her past, short of owning up to the night she spent with Terry. “I’m not really inter—”
“I had two boyfriends in med school, that’s it,” she said. “No one in undergrad.”
Seemed like he was going to hear about it, whether he wanted to or not. “Too busy in undergrad?”
She sent him a reproving glance, then looked back down at the water bottle in her hands. “Mick was the first. Another med student—a year behind me. The other guy, Harrison, was a prof.”
Fellow student didn’t surprise him, but a professor? That sounded almost scandalous for Ember Standish. He wanted to ask if Arden knew about this? Scott or Titus? He thought better of it.
“So, serious relationships?”
“Semi-serious, I guess you’d say. Mick and I were together about six months before I realized a relationship just wasn’t worth the time.”
“And did this Mick share your epiphany?”
She grimaced. “Not so much. He didn’t take the breakup graciously. But it just wasn’t working. He was always wanting me to goof off and do fun stuff with him. And it was fun, at first. But then I started resenting the time he was taking.” She shrugged. “I was just more serious about my studies than he was.”
“Huh. I thought everyone in med school was a serious student.”
“He had the brains for it, no question. And parents who pushed him. But he didn’t really have the drive to be there.”
