by Melissa Keir
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Epilogue
About the Author
Other Books by Melissa Keir
Text copyright ©2018 by the Author.
This work was made possible by a special license through the Kindle Worlds publishing program and has not necessarily been reviewed by Maribeth Carmichael. All characters, scenes, events, plots and related elements appearing in the original Wild Irish remain the exclusive copyrighted and/or trademarked property of Maribeth Carmichael, or their affiliates or licensors.
For more information on Kindle Worlds: http://www.amazon.com/kindleworlds
Wildly Drawn to Him
Melissa Keir
Wildly Drawn to Him
By Melissa Keir
What Happens When Your Past Comes Back to Life?
Carina Cane is a teacher and single mother who has kept a secret for many years. When her son wins tickets to Baltimore’s Comic-Con to meet his idol, she never expected to see herself in a comic.
Tony DeMarco is a best-selling comic artist. Drawing helped him deal with the pain of being shuffled between foster homes and his two tours of duty overseas. Now he’s introducing a new character based on his first love.
Former lovers, Tony and Carina run into each other at Baltimore’s Comic-Con. Tony learns Carina’s been hiding a secret that will change his world. Can the two former friends and lovers find a way to draw their own happily ever after?
Table of CONTENTS
Acknowledgments
iv
Chapter One
5
Chapter Two
11
Chapter Three
15
Chapter Four
19
Chapter Five
21
Chapter Six
28
Chapter Seven
33
Chapter Eight
38
Chapter Nine
43
Chapter Ten
49
Chapter Eleven
54
Chapter Twelve
59
Chapter Thirteen
65
Chapter Fourteen
73
Epilogue
76
About the Author
78
Other Books by Melissa Keir
79
Acknowledgements
This book is for my son who allowed me to tag along to Baltimore for a weekend adventure, and to Karen Muirhead who gave this book its title.
And with all my books, I have to thank my husband who lets me run ideas by him and dream about other sexy men.
Chapter One
Lane paused with one hand on the bar as her gaze fell to the dark-haired man sitting at the table near the stage. Can it be Tony? Her heart sped up. It’d been over thirteen years since she’d watched him leave in the back of a station wagon, away to another foster home, away from her.
She took a step closer and squinted, trying to imagine the young boy who had enjoyed tormenting her with frogs and other creatures. His jawline was similar. But it was the feeling in her chest she listened to.
In the dark bar, it was difficult to see the smattering of freckles across the bridge of his nose, or the scar under his eye from the wild bike ride down the snow pile. Lane massaged her butt, recalling the paddling she received for being part of that dangerous adventure.
Feeling the comforting heat of her husband at her back, Lane leaned into Tristan’s chest. She loved the way his arms came around her as if to capture her for eternity. If it had been anyone other than her husband, Lane would have felt the need for space and to escape the memories of her abusive ex-husband. But she trusted Tristan like no other.
“Are you checking out another man?” His words tickled her ear.
“Sorta.”
Tristan spun her around to face him then placed his hands on her head and plundered her mouth, kissing her senseless. Lane gripped his waist tight, tugging him closer to her. His hard member told her how much he wanted her.
A soft cough forced the couple to separate. “You guys need to get a room,” Tristan’s sister, Keira, chided them.
Rolling his eyes at her, Tristan shot back. “Like you’ve never been caught doing the deed here.”
Lane stepped between the two of them. Their childish fights were common, as in any loving big family. “Who seated the guy by the stage? Did he order yet?”
Keira nodded. “I did. But he’s not ordered yet. Why?”
“He looks like one of my foster brothers. I wanted to get a closer look but didn’t want to seem stalky.”
Tristan kissed the side of her neck. “And here I thought you were going to drop me and run away with him.” He chuckled as she swatted him on the butt. “Are you okay to talk to him alone?” His voice lacked the humor he’d had moments ago. Lane loved how protective her husband was of her. He’d given her so much of her confidence back and helped her to stand up for herself. No longer a punching bag for an angry and jealous man.
She nodded. “Yep. Got it. Thanks.” Kissing his cheek, she pulled a pad from her back pocket then headed over to the man who she hoped was Tony DeMarco.
***
Tony eyed the menu. Everything sounded delicious. His stomach growled in response. He’d heard Lane had married into the large family that ran this famous Baltimore bar and restaurant. He needed to see if the little girl who’d enjoyed following him around everywhere was happy.
After being removed from the one foster home and placed in another, Tony lost touch with Lane, but he’d never forgotten her.
“Sir, did you decide what you’d like to order?”
Tony studied the menu. “There’s so many delicious things. It’s hard to choose.” He paused then went with his first choice. “I’ll have the Reuben.”
“Would you like coleslaw and fries or our famous homemade frogs?”
“What?” Had he heard the woman right? He raised his eyes from the menu and glanced at the waitress. Her long dark hair was pulled back in a ponytail. But her mischievous grin had his heart doing somersaults. “Lanie? Is that you?” He pushed his chair back and stood then wrapped her in his arms tightly. He lifted her off the ground and spun her around. “Lanie, Lanie. You would suggest frogs for a lunch treat.”
Her giggles echoed through the bar.
He set her on her feet but kept hold of her arms. His gaze to her figure. “You’ve grown up into a beautiful woman.”
Lane gave him a shove. “I’m still a few months younger than you, Tony.” She placed her hands on her hips and gave him the “evil glare.” They’d developed the glare during one of their punishments for backtalking. They learned to keep quiet but when their foster mom wasn’t looking at them, they’d make faces at her. The trick was to not laugh, thereby earning more punishment.
A dark-haired man shadowed Lane’s every move. His gaze never left her. Tony didn’t feel any dangerous vibes from him so it must be her husband. He strolled over to the man in the white T-shirt and stretched out his hand. “Tony DeMarco. You must be Lane’s husband. I heard she’d found a good man.”
“Tristan Collins. Nice to meet
someone who could bring such delight to my wife.” They shook. “I’ve not heard her laugh like a silly child in a long time.” Tristan held his arm out toward the table. “Sit.”
Lane giggled. “Well, will you have the frogs or our chips?”
Tony took a seat. “I’ll have the chips. My doctor has warned me about the high fat content of frogs and advised me to avoid them.”
Tristan grabbed the pad from his wife’s fingers then pushed her toward the table. “You sit and visit. I’ll put Tony’s order in. I promise to make sure my wife doesn’t spit on your food.” He spun on his heel and strolled toward the kitchen.
Tony reached out and squeezed Lane’s shoulder. “I’m glad you got away from James. I read about the incident and, of course, wished I could have been here.”
Lane’s eyes took on a faraway look. “Tris and his family were wonderful. I couldn’t ask for a better husband. I’ve even got real sisters. But I blame myself for the problems with James. The shoulda, coulda moments.”
He gave her a half smile. “I hear you. We all have those.”
“So what’s been going on with you? I haven’t seen you in about thirteen years. I think you were leaving the Prescotts’ in the back of a wood-panel station wagon.”
“I hope it went better for you than for me with them.” His jaw clenched when he thought of the abuse he’d suffered at the hands of the old Mr. Prescott.
She shrugged. “I wasn’t there long. You know how being a foster kid was. Shuffle here, promises made there, and no one wanted you, just the money and free labor.”
“I know that feeling. After leaving the Prescotts, I was placed with a military family. My life went from carefree to regimented.” He shook his head. “I have to tell you, it was the best thing for me.”
Lane drummed her fingers on the table. “Really?”
Tony squared his shoulders. “I enlisted.”
Palms flat on the table, Lane pushed herself back in the chair. “Whoa. Little Tony DeMarco—a military man? What’d you do?”
“You’re looking at a sergeant in the Navy. I served two tours overseas working with the Marines as a medical assistant.” He sat a little taller. “It wasn’t all fun and games, but it gave me focus and taught me a great deal about myself.”
Her eyes widened. Her lips formed an O. “Eight years in the Iraqi desert serving alongside the Marines. Did you have to kill anyone? How did you survive?”
“Ha ha. I kept my head down.” The smile faltered. “There were times. I doubted I’d live to tell about it. During the downtime, I drew images and cartoons. They helped deal with the fear, anger, and frustration.”
She stretched her hand across the table and gripped his. “I’m glad you had something to get you through the tough times. As a nurse, I saw too many men, who’d tackled demons after leaving the military.”
Tony smiled then shook his shoulders as if letting the weight fall away. “The drawing helped. Now I do it for a living. I own Dark Dream Comics.”
She raised her eyebrow and nodded once. “I’ve heard of them. Some of the local teens have come in with the comic books and are geeked about the stories. They’re military, right? But I thought the owner was named Tony Steele.”
“Yep. I use a pen name. You don’t think Superman tells everyone who he is, do you?” He chuckled. “I’m in town for the Baltimore Comic-Con as one of the honored guests. I’ll have an exclusive panel and auction off some of my first-run works.”
“Jude, one of the local kids, is going to shit his pants when he hears I know Tony Steele.” Her expression turned serious for a moment. “I’m glad you got out in one piece and have something you are passionate about.” She punched his shoulder. “Way to go, bro.”
Tristan left the kitchen with his hands full. Two large plates piled high. The smell of sauerkraut wafted through the air and tickled Tony’s nose. “Looks like my lunch is here. I’d love to see you again. What if I leave tickets for you and Tristan to attend the event? Would you come?”
“We’d love to.” Lane rose from the table. “Eat your lunch in peace, but let me first refill this beer.”
Tristan placed the plates in front of Tony. “Here you go. Enjoy!”
The marble-rye bread showed grill marks on the surface. He swore they must have used a pound of corned beef in the sandwich. No wonder the place was famous for its food. Lane scooted by and left the beer on the table. “Savor the food, and be sure to let me know if you need anything else. I’ve got to get back to the other customers. But drop me your number before you leave and we’ll set up another get-together.” She wrapped her arm around his shoulder and gave a quick squeeze. “Good to see you, Tony. Let’s not go so long between visits next time.”
He nodded once. His throat tightened as tears threatened to spill. Seeing Lane again put everything in perspective. All they’d dealt with as children and then again as adults. Lifting the sandwich with both hands, he wrapped his mouth around the bread and bit in. Heaven.
Chapter Two
“Mom!” the twelve-year-old boy grabbed his backpack and ran toward Carina Cane as she stood by the desk, signing him out. Jason had the new Tony Steele comic, SEAL’s Sacrifice.
She ruffled her son’s hair as they headed toward their car. She picked up her son from after-school care in the school gymnasium every day around four in the afternoon. School finished up about three thirty but, as a teacher, she always had things to do like copying, grading, planning, returning phone calls, responding to emails, finishing the lunch she’d not had time for, and visiting the bathroom. Each task’s importance was determined by her pressing need. However, at four, no matter what else she was doing, she headed for home, Anthony at her side.
Thank God for Fridays. Two days off to clean the house and get in some grocery shopping. She sighed as she unlocked the car door. Anthony’s description of the latest comic by his favorite author didn’t interest her. She’d already begun thinking of what to make for dinner and the remaining tasks she’d not completed before leaving work. She needed more hours in the day. More time to help her students get up to grade level, plan and implement amazing and relevant lessons, as well as teaching her son how to grow up into a wonderful young man.
As a single parent, Carina did twice the work. But she’d chosen this road when Anthony’s father left them. She’d spent years trying to find him, but it was impossible. Not that she wanted the man to feel obligated to care for him, or her. As much as Anthony adored the Tony Steele comics, Carina devoured romance novels. They were her escape from the everyday. She longed for the romance and happily ever after contained between those two hundred thirty pages.
“Mom, did you hear?” Her son’s impatient voice hit her ears.
“What? Sorry, thinking about what we have for dinner. Do you want sloppy joes or burgers?”
“Sloppy joes. I said, Jason told me about the Baltimore Comic-Con. I heard Tony Steele’s going to be there. Can we go?”
“Anthony. I’d love nothing more than to take you, but that’s a long drive, and I don’t even know if there are tickets available or how much they are.” Carina hated saying no to her son. He hardly ever asked for anything. He knew they weren’t rich. Not to mention, just how far away was the convention from their hometown of Darlington?
“But…” Anthony slid down in his seat and pouted.
Carina had hoped he would have outgrown his fascination with the author, Tony Steele. The man was all he spoke about. In some ways, it was good. Anthony had a positive male role model to look up to. A man who valued hard work and his country. She supposed her son had fixated on the author’s name, Tony, and how she’d told him that Tony was his father’s name. Maybe Anthony had even dreamed up the hope that Mr. Tony Steele was his father, away on a secret mission, writing comics instead of being there for his baseball games. Her heart clenched for her son. She knew how hard it was to be without one of your parents. Carina’s mother had passed away about twelve years ago. The death sent her father into a
tailspin of alcoholism and depression. He’d had very little time for a young daughter. Soon after, they’d lost the house and moved in with Carina’s grandparents. Luckily, the shock had turned her father around. He’d sobered up and had been Carina’s biggest supporter when she’d found herself unmarried and with a little baby.
Carina pushed the volume button on the steering wheel, letting the oldies rock station alleviate the quiet of the car.
“Our ninth caller with the correct answer will win a VIP two pack to this weekend’s Baltimore Comic-Con. Here’s the question…Where is Tony Steele’s hometown? Call 887-3332 now with your answer.”
Anthony leaped forward in his seat. “Mom. Call. It’s Fredricktown.” His hands flapped like little birds. She hadn’t seen her son this excited since last Christmas when she’d surprised him with an autographed copy of Tony Steele’s first comic.
Carina dialed the station’s number. A busy signal. “I’ll try. The chances of winning are a million to one. And you have to be quiet.” She hit redial. “Hello. The answer is Fredricktown.”
“You are the twelfth caller but the first with the right answer. You’ve won. What’s your name?”
She pulled off the road into a shopping-strip parking lot. Her heart thudded. She’d never won anything. And now she’d made her son’s biggest dream come true. “I’m Carina Cane.”
