Jeff would be hurt. He genuinely cared about her. But she couldn’t see herself building a life with him now, or having children together. Her fingers went to her flat tummy. A vision of a tow-headed boy with her eyes made her swallow convulsively.
Ouch. That hurts.
Katy’s hand went to her sore throat and the earlier part of the afternoon crept through her mind like an unwanted intruder. She shivered and reached for the damp clothes she’d left draped across the foot of the bed. They were gone. Her gaze went to the closed door, Ty must have checked on her after she fell asleep.
Warmth flowed into her chest, displacing the ugly specter of her assailant, though her heart still wept for poor Doc Johnson.
She noticed a plaid robe folded on a sturdy looking Victorian wooden rocking chair and wrapped herself in its voluminous folds. The soft cotton retained the spicy pine laden scent of its owner. Katy buried her nose in the collar and breathed in the peaceful aroma. A soft sigh escaped. It was crazy how much had changed in the space of a couple of too-short days.
Maybe Ty was right and she was simply operating on a sensory overload. Everything had happened too fast for her to make an informed decision, no matter what her heart said.
She wandered over to the rapidly darkening window and gazed out at the shadows draping themselves over the leafless branches. The wind twisted and yanked in a fierce tug-a-war, determined to free the captive trees. She leaned her forehead against the cool glass and tried to ignore the foreboding shiver coursing up her spine. Kyle was the one who believed in listening to warning whispers. She’d always scoffed at his dire forecasts.
So why hadn’t she believed him when he’d alerted her to the fact that their family was imploding? Instead, she’d closed her eyes and ears to the situation until it was too late. And when Katy tried talking to Ty about having to leave with her mom, he’d chosen to believe she was just looking for a way to move on. Harsh, vindictive words were said on both sides and that was the last time she saw him. Until now.
With the benefit of hindsight, Katy could see they’d both been too young for the intensity of their relationship. It was doomed to failure, though it was the best two years of her life.
The last thought strengthened her spine. Now that she was back and realized what they’d shared together was stronger than a teenage romance, it made her determined to sort out their differences and see if they stood a second chance. Life was too short to waste on misunderstandings. She wanted the dream of a life shared with her best friend, and the love of her life, Ty Garrett.
Now she just had to convince him.
~~~*~~~
Jack’s gaze finally lifted from his fascination of a set of pearly white teeth worrying a lush pink bottom lip to find anxious brown eyes trained on him. They made him restless, those eyes.
“Well, Miss…” he hesitated, suddenly aware that he didn’t even know her name yet.
“Thomas, Laurel Thomas,” she said in a lyrical voice that threatened to crack at the seams. Her nails tapped out a nervous tune on the arms of her chair.
Jack hoped he wasn’t going to have to babysit a scared rabbit while Angie was away. He didn’t ask for much at the office except for efficiency. There was nothing more annoying than searching for a file that was misplaced due to negligence. This—woman—wasn’t exactly inspiring much confidence within him of her abilities.
“Well, Miss Thomas, I imagine Angie apprised you of your duties?” She nodded, her topknot slipping a little to the starboard. “Great. So the next time the phone is ringing off the hook, do you suppose you could let me know, please?”
Maybe he was coming off a bit harsh, but damn it, he didn’t have time to molly-coddle some beautiful young temptress.
Those nails of hers flexed and then dug gouges into the vinyl and Jack’s back broke out in a cold sweat. Just what he didn’t need right now, an unwanted attraction. His relationship with Annie Campbell was drawing to an end, and even though they hadn’t dated for long, he was going to miss her. He was better off alone, especially now when he needed to be vigilant between everything that was happening in his town, and his daughter’s budding independence.
Laurel pulled her ever-dwindling supply of post-it notes closer, bent over the pad to write a quick message, and passed the little yellow square to Jack.
He avoided the sticky edges and glanced down. What he saw written in almost childish cursive brought a wry smile to his lips.
The phones are ringing off the hook.
Sir.
So she was a wise guy. He could deal with that much easier than some vulnerable, down on her luck young woman looking for a man to solve her problems for her. He’d been down that road, it was a dead end.
Jack turned the square over, held out his hand and quirked an eyebrow at her until she gave up her weapon of choice, a pen with pink hearts all over the barrel.
Good thing or you wouldn’t be needed, Miss Thomas.
He passed the note over, watched her cute little smirk turn upside down, and hid his own grin. “Now that we’ve gotten the pleasantries over with, I’m stepping out for dinner. If any calls come in, forward them immediately.” Jack placed extra emphasis on the last three words and waited. When nothing was forthcoming, he placed his hat on his head and turned for the door, whistling his satisfaction with getting his point across.
“Sir.”
Jack slowed and glanced over his shoulder. “Yes, Miss Thomas?”
Her eyes sparkled as she held out her pink-tipped fingers, “Can I have my pen back, please?”
Jack reached into his shirt pocket and sure enough, he withdrew a girly pen covered in hearts.
Score: one-nothing for the new kid on the block.
He handed the evidence over, ignored her knowing smirk, and escaped with his dignity while he still could. It was his own fault, Angie asked him to sit in on the interviews and he’d begged off. Jack hated cross-examining prospective employees. Hearing how much each person needed the job, and then having to say no to him or her was just too damn hard.
The wind had picked up and threatened to steal his hat when he stepped out the door. Jack covered his mouth and nose with his arm and held tight to his hat while leaves danced down the street amid mini twirling tornadoes of dust and debris.
“Crazy west coast weather,” he muttered, hurrying to his car parked on the far side of the lot. He’d just pulled his keys out when he thought he heard a voice calling his name over the windstorm. Brow furrowing, he turned, and sure enough, the figure of a man wearing camo pants and a heavy looking military jacket with a multitude of zippered pockets strode across the pavement towards him. Still twitchy from the afternoon’s events, Jack’s hand rested lightly on his weapon.
The stranger paid attention and slowed his step. “Hey man, don’t shoot. I’d hate to think I travelled halfway around the world to get shot at home.”
Something about the guy’s cocky grin struck a familiar note. Jack catalogued his features one-by-one, short wheat colored hair, tired green eyes that saw too much, and a bristly jaw in need of a razor. Wide shoulders and a lean body spoke of a physically fit athlete, or… a soldier. Suddenly all the i’s dotted and t’s crossed.
“Well holy shit, look what the cat dragged in. Kyle Fowler. How the hell are you?” Jack reached out and pumped his old friend’s hand. “It’s been awhile. You look like crap, man. Don’t they feed you in the army?” He grinned and slapped a meaty bicep.
“If you hadn’t chickened out at the last minute, you’d know what real food is, my friend.” Kyle joked. Army food was notorious for its blandness; meant to fill you up, not win any MasterChef contests.
Jack remembered how much he’d wanted to run away and join the circus that was the army with Kyle. The only thing that stopped him was his then six-year-old daughter. He couldn’t walk away and leave her with the woman who’d given birth to her. He refused to call her a mother. She’d never even tried to be one to the little girl who adored her.
“My loss.” He shrugged off the old regrets and smiled. “Listen, I was just about to go for dinner. Why don’t you come with me and we can catch up? I want to hear what I missed.”
Kyle hesitated and glanced over his shoulder, squinting past the surges of wind. “I’m actually trying to catch up to my sister. Have you seen her yet? She’s supposed to be overseeing the restoration of the theatre for the wedding.” His eyes were worried when they came back to Jack’s face.
It would be better for Katy if Jack could defuse the bomb before it exploded when Kyle heard of his sister’s attempted abduction. “Yeah, I’ve seen her. She’s busy preparing for the big day. There was a situation today…” Kyle jerked and Jack held up a pacifying hand. “She’s okay. Come for dinner and I’ll tell you all about it.”
Jack hoped he was doing the right thing by keeping the siblings apart for a while longer, but the look on Ty’s face this afternoon had told him more than words ever could. His brother was still crazy in love with that girl. He deserved a chance to make things right between them.
He decided to entertain Katy’s brother for a couple of hours and then they could go over to Ty’s. He still had to take their statements on the murder anyway. “Let’s go, I’ll show you what real food tastes like.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Ty scowled at the darkening skies and wind-whipped trees outside his living room window. He should probably go and check on Katy’s clothes in the dryer, but remained slouched in his favorite leather chair, a near empty glass of scotch on the rocks resting loosely in his hand. She would be waking up soon and then they would have to decide on a course of action until her assailant was captured.
Every time he thought about her lying unconscious in that dusty alley like a broken doll his heart stopped. Literally.
All he could remember was screaming, “No!” He’d raced to her side and fell to his knees beside Grace. Her cheeks stained with tears, she gently folded Katy into his shaking arms. Then he’d prayed like he’d never prayed in his life. The sheer relief when she moaned and snuggled up into his chest would stay with him for the rest of his existence. Ty had wished everyone away in that moment, wanting, needing, to declare his everlasting love for the woman he held.
That feeling was reinforced when Doc Johnson was shot and bled out between his fingers shortly after, proving how vulnerable and precious the human body truly is and how swiftly it all could come to an end. He hoped Jack had made some headway on the case, because if Ty got his hands on the son-of-a-bitch first there wouldn’t be enough left to arrest.
He finished his drink and set the glass down on an end table with careful precision instead of giving into the urge and hurling it across the room to relieve his stress like he wanted to do. He rose, closed the blinds blocking out the now stormy black skies, and made his way to the laundry room. He haphazardly folded her cotton underthings and tried to ignore his rising hunger for her silky skin.
A raging beast rose in his heart when he found the tear in the neckline of her shirt. What if Grace and her employee hadn’t stepped into the alley just then? What if that animal had managed to drag Katy away? He slammed a fist down on top of the dryer, denting the machine. It didn’t bear thinking about.
He gathered up the rest of her clothes and strode through the house to her room, halting at the closed door. Should he knock? Leave the clothes on her bed where he found them? It had been hard enough to walk away from her sleeping form the last time, he didn’t trust himself now. But before their relationship could stand a chance, if it stood a chance, she had to end her engagement to the tycoon.
Decision made, he stooped over to place the items on the floor just as the door swung open and a set of pink tipped toes greeted him. His gaze travelled up shapely bare calves and ended regretfully on the tail of his plaid robe. Ty rose, clothes in hand, and stared down at his biggest temptation. Her hair was mussed from the pillow, her cheeks too pale, and her throat mottled with blue-black bruises.
Fuck.
“Hi,” she whispered, her voice husky, either from her nap or that asshole’s hands. His anger must have transmitted to her, because she nervously tightened the belt of the robe and drew the collar up to her chin.
“Don’t,” he said. “It wasn’t your fault, so don’t try to hide away from me.” Ty stretched out a finger to run it gently down her cheek, hating her instinctive flinch. He wanted to tell her everything would be okay, that nothing would ever harm her like that again, but it was a promise he couldn’t give.
Ty gave her some space by moving past to set her stuff down on the white wicker dresser. This was one of his favorite rooms in the house. Done with a feel for the sea, the walls were painted in a soothing shade of navy with white accents picked up by the wicker furniture. There was a giant unframed print on the side wall depicting a balcony with open windows, drifting white sheers, and an endless expanse of ocean beyond.
“I hope the room was all right,” he said, not sure what to do with his hands now they were empty.
She nodded and moved to straighten the covers on the bed. The sway of her hips beneath his robe almost unmanned him. Hypnotized by her hands as they plumped up the pillow and traced the hem of the sheet with delicate fingers, Ty swallowed hard and swore under his breath.
“Pardon me?” She turned and caught him staring. His arousal was hard to miss, and her eyes on him only made it worse.
“I asked if you’re hungry, it’s almost dinner time.” As soon as the words left his mouth he knew it was the wrong thing to say. Impossible not to think of the last time she’d been in this house for a meal and ended up as his dessert.
Invisible strings drew him across the room until he stood in her space, close enough to notice her agitated breathing and smell the musky scent of her desire.
“Ty…” she pleaded, her hands raised to push him away, or pull him closer, he wasn’t sure. And the moment she made contact it didn’t matter anymore. He gave in. Gave up.
“It’s too late,” he murmured as his arms drew her in. “I can’t deny what’s happening between us any longer. I need you. And you need me.” His lips hovered ever closer, drawn to the heaven he knew awaited him within her embrace.
“God Katy, please say yes.”
~~~*~~~
Trapped in the sensual web of Ty’s gaze, Katy hardly knew her own name, much less the rights or wrongs of what they were about to do. And they were going to do it this time, she could see his surrender in his eyes, feel it in the arms wrapped around her as if he’d never let go. She hoped he wouldn’t. There was nowhere else she wanted to be.
She reveled in the texture of his bare chest where he’d crushed her hands between their bodies. The firmness of muscle, the warmth of skin, the heart pounding beneath his breast. All for her.
Katy’s head fell back and her lips opened of their own volition. His eyes flared with triumph but she didn’t mind. They were both winners in this battle.
“I can’t say no,” she breathed out the words that set forth a fire in both their bodies. Ty groaned his relief and sighed her name, sending shivers of response over Katy’s flesh. The moment their mouths touched, she knew she was home.
He was her haven.
Her arms slipped around his neck, tugging him closer. His wicked tongue drove her wild with a need only Ty could quench.
She whimpered when he took a step backwards, but he only wanted access to the knot of her belt. As his usually dexterous fingers fought the tie, he met her teary eyes with a grave look of his own.
“Okay?” he asked, holding the edges of the loosened cloth together.
If she hadn’t loved him heart and soul before, Katy would have fallen hard now. She nodded, too overcome for words, and grasped his hands to help with her unveiling. She had an anxious moment when the robe slid from her shoulders. Her body was not the one he would remember. Young and slim had been taken over by fullness and maturity. What if she didn’t physically please him anymore? Embarrassed, she reached for the fallen robe,
but Ty’s hands stopped her movement.
“Don’t,” he whispered, his voice gruff. “I just want to look at you.”
Katy straightened and forced herself to look him in the eye. The heat of his gaze did much to warm her heart, this man who knew her so well, yet not at all.
“You’re so fricken beautiful.” He tugged her forward and kissed her so reverently tears sprang up and rolled down her cheeks. He brushed them aside with his thumbs and then kissed her eyelids closed before sliding back to her mouth, as though he couldn’t get enough.
Katy licked his lips and tasted her tears, smiling a little at the soft sound of want that rumbled up from his chest. His mouth turned firm, demanding, and she opened more, wanting all that heat for herself. He tasted of scotch and lust, an irresistible combination. Her hands enjoyed the feel of tensile strength in the muscles bunching beneath her fingertips. His biceps were those of a man not afraid of manual labor.
They made her hot.
Achy.
Ty’s hands were everywhere at once. He swept through her hair, tugging her head back so his mouth could have better access. He massaged her back, making her moan in delight. His fingers gripped her bum and lifted her closer to his hardness, his jeans a rough abrasion that turned her wild. He nipped her bottom lip and she gasped before returning the favor.
He growled, and raising her completely off the floor, turned and dropped her backward with a bounce onto the bed. His eyes flared hotter than a Texas sky.
Katy yelped, then stilled as his hands went to the snap on his jeans. One pop and a zip and her breathing all but stopped. He must have been in a hurry after his shower, he forgot to put on any shorts. She giggled nervously.
Ty’s hands stilled in the process of pushing his pants off his hips. He eyed her curiously, an upward curve of the lips lightening the almost unbearable expectation in the room.
Twilight's Encore Page 10
