A Little Harmless Fantasy

by Melissa Schroeder

  As Jillian went into depth about her problems with the book, Maura felt something stir on the back of her neck. The fine hairs sizzled and she got the feeling someone was watching her again. It wasn’t odd being with Jillian and being seen. She was a striking woman and with her tattoos she did gain a lot of attention. But for some reason...this felt different. It was wrong.

  She casually looked around to see if someone was watching them. She saw no one.

  “Then, your brother was being a butthead and said that he didn’t want me going to the Big Island.”

  “Wait, what are you talking about?”

  “I want to go learn how to ride a horse on the Big Island.”

  “Let me guess. Eli St. John has something to do with this.”

  “He invited us over for a visit and Conner went all stupid Dom on me and said no. Wait, you know him?”

  “I met him last night. I met him when I came over here before, but I didn’t remember. Anyway, he talked to me, the guys freaked and Zeke—of all people- came over and acted like an ass. Then, well, Rory…well, let’s not go into that.”

  Jillian studied her for a second. When she said nothing, Maura asked, “What?”

  Then, slowly, her lips curved and that one hundred watt smile brightened her face. “Nothing. Just…well, I think there may be more to this trio than you think.”

  Maura shrugged. “I don’t want to think about it.”

  Because when she did it made her so sad to think that she only had a few days left with the guys. Things had been so wonderful that morning, having breakfast. It had been as if they had been doing it for years.

  “Maura,” Jillian said. She looked at her oldest friend and had to blink rapidly against the tears. “Do they know?”

  “Zeke knows I love him. I’ve never hidden it.”

  “What about Rory?”

  This time when she blinked, the tears fell. “I’m not sure.”

  “Oh, honey, don’t cry. Being in love should make you happy.”

  “It does, when I’m with them.” She pulled in a breath and closed her eyes. She could not be seen on the street in Kailua Town crying like some fifteen-year-old. When she opened her eyes, she had her emotions somewhat under control. “When we’re together it’s great, but then I don’t think about what will happen when we return to Miami.”

  “Does Zeke know about your feelings?”

  “Which ones?”

  The gentle smile she gave her took her back to her first horrible week of college, being the underaged geek and tormented more than she had been in high school. Jillian had been the calm in the storm of pain.

  “Well, first, does Zeke know you love Rory?”

  She shrugged. “I haven’t even decided for sure if I love him.”

  Jillian chuckled. “Oh, honey you do. I just never thought you would because he seems kind of abrasive.”

  “He is, but there are a lot of things in his past, and, well…he’s a sweetheart.”

  “Rory McAllister? The man you just left. The one who knows how to kill people with his bare hands? Hell, both of them do, but Zeke hides it better.”

  “I know,” she sighed and smiled. “Rory made me French toast.”

  Jillian studied her for a moment before saying, “I want you to think about saying what you want from them.”

  “I don’t want to cause problems here and seriously, I’m not sure I could do this long term. There is so much emotion there…I’m overwhelmed.”

  Jillian reached across the table and gripped Maura’s hands in hers. “You deserve whatever it is you want. Don’t ever settle for less because you think you haven’t earned it.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You don’t think I know just how exhausted you were when you got here? You’ve been trying to keep everything going and it isn’t for you. You have to tell Conner no every now and then, and you need to tell the guys what you want.”

  “I don’t know what I want,” she said.

  “When you figure out what you want you demand it from them. If they aren’t men enough to give it to you, tell them to fuck each other and you go find someone who is. Because honey, you deserve to be happy.”

  She opened her mouth, but Jillian stopped her. “No, don’t tell me you’re happy. I know you are. Hell, I don’t think I have ever seen you laugh as much as you have in the small amount of time I’ve seen you while you’ve been here.”

  “So, why can’t you just let it be?”

  “I will. I just want you to remember that if this doesn’t continue when you return to the mainland, then the problem isn’t you, it’s them. Remember that.”

  “Okay.”

  “Now, I need chocolate because this book has been a pain in the ass.”

  “That’s sounds fabulous.”

  But as she followed Jillian to the store, Maura wondered if she would ever have the nerve to ask the guys for what she wanted, or if she would be left alone again?

  She shoved those thoughts aside and concentrated on buying some chocolate because if there was one thing she knew, it was that chocolate would make her feel a little better…even if it was only for a little while.

  Chapter Sixteen

  “How do you like your steak cooked?” Rory asked Maura.

  She said nothing, just kept looking out over the water from their lanai. He shared a look with Zee. She’d been quiet since she returned from her trip with Jillian. It wasn’t that it was alarming but she seemed a little more subdued.

  “Maura?” he asked again.

  She shook herself and looked over at him. It took a second for her eyes to focus on him. “I’m sorry, what?”

  “How do you like your steak?”

  “Oh,” she said then smiled. “Medium rare. I like a little blood.”

  He threw the steaks on the grill trying very hard not to freak out. The openness he had grown accustomed to over the last week was no longer there.

  “Did you have a good time with Jillian?” Zee asked.

  “Yeah, we did a little shopping, had a snack.”

  She said it absent-mindedly as if she were thinking about something else. She had been of course. Something had been bothering her since she got back to the house.

  “Maura, are you going to tell us what’s bothering you?”

  She looked at him. “Nothing’s really bothering me.”

  “You’ve been quiet since you got back from shopping.”

  She shrugged. “Okay. Something was bothering me a little but I mostly dismissed it. Doesn’t seem that important.”

  “You can tell us,” Zee said, his voice as worried as Rory felt.

  Sighing, she said, “Well, it felt like someone was watching me again. It was really odd but then, that happens sometimes with Jillian. She gets a few people who recognize her. She’s also a striking woman. She stands out so she does draw a lot of attention.”

  “That’s all that was bothering you?” Zee asked, but Rory could tell that even he was suspicious.

  “Yeah.” She smiled. “I had to work it out in my brain.”

  Zee took her hand and brought it to his lips.

  “Oh, are you romantic,” she said.

  Zee laughed with her. “You’re rarely quiet with us.”

  She shrugged. “You know sometimes I have to work things out in my head. Once I do, everything is okay. I’m going to wash up and fix a few lazy man’s lava flows. Anyone else?”

  “Naw, I have a beer,” Zee said. She gave him a kiss then touched Rory’s back as she walked by.

  It was something he had grown accustomed to the last few days. For someone who seemed so singular, she seemed to always want to touch them.

  “Stop worrying,” Zee said.

  Rory glanced at him. “I can worry if I want to.”

  Zee smiled and leaned closer for a kiss. After brushing his mouth over Rory’s, he said, “I thought I would never hear the day that Rory McAllister would worry about a woman.”

  He shrugged. “I’m used t
o seeing her be open with us, especially you.”

  “Don’t worry, love. You’ll see after dinner, she’ll be fine.”

  But, as he watched her through the meal, he knew there was something else going on. She was a woman with a healthy appetite who never tried to pretend she wasn’t hungry.

  “You only ate half of your steak,” Rory commented.

  She laughed and it relaxed him a bit. “It was a sixteen ounce, Rory. You might have a man-sized appetite but there is only so much I can eat. Plus, this way, there is some left for tomorrow morning for breakfast. I’m going to go wrap this up because I do like steak and eggs. And just for reference, I like my eggs over medium.”

  She picked up her plate and went inside the house.

  “I’m not buying it,” Rory said.

  Zee shook his head. “You need to let it go. Sometimes Maura gets like that. If you push, she’ll just close down. I’ve seen her do it.”

  He sighed trying to gain control of the emotions raging inside of him. He hadn’t been able to come to terms with his own revelations earlier that day. He had never been so tangled up about a woman, but Maura had him tangled up good.

  “Hey, do y’all mind if I take a bath. I bought some great bath stuff I want to try out.”

  “No, go ahead, love,” Zee said.

  She gave them each a kiss and then headed back into the house.

  “Rory?”

  “I think she’s having second thoughts.”

  He was proud of the fact that he kept the panic out of his voice. It was crawling down his spine.

  “She’s not having second thoughts.”

  He didn’t say anything trying to keep his worries to himself. He had already said too much. Of course, Zee didn’t let it go.

  “Rory.”

  He sighed. “How do you know she isn’t having second thoughts?”

  “Because, with Maura, if she truly was thinking about us she would say that when asked. You keep looking for some kind of hidden agenda from her, but there isn’t.” He stood. “Now, I think we clean up—because if you notice, she left us with the dishes again—and join her up in the tub. Of course, if you want to sit out here and brood, go right ahead. I’ll take advantage of having Maura to myself.”

  Rory sat there for just a few seconds because he pushed his worries aside. There was one thing that would make him feel better for a little while and that was being in bed with Zee and Maura.

  * * * *

  “How did I end up at a bleeding mall?” Rory asked

  Zeke gave him a smile and glanced at Maura who was getting a pretzel. “Not much you won’t do for her, huh?”

  His smug tone irritated Rory. There were several things about Zee that drove Rory crazy—and not in a good way. Zee had never seemed to question his own feelings for Rory or for Maura. He also had one of those work ethics that had him up at six in the morning while he was on vacation. And, worst of them all was that Zee liked being right. He always made sure to remind Rory of the times he was right.

  Sure, Rory practically wearing his heart on his sleeve with the woman. Last night had been overwhelming, even for a degenerate for him. It had been the first time in days there had been no real play in the bedroom. He didn’t realize it until that morning, and it scared the fucking hell out of him.

  “Oh, now I know she has you by the short hairs because you won’t even say anything about it.”

  Rory gave him a mean look but Zee shook his head. “Not scaring me, boy-o. I know what last night meant.”

  “Yeah, why don’t you enlighten me, Einstein?”

  Zee wasn’t deterred a bit by his nasty tone. “There was no play, none. You don’t do that with women.”

  “Apparently I do because I did last night,” he said trying to quell the unease in his stomach.

  “Exactly. Face it, Rory, you’re falling for her.”

  He said nothing as he watched as Maura charmed the little Hawaiian woman behind the counter. This wasn’t just worry about last night. There was plenty there to keep him on edge, but this was something that had his other senses on high alert.

  “What did she say about feeling like someone was watching her?”

  “Don’t change the subject.”

  He glanced at Zee, then back at Maura. “I’m not changing the subject. And it doesn’t matter. Here she comes.”

  He still couldn’t shake the weird feeling. He’d been off since last night, but it had only gotten worse as they approached Kahala Mall.

  “Face it, love. You’re in deep. That’s all that’s bothering you.”

  He shrugged as he looked around the area trying to detect if there was someone watching them. It was afternoon on a weekday but that didn’t mean anything there. Tourists flocked to areas like this in the heat of the day. Kids screamed and ran through the area and there was always a motley crew of teenagers around.

  “Rory?”

  He shook himself out of his funk and realized Maura was standing in front of him holding a piece of pretzel out to him.

  He forced himself to smile. “Thanks, love.”

  She smiled as she sat down. “I got cheese,” she said as she sat down.

  “Woman, please, cheese on a pretzel? Did you get mustard?” Zee said.

  She tossed a packet his way along with the pretzel she bought for him. “I have no idea what you have against cheese.”

  “That’s not cheese, love. That’s processed crap.”

  “And it tastes delicious.”

  She dipped a piece of pretzel into the cheese and offered it to him. Rory took it without thinking.

  “I told you I didn’t need anything, love.”

  She grinned. “I don’t mind sharing, but then you know that.”

  For a second he couldn’t believe she said that out loud. Then, slowly the humor of the situation hit him and he smiled, and then chuckled. All the worries he had dissolved and he leaned forward and gave her a kiss.

  “That you do, love. That you do.”

  * * * *

  Maura walked down the long hall to the bathroom. She hated mall bathrooms. It always felt as if she were walking to the end of the earth just to pee. The mall had been insane, but the hallway was deserted. Then, she heard a scrape of a shoe against the floor. Alarm bells immediately went off in her head. Before she could turn, someone hit her hard against her back, shoving her into the wall. A large male body smashed her against the wall as a large, sweaty hand covered her mouth.

  She was trapped.

  “Your boyfriends let you walk down the hall by yourself,” he said, the sneer in his voice easy to hear. There was a slight accent, one that sounded almost Irish, but not quite. It sounded as if he were trying to disguise it. Her heart was beating so hard against her ribs. She drew in as much air as she could and then let it out. The stench of his breath, along with cologne and a healthy dose of sweat filled her senses. She felt bile rise in her throat.

  He pulled her arm up wrenching it behind her back. It hurt so much tears burned the back of her eyes.

  “I think I might like to have a piece of McAllister and O’Brian’s woman before I kill her. An eye for an eye.”

  Fear doubled as he pulled her away from the wall. They were near the back exit, the kind that led to the alley behind the mall. IF he had a car out there, he would get her out of there without anyone knowing. She struggled knowing that if he took her anywhere, it could be deadly. He slammed her head against the cement wall. Stars formed in front of her eyes. Warm blood trickled down from her forehead. He pulled her arm tighter behind her. Maura was surprised he didn’t break it. She sucked in a deep breath as pain radiated down from her shoulder. Her fingers were tingling.

  “Bitch, you want to live, you might want to start cooperating.”

  He was dragging her down the hall and she refused this. She would not let this bastard take her out of there without a fight. She kicked back with her legs, connecting with his shin the third time.

  “Bloody bitch,” he said,
his accent coming through more. Voices sounded down the hallway and she knew this might be her only chance for escape. She threw her head back smacking it against his forehead.

  “Fucking hell.”

  He loosened his hold on her as a gaggle of teens came down the hall. Their chatter echoed. She stumbled forward, losing her balance and landing on her knees and hand. She didn’t give the bastard another chance. Ignoring the way her stomach roiled and the blurred vision, she rushed headlong into the group of kids. She didn’t look behind her and ran to the food court.

  Maura ignored the strange looks. She knew she must have looked a mess. The moment Rory and Zeke saw her, they were out of their chairs and running through the milling crowd to reach her. She fell into Zeke’s arms.

  “What the fuck happened?” Rory yelled.

  “Some guy attacked me when I came out of the bathroom.”

  Zeke led her to a chair and gently helped her sit. She raised her hand to push her hair out of her face and realized it was shaking. Her stomach quivered.

  “Hey, hey,” Zeke said. She looked up at him and realized her vision was still blurred. Shit, she was crying. In public. She drew in a deep breath trying to control the tears, but that seemed to make her cry harder.

  He pulled her up out of the seat and into his arms. As his warmth surrounded her, she was comforted by the familiar scent of his cologne.

  She realized then that the mall cops had appeared and Rory was talking to them and leading them down the hall.

  “Did you recognize him?” Zeke asked.

  She shook her head. “No. He was disguising his voice too.”

  “Disguising it?”

  “He had an accent, like yours and Rory’s. I’m sure of it. But he was trying to make it American.”

  He pulled back from her and stared down at her. “Are you sure?”

  She nodded again her stomach turning over as her head started to pound. “And if he was trying to do that it means only one thing.”

  “He knows you,” Zeke said.

  She swallowed, still fighting the bile that almost overtook again. “And you and Rory. He mentioned you. It means the bastard knows us all.”