Rumor Has It

by Leela Lou Dahlin

  He tried to give her his most supportive smile since this woman was having trouble spitting out what she wanted to say. He would have thought she was trying to hit on him, but the vibe was wrong. She did want something, but damned if he could figure out what it was.

  She looked up at him, and the green eyes that looked back reminded him so much of his own that a small kernel of anxiety started in the pit of his stomach and grew as this woman continued to hem and haw.

  “I’m going to have to ask that you get down to your business.” The fear was making him curt. He, the man adored by women—from babies to the very elderly—was gone. Something about this woman was making him feel mean.

  “I’m your mother.”

  The loud clanging of the chair as he stood up made him realize he’d moved. He backed away from the table as she got up. He could hear his heart beat in his ears, and it was hard to breathe.

  “I didn’t know how to say that in a way that was not going to be upsetting.”

  So the woman had said what he thought the she said, because he was having trouble with his comprehension.

  “You need to leave.”

  “I know. I am going to be in town for the next week or so, and I’m staying at Sweet Comfort Inn. I know this is a shock, but I just wanted to see you, maybe start some kind of communication. I really wanted you to know what happened and why I did what I did.”

  He watched the woman who he remembered having a perpetual smile on her face as she played with him, made him cookies…made him feel special. He remembered when his father yelled at him and told him she wasn’t ever coming back and to just deal with it. He remembered the confusion and the anger.

  She came closer, and he held on to the wall, feeling all the emotions he tried to deny as his whole life came rushing back to him in a swirl of pain and confusion. The fire alarm sounded, and he grabbed on to it like a lifeline.

  “Do you think I could come back another time? Maybe I could come over to—”

  “No, I don’t think that’s a good idea.” He left, hoping that was the end of it, but deep in his heart, where his instincts were good, he knew it wasn’t. It felt like his closed box of emotions had been opened, and he wasn’t going to be able to close it back up. He wanted something…someone. He hated to admit this even to himself, but he needed comfort. He needed to be around the familiar, and he knew where he wanted to go. Maybe he hadn’t burned that bridge—maybe it was only charred and somehow salvageable.

  He was happy he was able to go through the routine of putting on his gear and getting in the truck. He knew what to do, he knew how to respond, and he wanted to be able to calm himself down so he wouldn’t do anything stupid to get himself or his crew hurt. He could bring out the fireman compartment and focus on that, if only for this little while.

  * * * *

  She’d had a horrible sleep. Not only did she fear the loss of her friend, but the message was crystal clear that she had been lying to herself about why she wanted to start this in the first place.

  He was holding back, and while that wasn’t out of the ordinary—that was what he did—he didn’t do it with her. She’d thought she was special, and once he found out how it was for them together he’d have to give what they had a chance. As it was, he couldn’t have been that impressed. He’d left her here tucked in bed while he went to pick up someone else to take care of the hard-on she’d helped create. She couldn’t even feel bad about the brush she’d thrown at the door, even though it was childish.

  Whatever. She had made plans for herself since she was a little girl. She was going to be married with children by the time she was thirty. She originally was going to be married by the time she was twenty-six, and she’d been on the fast track to get that done, but Theo’s request had burst that bubble, and it was all her fault. One in the hand…as her mother would’ve reminded her, but she wanted the two in the bush. She’d always been that way. So she couldn’t complain about losing all the damn birds and feeling crappy like she did now.

  She’d had plans today that hadn’t included the pity party she was now throwing, but she promised herself she would get around to that. She was a planner, and she was throwing herself a doozy. Now, with all her work done for the day, she was ready. Popcorn, a couple of movies, and thoughts of how she was going to get her life together. That was what was on the agenda for tonight.

  She had on her ultra-comfortable sleepwear—a tank top and soft Sherpa pants—and nothing was going to keep her from quietly relaxing tonight.

  The knock on the door was a shocker since she didn’t have many people who would stop by unannounced. Maybe her neighbor needed something. Mr. Henderson was a widower, but he was sometimes forgetful, and she feared he would get himself hurt. She moved to the door and opened it quickly.

  A frowning Liam was what greeted her. “You’re supposed to ask who it is before you open the door.”

  “I thought you were my neighbor.”

  “This is how you greet your neighbor?” He looked her up and down, took in her attire, and then glanced across the yard to the neighbor’s house. “Your neighbor comes to your house in the middle of the night?”

  It was almost funny, a jealous Liam, or it would have been if she knew he would stay. The most likely scenario would include this Liam running like a bat out of hell when he got spooked…again.

  “Not usually. That’s why I thought there was a problem. Anyway…what are you doing here?” It was then she saw the turmoil behind the frustration he was showing her at the door.

  He opened his mouth to say something but then looked confused, at a loss for words. That wasn’t like him at all. She was getting to see a lot of new sides to Liam, and she liked them all. He was, as always, her favorite subject to learn about.

  “Come on in, Liam.” She didn’t know how to take him. He wasn’t really the huggy type, but he looked like he really needed a hug. She was afraid to offer any other physical comfort for fear that would damage the fragile strings they had on their friendship. She’d just wait him out.

  He sat down and apparently noticed the makings of her little pity party. Wine, popcorn, chocolate, and movies were strewn all over the living-room table.

  “Were you expecting company?” He still didn’t sound right. It was like he was dazed.

  “No. Are you all right? Were you in an accident? Was anyone hurt?” She touched his chest and arms to make sure he wasn’t harmed.

  “No, everything’s fine.” He settled into the couch and turned to look her way. “I’m sorry to come over unannounced.”

  “No problem. You know you can always come over. You can share whatever with me as well. I know you aren’t really the type to tell all your business, but I want you to know I wouldn’t share it with another soul.”

  “No rumors will be spread by you, huh?”

  “None from me, and never about you.”

  He looked more relaxed after that statement, and she tried not to bother him about what was going on. She liked being a safe haven for him, since he’d always been so strong for her.

  “What are you watching?” He leaned forward and picked up the movies from the table. All chick flicks. Twenty-Seven Dresses, Valentine’s Day, New Year’s Eve, Love Actually. She knew there was probably nothing he would like to see, but hey, she hadn’t known he was going to be a part of her party for one.

  “Would you like to see any one in particular?”

  “Any of them are fine. I think I’ve seen them all.”

  She tried not to get upset by that because he’d probably taken some lucky woman to see these movies, and here she’d been tonight, preparing to watch them alone.

  “Would you like something to drink?”

  “No, Raina. What I’d like you to do is stop treating me like company. If I wanted something to drink, I’d get it.” It wasn’t loud or mean, but something in his tone was sharp.

  “Okay, then…”

  She got up and started the movie, but she wasn’t sure what the
hell was going on. This was the man who didn’t crack…who made it seem like nothing really mattered at all. It was all “no problem” and “don’t worry about it,” and now he seemed like he was strung so tight he was going to burst. She knew he didn’t have any close friends—well, friends that he would feel comfortable being this raw around.

  She slid over to him a little at a time until she was sitting near his corner of the couch. When she looked over at him, he was watching her, so she gave him her best talk-to-me smile and held the popcorn bowl up with a silent offer to share.

  Liam looked at the bowl but didn’t make a move to get it. She opened her mouth to ask him about it, but he pulled her onto his lap and rolled her so they were lying like spoons on the daybed he liked to complain about. Damned if she was going to mention that fact when he snuggled into her. She was shocked and said the first thing that came to mind.

  “Do you want popcorn?”

  “No, I got what I wanted,” he said, gathering her even closer while she watched the movie.

  After a few minutes his breathing was slow and even against her neck, and if she had to guess, she would say he was asleep. Something had happened…something big, and she wanted to help the tough guy out but didn’t know how. That he was at her house cuddling her, a point that had been a problem only the last time they were together, told her something was way off.

  The movie was over, and she turned the news on. She knew he was asleep, so she turned slowly to look at the man who had held her heart for a good long while. She wasn’t 100 percent sure, but she didn’t think this would ever work out. There wasn’t much hope for them. He kept his feelings guarded for some reason, and she didn’t know if she could ever get to them.

  As hard as she tried, she could never get what the problem was out of him, and the one time she’d had him with loose lips, she’d not gotten to it before he dozed off. He’d told her he’d never been in love with a girlfriend and he’d never been engaged. He’d laughed for ten minutes when she asked if a man had broken his heart, but he’d told her he’d never had a girlfriend who mattered that much, and as for men, just no.

  So what did that leave? She still hadn’t figured that out. In his sleep, he looked, well, if not vulnerable, at least not as intimidating as he did while he was awake. His dark-brown curls looked black in the low-lit room, and he had at least twelve hours of facial hair covering his square jaw, giving him a scruffy look most men planned. His lips had always drawn her attention, and they did again now. She looked at them, wishing she had the courage to kiss him while he slept and maybe offer the only comfort she believed he’d take from her. A small smile started on his firm, full lips while she watched, and she looked up to his eyes, which were now open.

  “How long did I sleep?”

  “A couple of hours.”

  “I totally missed the movie, huh?”

  “I would say yes. You went to sleep as soon as you snuggled up to me.”

  “I wasn’t in a good frame of mind when I got here. I apologize for that and for not calling before I came. I actually wasn’t coming over here, but I found my way somehow. When I got to your driveway, I figured I was here for a reason and just knocked on the door. I was going to tell you that when I saw you, but you opened the door without asking who it was or looking through your peephole, and I got upset about that.”

  “I remember.”

  “Don’t do that again. You have to think about your safety. When someone knocks on your door—”

  “I know…I know. I thought you were my neighbor, and I wasn’t thinking, but I won’t do it again. Jeez,” she told him, knowing if she didn’t get him off that subject, he’d go into the merits of safety of something or another. “What are you going to do now? I was going to take a shower and get to bed. I was invited to go to Vino. Feel free to tag along if you’d like.”

  “The local vineyard? What are you going to do there?”

  “They’re having their first-stock party. They invite event planners and industry people to come and taste the wine. It’s pretty festive, and the wine is good. I like to taste them so I can suggest the right one for the right event.”

  “What type of wine are we having for the auction?”

  “A full red and a fruity white were already picked for the auction, but if I find something good, I’ll bring a couple of bottles back for you to taste.”

  The kiss he pressed to her lips felt like a thank-you. It was soft and lazy but filled with the fire that always accompanied any touch from him.

  “You taste sweet.”

  “Thanks.” She went back for more, but he stopped her.

  “You’d better get ready for bed. Sounds like you’ve got a lot going on tomorrow. Go take your shower. I’ll clean up and lock up for you.”

  “If that’s what you want to do, then fine.” She wanted to say more, but he was right. She did have a big day tomorrow, and she would take it a bit at a time. She couldn’t be more pleased that he’d come to her when he was upset. The fact he didn’t share why he was upset… She wasn’t going to let herself worry about that. It would come. He was trying to repay her for her kindness by cleaning up and closing the door behind him, and she would be thankful and not spend the time in the shower wishing she had the courage to ask him to stay.

  She washed in her special soap she used when she wanted to lift her spirits. Somewhere she’d read that green-apple-scented items would do that for you, and boy did she need her spirits lifted.

  After she was washed, moisturized, and happy—the two glasses of wine had probably helped her relax, despite her company—she was going to go to sleep and not even think of Liam Prescott. She could do that. Take this one day at a time and then figure out what she was going to do later.

  She walked into her room, plugged in her cell phone, and then went into the closet to pick out her outfit for the morning.

  “You take the longest shower ever.”

  She screamed and dropped her clothing on the floor. “What are you doing in here?”

  He was lying in her bed, and if her heart hadn’t been in her throat, she would have appreciated his manly hotness being in her bed surrounded in her pink jersey-cotton sheets. If that wasn’t a picture for a magazine, she didn’t know what was.

  He was smiling and looking so amused it was hard to get mad at him, but she was working on it.

  “I told you I was going to clean and lock up while you were in the shower.”

  “Yeah, you did say that, but you didn’t say you were going to be waiting in my bed for me when I got out.”

  “That was supposed to be a surprise. Did you want me to leave, Raina?”

  “Well, no.” She was trying not to be snippy, but with this man, you had to ask straight questions if you were going to get any answers. “Are you planning to spend the whole night here?”

  “Yes.”

  “With no swearing on your way out in the morning?”

  “Heard that, huh?”

  “Yes, and no acting like a jerk before you leave so I have to wonder what’s going on with you and then letting you ruin my day—tomorrow is going to be pretty awesome, so I don’t want you mucking it up.”

  “I will not be mucking up your day. Promise.” He kept his eyes on her as she walked to the bed. “I could smell your new bodywash. You told me your green-apple scent was supposed to make you mellow. I think you got the crab-apple scent instead.”

  He made her smile even when she would have thought a few seconds ago that she was so wound up a smile might crack her face. Jerk.

  He pulled back the covers and patted the spot next to him. “Come on. Get in bed.”

  “This seems so surreal. Am I dreaming, or did I have too many bottles of wine? I’m still on the couch and have fallen asleep watching TV, right?”

  “Whatever you want to say happened is happening, sweet Raina. Just come here.”

  She walked over and crawled in next to him. “You smell good.”

  “I had a quick shower befor
e I left the firehouse.”

  “Where were you going to go?”

  “Wasn’t sure. I just didn’t want to go home just then.”

  She tried not to be upset that she was just the hiding place he was using to get away from whatever he was trying his best to avoid, making her the lesser of two evils. Or maybe he felt comfortable in her home with her—that was another, better way to look at it. Either way she was going to leave that Pandora’s box closed and be happy in the now.

  “Are you going to turn off the light?” She gestured to the lamp beside the bed.

  “Right after I find out if you picked the right apple to wash with. Was it crab or green apple?”

  “And how are you going to find that out?”

  “Taste test.” He pulled off her camisole, tossed it to the bottom of the bed, and started licking the crook of her neck. “Smells like green apple, but I think I should try more to make sure.”

  “I’m in favor of that. You don’t want me to give you the results too soon. Make sure you do a thorough investigation.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  He worked his way to her nipple but only bit lightly and wouldn’t be stayed by her hand.

  “Liam.”

  “I know, baby. Hold on.”

  He moved down her body, kissing, tweaking, and tasting his way to the apex of her thighs. He rubbed his nose down the seam of her sex, and she said a silent prayer he wouldn’t continue to tease her for too long because she was going to come soon, despite his leisurely pace.

  He put his lips on her clit outside her panties and kissed her with chaste pecks that shouldn’t be arousing but were. She picked up her head, and he looked up at her with his pupils dilated so big, the green ring had almost disappeared. She tried to stop from grinding herself onto his mouth, but she was desperate to get the release she knew he could give her.

  He hooked his fingers around her panties, helped her pull them off, and stared at her throbbing sex. “Shh,” he told her. “I’ll take care of you. Just let me to taste you first.”

  She tried to prepare for what was going to happen next, but the moment she felt his warm breath, she knew there was no way to prepare for this; maybe bracing herself was a better plan. He licked her core, and she jumped.