By degrees, her chin lifted, and her gaze shifted to meet his. Blue, blue eyes.
The room shrank.
Colton dropped her hand, jumped up. “Do you want to do something?”
London’s heart felt like it was unloosed in her chest. “Do what?”
“I don’t know.” He glanced around, then paced to the door. His hands gripped the jamb and he stared out at the water. “Go for a walk. Or if we had access to a boat...”
Access to a boat.
London swallowed and got to her feet. Access to a boat was something a seventeen-year-old who lived on this lake would have. “You know how to drive one?”
He glanced over his shoulder. “Sure.”
What had she thought last night? That she was the master of her fate. The captain of her soul.
She curled her fingers into her palm to savor the memory of his hand in hers. Not a little girl. Not a freak. Seventeen. “Then let’s go.”
* * *
SHAY’S FEET STUTTERED as she stepped into the kitchen to find Jace standing by the sink, his gaze on something in his hand. He looked over, shoved whatever it was in his pocket and leaned against the countertop. His arms crossed his chest and she tried not to notice his masculine breadth and strength. But the raw power he exuded made her feel breathless and achingly female.
“Did you have a nice walk?” he asked.
A polite comment, so she felt compelled to answer it in a similar tone as she continued forward. “Yes, thanks.” Leaving plenty of room between their bodies, she crossed to a cupboard and grabbed a glass. She’d top it off with the cold tea in the fridge then escape. Hide out in her room, where she planned to spend as much time as possible until the remaining weeks of her employment were completed.
“London’s not with you?”
She briefly glanced over her shoulder. “She’s fifteen, not five. I let her off the leash on occasion.”
“Yeah. Well.”
Even with her back turned, she sensed his eyes on her. She could feel the heat of his gaze on the top of her head, between her shoulder blades, along the bare length of leg that showed beneath her skirt. It was a swingy cotton thing, not especially short, but now even the backs of her knees felt too...bare.
With careful movements, she returned the pitcher to its shelf and took a breath in preparation for getting out of his company as soon as possible. Her hand clutched the glass, which was already starting to sweat. “You’re feeling better now?”
Damn. The words just popped out of her mouth. She didn’t want to engage him in further conversation. She didn’t want to think about him or his headache or the bits of his life that she’d gleaned when listening to his conversation with London that morning. In order not to interrupt the moment, she’d played fly on the wall, but she’d taken in every sentence.
“Better. Thanks.”
“That’s good to hear.” And because she meant it, she grimaced. Poppy was the soft heart in the family, not Shay. Why feel concern for the man who was canning her as well as walking away from the daughter he barely knew?
Every couple of months I came to see you, until you were about five.
He’d said that to the girl, though, and it implied there was more to the story—
No. None of that was her business.
The hem of her skirt flew up as she turned, ready to hurry away. Her free palm clapped the lifting fabric against her leg but she saw Jace’s gaze had flicked to the inches of thigh the move had momentarily revealed. Ignoring the flutter in her belly, she began to step past him.
He caught her shoulder.
“Hey—” Her protest halted at the expression on his face. His brows were drawn together, and he stared out the window over her shoulder. “What is it?”
“Hell,” he said. “Is that...? That’s...”
Shay twisted her head, peering in the same direction. A boat was motoring away from the dock and out of the shallow cove. The berth that belonged to the house was empty.
Her jaw dropped. “Who...?”
Jace’s expression turned grimmer. “If my eyes didn’t deceive me, that’s my daughter in that boat.”
Then he took off.
“The Fun & Games? It can’t be,” Shay protested, trying to keep up with him as he pushed through the back door and crossed the deck. “She doesn’t know how to drive.”
He shot a glance at her. “There was a boy at the wheel.”
A boy? Astonished, Shay froze, allowing Jace to pull away. Then she sprinted to catch up with him. “She doesn’t know any boys,” she said, already breathless.
He didn’t bother answering as he pounded up the steps to the platform then down the gangway to the berth. At one of the U-shaped ends, he came to halt, stopping so abruptly Shay grabbed at his elbow to ensure his momentum wouldn’t take him into the water. Shaking off her hold, he cupped both hands over his eyes and stared in the direction the boat had taken.
“Damn it.” His head swiveled from side to side, then he raced back up the gangplank to the kayak chained to the coffin-sized metal dock box resting on the platform. “Where’s the key to this?” he demanded, rattling the padlock.
“On the same ring as the boat keys,” she said. They usually hung on a hook by one of the back doors. Despite his clear worry, the corners of her mouth twitched.
His expression turned ferocious. “Are you laughing at me?”
She swallowed her humor back down, though it was hard not to picture him using a one-man craft and a paddle in an attempt to overtake a powerful outboard engine. “It was just a smile.”
“This is no smiling matter. My daughter is out there with a...with a boat-jacker.”
Shay seriously doubted that—hadn’t he said she was with a boy? “Did she look like she was being coerced?”
“She’s fifteen,” Jace said again. He started rattling the padlock once more, as if he could open it with sheer force of will.
Stepping away from the noise, Shay pulled her cell phone from her pocket. London didn’t pick up, but Shay imagined she might not hear the ring tone over the roar of the boat. With a glance at the muttering Jace, she made a second call.
Two minutes later, she shoved her cell away and waved to get his attention. “The lake patrol is on it.”
His gaze shifted to her. “The what?”
“There’s three or four boats on the lake at all times, watching for trouble and making sure the rules are enforced—like a private Coast Guard. It’s a weekday, so there’s little traffic on the water. They’ll find London in no time.”
He stared at her. “You think?”
“I’m sure. They patched me through, and the guys on patrol know the boat, the dock, the situation. Once they find the Fun & Games, one of the officers will climb aboard and pilot them back. Don’t fret.”
“I’m not fretting.” His hands pushed through his hair and he spun to stare over the water. “I’m worrying.”
“Because you’re a dad.”
His sidelong look spoke volumes. “That’s where you’re wrong.” He paced around the platform. “Do we just wait here?”
“Why don’t we sit down?” He needed to dial his anxiety down a notch. There was a bar-height dining set on the platform and she pulled out one of the chairs. “You’ll see. It won’t take long.”
He threw himself onto the seat and raked his fingers through his hair again.
Shay stared at the dark disorder and felt a pinch of guilt. “Maybe I should have put her on a leash,” she murmured, perching on the chair beside his.
“No.” He dismissed that statement with a slash of his hand. “This is not your fault.”
“You know, teenagers typically do dumb things now and again.”
He shifted his gaze from the water to her face then back. “Yea
h, but her upbringing hasn’t been typical.”
Hard to deny, Shay decided. Instead she sat back in her chair, forcing herself to relax as she took in the blue sky, the sheltering mountains and the water that glistened in the sun, sparking silver and gold. In the distance, a sailboat scudded over the surface.
“It’s like a postcard,” Jace said, indicating his mind was running along the same line as hers. “Beautiful. But— Christ.” He froze. “Can she even swim?”
He dropped his head into his hands, then looked up again to stare at Shay. “How come I don’t know if she can swim?”
“I know,” Shay assured him. “She’s fine in the water. A strong swimmer.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. My sister Poppy’s fiancé has an estate near here with an indoor pool. She swims there with my nephew, Mason.” Catching Jace’s alarmed look, she hid her smile. “He’s five. A real lady-killer, though.”
He let out an audible breath. “All right. Fine.” Some of the tension left his shoulders. “Your sister’s engaged?”
“Yep.” Shay thought of her black-haired, blue-eyed future brother-in-law, all elegance and sophistication. A panther to the lion beside her now. “Ryan Hamilton...you might know of him.”
Jace’s eyebrows climbed toward his hairline. “Ryan Hamilton the actor?”
“He produces now,” Shay explained. “But yeah, the one that did TV and movies in his younger days. He has a place in LA and a second house here at Blue Arrow Lake.”
“Whoa,” Jace said, still sounding surprised. “Ryan Hamilton.”
“What?” Shay asked, bristling. “You don’t think a Walker is good enough for a rich Hollywood bachelor?” Her eyes narrowed, she glared at him.
“Wait a minute. Wait just a minute.” Jace shifted from his chair to stand before her. “Now hold still,” he said.
On instant alert, Shay froze. “Is it a bug? A flying bug? I hate those. Even dragonflies, ever since my brother Brett told me they were actually tiny witches on tiny brooms.”
“It’s not a bug, though I appreciate this little glimpse beneath Ms. Capability.” One corner of his mouth tucked up, he brushed briskly at her shoulder. “There. All gone.”
“What was it?” She frowned, looking around to see what he’d flicked away.
“That big chip on your shoulder,” Jace said.
Her frown deepened.
“I never said or implied there was one thing wrong with a Walker,” he continued. “It’s not like I was born with a silver spoon.”
But he had one now, a whole set she was sure, if the house behind them was anything to go by. “Okay,” she grumbled. “It’s just that...we don’t like anything to tarnish Poppy’s happiness. She’s been alone since her stupid boyfriend ran off when he found out she was pregnant.”
Jace twitched and Shay cursed her big mouth. That was a little too close to the current situation, wasn’t it? Except...
But then my mom went to London.
But I did come visit you, Jace had said.
The exact circumstances between him and his ex were not known to Shay—and were none of her business, especially now that he’d terminated their employment agreement early. “Sorry,” she murmured, training her gaze to her hands in her lap. “I didn’t mean—”
“Have you ever been married?”
Shay shook her head.
“Ever fall foolishly into a relationship?” Before she could answer he said, “I did.”
“It’s none of my concern—”
“Maybe it is, because at the moment you’re still London’s tutor.” He sighed. “I don’t know how much you took in this morning when I was talking to her...”
Every word. But she’d pretended deafness in case her presence might stop him from sharing with his daughter.
“It’s pretty clear now she had an agenda when she began dating me,” he said flatly. “Elsa, London’s mother. At first I think she wanted to infuriate her father by being with a blue-collar guy like myself. Then she became pregnant—and our subsequent marriage allowed her access to her trust fund. That money was her escape from her father’s home. To a new life in Europe.”
He sighed again. “She was gorgeous, reckless, exciting. And, ultimately, too much for me to handle. For the first five years of London’s life it wasn’t so bad. I dealt with it by seeing her as often as I could. Then one time I arrived for a scheduled visit and Elsa and London had taken off to parts unknown. I rescheduled...same thing. I was traveling a tremendous amount for business and Elsa’s games...they wore me down.”
“That’s terrible,” Shay said.
His mouth twisted in a wry curve. “What is? That she made things difficult, or that I weighed that, considered the long hours I was putting in to build the business—not to mention my nonexistent parental instincts—and gave my ex-wife generous child support but full custody when she filed for divorce?”
Shay opened her mouth.
He spoke before she could. “I’m the bad guy, Shay. Don’t think anything different.”
“I don’t.” Lifting her chin, she kept her gaze steady and cool, her heartbeat steady and calm. This man wasn’t going to get to her. He wasn’t trying to get to her, that was true, so it should be easy.
Easy-peasy.
“So?” He pinched her chin, a teasing, almost brotherly touch. “I bared my past and you never answered the question.”
“Question?” That “casual” touch distracted her. Goose bumps tickled her neck and she felt her nipples tighten. She crossed her arms over her chest. “I’ve forgotten what it was.”
His knuckle traced the edge of her jaw. “Did you ever fall foolishly into a relationship?”
Fall foolishly into a relationship? She stared into his golden eyes, mesmerized. Did one night at the Deerpoint Inn count?
“Better yet,” Jace murmured, his curled finger making another light pass. “Did you ever fall foolishly in love?”
Shay pressed into the back of her chair, away from his touch, those eyes, that unnerving query. Fall in love? She shook her head.
“No?”
“Never.” And it seemed both the safest and saddest admission a woman could make.
Jace’s palm, rough and warm, cupped her cheek. “Shay—”
The dual sound of boat engines caught their attention. His hand dropped, she slid from her chair and he hurried down the ramp with long strides, Shay at his heels.
They stood at one end of the slip, watching two boats approach. London stood slightly behind the uniformed officer at the wheel of the Fun & Games, her head bent, black hair swirling, both thumbs on the keyboard of her phone. A second boat, with a bar of lights across the top, trailed behind.
Jace shoved his hands in his hair as Shay drew up beside him. “What the hell am I supposed to do now?” he muttered, though she didn’t think he was expecting her to answer. He might have forgotten she was there. “I haven’t a clue how to handle this, damn it.”
When the prow of the first boat motored within shouting distance, Jace pinned his daughter with a stare. “London Jennings!”
Her head jerked up. Her black-lined eyes went wide.
The lion roared, in clear worry teamed with frustration. “You’re grounded! You got that? Grounded.”
Shay’s hand flew up as the words reverberated in her chest. The dock moved, the pontoons beneath it rocking with the waves caused by the oncoming watercraft. She staggered, unbalanced.
Moved, in the strangest way.
You’re grounded, Mr. I’m-No-Dad had said. Grounded.
She should laugh. It was funny, wasn’t it? A typical reaction from a nontypical father. But instead, she was worried. Those few words had done something to her, Shay realized. Jace had done something to her with the simplest phrase. What exactly tha
t was...well, she had a very bad feeling that Poppy was no longer the only Walker sister with too soft a heart.
CHAPTER SEVEN
LONDON CLUTCHED HER phone with one hand and grabbed on to the side of the boat with the other as the lake patrolman piloting the Fun & Games pulled back on the throttle, further slowing their movement. They glided closer to the slip and she risked a second look at Jace. His expression remained fierce and he stood with legs braced, his arms crossed over his chest, his narrowed gaze glued to her face.
Uh-oh.
Had she heard right? Had he just shouted she was grounded?
Nobody had ever yelled at her like that before.
It had made her stomach jump, just a little, but that was nothing compared to the rolls and somersaults it had made after she’d climbed into the boat with Colton. It had been an easy thing to dash undetected into the house for the keys and even easier to hand them over to the tanned boy unwinding the mooring ropes from the cleats. Clearly, he knew what he was doing.
Next, they’d reversed out of the berth, cruised past the five-mile-per-hour buoys, then hit free water. There, he’d set the boat on “Fly.”
At least it had felt that way to London. Though her stomach had somersaulted, her grin stretched from ear to ear. She’d sunk farther into the low-slung seat, the speed exhilarating. She was a bird, a plane, an untethered balloon. Then they crossed the wake of another powerboat, and the slap-slap-slap of the hull against the water had bounced her bottom against the vinyl. She’d giggled and Colton had glanced over at her, smiling.
So comfortable in his skin. Confident. He’d stood behind the wheel, one knee propped on the captain’s seat. The wind whipped his sun-kissed hair into eggbeater disorder and London had wrapped an arm around her own waist in a secret self hug.
This moment was happening to her!
The delight had ended much too soon. There’d been the short burp of a siren. Flashing lights behind them. Head turned over his shoulder, Colton had frowned. A rooster tail of water shot behind the Fun & Games as he’d slowed to a stop.
The patrol boat had idled up alongside them. The men inside wore blue uniform pants, bright white polo shirts and navy ball caps emblazoned with the Blue Arrow Lake logo. Both of them looked straight at her.
Make Me Lose Control Page 9
