by Lori King
Rock hard. His body. His manner. Everything about Sean was uncompromising.
Mercy tried to ignore the closeness of his body, the way his chest and muscled shoulders blocked out everything behind him—and how that awareness of his masculinity and strength sent a flutter of pleasure down deep in her belly.
“Lady, do you have any idea what could have happened to you after you’d had that drink?” Sean hard stare damned her as much as his words. “He’d get you alone, and you’d be defenseless, unable to scream, let alone run away.”
Her body locked. A cold tremble swept over her. She clenched Sean’s arms, but the warmth of his skin did nothing to calm her. Owen, with his too-shiny hair and that gleam in his eyes. God, the creep could have done anything to her. Anything.
“That bastard picked you out as soon as you stood up and headed to the bar. All that time, you never paid attention to what he was doing.”
Sean’s words were like a slap in the face. She drew back, straining against his hold. “I didn’t ask him to drug me.”
If anything, his frown deepened. “Of course not. He’s the fucker responsible, but you didn’t keep your wits about you. You’re a woman in a club. That means you always need to be vigilant, especially when you’re sitting next to a guy at a bar.”
True, but…Her shoulders dropped. She hadn’t been alert. Hadn’t even heard Owen ask the waitress to take the drinks to her friends. He was right. Dammit.
“Message received.” She lifted her gaze to meet his, refusing to take the easy way out and look away. “I won’t make that mistake next time.”
That’s if she ever entered a bar again. The last one she’d visited had been two months ago, the night she’d broken up with Austin. The chauvinistic bully.
God, she was a magnet for lowlifes.
“For your sake, I hope not.” Sean released one of her arms, but still held the one closest to him. “Seeing a woman after she’s been attacked isn’t an easy image to live with.”
Her gaze narrowed at his words. Had he come across a victim before? That would at least go some way to explaining his level of anger, or maybe more frustration, with her.
She was tempted to ask, but the sight of a patrol car entering the club’s parking lot stole her attention.
Two cops, both looking around her age of late twenties, exited the vehicle and made their way over. Maybe it was a trick of the light, but she could swear she caught a gleam of recognition in their gazes as they stared at Sean.
“Officers, this lady was the victim of an attempted drugging. The guy’s inside with the club’s security.” Sean moved his hand to Mercy’s lower back, his touch warm and steadying as his words reminded her again of the close call she’d had. “We’re both teachers at Macarthur High. Our colleagues are still unaware inside the bar.”
Both cops’ gazes flicked between her and Sean. Then, as if in unspoken agreement, one moved inside the bar while the other went about taking her statement.
“I’m heading back inside. Stay here,” Sean ordered as he headed toward the club.
She gave an exasperated sigh and kept her attention on the policeman, who made a coughing sound before turning his gaze back to taking notes.
A few minutes later, Sean returned just as the officer was finishing up. The cop gave her an apologetic smile as he handed over his card with contact details. “You’ll have to come down to the station to give a full statement.”
“I understand.” No way could she let that creep get away without charges. Who knows how many other women he had tried this with before now? She shivered at the thought.
“You okay?” Sean rubbed a hand over her back.
His touch was comforting, and it would be so easy to lean back and soak up the reassurance. But the fact she had nearly been the victim of a drugging was starting to catch up with her. She rubbed her hands down her skirt to hide the tremor. If she let herself sink now, she’d be a puddle of tears in no time.
“I’m fine, thank you.” She stood straighter, creating a gap between her back and his hand.
Sean stared at her a moment before dropping his hand back to his side. “Let’s get you down to the station. I’ve got to give a statement too, so may as well get this over with.” He nodded to the cop. “We’ll see you there, officer.”
“But I came with Karen.” Her fellow English teacher would be worried. In fact, shouldn’t she go and—
“They know what’s happened. I’ve assured them you’re okay and are your way to the station.” Sean took her arm again and led her to his SUV. She spied the cop already walking into the club. What was it with Sean always getting his way and nobody questioning him?
“But—“
“Mercy,” he stopped at the black SUV’s front passenger door. “The cops are about to bring out the creep. Let me get you in the car and out of his sight, yeah?” He raised a hand and squeezed her shoulder.
His actions were…considerate of her. Even protective. She stared up at him a moment, watching as the light breeze lifted strands of his hair as he remained silent, waiting for her to move. He was such a puzzle—one moment acting like a bossy jerk and the next a caring, protective alpha type.
She nodded, unable to trust her herself to speak.
And so she let him take her to the station. As luck would have it, a detective was standing inside the station’s entrance, as if he had been waiting for them. She was led away to a separate interview room, and in less than an hour, they had both given their statements.
Mercy wasn’t sure what the normal procedure was, but she wasn’t expecting such fast service. Not that she was complaining.
Now, as they exited the station, she had a chance to get back some measure of control. “I’ll catch a cab home, but thanks for your help tonight.” And she was thankful, but right now, being around him confused her further. She’s sworn off men since Austin, and frankly, Sean pushed too many of her “right” buttons with her undeniable physical attraction to him, even as his manner often infuriated her. She didn’t need that complication right now.
“Car’s right here.” He gently gripped her hand and led her the twenty feet to his SUV.
Apart from starting a tug-of-war, she couldn’t see a way out. And exhaustion after such a strained end to what should have been a fun evening weakened her resolve. Fifteen minutes later, Sean pulled up outside the front of her apartment complex in Queen Anne.
“Thank you.” She released her seatbelt. Turning her head, she glanced over at Sean. His gaze was ever watchful. For a second, she wondered what he was thinking. “You really did save my skin tonight.”
He pulled out the keys from the ignition and opened his door. Before he jumped out, he glanced back at her. “I have a sister. Name’s London. She’s an author. Smart as hell, sweet too. My brothers and I adore her even when she drives us crazy, which is often. If she had been in your spot tonight, I’d be fucking praying someone would step in. Believe me when I say I’m glad I was there at the right time.” On those words, he exited the vehicle.
She opened her door and smiled as he reached her side and helped her out of the SUV.
Moments later she had the key in her hand as they stood in front of the complex’s glass entryway. “Well.” Why did she feel so nervous? This wasn’t a date. Hell, he was more likely to give her a lecture than a kiss. She gazed up at his face. The building’s shadow darkened the strong planes of his cheeks already shadowed by a fine growth of whiskers. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow,” he said in a deep rumbling voice that wrapped around her body like silk bindings, their hold growing ever tighter as she stood, unable to look away.
He didn’t move, just kept staring. And damn if she didn’t want to lean forward. Just a tad. Enough to smell more of the woody musk scent of his aftershave.
The sudden movement of someone exiting the complex forced her to act.
“Again, thank you.” Mercy gave Sean a quick smile and dashed inside, not daring to look back as
she reached the elevator, which opened right on cue.
Only when she was heading up to her floor did she let out a long breath. Why did she feel like she had somehow jumped from the frying pan of Sean’s earlier anger into a fire of…what?
And that was the problem. The unknown factor. Sean had an air of complexity about him that both teased her interest and rang warning bells.
After a broken heart with her ex, Mercy was gun shy when it came to men. Safe, stable and comfy. Those were the new catchwords she was looking for in a guy.
And Sean Gallagher was anything but comfy. Edgy? Yes, and more.
3
“Get that knee over your leg and onto the mat, Brannigan. You’re supposed to be stretching your hip muscle,” Aidan called out to the Cougar’s lanky cornerback and dropped a towel on a nearby gym mat. This Monday afternoon’s practice was in full swing with the team running drills and scrimmaging on the field. Despite the Cougars’ win last Friday night, a couple of the boys needed extra help with their fitness. Coach had tasked Aidan with getting those players in peak shape. The gym was ideal for today’s one-hour session.
“You said I needed to increase my endurance. What’s stretching got to do with that?” The kid lifted his head from the mat where he lay on his back, his right leg over his left and the knee now pressed to the mat.
“When I bust your ass at interval training, you’ll thank me when you don’t cramp,” Aidan joked with a smile.
Jake Brannigan and the other boy, Leroy, groaned. Sean hid his smile. Like any typical teenage boy, they concentrated more on lifting weights to bulk up. Being agile on the field was just as important.
“My girlfriend sees me doing these stretches, she’s gonna expect me to do yoga with her.” Leroy Harper, the team’s halfback, was a sharp tactician, always capitalizing on being in the right spot. No wonder he weighed the consequences of this extra training. “Watching her in yoga pants is one thing. Doing that shit myself ain’t my style.”
Aidan chuckled. “You could do worse than a few sessions of yoga. But I’ll save that torture for another day.” He laughed at the boys’ good-natured pleading for mercy. Since the kids were distracted, he snatched the opportunity to ask some questions. Sitting down on the mat, he mimicked their stretch, thankful his regular cardio and gym sessions didn’t leave him weak in front of the kids. “What’ve you guys got planned for the weekend?”
“Tyrone’s birthday party Saturday.” Jake changed his stretch to his other leg. “Should be good. His parents are cool with crowds.”
Kids partying. “You guys know not to drink, right?”
“Don’t worry, Coach Gallagher.” Leroy changed to a raised calf stretch. “Coach Parker would kill us if he knew we’d been drinking.”
“To be honest, after what I heard happened with that girl overdosing a couple of weeks ago, I’m more worried about drugs.”
Jake turned his head so he was looking directly at Aidan on the mat next to him. “That really sucked about Heather. She’s not a bad kid.” His gaze dropped to the mat. “Just stupid to get into that shit.”
Even if they weren’t buddies, the kids must know their fellow students. “I wondered if any of you knew her and her boyfriend. What was his name?”
“Michael.” Leroy sat up on Aidan’s other side. “We know them, but Coach Parker has a rule we stay clear of trouble.” He shrugged. “Druggies, they can drag you down, you know?”
“Sure.” Aidan stretched his other hip. “Good to know you guys are sticking clear. But if you ever hear of anyone trying to force kids into trying stuff, or someone approaches you and pressures you, you can come to me and I’ll sort them out, okay?”
Leroy stared at Aidan a second before nodding. “Okay.”
“Good. Spread the word amongst the boys, yeah? I don’t want them thinking they’ll get into trouble for coming forward.”
Jake sat up. “You think it’s not just Michael who was dealing?” His searching gaze held Aidan’s. “There’s a few kids who have…issues, but I haven’t seen anything happening.”
“I have no idea.” Not for sure, but no drug network left an established customer base like this one unattended. “My guess is that where there is one dealer, there is often someone else willing to take their place. That boy’s now in juvie.” Scared out of his life. So fucking scared he won’t say a word about who supplied him with product. “Likely someone wants his customers.”
Jake nodded before completing his next stretch. But Leroy remained quiet, his gaze straight ahead, eyes unfocused, evidently deep in thought. Aidan decided to leave the topic for now. He was a new teacher in a tight-knit group of players. Now was the time to establish trust. He’d press harder in a few days.
One hour later, Aidan wiped his sweat-drenched face with a towel. His light gray t-shirt was stained dark and stuck to his chest and back. Hell, he wouldn’t need to go to do his morning kick-boxing if he trained with these kids. “Good job, boys. Hit the showers. We’ll ramp it up tomorrow.”
Ignoring their exhausted groans, he headed back to the assistant coach’s office—more like an equipment room with a desk, but it would suffice. Just as he neared Coach Parker’s office, he heard the older man’s voice through the open doorway.
“Evan, if things get bad like that again between your parents, call me. I’ll arrange for you to stay with one of your friends.”
Aidan stopped a few feet from the entry to Coach Parker’s office. Evan had been quiet during the game last Friday. Went straight home afterwards. Missed Saturday’s training.
“They’re good parents, Coach. It’s just,” the kid’s voice thickened. He took a moment before continuing. “With the divorce, they argue.”
“A hard time for your mom and dad, for sure, but if the neighbors are calling the cops, you need to get away from that situation. I know Tyrone’s parents are happy for you to stay with them.” Coach Parker’s normally gruff voice held a rare note of sympathy. “Kid, you have no younger brothers or sisters, so you won’t be leaving anyone behind.”
“My mom hits Dad.” Evan’s voice sounded more tired than tormented. “I know everyone thinks it’s always the other way around, but when she drinks…” The boy left Coach Parker to draw his own conclusion. “I’ll wait a couple of days. Mom’s going away. Some training thing for her work. Dad will understand if I go to Tyrone’s.”
“Good. In the meantime, you call me if you need to.” At the sound of the coach getting up, Aidan retreated back into the meeting room, giving Evan some privacy as he left the office.
A couple of minutes later, he walked out into the corridor only to run into Coach Parker.
“How’d the boys do?” Coach eyed Aidan’s sweat-stained clothing. “Looks like you had a good workout.”
Aidan nodded. “We did. Thought I’d join the boys.”
“Good idea. Lets you prove yourself. Show your commitment.”
And commitment meant everything to Coach Parker.
“We’ll give it a few days before—” Coach broke off, his gaze darting to Aidan’s right. His loud sigh was matched by the irritated note in his voice. “Ms. Jones.”
Mercy. Aidan hadn’t seen her since Friday morning, when he’d caught up with her outside his classroom and checked to see if she was okay. Apart from a somewhat shy smile and a second sincere thanks for intervening with Owen, she hadn’t spoken to Aidan since. And damned if he wished she had.
He turned and tried not to smile at her nonplussed expression at Coach Parker’s less than enthusiastic greeting.
“Hi, Mercy.” Aidan smiled, hoping to inject a relaxed atmosphere as Coach Parker crossed his arms over his chest.
“Hey, Sean.” Mercy, dressed in a bright aqua shirt and tan pants, was the picture of professionalism in contrast to Aidan’s grungy workout gear. She gave him a quick smile before turning her gaze back to Parker.
“Coach, I’m—”
“Here about Cole Hunt.” The older man interrupted her. “I read your email a
n hour ago saying you had to see me. I’m busy today and tomorrow. Why don’t you—”
“Cole is no longer falling behind in English,” Mercy cut in, her voice firm and as unyielding as her gaze. “He’s failing. Since Cole’s normal teacher has now gone on maternity leave and I’ve taken over a couple of her classes, I’m now Cole’s teacher.”
“Hell,” Coach cursed, not bothering to hide his displeasure.
“Indeed.” Mercy sighed, and when she spoke again, her tone was congenial, even coaxing. “Why don’t we see if we can work out a plan to get Cole back on track?”
“Speak to Sean here. He’s in charge of special projects.” Parker turned to walk back into his office. “Eyes on the bigger picture, Gallagher. Get the kid over the line.” With that, the man entered his office and shut the door with a resounding thud.
Jesus. The man never heard that a little charm went a long way with some women?
He turned back to Mercy, whose glare toward Parker’s office door said all Aidan needed to know.
“Okay, you’re pissed. I understand that.”
That glare transferred to Aidan. “I’m not pissed, Sean. Disappointed? Disgusted? Yes. Those are appropriate word choices. If the sports department won’t take my concerns seriously, then I’ll speak to Cole’s guidance counselor and his parents.” Those blue eyes of hers blazed with determination to settle this matter once and for all.
Fuck.
This is what happened when you fobbed off people’s concerns for too long.
“Give me five minutes to shower. I want to get a resolution for you, but no lady should have to sit next to a guy who’s covered in sweat.”
Flat on her back in bed was another matter. She’d be sweaty, too. For the best of reasons.
And where the fuck did that thought come from?
But judging by the way she now studied his body, Aidan guessed she’d finally let go of her anger enough to see he could do with a clean-up.
She waved a hand in front of her. “Of course. I’ll wait in the meeting room.”
“Great.” He nodded and headed off to the staff bathroom. Five minutes later, he was dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, his hair wet but finger combed as he walked into the team’s meeting room. He carried two chilled bottles of water, the best he could do since the coffee pot was already turned off for the night.
