David’s features appeared normal, but the proportions were slightly off. His right jaw looked larger and more squared in shape than the left. His left jaw still seemed puffy and the cheekbone on the left side of his face was a little more sunken than its counterpart on the right. The left temple had a slight depression between the jaw and hairline, right above his scar. I reached up and ran my fingers gently along his left temple. His eyes never wavered from mine and when my fingers reached his cheek, he covered my hand with his and smiled. I carefully ran my hand over his face and down his neck feeling the warmth of his flesh beneath my fingertips. Then, I saw the tracheotomy scar at the base of his throat.
I lowered my head and fought back my tears. “My God, what did he do to you?”
David reached under my chin and tilted my face up to his. “It’s not so bad. I can talk, walk, eat, and best of all I’m here with you,” he said in his Irish tinged accent.
“What happened, David? Where have you been? Why didn’t you contact me? I could have helped you. I could have been there for you.”
“There are a lot of things I have to tell you.” He reached for my hand and pulled me up from the ground. David glanced back down the empty street and then eased me into a nearby darkened doorway. “Look, I don’t have much time,” he muttered.
“When they told me you were dead, I kept thinking it was some kind of mistake. I thought that was you in the morgue, and if that wasn’t you, who was it?”
“I’m not sure. There are a lot of pieces to this puzzle that I’m still trying to put together.” He paused and ran his hand through his wavy, brown hair. “I know it’s been a long time and these past three years must have been hell for you…just like they have been for me. You must know that I never stopped thinking of you.”
“David, I need to know where you have been. Please, tell me.”
He gazed back at me, frowning. “I can’t, not now. Trying to explain where I have been for the past three years could take quite a while, and you need to get back. Dallas is a very suspicious man. If you don’t get back to Val’s place soon, he will send out the entire New Orleans Police Department to search for you.”
Dallas. The name on David’s lips made my insides curdle.
“You know about Dallas?”
David said nothing and simply nodded.
“How did you know I was at Val’s?”
He placed his hands about my face. “I have been keeping watch over you for quite a while.” He leaned over and tenderly kissed my forehead.
The touch of his lips sent a shudder through me. I closed my eyes and silently cursed him. Three years gone, and in less than five minutes, he had my body reacting to his slightest touch. I used the anger still churning inside of me to steady myself against him. I could not let him back into my good graces so easily. He had stayed away. David had watched me start a new relationship with another man, and he had done nothing. I thought I had once known everything there was to know about David Alexander. In that moment, I realized I was wrong. What kind of man could stand by and let the woman he loved go off with another? Doubt began to gnaw at my feelings, and I could not help but wonder if the love we had once shared had been genuine. I looked up into David’s eyes and, for the first time, I saw an unfamiliar glint of coldness there. I took a step back from him.
“You have a lot of explaining to do, David.”
He grimaced. “Before you forgive me?”
“Before I could ever consider trusting you again.”
“Trust me? I’m glad to see you haven’t changed.” He shook his head and gave a frustrated sigh. “Nicci, I didn’t choose to leave you. If Michael hadn’t come along, things would have turned out a whole lot better for us. I hope one day you will understand why I have had to stay away. I want you to know that I didn’t come back to explain my whereabouts to you. I came back for you. Once we have aired our grievances about the past, then I will expect us to pick up where we left off.”
My jaw dropped. “You arrogant, condescending, chauvinistic, asshole! I can’t believe you just said that to me. After all the hell you have put me through. You’ve betrayed me, David, twice! You lied to me and then ran away to New York. Now, you come back from—”
“Are you finished?” he asked, cutting me off.
“Do you think I could just forgive you for everything and what…hop in bed with you?”
“Yes,” he affirmed. David grinned as his gray eyes inspected my black gown. “I remember the last time I saw you in that dress. It was the night of Val’s engagement party for you and Michael. I returned to you that night…after my hasty departure to New York. You forgave me then. I can’t believe you won’t try and forgive me now.”
I stood there fuming. I wanted to reach out and blot out the smug grin from his face. My resolve hardened against him. I folded my arms over my chest and stared at him.
“Don’t you think for one moment that I will ever be the same woman you once—”
He moved closer to me, silencing my tirade. “Nicci, stop trying to push me away. We both know that nothing has changed between us.”
I shook my head and looked away. “Things have changed, David. I can’t just pick up with you again without any consideration to…I have others to consider.”
“Are we talking about Dallas?”
I turned back to him, trying to hide my eyes from his scrutiny.
He opened his mouth to speak, but hesitated for a moment. “Do you love him?” he eventually asked.
I caught sight of David’s eyes and felt the weight of my emotions bear down on my heart. “Dallas wants to marry me. We’ve made plans for our future together.”
“Plans aren’t love, Nicci. All the plans in the world won’t make up for the emptiness inside your heart. The question is…which one of us fills that emptiness? Me or Dallas?” He paused and I felt the seconds tick by as he carefully studied my features. “Meet me tomorrow morning at the Corner Café on Royal. You remember the place?”
I nodded. “Where we went for coffee. Yes, I remember.”
“Come tomorrow at nine. I will answer all of your questions then.” He looked nervously out into the street. “You need to go.” He took my hand and led me from the doorway.
We stepped onto the sidewalk and were immediately greeted by a rush of cool night air. I could hear the echoes of people laughing and somewhere in the distance Jazz music was being played.
“Go home, Nicci,” he ordered, letting go of my hand.
“Wait a minute!” I exclaimed, raising my voice. “That’s it. You show yourself to me and expect me to go back home like nothing’s happened. We need to talk and—”
“Tomorrow, we will talk,” David interjected. “You must go now, Nicci. Go back to Dallas and say nothing of tonight.”
“Trust me, that won’t be a problem. He already thinks…never mind.” I took a step away and glanced back at David. “I will see you tomorrow at nine. Right?” I was suddenly anxious about leaving him.
“I will see you then. Now go home before Dallas comes looking for you. I don’t need another jealous fiancé wanting to kill me.” He grinned. “Dallas, unlike Michael, never misses.”
***
Half an hour later, I was standing next to the sink in the dark of Val’s oversized gourmet kitchen, nursing a vodka and orange juice in my trembling hands. I lifted my drink to my lips and took a long sip. The vodka burned as it eased its way down my throat. My body felt bruised and battered. I had hoped the alcohol would help to calm my frazzled nerves before I had to confront Dallas, but the drink in my hand was doing little to help ease my shaking. I was considering mixing another, when the lights flashed on around me. I turned to find Dallas, standing in the kitchen doorway.
“Aren’t you coming to bed?”
He was naked from the waist up and dressed in a pair of blue cotton pajama bottoms. His long arms were crossed over his muscular chest while he leaned against the doorway.
I gave him a reassuring smile. “I just n
eeded a drink.”
Dallas eyed me skeptically. “Why?” He came into the room. “It couldn’t have been that bad dealing with Caston? Did Simon say something to you after you two left the party?”
I stared up into his dark blue eyes and felt a pang of guilt race through me. “He suggested I sleep with Caston to get him to talk. He even told me I would enjoy it. That’s why I decided to walk home from the party. I couldn’t stomach getting into a car with Simon.” I put my drink down on the countertop.
“I told you I didn’t think your involvement with Simon was a good idea. He’s a ruthless bastard who loves to push people. I wish for once you would listen to me, Nicci. I don’t think you should continue with this assignment.” He placed his arms about me and tenderly kissed my cheek.
I pulled away from him. “You don’t think I can do this?”
Dallas pulled my body back to his. “No, quite the opposite. I was watching you with Caston tonight. The way you manipulated him. I liked it. Seeing you wearing that dress, and working with Simon, did something to me.” He leaned over and grazed his teeth along the nape of my neck. “I don’t want you getting in too deep,” he murmured against my flesh.
“I can handle myself.”
“I don’t like it when you’re upset, Nicci. I only want to see you happy.”
I laughed. “Happy? What an elusive word. I never realized until now how unattainable happiness can be.”
Dallas nuzzled my cheek. “What are you talking about? We’re happy, aren’t we?”
I pulled away once more. Suddenly afraid to say what I was thinking, I cast my eyes to the floor. I recalled something David had once said to me. “Happiness changes with the setting of the sun. It’s an achievement to strive for but it can never be maintained. It all depends on the moment…and the person,” I finally answered.
He placed his hand beneath my chin and lifted my face to his. “That sounds like something from one of your books. Happiness is a constant, Nicci. Sometimes it comes easily; sometimes you have to work for it. As long as you are willing to embrace it, happiness will find you. Just as it has found us.”
His hand traveled down from my chin to my neck and along my right shoulder. His long fingers followed the curve of my black dress until they came to rest over my right breast. He cupped my breast and pressed his hips into mine.
“Somehow I get the impression you’re confusing happiness with passion,” I mumbled.
“Am I?”
He hungrily kissed my lips. At first, I was uncertain how to react to his ardor but then something inside of me gave way. Not that my thoughts had ventured far from David, but there was still something about Dallas that tugged at my heart. I wanted desperately to recapture what we had shared over the past few months. I felt the thick muscles in his chest, and his arms tightened around me.
He caressed my cheek with tender kisses, until he reached my earlobe. “Come to bed, Nicci,” he begged in his husky voice.
“Yes, Dallas.”
He took my hand and led me out of the kitchen, stopping only once along the way to turn out the lights. As we headed down the hallway to the back stairs, he teased my neck with kisses. When we made our way into the darkness of our bedroom, my mind began to fill with doubt. David was alive, and here I was about to give myself to another man. However, this was Dallas, a person who had been there for me through the worst of times. He had protected me and he loved me. While his hands eased the heavy material of my gown from around my body, my reluctance faded. All I wanted was to revel in the pleasure of his touch. To no longer think or worry about what was yet to come. I needed to still my world-weary mind until the revealing light of dawn chased away the comforting darkness.
Chapter Ten
The next morning, I was sitting at the kitchen breakfast table by the large picture window looking out over the courtyard. I sipped from my mug of coffee—made on Val’s fancy imported coffee machine—while my eyes kept vacillating from the clock on the stainless steel microwave to the scenery outside of the window.
“Where are you off to so early?” Dallas asked when he entered the kitchen. He motioned to the casual blue slacks and button down dress shirt I had on. “You look nice,” he added.
I tried to nonchalantly stroke my hand through my fastidiously coiffed hair and hide my meticulously made up face from his piecing gaze. “Just going to run some errands,” I lied.
“Where to, the country club? You’re made up like you’re going on a photo shoot.” He walked over to the table and sat down across from me. His dark blue eyes examined my face. “What is it, Nicci?”
I could feel the blush rising on my cheeks. “I’m just in a pretty good mood after last night. I guess I got a little carried away this morning.”
Dallas scowled. “After last night? I was there, Nicci, and I got the distinct impression, when I was making love to you, that your head was somewhere else.”
I stood from the table, frowning at him. “You make it sound like I was just lying there and moaning on cue.”
He cocked a single eyebrow at me. “Were you?”
I ambled toward the kitchen door. “Why are you always grilling me for ulterior motives?”
“Maybe it’s the ulterior motives I’m worried about. Nothing is black and white with you. Every time you smile at me, laugh with me, or just look off into the distance, I can’t help but wonder what you’re thinking about.”
I stopped at the doorway but did not turn around to confront him. “Or more to the point, you’re wondering who I’m thinking about. Is that it, Dallas?”
He said nothing. The silence in the room filled the void growing between us.
“Just be back in an hour. We have a lot of ground to cover before your next meeting with Caston,” he insisted.
I made my way out the kitchen door. “I’ll call you, if I’m going to be longer,” I said over my shoulder.
I could almost hear him smirking behind me. “Make sure your cell phone is on this time, Nicci. Don’t make me come looking for you.”
***
The Corner Café was located on the St. Anne and Royal Streets in the heart of the French Quarter. As I approached the little coffee shop, I felt my feet moving faster toward the entrance. Before I opened the old metal door to the establishment, I checked my reflection in the front window. The makeup I had so carefully applied was now thick and pasty on my creamy skin. My long auburn hair seemed too styled and negated the casual appearance I was so desperately trying to portray. I quickly reached up and rubbed my hands along my cheeks, wiping away the excess powder from my face. I tamed my auburn hair back behind my ears in an attempt to calm the curls I had styled into it earlier that morning. With a final nod of approval at my reflection, I opened the heavy metal door and stepped inside.
The coffee shop was filled with a small number of customers and waitresses dressed in bright blue aprons. Less than half of the well-worn, dark wooden tables were filled.
I nervously scanned the room to see clients sipping coffee or munching on the variety of pastries, but I saw no sign of David.
“Glad to see you beat me here,” a deep voice said behind me.
I jumped and turned to find David. When I saw his face in the light of day, the damage seemed even more pronounced. The scar appeared deeper and longer. His jaw line seemed even more disproportionate in the bright light, and I noticed a sprinkling of gray in his brown hair. He was older and leaner than the David I once knew, but his eyes still held their fiery glow.
He eagerly explored my snug slacks and shirt. “God, you look good, Nicci.”
I could feel my insides melt as his eyes took in my body. I inwardly berated my weakness for the man. Not even back in my life for a day, and he was already breaking through my defenses.
David took a deep breath and then grabbed my hand. He began escorting me across the dirty, yellow tiled floor to some tables far away from the windows on the opposite wall. “Come on, I’m starving,” he mumbled over his shoulder.
He held a chair out for me, and I took my seat. I stared at the tabletop before me where past patrons had carved their initials. So many emotions were jumbled up inside of me, that to keep from coming completely unhinged, I had to continue to focus on the table before me. I wondered if the dreams I had nurtured over the past three years would live up to the reality of the man seated across from me. My uncle’s words came back to me, and I thought perhaps he had been right. Maybe I had built David into something larger than life. An image no man could live up to.
A round woman with silky gray hair and a broad smile strolled up to our table.
“What’ll y’all have?” she asked in a heavy southern drawl.
“Coffee, black for the lady,” David began. “I will have tea with milk, no sugar, and a sweet roll.”
“Better bring him two sweet rolls,” I advised. “He always orders one, but eats two.”
The waitress jotted down our order on her pad. “Be back in just a minute,” she said with a smile and turned away.
David grinned. “You remembered.”
“Of course. How could I forget the first time we came here?”
David zeroed his gray eyes on mine. “I don’t know. In my experience, when a woman finds another man to replace the love she left behind, memories tend to get muddy. You forget what you had with one man, so you can remember what you have with another.”
“That’s not fair, David. I thought you were dead. What else did you expect me to do? Spend the rest of my life mourning you and become some kind of nun?”
“Of course not, but Dallas? I can’t believe you ended up with him. Of all the men on the planet, you go after my friend…or ex-friend now.”
“I didn’t go after him! I never knew he existed, until Simon shoved us together to find out who killed you.”
The Nicci Beauvoir Collection: The Complete Nicci Beauvoir Series Page 68
