He came back down a few minutes later in his standard jeans and a T-shirt. No shoes. She loved his bare feet and had no idea why. He smelled clean but still like a man.
She was pouring the tea when he came up close behind her and leaned over her shoulder. “Peppermint. Perfect!”
She managed not to spill the hot drinks despite the effect his proximity had on her. Yep, he was perfect. She wanted to lean back and him to put his arms around her and pull her in close. Of course, she didn’t say that. He did want her to talk but that just would have been too much too soon.
Chloe didn’t really want to sit, so she leaned against the counter and held the warm mug in two hands. Tom positioned himself at the kitchen table.
“I don’t know what to tell you, Tom. I don’t like discussing the past. The truth is I’ve run away from two lives and I thought maybe I’d outrun my past and now . . . it’s as if it won’t let me be free.”
“Some things are hard to outrun. They become part of you and your story. Sometimes if you claim them, it is easier.”
“Maybe.”
“Everyone has a past,” he said with a shrug. “Yours is certainly not a simple one, but most people have things they would prefer were kept hidden.”
“I guess.”
“It’s true,” he continued. “You’re worried because you feel different because of your upbringing. All the things you haven’t done. Some people are worried they’ve done too much, others are worried they’ve squandered chances and can’t make up for it, and some people are worried that they’re unremarkable, exactly like the next guy and girl. None of that’s true.”
“You’re very philosophical,” she said, teasing.
“Look, I’m six foot four, I’m an only child, I have ADHD, and I grew up in a resort. Not much of that story helps me blend in. My dad always told me three things; be kind, do your best, be yourself.”
“Good advice.”
“He’s a smart man,” he said, taking a sip of tea. “Anyway, somehow I seem to be doing all the talking still.”
She smiled at him. “Gee, I wonder how that happened.”
“You’re sneaky. You look all sweet and innocent but maybe not so much.”
“Or maybe I am and you like to talk.”
He shook his head. “I’m not buying it. Spill. How about we start with Viper?”
“Life in Austin was overwhelming. My mother’s friend Lyn let me stay with her while I got settled and she gave me a job in her small law firm. I filed, sorted mail, and answered the phone. I had never even seen the Internet, so she had to send me to some courses just so I wasn’t completely useless, and she had a spare room that I stayed in.
“After about six months, it was time for me to make my own way. I rented a studio, and so as well as working with her by day, I got a job in a pancake house at night, you know one of those twenty-four-hour places? So I did a shift there after the law firm. The truth was I didn’t have any friends or anywhere else to be and I was scared home alone.
“To be honest, I was pretty proud to be independent at last. I was supporting myself, and by then, I didn’t feel completely hopeless at the office.
“Anyway, one day a client came in to see Lyn and she was out. He just arrived unannounced and it was Viper, of course he didn’t have the neck tattoo and he didn’t call himself that. He used his real name. Lyn had explained to me that lots of her clients were not guilty and they just needed decent legal representation. So I approached everyone in that spirit.
“Well, he started chatting to me a bit and he was friendly and not sinister at all and I guess I was lonely so that was nice.
“He showed up a week later to drop something off and the same thing. Third week he actually had an appointment but she was called out to an arraignment. Anyway, I guess I told him I had a second job and he started showing up there and eating his dinner every so often.
“I found myself wondering if he would come by and looking forward to seeing him. The truth was I was lonely and he preyed on that. He started saying things like “how’s my girl?” and, you know, I was flattered. He had the jeans and the jacket and the bike and . . .
“Anyway, after a few months he walked in, no bike and was a bit beaten up looking. He said he’d been robbed and lost his bike; it wasn’t insured and he was really upset. He asked to borrow some money.”
“Which you gave him?” Moose shook his head.
“Of course. We were friends and I thought he needed it.
“I didn’t see him for a couple of weeks and then he came in to the office. Lyn saw me talking with him and asked about that.
“She told me I should really stay away from him.”
“Did you tell her about the money?”
She shook her head. “And I didn’t stay away. I didn’t go out with him, but I gave him more money when he visited me. There was some chaste kissing, nothing sexual really. Then he said he wanted me to meet some of his friends. I kept refusing. He disappeared for a while.”
“Was he inside?”
“He was either running a scam or running from someone each time it turns out.
“He was gone for about a month, and a girl in my building who worked in a bar said she could get me a job doing dishes. It paid double the pancake place because of tips. I changed my shifts so I worked there weekends.”
“I got to give you credit, kid, you’re entrepreneurial.”
“Yeah, well, I guess he went looking for me at the pancake joint and got real angry when I wasn’t there. I guess he figured he’d sweet-talk me a little and wheedle some money out of me. So then he came to the law office and I told him I was sorry I didn’t have any more money to give. He was also not happy I was working in a bar. He said that wasn’t a good place for me, but the truth was he couldn’t get access.”
“He would have loved that.”
“Not so much. Anyway, Lyn overheard and hauled me into her office. She told me as much as she could about his past without breaking any confidentiality, just stuff that was on the public record. He was a small-time drug dealer and part-time pimp. Apparently, he specialized in girls who were innocent.”
She saw the color rise in Tom’s face. “Innocent.”
“Yeah. Apparently, there’s a market for that.”
“Sonofabitch.”
“Anyway, Lyn did a bit of investigating and turns out I was on some website he had and I was one of the offerings. Which of course I was horrified to learn.”
“Isn’t that like all kinds of illegal?”
“Yeah.”
“A while later I thought I was off his radar, but Lyn was monitoring the site. He showed up at the bar, and when I said I didn’t want to see him, the bouncers told him to go.”
“He would have loved that bit.”
“Yeah, not so much. He started a brawl and the place got pretty torn up. I stayed cowering in the kitchen, but when the police came, Lyn went with me to the station and we told them the whole story.”
“Ah, good for you.”
“Yeah, well, he blames me for going to jail and loss of income.”
“Loss of income?”
“I guess his pimping.”
“He’s crazy. None of that is your fault.”
“He is,” she said with a sigh. “He really is.”
“Anyway, of course I broke off all contact.”
Moose didn’t feel better, exactly, but at least he knew what kind of criminal he was dealing with and that was something. He was a sick, manipulative bastard, but he was small-time. By the sounds of him, he’d probably jumped parole as well, which meant if they could find him and get the police there fast, this problem would be solved quickly, that was as long as nothing bad happened in the meantime.
Also, it was all too easy to see how Chloe had been sucked in. She was honest and vulnerable and completely not on the lookout for guys like that.
“Well, honey, there is some good news in that story.”
“What? I wasn’t sold into pro
stitution?”
It was good to see she had some humor about it. “Yep, for starters. And you stood up for yourself. And you had people in your corner.”
“I don’t think most people would read that as a good news story. The guy is back stalking me.”
“Yes, but he’s not going to get you.”
“I hope you’re right. I read some police reports about him. He can be mean.”
“Yeah, well, I can be meaner.”
She laughed. “You don’t seem very mean to me.”
“Well, no, I would never be mean to you, but for him, I could muster a little anger.”
“I don’t want that. I just want him gone. Enough people have been dragged into this already.”
He stood up and walked over to her and enveloped her in a hug. “I think you need a hug.”
The truth was he needed a hug. He needed to touch her and hold her close. Also, he needed to run his hands through her silky hair, kiss her soft mouth, and show her that not all men were like Viper, but he wasn’t sure this was the time.
She leaned into him and wrapped her arms around him and sighed. It was a sweet sexy sigh that he could happily hear every day for the rest of his life. Her head rested against his chest and he pulled her in as close as he could.
“You smell so good,” she murmured.
“Thanks.”
“Oh crap, did I say that out loud?”
He put a finger under her chin and tilted her face to his. “Unless I can suddenly read minds, I think so. It’s okay to be honest with me. You can feel free to tell me when I smell bad, too.”
“I’m so embarrassed.” Her face was a flaming pink.
“Why?”
“I don’t know how to interact with men. I . . .”
“You’re doing fine. I hope any time you want to tell me something you do. I’m a pretty straightforward guy. I would be happy if you were straightforward with me, honey.”
She blinked her eyes, “Well, the thing is I’ve never really even had a proper boyfriend, so I just don’t even know where to start with anything.”
“So you went from no boyfriend to engaged, huh?”
“Yeah, which is ironically exactly why I ran away from home,” she said, blinking up at him.
Poor kid. Then again, she wasn’t a kid. She was a woman in her twenties who had barely been kissed. Moose was pretty sure that was one thing he could help with.
He leaned down and brushed his lips against hers. So sweet.
She was standing in the kitchen being kissed by Tom. He was so tall he had to bend a very long way to reach her when she was barefoot. His kiss tasted like peppermint and promise. It was soft and gentle and she wanted more.
He pulled back. “Okay?”
She nodded. “Better than okay.”
He kissed her again, this time with more fervor, and he ran his tongue gently along her lower lip so that her mouth opened to him. He reached her arms around his neck, bringing him closer and then he lifted her without breaking the kiss so that she was sitting on the kitchen counter and she was head height. He stood between her knees and she pulled herself against his hard frame. His hands were in her hair, and she was lost in the taste, the smell, and the feel of him. It was bliss.
He pulled back again and smiled. A slow sexy smile that woke up parts of her that had been long dormant.
She didn’t want to let go of him, so she didn’t. She could feel the strong muscles on his back through his shirt. She really wanted to touch more of him, so she slid her hands beneath his shirt, finding flesh. He was watching her and he cocked an eyebrow.
“Oh really?”
“Curious,” she murmured.
Then he stepped back and in one fluid movement peeled his shirt off and over his head. Her breath caught. At the sight of him and the confidence.
“Go for it.”
He really was magnificent. He looked like he’d jumped from a television screen or a magazine. It was a little intimidating. Sure, she’d seen fine-looking men on the screen but not up close.
“It’s okay, really.” He took her hand and placed it on his heart. She could feel it pounding beneath her palm. “See, I’m just a person like you.”
“I don’t look like that.”
“Lucky for me, you look beautiful in a very feminine way.”
That was it. He was all male. Strong, confident, muscular. She ran her hands down his torso and his muscles jumped. He had a light smattering of golden hair. Golden, that was the perfect word for him.
She ran her hands back up, and he pulled her against him and kissed her again, it was harder and more urgent. She felt warmth flow all through her body. She wanted more and deepened the kiss. Her legs were wrapped around him now and they were about as close as two people could be with their clothes on, she figured, and it felt good.
He pulled back.
She appreciated that he was trying to take things slow. Still, she really did not want to stop. Unlike what she’d been told as a teenager, this did not feel sinful, it felt delicious.
“So this is what I’ve been missing, huh?”
“Yep.”
“Is it always this good?”
“Well, no. I think it’s better if you really like the person you’re making out with, myself.”
“And you know this because you’ve had a lot of girlfriends?”
“I wouldn’t say a lot but a few.” She wasn’t sure she wanted to know how many a few was so she didn’t ask. He was a great guy, so she figured there must have been lots of women wanting to date him. “More than you, anyway, which is why I think we should call it a night.”
“You’re protecting me,” she said, resting her hand back on his heart.
“I’m protecting us both,” he said, placing his hand over hers. “This is a strange situation we find ourselves in. We haven’t even been on a proper date yet, Chloe.”
“We went to the diner,” she said sweetly.
“Honey, I think we can do better than that. Anyway, I like you and I don’t want to rush you into doing anything you don’t want to.”
“What if I do want to?”
He gave his head a shake. “You’re killing me here. I just want to make sure everyone knows exactly where they stand, okay?”
“Okay.”
“And when I get back from Maine, I am taking you on a proper date, so you better make sure you get your dancing shoes ready.”
“Dancing shoes? I can’t dance.”
“Don’t worry, just one more thing I can show you.”
Then he lifted her off the counter and placed her firmly on the ground. End of discussion.
Chapter 9
Tom was both nervous to be leaving Chloe and glad. He had a lot going on in his mind and he needed a little space to work it all through. The truth was he liked her. He more than liked her and he had since before this fake fiancé fiasco. He was pleased that he was getting to spend time with her, but he couldn’t help but wonder if it was the proximity to a man and the intensity of the situation she liked more than him, specifically.
He needed some time back in his own life to get his perspective as well.
Last night it would have been very easy to let things escalate. His feelings were genuine and she had said she wanted more, but the truth was she was vulnerable and she didn’t have a great history of people standing by her without an agenda. He needed to prove he could be such a person.
Luckily, the day had been full of distraction. The local paper had come out with the story about both the coffee machine and their engagement, so the ice-cream parlor was packed all day. There really wasn’t any time to flirt or discuss the night before or what would happen next; it was just nonstop.
Tom had wanted to go and talk to the local cops and see if anyone had spotted Viper, but he hadn’t had a chance. Fortunately, Todd Kowalski had come in and Moose had managed a quiet word with him.
“So you’re engaged, huh?” he said, not quite buying the story.
“A
fter a fashion.”
“Would this have anything to do with the sinister guy and the break-in?” Clearly, he had his ear to the ground.
“It could.”
“Okay, then. I’ll keep my eyes peeled.”
“I’m actually heading home overnight. She’s going to Marissa’s. I expect she’ll be busy again tomorrow, but if you have a chance to swing past.”
“You know, now that there’s Wi-Fi and coffee, I can see myself occupying a booth all day tomorrow.”
Moose gave him a grin. “Thanks.”
“Will you be around for poker night? You should come along.”
“That’d be great.”
“I’m always happy to take the money of any friend of Chloe’s,” he said with a grin.
“You can try, man, you can try.”
When they finally closed up, Moose drove Chloe the short drive to Marissa’s apartment. It was a security building, and when the cops had stopped by for a coffee, she’d let them know where she’d be tonight. Dave had said they would drive past there as well.
“This will be fun,” he said.
“Yeah, but I’m worried about you driving when you’ve been up so long.”
“I’ll be fine. It’s not that far.”
“Will you call me when you get there?”
“Yes, dear,” he mocked.
“I’m serious.”
“I will call. And if anything feels off at Marissa’s, you must call Dave and fast.”
“I promise.”
He raced around and opened her door for her and took her hand as she got down. “You’re such a gentleman.”
To my own detriment, he couldn’t help but think. He really would like to haul her against him and kiss her.
“Come on, let’s get you inside.”
Marissa lived in a converted loft. It had high ceilings and large windows with views across the snow-covered town. There were plenty of signs that Mike was around quite a bit but not tonight she informed them.
“Girls’ night means no boys at all. Wine, chocolate, and junk food are all welcome, guys not so much. So you better get out of here, Moose.”
Any Way You Want It : An Upper Crust Series Novel (The Upper Crust Series Book 5) Page 7
