Tempted: A Secret Mountain Man Romance

by Anna Wild

  Chapter Eight

  The next morning, Tim woke up overflowing with a sense of satisfaction. He had not felt that well in a while. The night he had spent with Josephine was wonderful, for more reasons than just their passionate, sexual encounter. Unexpectedly, she had shared with him the secret that had been haunting her mind. Then his mood was effectively ruined as he recalled her rejection and her advice. Tim was not used to being turned down, especially by women that intrigued him as much as Josephine had. More than that, her suggestion to date Laura frustrated him. The last thing on his mind was going out on a date with her. He didn’t have a problem keeping his encounter with Josephine a secret, but deep down, Tim knew that his boss would insist on finding everything out about her activities. Despite her claims, he still believed Laura would attempt to get the information she wanted for free. After all, she had proved to him that she could be quite persuasive. In order to find out if his hunch was right or not, however, he had to take Josephine’s advice and go out on a date with Laura.

  Still, he had another, much bigger, problem to deal with: things would be quite awkward between him and Josephine. He thought that she would try to avoid him. She had made it clear to him that she regretted their actions of the night before. Much to his disappointment, she was adamant: they could not date each other. Her attitude would definitely make his job much more difficult. Tim would have to spend many hours in her lab and keep his mouth shut most of the time, pretending that nothing had happened between them. Nevertheless, the former outlaw had faced bigger issues in the past. In his mind, handling her would be much easier than the hardships he had been through so far in his life.

  As their gazes met in her lab, Tim discovered that the icy look in Josephine’s eyes had returned. In fact, she was acting the way she did on the day that they first met. It was still early in the morning; she was having a cup of tea, and browsing the internet on her computer. She would not even address him, despite the fact that they were all alone. Tim’s eyes lit with rage. Disgusted by her behavior, he stormed out of her lab and slammed the door behind him.

  We did all sorts of crazy things in bed last night and now she’s acting like she doesn’t even know me. Damn … I hate it when I’m right.

  Revisiting the spot where they had captured the chimpanzee the night before, he found Wally dragging a large box across the snow.

  “Morning, kid …” The aging security guard murmured, casting an intent glance at Tim. “Good job last night.”

  “Thanks,” Tim replied in his deep, masculine voice. “Listen, you’ve been here a lot longer than me. Has this happened before?”

  “Yeah,” Wally snorted. “It’s happened twice before. About a year ago, a rock python escaped. We were all scared shitless. We’re talking about a twenty-foot reptile; the damn thing could kill us in a heartbeat. We got lucky. She had other plans.”

  “Lucky?” Tim squinted at him. “What do you mean?”

  “It all happened about two hundred yards north of here. We watched the whole thing. The snake found a mountain lion lair. She made the mistake of attacking the cub. The mother wasn’t far away. Jitter and his fiancé thought that the python would kill them both. They ordered us to wait until she killed those cats. The cub’s mother just pounced on that snake. She grabbed her by the head. What a fight … I swear, I’ve never seen anything like it. It lasted almost three hours. The mountain lion tore that python to pieces. Last summer, another chimp escaped. He started chasing a deer, right outside the fence. He killed it, but the noise attracted an oncoming pack of wolves. That guy was pretty bold; he wouldn’t give up his prey. Jitter wasn’t here; the doc was terrified. The wolves jumped him. He was dead in seconds. I saw Dr. Taylor cry that day.” Wally finished his narrative with a long, deep sigh.

  “You’re kidding, right?” Tim laughed.

  “Nope,” Wally shook his head sideways. “She cried; and I mean hard. That girl doesn’t just like her job, son. She’s married to it. That’s why she kept …” He faltered “shooting down Maddox. I’ve lost count of all the times he’s sent her flowers. He’s even visited her a few times.”

  “He kept doing that after she got engaged to Jitter?” Tim’s voice raised in pitch.

  “Yeah, he did alright,” Wally’s response sent shockwaves up and down Tim’s body. “He threw a fundraiser, a couple of months ago. Judging by the way he looked at her, he’s head over heels in love with her. I guess her engagement didn’t mean anything to him.”

  Tim’s initial thought was to continue asking Wally about Josephine and her dead fiancé. His answers had triggered his imagination and convinced him even further that Maddox was behind Jitter’s murder. At the same time however, he realized that convincing her to date him would be much more difficult than he anticipated. Josephine had already turned down a rich man who had feelings for her. He wasn’t in love with her, but the fact that she had repeatedly rejected someone as powerful as Maddox made his heart sink. It showed him that she could not be influenced; Tim’s desire to approach her again evaporated.

  “What’s the matter, kid?” His prolonged silence and his drifting gaze made Wally curious. “You look a little distracted.”

  “Nothing,” Tim assured. “She’s in love with her job, isn’t she?”

  “You bet,” Wally agreed. “I’ve been doing this job since before you were born. I’ve met dozens of scientists. They all thought that they would make a breakthrough, discover something that would change the world to the better. They mostly all failed. But that’s not what bothers me. The things they’d been trying to do were tough in the first place; losing is just part of the game. It really pisses me off to see young people waste their lives like that, though, and not enjoy the simple things in life, you know?”

  “Thanks a lot for the info, Wally.” Tim said, unwilling to discuss it any further. He would have to find a way to stop thinking about her and treat her exactly like she did him. After all, his colleague’s words had left him no choice.

  Keep it professional? I don’t know if I can do that; not after last night. I don’t even know if I want to do that. Hell, things have become so complicated that staying in this job doesn’t make any sense. Laura and the doc don’t like each other and I’m in the middle of it. Now that I can’t date her, why would I want to stay here anyway? I need to talk to Laura. She won’t like it, but I have to tell her…

  Chapter Nine

  Laura’s text message, later that morning, made him realize that she viewed their date very differently than he did. In fact, she wanted to meet with him in “Luigi’s”, a fancy, Italian restaurant in Burlington. For Tim, their date was nothing more than an obligation, something that he merely had to do. He was not going to date the woman who had haunted his thoughts. Instead, she would stay behind in a large, cold building, far away from him. And, after that night, she would be even further, as Tim had decided to go back to New York and live with his sister. What he would do from now on did not trouble him. He would go back to what he knew best: being an outlaw.

  Two, massive, sparkling chandeliers lit up the large hall, as he walked into the crowded restaurant. Laura was sitting at the table in the upper right corner. As usual, she looked wonderful, but it didn’t make any difference to him. He would not be dazzled by her looks again. This was the last night that he would spend in Vermont.

  “Hi…” She spoke, as a polite smile spread across her face.

  “Evening,” he muttered, joining her, taken aback by her somewhat different approach. Tim expected a much warmer welcome than that.

  “So…” Laura started. “How were things at work today: anything unusual?”

  “I thought you said I didn’t have to spy on her,” he complained.

  “Relax,” she smiled, playfully this time. “I was just messing with you. Tonight’s for us, anyway. I don’t want to talk about …” she faltered, “you-know-who.”

  “You don’t even want to say her name, do you?” Tim put a little force in his voice.

/>   “You already knew that,” Laura spoke in a calm tone, unaffected by his remark. “Let’s just focus on us, shall we?”

  “That’s just the thing, blondie,” he smirked. “There can’t be any ‘us’.”

  “Why?” she inquired, as her smile left her face. “I thought …”

  “It doesn’t matter what you thought,” Tim interrupted. “It’s pretty obvious that there’s a lot of history between you the two of you. I can’t do this. I’m quitting tomorrow.”

  “What?” Laura exclaimed, as her face loosened in utter disbelief. “Did she tell you anything about me?”

  “Even a blind man could see that, Laura.” He attempted to use a forceful tone. “No, she didn’t say anything, but, ever since I got here, you keep…” he paused, “… bitching about her. I mean, what the hell has she done to you?”

  Her eyes darkened, as she dropped her gaze from his intense stare. Laura squeezed her lips and started shaking her head sideways, baffling Tim some more.

  “My father left my mother for her,” she said, her voice trembling, as she stared down at her hands. “We were best friends, once. That’s until she slept with him. My dad became obsessed with her. He still is, I think.”

  “Yeah, well, whose fault is that?” he whispered, leaning over her. Tim wasn’t surprised. He already suspected that things were complicated between her parents, as she never spoke about her mother. “Look, I’m not defending her or anything. But, it looks like your father is the one who messed up, not her.”

  “Maybe you’re right,” Laura murmured, returning her gaze to his face. “She stayed away from him. But still … she was my best friend, Tim. She shouldn’t have done that.”

  “I know,” he said with a nod. “Haven’t you made any mistakes? Anyway, I’m still leaving tomorrow.”

  “Then why did you even come here?” Frustration was lingering in her voice. “Couldn’t you just cancel on me?”

  “I wanted to say these things in person,” Tim explained.

  “Stay,” Laura urged, her voice quivering. “You can work in my company when this is over.”

  “I don’t like being owned,” He groaned, furrowing his brows.

  “Well, you work for me now, don’t you?” She squinted at him.

  “That’s one of the reasons I’m quitting,” Tim claimed. “Why do you want me to stay so badly? You barely know me.”

  “Is it so bad that I want a relationship with you?” Laura made her voice sound sweeter. “Come on, Tim. What will you win if you leave now?”

  “Peace of mind,” he said, as a bitter smile spread across his face. “You still haven’t answered my question.”

  “Fine:” Laura gave an exasperated gasp. “I was pretty shocked when you said that you wouldn’t spy on her. Twenty thousand dollars is a lot of money. Any other guy would have just jumped on the opportunity. You didn’t. Who would have thought that a burglar had principles?”

  “Let me tell you one thing about outlaws,” he brought his index finger to his lips. “Most of us don’t like to rat. Those who do end up shot or stabbed to death.”

  “What if I changed my attitude towards her?” She posed yet another question. “Would that convince you to stay?”

  “You and I both know you can’t do that.” Tim replied. “You’ve not been able to for years; you can’t do it overnight.”

  “I didn’t want to back then. What if I want to now?” Her persistence frustrated him; he struggled to hold on to his temper. Unwilling to make a scene he slowly rose, sucking in a deep breath.

  “Goodnight, Laura.” He croaked, rolling his gaze right to avoid making eye contact with her. On the other side of the table, Laura lay back in her seat, covering her eyes with her hands. The air around him had become too thick; Tim needed some fresh air. Still skeptical about the real reasons why she had tried so hard to convince him to stay, he left the restaurant. At any rate, he would not venture a guess. In his mind, Vermont was only a short break from reality.

  Going legit? I’ve lost count of all the times I’ve tried to do that. This time seemed more interesting, though. I like nature; I’m going to miss the outdoors. But that was up until I realized I couldn’t date Joey. I’ll remember the night we spent together, doc. You may think it was a mistake, but it felt so right. Will you remember it? I bet you’d like her to, Tim. But let’s face it: She loves her job so much that, someday, she’ll probably die alone …

  Chapter Ten

  The one-hour drive to Green Mountain National Forest gave Tim some time to organize his thoughts. What really struck him, as he mulled things over, was the fact that Burt Maddox had fallen so hopelessly in love with Josephine so quickly. He himself had fallen hard for someone in the past, but he did not go to such extreme lengths as Laura’s father. Of course, there was a question of whether she had been honest with him or not. Still, he had no way of verifying her story. Asking Josephine about it would be unnecessary and she would probably not dignify his question with an answer.

  Tim would have to drive through the night. For a moment, he thought of calling his sister and announcing his decision to her. However, he quickly rejected that notion, as Caitlin would most likely try to talk him out of it. She had urged him to stay there for as long as he could, maintaining that it was the best job that a man like him could get at the time. Tim had let her down plenty of times in the past. He knew he would be breaking her heart once more, but he was absolutely sure that she would show some understanding once he explained his situation to her.

  Yet, something intrigued him, on his way to his room. Cheers of joy were coming out of Josephine’s lab. She and her colleagues were either laughing or clapping their hands, apparently in high spirits. However, Tim did not stop. Whatever they were happy about was none of his business. A single glance from her would make him doubt his decision. It occurred to him that he had to pack his bags in a hurry. Tim wanted to leave undetected; his fellow security guards would soon finish patrolling outside and the scientific staff had clearly finished their work for the night.

  A faint smile formed on his face, as he laid his eyes on his bed. He had had dozens of one-night stands in the past, but never had he reflected on any of those experiences. For the first time ever, leaving someone behind was hurting him. He was attracted to Josephine, much more than he initially believed. He still had dozens of unanswered questions, but the only way for him to get some answers was by getting closer to her and that was simply out of the question.

  Josephine’s associates had already left her lab, when he stepped onto the hallway. With a suitcase in his hand, he crossed the wide corridor in a hurry, heaving a sigh of relief. They had missed him. As his footsteps brought him closer to the door of the lab, he rolled his eyes right, to the grey wall across from it.

  “Mr. Shaw?” Josephine’s feminine voice echoed back at the walls of the hallway, stopping him in his tracks. Tim bent his head down, biting his lower lip, wishing that he had remained in his room for a few more minutes. “What’s with the suitcase? Where are you going?”

  “Somewhere far away from here,” He announced, looking down at her over his left shoulder.

  “You’re leaving?” She asked, taking a few, quick steps towards him, her every word reeking of panic. “Why?”

  “Why?” he exclaimed, “because I can’t stand this! That’s why!”

  “What about your date with Laura?” Josephine interjected yet another question, stepping in front of him. “You did go out with her, didn’t you?”

  “I thought doctors are supposed to be smart,” Tim responded, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

  “I’m sorry about this morning. I…”

  “Are you?” He squinted at her. “I don’t think so, doc.”

  “Mr. Shaw…”

  “Stop calling me that!” Tim yelled, his deep, manly voice reverberating through his skull. “Do you even remember last night?”

  Josephine slid her gaze down his face, heaving a long, deep sigh. She lifted her right arm
to her face and put her hand over her mouth, squeezing her eyes shut. Tim’s heart was beating so loudly and so fast that he could hear it pounding in his chest. As much as he needed an answer, it was clear to him that she could not force another word out of her throat. He tightened his grip around the handle of his suitcase, determined to leave the compound. Her gaze shot up to meet his, just when he was about to look away from her.

  “Yes, I do,” she said, her voice a tender, breathless whisper, as she blinked back some tears. “I can’t stop thinking about it. It was just…” she faltered, “Wonderful. Is that what you wanted me to say?”

  Tim would not speak. He eased the suitcase down onto the floor and tilted his head down towards her, raising his arms. He cradled her face, gazing deep into her saddened eyes, as a tear rolled down her right cheek.

  “Yeah,” he whispered, angling his lips. Their mouths joined in a long, passionate kiss, before Josephine wrapped her arms around his back. Tim ran his thumbs across her cheekbones, feeling her hot breath in his face. Her confession had sent shockwaves up and down his body. Josephine’s kiss made him warm inside. He laid a gentle kiss on her upper lip and slowly leaned back, opening his eyes.

  “Please…” she begged, her voice trembling, “please go, Tim. It’s better this way.”

  “I know, doc,” he whispered, feeling tears rising up in his eyes. “Take care.”

  Tim leaned back, as she loosened her grip and picked up his suitcase from the floor. With a heavy heart, he turned around and left Josephine behind. Once again, she had managed to puzzle him. Their kiss had reminded him vividly of the passionate woman who had surrendered to him the night before. Still, Tim wanted more from her and he knew that she could not give him more. As attractive as she was, Josephine was nothing more than an unpredictable workaholic. Even if she did agree to go out with him, he would have to compete against her beloved job. Tim had fought his fair share of battles so far; yet, this was a battle that he could not win.