Beyond the Shadows

by LaVerne Clark

  Shivering, she stepped into the bathroom and turned on the shower. She scrubbed her skin until it tingled, and let herself daydream. Dressed in feminine clothing for once, Nate would do a double take, think she was the most beautiful creature he’d ever laid eyes on, and fall madly in love. She refused to allow real life to intrude, knowing her daydreams were just that. But that was the best thing about dreaming of the impossible. Fantasy had no limitations, and she could give herself the happily-ever-after she’d been looking for her whole life. That was a dream she wasn’t going to share with anyone—ever.

  When the water ran cold, Kelly turned off the shower and sighed. Back to the real world. She wrapped a towel around her body and went back to her room to dress. A feeling of delight engulfed her at the touch of the light fabric against her smooth, bare legs. After strapping on the sandals, she stood back and surveyed herself in the mirror. The grin spreading over her face glowed with pure evil.

  “Ready or not, Nate, here I come.”

  A glance at her watch told her she’d better get a move on if she wanted to beat the worst of the traffic. For the dress to have its biggest impact, she needed to appear cool and calm. Driving on the motorway often left her at the polar opposite of the scale, especially during a hot and sticky summer. She’d need the extra time to fix the damage. Collecting her woven flax kete she used as a handbag, she threw in her wallet, a pot of lip-gloss, and her favorite vanilla body spray. She scooped up the overnight bag she’d packed earlier, threw it over her shoulder, and locked up.

  Blessedly, the motorway flowed freely, and Kelly reached the hospital in half the usual time. Still, it had been more than enough time to berate her decision to take on nursing Nate. Really, what had she been thinking? Did she really think so little of herself that she would willingly put herself through certain humiliation at his hands? That was just it, she thought with a sigh tugging at the hem of the skirt after it rode up her thigh, they were his hands—and she was putty in them.

  She pulled into the hospital car park and maneuvered into an empty space. The heat turned her tension into a pounding headache making her irritable. Not ideal. Her mood didn’t improve when she spied small clusters of media, both television and radio, standing around before the entrance. They looked comfortable, like they’d set up camp a while ago. No doubt since late last night.

  She sat in her seat and narrowed her eyes. Could she slip by unseen? Unlikely. She sat a little longer and observed them take note of each person who came in and out. Perhaps they wouldn’t recognize her out of uniform. Not that she held much hope of that. She didn’t think many blonde women of her height and stature visited the hospital—but it wouldn’t stop her from trying.

  Kelly opened the door of her rusty sedan and cringed at the creak of the metal announcing her arrival. Setting her jaw, she strode towards the entrance, keeping her gaze dead ahead and focused.

  “Hey! That’s the partner!”

  Shit. Kelly kept her stride long and even, pretending she didn’t notice their attention.

  “Constable Appleton! A moment please.”

  Double shit. One wily reporter scooted ahead of her and blocked her path. With a loud sigh of annoyance, she stopped, rolled her shoulders, and placed her hands on her hips, deliberately widening her stance. It would have been much more impressive if she were in uniform.

  “What can I do for you?” The stare she directed down at the little man before her was designed to intimidate. If the frantic bobbing of his Adam’s apple was any indication, it seemed to work.

  “Sorry to bother you,” he started and cleared his throat. “But we heard Constable O’Leary woke up. Can you confirm how he’s feeling? Will he make a full recovery? As you can imagine, a lot of people are following this case and hoping for a good outcome.”

  The genuine concern in the man’s eyes softened her stance. “Constable O’Leary is back to his normal cranky self, which we’re all delighted about—some more than others,” she confirmed, smiling at the chuckles in response. “He has a few weeks of recuperation to face, but is expected to make a full recovery. Thank you all for your support. It is much appreciated. Now, I’m sure you’ll all agree that Constable O’Leary shouldn’t be made to wait a moment longer to go home. He’s not known for his patience.”

  With a last nod and smile, she marched past them and into the building. She crossed to the elevators and punched the button to the third floor. The doors slid open to reveal Nate arguing with the receptionist, whose face sported an alarming shade of red. Snatches of raised voices suggested his humor hadn’t improved overnight. Oh, God! Just what I need.

  “Nate!” she broke in, hurrying towards the couple. Grabbing his arm and giving a warning squeeze, she caught the gaze of the woman after a quick glance at her nametag. “I’m so sorry for my partner’s behavior, Sharon. He can be a bit boorish when he’s been inactive for so long. I’m here to take him home.” She sent her a conspirator’s wink. “I’m sure you’ll enjoy the peace and quiet once he’s gone.”

  “Like you wouldn’t believe,” Sharon agreed, shaking her head. “Policemen are the worst to deal with when they’re in our care. Some are worse than children,” she admonished, her gaze narrowing on the man beside Kelly.

  Kelly gave her a sympathetic smile. Deliberately turning her shoulder to ignore Nate’s dark scowl, she gave her details to the nurse and waited patiently while she tapped on the keyboard and entered the requisite words. While they waited for the printer to spit out the forms, Nate leaned against the counter, uncomfortably close and drummed his fingers on the cheap surface. Kelly shot him an evil look that halted the drumming momentarily, before he resumed, picking up the pace. She rolled her eyes at his childishness and gritted her teeth.

  “If you’d just sign here and here,” Sharon pointed out to Kelly, “you can be on your way.”

  Kelly signed quickly then pushed the paperwork back across the desk where it was given no more than a cursory glance.

  “Perfect. You’re free to go. Good luck with that one.”

  Kelly raised an arched brow at Nate who glowered at the two women but mercifully kept his mouth shut. “I’ll take all the luck I can get,” she muttered before leading the way to the elevator.

  Feeling his stare, she glanced over her shoulder and caught him staring at her legs. The sulky expression had gone, replaced by a heated gaze of interest.

  “Have you never seen a woman in a dress before, O’Leary?”

  His gaze shot to her face. If he was embarrassed at all, he didn’t show it. Rather, his eyes deepened to a dark jade and glittered with a strange light. Mesmerized, she stared back as he entered the elevator after her. Keeping eye contact, he leaned forward. His breath misted lightly over her forehead, and she held hers, pinned motionless under that intense stare. With a deliberately slow movement, he lifted his hand, allowing his forearm to brush over hers, the friction leaving tingles in its wake. Then he pressed the ground floor button beside her waist with a barely concealed smirk.

  The doors slid closed, and the car jerked into motion. She resumed breathing with an annoyed huff. As Nate stepped away, Kelly berated herself for allowing him to rattle her. She knew he’d try, but could she make her little crush any more obvious? Cringing, she closed her eyes. She was pathetic.

  Embarrassment quickly turned to annoyance. Oh, no. She was not going to let him set the tone of their enforced time together. The whole shopping exercise this morning had been about empowerment. To prove to Nate she was a whole lot more than just another guy. As well as being a great police officer, she was also a desirable woman, and she could bring him to his knees if she so wished. And, damn it, she’d scored a reaction out of him! At the reminder, she straightened up and held her head high, determined to ignore him if he tried to play any more of those games with her.

  The doors opened to the entrance foyer, and Kelly’s stomach clenched to see the media still camped out the front. Taking a deep breath, she turned to Nate. “Are you ready?”
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  Nate followed her gaze, and his features blanched. “Christ. What are they all doing here?”

  “You’ve been a popular part of the news for a good few days now. People have been concerned about you.”

  His gaze raked over the crowd as they approached the exit, his body tense. “I don’t want to talk to them, Kelly.” He kept his voice low, but she could hear the exhaustion in it, the slight tremor as he spoke her name.

  “It’s all right,” she murmured back. “I’ve chatted to them on the way up. I think they’ll leave us alone. Probably just want a photo to go with the story. Smile and wave, and we should be past them in seconds.”

  Kelly breathed a sigh of relief as he did just that—if you could call the grimace he stretched over his teeth a smile. A couple of journalists called out good health wishes, which he acknowledged with a wave. Photos were snapped, but once they passed by, the group left them to their own devices.

  “Incredible.”

  Kelly glanced over her shoulder to see him trailing her. “What is?” She slowed her pace to allow him to catch up. The sound of his labored breathing worried her, but his complexion looked good.

  “I expected them to crowd me like we were in a rugby scrum. Why didn’t they?”

  She raised a brow. “It’s called courtesy, Nate,” she explained dryly as they reached her car. “If you offer it to people, you’re likely to get it in return.” She pulled out the keys from her handbag and walked around to the driver’s door, unlocking with a deft twist of her wrist. “You should try some yourself one day.”

  “Funny,” he scowled and opened his door.

  Except for the sharp inhale as he eased himself into the seat, he made no further sound. But the whitening of his lips spoke of the pain he must be feeling.

  “We have to make a detour to the pharmacy to pick up your pain meds. Or I can pick it up later, once you’re settled back at home.” She absently pulled at the hem of her skirt that had ridden to mid-thigh again.

  “May as well do it now. No sense going out twice.”

  His voice was clipped, the words short. She stole a glance at him and noted a sheen of sweat on his upper lip and forehead. “Did the hospital give you any pain relief this morning?”

  He glanced over at her. His eyes flickered down briefly, before he turned his attention to the scenery out the window. “Yeah. It’s just starting to wear off a little I think.”

  Kelly sighed at the blatant understatement. He really was the most exasperating man. Why did he feel the need to bottle everything up inside? Why was he so wary of letting anyone in? But hadn’t that always been part of what attracted her to him? It was also in her nature to reach out to the emotionally and physically wounded, and Nate was as wounded as they came.

  Wounded animals often attacked.

  Her fingers tightened on the steering wheel at the warning voice in her head. The random thought linked with the memory of Nate’s earlier seductive behavior and she shuddered. Did she really think she could handle him and the situation? The wolf hadn’t even led her into his lair. No. She’d trotted along into it all by herself, her eyes wide open.

  Tugging uselessly at the hem of her dress again, she silently wondered if this wasn’t the most stupid idea she’d ever had in her life.

  Chapter Four

  “Pull in here,” his gruff voice ordered, pointing to the entrance of the underground parking to his apartment. “I’ve two spaces. You can have E42.”

  She followed his instructions, found the space, and eased in. Parking was obviously at a premium here. They were all a tight fit. She glanced around at the other cars in the parking lot and chuckled. Her dodgy old rust-bucket stood out like dog balls. The silence was so complete when the engine cut off it unnerved her. She bit down on the urge to fill it. Instead, she reached to the backseat to retrieve her overnight bag and accidently brushed her breast against his shoulder. Snapping back to the front, she dragged her bag in front of her chest to hide the instant reaction and heaved a sigh. It was going to be a long week.

  “You okay?” he asked, the first hint of humor she’d heard from him since he’d woken. No surprise it was directed at her. With the dim, artificial light, she couldn’t make out the expression in his eyes, but something told her it was wiser not to.

  “Fine,” she bit out. “Let’s go.”

  They rode the elevator to his level and made their way to the last door in the corridor. She kept her pace slow and easy, noting he already looked wiped out. He swiped his key, and the door popped open. “Ladies first.” His gaze swept over her, lingering once again on her legs.

  Yep. He’d noticed she was a woman all right. Kelly rolled her lips inward to hide her smile until she passed him and entered the apartment. Stepping into the lounge, her eyes widened and she gasped in delight. The double-aspect windows drew her, the view it framed already incredible from this distance. When she stood before the floor-length window, it was nothing short of spectacular. “Wow.”

  “I can’t afford penthouse living yet, but a corner suite gets pretty good views.”

  “I’ll say,” she breathed as she stood and gazed at the city sprawled out before her. She was glad they’d arrived before it was too dark to see this.

  The Sky Tower rose majestically towards the pink-tipped clouds from one window, the harbor bridge in the foreground, and the other window looked out across the water towards Rangitoto Island. Its symmetrical beauty was all the more awe-inspiring with the knowledge the giant of a volcano merely slumbered and could awaken any day. With the sun setting, the vista looked like an oil painting, bold streaks of red and pink swiped from an artist’s brush stretched across the canvas of the sky. It looked too perfect to be real.

  “It must be hard to get up and leave for work each day with a view like this.”

  In the absence of an answer, she turned and found hooded eyes watching her.

  “I’ve found a reason or two to turn up each day.”

  She stopped breathing at the intensity of his gaze. Don’t be silly, she scolded herself. He’s just messing with you, hoping you’ll move out and leave him alone. You should know his game by now. With the sobering thought, she ignored her plummeting heart and jiggled the backpack slung over her shoulder. “Where should I put this down?”

  Nate blinked and straightened. The look of a predator banished from his features. “I’ve a spare bedroom this way. You’ll have to share the bathroom with me though.”

  “As long as it’s not at the same time, I’m happy,” she joked then cringed at how awkward she sounded.

  He stopped at a doorway and leaned casually against the woodwork, his mouth curved into the hint of a smile. Her heart beat a little faster. He looked like a fallen angel when he smiled. Thank God, he didn’t do it too often.

  “Here is your room, mine’s directly opposite. The bathroom is behind that door.” He inclined his head, but didn’t move back, forcing her to squeeze past him to enter her room.

  She hesitated and then lifted her chin at the unspoken challenge. Boldly marching through, she kept her limbs tight against her body and threw her bag onto the bed. His sudden laugh had her whipping around to face him.

  “What’s wrong, Kelly? You’re acting like you’re afraid of being alone with me. What do you think I’ll do to you?” His head tilted to the side, and he stepped into the room, crowding her, smiling as she shrank back. It was a predator’s smile, all teeth. The back of her knees hit the bed. “Or maybe, it’s not me you’re afraid of. Now there’s an interesting thought.” His eyes glittered as he advanced further.

  Part of her wanted to let him get closer, see what was in his mind. Her core trembled at how it would feel if he kissed her. The other, more logical part of her brain reasoned he was testing her, trying to intimidate her. She needed to stand up to him and set the tone for the next few days. With nowhere to go, attack formed the best defense and Kelly struck out.

  “You seem to have forgotten I volunteered to be your nurse while
you recover. If I hadn’t, you’d still be in that hospital waiting to be released.” She straightened. Her voice gained strength as indignation grew. “If this is how you treat all your friends, pissing them off with snide comments and trying bully-boy tactics, it’s no wonder you don’t have many of them lining up to help you out when you need it.”

  Her hands fisted on her hips as she faced him down and watched in satisfaction as he backed away, her words hitting home.

  “You’re right. I’m sorry.” He shook his head and backed away with his shoulders slumped, giving her space. He averted his gaze. “Why would you do this for me? I’ve been nothing but an ass. What’s in it for you?”

  Exasperated, Kelly threw up her hands. “Does there have to be something to gain for a person to help another? Crazy as it seems, Nate, I care about you. You’re my partner. I know you can’t stand me, but I’m not going anywhere until you’re better. So, get used to it.”

  “That’s not true Kelly,” he admitted in a low voice. His eyes lifted and met hers.

  “What’s not true?”

  “You... I...” He started and then closed his mouth.

  Kelly waited expectantly with a raised brow. He shook his head and crossed his arms. Letting out a frustrated growl, she made a shooing motion. “Go away. I need to unpack, and I can’t do that with your hulking great shadow over me. I’ll meet you in the kitchen when I’m done to make you dinner.”

  For a moment, he stood there as if undecided then nodded once and disappeared back down the hallway. Kelly exhaled in relief before sitting down heavily on the edge of the bed. Her legs trembled. Sheer will kept her upright when he’d turned on the seduction routine, but she’d been dangerously close to succumbing. She wanted to know how it would feel to have his arms around her, his lips on hers, his hard body pressed against her softness. But would he have followed through? Or would he have left her unsatisfied and craving for his touch, a cruel plan to humiliate and unsettle her so she would go home?