When they came downstairs the others lunged forward—perhaps to pepper Emily again. Kaitlin shot them all a warning look. She wrapped her arm around Emily’s waist and led her out the door.
No one followed.
Thank God for small favors.
They said nothing on the short walk to Ash’s house. What was there to say? Kaitlin focused on calming Emily, sending her healing energy, urging her to be brave. This was one of the defining moments in her life—and there weren’t many. How she handled this could change the course of her life journey.
Kaitlin’s steps faltered when she saw Ash lounging in a lawn chair by his dock drinking beer. It was early. Far too early for drinking. And then her breath caught when she saw who he was with.
Oh, Parker, certainly—a trill of excitement at that—and Devlin…but Richie too.
Richie ogled her as they approached. Sent her a snarky smirk. Her fingers curled into fists.
Devlin said something and Parker’s head snapped up. He stared at her with eyes wide. She shook her head, an unspoken warning, and glanced at Ash.
Emily lifted a hand. “Hey Ash.”
“Her?” Richie hissed. “Is she the one?”
Kaitlin winced as she felt pain spearing Emily. She felt it, tasted the chagrin that he had told his friends about their night together. Kaitlin shot Ash a glower. How dare he? How dare he? She nodded to Emily, encouraging her to be bold. To ask what needed to be asked.
“Ash, could we…talk?”
“Sure. What do you want to talk about?” He set down his beer and stood.
“I think you know.”
“Over here?” To his credit, Ash guided Emily away from his leering friends, where they could speak privately.
Kaitlin tried to focus on Emily, to keep her surrounded by a protective light. At the same time, dueling energies battered her. Something gentle and sweet from Parker—which she really wanted to focus on. And something nasty and bitter from Richie.
He was thinking about fucking her.
Her blood pressure rose.
Thinking about tossing her on the ground and forcing his cock into her—
God.
Heat scorched her, and not a pleasant kind.
She whirled on him and sent him a blistering glare.
He smirked.
She allowed her rage to rise—which she rarely did. Her gift was not to be used for revenge or power, but she couldn’t help herself. His thoughts were filthy and violent and disturbing. She never wanted him to touch her, talk to her or think of her again.
So she did the only thing she knew how to do. The only thing she could do to protect herself from his malevolence.
She went on the attack.
“You should be ashamed of yourself,” she snapped.
He threw back his head and laughed. “You liked it,” he smirked.
She’d known such an anemic rebuke would wash over him like water off a duck’s back, but she’d thought to try reason before she brought out the big guns. This was the way he wanted to play it? Fine. She sucked in a deep breath and searched his soul, dug deeper. Flinched. It was a foul and wretched place, his soul.
“What would your mother say if she knew what you did?”
Richie froze. Paled. “Wh-what?”
“Would she be proud of you, Richie?”
“What are you—do you know my…m-mother?”
“Or your sister? What would she say?”
He began to shake. Took a swig of his beer, but kept his eyes locked on her. “Jesus…”
“Do not—ever—touch me again. If you so much as think about it, I will take you out. Do you understand?”
“I have no idea what she’s talking about. Do you know what she’s talking about?” Richie snarled at his friends. Devlin looked away, but Parker leveled Richie with a cold frown.
“I do. I was there last night, remember ass wipe?”
“Last night?” Devlin’s head jerked back. “What happened last night?”
Parker glowered. A muscle bunched in his cheek. “And I promise you this, Richie, if you try some shit like that again, she won’t have to take you out. I will.”
“Jesus God.” Richie snarled and focused his attention on the trees. “Not this shit again.” He turned to complain to Devlin, “He’s been on me like a terrier about it.”
“About. What?” Devlin’s fingers curled into fists.
“I was fucking drunk, okay. Jesus, woman. I’m sorry.”
He wasn’t sorry. Kaitlin knew it. They all did. Parker bristled, but Kaitlin sent him a speaking glance. She didn’t need him to defend her. She might be small, and she might be slightly fey, but she could defend herself. She knew how to wound.
“Drunk or not, if you touch me again, you’re going to lose something you value.” She stared at him, letting the message sink in. She didn’t specify what he might be losing, because it was not necessary. Rather, she let her certitude suffuse her words. Let her psychic power off the leash.
Like a thundercloud, her energy swept toward him, slammed into him, engulfed him. She let her fury out. Let it rain on him.
Shame curled around him, twined with displeasure and mortification. He gasped for breath. His face went white. His beer wobbled.
“Leave me alone,” she repeated in a low, hard voice, underscoring the spiritual message she’d sent.
His head bobbed. Lips flapped. She doubted he’d learned his lesson, but she was certain he would avoid her like the plague in future.
Being a little crazy had its advantages.
Shaking with reaction, she whipped around and refocused on Emily and Ash. And—
Oh dear.
Emily’s expression—usually open and bright—was shuttered. Her face paled and her and her body shook. Her fingers were curled and her spine straight. The colors swirling around her—sorrow, pain, betrayal—were horrifying. She said something to Ash and turned back for the house, without even waiting for Kaitlin.
Oh. Oh dear.
Her gaze shot to Ash. And she knew.
It had been a one-night stand. He’d used Emily and tossed her aside.
She had no fury for him, this poor sad creature who had just broken her friend’s heart. Because he’d thrown away the best thing that had ever happened to him.
Without a glance at Parker, she followed Emily back to the house. Emily would need her.
Parker had needed her this morning, and she’d given him what he sought. She’d done it with a whole heart and didn’t regret it in the slightest.
But deep in her soul, torment reigned. How on earth could she want to be with a man who chose friends like this?
Parker watched her go, torn between regret and a swelling pride. It was amazing the way she stood up to Richie, the way she’d taken him down a peg. He’d never seen such brazen courage in such a tiny package. She was like a warrior princess, there with her hands on her hips, her eyes blazing fire. Her hair flowing over her shoulders and teased by the breeze. He hadn’t understood her references to his mother and sister, but whatever it had meant, it had hit Richie where he lived. He’d never seen anyone or anything have that effect on the jerk. In fact, he limped around the house for the rest of the weekend like a whipped dog.
Kinda fun to watch.
As satisfying as it had been to watch her spank Richie, he wished the turd hadn’t been there when she came by. Wished no one had.
He hadn’t seen her coming, hadn’t realized she was there until Devlin had muttered something about a hot chick. He’d looked up. Seen her. And been pole axed.
Not that she’d been on his mind, filling it with hopes and dreams about what could be with a woman like her…but she had.
He hadn’t stopped thinking about her. Her face, her curves, her smile. Her touch.
Something about her touched him where it was dark and deep. And lit the shadows.
He longed to see her again.
But he didn’t.
Even though he wandered on the beach all
afternoon on Saturday and the better part of Sunday, he didn’t see her again. Not until he boarded the ferry to go home. She was there, with her friends, in the corner. She was surrounded by them.
Whenever he glanced at her or tried to catch her eye, one of the men in her group would glower at him.
It probably didn’t help that he was sitting with Richie and Ash. If they knew what had happened at the bar on Friday night, or what had happened between them on Saturday…he was lucky all they did was glare.
He couldn’t take it. Sitting there, not looking at her. Knowing whatever it had been was probably over—especially after what had happened between Ash and her friend. So he went out on the deck and stood at the back of the boat and peered down into the frothing wake and thought about her. The wind was cold for summer. It buffeted him. He didn’t care. He jammed his hands into the pockets of his windbreaker.
“Parker.”
Her voice was soft, but still, a punch to the gut.
He whirled around. “Kaitlin…”
She smiled. Oh, thank God, she smiled.
He opened his mouth to say something, but couldn’t form words. She was so beautiful, her hair a tousled tangle in the wind, her cheeks pink. Her eyes bright. Lovely. An angel.
She leaned on the rail by his side and stared out at where they’d been. “Oh!” she cried, pointing up into the sky.
It was hard, following her gaze. Hard ripping his focus from her face. But he did. An eagle soared overhead, wings wide, calling to the wind.
“Beautiful.” A whisper. All he could force out.
“Isn’t it?” She sighed. “I love living here.”
“I do too. Um, have you always lived here?” Yeah. Small talk. He could probably do small talk. Plus, he really wanted to know. He wanted to know everything about her.
She shook her head. “We lived in Los Angeles when I was a child. Well…” she snorted a laugh. “Not Los Angeles. Encino. Like, the Valley?”
He tried to bite back a smile at her Val Girl accent and then didn’t bother. “Did you like living there?”
“I did. The sunshine, the vibe. The bustle of the place. But my mother hated it. So we moved here.”
“Is it just you and your mom?”
She nodded. “My aunt joined us when I was twelve.” Her smile dimmed. “She just passed away.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Me too.”
“And your dad?”
She didn’t answer. Just shook her head. His gaze fixated on her lower lip. The way she nibbled it. He wanted to nibble it. He wanted to kiss her. He wanted—
“There you are!” A booming voice invaded their bubble, bursting it with a jarring tenor. A bulky man—one of her friends, the one who had met her at the door the night Parker had walked her home—pushed between them.
He liked to think the look she shot him was apologetic, that there was a thread of regret in it.
“Drew.” She smiled at him.
The big guy shuddered. “It’s cold out here. Let’s go inside, Kait.” He looped his arm around her waist and tried to draw her away.
Everything in Parker rebelled at the thought.
“But it’s so beautiful. Look, Drew! See how the sun hits the water there? A rainbow.”
“This is the Pacific Northwest,” he said on a snort. “There are always rainbows somewhere.”
She glared at him. “No there aren’t. Let me enjoy this.”
He frowned, but went quiet, standing between them like a defender. Or a boyfriend.
But if Drew was her boyfriend, would she have come home with him the other day? Would she have unzipped his jeans? Would she have taken him in her hands? Her mouth?
He studied the guy with an assessing eye.
No. She would not have done all those things.
But it was clear, this Drew character had the hots for her.
“What do you do?” he asked him, just to make conversation, although a part of him really wanted to know. Wanted to gauge the competition. If he was, indeed, someone she liked. His gut flipped at the thought.
“Drew’s a firefighter,” Kaitlin said, when Drew answered only with a frown. She patted the bastard’s arm.
“Really?” Parker had a special place in his heart for firefighters. One of them had saved his life. “That must be interesting.”
“Totally,” Drew drawled. “And what do you do…?”
“Parker.” This from Kaitlin, who seemed to know Drew was fishing for his name. He wouldn’t have given it. Two could play at this game.
“I’m a lawyer.”
Drew’s features bunched up. Yeah. Probably not what he wanted to hear. He’d probably been hoping for grocery bagger or arsonist.
“You’re a lawyer?” Again, Kaitlin. Her eyes lit up. Hell, her whole face lit up. “What kind of law do you practice?”
“I’m a divorce attorney.”
Fuck. He hated the way her sweet expression soured. “That’s…nice.” She turned back to stare at the sea, threading her fingers together.
“Make a lot of money at that?” Drew’s tone was contemptuous. Why? Parker had no clue. People getting divorces needed attorneys too.
“I do okay.” Silence settled around them, but for the whip of the wind in his ears. It was uncomfortable. Parker searched for something to say. “What do you do, Kaitlin?” he asked, though Drew bristled when he said her name. As though he was the only man who had the right.
She glanced at Drew before she answered. Nibbled her lip again. “I, ah, I’m kind of a therapist.”
Drew snorted a laugh.
Kaitlin shot him a frown.
“What kind of therapist?”
Did he imagine the flush rising on her face? “I, ah, help people who are in pain.”
How like her. She’d helped him. Did she have any idea how much she helped him? “A physical therapist then.”
Her lashes fluttered. “Something like that. Yes. Oh, look.” She pointed to the sky again. “Now there are two of them.” And indeed, two eagles wheeled through the sky, catching the wind and soaring higher, flirting with each other. “I wonder if one of them is the one we saved?”
Her eyes were bright. She seemed so hopeful. He didn’t have the heart to mention there were thousands of eagles in these islands. “Probably.”
Yeah. The lie was worth her smile.
“You saved an eagle?” This, apparently, pissed Drew off. “When?”
“On Saturday. I went for a walk in the morning and we saw it there, trapped in a tree. Parker cut it loose.” She gazed at him as though he’d hung the moon.
Drew didn’t. If looks could kill, Parker would be six feet under. In fact, he wouldn’t put it past Drew to tip him over the rail into the propellers.
“We?” he clipped. “Kaitlin, you really shouldn’t go walking in the morning.”
She gaped at Drew. “What? Are you serious?”
“The tide. A tsunami. A tree could fall.”
Her laughter was a melody. “Drew, you are so silly.” She tipped her head back up to the eagles and sighed. While her attention was so engaged, Drew took the opportunity to glower at Parker. His meaning was plain. Get lost.
Parker grinned and rocked back on his heels. Yeah, he wasn’t going anywhere.
Drew narrowed his eyes. And then he said, “You know, when eagles mate they often die?”
Kaitlin gasped.
Yeah, Drew had won her attention again, but at what cost? She was horrified. “No.”
“Yeah,” he continued gleefully. “They fly way high and mate up there.” He waved at the sky. “Since they’re joined, they can’t fly and they plummet to the earth in a death spiral. If they don’t disengage before they hit the ground, they die.”
God. He looked so pleased with himself. Parker wanted to punch him. And not just so he would stop looking so smug. But because he’d brought tears to Kaitlin’s beautiful eyes.
“Drew, that’s terrible. Why would you say that?”
Hi
s brow rumpled. “Because it’s true.” He glanced from Kaitlin to Parker. “It is. Google it.”
“I’m not going to Google it.” She spun away, storming to a spot a few feet away. Parker followed. Drew did not.
Like a reprimanded child, he tromped back inside. But the glower he sent Parker wasn’t childlike at all.
Kaitlin blew out a breath and Parker settled at her side. She seemed to scoot closer. “Are you cold?” he asked.
“A little. But this is too lovely to go inside.”
It was. Lovely.
He curled his arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer. She smiled at him. His heart fluttered.
That had never happened before.
His heart had never fluttered.
It was disconcerting. Maybe he should ask Doctor Marks about that on Monday.
As though she could read his mind, she asked, “How is your cut?”
“It’s fine.” It was. It would be. He wasn’t thinking about it now. He was thinking about her. This woman. In his arms. “Kaitlin…”
“Yes?”
Words failed him. The look on her face, so open, so welcoming, nearly brought him to his knees. “I’d like to…see you again.”
She blossomed. Her smile swelled. Her eyes shone. Her lips parted. “I’d like that very much.”
“Dinner some night this week?” And then he remembered. He had a big case to work on. One that could make or break his career with Barstow and Rank. At this stage in the game, there were always late nights, hurried meetings and panicked texts.
But hell. He wanted to see her again.
Maybe just one evening. The case could wait. Couldn’t it?
“I’m free on Thursday.” Her smile was a little shy. Very sweet.
He leaned closer. “Thursday would be perfect. What do you like to eat?”
She sighed. “Anything.”
“How about Tom’s Surf and Turf. It’s near Montlake on Lake Washington.”
Her eyes lit up. “I love that place. Okay. What time should we meet?”
Meet? His belly dipped. She didn’t want him to pick her up. But yeah…it was probably too early to be exchanging addresses. He forced a smile. “How about six?”
“Six would be wonderful.”
“Perfect.” Exhilaration whipped through him…until he turned. His attention stalled on three burly men standing at the window, glaring out at the deck. Drew, of course, and two of his friends. Holt Lamm and Cam Jackson, if he wasn’t mistaken. They all had identical expressions. Furious expressions.
Parker's Passion Page 6
