Red Lace (The Hard Men of the Rockies)

by Kym Roberts

  She flinched.

  Fuck. Just another clue that he was not now, nor would he ever be, in Faith Artino’s league. Ty pulled his feet over the side of the table ready to leave. Give Faith a break from all his shit. His mouth. His past, hell, his fucking future.

  Her brother was right. As soon as the media found out he was in Fort Collins, they’d bring back all the dirt and shame. He needed to leave. Now.

  Her hand pressed against his chest. Cool, and calming on his heated flesh. Except she wasn’t touching his skin. Just his shirt. Skin-to-skin was just a fantasy.

  “You need rehab.”

  “I can do this at home.”

  “You could, but the farther we get into therapy, the more you’re going to need a gym…with the right equipment. Do you have that equipment?” Her head swung to the left, telling him to look into the other room while her eyes trapped him right where he was.

  Ty didn’t need to look; he didn’t have any workout equipment at Rosie’s, but he could go home…

  Faith hit him hard with her candor. “Look, I know what happened in Mexico. You were cleared of that murder.” Her blunt honesty hurt, because it wasn’t the truth.

  “I was cleared because of a political favor from one president to another. No one truly believes I’m innocent.”

  “You’re wrong. I know my brother pretty well. If he suspected you had anything to do with that woman’s death, he wouldn’t have left here tonight without taking you with him—in handcuffs.”

  “She was a prostitute. No doubt a victim of human trafficking, and she deserved better than what I gave her.”

  “What did you give her?”

  Ty could no longer look into her eyes. It hurt too much. Like Faith was picking away at the new flesh that had taken years to grow on the wound that refused heal. It didn’t help when she tried to make his most recent screw-up heroic, because it wasn’t.

  “I know you got shot and nearly died trying to save your boss’s life a week ago.”

  He laughed humorlessly. “Sammie showed me and the world, that she can take care of herself. She saved her life and her husband’s life, from the man who shot me.”

  “Sammie?” Faith laughed at a joke only she understood, then turned away. “Samantha Bennett…prosecutor…Sammie.” She said and laughed again, but it was full of something that felt a lot like self-deprecation.

  Ty knew all about that emotion.

  She paced a short distance away and then turned on him. Accused him of being blind. “That’s the way you choose to see it. That’s not the way I see it.”

  “You weren’t there when I got shot.” He tested her. Baited her to trust him enough to admit she’d saved his life. That she’d been there on the mountain, sprained ankle and all…

  She failed.

  “I…I…you’re right.” Faith’s eyes traveled up and to the right. Grabbing a lie out of thin mountain fresh air before returning to her story. “I wasn’t there. But you were shot. You have eight…nine broken ribs and are recovering from blood loss and a collapsed lung. I’d say you did more than your share in trying to save your boss’s life.”

  Part of him wanted to shake the truth out of her. Demand she tell him why she didn’t stick around at the hospital. Why she didn’t trust him now. The other part of him wanted to push her up against the wall and get lost in those shimmering brown eyes, feel the heat of her gaze traveling down his body once again and savor the moment her eyes turned molten.

  Because despite the lip service she was giving him, Faith didn’t trust him. She trusted he wouldn’t kill her, but she didn’t trust him with her most precious gift. Her heart.

  Which shouldn’t bother him in the least. He didn’t care. He wasn’t looking for a relationship. Especially not after what happened with Sammie, but…still. Bottom line, it hurt that she didn’t trust him.

  And he was officially fucking crazy. Had to be. Ten days ago he was madly in love with Sammie, the Federal Prosecutor he’d worked with since the month after he left the Service. Now he was acting like a lovesick puppy over a woman who wanted no part of him in her life. Her business—yes. Her bed—no.

  He’d rather it was the other way around, but knew he wasn’t good enough to even dream.

  “I’ll tell you what. I’ll stick around until I get my stitches out. Then we’ll take it one day at a time. See how this whole thing plays out.” It was a pipe dream and he knew it.

  But she smiled and held out her hand. The molten he’d hoped to see, however, had turned to ash in her eyes.

  Chapter Eleven

  What in the world was she thinking?

  Ty Beckinsale, Ty Freaking-Beckinsale, the most infamous man in the history of the Secret Service, at least the modern Secret Service, had given her the opportunity to walk away from his contract at Achilles HeAl. But instead of refunding Adam that nice chunk of change he’d given her to take on his actual cousin, Faith had stubbornly insisted Ty stay.

  Stay.

  She had to be out of her everlovin’ mind.

  Ty Beckinsale was gorgeous. Not like Michelangelo’s depiction of perfection in his sculpture of David; more like the Grecian marble statue of Laocoön and His Sons’ life and death struggle against sea serpents. Ty was graphic. Raw. Sensual. Living was a struggle, and it showed in the scars on his body. On his brow. His abs. Hell, his freaking eyes held more strife than Faith had thought possible.

  Before Khaos had dropped his identity bombshell, Ty had been a different man. With every look, he’d dared her to be bold, to take a chance, even though his words allowed her to escape to refuge. Since then however, he’d been distant, aloof. All business—just the way she liked it when she worked with clients. Not once did she have to say there was no chance of anything happening between them.

  Yet with Ty, she didn’t want to hide behind the wall of professionalism. She wanted to experience life outside the gates of Achilles HeAl—which suddenly felt restrictive, not protective. She wanted to experience the struggles, the defeats that would bring her to her knees. Because with Ty, she knew she could bear it all—survive and celebrate victory.

  If she allowed him to slip away…if she escaped from his brave spirit, she would return to her shelter…and never feel. Achilles HeAl would flourish, but its owner would shrivel.

  And Faith wasn’t ready to surrender. Not yet.

  Sundays were free days at the facility, a day for her long-term clients to work out solo. Which meant on that cold, quiet afternoon, the building was mostly empty when the snow started to fall. For Ty, Faith had scheduled a Sunday session because Rafe was coming back to work on Monday—the day Ty got his stitches out. The day he would tell her he was going home—to South Carolina. But Faith already had it all worked out. She didn’t want to experience happily ever after with him, she didn’t even want sex—

  Okay that was a lie. She did—but she couldn’t.

  No, she recognized Ty Beckinsale for what he was—her key to letting go of the past. To free herself from the constant fear of letting anyone get too close. Since her first week of college, Faith had kept people at a distance. School was school. Roommates—no. She’d paid premium price for a secure apartment and then Khaos had installed his own security system for her, because even though he hid it better, her brother lost his playboy smile the day their parents died.

  Trust was for the few. Actually, for Faith it was less. For only two—her best friend Alena and her big brother Khaos.

  Even with her staff at Achilles HeAl, she never felt completely safe. She’d watch for the ulterior motive. The payoff. The ultimate betrayal. Phillipe had been the hardest to deal with, and if it wasn’t for Alena she would have cut her wayward manager off long ago. But Alena convinced her Phillipe was ruled by his heart, not his wallet. And Faith knew he loved her like family—even if she couldn’t allow herself to feel the same way.

  Ty Beckinsale could change that. If Faith could allow herself to open up to a man like him—

  The buzzer rang and Fa
ith nearly jumped out of her skin. She looked at the screen and smiled at the man waiting for her to let him in. Ty was wearing shorts and a t-shirt in ten-degree temperatures. He was trying to macho it out, act like the cold wasn’t touching him in the least.

  She pushed the buzzer to the intercom. “Did the temperature rise that much since this morning?”

  “Didn’t you hear? We’ve reached a balmy eleven degrees today.” He grinned for the camera, the slight rise of the corner of his mouth indicating he was teasing. It was the smile she hadn’t seen since Khaos broke it in half.

  God, that look did things to her. “Then you won’t mind going around to the back entrance. The front door seems to be stuck today.”

  She held back a giggle as he stepped away from the door and eyed the mound of snow that had been plowed to each end of the building. His shoulders lifted and fell in a devil-may-care shrug that showcased muscles earned with hard labor, not the casual nonchalance he wore so well. Then he started toward the east end.

  He was actually going to do it. Walk to the end of the building, and climb an eight-foot pile of snow.

  “I’m kidding!” She yelled into the intercom as she hit the buzzer to let him in.

  He did a quick 180, and his easy grin told her she’d buckled too soon. As he entered the lobby, Faith, still on her scooter, met him halfway. Ready to make her spiel about why he should stay.

  “Are you working out with me today?” Ty’s eyes, which had remained on her face since the very first day he entered Achilles HeAl, traveled down to her red sports bra, snagged on her belly button, skimmed the workout shorts covering her hips and caressed her bare legs before meeting her gaze.

  Panic pooled in her gut. He needed Achilles HeAl, not just for his ribs and rehab, but because his guard was dropping. He was as comfortable with her as she was with him, and Faith suspected they’d both passed barriers built on years of pain and loneliness.

  Every nerve ending in her body told her if he left now, he’d slam the door of his vulnerability closed—for good. He needed her…

  And she needed him.

  So she did the unthinkable. Her actions were not the product of an analytical mind. To say she thought about it at all would be a bold-faced lie.

  She acted on pure instinct.

  Her hands fisted in his shirt and she pulled him close. Even injured, he could have resisted. But when her hand went to the back of his head and savored the feel of his hair gliding through her fingertips, he waited. Watched. His eyes turned into a storm of dark grey swirls.

  But he didn’t move.

  Until Faith pulled his head to hers and captured his lips in a tentative whisper of a kiss. Their breath mingling, lips caressing, Ty nibbled her bottom lip, tugged on it, tasted it. And something inside her melted.

  “Good morning! What time is Brad—oh!” Alena gasped.

  Faith pushed away, nearly spilling over her knee walker. But Ty caught her. Reached—too far for his own good—to stabilize her, his jaw flexing with the strain.

  She turned toward her best friend and lead physical trainer, who slammed the front door closed. With her on the outside.

  “Alena, it’s fine!” Faith yelled but the door remained closed. She could feel her best friend smiling. Knew she was leaning against the cold wood on the outside of the door, and giving a fist-bump to the clouds.

  “Alena!” She yelled.

  The door peaked open an inch. A bright satisfied smile followed. Then her entirely too perky head appeared, attached to a mouth full of the inappropriate.

  “Everyone decent?”

  Faith crossed her arms, knowing a third degree interrogation was in her future.

  Alena shrugged and pushed her way into the lobby, her scarf trailing behind her and getting caught in the door as she closed it. She yanked on it and then opened the door and released the scrap of material from its captor.

  “Why are you coming in the front door?” Faith asked, knowing her voice held way too much accusation.

  “The garage door was stuck.”

  “Stuck.”

  “Yeah there’s a layer of ice on the bottom and if I allowed it to open any further it was going to pull off all the weather stripping.”

  “The same thing happened to the front door.” Ty interjected.

  Alena looked back at the door, and Faith hid the blush from rising up her neck.

  “Really, how did you fix it?” She asked, genuinely perplexed.

  Ty shrugged. “Faith worked her magic.”

  “Magic?” Alena’s face lite up with amusement. “She showed you her tricks?”

  “I think we were just getting to that, when you walked in.” The corner of his mouth twitched, but Faith refused to see if the rainbow returned to his eyes.

  “No, I wasn’t! I mean—I mean, I don’t know any magic tricks.”

  “I would argue that point.” Ty’s arms were crossed, closed against his chest. But he was obviously enjoying the moment.

  So was Alena, judging by the sound of her high school giggle with enough insinuation to fill a gymnasium.

  “Nothing happened.” Faith insisted. The best nothing of her life, and in the big picture, it was nothing, but that small kiss had made her heart rate skyrocket.

  “I came in to prepare food for the week. I thought I’d get it done early, but I can come in early tomorrow.” Alena started to leave, but her arrival had been a saving grace and Faith jumped on it.

  “Don’t be ridiculous. You’re here. And Mr. Williams needs to start his physical therapy.”

  Two gazes turned to her, disappointment filling the silence. Alena, because Faith had finally broken one of her precious rules, but was crawling back behind her tomb of rigidity. Ty, well, because she suspected he liked the heat she’d started to build before it was so abruptly extinguished. And herself, because that heat had been real. For the first time in her life, she’d allowed a man to stoke the embers of her desire.

  Alena cleared her throat. “It was nice seeing you again, Mr. Williams.”

  Ty nodded, his chiseled jaw tight with unspoken thoughts.

  “Catch you later!” Alena disappeared around the corner.

  Faith stared at the barren space her friend had occupied, not sure if she had the courage to meet his gaze, she forced out her apology. “I’m sorry.” Two words, and her voice cracked.

  “Don’t be.” She didn’t have to look to know the corner of his mouth had raised.

  “I shouldn’t have…done that,” she confessed.

  “Yes, you should have.”

  “It won’t happen again.” She reassured, still unable to check out the color his eyes, yet desperately wanting to know the hue they took on after a taste of passion. Were they still deliciously dark? No, she didn’t want to know.

  He hesitated. “No, I suppose it won’t. I’m lea—”

  “Don’t say it.”

  “How do you know what I’m going to say?” he asked.

  “Because I know your code.”

  “Code?”

  She rolled her eyes and turned to face him, steady and ready to give him the argument of a lifetime. “My brother, Khaos doesn’t like you. Doesn’t want you in Fort Collins and would probably tie you up by your fingernails for the sin of allowing me to kiss you.”

  “I think he would lose that battle.”

  A dimple appeared on his cheek and Faith found herself wanting to run her tongue across it. “Maybe,” She said, but wasn’t convinced. If Ty was healthy, possibly—or it’d be a death match. Injured, Khaos would have him for brunch, lunch, and then dinner. “My point is,” she crossed her arms to stop herself from touching that amused cheek. “Achilles HeAl is the best place for you to recover. Rehab. We have certified physical therapists with doctorate degrees, not yahoos who claim to be personal trainers and know everything about nothing. Our therapists work with you, monitor your progress and communicate with your doctors. They guide you, get your diet on track and get you back in the best possible shape
.” Not that he needed that part, but Faith was on a roll, and she wasn’t about to stop. “We have a state of the art gym, steam sauna and pool. But most importantly, we are private, for people who need privacy from the media and fans. You will need that. Everyone here believes you are Brad Williams, including my lead trainer Alena—whom you just met. At a public facility, you won’t be able to hide your true identity.”

  Every line on his way-too-serious brow filled with apology. “Faith—”

  “If you leave now, it would be an insult to me and my business.”

  “That’s not my intent—” he started.

  “But that’s exactly what you’d be doing. Our other clients would begin to talk. You’ve seen them. Even celebrities love gossip, they just don’t want to share it with the media.” She saw the uncertainty grow in his eyes. As independent as he was, he could get back in shape on his own, without help. It would take him longer, and the trials and errors he’d experience while finding the right regimen could be costly to his health and recovery. But he could do it.

  “I’ll stay on one condition.”

  Faith steeled herself for what was to come. What she wanted, but shouldn’t, and purposely used the alias her brother gave him. “What is your condition, Mr. Williams?”

  The glint in his hazel eyes was green and mischievous. “Tomorrow when I come in, you will be by my side—not Rafe.”

  “Deal.” She’d said it too fast. Capitulated without even pushing for the best therapist for the job, and she knew she should have let him walk out the door.

  Yet that wasn’t something she could do—especially when the green swirl in his gaze, turned dark.

  Chapter Twelve

  Kas watched the man like he was dinner. His ears taut, his mouth open. A drop of drool splashing on the floor.

  God what a good meal he would make. Two hundred plus pounds of solid muscle scented with a cool ocean breeze that made her want to enjoy a midnight snack on a beach. In the sand. Naked.

  The fantasy sounded better than real life. Sand in all those feminine body parts would not be sexy. And the man she wanted to eat would probably bite back. He was dangerous with a capital, underlined, bold letter ‘D.’