He pointed toward his car, which was parked in the middle of the third row. She nodded and veered off in that direction. He caught up with her partway there and surprised her with a kiss on the lips and a hug that stole her breath.
“Hi to you, too,” she said, taking a step back.
“You look fantastic.”
She scoffed, plucking at the top of her sweater, and with a pronounced Southern accent, said, “This old thing.”
They both laughed, and he slipped an arm around her shoulders, steering them on course. “Of course, you look pretty damn good in jeans, too.”
“Someone’s looking to get lucky tonight.”
Smiling, he hugged her closer. “I already am lucky.”
“Corny, Gann, very corny.”
He laughed, and she felt the vibration in his chest. A combination of muskiness and confidence, his familiar scent filled her with a deep contentment that was both foreign and scary, yet she wouldn’t trade it for anything. Having his arm around her, pressing against the strength of his chest…well, that made her feel invincible. Foolish, yes. She didn’t care. Not even the tiniest bit.
The air was a little chilly and she slid her arm around his waist. He glanced down at her and kissed her temple. She heard laughter behind them and turned to see where it was coming from. A group of people were exiting the building.
“A Christmas party, I think,” Evan said.
“For Just Between Us?”
He shook his head. “The studio next door. I overheard a cameraman talking about it when I was getting coffee.”
“That’s one point for not working. No Christmas parties and baby showers you have to go to.”
“Scrooge.”
“Guilty and without apology.” Until she spotted Eve’s car, Liza hadn’t even thought about looking to see if Eve or Jane’s cars were still there. She took another look over her shoulder. She still hadn’t quite shaken the feeling that someone was watching her, but paranoia was nothing new.
“What’s wrong?” Evan stopped and turned around, too.
“Nothing. I saw Eve’s car. I thought maybe—Come on. I’m hungry. I hope you’re feeding me before the concert.” She tugged him along with her toward his Camry. “I never asked you what kind of concert it is.”
“My nephew’s third-grade class is putting on a Christmas pageant.”
She looked at him. “I hope you’re kidding.”
“I don’t have a nephew.”
She pinched his arm.
“Ouch.” Evan chuckled. “I wish I did have one, then maybe Mom would back off on the ‘I should be a grandmother already’ thing.”
“That’s right. You’re the oldest.”
“You’re an only child. You must get it worse.”
“Hardly.”
“Really?”
“My mother could barely cope the first time around. Grandmother material she isn’t.”
“But your dad was—” Evan frowned at her, and she truly wished she’d kept her mouth shut. “Who took care of you?”
“Me. Didn’t do too bad a job, huh?” She nudged him with her shoulder. “Come on. Lighten up.”
But it was too late. The pensive frown that caused lines between his dark eyebrows had grown deeper, but thankfully there was no pity in his face or she wouldn’t have been able to stand it. She didn’t dwell on what her parents should or shouldn’t have done. She’d made peace with the past. Made peace with the fact that she and her mother could never have a relationship.
They reached his car and in true Evan fashion, he walked her all the way around to the passenger side and opened her door. She didn’t argue. In fact, in a tiny, tiny way, she was beginning to like it. Not that she’d admit it in a thousand years.
She smiled and was about to get in when he stopped her. He tilted her chin up and kissed her. Not a brief friendly kiss, but one that told anyone who happened to be watching that this was no casual relationship. His tongue teased the seam of her lips and she opened up to him more out of shock than anything. When he finally withdrew, she had the urge to look around and make sure no one saw the display.
Instead, she slid onto the seat and let him close the door. While she waited for him to join her inside the car, she noticed a couple staring at Evan as he went around the hood. The rumors would start flying around the station tomorrow. Glad she wasn’t…
The passenger door flew open. Startled, she swung around and met Rick’s furious bloodshot blue eyes. Oh, no.
“Get out, you stupid lying bitch.”
“What are you doing here?” She looked back toward Evan. He’d just climbed behind the wheel. She glared at Rick, fear clogging her throat. “Get away from me. Get the hell away,” she spat out.
“Liza, what’s happening?”
She couldn’t look at Evan now. She kept her gaze on Rick, struggling not to let him see her fear. “Leave right now, or I swear you won’t see another penny.”
“We’ve come too far, baby.” He reached for her, and she slapped his face. Momentarily he moved back.
Cursing, Evan got out of the car.
“Evan, no. Please.” She couldn’t stop him, so she pushed Rick out of the way and got out, too.
Evan was coming around the hood. People walking to their cars stopped to watch the commotion. She couldn’t let this play out, not in front of all these people, especially not in front of Evan.
She put up a restraining hand. “Evan, please. It’s okay. I can handle this.”
His face was dark with fury. Focused on Rick, he wouldn’t even look at her. “Step away from the lady.”
“Lady?” Rick laughed.
“Stop it!” Liza grabbed Rick’s arm. “Let’s go.” He wouldn’t budge. He wouldn’t break eye contact with Evan. Desperate, she whispered in his ear, “Let’s leave right now, and tonight will be like old times.”
He blinked, and then his gaze darted to her. “Okay, baby, whatever you say.” And then, shooting a triumphant look at Evan, he snaked an arm around her waist and put his filthy mouth on hers.
She wanted to jerk away. Her stomach rolled at his touch, at the foulness of his breath. But she couldn’t without making matters worse. She knew Rick too well, and to make this all stop, she could only give in, pretend she wanted the kiss.
Finally, she tugged Rick away, and tried not to look at Evan, but she couldn’t help herself. At the last moment, she slid him a glance. The shocked hurt on his face cut her to the bone.
Chapter 13
Evan stood perfectly still, watching her weave through the cars, holding hands with that filthy sleaze, until she was out of sight. He couldn’t move if he tried. He could barely breathe.
She’d sworn that Rick was out of the picture, and Evan had believed her. It wasn’t just that she’d lied, but the sight of Rick himself was hard to take. The long, shaggy, dirty hair and filthy jeans. He couldn’t bear to imagine what was under the black leather jacket. Evan hadn’t even gotten that close and he could smell the guy from fifteen feet away.
And Liza had kissed him. The unbidden image sent a shiver down Evan’s spine. How could she have done that? And in front of him? What hold did this guy have on her? Or hadn’t she thought Evan could’ve handled that poor excuse for a man? Is that why she’d gone off with him? She hadn’t wanted to leave with him, Evan could tell that much. But why not call the police? None of this made sense. Liza was too strong a woman to allow herself to be treated like that.
He drew in an unsteady breath. What a chump he’d been. He’d actually broken his own damn rule and started to have feelings for her. Although he couldn’t complain. They’d openly agreed their relationship was just about sex. So that was on him.
“Evan?”
It took a moment to register that someone was talking to him. He turned around. Decked out in cocktail dresses, Eve Best and another woman he’d seen around the station stood a few feet away. The shaken looks on their faces told him they’d seen everything.
Damn.
“Evan, can we talk for a moment?” Eve followed him to the driver’s door.
“We did that the other day.”
“I know.” She got in the way when he reached for the door handle. “I wasn’t helpful. I’ve felt badly ever since.”
“Well, I’m not feeling so hot myself right now, so if you’ll excuse me…”
“Please, Evan.” Eve wouldn’t back off, and there was no way he could open the door without ramming her. “Do you know Jane?” she asked, indicating the blond woman with serious blue eyes beside her. “She’s with Just Between Us.”
Evan nodded to her, and she gave him a small smile.
“I suppose you figured out that was Rick,” Eve said.
Evan’s laugh was bitter. “Uh-huh, I kind of figured that out.”
“I was excited to hear that you were seeing Liza.” Jane glanced at Eve. “We both were. We thought that meant Rick wasn’t around.”
“We hoped that Liza had come to her senses, and would come back to the show,” Eve said.
“Come back to us,” Jane added softly.
“Hmm, it doesn’t appear that’s the case. Look, ladies, I have a concert to—”
“Do you care about her?” Jane asked with a sad earnestness that was difficult to blow off.
“I did. Or at least I thought I did.”
“It’s Rick. It’s not her.”
“You know Liza better than I do,” he said, aware that people lingered within earshot. “Does she strike you as a woman who’d put up with a man she didn’t want?”
“But Rick is—” they both said at the same time, and then stopped and looked at each other.
Eve spoke next. “The three of us have been friends since we were eleven. I had just lost both of my parents in a car accident when I met Liza. My life had been turned upside down. I was horribly unhappy.” She glanced at Jane. “She was going through her own preteen angst. And then Liza came into our lives. And she was fun and mischievous and got us into all kinds of trouble. But she always pulled us back out.”
“Always,” Jane said, nodding. “We were like the Three Musketeers, you know? Always together. Always backing each other up. In high school I was really self-conscious about wearing braces, and if a kid even looked at me wrong Liza was in their face.”
Evan frowned. Nice trip down memory lane. What did it have to do with him?
“We went to college together. We started this damn show together,” Eve continued, motioning toward the station, the frustration evident in her stormy eyes. “Nothing ever came between us.”
“Except Rick,” Jane finished.
“We didn’t help matters by telling her what a bum he was. But she should’ve known better. Running off with him like that was—” Eve gave an impatient shake of her head. “He’s behind this lawsuit. I just know it.”
Evan put up a hand. “That’s none of my business. At this point, I really don’t give a damn what she’s doing, or why she’s doing it.”
“I don’t care about the lawsuit or the money,” Eve said with a sincerity that gave him pause. “She’s a really good person, but you already know that or else you wouldn’t have gone out with her. We’re simply asking that you not judge her too harshly.”
“Don’t give up on her.” Jane laid a hand on his arm. “Please.”
He stared at the two women, not knowing what to think. How could they defend her? How could they possibly give a damn about her? At one point she obviously had been very special to them, which made her betrayal all the more devastating and incomprehensible.
But yet here they were, pleading her case. What the devil did they expect him to do about it, anyway? She went willingly with Rick, disgusting sort that he was. Granted, Liza probably hadn’t wanted to cause a scene, but to kiss the guy like that? Evan got queasy at the thought. Inexcusable. He’d already endured one cheating, lying woman. That was one too many in a lifetime.
“I really do have a concert to attend,” he said, and waited for Eve to step away from the door.
She nodded and moved back with a tight slant to her lips. He didn’t even want to look at Jane. That one wore her heart in full view. Not that either of them could sway him. He’d had more than enough of Liza Skinner.
* * *
“Who the fuck was that guy?” Rick’s words had started to slur a block away from the station. Whatever he’d taken earlier obviously started to kick in.
Good thing she’d insisted on driving despite his ranting about leaving his bike behind. “Nobody.”
“Nobody.” He snorted and reached over, fisting a handful of her sweater. “You dressed like this for nobody.”
“Get your goddamn hands off me.”
He made a grab for the steering wheel. She shoved him away but momentarily lost control and the car swerved erratically over the center line. Horns blared, a jogger yelled, but luckily the oncoming traffic was far enough away that everyone escaped damage.
“Do that again and I’ll drive you straight to the police station.” Her hands shook so hard that she gripped the wheel until her knuckles turned white.
When he didn’t answer, she slid a look at him. His head drooped, his chin nearly touching his chest, and he appeared to be struggling to keep his eyes open.
She took a deep breath and said nothing more for the rest of the ride home. He stayed quiet, too, his breathing deep and even, and after she parked the car she slowly opened her door, hoping he’d stay asleep. She had no qualms about leaving him out here. Maybe she’d get lucky and he’d freeze to death. The stupid bastard.
Using the back of her arm, she wiped her mouth. It didn’t help. Rick’s revolting taste had crawled down her throat, permeated her belly so that she wanted to puke. She could feel him in her hair, smell him in the fabric of her new sweater. She couldn’t wait to take it off. Throw it into one of the giant garbage bins behind the complex. No, burn it. Even better.
She closed her eyes and prayed Rick would stay asleep. If he did, she could call Evan and explain…she choked back a sob. Explain what? What could she possibly tell him that would erase the past half hour?
God, she would never, ever, not in a million years forget the wounded look on Evan’s face as she walked away. Rick’s disgusting arm around her. The bleakness in Evan’s eyes was enough to want to make her want to weep. How could she have been so foolish? She’d underestimated Rick before, and swore she never would again. Now she wasn’t the only one paying for her stupidity.
Liza got out of the car and was just about to close the door when he stirred. She froze, hoping it would turn out to be nothing. He muttered an oath and brought his head up. He looked straight at her, the streetlight shining in his haggard face.
Sadness swept over her. He’d been good-looking and charming once, but smack and booze had dragged him through the gutter a couple of times. He looked fifty, yet he wouldn’t be thirty until next month. Another wasted life.
His head came up. “What are you looking at?” Spit flew everywhere. Some of it had dried at the corners of his mouth. Some of it caked to his white T-shirt where the leather jacket didn’t cover.
She shuddered. “We’re home.”
He squinted, looking around as if he thought she was trying to trick him.
For an instant, she’d actually experienced a pang of sympathy. Amazing. She slammed the door and started toward their building. Screw him. She didn’t care that the car would be unlocked overnight. Right now she didn’t care about anything. Tomorrow her attorney could tell her she’d been awarded a hundred million dollars and it would mean nothing. After what she’d just done to Evan, she didn’t deserve the clothes on her back.
She heard Rick get out of the car, and she mentally braced herself for what was inevitably ahead for the evening. When he yelled for her to stop, she kept walking. It was the dinner hour and the
complex was quiet, but it didn’t matter if he made a scene here. Not like it had mattered back at the station parking lot. In front of Evan. Eve and Jane had been there, too. She’d caught sight of them out of the corner of her eye as she was leaving.
Sniffling, she picked up her pace when she sensed him behind her. Any vile thing he had to say to her could wait until they got inside. She got to the stairs and ran up to the second landing before she turned around to check his progress.
He staggered quite far behind, using parked cars for support, taking two steps and falling back one. If he couldn’t make it up the stairs, that was his tough luck. She’d leave him where he was and hide out until he slept off whatever crap he’d stuffed into his system.
She headed up the next flight of stairs, making it halfway up when she heard a car alarm go off. Several apartment doors opened and people stuck their heads out. She didn’t turn around. She knew what had set off the alarm. Rick had gotten too close to one of those new cars with a touchy system. The blaring lasted just long enough to be annoying. Maybe he’d get his butt kicked by one of the bikers who lived on the second floor. Wouldn’t hurt her feelings.
Finally, she got to her floor and couldn’t help sneaking another look. Rick stumbled to the bottom of the stairs. He plopped down on the first step. She continued to her apartment, barely getting the door unlocked when she heard him yell something about not being finished with her.
She went inside, closed the door and leaned back against it. What a nightmare. What a friggn’ nightmare. Less than two weeks and it would’ve been over. What had she done so wrong in her life that she deserved this kind of karma? She heard him yell again, and slowly garnered her mistake.
She was prolonging the nightmare. If she got him to his apartment, he’d pass out soon and she’d be in peace for the rest of the night. Yeah, that’s what she’d thought before she’d left to meet Evan. Shit. She couldn’t think about him right now, she told herself as she hurried from the apartment. She had to gather her strength. Get Rick inside. He couldn’t possibly stay awake much longer. Tomorrow he’d have questions, and she’d have lies.
What She Really Wants For Christmas Page 13
