by Coleen Kwan
But something had dragged her from her sex-drugged sleep. A noise. The sound of a gate snicking shut. Betty, the next-door neighbor, setting out for her usual early morning walk with her dog. Betty was a retiree who liked knowing everyone else’s business and broadcasting it to anyone who’d listen. She was sure to have spotted Derek’s SUV in the Willmetts’ driveway.
Hannah shook Derek gently awake. He blinked a few times before his blue eyes focused on her.
“Hey there.” He gave her a sexy, lopsided smile that made her toes curl.
“It’s almost six.” She didn’t know why she was whispering.
Derek glanced down to where his hand still cradled her breast. “And you woke me for an early morning quickie?”
She bit back a groan. It was almost impossible to concentrate when Derek’s warm nakedness pressed up against her. The bristles on his jaw were thick and dark. She wouldn’t mind feeling those bristles rubbing against the inside of her thigh…
“No,” she said firmly, more to herself than him. “You need to get going before all the neighbors see you.”
His hand dropped away from her breast. “Are you regretting last night?”
“No, of course not. Last night was”—she let out a breath—“amazing.” Truly amazing. Derek was such an incredible lover—generous, strong, tender and virile at the same time.
His lips kicked up in a wicked grin. “Yeah, it was, wasn’t it?”
“But we agreed it was a one-time thing and no one would find out.”
He looked at her for a while, his expression unreadable, before he sat up. “You’re right. I should go. I’ve still got some packing to do before I leave for L.A.”
In a second he was out of bed. The loss of his warmth hit her, but there was no going back. He dressed with efficient speed, and by the time she’d put on her bathrobe, he was ready to go.
As she gazed at him, her chest suddenly spasmed with memory. He reminded her so much of the teenage Derek—his hair mussed, his expression guarded, his lips set. Guilt nipped at her. What had she done? Had she really spent the night having sweaty, incredible sex with the troubled teen who’d hung out with her brother?
They walked downstairs in silence. The night was over, and Derek was heading back to L.A., and in a few days this would all seem like a dream.
At the front door Derek turned to her. “We okay, then?”
“Yup. Sure.” Her stomach made a queasy roll. She wasn’t sure about anything. Last night Derek had made her feel special and wonderful. He’d lavished her with passion, satisfying her first before letting himself go. Once hadn’t been enough; they’d made love until they were exhausted, their sated bodies tangled together. He’d taken her to new heights, made her cry out his name, revealed a side to her she’d never known. But now she was stunned it had even happened, and she wondered how they could ever go back to normal.
He touched her cheek. “I don’t want things to get weird between us.”
So he was feeling the same confusion. Thank God he was leaving today. It would be a while before they bumped into each other again, and hopefully by then this awkwardness between them would have worn off.
“No, I’m fine,” she lied. She tossed back her hair in an effort to show nonchalance. “Drive safely.”
Derek stared at her for a long while like he was trying to memorize her face. “I will. Take care of yourself, Hannah.”
Suddenly there was a lump in her throat, and she couldn’t swallow it away. “You too,” she whispered.
He wrapped his arms around her in a quick hug and left without a word, shutting the door quietly behind him. She heard his SUV starting up, and as the sound of the motor faded away, she hugged her bathrobe closer to her.
Last night had been incredible fun, but it was over, and she had to deal with reality now. She had to pretend that nothing had ever happened, that Derek was still just her brother’s friend. The thought of Caleb made her bite her lip.
With her mom’s apathy and her dad’s long-haul trucking, she and Caleb had relied on each other from a young age. She was the sensible older sister he depended upon, and he was the cheeky young brother she could count on for a smile. They had grown closer since their dad had remarried. Rosalind was a friendly stepmom, but she’d changed the dynamics in the family, and sometimes Hannah needed an ally in Caleb. She couldn’t imagine looking her kid brother in the eye and admitting she’d slept with his best friend.
And Caleb was due here for dinner tomorrow. His construction job took him out of town for much of the time, but he returned to Pine Falls as often as he could. She’d have to get her game face on by tomorrow night if she didn’t want to give herself away.
She ran upstairs, taking them two at a time, eager to get on with her day and put Derek to the back of her mind. But when she reached her bedroom, crumpled sheets and condom wrappers confronted her. She hurried to restore her room to order, stripping the linen off her bed, stuffing the trash into a garbage can, tossing her clothes from last night into the laundry hamper.
She jumped into the shower and spent forever soaping, shampooing, scrubbing. There were hickies on her lower neck, and a crushed, sensuous look to her mouth. She hoped like hell no one at work would notice, especially not her boss. Her shift started at seven, and she had no time for breakfast or even a cup of coffee.
She drove out to Avalon House, her battered Ford giving a few more chokes and belches than usual. She couldn’t afford a better car; she was saving every penny for when she started college.
As part of their divorce settlement, Rick had agreed to give Hannah a lump sum that would cover half her college fees, though the check hadn’t arrived yet and she wasn’t expecting it anytime soon. She could have fought for more or to get the money upfront, but all she’d wanted was to get him out of her life as quickly as possible. Especially when she’d learned that he had been cheating on her for at least a year and blown a small fortune on strippers and hotel rooms and expensive gifts. How many “girlfriends” had he brought to their condo, and how many pieces of furniture had he defiled? Which was why she hadn’t wanted anything from the condo either, except for her personal possessions.
She arrived at Avalon House with two minutes to spare and hurried into the building, but before she’d even made it to the locker room, she was waylaid by Vera, the nurse manager. The woman, immaculate in a spotless navy blue suit, peered at Hannah over her spectacles, her mouth set in a disapproving line.
“You’re late.”
The clock on the wall showed one minute to seven, but Hannah nodded. Usually she was at work at least fifteen minutes before she was due.
“Sorry.” She had no excuse. She could hardly say she was late because she’d had to clean up after a one-night stand of epic proportions. “It won’t happen again.”
Vera’s mouth compacted even further into a thin, red line. “Make sure it doesn’t.” She sailed off without another word.
Sighing, Hannah entered the locker room to store her belongings. She’d been meaning to ask Vera for an extra shift on the weekends, but she was still on probation, and the nurse manager was distinctly cool toward her.
It didn’t help that Avalon House catered to very wealthy clients, and Hannah didn’t have much experience working in a nursing home. She was more used to the rough and tumble of a public hospital, and maybe she didn’t have the proper refined manner for Avalon House. But this was the best job for her circumstances because it was nearby, the pay rate was relatively good, and all the other jobs on offer had been miles away. Beggars couldn’t be choosers. Hannah could only hope that Vera would unbend once she’d proven herself.
Derek drove the short distance back to his granddad’s place still thinking about Hannah. She’d been kinda jumpy when she bundled him out of the house. Maybe she regretted spending the night with him. He sure didn’t. In fact, the highlights reel of last night kept playing in the back of his mind. If only he wasn’t leaving today. But no, that was wishful thinking becaus
e even if he stayed, Hannah had made it very clear from the start that it was a one-time thing. That thought made his jaw clamp, and when he parked his car he jerked on the brake with unnecessary force.
He was still brooding as he entered the house. A cool breeze eddied around him, indicating the back door was open. He walked through to the kitchen, saw the door was indeed ajar, and went to shut it when something on the floor caught his attention. A chair lay on its side, while a plate had fallen to the ground and cracked into bits, the food it had held—some chicken and mashed potatoes—smeared across the floor tiles.
Derek’s blood ran cold.
“Grandpa!”
He hurried to the living room—empty—then ran down the hallway, checking the bathroom—empty too—until he reached his granddad’s bedroom at the back of the house. He pushed open the door to see his grandfather slumped across the bed, his plastered leg sticking out at an awkward angle. He put out a hand to the old man’s ankle and breathed a sigh of relief as he registered the warmth in the bony leg. The old man was asleep, though he hadn’t managed to draw the covers over him or change into his pajamas, since he was still dressed in yesterday’s clothing.
Derek leaned closer. A faint bruise darkened one of his grandpa’s cheeks, and a fresh cut scored his vein-gnarled hand, dried blood spotting the papery skin. Derek’s initial relief quickly disappeared. His grandfather might be alive, but he’d obviously suffered a fall last night when trying to get his dinner.
Last night Derek had cooked dinner for both of them, but Otto had refused to eat, complaining that the chicken was too spicy and the mashed potatoes too lumpy. Derek had wrapped the leftover plate of food in cling film and stored it in the refrigerator. After cleaning up the kitchen, he’d asked his grandfather if he wanted to watch TV, but Otto had told him to go away and leave him alone. So Derek had prepared to go out, telling Otto to call him on his cell phone if there was any problem.
Well, the old man had had a problem, and hadn’t called him, instead choosing to drag himself into bed where he’d suffered all night—alone.
“Stubborn old coot,” Derek couldn’t help muttering, overcome with frustration and guilt.
Otto’s eyelids flickered open. “What did you call me, boy?” He sounded slurred but cranky as usual.
“You fell in the kitchen.” Derek pointed at the bruise and the cut. “Why didn’t you call me? My number’s programmed into your handset. You just have to press one.”
“Why should I call you? I got myself to bed, didn’t I?”
“How long did that take you?” Anxiety sharpened in him. “And how long were you lying on the damn kitchen floor?”
His grandfather glowered at him. “Don’t you cuss at me.”
Derek bit back a retort. Now was not the time to pick an argument with the ornery man. “I’m going to call Dr. Hooper and get him to come by and check you out.”
“No.” Otto reared up, flailing one hand. “I’m not having that pipsqueak poking at me for no good reason.”
“But you fell. You might have hurt yourself, broken something.” Derek cast a worried look over his grandfather’s lean figure. If only Hannah were here. She’d know how to deal with the situation.
“It’s just a few scratches. I’ve had worse.”
Otto was a Vietnam vet. He never spoke about the war, never brought out any mementos, never commemorated it, never got drunk or bitter or sentimental about it. He kept it all inside him, nothing to show for his ordeal except a long, angry red scar down the length of his right forearm. Now, he waved that arm impatiently at Derek. “Help me up, will you. Need to take a leak.”
Derek assisted him to the bathroom. It was slow progress. Otto didn’t like him hovering too close or standing guard outside the bathroom. Eventually they shuffled back to Otto’s bedroom, where he consented to letting Derek help him into bed.
“Want some coffee? A piece of toast?” Derek asked, calculating that his granddad hadn’t had a square meal since lunchtime yesterday. His face was more haggard than usual, and his skin was an unhealthy putty color.
“Later.” Otto waved him off. “I need to catch up on my sleep, which you so rudely interrupted.” His gray eyebrows drew together as he glanced at Derek’s rumpled shirt with its missing buttons. “Were you out all night?”
Fresh guilt pricked Derek all over as he nodded.
His grandfather snorted derisively. “Huh. Just like the old days. You were always disappearing all night, getting up to no good. Drink. Girls. Trouble.” His lips twisted. “Well, I don’t want the police knocking on my door again, you hear?”
Derek wanted to protest that he wasn’t like that anymore. Yes, in his teenage years he’d sometimes gone wild, when the frustrations of his life got too much. Nights of drinking beer down by the lake followed by juvenile acts of delinquency that a few times had ended in a ride in a cop car. And there had always been girls willing to participate in the antics. But he was more mature these days.
Oh yeah? What about Marla Beaudry’s arrest? a voice at the back of his head piped up. And the traffic violation on his first day back?
“I hear you, Grandpa,” he said dutifully, but Otto’s eyes were already shut.
He straightened the bed cover and quietly exited the room, shutting the door behind him. Back in the kitchen, he cleared up the mess, scowling as he worked.
He’d slipped up last night. He shouldn’t have stayed out all night, regardless of how excited he’d been to see Hannah at Jimmy’s. But one drink with Hannah, one touch of her soft, warm skin, and he was a goner. He hadn’t given a second thought when he’d carried Hannah upstairs to her attic bedroom. To be honest, he hadn’t been capable of thinking of anything else besides how sweet her mouth was, how full her breasts were, and how amazing it felt to make love to her.
Heat climbed in his veins, causing him to huff in frustration. He had to stop daydreaming about Hannah because it was over and there was no way they’d repeat it. Besides, he had a big problem on his hands. What to do about Otto? He couldn’t leave his grandpa after his fall last night, but he was also supposed to be driving back to L.A. today. Filming started on Monday, and he had contractual obligations.
He was still tossing up possibilities when his cell phone rang. It was Malcolm, his TV producer, and the news he had made Derek straighten up with a jolt. Filming had been postponed for at least two weeks because of a union dispute.
“So I don’t need to be in L.A. for another two weeks?” Derek had to confirm.
“Uh-huh. Why? Something holding you up in Pine Falls?” Malcolm asked.
“Yeah. My grandpa’s causing me some headaches.”
“Well, you got two weeks to sort that out, buddy. I’ll call you later.”
Derek hung up and tossed the cell phone aside to rub his hands over his face.
He would have to hire a caregiver for his granddad to come in for a few hours each day. Otto would most likely make a fuss, but with his leg causing problems, there was no other option. He’d call an agency today and enquire about likely candidates.
And in the meantime, he could at least make the house safer for an aging man in his seventies. There were a few loose tiles on the kitchen floor, and the faucets were stiff and leaky. He walked through the rest of the house, making mental notes of what needed doing. A grab rail and a non-slip mat in the shower were essential. The screen doors were difficult to operate for a person with crutches or a walking stick. And he would definitely make some shelves for the storeroom.
It felt good to make a list of chores. Fixing things and working with his hands always calmed him down. This was what he was good at. This was something he could control.
What would Hannah think when she found out he wasn’t back in L.A.? Would she be embarrassed? Would she try to avoid him, pretend nothing had ever happened between them? He’d had plenty of one-night stands before, but never one like this. Never with someone he’d crushed on for years, someone who had been and was still important in his li
fe.
Maybe it was best just to go with the flow and handle the situation as it came up. No point getting worked up for nothing. He and Hannah had always known they’d meet again in the future; they just hadn’t figured it would happen so soon.
He would play it cool, he decided. But deep down, cool was the last thing he felt about Hannah.
Chapter Six
Later that day, Hannah had just stepped out of the supermarket with her bag of groceries when she bumped into Amber holding a takeout coffee.
“Ooh, this is lucky,” Amber exclaimed after they’d exchanged hugs. “I was just about to call you.” She hooked her arm through Hannah’s, and they began walking up the main street toward Amber’s store.
“Yeah?” Hannah eyed her cautiously, wary of the look on her friend’s face.
“So? How did it go last night?”
“Uh, it went fine.” Hannah shifted her gaze to the sidewalk, hoping she wouldn’t start blushing. She was no good at lying, especially to her friends.
“How late did you leave Jimmy’s?”
“Not late. Not late at all.” That was the truth.
Amber seemed slightly disappointed at that. “Not late? So Derek didn’t buy you another drink?”
“He did, but that was it. I had a day shift today.”
They reached the hardware store that Amber owned and operated. “Come in and chat,” Amber said, tugging at Hannah’s arm.
Hannah wasn’t too thrilled about being under Amber’s microscope for much longer, but her friend gave her no choice, pushing her into the store before whipping off the Back in five minutes sign from the glass door.
“Did he give you a ride home?” Amber asked before taking a large gulp of coffee.
“Um, yeah, he did.” Hannah stopped. She transferred her bag of groceries from one hand to the other. Amber was gazing at her, and as her friend’s scrutiny continued, a tide of heat began to creep up Hannah’s neck, and there was nothing she could do about it.
“Oh my G-God!” Amber spluttered, droplets of coffee spraying everywhere. “Did you sleep with him?” Her shriek reverberated off the walls, and Hannah thanked her lucky stars the store was empty. “You did!” Amber pointed a finger at her in triumph and did a little victory dance on the spot. “You did. You slept with Derek Carmichael. Omigod! Come on, you can’t deny it.”
