by Traci Hall
“Teagan.” He bowed his head and she swore he counted to ten. “Come here, hon. Rest your head on my chest.”
She laughed as they switched positions. “Why? I think we should kiss some more.”
“Just gimme a minute, and then we can walk back to your house. I’ll go home and call you in the morning.”
“That’s a stupid idea,” she said, lifting the edge of his shirt so that she could touch his bare skin. “I thought we weren’t going to be alone?”
“We aren’t.”
“If you go home then I’ll be alone. And you’ll be at your house alone.” Her head spun. He caressed her back in gentle motions.
“Just rest.”
*****
Riley’s lower half screamed in protest as he switched mental gears. He hadn’t realized that Teagan had so much to drink. Of course, they’d been working non-stop and that meal was dynamite. Rich. Filling. Delicious.
If he’d been home, he’d have been out cold too.
But no, he was here on the beach with Teagan, and she was fighting sleep with all her might.
After a few minutes she fully relaxed against him.
He didn’t mind. In fact, with her asleep, he could study her all he wanted.
Know the curve of her cheek, the way her lashes rested. Her hair, so thick and gorgeous, fell across her shoulders and he had the freedom to run his fingers through the soft strands.
He’d watch over her all night, if that’s what it took. His phone dinged and he was glad he’d put it on silent. Knowing Teagan was out for a while, he answered in a low voice. “Hello, Mom.”
“Merry Christmas, son.”
“Merry Christmas.”
“John and I are on our way to midnight mass. Thank you for the wonderful dinner you sent. It saved me from having to cook.”
“You’re welcome.”
“I’ll pray for you,” she offered in a semi-cheerful voice. Had they opened the wine he’d sent along with the ham and scalloped potatoes?
“Thanks, Mom.”
“So, what did you do today? John and I volunteered at the mission, sorting gifts for the families with children. It’s important that they have presents. Did I ever tell you that the church did that for us when you were little?”
His heart stopped. “Uh, no.” In order for her to share that particular memory she’d had to have a glass under her belt. Maybe two.
“Your dad lost his real job at the shoe factory. I was sick with walking pneumonia. We had no money for food, let alone a present for you. You were so cute. Six, with a head full of curls.” She cleared her throat. “That was the beginning of the end with your father.” There was the hard tone he remembered. “But the church sent an anonymous donor and we woke up Christmas morning as if Santa really had come and left gifts and groceries on our front step.” This last was said softly.
“I never knew.” His mother always made sure there was food on the table. Always told him to be responsible and take care of himself. “That’s why you give back.”
“Yes. I just thought you should know.”
He swallowed over the lump in his throat and smoothed a hand over Teagan’s bare arm. This new information changed how he viewed his mom. His childhood. “Thank you. You know, for everything. I love you.”
“I love you too.” She sighed. “Well, I hope that you’re doing something special? I laughed at the Santa picture you sent. But you know, Riley, Santa is not what Christmas is about.”
“I know.” He grinned. His mom hadn’t changed that much from who he thought she was. “I’m spending the day with a new friend.”
“A female friend?”
“As a matter of fact, yes.”
“Is she...”
“Right now, just a friend. But she’s awesome. Her family has a local bakery.”
“You’re never coming back to Kansas,” she stated.
“Not if I can help it.” He paused. “It’s nothing personal. You could come here. You and John.”
“We have a life we love.”
“I hate the snow. You might like a Christmas without freezing temperatures.”
“It wouldn’t be Christmas without it.”
Silence stretched between them, but Riley wouldn’t let it take hold. “I’ll call you tomorrow, Mom. Thanks for the call.”
“Night, son.”
She hung up and Riley was left to ponder his history as he thought he knew it. His dad had been irresponsible, yes. His mom hadn’t been able to count on him when she’d been sick and the church had bailed them out for Christmas.
It explained so much about his mom. He leaned back, his gaze on the stars. Life had a way of twisting things around. Perspective changed in a blink of an eye. He tightened his hold on Teagan and kept her close beneath the blanket. This woman was important, and he couldn’t explain how he knew it, but he wouldn’t waste a minute being a part of her life.
Chapter Eleven
Teagan woke up with a crick in her neck and sand in between her toes. She blinked in the purple-gray night just before dawn. Curled up against Riley like they’d been sleeping together for years, she was reluctant to back up and give him space.
She liked his warmth and she snuggled closer, wrapping the blanket around them. Her feet were bare, her skirt and top on. She did a quick pat down and realized that he was still fully clothed as well.
They hadn’t made love. They hadn’t gone home. In fact, she blinked the memory into clarity, the last thing she remembered was his hand on her back telling her to just rest for a minute.
She’d felt the rumble of his chest as he’d talked on the phone, though she hadn’t made out the words, secure in his arms.
She’d planned on making love until the wee hours of the morning, and here they were, but no action. Hmm.
For the first time she could remember she took stock of the beach without any bias. The sound of the waves crashing against the shore. The rustle of the wind against the sea grass. The crisp ocean air with the bite of salt.
She felt Riley’s breathing change and she caressed his belly, her hand warm beneath his shirt. If she’d known he could be found on the beach, she might have risked the sun burn.
“Morning,” she whispered.
“Merry Christmas,” he answered back.
“Oh yeah. Merry Christmas.” She sat up, barely able to make out his shadow in the near dark.
“You’re the best present I could have ever asked for,” he said.
She smiled and kissed his mouth. “I hope you still think so after this morning breath.”
He chuckled. “Nothing but champagne and chocolate.”
Her stomach rumbled in protest. “Hmm. Maybe not the champagne.”
“You were so cute.”
“Drunk.”
“Tipsy.”
“We could’ve had sex on the beach,” she said.
“I want you fully aware when we make love,” he amended.
There was nothing sweet about the fierce way he spoke. “Shall we go home?”
“To my house,” he suggested.
“Why your place?”
“Because I don’t have a twin bed. You do. I peeked.”
She laughed, immediately wondering what kind of place he had. A bachelor pad with dirty dishes in the sink?
“Just come over. I’ll make you breakfast.”
“After,” she said, skimming her hand over his body. “I’m even more into you now than I was last night.”
Riley shot to his feet and gathered everything in under three minutes. “Let’s go.”
They walked back through the deserted downtown like fugitives in the almost dawn. By the time they reached her parent’s house they were cracking jokes about just what sort of people wandered around at this hour.
“Santa?” she suggested.
“Santa’s done by now.”
“Let me run inside. I have to grab some clean clothes.” And pee and brush her teeth. “Don’t you have to, you know?”
&nb
sp; “Nah. Guys have it easier than girls on the beach.”
She curled her lip. “Oh. Well.” Teagan went inside. Riley followed right on her heels when she was struck by the cold breeze coming in through the open back slider door.
Her breath caught and she froze, her entire body in fight or flight mode.
Riley bumped into her. “What?”
“Someone was here.” Her stomach churned and she felt like she might hurl the last of the champagne.
The television was gone, and the heavy plaid couch turned over on its side. Was that her bra in the hall?
Riley pulled her backward, but she shook her head and started for the phone on the wall in the kitchen.
“Teagan, what are you doing? Come back here.”
“Calling the cops!” 911, 911.
“Let’s use my cell phone, outside. In the front.”
She paused. That was the logical thing to do. Her mind couldn’t wrap around what had happened. “I’m sure they’re gone. The TV is gone.” Sick, she searched the living room for her laptop. Her connection to her vlog fans. Her life-line.
It wasn’t there. She scratched at her throat. “I need my laptop.”
Riley stood in the open front doorway with 911 on the phone. “I’d like to report a robbery. What’s your address, Teagan?”
“I, er-” She couldn’t think. What if they’d been here when the robbers had come in? What if she’d been alone? Had they watched the house? The Beckers didn’t have anything to steal, besides the television and her laptop. The bakery computer was six years old and sadly out of date.
Riley pulled her to the threshold with him and read the numbers off the side of the house.
Just then a crash sounded from her parent’s bedroom and she screamed, jumping inside and stumbling over the shoe pile in the corner by the coat tree. A man in a Santa mask barreled out of the hallway and toward the open slider door, carrying her mom’s jewelry basket in his gloved hands.
“Hey,” Teagan called after him. “Stop!” She started to follow him, but Riley wouldn’t let go of her elbow.
“Wait,” he said in a quiet voice. “Let the police catch him.”
How could he be so calm? Her knees shook and her voice wobbled. “But he’s got Mom’s jewelry.”
“It’s just stuff.” Riley answered the dispatcher next. “He’s wearing a Santa mask. He ran out the back. We are in the front of the house.”
She shivered, her teeth chattering.
Riley slipped his arm around her and held her tight. “It’s okay.”
She’d never been robbed before. Had joked about it with Riley on the way home, but hadn’t realized how violated the act felt.
Within two minutes, the cops showed up, lights flashing. The sun was barely letting the morning rays loose and the light remained gray.
Two officers got out of the patrol car and the older cop asked, “Are you the owner of this house, ma’am?”
“Well, no, but I grew up here. My parents are in Germany.” What would she tell them?
She explained the situation, how they’d been at the beach...she skipped over the details of that, and told how they’d walked in and she’d realized the slider door was open.
“What was taken?” The officer’s tag read M. Montego. The younger officer waited quietly. Listening.
“The TV for sure, Mom’s jewelry.” Her voice shook with fear and anger. “Maybe my laptop.”
“Johnson, do a sweep of the house?” His partner nodded.
“Hey, Teagan,” the younger cop said. “I’m sorry.”
“Colin Johnson?” She blinked, remembering a shy boy that looked nothing like the buff man in uniform.
He nodded. “We’ll catch them. Stay here.” Colin walked down the hall and Teagan remembered how he’d been in the ROTC program in high school. A cool kid.
Riley kept his hand on her back, offering strength.
M. Montego relaxed his shoulders an inch. “When Officer Johnson gives the all-clear, you can walk through and tell us what else is missing.”
She nodded, shaking despite Riley’s warmth.
It didn’t take long for Colin to come back. “Go ahead, Teagan.”
“He was wearing gloves,” she said. “The burglar.”
“Good to know. That means no prints, though. What a way to spend the holiday. Your parents are on vacation? Germany, right?”
Colin watched her vlog too? Anybody watching could know that she was alone. She nodded, spooked by the realization. “Come with me, Riley?” She tugged on his hand so that he followed her. “The burglar must have been in a hurry.” She picked up her bra at the corner of the hall and froze as another thought slammed into her. “The robber had to have help. He wasn’t alone, not if he took the television.” Bile rose up her throat.
“They’re gone,” Riley said in a soothing tone. “Your friend checked. Just grab some clothes and you can stay with me until we get this figured out.”
“I don’t know you.” Stay with him?
“Yeah you do.”
Her mind a jumbled mess, she entered her bedroom. Her bed, all flouncy whites and oranges, covered in stuffed animals. Her dresser with all the drawers pulled out, her lacy underwear on the top. She swallowed and went for the plain cotton that was still tucked away. “I can’t wear that if they touched it,” she said, shuddering.
“We can buy new.”
He sounded so caring that her defensive snark rose to the fore, her tongue sharp. “We aren’t even dating and you want to take me underwear shopping?”
Riley chuckled. “Will you try them on?”
Appreciating his attempt at humor, Teagan bit her lip. Not his fault that they’d been robbed. “In your dreams.” She grabbed some clothes and shoved them in a bag, realizing that her special travel backpack was gone. Damn. “I can buy a new toothbrush.”
He nodded with understanding. “Sure.”
“I don’t see my laptop.” She frowned, then snapped her fingers. “The office in the bakery. I had the pictures plugged into the printer for your present.” Teagan darted out her bedroom door.
Riley caught her by the elbow. “Let’s finish this part of the house so we can go.” He gestured toward her parent’s room.
“That makes sense.” How could he be so calm?
Her stomach rolled and she hesitated outside their door. The bad guy had stolen her mom’s jewelry, running out of the house with the gold box her mother had on top of her armoire Teagan’s entire life.
“It’s okay,” Riley whispered in her ear.
It wasn’t though. The drawers were knocked over, the pillows slashed, the mattress shoved to the side with stuffing hanging out. “They picked the wrong house to rob. My folks aren’t big into material things.” She hugged her waist.
“They picked the wrong house.” Riley’s harsh tone let her know that he wasn’t quite as chill as he let on. “Period.”
What would have happened if she’d been alone? Her mind closed at the thought.
He flipped a wave of brown hair off his glasses. “Do you see anything else to report?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t been in this room since I “borrowed” my mom’s jewelry in high school.” She didn’t have expensive things. “Nothing ostentatious for Frau Becker.”
They went down the hall to the kitchen, where the two police officers were looking at the broken lock on the glass slider.
She walked past them to the door leading to the storage hall and bakery. They kept it locked most of the time.
“What’s that?” Colin Johnson asked.
“This is the connected entrance to the bakery. My family owns Becker’s.”
“I know.” He nodded at her, his eyes kind. “Great cookies.”
She smiled back, making a note to send them some cookies for their help this morning. “I need my laptop.”
“I’ll follow you.”
“The door was locked?” She stayed close to Riley.
“Just to be safe,” Colin
insisted.
She hated being scared in her own home. Yes, it was her parent’s home technically, but she’d grown up in these walls and now, thanks to strangers breaking in, it was different. Not safe.
Teagan let out a sigh of relief when she saw her laptop beneath the old printer. She handed it to Riley, slinging her stuffed tote bag over her shoulder. Next, she inspected the bakery kitchen. Clean, but worn out. Nothing broken or out of place. She knew each dip in the floor, each crevice in the counter.
“You probably stopped them from coming in here,” Colin said. “It’s a good thing you weren’t hurt.”
Riley nodded, his hand on her lower back again. She could hardly swallow. What would she tell her parents?
“You have a place to go?”
She stared at Colin’s black shoes. Where to go? A hotel? She’d left her apartment in Tallahassee, thinking she’d be on her way to Europe. Her mom’s stroke had happened instead.
“My house,” Riley said before she could formulate an answer. His tone was matter-of-fact as he gave the officer the address and his cell phone number. “If you need anything.”
“We didn’t see any other entries into the house. If you have a broom or a stick of wood, we can lock the slider door until you get it fixed.” Colin tapped her shoulder. “It’ll be okay. I’ll call once we find them, so you know.”
That was over and above the call of duty. Teagan nodded her thanks and blinked back tears, her emotions cartwheeling. “Okay.”
The police officers left, and she and Riley went right after them. She didn’t want to be in the house. “Merry Christmas,” she said, shivering. “And thank you.”
*****
Riley hated the shadows under Teagan’s eyes. Hated the way she shook, and was furious that some stupid robber thought it was okay to break into her family’s house. Steal things that mattered to them. They got into his car, and she clamped her lips together.
He put his hand on her knee. “We can stop and get whatever you need.”
She sniffed and blinked quickly as if fighting tears. “O, okay.”
Adrenalin rushed through him, making his skin hot. His temper simmered. He wanted Teagan to not be upset.
