by Talty, Jen
“She going to have to face a grand jury and testify against them. She’s going to need your support.”
“My support? Come on, man. She needs a good lawyer, and she needs to get her life back on track.”
“And so do you.”
“Screw you,” Blaine muttered and then entered the house, slamming the door behind him. The only reason his life sucked right now was because she’d shown up, sending his hormones into overdrive and his brain on vacation.
He kicked off his boots and headed for the stairs and the first bedroom he found that wasn’t occupied. Standing at the top of the stairs, he stared down the hallway at the master bedroom door.
“Why the hell can’t you resist that woman?” he cursed. But he couldn’t, and wouldn’t, resist his need to go to her. He tried to tell himself she needed him, but it was he who needed her…in more ways than one.
Chapter Twelve
Kaylee tossed and turned for about an hour, but sleep eluded her. Even with a few drinks, she couldn’t force her body to rest. She took a quick shower, threw on some sweats, and decided to check out her father’s closet. Maybe she could find something in there that could shed some light on a man she was finding she didn’t really know. How could he have slept with Rachael?
Her nostrils were assaulted by a combination of her father’s pine scented aftershave and that rosy smell. “Damn,” Kaylee cursed. Now she knew why that smell seemed familiar. It was the same body spray Rachael wore. Letting out a long breath, Kaylee shuffled through her father’s suits and casual clothes.
She stood in the large closet with her hands on her hips and looked up at the shelves. “I’ve got to get those down.”
“I can help.” A dark, sexy drawl came from behind her.
She jumped. “Damn you, Blaine,” she yelped and wiped her trembling hands on her thighs. “Please stop sneaking up on me.”
“I thought you might be sleeping, considering the condition I left you in.” Blaine reached up and pulled down one of the boxes.
“Not a large enough condition.” Kaylee rubbed her temples, but she’d had enough alcohol to give her a mild headache. “Just put it on the bed and then get the rest of them down for me.”
“You want to go through them all tonight?” He lifted a brow.
She climbed up on the bed and tucked her feet up under her butt. “Why not?” She shrugged.
He plopped a second box down on the floor and joined her on the bed. “I had other thoughts.” His long fingers pushed back the hair that had fallen toward her face.
She glanced up at his sensual, nearly black eyes. He certainly did have other things on his mind. “Let me go through this one box, okay?”
“Not kicking me out?”
“I should, but…you know, ‘simple pleasures’ and all.” She flipped open the box and pulled out some old pictures of her parents. “Wow, they look so young.”
“There’s Hadley.” Blaine pointed to a group photo.
“And Mrs. Hicks?” Kaylee questioned as she took the photo from Blaine. The picture was taken on Thief Lake, and it looked as if Hadley and Linda had been a couple of some kind. She turned the picture over to see if there was a date. “This was taken about three months before my parents married.”
“How far along was your mother when they got married?”
“I think about four months or so.” Kaylee puckered her brow. “What are you thinking?”
“We know Hadley and your mom had a thing way back when. Rumors have always been he got his heart broken. I guess I just assumed it was by your mother.”
“Are you suggesting Hadley and Rachael’s mother did the wild thing?” Kaylee fumbled through a few more pictures, but whenever she came across Mrs. Hicks, she was with her husband. Life was strange.
“Hadley said Linda married Jack because she was pregnant. I’ve always thought it was a case of love at first sight.” Blaine rubbed his jaw. “I think I need to call Hadley again.”
“That’s the story I’ve always been told. They met, knew they were made for each other, and ran off for a quickie wedding…I guess we know why.” Kaylee dropped a picture to her lap. “Wait a minute. Then you think Hadley could be Rachael’s father? Gross.”
“I don’t know what I think, except there was a lot of bed hopping going on back then.” Blaine dug into the box and they went through the pictures, making piles based on the year and who was in it. The only thing that jumped out at her was the possible relationship between Linda Hicks and Hadley.
“My mother never looked happy. Not even when she was pregnant. I loved being pregnant, feeling him move inside me.”
“It was pretty incredible,” Blaine said, fanning his hand across her middle. “You were beautiful.”
Covering her hand over his, she locked gazes with him. “You used to complain when I snuggled my belly up against you. You told me you couldn’t sleep, but you never pushed me away.”
He closed his eyes for a moment. “I liked feeling him move, too. I’d like to go visit his grave with you.”
“Before I left for Europe, I used to go there for hours hoping you’d return.” She’d wanted him to come home to her. She’d wanted to ask for his forgiveness and start over with him. But for three months, he never did. He never tried to call or contact her in any way, not even when she’d filed for divorce. The divorce was the only stipulation her father had made when he’d offered to support her financially until she could figure out what she wanted to do.
“When I got the divorce papers, it clued me in that you wanted nothing to do with me,” he said softly.
“I thought maybe it would get your attention,” she admitted, stacking the photos back into the box.
“It got my attention all right— loud and clear.” He grabbed the box and tossed it on the floor, and then lifted the other one to the bed, anger etched in every line on his face.
“I was playing a childish game and it backfired on me.”
He shifted his stare from the box to her. “Are you trying to tell me that you filed for divorce to try to get me to come home?”
“Pretty stupid, huh?”
“Stupid doesn’t cover it, honey,” he said dryly. “Damn it. My mother told me not to sign those papers. She begged me to come home for a visit, and every time she tried to bring up your name, I’d hang up on her.”
“So, you signed the divorce papers and gave up.”
“What would you have done in my shoes?” he asked. “You should have tried to contact me directly.”
“I didn’t know where you were and no one would tell me.” She leaped from the bed. “Your father called me all kinds of names, even Rachael gave me the cold shoulder when she’d come home from college. It was the only way I could think of to get a hold of you.”
“You could have thought of something less drastic, like a simple note. I did have a lawyer who would’ve forwarded a message just as easily as divorce papers.” He raked a hand through his hair. “I kind of took that as ‘get hell out of my life.’”
“I guess I would, too,” she muttered, plopping down on the bed. “I listened to all the wrong people. I believed the worst of you.”
“I can’t say I helped my own cause much.” Blaine sat down on the bed, taking her hand in his. “I wanted you to go to the hospital the day before. You kept having those pains and I didn’t think it was normal. I just had this gut feeling something was wrong.”
“The doctor told me that in the seventh month you could have Braxton-Hicks contractions, and to just be still until the next appointment.”
“But those weren’t Braxton-Hicks,” Blaine said softly. “I must have made you feel so bad.”
“When the doctor told us that the placenta had separated from my uterus, I could see the “I told you so,” in your eyes.” Tears streamed down her cheeks.
He lifted her hand, his lips felt warm and tender against her skin. “It was a look of guilt and shame. You almost died because I’d left you alone to go hang out with my b
uddies.” He pushed the box out of the way and pulled her into his arms. “If I hadn’t left, things might have been different.”
“Oh, Blaine.” She cupped his face. “There wasn’t anything you could’ve done to prevent what happened.”
He looked deep into her eyes. “I’m sorry, Kaylee. I should’ve tried harder. I should have demanded your father tell me where you went.”
An overwhelming sense of doom engulfed her and she dropped her hands to her side. “We can’t go back and fix it.”
“No, we can’t.” A loud thud startled her when the other box hit the floor. He pushed her back down onto the soft mattress. “We can’t take back what we did to each other, but we can move past it. I’ve missed you.”
And she missed him, but it didn’t matter. “Nino,” she whispered.
“What!” He pushed himself away like he’d been burned. “What did you say?”
“It’s not what you think.” She fluffed the pillows and leaned back. “I’m not thinking about him, just that I’m going to have to go back. I realize that running away won’t solve my problems.”
“It might also get you killed.” The bed rumpled beneath her as he flipped over, placing his head in her lap.
She smiled, running her fingers through his long, dark hair. She wanted to start over with him. Begin a fresh, new life. “If I stay, I’ll be putting you and everyone else in danger. He wants me, and it won’t matter who he kills in the process.”
“Coming after a cop tends to piss people off.”
“He might not come after you, but those you love,” she said with shaky breath. “Emma’s going to help me, but I get the feeling that my days here are numbered. I’ve got a lot of stuff on Nino.” She placed her finger on his lips. “Would you take care of the house for me?”
“Do you plan on coming back?”
“I don’t know,” she said. “I don’t have any idea what will be expected of me when I turn over what I’ve found. I don’t know if what I did will be used against me or forgotten.”
He closed his eyes. “Your life will belong to the government until they’re done with you. It could take months, even years.”
“Blaine, open your eyes and look at me.” Her words sounded commanding and confident, but she felt vulnerable and desperate.
“For the first time in years, I feel like I could do something good with my life. Do the right thing. I have to do this.”
“I know,” he admitted. “And I’m proud of you.”
The pounding of her pulse quickened. “Thank you,” she said softly. “That means a lot to me.”
“I’ll take care of this place, but I won’t own it. You understand?” He sat up, cupping her chin. “This is your home.”
“Home? I don’t know about that.” Even if she could free herself from the mess she’d created in Chicago, would she come home to this house? To Blaine? “Can we visit Deslin’s grave after church tomorrow? I haven’t been there since I got back.”
“I’d like that,” he pulled her head toward his and brushed his lips against hers.
“Wait.”
“What now?” he said impatiently.
“Nothing.” She wanted him; he wanted her. For this moment, that was all that mattered.
Blaine could feel Kaylee give in to the moment. He had no idea if it would last and frankly he didn’t care. Kaylee was going to have a long road ahead of her. And even with immunity, it would be a long time before Kaylee could do anything but focus on fixing her life.
Hopefully when it was all said and done, he’d be more than just a part of her past, but perhaps a part of her future.
He kissed her hard and she responded with fire.
Even if they had no future, he wouldn’t stop now. He had to have her. Fill himself with her.
Kaylee wasn’t running anymore. At least not from her mistakes. Maybe she would run from him again. Maybe she wouldn’t.
But for now, her body molded against his. She responded to his touch with soft moans and gentle tugs at his clothes. She’d always been a passionate woman, even their first time together. He knew then it would never get any better.
Okay, so with her it got a whole lot better, but he’d never been able to find a woman quite like Kaylee. No one ever loved him the way she did. “You’re amazing,” he said as he nibbled at her stomach, lifting her shirt over her head. “So perfect, so beautiful.”
“You’re not so bad yourself.” She smiled at him while managing to remove his shirt.
Their lovemaking was both tender and wild. Better than it had ever been.
“Never forget this,” he whispered burying himself deep inside her.
When they were both spent, he held her close. He could feel her heart beat, and he never wanted to let go.
“Do you hear something,” she whispered in his ear.
“No,” he said, but lifted his head from the pillow. “Why?”
“I hear voices.”
Blaine turned his head to the side. “No voices, but I do hear footsteps.”
“Yo, Dark Man,” Toby’s voice rattled, as did the door.
“You open the door and you’re a dead man, “ Blaine said.
“You shouldn’t say shit like that to me. You know that just makes me want to open the door more.”
“Just give us a couple of minutes,” Blaine said.
“Well hurry up. I think I found something you two might want to see,” Toby said.
“Relax.” Blaine shifted to the side of the bed, drawing the covers back.
“Oh, no, you’re not going to let him in here. I’m naked.”
“You’re covered, and he already knows what we were doing.”
“Oh, God, that’s not the point.” She pulled the covers up to her chin.
Blaine let out a slight chuckle and found his pants, hiking them to his waist. “You can come in now,” he called, running both hands through his hair.
“My mother was wrong. You don’t think at all, and the only thing that matters to you is your damned ego.” She lifted the covers over her head.
“Didn’t mean to interrupt,” Toby said.
“What do you want?” Blaine asked.
“We found the secret room.”
Blaine stuck a finger in his ear. “Come again?”
“You found the room?” Kaylee sat up, holding the covers to her chin.
“Hi, Kaylee.” Toby smiled as he sat on the edge of the bed.
“If you value your life, you will move,” Blaine said.
“Sorry.” Toby stood up and threw his hands wide. “Geez.”
“Cut the crap. Where’s the room?”
“Emma was going over some of those documents Kaylee gave her and decided to fire up the computer. The first thing that came up was a web cam of the perimeter of the house.”
Blaine glanced at Kaylee, her eyes wide. He took her hand in his. “This could tell us who killed him.”
“If there are tapes,” Toby said. “So far, all we’ve got is live footage.”
“I lied to you, Blaine,” Kaylee said.
“What? When?”
“When I called 911, while I was on the phone…I hid some documents in a secret compartment of the safe.”
“I see,” he said, rubbing his jaw. “What else did you do?”
“Nothing, I swear. I came in the house; Daddy was on the floor. I touched him, but I knew he was gone. I hid the papers and then grabbed the phone. I didn’t kill him. You have to believe me.”
“I do, baby.” He leaned over and kissed her cheek, drawing her into his arms. “Not a big deal.”
“But I lied.”
“Anything else I should know?”
She shook her head, and that was good enough for him. He looked at Toby. “Mind letting us get dressed?”
“I’m not stopping you.”
“Get the hell out.” Blaine reached behind him, grabbed a pillow and tossed it at Toby. “We’ll meet you… ”
“Rutherford’s office,” Toby said. H
e turned and closed the door behind him.
“I can’t believe that room exists, and that Dad might have had this house bugged. Oh, God.” Her eyes went wider as she pulled the covers tight and glanced around the room.
Blaine wanted the house to be under major surveillance. It certainly would make his job a whole lot easier. “Don’t worry. If there’s a tape of what just happened, I’ll take care of it.”
“That’s so embarrassing. Would you give me my clothes please?”
Rutherford was a paranoid man, always thinking people were out to get him and his millions. He never believed that anyone did anything without motive. Blaine believed that too, but love could certainly be a powerful motive.
He found her clothes and handed them to her. “Did your father have girlfriends that you know of after your mother died? While they were married?”
She shook her head. “You’d probably know more about his life than I do, since you lived here and spoke with him.”
Blaine raked his hand through his hair. “He was acting kind of weird the last few months.”
“What do you mean?” She ripped back the covers, exposing her fully clothed body. That didn’t stop the naked pictures flashing through his mind.
“I don’t know. At first he was more paranoid, then he smiled at me.”
“Now that is odd,” she agreed. “I want to know what happened to him and Reverend Hicks. They were like brothers. Always golfing and hunting together.”
“I think Jack was having an affair with your mother.”
Kaylee’s beautiful face scowled. “You know Jack accused me of being just like Mom when I found out I was pregnant. Then after you and I got married, he had the nerve to say, ‘I told you so.’ For some reason, he doesn’t like me much.”
“I think he might be your father.”
Her already porcelain skin turned paler as the color drained from her face. Her body trembled when he held her by the arms for support. He hadn’t meant to spring it on her like that, but if there were tapes, she might see something totally shocking and he wanted her to be prepared.
“I don’t want him to be my father.”
“There are worse things than that, Kaylee.”
