by Ali Parker
"And... she wants shit nothing to do with you," he grumbled and pulled on a pair of old sweats before walking into the kitchen. The house was on the outskirts of town in the woods, the privacy it afforded was well worth dealing with the fixer-upper state it was in.
Drake groaned again and poured himself a cup of coffee before flipping through the paper that lay on the table from the day before. The fire in the town square was on the front page and Margaret Smith, the owner of Judy's, stood in front of the heap of rubble that was her store, looking dejected. Her mother stood next to her, the elderly woman in tears over the loss of her hobby, her passion, her job.
"Good play, Margaret," Drake scoffed and took a sip of his coffee. Something wasn't right about the fire, but then again the owner of Judy's bakery never seemed to be on the up and up. Having lived the life of a villain for far too long, he knew one when he saw one.
He pressed his finger over the pretty woman's face and rubbed it. "You, my dear, are most certainly a villain."
The weather was perfect for a long run, but going at it alone just didn't sound like fun. Worry over his mother pressed against him and the sickening feeling that he was losing the battle with Sicily didn't help. Being around someone else for a little while would help stave off the fear that forever would be spent like the last five years – alone.
The demons of his past seemed to wait around every corner to threaten his future –
and Sicily seemed to have gotten a whiff of them somehow.
Probably for the better.
He was way more interested in her than she was in him. The thick curve of her rear, the fullness of her breasts and slim waist left his body hardening every time he even began to think of her. The fact that she wanted to lose weight was almost something to lament over. She was at her perfect size, which was so much healthier than the frail looking thing that had showed up in Bar Harbor a few months before.
Why women beat themselves up for having luscious curves and a little extra meat on their bones was something he would never figure out, but where he didn't understand it, he wanted to help her. If only she would let him.
"That shit isn't happening." He picked up his phone and dialed his only friend in Maine.
"Hey, buddy," Jake answered on the first ring.
"Hey. What's on your plate today?"
"Two egg whites and grilled turkey. You?"
Drake chuckled. "I take it you're lying, or Kari's with the girls and you're getting your first healthy meal of the week."
"I'm lying. I always do when you ask about my diet. I figure it's all going to catch up to me soon."
"Sooner than you want." Drake ran his fingers through his hair. "It's nice outside. You wanna catch a long run with me?"
"Absolutely. I'm meeting up with Kari later today, but I got a few hours. Where you wanna go?"
"How about around the harbor? I could use the scenery."
"Yeah, sounds great. Dress warm. The wind's already blowing like crazy."
"Gotcha. I'll meet you at the doc on Twelfth and Jones."
"See you there."
Drake set the phone down, hesitating over whether to text Sicily or not. Being a stalker wasn't at the top of his list of things to do, but it would be nice to let her know he was thinking of her. Their kiss on the back porch a few days back left him panting for more. So much more.
The night in the kitchen when she let him hold her was bliss and yet... "So fucking fleeting. Why?"
Letting out a long growl, he dropped the internal banter, no better at encouraging himself than the beautiful girl who had stolen his heart months ago. Too bad she didn't realize it and probably never would with the way things were going.
***
The weather was beyond blissful as Drake drove his bike to the harbor, the wind chilly and refreshing. He parked and locked it up as Jake got out of his old truck.
"I'm thinking I need to get me one of those." Jake nodded to the motorcycle.
"Oh yeah? Gets the girls every time." Drake wagged his eyebrows and stood, stretching his arms to the heavens and twisting his torso.
"I got the girl. It's your turn now." Jake popped him in the back and nodded to the sidewalk that stretched around the string of shops. "Good thing it's Sunday or this wouldn't be possible without having to dodge old ladies and baby strollers."
Drake laughed and walked to the sidewalk with Jake. "Jumping over a stack of old ladies holding baby strollers would be easier than getting the girl. She's damn near impossible."
"You still have your eye on Sicily?" Jake nodded as they picked up their pace, jogging at an aggressive speed.
It would be good to bleed out some of his angst through his sweat glands. Pumping iron for the afternoon might help as well, but he wasn't sure if he could force himself to stay busy and not hit her up again for dinner. Rejection was assured, but it didn't matter. He would subtly push until she told him to go away for good. She'd have to mean it, too, which she didn't just yet.
"I can't seem to take my eyes off of her. She's fucking with my sleep, my moods, my eating, my workouts. I sound like a high school girl with a crush."
"You sound like you've fallen in love with a girl who has no idea you have feelings for her."
"She knows. I'm sure she knows." Drake pushed forward a little more as Jake grunted next to him.
"Tell me how she knows."
"Just little things, man. I think she thought I wanted a project in her, like some girl I could take to the gym and fix up, but that's not at all what I want. I think I've made that clear. I kissed her the other night on the porch out at their house, but she didn't seem too happy about that."
"Maybe she's not interested." Jake shrugged.
"Maybe, but I can't shake her." Drake let out a long sigh and tried to let his thoughts dissipate.
"We'll call Kari when we get back to the dock and get the lowdown."
"Sounds good." Drake glanced out at the water, the surface appearing like a polished sheet of glass. "I'm a little concerned about the situation down at Judy's, too."
"Oh yeah? How so?"
"Why is Sicily being called in tomorrow to the police station? Seems a little shady to me."
"It's just standard procedure. They'll call in anyone who had suspicion sitting on them. Sicily is the only other baker in town and they sit right across from each other. I wouldn't think anything of it."
"I'm going with her." Drake glanced over, his sense of trepidation high where the situation was concerned. Something wasn't right, and if Sicily was involved, he would be, too. Whether she wanted his help or not. He'd pull the fucking friend card ten times a minute to shut her down over him being there if needed.
"I think that's a great idea. You should represent her if she'll let you. She's been through a lot this year. Her mom passed in January or February, I believe. They were really close and Kari said she's had a really hard time with it. She's got a lot of fear in her due to the suddenness of her mom's heart attack."
"Yeah. She mentioned it. I'm all for someone getting healthy, but she's too hard on herself. I hate that she thinks she's fat. She's fucking hot to me."
"She is a beautiful girl. Exotic and feminine."
"Back off." Drake laughed and winked as they turned the far corner of the harbor and pivoted to head back.
"No worries, brother. I'm head over heels with my girl. I'm going to pop the question at Christmas this year. We're going to Texas and Kari's wanting everyone to come with us. You think you'd be down?"
"Yeah. Just depends on what happens with Sicily. I'm not going down there as a fifth wheel or something worse if things don't pan out. I asked her out again last night and she turned me down." He shrugged as if it wasn't that big of a deal, which it wasn't. Persistence was the key. The spark was there, of that he was assured. He just had to figure out how to blow it into a full-force fire.
"It'll work out. I've seen the way she looks at you." Jake slowed a little and Drake pulled back with him.
T
hey jogged at a slower pace for the next hour, making small talk about the town and upcoming football season. Some part of him wanted to be involved in sports with the local kids like Jake was, but the gym took up too much of his time. When he wasn't helping clients with their fitness, he picked up a case or two as a freelance lawyer, his brother forcing him to get his degree when he was younger, though it almost killed him.
The gym was his mainstay and where it did really well. There wasn't pressure by the force of competition to be the best in town. His was the only gym. Sicily had to push to make sure the people of Bar Harbor knew how good her treats were. Her competition was right across the road... or was.
I'd love to sample her treats. All of them.
"Alright, boss. I can't do another one. I gotta shower and get over to Kari's place. They're having burgers this afternoon for some of Lisa's clients and I'm the chef."
"Where's Marc?"
"He's headed back already. Left this morning."
"Fuck. I don't know how he's doing that long-distance thing."
"I guess when you don't have a choice, you just do what you gotta do. He loves Lisa and she calms that part of him that wants to hump anything with an available hole." Jake snorted and pulled out his phone. "You want me to call Kari about Sicily?"
"Nah. We'll figure it out. I'm gonna take a few more laps and work through some of this shit."
"I'm here if you need me, man."
"Get outta here. Making me feel all emotional and shit." Drake turned and jogged off, a smile brushing over his lips as Jake's voice lifted up behind him.
"I love you, man!"
His response was a chuckle as he lifted the bird in the air.
Chapter 11
Sunday was a waste, a day to lie in the bed and lament over the truth about Drake. He was part of the DeMarco-Castaletta clan, and Sicily's brother had been serious about his warning. Some part of her wanted to call and find out the full details on what it could mean, but knowing anything too damning would completely snuff out hope. Hope that she and Drake might become something when she lost her weight and he, what... stopped being a villain?
***
She woke on Monday morning to the alarm, her desire to get up and do anything officially gone. It would have been a good day to get back in the kitchen and experiment a little, but she was due at the police station at eight. How they had her down as a suspect was beyond her, but she would push past her angst and answer their questions. Things would get cleared up and she could get back to her life.
"Some life it is," she grumbled and milled through her clothes.
Drake saw her differently than she saw herself, his words telling her as much, but it was more about the way his eyes moved across her, the heat in his gaze almost searing her. Seemed odd for a guy who sold fitness to be interested in someone who wasn't at all fit, but squishy and out of shape?
Tugging a black sweater out of the closet, she pulled it over her head and grabbed a pair of jeans to go with it. Heels and a little bit of make-up and she was out the door. She'd have to change before going into the bakery, but her appearance might help a little with the interview at the station. She ran her fingers around the top of her jeans as she walked to the car, noticing that there was a little extra room in them.
"Seems like almost dying at the gym is the answer to the problem." She smirked and got into her compact car. It was the perfect weather to leave the windows down, but showing up at the police station with windblown hair might give them the idea that she was wild and reckless. She was anything but.
A quick trip down the street and two right turns and she was there. Bar Harbor was so different from New York, the distance from here to there always nothing more than a few minutes. To get anywhere in New York you had to give yourself an hour or more depending on the time of day.
She got out of the car and stopped short as Drake nodded at her. He was leaned against a handicap sign, his bike sitting locked up just behind him.
"Hey. You look good." He moved toward her and stopped short just before reaching her.
She held her breath, scared that he might reach out and pull her into a hug. Seeing him was bad enough, but having to drag him deep into her lungs would likely melt her resolve where he was concerned.
His slacks fit him all too well and the tight black T-shirt was the perfect complement to his attire. He looked like sex incarnate, which wasn't at all something she needed to focus on. She was being interviewed as part of a federal crime.
Get it together. He's a criminal or mobster. You're not getting involved. No matter what.
"Hey. What're you doing here? Get a parking ticket for stealing handicapped spots?"
He chuckled and moved in beside her as she walked to the door. He opened it and she walked into the station, her concern over the interview to come almost squelched thanks to the increased flooding of hormones over the dark scent of his cologne that assaulted her.
"Funny, girl, you are." He moved up beside her as she stopped at the front desk.
"I'm good, Drake. I don't need you here with me." She turned as the clerk spun around in her chair and smiled up at them. Sicily ignored the soft growl from the handsome man beside her and focused on the girl.
"I'm Sicily Moretti. I was summoned for a questioning this morning?"
"On the fire at Judy's?" The girl lifted her eyebrow and let her eyes move over Sicily before turning to Drake. The girl had to be wondering what the hell the town hottie was doing with the town baker. A fat baker at that.
"Yeah," Sicily mumbled and pulled out her phone, flipping through it to make sure she had her time right.
Drake shifted beside her as if he were uncomfortable. He should be. Monsters and cops didn't mix.
"I gotcha right here. Just have a seat over there and we'll have Detective Brown bring you back shortly. Is this your lawyer?"
"Yep," Drake responded before she could.
She didn't deny it simply because looking like they were trying to pull something over on the cops wouldn't go over well. Sicily gave the woman a tight smile and nodded before turning and walking to the waiting room. He sat next to her and leaned back. He picked up the paper next to him and started to read it.
Sicily popped it down as anger raced over her.
Drake glanced up and winked at her before picking up the paper again.
Ass.
"What do you think you're doing?" she whispered angrily.
"I'm reading the paper. Do you want to read it? If so, just ask." He chuckled and pulled it down. "How are you more beautiful when you're angry? It should be a crime."
"Not funny. You're not a lawyer. You own the town gym. Everyone knows that. The cop is going to know that, so what the hell are you doing?" She hated the pissy sound of her voice, but the combination of needing him and not wanting to need him raged inside of her, threatening to spill over and ruin her composure.
He set the paper down before moving forward, his actions putting him closer than she wanted. "I'm a lot of things, Sicily. You don't know me and you're judging my abilities. Don't. I don't judge yours."
She turned as the girl called her name. "Miss Moretti. You and your lawyer can come this way."
"Thank you," Sicily called out a little too brightly. She glanced back at Drake as he stood and moved up beside her. "This conversation isn't over."
"Good. I wanted to take you to lunch anyway." Drake smiled and pressed his hand to the small of her back as they walked through the door near the reception area.
"I'm taking Martin out for a well-deserved hamburger," she barked and tried to still her beating heart. There was no way in hell that Drake had a law degree. He was blowing smoke and acting like a punk-ass teenaged boy. He might be interested in something with her, but the more she got to know him, the less she was.
Do you really know anything about him or are you just assigning a past and a personality to him?
She sighed, trying to let go of her thoughts as the receptionist showed her to a sm
all room with a single table and white walls. Sicily walked in and took a seat, her attention moving off of Drake quickly and onto the situation before her. The door closed and she glanced over to him.
"I didn't do this. Why am I here?"
His expression softened from cocky to concern. "It's all going to be okay. Just let me talk and you just respond when I look at you, okay?"
"Do you have a law degree or are we blowing smoke up the local police force's asses together? I don't want to be part of anything under the table. I'm a good person."
He flinched at her last words and she regretted them immediately. He was a good person, too. His comment at the restaurant the other day about his ideal woman washed over her. He wanted someone who could see past his scars to love him, to see that, even though he might never be great, he was trying hard to be good.
The door opened and a cop in a white button down, black slacks, and a red tie walked in. His smile lifted as he turned his attention to Drake.
"Mr. DeMarco. I didn't realize this was a case you'd be on." He extended his hand and the men spoke for a minute as Sicily's heart dropped.
He was a lawyer. How? When? Sickness rolled over her as she realized that she didn't know anything about Drake. How ignorant of her to think he was simply a one-dimensional cookie-cutter meathead. She hated to be judged and here she was doing it to the one guy she wanted.
The cop turned to her and took a seat, pulling out a handful of pictures.
"I just need you to answer a few questions this morning, Miss. Moretti."
"Of course," Sicily muttered and turned her gaze to Drake, who seemed to be ignoring her now.
Perfect. Exactly what I needed today.
"See this dark blue cardigan?"
Sicily leaned over and looked at the picture, the cardigan a snapshot from a sales magazine. "Yeah. Sure."
"Do you have one like this?" He lifted his eyebrow as she glanced up at him.
