He would have to become Craig. Fuck! Why did he have to do this? If there was any other way…
Colby’s arm reached over him as she stretched. The sheet slipped away exposing a bare breast. Mace closed his eyes against the temptation. Maybe he could wait to… No, he had to do it now. She didn’t deserve to be tangled in his mess.
She rolled on her side and gave him a wide smile. “Good morning.”
Oh, God, he didn’t want to do this. He really didn’t. He took a deep breath, looking down into her glowing face. He reluctantly got into character.
“Is it?” He kept his voice clipped and cold.
A look of confusion crossed her face, her eyebrows knitting together. “Is something wrong?”
“What could be wrong? Everything’s just perfect. Everything is just going the way you’d like it.” He got out of bed, turning to point a finger at her. “Why don’t you just move your things in here? Why do you even need your own room? Hell, why are you even bothering to fix up that deathtrap of a house?”
Colby tugged the sheet up over her chest. “Mace, what’s wrong? Does your leg hurt? Did I do something?”
“I’ve got to shower. Aren’t you going to be late for work?”
Colby glanced over at the clock. “No.”
“Then why aren’t you downstairs making me breakfast?”
Mace stormed out of the bedroom, leaving Colby alone in his bed, her jaw hanging.
He slammed the bathroom door behind him and began to pace. He needed time to get a plan together. He had to make this believable. If he fucked this up it could be her death sentence. Or his.
After he’d got out of the shower and dressed, he stomped down the stairs and into the kitchen. Colby was pale, her hair uncommonly loose around her shoulders. She had missed a button on her blouse and it hung on her crookedly. He wanted so badly to straighten out her shirt and re-button it for her, but he just clenched his fists instead.
A second after he sat at the table, she placed a plate of food in front of him. He stared at the veggie omelet and the dry whole grain bagel, before violently pushed the plate away from him. It skidded down the table with a clatter, the bagel shooting onto the floor.
Colby spun around from pouring him coffee, crying out when she sloshed the burning liquid over her hand.
“Do you call this breakfast? Can’t I ever have normal white toast? And bacon? Why are you such a damn klutz? You spilled coffee all over the floor. Now clean it up before it stains the floor. I’m going out for breakfast. I won’t be home for dinner either.”
“Mace…” Her voice was shaky and breathless.
He left Colby cooling her burned fingers off under the faucet. He hadn’t missed the tears filling her eyes. He couldn’t let it affect him. He just couldn’t. It was for her own good. Even if she didn’t know it. It had to be this way.
It had to be.
———
The house was so quiet. Mace really hadn’t come home for dinner last night. Or tonight either. He hadn’t come home at all.
Colby needed to talk to him. She wanted to know what was bothering him. Why he had acted that way yesterday morning. Had she done something wrong? Was he mad about the episode with Craig? She needed to know.
Maybe he didn’t want a woman who came with baggage. Maybe after seeing the episode with Craig and, not to mention, the PFA and horrible pictures, he had realized she was more trouble than she was worth. Maybe his anger was finally catching up to him; he was pissed off about her keeping Craig a secret from him. He made it clear he wasn’t happy Martin knew about her past. She had shared personal matters with her assistant but not with Mace, her lover.
Or maybe their relationship was becoming just too complicated too quickly for him and he needed to step back.
Now, at only a half hour until midnight, she stood facing his closed bedroom door.
She tried the knob and was surprised it wasn’t locked. The room was dark as she closed the door behind her. She felt her way over to the bed and turned on the lamp. The light reflected off the empty foil wrappers strewn hastily over the top of the nightstand. They reminded her of the pleasure she had found in Mace’s arms. Only now it was turning into hell.
He had chased one hell—Craig—out of her life, only to bring in another.
She hadn’t been able to concentrate at work for the past two days. Her stomach had been clenched in a tight ball. She might as well not have been there at all. Martin had shown concern, but backed off quickly when she snapped at him.
She looked at Maxi’s framed picture. She missed her friend, but she refused to bug her, and put a damper on her newly-wedded bliss. Even so, she needed someone to talk to. To ask what went wrong. Maybe he’d been in miserable pain. She hoped that was it, even though she didn’t want him suffering.
Colby ran a hand over the rumpled sheets. They were so cold. Just the opposite of all those hot nights together.
She wandered over to his dresser and picked up his cologne. She sniffed at the bottle, the recognizable scent tightening things in her lower body. She gathered his sweats off the floor and folded them, placing them on the end of his bed. She wondered if he had done his physical therapy today. Maybe he would come back feeling better and everything would be back to normal.
She drifted around the room, touching the frames hanging on the wall. They were more than just pictures, though. Among them were his high school and college diplomas.
Colby stepped closer to read them; he had his BS in criminal justice.
She noticed a dark line in the wall, an opening. It was a very small closet with its door ajar, not the normal closet he hung his clothes in. She had never noticed this one before. The two-foot high door was painted the same color as the walls and there was no knob or hinges to give it away.
She crossed the room, but hesitated as guilt washed over her. She shouldn’t be snooping, but she wanted to know more about this man. More about the man she knew so well but really hardly knew at all. He was so full of secrets, never talking about his work or past relationships. Nothing.
So he couldn’t be mad she had kept Craig a dirty little secret. He couldn’t be; that wouldn’t make sense. She had to stop guessing. She just had to clear up this misunderstanding, if that’s what it was, when he got home.
The little door creaked when she slowly pulled it open. She peered into the dark compartment, attempting to see what was inside. It looked like a few boxes of files and a small file cabinet. Colby tugged on a drawer. They were all locked. She grabbed the closest banker’s box and dragged it out of the closet and into the light. She knocked the lid off. It was stuffed full of manila folders; each one had a name on the tab.
One thick file lay on top, like it had been recently removed and just tossed back. In black block print was the name “Manni Spinozi.”
Spinozi. Why did the name sound familiar?
She opened the file and was shocked to find a picture clipped to one side of the sleeve and a profile on the man bound on the other side. She studied the photo of a dark complexioned man, very well dressed. It was an obvious candid shot; he didn’t know this picture was being taken. She remembered hearing his name on the news, but couldn’t recall what it was about.
As she began to scan the profile, she heard voices coming down the hall. She recognized Mace’s but the other—a woman’s—she didn’t know at all.
Her heart racing, she tossed the file back into the box and slapped the lid on it with shaking hands. She shoved the heavy box back into the closet and quickly shut the door.
She was standing when the bedroom door banged open.
Mace stood there in the doorway, his arm draped around a bottle-bleached blonde.
Colby stared at them in surprise and they stared back at her. No one breathed until the blonde giggled.
“What are you doing in my room?”
Colby blinked. “I…” And blinked again, at a loss for words. Her brain didn’t comprehend what she was seeing. “I…”
“Were you waiting for me like some lonely—”
Her attention went back to Mace. Think, think, think. “No! I… I forgot something of mine. I came in here to get it.”
“Did you find it?”
She watched Mace’s dangling hand brush against top of the blonde’s breasts. They were hard to miss, hanging out like that. She nodded, unable to get any sound past the lump in her throat.
“Good. Now, we want to be alone.” He sneered at her. “See ya.”
She couldn’t take her eyes off the two of them standing hip to hip in the bedroom doorway. Mace leaned down and kissed the blonde’s bright red lips. It was a long, wet kiss, causing Colby to look away.
“Can’t you take a hint?”
She neared the couple blocking the doorway. She sniffed the air. “Are you drunk?”
Mace let out an explosive curse, pushing the blonde aside and reaching for Colby.
He grabbed her arm and pulled her into the hallway. His tight grip hurt her arm, but she couldn’t escape. He was frightening her. This wasn’t the man she thought he was.
It was Craig all over again! She had vowed she would never be in the position Craig had put her in ever again. She would never allow herself to be beaten down, mentally or physically. And now…
His low, menacing words scared her even more. “You’re suffocating me, woman! I can’t take it! I want you out of this house. Tomorrow.”
Colby finally yanked her arm free. “Don’t worry, I’ll be out of here tonight.”
She rushed down the hallway and into her bedroom. Flinging herself on her bed, she smothered her wrenching sobs in her pillow. When they subsided, she felt empty and angry. At herself. She had fallen. Hard. There was no one to blame but herself. She had told herself many times not to get involved—especially with a man like Mace. But she had gone and done it again. And once again she was the loser.
Colby clenched the bedspread. It was her own stupidity.
She was stupid enough to…
Oh, God, she had fallen in love with this man! The one who was in his bedroom down the hall with another woman this very moment. It ripped Colby’s heart out. She sniffled and reached for a tissue to blow her nose. She had to get a grip. She had survived a rotten relationship before, she could do it again. She had to.
She would just gather her things out of her—no, this was his room, and move into her own house. It might not be ready, but she had nowhere else to go. Ironically, she had more done than she had originally planned to by this time since Mace had helped complete a lot of the work. She would make do.
She packed her clothes into her suitcases. She only had to get her personal items from the bathroom—which was across the hall from Mace.
As she crept down the hall she heard giggles and groans, passionate cries.
Colby wanted to cover her ears with her hands, but she didn’t. She needed to know the truth about what a sneaky, low-down man Mace was. There was no better way to do it than listen to the man she loved have sex with another woman.
She closed the bathroom door behind her before she sobbed out loud.
———
Mace heard the squeal of the convertible’s tires. She was gone.
“Okay, knock it off.”
The blonde looked up from what she was doing. And what she was doing was trying to get his pants unzipped. “What’s the matter, baby?”
“Nothing. I paid you to play the part. Not actually do it.” He jerked away from her and stood.
“I don’t mind, honey, if you want to play a little.” She reached for him with her red painted nails. “You’re kind of cute.”
He stepped back away from the bed and tucked his shirt back in. “I do mind.”
The last thing he needed was this woman getting her claws in him. Who knew what diseases she carried? But she was the best he could find in this town; there weren’t too many strip clubs to choose from.
“Oh, come on. You can’t blame a girl from trying.”
Mace dug into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. He threw a fifty on the bed.
“For fifty bucks, you can get a little more than play acting.” She smiled at him, licked her lips, and gave him an over-exaggerated wink.
He looked at her in disgust. She was not for him. “No thanks, I’ll call you a cab.”
“Party-pooper.”
He closed his eyes. Colby had called him a party-pooper once. Yeah, maybe he was.
But he was in no mood to “party” with this woman. He wanted Colby. He wanted her so badly his heart squeezed. She needed to be in his arms where she belonged. She needed to fill his empty bed.
But now she was gone. It was for the best.
Yeah, her leaving was for the best.
Chapter Thirteen
Colby strolled around her newly painted porch, enjoying the evening breeze. She looked out over the front yard. She was extremely happy with her landscaper. The grass was beginning to look like a real yard. The bushes were all pruned and the trees were cut back to allow more light around the house. Soon there would be little patches of flowers around. Like miniature gardens around the trees, up the walk, around the light posts.
She sighed. It was going to be beautiful.
Too bad there was no one to share it with.
At work, Martin had noticed her melancholy and had suggested she go out on a blind date. Even though she had refused each time, he wouldn’t let up. He knew the perfect guy and what do you know? He was straight too. Colby had to laugh at his remark, making Martin smile. He had finally broken her sad streak.
Eventually she had said yes to the blind date. There was no point in just sitting around the house moping every night. It had been three weeks since she had left Mace’s house.
Three weeks. God, three long, miserable weeks.
She missed him.
Hell, she loved him. The idiot had made her go and fall in love with him. Damn him!
He was probably fooling around with every bimbo he could find. She had been nothing but a distraction for him. A temporary plaything. Convenient, since she lived in his home. She had cooked and cleaned and even done his laundry for him. And not to mention helping with his physical therapy. Fool! What a damn fool she was.
Once a fool, always a fool. How many times had she heard women who are abused always look for another abuser. Whether they mean to or not.
Mace might not have been an abuser, but he was definitely a user.
Now she stood here, waiting for a blind date. What was wrong with her? She should give up the male race completely.
A silver four-door sedan pulled up the driveway. A smartly dressed man got out and gave her a slight wave.
“Robert?” Approaching him, she gave him the once-over. His hair was brown, but not nearly as dark as Mace’s. He was much shorter and stockier, but he had a nice smile.
“Hello, you must be Colby.” He took her hand and brushed his lips across her knuckles. A real gentleman. “You are more beautiful than Martin said.”
Colby blushed. “Thank you.”
“Are you ready?”
Colby nodded and gave him a forced smile. Robert opened the car door for her and she slid in. “Ready as I’ll ever be,” she murmured.
———
Mace paced back and forth in front of the restaurant. He paused to peer once more in the window.
What was she doing? Fuck! Who was that with her?
What the hell was he doing here, anyhow? Christ, he was being stupid. Not to mention careless.
He stepped away from the window, disappearing into the darkness. He leaned against the brick building, his fists clenched. He had to make sense of thi
s. When he pushed her out of his bed, his house … his life, he hadn’t expected her to fall into another man’s arms so soon.
How could she be on a date with that guy? And it looked like she was enjoying herself. She kept smiling up at him. The guy looked like such a nerd. Like a fellow scientist… He groaned.
Mace had to refrain from rushing into the restaurant and yanking her out of there. He wanted to throw her over his shoulder and carry her home. Back to him. Back to his bed.
He sucked in a deep breath, tilting his head to look up at the night sky, partly concealed by the street light. He shouldn’t be here. He had to stop tailing her. This wasn’t accomplishing anything, except grief on his part. And it was unsafe for her.
He pushed away from the wall and looked in the window one last time. That’s when he noticed the car. Not only was his dumb ass reflected in the window, but so was a long black Town Car with dark tinted windows.
He tensed. A bullet could strike him any second and he was caught with his pants down. Just like he was following Colby, he had been tailed. Spinozi’s men knew where he was.
They knew he had followed Colby here.
They knew.
Colby would be in danger and he had done it. It was all his fault.
He had to get out of there and lead them away from Colby. He couldn’t risk warning her on the slight chance maybe they didn’t realize Mace was following her. Maybe.
He could only hope.
Fighting a last glance into the restaurant, Mace slipped away into the alley.
———
Robert escorted Colby up the porch. At the front door she turned to face him. “Well, thanks for a nice evening.”
He cradled one of her hands in his. His hand was much softer and smaller than Mace’s. Not one callus. “It was a wonderful evening. I hope you enjoyed it. I certainly did.”
He was eyeing her mouth, and Colby realized with a start he wanted to kiss her. She tugged her hand away gently and stepped back. “Good night.”
Robert looked as though he wanted to say something but refrained. He smiled at her and nodded knowingly. “Yes, good night, Colby. If you don’t mind, I’d like to call you again.”
Banged Up Page 15
