No More Mister Nice Guy

by Linda Randall Wisdom

  “Meredith, I can’t imagine anything happening without you around,” he said with affection warming his voice.

  “Then give me a call, big boy, and I’ll be right over,” she murmured. “The one I want to hear from is you, Shelby. I want to make sure you’re all right. I think I’ll see if Warren’s guardian angel is free for tonight. He really needs to loosen up.”

  They could hear her talking to Allen as the door closed after her.

  Warren shook his head in wonderment. “I swear being around the woman is like shaking up an open bottle of champagne.”

  “You ought to visit a Vegas casino with her if you want to find out what fun is like.” Shelby smiled, pleased to see more color in her father’s face today. She finger-combed his hair, smoothing the thick silver strands. “No matter what happened we were never thrown out.”

  “Did you see the balloons she brought with her?” he asked. “She said too many flowers makes a person think he’s in a funeral parlor and that’s the last place I need to think about.”

  Shelby got up and took a closer look at the helium balloons. “If you can’t get any in a hospital, you’re dead,” she read. Her laughter almost choked in her throat. “That is horrible!”

  “That’s Meredith.”

  She nodded. “True.” She walked back to her chair and sat down, crossing her legs and carefully arranging her skirt around her knee. “How are you feeling?”

  Warren sat back, pressing his palms together in a prayerful attitude. “I’m fine. When are you going to talk about Jed, honey?”

  She kept her smile pasted on her face. “May he rot in hell.”

  “You know you don’t mean that. After all, he saved your life.”

  “And I saved his. We’re even.”

  He heaved a deep sigh. “I’m sorry, Shelby. I was afraid he’d break your heart. I wouldn’t have sent him up there, but I couldn’t think of anyone better to do the job.”

  “I realize that, Dad,” she said hastily, not wanting him to feel guilty. “It’s not that at all. I made the mistake of thinking Jed would be willing to fight for your position since you have to retire. He has no desire to do that. Not even for me.” She whispered the last four words. They struck piercing pain in her heart.

  He shook his head. “I’ll be honest with you. I was surprised the two of you lasted as long as you did. As much as I wanted to talk to you about him, I didn’t, since you’re an adult and I respect your privacy and Jed’s. I could only hope the two of you would find a way to be together or at least part friends.”

  “I wouldn’t say we’ve parted friends,” she said wryly. “Jed doesn’t think there’s anything wrong between us. I told him it was over weeks ago and he refused to believe me. He felt we just needed to talk things out. The trouble is, any time we talk, we only end up battling. I feel it’s better we part and he feels it’s better we don’t. Except I want a commitment and he can’t make one.”

  “Loners have trouble with that,” he murmured.

  Shelby fiddled with the catch on her purse. The battle she had been having with herself was finally settled.

  “I know what you really do,” she said in a low voice.

  Warren’s head whipped up. “You’ve known what I do for years,” he said with a brief smile.

  “I’ve only known what you’ve wanted me to know,” she corrected. “I saw too much up there in the mountains. A man who’s a troubleshooter for an import/export company doesn’t have those kind of skills. Even a man who spends time hiking in the mountains doesn’t have those kind of skills. I watched Jed cover our tracks so they wouldn’t be found. I watched him handle a rifle and a knife as if it was second nature. And I watched him kill a man with that same knife,” she said quietly. “I guessed some, he told me some, but he refused to tell me all, so don’t be too hard on him. It helped me understand a few things.”

  Her father looked away, as if unsure what to say. “I should have known I couldn’t hide it from you forever. For all of us, it was just a way to do business.”

  “And it was Jed’s life.” She was quiet for a moment as she sorted through her thoughts. “Why can’t he believe he can have so much more? What would be so wrong for him in staying stateside?”

  “He didn’t have an easy childhood.”

  “I know that, too. But that doesn’t mean he can’t have a full life,” she argued.

  “You sound as if you’re pleading on his behalf,” Warren murmured.

  Shelby didn’t take her eyes off her father’s face. “Maybe I am.”

  “Then I suggest you talk to him about this, not me.” He smiled. “Jed loves you a great deal, Shelby. He still might have trouble realizing it, so it’s up to you to show him the truth. You’ve gone through some changes in the last couple of weeks. I’d bet my money on you.”

  Shelby was afraid to hope. “But he doesn’t want it.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “He’s said so.”

  “He also told me he’s too old to get shot. I think this last time changed his mind.”

  Shelby quickly dug through her purse and pulled out perfume, lipstick and blush. She took her time making herself presentable. She dropped everything back inside and studied her father.

  “Did Mom ever know?”

  He shook his head. “I felt it was safer that way.”

  “I never thought I could be surprised,” Shelby admitted. “I learned very quickly that I could.” She kissed him. “If this doesn’t work, I’ll either be living in sin or brokenhearted for good,” she warned him.

  He smiled. “I’ll take a shotgun after the man if he thinks he’s going to live in sin with my daughter.”

  “That I’d like to see,” she quipped.

  Shelby fairly flew down the corridor toward the elevator, When she reached Jed’s room, she didn’t knock but stepped inside. She found him on the telephone, and by the look on his face, he wasn’t happy.

  “All right, the scrambler is on. What’s going on?” His face darkened with anger. “What do you mean you can’t find him?” he demanded. “Dammit, all you had to do was keep an eye on him. Was that so difficult?” He showed some surprise at seeing Shelby there but didn’t indicate whether he wanted her to stay or go.

  She took it as an invitation and sat down in the visitor’s chair, shamelessly eavesdropping on his conversation. She heard enough to know what was going on.

  “The man you don’t trust has disappeared?” she asked when he got off the phone.

  He thrust his fingers through his hair, sending the black, shaggy strands falling forward.

  “All he had to do was monitor his movements,” he muttered. “How difficult could that be? It just goes to show that you can’t send someone else to do a job you should have done yourself.”

  Shelby’s heart sank. With a great deal of effort, she forced a smile. “Except you’re busy recuperating,” she finally managed to say.

  “The doctor said if I don’t do anything stupid I can be out in a few days.”

  “Going off after someone who’s in better physical shape than you are right now isn’t exactly bright,” she countered, feeling the tension rise inside her.

  Jed paused. “I’m the only one who understands how he thinks.”

  The silence was deafening.

  “And if you get him out of there no one else would have to worry about any damage he can cause,” Shelby said slowly.

  Jed nodded jerkily. “I have to finish it, Shelby. I can’t let someone else do it for me.”

  She had no idea where her courage came from, but she latched on to it with her fingertips and held on tightly. “Then all I ask is that next time you make sure to duck better than you did the last time,” she said huskily.

  Jed stilled. “What are you saying?”

  She slowly rose to her feet and walked over to the bed, where she carefully sat on the edge. “That you have to do what you do best.”

  Jed pulled Shelby into his arms and held on as if he was afraid
to let go. “What did I ever do to deserve you?” he muttered, feathering kisses across her face.

  She smiled. “Wait until you’re out of here and we’ll discuss that.”

  Chapter 15

  “This is your way of showing me why I deserve you?” Jed teased.

  He had been released that afternoon, and Shelby drove him back to her apartment. She had informed him she wanted to pamper him and it was easier for her to do it there. He hadn’t the heart to tell her he’d already arranged to leave the next morning. With luck, he could track down Barry and be back with Shelby before she had a chance to miss him.

  After a light dinner, she set up the CD player with some sultry jazz and suggested they relax in the hot tub set on the tiny patio just off Shelby’s bedroom. Greenery hung down in trailing vines, creating a privacy screen for them.

  Jed wasn’t certain how Shelby would feel seeing the angry-looking scar, but she only murmured soft words of comfort and kissed the still reddened area.

  “I hope the water won’t hurt it,” she said as they dropped their towels by the hot tub and stepped into the steaming water.

  “No, it will be fine,” he assured her, unable to keep his eyes off her nude body. All the bruises had disappeared and her cuts had healed. All he saw was lightly tanned skin and deep pink nipples that peaked in the cool air. But there was so much more to her beauty than that. This was the woman who showed him a lighter side of life, and he found himself starting to like it.

  “Good.” Shelby settled down next to him. She looped her arms around his neck and trailed kisses across his collarbone.

  “I thought making love in a hot tub was dangerous to one’s health.” He groaned when her hand brushed across him.

  “Oh, we’re not going to make love here,” she said in a breathy tone. “We’re just going to indulge in some foreplay. Is that all right with you?”

  He grasped her by the waist and pulled her up onto his lap. “More than all right.” He ran the tip of his tongue across the delicate arch of her eyebrow. He cupped her breast in his palm, feeling the sweet weight. His thumb flicked across the nipple.

  Shelby moaned into his open mouth. “I don’t want to injure you,” she whispered.

  “You’ll do more injury if you walk away,” he said huskily.

  She smiled the smile of a siren, meant to seduce. “I don’t intend to walk away, Jed. Nor run away.”

  He grew still as her words sunk in. “Are you sure? I don’t know what I can offer you.”

  She reached down and fondled him, feeling his steely length pulse against her hands. “Then we’ll just take it one day at a time.”

  Jed tasted her with the hunger of a man long denied. It had been an endless long four days in the hospital. Shelby had divided her time between him and her father, and Jed had cherished every moment spent with her. He’d even gritted his teeth when Meredith stopped by with a balloon bouquet—and almost fallen out of bed when he discovered the middle balloon was phallus shaped.

  “Just so you don’t forget what’s important,” Meredith explained with a bright smile before drifting off to Warren’s room, where she entertained him with cutthroat games of poker.

  Jed also learned Allen was falling under the brunette’s spell.

  “I’m not sure whether to warn him or just let him find out on his own,” he told Shelby.

  “He’s a big boy. He can take care of himself,” she’d replied.

  At that moment, Jed could not have cared less about anything. Not when he had Shelby in his arms and she wasn’t going to run anymore. Now he knew what they meant by something being music to one’s ears. He kissed her again and again, thrusting his tongue inside to capture her taste and blend it with his own.

  It wasn’t long before they realized staying in the hot tub left them in danger of drowning. Shelby climbed out and picked up her towel, wrapping it around her. She knew it wouldn’t be a good idea for Jed to try to pick her up.

  They ran into the bedroom and fell onto the bed.

  “This is much better,” Jed murmured, kicking the covers down to the end.

  Shelby smiled. “No rocks.” Her hands lingered at his waist.

  “No dirt everywhere.” He nibbled on her earlobe.

  “No bugs.” She caressed lower.

  It took a moment for Jed to think. “No granola bars.”

  Shelby giggled. “Ah, you ruined tomorrow’s breakfast surprise.”

  Jed pulled her over on top of him. He closed his eyes in bliss as he felt her moist warmth envelop him.

  “Now this is what I call physical therapy,” he muttered, keeping his hands at her waist as she moved against him in counterpoint to his own rhythm.

  Shelby was afraid of breaking open Jed’s wound again, and she moved carefully. His eyes remained focused on her face and its variety of emotions. Soon both forgot about his wound as the fire erupted within them.

  Afterward, they lay on their sides, their legs tangled together. Jed stroked Shelby’s hair away from her face where damp strands had clung to her cheeks and lips. Lips he couldn’t resist kissing again and again.

  “I understand the nurses threw a party when they found out you were being discharged.” Shelby traced the line of his collarbone.

  “There were a few who mourned my departure,” he teased.

  “Maybe that’s what they told you….”

  Jed kissed the words away. Then he abruptly yawned. “Sorry.”

  “You still need to rest,” she reminded him, as she reached down for the covers and pulled them up over their bodies.

  Jed thought of telling her he was leaving in the morning, then discarded the idea. This time, he didn’t want anything to mar their time together. It wasn’t long before he felt her body slacken as she drifted off to sleep.

  “I guess they were right,” he murmured against her hair. “You accomplished the impossible, Shelby. I fell in love with you.”

  Shelby wasn’t alarmed when she woke up late that morning and found Jed gone. Until she realized the shower wasn’t running and the rooms felt too quiet.

  “Jed?” she called out.

  What if something’s happened to him and he can’t answer?

  Alarmed, she jumped out of bed and made a quick survey of the condo. It wasn’t until she reached the entryway that she found the envelope with her name written in a bold hand on the front.

  “No,” she whimpered. Her hand trembled as she reached for the envelope and tore it open.

  I know. You’re furious with me for not telling you ahead of time, but I thought it would be better this way. I need to be the one to settle the problem. I hope you still understand that.

  You weren’t the only one rescued up that mountain. You rescued a part of me, too.

  Love,

  Jed

  Shelby’s eyes sparkled with tears as she traced the word love.

  “I knew there was hope for you,” she whispered.

  “And you’re absolutely sure you’re doing the right thing?” Meredith asked Shelby over the phone.

  Shelby held the cordless unit between her ear and shoulder as she leaned toward the bathroom mirror and applied mascara.

  “Oh, yes.”

  “Are you going to the airport?”

  “Dad was able to find out what time he’d be coming in so I could meet the plane,” she replied. “Jed had hoped to be gone less than a week and instead was gone three weeks. I’m not about to let him walk off that plane and not see me.”

  “Then I’m very glad for you.”

  “How’s it going with Allen?”

  “The man is so stoic it’s incredible. I told him if I didn’t know better I’d swear he worked for the government,” Meredith exclaimed.

  Shelby choked on her laughter. “Really?”

  “Are you all right?”

  “Fine,” she said in a high-pitched voice.

  “Allen told me I have an incredible imagination and I told him I didn’t care what he did.”

  She
lby glanced at her watch. “Meredith, I have to run if I want to be there in time.”

  “Yes, you have three weeks to make up for.” She chuckled. “Have fun!”

  Shelby drove to the airport with one eye watching the rearview mirror. The last thing she needed was a speeding ticket. The day before, she had seen her father off on a cruise to Alaska. Judging from the interested looks he had gotten from several women, she doubted he’d lack for company.

  Shelby already had the proper paperwork to allow her into the private terminal where Jed’s plane would land. She made sure to arrive early and eagerly paced the length of the small building.

  “Miss Carlisle,” the dispatcher called out. “Mr. Hawkins’s flight is landing now.”

  She ran to the double doors and pushed them outward. She was standing at the top of the steps when the private jet rolled to a stop and the door slid open. She stood on tiptoes, ready with a cheery wave, when Jed appeared in the open doorway. The first thing she noticed was that he was in need of a shave, his clothes were rumpled and he looked tired.

  Shelby’s smile dimmed further when he descended the metal stairway with a decided limp, carrying a cane in one hand.

  Even the look of astonishment on his face and the warmth flooding his features as he slowly made his way toward her couldn’t bring back her smile.

  “What happened?” she demanded, bracing her hands on her hips. “Did you get shot again? I swear, Jed Hawkins, you’re looking to get killed! What am I going to have to do? Tie you to the bed to keep you safe?” She was shouting by the time he hauled her into his arms and silenced her the best way he knew.

  As always, Shelby melted under his kiss. But it didn’t stop the picture of him limping toward her.

  “Yes, I had a pleasant flight and yes, our traitor is now in custody.” He deliberately answered questions she hadn’t asked. “And no, I didn’t get shot.”

  She punched him in the shoulder. “You shouldn’t have frightened me that way! Then what happened? He didn’t use a knife, did he? Or something else?”

  Jed grimaced. He draped an arm around her shoulders as they walked into the terminal.

  “Nothing that dramatic. I was running for my flight and I slid on a wet patch on the floor and sprained my ankle,” he groused. He tightened his grip and stopped Shelby midstep. “I have to tell you, I’m too damn old for all this. Jasper wants to return to his old office and I told him I’d be willing to take over Warren’s.”