If the Dark Wins (Finley Creek Book 4)

by Calle J. Brookes

  But if he was insistent on staying, it was going to be on her terms. Men always wanted something. She knew that. And she suspected exactly what he wanted.

  If she gave him a kiss goodnight tonight, it wouldn’t be a chaste one. She had no doubt of that.

  “Get inside. I have extra.”

  When he followed her inside she pulled an extra plate from the cabinet—she just had the three—and began dividing the food.

  Travis made himself at home in her kitchen, grabbing silverware and cups.

  It was the first time she’d ever had a man in her home like this.

  Except for Jillian’s family, that was.

  The meal went smoothly, of course. She’d suspected it would.

  Travis was good at putting people at ease, even her. Even with the heat still in his eyes when he looked at her. After they were finished cleaning the remnants of the meal away, he stood.

  And then his hands were there. She ended up in his arms for far longer than she should have been. But the kiss was sweeter than she’d expected. He wasn’t pushing—he was letting her make the choice, wasn’t he? Giving her control, even though he was relentless in what he wanted.

  Damn him. He knew just what to do to get past her defenses.

  Somehow he led her out to the porch and to the old swing Kevin had made certain was safe for her.

  Lacy let him scoot her close to him. Let him wrap one heavy arm around her and cuddle her.

  Damn it, she hadn’t been cuddled in a long, long time.

  It had been a long time since she was just held by someone.

  He settled on her porch swing, of all places, and she left him there. Better to let him know how they were going to be from now on. Not to let him get any crazy ideas.

  Get him wanting something she had no intention of giving him.

  Still... She’d enjoyed his kisses earlier. And hadn’t felt the least bit threatened by them. Well, not physically. To her emotional well-being it was a different story. Emotionally, Travis Worthington-Deane was damned dangerous.

  He’d given her a lot to think about.

  Still, Lacy found herself drifting off to sleep a lot easier than she ever would have expected.

  34

  He should have insisted she let him take the couch, at least. Travis had fallen off the swing fifteen times since she’d locked him out. It wasn’t making for a comfortable night, by any means. But it was better than the alternative. He wasn’t about to leave her alone and something happen to her.

  The mere thought of something happening to that woman had him breaking out in a cold sweat again.

  When he’d finally drifted off again near two or so, he thought he was finally doing good.

  Until a sudden bark of thunder shook the entire porch. The lightning was only a nanosecond after.

  And too damned close for Travis’ comfort.

  He cursed and jumped off the swing. He wasn’t about to stay out there. Not unless he wanted to visit Oz the hard way. He pounded on the door. “Lace? McGareth!”

  The door swung open and there she was. “Hurry. Radio says there’s a tornado just north of Value, headed this way!”

  They were directly between Value and Finley Creek and Travis knew with one more look at the sky that their properties were going to take some damage. But he couldn’t worry about that now. They had to get to safety and fast. “Shelter?

  “Behind the house.” She had him by the hand and was pulling him. Travis didn’t hesitate. He grabbed for the door to the basement entrance and flipped the outside latch.

  “Get in.” He pulled the door shut behind him. There was a bar to latch it on the inside as well. He did, then hit the display button on his phone.

  Travis wanted to see the woman he was with. “You ok, honey?”

  “I almost didn’t hear the warning.” She shivered. He took a good look at her; she wasn’t wearing much. Just a tiny tank top and little red shorts that hugged all the right places. Travis quickly blessed Mother Nature and all of her glory. “I almost missed it.”

  “Hey, you did hear it. And now we’re safe.”

  “And cold.”

  He manfully avoided looking down where women tended to be obviously cold. He was a gentleman, after all. And he knew his Lacy, knew she would be nervous and out of sorts having him so close to her. She was like a little half-wild kitten in that way. “Is there a light in here? We can find some blankets.”

  “I have fresh supplies in the cabinet over there. Jillian and Ari are both very leery of storms, especially after what happened to Brynna a few months back. Whenever they’re out here and it storms we hang out in here until it’s over.”

  She grabbed a blanket and handed it to him. Travis wiped the rain off his forehead then swung the blanket around his shoulders, as she did the same. There was an outdoor couch on one side of the cellar and a chaise lounge across from it. The back wall held clear plastic totes loaded with what he recognized as snack foods. There was even a television in the dry little shelter.

  And if he sniffed just right, he missed the smell of underground and found the soft scent of women instead. A man couldn’t really complain.

  She reached behind the shelf with food and flipped a switch. A low light glowed above them.

  Travis took the opportunity to study her. Her hair stuck up in cute little blonde lumps everywhere. He hadn’t seen her hair down before, had he? There was more curl to it than he’d have expected. Untamed, like her in a lot of ways.

  He wanted to touch. His hands itched to touch in a way that shocked him, even though he was far from inexperienced in the ways of attraction. Something about her made him itch, didn’t it?

  “So... what do we do now?” He knew what he wanted to do. Scoop her up and cuddle her right there on that green vinyl couch. Spread that blanket out beneath her and explore what those little shorts covered. But that had to be her idea. And not his.

  Lacy was feisty, he wouldn’t deny that, but he had a feeling that fire hid more hurt than she would ever want anyone to know.

  Even with those two little friends of hers she talked about a lot, he got the feeling she was more alone than any one person should be.

  “Come here, I’m cold.” That knowledge made him tenderer than he otherwise would have been. He held out a hand to her. Coaxed.

  LACY’S FEET moved before her head did. By the time she thought to be hesitant, to say no, she was already wrapped up in the man’s arms.

  This felt nothing like the evening on her porch before the shed fire. This...had a different kind of fire building in her stomach that she couldn’t really identify.

  She’d had sex with men before--not many, but it had happened--and she knew what attraction, what lust felt like. But never had it felt like this.

  A mix of intensity, attraction, longing, fear...all of it mingled in her, causing her breath to catch and her fingers to tremble around the blanket.

  And then his hand was there, wrapping around hers and pulling her up on her toes, until he could press his lips to hers.

  Lacy closed her eyes and wrapped her fingers around the damp flannel of his shirt. Like a wishy-washy wimp from one of those romance novels Mel was trying to write, she clung to the handsome and strong sexy man in front of her.

  For the first time, Lacy kissed him back just as fervently as he kissed her.

  When he pulled away they were both breathing hard, and she knew that she’d made a grave mistake.

  “Ok. Some personal space before we do something stupid.”

  “I don’t think it would be stupid, at all.” He brushed the pads of his fingers against her cheek lightly. “If you would just let me in. I’m not going to ever hurt you, Lacy Renee.”

  35

  Lacy woke the next morning, crowded on a green vinyl couch with a large male arm keeping her from falling to the cement floor. She could feel his warmth surrounding her.

  His hand was under her tank top, in a place that felt far too good, but was far too wrong for
her state of mind.

  She carefully extracted herself and stared at him. Strong, warm, loving.

  Kind.

  Unthreatening.

  Trust-worthy. He hadn’t forced her to do anything last night. Not at all.

  And she had trusted him enough to sleep right next to him.

  He’d spent the night in her cellar. The two of them had been in there for most of the early morning hours, snuggled on the couch, eating her snacks.

  And dozing.

  She’d slept in a man’s arms for the first time in her life—without having sex with him first. She wondered if he understood the enormity of that.

  He hadn’t pushed for more than a few kisses. And his hands had slipped into territory that they shouldn’t have—but he’d pulled back when she’d reined him in.

  And then he’d snuggled her and entertained her by singing Conway Twitty songs. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d enjoyed being with a man more.

  It left her feeling a little gooier where he was concerned, that was for sure.

  When they came out of the cellar they took stock of the damage.

  One of her trees was uprooted, and it had taken down some of his new fencing. Some of the shingles on the roof had blown clear to Oklahoma, or so it looked. But it was easily fixable.

  Travis climbed up the old TV antenna and took a look around. “You need a new roof. Just in general. But I don’t think there is any new damage.”

  “You’re paying for my new roof, sir. With your rent checks.”

  “If you’d like to make a deal, I’ll give you twenty-five percent less next month, but you buy the materials to fix this and I’ll send Hank and some of the boys over and they can get it done for you.”

  “Let me think about it.” She didn’t want to grow dependent on this man. Didn’t he realize that? As much as she liked him, it just wouldn’t be a good idea in the long run. Surely he understood that? “I need to get ready for work.”

  “If you’d like, I’ll drive you. That thing of yours have 4-wheel drive?”

  “Just front-wheel.”

  “I’m pretty certain the road has most likely washed out. I’ll take you in the truck, then stop off and get the water hose for my tractor when I’m in town. I got a text that it was ready for pick up. I’ll head home, take a quick shower and get back. How’s that sound?”

  “Doable.”

  “Good. If we have time, I’ll even spring for breakfast. If we hit the all-you-can-eat four dollar pancakes place. I have eight dollars and ninety-two cents.” He stood, hands on hips, and stared down at her from her own roof. “How does that sound?”

  “Absolutely perfect.” In the meantime, she was going to take a shower herself. And try to decide just what she was supposed to do about him next.

  The man knew how to change her entire perception of the world, didn’t he?

  Change just happened too fast sometimes.

  36

  Rafe waited for the woman he needed to speak with to arrive. He’d received a notice from Human Resources that one of his ER trauma surgeons-in-training had openly defied one of her supervisors regarding a prescription. The formal complaint would be kept in her file.

  Unfortunately, the woman in question had far too many complaints in her file.

  More than half had come from Logan Lanning. That didn’t lend much credence to the complaints in his estimation, though.

  Lacy McGareth was going to find herself in seriously hot water someday, but the hospital knew they were lucky to have a hotshot-in-training like her on the staff.

  He’d already been subtly reminded of that.

  And of the woman’s connection to some hefty donors. Not something a COM would forget.

  Damn it. He hated politics. That was more Marcus’ thing.

  He reviewed the complaints quickly. She’d apparently called Lanning a toad, at one point. And the man had reported her. Most of the ones from Lanning were so petty in nature they were easily ignored.

  Except the most recent.

  This last one involved Solpalmitraln. And that was enough to catch Rafe’s attention.

  Of all the physicians in the hospital, only two had voiced concerns regarding the new supposed wonder drug.

  Lacy McGareth and Virat Patel. Two physicians Rafe had to admit he trusted more than the others in their department.

  Virat’s paper that Fin had given him to read had been discredited, when Rafe didn’t think it should have been.

  It made him wonder.

  The study with Claireson Pharm’s newest product was slated to bring the hospital worldwide attention, if the study had positive results.

  No drug was as completely wonderful as Solpalmitraln was being touted to be. None.

  There was always something.

  Rafe stepped down into the lobby to wait for the woman he needed to see to arrive.

  She arrived—with his brother right next to her.

  What in the hell?

  He’d known Travis knew her—it was hard to miss the big sign with McGareth painted on it near her turn-off—and he’d seen his brother flirting with her himself. But for them to be together at nearly nine in the morning, meant they’d most likely been together a hell of a lot longer than just the thirty-minute drive into town.

  It made sense, didn’t it? The woman Travis had mentioned had been his neighbor—and her little redheaded friend could only be that she-devil Beck. Damn it.

  This was a complication Rafe just didn’t need.

  He approached the two. “Dr. McGareth, I need to see you in my office.”

  She started, and the smile on her beautiful face faltered. The wariness was almost instantaneous.

  Rafe didn’t miss the glare his brother shot him.

  “Good morning, Rafe. See you’re a ray of sunshine this morning.”

  “Dr. McGareth?”

  “Give me a minute to at least hit my locker, sir.”

  “Of course. I’ll be in my office in five.” Rafe looked at his brother. “Trav? Half an hour? I’m due for a coffee soon. Or I’m going to turn surly.”

  “And we can’t have that.” He almost swore McGareth was the one who mumbled it. He glared at her next.

  She just gave him a killer angelic smile that would knock any man back a mile.

  No wonder his brother looked like toast.

  Damn it.

  37

  Logan pushed the hurt away when he casually asked about Dr. McGareth and learned nothing had happened since the fire.

  No one mentioned that she’d received flowers after.

  Didn’t women always tell their friends whenever they got flowers? Especially expensive ones.

  He’d sent her flowers. And…nothing? It wasn’t even mentioned at the hospital. The fire was all the rage, but his flowers?

  Didn’t all women love flowers and chocolates?

  It hadn’t helped his temper that he’d overheard Wanda and Cherise talking about Lacy’s ride to work that morning.

  Travis Worthington-Deane. Damn him. Had the man been there when the flowers arrived? Had he lied and told her that he’d sent them?

  Had she cooed and awed over them with him?

  Logan slammed his locker door a little too hard.

  Virat Patel, that damned surgeon who was after Lanning’s position, looked at him. “You ok, Logan?”

  “Just a small problem with a woman.” He didn’t want to talk to Patel. They weren’t exactly friends. But then again…

  Lacy and Patel were friends, weren’t they?

  Had they been lovers?

  The rage that he felt threatened to bubble over. Logan shoved it right back down.

  “I know the feeling.”

  “I’ll figure it out.”

  The lounge door opened and there she was, with Fin Coulter and that timid little brunette nurse again. They were laughing about something.

  Lacy looked up and smiled at Logan. All his rage just melted away.

  Until he realized it wa
sn’t him she was looking at like that.

  It was Virat Patel. That cocky prick who was out to take everything from Logan that he had worked so hard to achieve.

  It had been the Deanes first, but now it was Patel.

  But then again, hadn’t Holden-Deane and Patel been lab partners way back in the day at FCU?

  Maybe he and Holden-Deane were already planning something?

  Logan stormed out of the lounge, all his rage returning. In spades.

  38

  Lacy tried not to let anxiety take ahold of her. It wasn’t that often that she was blitz attacked the moment she walked into the hospital. She tossed her stuff in her locker and told Virat where she was headed. He’d have to be the one to send out a life-raft if Holden-Deane decided to toss her overboard. Or out the window.

  He’d changed the office a bit since Lanning had had it, making it less cold and sterile. Which surprised her. “Dr. Holden-Deane, here I am. What did I do? This week?”

  “This.” He handed her a familiar form. “You’ll need to sign off on it that I counseled you not to do it again, etc. etc.”

  She took the complaint and read it quickly. “Well, at least this one is the truth.”

  “There been some that weren’t?”

  “A few. Most are true, though. I did call Lanning a toad. And a few other things.”

  “I see.”

  Lacy might have missed it, but she almost thought a flash of humor had hit those brown eyes of his. “So…how in trouble am I for this?”

  “Depends. Why did you refuse to follow Lanning’s orders?”

  “One. He’s not my direct supervisor, Jacobson is. Two. Solpalmitraln makes me leery. And I’m starting to get concerned.”

  His attention sharpened. “Over what?”

  Lacy decided it wouldn’t hurt to give him a quick run-down. She wouldn’t mention any names. But he was the COM.

  And that meant information.

  “I’ve heard rumors, and had a few patients tell me that it’s causing side effects that weren’t reported in the early studies. I don’t like using my patients for Claireson Pharm’s gains. I’ve met the Claireson guy and I just don’t trust him. He’s slimy, with roving hands.”