by Amber Rides
“Why would they stop them?”
“Because it’s the right fucking thing to do!”
“I don’t think they even noticed I existed.”
From across the car, I met his gaze. I waited for him to make a connection. To realize that he could’ve been, quite literally, one of those guys. There was just one year separating my jail-sentence at the high school where he’s been king.
But he just stared back at me, fury and frustration clear on his face.
And even though he didn’t know it, his next statement hammered home my point.
“If I ever came close to that kind of bullshit, bullying behavior, heads would fucking roll.”
It was that much worse because he truly sounded like he meant it.
“I wish I’d known you,” I said softly, wondering if he could tell at all that I meant it in more than a dreamy, abstract way.
“Me too,” he replied, then reached over to touch my scarred cheek and added vehemently, “Never again, Maggie. I won’t let anyone hurt you.”
Before I could answer, before I could tell him that we’d really just met less than twenty-four hours earlier, and that he could go back to not knowing me just as quickly, he kicked the car into gear and pulled us back onto the road. As we passed Donnie, Teekay shot him a dark grin and a wave, and I decided not to mention it at all.
Instead, I let the idea that Theodore Kimball Marcus cared wash over me. I let myself believe it meant something. And for the first time in as long as I could remember, I let myself feel valued.
6)
When we hit the edge of town where the road split, and one turn led to the highway and the other led directly into the village of St-Marie Pierre, I expected to Teekay to take the highway. There certainly weren’t any stores in town that carried high-end items like the ones in his sister’s closet. So I was surprised when he turned up Main Street instead. I was even more surprised when he drove straight past the eclectic selection of shops and street vendors that lined the road. He then took us to a four-way stop which led into a residential neighborhood – one of the only medium density areas in St-Marie Pierre and occupied by year-round residents.
But Teekay navigated the streets with easy familiarity, and when he finally stopped in front of one of the houses, he gave no indication that he was lost.
“We’re here,” he announced.
I looked around blankly. “Where?”
He nodded toward the house, and I turned just in time to see a tiny, dark-haired girl, draped in colorful clothing and piles of gold and silver jewelry, whip open the front door and come dancing down the steps toward us.
“Lydia’s place,” Teekay said, and hopped out.
He didn’t even make it around to my side of the car before the girl – presumably Lydia – threw herself at him. And even though she was tiny, she somehow gave me the impression that she was swallowing Teekay whole. Through the windshield, I watched the prolonged hug. It gave me an uneasy feeling and muted the hopefulness that had been buoying my heart.
After several very long moments, she finally released him, and when they both turned in my direction, I dropped my eyes to my lap. But I wasn’t going to escape that easily.
Teekay opened my door, pulled me out, and guided me toward the girl.
I kept my gaze down until she grabbed both my hands and exclaimed, “So lucky to have that scar!”
My eyes flew up as I tried to process her words. And I was surprised to see that Lydia wasn’t a girl at all, but a middle-aged woman with a well-lined face. I took a startled step away and crashed into Teekay, who wrapped his arms around my shoulders protectively.
“Lydia!” he scolded good-naturedly.
“What?” the woman replied. “It’s the truth. Without that mark, she would be pretty. With it, she’s stunning. Could command a room.”
Teekay chuckled. “I’m afraid Maggie’s a little shyer than you are.”
Lydia scoffed. “For now. Give her a chance to bloom and you’ll see what I see.”
Teekay squeezed me even tighter. “Pretty sure I already see it. Maybe better than you do.”
“Hmmph. Maybe.”
Teekay laughed again, then introduced us formerly. “Maggie, this is Lydia. Lydia, meet Maggie.”
The older woman reached out and drew me into an unexpected hug. And in spite of the fact that she was at least three inches shorter than my own petite five-foot-two frame, her embrace was powerful. After just a second, I gave in and hugged her back.
Twice, I thought. Twice in a twenty-four period, I’ve willingly hugged a stranger.
I squeezed her a little harder.
“Good,” she said into my shoulder, and when she let me go, I was almost reluctant to be released.
“Lydia used to be a nanny,” Teekay said with a wink. “Until I broke the mold.”
“Broke my heart is more like it. Refusing to marry my daughter.”
“She’s fifteen years older than I am.”
“And far more beautiful.”
“She ran off with a goatherd.”
“A billionaire,” Lydia corrected.
Teekay was grinning ear to ear. “Try not to sound too smug or I’ll forget you’re heartbroken.”
“Hard to forget how you just about drove me into an early grave,” Lydia countered.
I listened to the exchange, enjoying the banter between them. I liked this easygoing side of Teekay. And even though I’d just met her, I liked Lydia too.
She was smiling at me. “So now I’m a seamstress.”
“Which is why we’re here,” Teekay added.
Lydia’s eyes lit up. “You should’ve told me that in the first place. We’ve been wasting precious time.”
“We’re not in a hurry, Lydia,” Teekay teased. “We just want to get it right.”
“I never get it wrong,” the tiny woman replied.
She ushered us around to the back of her house, where I was astounded to see a full service clothing shop. The store was lit up with colorful fabrics and I didn’t know where to look first, or where to look longest.
“Repurposed, mostly,” Lydia explained. “I buy from the thrift shop and then make what I’ve bought into something nice. Dresses and skirts. The occasional blouse. I hand make a few things. Timeless, I like. Trendy, I don’t.”
As she spoke, the older woman pushed Teekay into an antique armchair, then guided me to a curtained change room.
She continued to speak about her clothing selections, throwing out color combinations that made me cringe.
“Red and yellow? Hmm. Where is that chartreuse skirt? Charcoal. I don’t know where this came from. No. Not that purple.”
And at last she made a satisfied noise and slipped into the change room beside me.
I expected her to hand me a rainbow-hued selection of clothing, but the only thing she held out was piece of black fabric and a strip of something shiny and silver.
“This is it,” Lydia announced. “Not even on the rack yet. Put it on and let me see.”
She exited the change room once more, and a wave of self-doubt rolled over me. All the vibrant colors in Lydia’s shop and the item – the one item – she chose for me was the most basic of all. A little black dress.
I shoved aside my disappointment, reminded myself it was a gift, and stripped off my borrowed clothes.
I held the dress out. The fabric was so airy it almost felt like nothing at all. And it had no buttons or zippers. It didn’t even have a hook and eye. If it wasn’t for the belt, it would’ve had no weight whatsoever.
As I slipped it over my head, I turned and caught sight of myself in the mirror. Before I could stop it, a little gasp escaped from my lips.
“Oh!”
The dress looked like it had been made just for me.
The bodice was strapless and hugged my breasts perfectly. An empire waist cinched flatteringly underneath that, and the lower half of the dress was free flowing with an uneven hem. The front bared a dangerous amount
of thigh while the back brushed the backs of my calves. The belt hung loose on my hips in a way that added a solidity to the whole look, bringing something extra to the otherwise bohemian ensemble. Without the shining strand, the dress would’ve been completely ethereal.
Beautiful.
I blushed as the word popped into my head. But I felt it.
Slowly, I brought my hand up to unfasten my hair from its untidy ponytail. I ran my fingers through the pale blonde mess, trying to smooth it out. I wanted to see the tips of it shimmer against the dress, to spin in a circle and see my hair and the fabric twirl out in a contrast of light and dark.
Spontaneously, I decided to do it. But just as I began my pirouette, Lydia pushed back the curtain. I froze, balanced on my toes, and my face went bright red.
My eyes flew to the chair where Teekay had been sitting. It was empty.
Lydia followed my gaze and smiled. “I sent him out to clear some bushes. Makes him feel useful.”
She pulled me by the arm, positioned me in front of the mirror, and tugged at the dress. Her smile became smug.
“Even better than I thought,” she said.
I started to give her a shy nod, but my eyes fixed on the price tag, which had slipped out when she made her adjustments.
“Five hundred dollars!” I gasped.
Lydia snapped the tag off. “It doesn’t matter.”
“I can’t let Teekay spend five hundred dollars on me.”
“He’s not going to. The dress is a gift from me.”
“I can’t accept it.”
Lydia pursed her lips. “You’ve got a problem with gifts?”
“Only when they cost more than my whole wardrobe!” I replied.
The other woman shrugged. “That’s a rich tourist price. They pay more because they can. And because they want to.”
“I still can’t take it.”
“Because your pride’s in the way?”
I colored again. “I’m not too proud to accept it. I’m too…too…I don’t know. It feels wrong. It felt wrong when it was Teekay buying it. It feels even worse to take away your livelihood.”
“He hasn’t talked to you about his life, has he? I hoped – Well. It doesn’t matter,” Lydia said with a headshake, and began to work her fingers through my knotted mess of hair. “Without the generosity of the Marcus family, I would have no livelihood. Twenty-three years ago, I came here from the Philippines with nothing. I left behind my daughter and my husband and I had no idea when I’d see them again. My cousin came over and it took eleven years to gain citizenship. But Mr. Marcus gave me a job, caring for his children. Then he sponsored my family and within two years, both my husband and my daughter were here. Then my sister and her family. When my husband passed suddenly a few years ago, Mr. Marcus made sure the insurance did what it was supposed to. When I retired from nannying, he provided the down payment for my business. So what you think of us charity, I see as a tiny dent in a debt that can never truly be repaid. So take the dress from Teekay or take it from me. Either way, that boy – who I love like he was my own – brought you here for a dress. And this is the dress you’re getting.”
I opened my mouth to reply, but as I lifted my head to meet her eyes, I spotted Teekay instead. He stood just behind us, a walking-length tree branch in his hands. A light sheen of sweat covered his brow, and he was breathing a little heavily with the exertion of the task he’d just completed for Lydia. But that wasn’t what cemented my feet to the floor. It was the look in his eyes.
They travelled the length of my body. Hungrily. Worshipfully. It was like I was being tasted from afar.
No. More than tasted. Savored.
Teekay drank in my bare feet, my ankles, and my calves. He sipped on my knees and my thighs before he took a gulp of my hips and my abdomen. He lingered on my breasts, just long enough to appreciate them, but not so long as to make me uncomfortable. And then his eyes found my face, and they were full of warm appreciation.
Never in my life had I been looked at like that. Never had I felt so beautiful.
And it sealed my decision.
“I’ll take the dress,” I said softly, and Lydia tipped her head down in a satisfied nod.
7)
Once I had Teekay’s sister’s clothes bundled into a plastic shopping bag, and Lydia had hugged each of us no less than six times, we finally began our walk back to the car. We’d just reached it when I noticed Donnie’s vehicle was no longer on the street behind Teekay’s.
“What about your bodyguard?” I asked.
“What about him?” Teekay replied.
“Where is he?”
Teekay shrugged as he unlocked and opened my door. “He drove into town to get drive-thru.”
I thought of Donnie’s frustration at Teekay the previous evening. I dreaded the idea of a repeat incident.
“Aren’t you going to tell him we’re leaving?” I wanted to know.
“Why?”
“So he doesn’t get mad?”
Teekay slammed the door shut again, and in a heartbeat, he had me framed with his arms, pinned against the car, and unable to move.
“Why the fuck do you care so much what that piece of shit thinks?” he demanded.
“I don’t.”
“Oh, c’mon, darlin’,” Teekay said mockingly, and ran a finger down my cheek. “Be honest. Tell me what it is about the old man that makes you want to please him.”
“I don’t care about Donnie.”
“Bullshit. You were eager as hell to defend him last night. You were thinking about him watching us out in the woods today. Now you’re worried about upsetting him again.”
My face was warm. “It’s you I care about.”
“How the fuck does that follow?”
I cringed away from the disbelieving fury in his voice, but I made myself answer. “He might hurt you.”
“He might – What?”
“Last night, when Donnie had you pinned to the ground…I saw it. I heard him threaten you. I just don’t want you to get hurt.”
Teekay’s eyes widened. “Maggie…Are you trying to protect me?”
“Yes,” I whispered.
Slowly, he reached into his jeans pocket and pulled out his phone. Without looking away from my face, he pressed a button, and I could hear the ring on the other end, and then Donnie’s voice.
“What?”
“Hi, Donnie,” Teekay greeted. “We’re done at Lydia’s.”
“Yeah?” Donnie replied.
“Didn’t want you to think I was using your lunch break to give you the slip. Again.”
“What the fuck are you up to?”
Teekay’s mouth twisted irritably, but he kept his tone pleasant. “Not up to anything. Just keeping you in the loop. We can drive to you, or we can wait for you here.”
There was a long pause. “I’m in front of the Mexican place.”
“See you in ten.” Teekay slid the phone back into his pocket and touched my cheek. “Done. I’m safe. You happy?”
“Yes. Thank you.”
“Do you have any idea what you’re doing to me, Maggie? How crazy you’re making me feel? Every time I think I’ve got it under control, you do something else and I feel like I’m going to lose it all over again,” he said, his voice rough with unchecked emotion. “When I had you in my arms on the beach, I knew I wanted you. When I had you on the back of my bike and you were holding on for dear life I knew I had to have you. That sweet, vulnerable need…But then I got you upstairs and I knew I had to take my time. I liked feeling you wet and waiting. Now you’re here, in this dress, trying to keep me safe…You’re going to fucking kill me.”
“I’m—” I cut myself off, mid-apology and filled it in with, “Not sorry.”
Teekay’s laugh was low and sexy. “I’m so glad to hear it.”
He slipped one of his hands up to the back of my neck and into my hair. He tugged gently and my head went back, exposing my throat. He brought his face to my bare flesh and dragged
his lips over it lightly.
“If you would quit being so damned stubborn and ask me,” he murmured against my neck. “I could kiss you up here.” His fingers tripped to my chin and his thumb grazed my lips. “And here.” His other palm slid up my waist and to my breasts, where he made a teasing circle over each of my already tender nipples. “And definitely here.”
“Teekay,” I breathed.
But whatever I’d been about to add went straight out of my head as his hands continued their exploration of my body. Stroking. Rubbing. Claiming. Then his longing-filled eyes met mine.
“Tell me you feel it too.”
His voice was laced with uncharacteristic uncertainty. The quiet desperation made my knees weak and suddenly Teekay was holding me up, a concerned expression on his face.
“Darlin’?”
“I’m fine,” I assured him, a slight tremor making the words less convincing.
“You look like you might faint.”
I would’ve blushed, but the blood in my body was working too hard at keeping me upright. I swayed a little.
“I just – I haven’t eaten today,” I said.
“Shit.” Teekay pulled away from me. “Bad fucking hero again. I ate before I swam. Get in the car. I’m feeding you.”
He eased me away from the passenger side door, opened it, and helped me in. Sitting down felt good. And without Teekay pressed into me, I could breathe properly again too.
“I’m all right,” I said as he started the engine.
“If you’re near to fainting, you’re not all right,” he argued.
“Seriously,” I replied with a forced laugh. “I’m okay. I had to go without eating for fifty-two hours once. This is no big deal.”
It was the wrong thing to say. I knew it as soon as the words were out of my mouth. Because even though Teekay’s gaze was still fixed out the front windshield, I could easily see the change in the set of his jaw.
“I’m going to regret asking this. I know it,” he muttered. “But why the hell would you have to go fifty-two hours without eating?”
“It was nothing. Some kids got carried away.”
Teekay’s face tightened further. “The truth, Maggie. Now.”
