A_Little_Harmless_Fascination

by Melissa Schroeder

  A lump formed in Jillian’s throat. “Did she? It was hard to tell.”

  “She was still mad at your mother. For some reason, she thought she had let your mother down. She thought she had been too easy on her—which was true. Then she was dead, and instead of just letting you go into the foster system, she brought you home. As if you had a place with us.”

  Jillian shook her head. “You’re mistaken. She was worried how it would look.”

  Her aunt snorted. She had heard the sound many times, but now it sounded odd. It had a strange quality to it. Jillian had to swallow the nervous laugh that threatened to escape. She had to keep her aunt talking.

  “You stupid woman. She adored you. Do you know how many times I heard her tell that story about you hitting Gerald Swanson and breaking his nose at the deb ball? Hundreds.”

  “She had a funny way of showing it.”

  “It was because she thought she babied your mother too much, and she did. She made her life so easy while she ignored me. I could have been just as successful as your mother, if I had that kind of support.”

  “My mother did what she did on her own. She accomplished all that because of who she was. She worked hard.”

  She snorted again. “No! It was Mother. I never had the support that she had.”

  Jillian inched closer. If she got close enough, she might be able to get the gun away from her aunt.

  “And then what? You had Grandmother to yourself for ten years, and you didn’t do much more than marry a loser who ran off with your maid.”

  “You bitch!” She swung out at her and clipped Jillian across the jaw with the gun. Jillian saw stars as she stumbled back and fell on the floor.

  “He died in a wreck.”

  Jillian shook her head, trying to clear her vision. “While running away with the maid.”

  “You have a mouth like your mother. I took care of her, just like I will take care of you.”

  For a second, her world stopped. A chill slipped down her spine, one that had her blood freezing. “Mother? Father?”

  “I know how to work on a car. Just a little nick in the brake line and it looks like an accident.”

  Slowly, the knowledge of what her aunt said registered with Jillian. Rage exploded. Jillian jumped to her feet. The only thought that she had was killing her aunt.

  “You fucking bitch,” she yelled as she tackled Blanche.

  They toppled over onto the floor, Jillian landing on top of her. Before her aunt could react, Jillian grabbed her arms. She continued to struggle, though, and the gun went off. Jillian felt the sharp bite then burn of the bullet. She rose and stepped back. Her head started to spin, the room turning into a merry-go-round. There was banging on the door, but she didn’t react. The rush was gone, and now she felt as if she were moving in slow motion. Her aunt had risen and was pointing the gun at her, but Conner crashed in through the door. It took him only a moment to assess the situation and tackled her aunt from behind. The gun skidded across the floor. Blanche screamed in anger or pain, or maybe both. Jillian couldn’t figure it out. The edges of her vision were starting to dim.

  The multitude of voices filling the room hurt her. She looked around, but she couldn’t seem to figure out who was there. Heck, she thought she heard Brent’s voice. Then she was falling, but before she hit the floor, someone had ahold of her and picked her up.

  “Baby, stay with me,” Conner said, his voice hard to hear.

  “I shot her, I shot her!” her aunt screamed.

  “Get that crazy bitch out of here or I will make sure to shoot her.”

  Her vision was dimming. Bile rose in her throat, but she swallowed it back. She tried to lift her arm but it didn’t seem to want to work.

  “Conner.”

  “Babe, be quiet. Rest.”

  She heard the desperation in his voice, but she didn’t understand it. Again she tried to raise her hand, but it just didn’t move.

  “How is she?” Micah asked.

  “She’s lost some blood. When is the fucking ambulance going to get here?”

  “Mick,” she said.

  “Don’t worry. He’s okay,” Conner assured her.

  “I love you, Conner.”

  “Dammit, Jillian don’t…”

  It was the last thing she heard as her world faded to black.

  * * * *

  “What did the doctor say?” Micah asked as Conner returned.

  “She’s going to be fine. The loss of blood wasn’t as bad as I thought it was.”

  Micah slapped him on the shoulder as Conner looked around for Devon. “What happened to your brother-in-law?”

  “Devon has a habit of making himself scarce when the police arrive.”

  Conner nodded as he sat in one of the chairs that lined the hallway. “You might as well go home. It’ll take a while to get her into her own room. With the storm, they’re short staffed, and of course, there have been more accidents than normal.”

  Micah ignored him and sat in the chair next to his. “You need to get some scrubs.”

  Conner looked down and saw the blood on his shirt. Jillian’s blood.

  “What the fuck did she think she was doing attacking her aunt?”

  “Saving her life and Mick’s.”

  He glanced at Micah, who was leaning back against the wall with his eyes closed.

  “How’s he doing?”

  “Fine. Being a pain in the ass according to Adam. He had ten stitches, but you know what a head wound is like. Mild concussion. They are keeping him overnight for observation.”

  “And Blanche?”

  “The police took her into custody. She’ll go before a judge in the morning.”

  He nodded and opened his mouth, but someone was yelling his name

  He turned his head and saw Maura running down the hall, her hair flying behind her as she practically jumped into his arms.

  He caught her close as Zeke came running behind her. “She wouldn’t sit still, and I told her she had to pay for the trip over on the jet.”

  “How did you get here so fast?”

  “We were in LA on the job. We got the phone call hours ago. When Maura couldn’t get ahold of you or Jillian, she got us over here.”

  He glanced at the clock, trying to figure out how many hours they had been in the ER, but he had lost track of the time.

  Maura hugged him tighter. “I keep finding you in hospitals. I don’t like that.”

  He heard the tears in her voice. He gave her an extra squeeze. “This time it isn’t my fault.”

  Maura pulled back and looked up at him, her green eyes bright with unshed tears. “How’s Jillian?”

  “She’s okay. They’re stitching her up right now.”

  “Just now. What’s taking so long?”

  He shook his head at his sister’s indignant tone. “You missed the storm that hit. It was horrific. It took us forever to get here, and then there were some life-threatening situations.”

  Maura settled her hands on her hips. “I don’t care. Jillian is special.”

  Micah chuckled behind him. “Like brother, like sister.”

  Conner shook his head again and found his first smile. He had screamed the same thing when they had arrived hours earlier.

  “Mr. Dillon,” a nurse said from behind them. “You can go in to see her, but only you. The doctor’s orders.”

  Maura didn’t look happy.

  “I’ll be right back. I’m sure you could use some food.” He looked at Micah, who nodded.

  “Come on, I know this hospital well. I spent a few days here a couple of years ago.”

  Maura hesitated, but Zeke sent Conner an understanding look and grabbed her hand.

  “Come on, love. You can’t do anything here, and I am sure that Jillian will want to see Conner first.”

  She shook her head. “Give us a minute.”

  The other two men waited for Conner’s nod.

  “You’re in love.”

  She didn’t ask. She
didn’t have to. They might be years apart in age, but they were closer than a lot of siblings.

  “Yeah.”

  She smiled. “I’m happy.”

  “I’m not.”

  She laughed. “And?”

  “What?”

  She rolled her eyes. “We could use a Hawaiian office, ya know?”

  “Are you trying to get rid of me?”

  She shook her head as she sobered. “What I want is that the two people I love most in the world be happy.”

  He sighed. “We’ll see.”

  She kissed him. “Call if you need me.”

  She hurried off, and he shook his head. It seemed that in a way, their roles had reversed. He followed the nurse back. Jillian was in a smaller room inside the ER and blessedly alone.

  She looked so…quiet. That was something he wasn’t accustomed to with her. She was always so full of life, so ready for any and all adventure. Seeing her like this was unnerving.

  “Are you going to keep standing there staring at me?” she asked, her voice weak.

  His lips curved and a sense of rightness filled him. “If I feel like it.”

  He walked forward and slipped his fingers beneath her palm.

  “I thought I heard Maura yelling your name. I must be out of it.”

  He lifted her hand and kissed it. “No, she’s here with Zeke.”

  She sighed as she opened her eyes slightly. “Mick?”

  “Fine. He’s got a concussion but he’s fine. He’ll be home tomorrow.”

  Her eyes slid shut, and her breathing evened. He didn’t want to give up her hand, so he hooked the leg of the chair with his foot and pulled it over. He sat there, looking at her. Less than a month ago, he had never thought to settle down, never thought he would be able to have a woman understand him. Jillian did. She might not see what she did for him, but she never questioned his nature. She either let him be, or pulled him out into life. She gave herself to him in bed without a thought.

  Whether she had figured it out yet or not, she was his. She would just have to deal with it.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Several days later, Jillian was sitting on the back lanai, unhappy with the situation. The sun was shining, the trades were cool, and she had friends and family to make her happy. But she wasn’t.

  “I want to go in the water.”

  “The doctor said no,” Conner said.

  She looked out at Zeke and Maura playing in the surf. Resentment filled her. She felt as if she was coming out of her skin, and she didn’t know what to do about it. She was snarling at everyone, but Conner in particular.

  “Then get my laptop.”

  “No.”

  The need to yell at him almost choked her, but before she could say anything, the sliding door opened and her cousin stepped out.

  “Hey, cuz.”

  She couldn’t stop the smile he brought about. Brent and she had never been close before, but the one thing that had come out of the mess her aunt had created was that she and Brent had become closer. And that would piss her aunt off, Jillian thought with a silent laugh.

  “Hey, yourself. How are you doing?”

  He bent down and gave her a kiss on the cheek as if it was something so ordinary. To her, it made her feel...weird and kind of wonderful at the same time. She hadn’t had close family since her parents had died, and it was kind of cool.

  “Fine.”

  “Can you tell Conner that I should be able to go swimming or write?”

  Brent looked at Conner, then shook his head. “I think I would rather not. Your boyfriend has a mean punch.”

  She looked at Conner, who continued to read over his iPad as if none of them were there.

  “At least let me answer email.” Oh, God, she sounded whiney, and she hated it.

  “No.”

  His easy answer, along with the quiet control he had shown since she’d gotten out of the hospital, was starting to piss her off. She didn’t know why, but it made her want to scream.

  “Quit being a pain in the ass.”

  He looked at her, then at her cousin. Without a word, Conner stood and went into the house, closing the door behind him.

  “What was that?” she asked.

  Brent sat down in the chair Conner had just vacated. “Give the guy a break. He’s been through a lot.”

  “Him? I was shot, and I almost died.”

  “First of all, you didn’t almost die. Yes, I know my mother shot you. But, that man had the living hell scared out of him. You didn’t see him pounding on the door, and you didn’t see him at the hospital.”

  “He felt guilty.”

  “Maybe a little.”

  She sighed. “So, where’s Justin?”

  “He’s off on the bike. I wanted to see you.”

  She smiled at that. Even with the aggravation she felt, she was really starting to like Brent. “He’s really pretty, you know. I wish you had told me you were gay.”

  “I didn’t tell anyone but my mother.”

  “Who freaked.”

  “Yeah, I was worried what you would do when you found out.”

  She snorted. “Please, I knew.”

  His eyes widened, and he shook his head. “You did not.”

  “I was back for break from college. It lasted two days because Grandmother went on one her of her tirades. I saw you making out with Javier.”

  He rolled his eyes as his face turned red. “I can’t believe you spied on me.”

  “Spied on you?” she asked. “You were going at in the garage.”

  “That man did have a way with machines,” he said with a sigh.

  “And that still gets to you.”

  “I guess so. I guess it is the whole sharing an interest thing. I loved working on engines. My mother freaked when I told her what I wanted to do. She insisted that I go into banking.” He rolled his eyes, and his dimples appeared when he grinned at her. “Can you imagine me doing that?”

  She looked at the young man and realized for the first time just how different he looked. His dark hair was longer than normal, and he had a goatee. The cut-off shorts and T-shirt could have been blamed on the vacation, but she bet it was a way of life now.

  “No, no I can’t.”

  “So, when are you and Mr. Right Cross in there going to get married?”

  She shrugged. “He’s going back to the mainland. This was just a fling.”

  There was a beat of silence. “Uh, no it isn’t.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “That man almost felled me with a punch. I’m not that small, but there was a lot of rage behind that hit.”

  She shrugged that off. “Conner has a real sense of right and wrong.”

  “There was more to it than that, I promise. If Justin hadn’t been there, I think Conner might have beaten me unconscious.”

  Why did that make her so happy? “Really?”

  “Yeah, what has he said about staying?”

  She sighed. “I’m too afraid to ask.”

  “You? Jillian Sawyer, the girl who fought my mother for a gun, who punched her date in the nose, and told Grandmother that she was an uptight, selfish bitch? You’re afraid?”

  She pulled her legs up and wrapped her one good arm around them. The fear that had been riding her since she’d gotten out of the hospital now hit her full force. Since they’d been home, Conner had done nothing more than kiss her. “What if he tells me he’s leaving? That would just kill me.”

  He leaned forward and brushed her braids back from her face. “It wouldn’t kill you.”

  “I’ve never been in love before. I don’t know how to handle it. What if he tells me it was just for fun?”

  “Then Justin and I will beat the shit out of him.”

  She laughed even as she felt a little tear escape. “Okay.”

  She looked into his blue eyes, the expression serious.

  “Don’t take a chance and let him disappear from your life. You deserve to be happy. Plus
, since Justin and I aren’t into raising our own kids, we want some more nieces and nephews to spoil. Especially me, because my side of the family kind of sucks except for you.”

  She laughed.

  “Go get him, Jillian.”

  She leaned forward. “You’re kind of cool, cuz.”

  She gave him a kiss on the cheek and went in search of Conner. She didn’t find him in her area of the house, but when she looked outside, his rental car was still parked beside her cousin’s bike. Footsteps sounded upstairs, so she knew he was there.

  With each step up the staircase, her heard sunk a little. The courage her cousin had spoken of now seemed to be dissolving. She reached the landing and took a deep breath before knocking.

  “Come in.”

  She pushed the door open. He wasn’t in the living area, but she heard him in the bedroom. Following the noise, she found him there, his bags half full of his things. Her heart sank.

  “You’re packing.”

  He didn’t look up from his task. “Yes.”

  “I didn’t know you planned on…” She swallowed the words. Just saying that he was leaving would hurt too much. Tears clogged her throat.

  “Well, it’s the only solution.”

  She felt her heart tear, but she would be damned if she would let him see it. “Fine.”

  “You’re going to need a new bed.”

  He zipped up his case and set it beside the dresser and looked at her for the first time. He didn’t look happy. In fact, he looked furious. She glanced at the bed behind him.

  “What did you do to it?”

  “Nothing, but if you think I’m going to sleep on a fucking double bed, you’re crazy.”

  For a second, she didn’t compute what he said. “What?”

  “I said I hate doubles. I’m a big man. And for the things I want to do to you, we need a bigger bed. Hell, we need a bigger bedroom. We’re going to have to renovate the house.”

  She shook her head, trying to figure out what he was saying. “Wait, back up. Who said you were staying here? And who the hell said you were staying in my bed?”

  “You did.”

  “I did not.”

  “You did the night you told me you loved me. All bets were off then.”