The Damaged Heroes Collection [Box Set #1: The Damaged Heroes Collection] (BookStrand Publishing Mainstream)

by James, Sandy

  God, he wanted this woman. The yearning was downright primitive. Now. I want her now. How simple it would be for him to carry her over, lay her in front of the fire, and...

  Ross knew he was going to have to put a stop to this before the situation got totally out of control. But, damn, he didn’t want to stop kissing her, didn’t want to stop holding her. And she sure didn’t seem to mind kissing him, either.

  He finally found some semblance of strength to pull his lips away, but he still held her tightly against him. “Do you think I’m not attracted to you just the way you are?” Ross stared into her eyes, hoping he’d convinced her.

  Laurie didn’t have any type of response to his question, but then again, she didn’t appear as if she even knew exactly where she was. Her eyes were half closed, her lips pink and moist, and her cheeks flushed. His ego liked the fact that she looked so dazed from his kiss. Maybe I’ll just have to kiss her again.

  They were interrupted by an insistent knock on the kitchen door that startled both of them. Ross let her slowly slide down his body and finally set her back on her feet. Laurie gave him a bashful smile before she walked over to open the door. A red-headed teenager swallowed by a green parka stood there grinning from ear-to-ear. “Brodey. Nice to see you.”

  “Good to see you too, Laurie. You’re all plowed out now,” the kid responded and smiled broad enough his braces shone in the kitchen’s candlelight.

  “Thanks. How much do I owe you?”

  “Thirty will do.” His gaze swept around to finally settle on Ross. The teen’s expression quickly changed to annoyance.

  The kid has a crush on her. Ross glanced at Laurie, but she was counting out some bills from a wallet that had been sitting on the kitchen table. And she doesn’t even notice.

  “What’ya gonna do about the car?” the boy asked. “What kind of douchebag...” His face turned red. “Sorry, Laurie. Just don’t understand how someone could get himself stuck like that. Doesn’t he know how to drive in snow?” Brodey pointed at Ross with his thumb.

  Ross wanted to pummel the brat.

  “He’s not used to our kind of snow,” Laurie replied as she handed some folded money to Brodey. She turned back to glance at Ross and smiled. He crossed over to where she stood, put his hand around her waist, and tugged her close to his side.

  Take that, kiddo. She’s mine.

  Brodey’s face flushed a deeper red. “I could...could come back later and...and tow it.” His slight stammer betrayed his anger.

  “Well? What do you think?” Laurie asked as she grinned and leaned into Ross. “Do you want it towed?”

  “Yeah,” he replied as he tucked a stray tendril of hair behind her ear. The caveman in him was marking his territory. Turning to Brodey, he said, “Take it back to the airport rental place and tell them to stick it up their—” She elbowed his rib. “Tell them I didn’t appreciate their poor choice of car for the weather.”

  Ross continued to stare the kid down. The uncharacteristic jealousy was disturbing because he wasn’t normally so territorial where women were concerned. This one gave him fits. The fact that he was ready to pound a kid who was barely old enough to shave simply because he was eyeing Laurie...

  What’s wrong with me?

  Brodey shot Ross a nasty frown, smiled at Laurie, and finally left. His huge truck soon disappeared down the long, and now clear, tree-lined drive.

  Settling back in the great room, Ross worked and Laurie read the journal until the hour grew late. As he packed up his paperwork, he thought about the sleeping arrangements for the night. It would suit him fine if they shared the couch again, and he hoped she felt the same way. At least this time he could remember having her by his side for the whole night. After he snapped his briefcase shut and propped it up next to the coffee table, he decided to stretch out on the sofa as an open invitation.

  Laurie knelt down to throw some logs on the fire. “Which flight are you on?”

  “Sheila said there were only two a day. I told her to book the earlier one. She said it was at nine.”

  “I’ll set my watch alarm. We can take my Jeep. At least one of us rented a sensible car.” She laughed when he frowned at her.

  After walking around the room, blowing out the candles, Laurie stopped and gawked at the place next to Ross on the long sofa. She was obviously considering her options for the rest of the night. “Goodnight, Sport,” she said as she moved toward the stairs.

  “Where are you heading?”

  “I’m going to upstairs to go to—”

  “It’s too cold up there. Why don’t you sleep on the sofa?” He knew he probably sounded a bit frantic and hated that he couldn’t control the tone of his voice.

  She arched an eyebrow. “Where will you sleep?”

  Ross gave her a sly smile and patted the space next to him.

  “I need to brush my teeth.” Laurie practically ran to the stairs.

  Staring at herself in the mirror as she scrubbed her toothbrush across her teeth, Laurie engaged herself in a debate. Sleep next to him or not? Heaven knows I want to. Just thinking about the kisses they’d shared made her warm all over, warm enough she could probably brave the cold. She really wanted to be in his arms again, to touch him, to enjoy the delicious way he made her feel.

  Laurie didn’t want to give him the wrong impression. Would he assume sleeping next to him was inviting more intimacy? She was a virgin and not inclined to lose that status with a guy she’d only known a couple of days. Common sense told her she might suffer from the cold, but she would be much better off sleeping in one of the bedrooms. But her intuition prodded her, told her to get her ass back down to Ross. Who am I to ignore my gift?

  Touching him was too much of a luxury to let pass. It was probably adolescent and immature, but she figured some cuddling couldn’t hurt. After so many years without much physical contact, she felt drunk with the sensations Ross sent through her every time they touched.

  As Laurie came down the stairs, she tried to gauge his reaction. She was comforted when his eyes followed her as she made her way across the big room. Does he feel it too? Is this attraction as strong for him as it is for me?

  His booming voice caught her by surprise. “You know, I could go to a motel.”

  “Don’t be silly,” she blurted out. “I don’t want to go driving around in the snow,” she quickly added, hoping not to appear too eager.

  He shrugged. “Just trying to be a gentleman.”

  She moved to stand beside the couch. “I appreciate it, but you haven’t really done anything wrong.”

  Ross patted the sofa again and lay back, and Laurie only hesitated a few brief moments before she stretched out next to him exactly as she had done the night before. He grabbed the afghan and covered them both with it.

  Not wanting to seem too forward, Laurie tried to keep a little distance between her body and Ross’s. She found herself perilously close to slipping off the sofa. Ross gave her a nudge so he could put his arm under her shoulder and then pulled her closer to him. She tried to keep her arms and legs to herself, but he finally grabbed her arm and laid it across his chest. The contact clearly wasn’t bothering him. Laurie felt herself begin to relax.

  “You know, Joliet isn’t really that far,” he said.

  Laurie held her breath.

  “I’d love to take you to dinner when you get back.” Her sharp exhale must have sounded too much like annoyance. “If it’s a bad idea...”

  “No!” she exclaimed before realizing how desperate she must have appeared. “No, it’s not a bad idea. I’d love to go.” Laurie settled her cheek against his shoulder and thought about how easy it would be to get used to snuggling up to his warm and strong body.

  As she drifted off to sleep, Laurie wondered how much he’d hate her when he found out just exactly who she was.

  Chapter 7

  I decided to let Fortune take me out for dinner. He was so charming he wore me down. He was there after every show, holding a rose and
telling me how much he loved to hear me sing. I finally agreed to a date. Things went really well at first. I put on my new blue dress and he told me I looked like the bee’s knees. He was so sweet and talked so much about what it was like growing up on a horse ranch.

  I could tell he didn’t trust me. I don’t think he trusts anyone. Bootleggers are always afraid of every shadow. Either the law will come after them or another bootlegger will stab them in the back.

  How could I tell he didn’t trust me? He wouldn’t tell me where the ranch was. I might think he’s the cat’s meow, but I won’t go out with him again if he hides everything. Do you think I can ever get him to trust me? And how do I learn to trust him? We don’t even know each other’s real names.

  On the other hand, he kisses like a sheik. What’s a girl to do?

  Laurie’s partner Andrew Greve waved to her from across the gate area. Her plane had actually arrived on time, and she wondered at the phenomenal luck of that ever happening at O’Hare International Airport. She returned the wave and weaved through the travelers toward her tall, lanky partner.

  “We missed you,” Andrew said, reaching for her carry-on.

  She shook her head. “Thanks, I’ve got it.”

  “You know, Miguel Hernandez came by every single day you were gone.”

  Laurie made her way down the long, crowded terminal as Andrew kept pace beside her. “I’m sorry if he pestered you. You know he gets upset over change. Did you tell him I’d start seeing him on Tuesdays and Thursdays again next week?”

  “Yeah, but it sure didn’t make him happy. Not that he’s scary, but he sat in the waiting room for four straight hours yesterday. I finally called his sister. She came and took him home.”

  “I’m so sorry.”

  Andrew waved his hand, dismissing the notion. “Not your fault. You can’t help it if someone with obsessive-compulsive disorder gets all worked up when you break his routine. You have a right to a life. How was the trip?”

  “It was definitely...interesting,” Laurie cryptically replied. Would Ross forget her? Was it just a vacation fling that fizzled out the minute he left Montana?

  Andrew stared at her for a minute. “Something’s up.”

  She shook her head, deciding not to tell him. Hoping to spare herself some horrible embarrassment if Ross had already brushed her aside, she kept the story of his rescue to herself. Her stomach churned at the thought he wouldn’t remember her. He was all she’d thought about in those last lonely days at the ranch. His face had been everywhere she looked. You’re acting like a damned kid, Laurence.

  “You can’t hide it from me. I’ve known you just about forever, remember? Something’s obviously different. Explain.”

  “Not forever. Only since we were undergrads. It only seems like forever,” she teased, trying to deftly avoid more questioning. When Laurie turned to look at him, she experienced a brief moment of lightheadedness as she felt a wave of curiosity mixed with a small amount of frustration sweep over her. She stopped in her tracks and Andrew skidded to a halt next to her.

  “I can read you! Thank God! I can still read!”

  He gave her an I-told-you-so grin. “Of course you can. I didn’t think it was gone. Neither did Deepika. Didn’t you read anybody in Montana?”

  “I only saw a couple of people. But no, I couldn’t read them. Deepika was right. I just needed to break away for a little bit.” No sooner were the words out of her mouth before she began to wonder if she would be able to read Ross the next time she saw him.

  If she saw him.

  They’d exchanged phone numbers. He’d even kissed her before he boarded his plane. And it wasn’t a simple peck. He ravaged her mouth until her knees became so weak she could barely stand upright, and she had savored every second of a kiss worthy of an epic movie.

  Still, Laurie wasn’t entirely confident a man as good looking as Ross Kennedy would really want to take her on a bona-fide date. She knew her infatuation hadn’t died. If anything, her interest steadily increased. But perhaps his attention had been based more on the isolation they’d experienced rather than any real attraction.

  The fact he was such an intense Type A also boded ill. He might throw himself back so deeply into his work that he wouldn’t have the time or the inclination for a relationship.

  Ross hadn’t called yet, but she had to remind herself it had only been four days since they parted.

  Only four days? Seemed like a friggin’ year.

  Andrew laughed, bringing her back from her thoughts. “Well, duh. Deepika’s always right. Let’s get your luggage.”

  “No need.” Laurie inclined her head toward the big bag she’d slung over her shoulder. “This was all I took.”

  “Super. Home or clinic?”

  “Well, duh,” she echoed back. “Clinic.” She followed him through the crowd as they made their way to his car in the vast sea of vehicles parked at the airport.

  * * * *

  “Shelia! Need you!” Ross shouted as he stood in his office door.

  His petite secretary was coming down the hall with an enormous stack of files. “You bellowed?” she asked with one of her cheeky smiles.

  “Can you order some flowers?”

  “Ah, how sweet.” She put her chin on the top of the pile she held to keep some of the files from falling. “Do you want me to send them to myself again?”

  “Look, I’m sorry I forgot about Secretary’s Day.”

  She narrowed her eyes at him. “I’m your executive assistant.”

  “Whatever. I’ll remember next year.” Ross knew it was a bold-faced lie. He couldn’t remember his own birthday some years.

  Sheila threw him a puzzled look. “Then who gets the posies?”

  Ross scowled at her as he realized he should have seen to the task on his own. Sheila wouldn’t possibly let him sneak back into his office without a lengthy explanation. He often wondered how a woman who was only a couple of years older than her boss could be so motherly—astute and bossy at the same time.

  “Well?” she prodded. “Out with it.”

  “I’ve got a date.”

  Sheila almost dropped her armload of files. She pushed past him, dropped them on his desk, and walked back over to Ross. Standing on her tiptoes, she slapped her hand to his forehead as if checking for a fever. Ross just rolled his eyes.

  When her little show ended, Sheila asked, “What’s her name?”

  “Laurie Beaulieu. I don’t know where to send the flowers, so just have them brought here. I’ll give them to her tonight.”

  Ross had talked to Laurie a few times on the phone since she’d returned to Illinois, but it had been more than a week since he’d seen her. While he had her cell phone number, he realized he didn’t even know where she lived. He was supposed to call today and name a rendezvous destination for the evening.

  “I don’t suppose you made dinner reservations?” she asked. His frustration must been plain on his face. “Figures. I’ll see what I can do.” She pulled a pen out of her thick black ponytail, grabbed a small pad from her pocket, and started writing.

  “Thanks. You’re a gem.”

  “I know. I want a raise.”

  Ross sat down at his desk and pored over the thin Miller file sitting in front of him. He’d had absolutely no luck hunting the man down. The Foundation Chairman was constantly out of the country and never returned Ross’s messages. Outside of the Montana address Ross had given up on when Laurie didn’t even know the man, the only contact information was an Illinois cell phone number. All the messages Ross left on that impersonal voice mail went unheeded. The time had come to search in a different manner.

  “Sheila! Need you!”

  She bounced into his office just a few moments later. Doing her best I Dream of Jeannie imitation, she shaped her hands into a praying position and bowed at the waist. “Yes, Master?”

  “Do you think Bruiser would take a job for me?”

  Ross couldn’t help but smile when he pictured Sheil
a’s long-time boyfriend. The two were so different, it was downright amusing. Bruiser Glenn was a private investigator who seemed to take his fashion statement from Dog the Bounty Hunter. Nothing but black leather and chains. Whenever he stopped by to see Sheila, he always dressed like one of the scariest bikers most people had ever seen. Sheila, on the other hand, was fond of pastels and lace. An inch or so taller than Ross, Bruiser towered over Ross’s petite assistant.

  “Sure. You want me to call him?” Sheila asked.

  “Yeah. It’s time to find this Miller guy and make him face the music.”

  * * * *

  Andrew skidded to a stop when he passed Laurie’s office door. She was just shrugging into her coat and preparing to leave.

  “Okay, Laurie. You’ve got me stumped. The problem I see is that you never leave before eight, and it’s only six. Got a house call or something?”

  Laurie ignored the obvious sarcasm. “No.”

  He wouldn’t let her off the hook that easy. “Well?”

  “Well, what?”

  She could easily read her partner’s exasperation. Andrew seemed so confident and comfortable in his own skin that he never made an attempt to block her gift. He always told her it made them in sync in their work.

  “Where you heading, Laurie?” Andrew quickly held up his hand to stop her from answering. “I’m pretty sure I know what you’re gonna say, but I’ve just got to prepare myself.” He turned his hands up to touch his fingers and thumbs like a Buddhist getting ready to chant. He closed his eyes and began to hum.

  “Andrew...”

  He opened one eye.

  “Fine,” she finally replied. “I’ve got a date.”

  Andrew started feigning a heart attack. God, she loved how he always liked to tease her. But she wasn’t going to encourage him or he’d never let up. She tried not to smile. “Quit it, Andrew. I’m not in the mood for your dry sense of humor.”

  He walked the rest of the way into her office. “I can’t read you, but it’s obvious you’re wound a little too tight. Are you that nervous?”