Sun, Sand, Sex

by Linda Lael Miller; Jennifer Apodaca; Shelly Laurenston

  Tate asked, “Could he be trying to discredit you so that his wife and your parents don’t believe you?”

  Her stomach tightened painfully. “About using my apartment for an affair?”

  “Yes.”

  “He might, except that Larry’s brain doesn’t work that way. He’s reactive, not proactive. He doesn’t think ahead, that’s why I have to double-check every cake order, remind him where and when the cakes need to be delivered. I could see where he might write one note, but…” She shook her head while keeping her gaze fixed on her computer screen. “Copying my mom’s key to my apartment is about as far ahead as he thinks. He simply had the opportunity—saw my key at Mom’s and swiped it. Then he had it, so why not copy it? But coming up with and following through on a plan to discredit me is too involved for him.”

  Tate said, “Okay. Anyone else? I’ve checked out the two men you gave me who were odd. Both of them seem to be in the clear.”

  Nick looked over at her.

  She shrugged. “One was the father of a bride, the other a best man. I thought they were long shots.”

  Tate explained, “I told Lexie to tell me anyone who seemed interested in her, no matter how remote a possibility it seemed.”

  Mac surprised her by jumping in with, “What about the guy you stapled?”

  Lexie lifted her head. “William Harry Livingston?” She frowned. “The cops told me he’s a respectable guy, never been in any trouble.”

  Nick sat up next to her. “You suspected him? Lexie?”

  She twisted her fingers. “After the note on my car, I was scared. I probably jumped to conclusions.”

  “Don’t forget the underwear. That kind of behavior is a sign of a dangerous stalker.”

  “What underwear?” Nick said.

  She winced at his harsh tone. “I told you some underwear was missing. Well, it turned up with that note.”

  Tate added, “The underwear had been hacked up into little pieces and stuffed in a Ziploc bag. It was left with the note on her car.”

  “Jesus Christ!” Nick exploded to his feet and glared down at her. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “Because the police found my fingerprints on the Ziploc bag and the stationery.” She would never forget the visit from the detective. They thought she was a whack job looking for attention or trying to get out of the assault charge. She crossed her arms over her stomach, trying to just hold on. Or shield herself from Nick if he didn’t believe her.

  “Nick, calm down,” Mac said.

  He ignored Mac to stare at her. “You should have told me.”

  A throbbing started behind her eyes. “I didn’t want you to take me back to Santa Barbara.”

  He snorted. “I’m not your asshole brother, Lexie. I believe you. Obviously the stalker took one of your Ziploc bags and your stationery when he was in your apartment.”

  Stunned, she lifted her gaze to him. He just believed her? No explanations, no battle? He just believed her. The thing that had been shifting and moving inside of her for days slid and locked into place.

  She was in love with Nick.

  And she was so screwed.

  Nick turned from her and said to the speakerphone, “Tate, we need to find out who is powerful enough to make the cops believe Lexie is doing this to herself. Cops aren’t stupid, they wouldn’t just believe anyone.”

  Tate answered, “Right there with you. I’m going to start running more in-depth backgrounds on everyone Lexie gave me. So far I haven’t found any trail, but I just haven’t picked at the right thread yet.”

  Lexie took a deep breath. “William Harry Livingston, Tate. Start with him.”

  “Why?” Nick and Tate said it at the same time.

  “Because his mother is a judge.” She had completely forgotten. “Harry is a mild man, about five foot eight, maybe one hundred and fifty pounds. He’s a real estate agent. I only met his mother at the rehearsal dinner. Otherwise, she had nothing to do with the wedding arrangements. The bride and her mother did it all and dragged Harry along with them. The only time Harry perked up was when he met my brother to discuss the cake. He and Larry became casual friends. But overall Harry did as he was told until he got drunk. Then he…” She shrugged. “He was aggressive, and I didn’t respond well.”

  Nick reached out, took her hand, and squeezed her fingers. “I’m proud of you, Lexie. You’re a woman who won’t let people abuse her.”

  Heat flooded her body and flamed her face. “Harry started crying, and everyone came running. He told his bride and mother that he was taking a leak and I attacked him like a crazed woman.”

  Mac said, “They believed him?”

  “The wedding was called off the next day. I don’t really know if they believed him. Probably his bride didn’t believe him, or she didn’t want to marry a man who urinates in public.”

  “Underachieving son of a powerful mother who was publicly humiliated. That could very well be your stalker,” Tate said. “I’m going to get to work now and track him down. Lexie?”

  “What?”

  “If it’s Harry, how did he get a key to your apartment?”

  Nick sat on the arm of Lexie’s chair and said, “Didn’t you tell me that your brother is selling his condo and Livingston is a real estate agent?”

  “Oh.” The creepiness skittered down her spine and spread a greasy cold in her stomach. “But Harry’s not Larry’s real estate agent.”

  Tate took over. “He’d have a key to the lockbox to your brother’s house. He could get in there and find your key. It wouldn’t be hard to get it copied and return it before your brother knew it was gone.”

  “He went to that much trouble?” She tried to understand. “Every time I met with Harry, he just seemed like…Harry. Ruled by the women in his life, and a little pathetic. I tried to be nice to him because I felt sorry for him.”

  “Delusional stalker,” Tate said. “If it’s him, he fixated on you because you were nice and he turned it into obsessive love. That kind of delusion will drive the stalker to extremes. I’m going to try and find William Harry Livingston right away. And I’m going to see what my police contacts have on him. In the meantime, Lexie, you be very careful.” Tate hung up.

  Mac said, “Why don’t we pick Shelly up and the four of us get some dinner? I know Shelly wants to talk to you about taking the job here in San Diego. She’d love to have you close by.”

  Nick stood from the arm of her chair. “Sorry, we have plans.”

  She looked up at him. “We do? What?”

  He looked down at her. “I’m taking you to dinner. Just us.”

  He was? “Oh.” He didn’t want Shelly talking her into the job. “Nick, I’m not taking the job. Shelly won’t—”

  He reached down and pulled her to her feet and put his arm around her shoulders. “I want to take you to dinner and spend some time with you.”

  “Nick’s at the Beach?”

  Nick watched her look around the two-story restaurant with its ocean view. “The name is a coincidence, although maybe I should tell you I own the place to impress you. Let’s eat downstairs where it’s a little quieter. Upstairs is more of a sports bar. But we could play a little pool up there after dinner.” He wouldn’t mind seeing her lean over a pool table in that short denim skirt. What color panties did she have on? Maybe green ones to match the halter top she wore? He put a stop to his thoughts before he ended up sporting a massive hard-on.

  The waitress asked if they wanted to start off with drinks. Lexie ordered a Coke.

  He reached out and took her hand. “They have a really good wine list here.”

  “I’m not a big drinker.”

  He never thought she was. “Have some wine.” He had ruined her fun the other night at Mac and Shelly’s, then yesterday when she was surfing. The last thing Lexie needed was anyone else judging her. He knew how much she wanted to break free of the bonds on her. She could do that with him and be safe. He smiled to encourage her.

  “Okay,
then I’ll have Chardonnay.”

  Nick ordered the same, although he would limit himself to one glass. He was uneasy with the stalker situation and wanted to keep his reflexes sharp. He wore his gun in a shoulder holster under a lightweight jacket. Shredded panties with a death threat was the sign of a really pissed-off, delusional stalker. But he didn’t want to talk about that tonight. He wanted this evening to be about Lexie.

  Keeping hold of her hand, he said, “I wanted to talk to you about the job offer. If you’re interested, I think you should—”

  She slid her hand from his and fiddled with the silverware. “I’m not going to take it. I have to settle my life first before I think about a new job. I still have the court date Friday, and no matter how nice a deal my lawyer has negotiated, I will have some obligations. And I doubt that Mac mentioned that I’ve been accused of assault and battery. That’s not going to look good on my record. Besides—”

  The waitress came, set down their drinks, and they ordered dinner. Lexie chose the artichoke pasta while he had the tortilla-crusted mahi mahi.

  It struck Nick that she’d been thinking about that job a lot. Did it mean that much to her? After tasting his wine, he said, “Finish your thought. Besides what?”

  Setting her wineglass down, she squared her shoulders. “I may fight the charges.”

  He leaned back in surprise. She didn’t look away, but he caught the way she compressed her mouth, probably thinking he didn’t agree with her decision. He reached across the table, took the fork she was turning over and over from her hand, and wrapped his fingers around hers. “Good. I hope you do. You can win, Lexie. There’s probably someone else who saw William Harry Livingston expose himself.”

  “I’m sure there is. I don’t know why I didn’t think of it before.” She looked away. “This is a nice place. One of your favorites?”

  “I come here sometimes when I’m home. The food is good, the bar upstairs is fun, and I play a mean game of pool.”

  She surprised him by turning her hand over and rubbing her thumb over his wrist and palm. “I guess I really don’t know much about you. You like pool.” She lifted her gaze from his hand and added, “Do you miss karate? You must have been good.”

  Shit, her touch was stirring his desire to sizzling. But he didn’t want to hurt her feelings by stopping her from touching him. He tried to concentrate on her question. “I’m still good, sweetheart. I’m damned good. I train whenever I can at a nearby studio.”

  She grinned. “Modest, too.” Her face sobered. “You must love it, karate, I mean. I thought you left it all behind. Became a bounty hunter to avenge Ellen, I guess.”

  He couldn’t even think about Ellen when Lexie’s feathery touch was traveling through him, heating his blood and sending it all to his dick. He just shrugged as an answer.

  Lexie’s face stiffened slightly, but she went on. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to pry. We’ll talk about something else. When do you want to leave for Santa Barbara? I guess we have to leave tomorrow so I’ll be there for my court date Friday morning. You need to get back to work. I’ve wondered how you can just take a whole week off, but, well, never mind. You can be back home by the end of the day and do whatever it is you do.”

  The waitress arrived and Lexie stopped rambling. While the waitress arranged the food, Nick felt his chest tighten and cut off his breath in a feeling of panic. As soon as the waitress left, he said, “I don’t want to take you back.”

  She answered softly, “I have to go back. We both know that.”

  That wasn’t making him feel any better. He knew damn well they’d end up in bed tonight, that he’d have her for the whole night, so what was eating him, making him feel like he was going to lose something vital? Whatever it was, it was his problem. He’d taken her out to spend time with her, not to brood. “How’s your dinner?”

  “It’s great. Yours?”

  “Good.” The forced cheer in her voice irritated him. But he was the one talking about trivial things. She’d asked him about himself and he’d skirted the question. Yet Lexie had trusted him with the details of her life. She’d trusted him with her body, had made love with him in a way that he doubted she’d ever done before. But the thing that made his chest ache was her book. Her dream. Lexie had copied her book and handed it to him to read.

  He knew what that book meant to her.

  He wanted to give her as much as she gave him. As they ate, he told her about himself. “I became a bounty hunter because I could go after the bad guys without becoming involved with the victims. I loved Ellen and yet I couldn’t save her. I didn’t ever want to feel that again. And the fact that I was alive and she was dead really pissed me off.”

  “So you paid for living by catching other skips like her ex-husband? A penance?”

  He’d never thought of it quite like that. “That’s as good a description as any.”

  “And now?”

  He hesitated, but it was time to let go of the past and move forward. “Now I’m tired of being on the road and dealing with scum. No matter how many I capture, more are out there.” He had been thinking about it for a year. Mac and his sister were the only other two people who knew—until now. He would have to think about what that meant. Later. “Would you like dessert?”

  She looked up at him with her big brown eyes. “What are you offering?”

  Nick’s dick twitched. “Stop that. I have to be able to get up and walk out of here.”

  Her smile was wicked. Teasing.

  He leaned forward, unable to resist. “What are you thinking?”

  “That we should enjoy the time we have left. In bed.” Her grin widened. “And you don’t have to feed me to get me there.”

  He wanted her, God he did. But he hadn’t taken her out just to get her in bed. He’d wanted to spend time with her. Get to know her. Maybe he wanted to mean something to her. He’d never been like this, wondering what the woman thought about him. She was so undemanding, it was starting to make him cranky. “There are other things to life than just sex.” Oh shit, had he really said that?

  She leaned back, her smile slipping. “Okay. If you want dessert, go ahead. I’m not very hungry.”

  Of course she wasn’t. Her life was a fucking nightmare and he was making it worse. She was scared. He’d felt her fear rising since the conversation with Tate. Hell, Lexie had known all along her stalker was dangerous. Thank God she was smart enough to hire a private investigator and get out of Santa Barbara. “I didn’t mean that the way it sounded, sweetheart. Please believe me. Just looking at you makes me hard. I just don’t want you to think I’m using you for sex.” Huh?

  Her smile was strained. “But you are, Nick. And I’m using you. Keep it simple.” She broke eye contact and drained her glass of wine.

  He paid for dinner, then pulled Lexie to her feet, looking into her eyes. The truth was slowly dawning on him—he couldn’t hold anything back from her. No part of himself. This woman had gotten under his skin; she made him hope again. She made him want it all. “I want to show you something.”

  “What?”

  He tugged her closer to him just to feel her body against his, uncaring of the people watching them in the restaurant. “A place that’s important to me.”

  “Really?”

  She had shown him her book; he wanted to show her this. “Really.” He caught her hand and walked out with her.

  Nick laughed at her endless questions as he drove through the streets. He’d sparked her curiosity, and she liked a puzzle.

  “Can’t be landscape because it’s dark. It’s not your house or apartment—”

  That caught him. “How do you know that?”

  She laughed. “You keep your private life out of your work. Very wise, of course, considering the dangerous felons you chase, like me. A bar maybe? Or pool hall?” She bit her lip. “But we were just at a restaurant with a bar and pool tables.”

  He’d never even thought of taking her to his house. It was practically empty anyway
since he was rarely there. He wondered if she’d realize he was showing her more of himself where he was taking her.

  She turned in the car seat. “I know! Dancing!”

  Damn, he hadn’t thought of that either. “Do you want to go dancing? We can go after we stop here.” He turned into the parking lot of a strip mall.

  “We’re here?” She leaned forward against the seat belt, taking in the flower shop, small bookstore, postal annex, health food store, and upscale coffeehouse. There was an empty building between the bookstore and coffeehouse. “This is what you want to show me?”

  Instinctively, he knew she’d understand. “Trust me.”

  She nodded and undid her seat belt, opened the door, and swung her bare legs out.

  Nick watched her ass as she stood up. Then he grabbed his keys and got out. He led her to the door of the empty building, found the right key and stuck it in, and opened the door. He reached in and turned on the light. “Come on in.”

  Lexie walked in ahead of him.

  He let the door shut and looked around. They were in the main part of the studio. Right now all that was in there was a couple of long folding tables covered in plans they were working on and some folding chairs. The studio would open in two months.

  Lexie walked in a circle, taking in the space. Then she went through a hallway that led to a second room for smaller classes. She headed back into the hall and found the closet, a bathroom, and the last room at the end of the hallway.

  Nick followed her, turning on lights as he went. In his head, he could hear the grunts, the kicks, or the sound of flesh hitting boards to break them. He could smell the sweat, almost feel the adrenaline. He could see the faces of the students as they mastered tough techniques, or see the droop of posture when they couldn’t get it.

  She stopped in the very back room, which shared a wall with the coffeehouse. “You’ve already decided to give up bounty hunting. That’s why you had time to hang out all week at the resort.”

  She looked so pretty standing there, the lights catching the shimmering sun streaks in her brown hair, set off by the green top. Her shoulders were golden tan, her face open and interested.