Danger and Desire: A Romantic Suspense Anthology

by Kimberly Kincaid

  “So, do you live at Camp Pendleton?”

  “I’m too old for that. I have a house off base. What about you, where do you call home?”

  He watched as Jill’s face clouded. “I inherited a house in Laguna Niguel from my cousin less than a year ago.”

  “Now it’s my turn to ask, do you want to talk about it?”

  “To tell you the truth, I’m kind of talked out,” she said as she took another sip of her coffee. Headlights flashed from outside through the diner window and glinted on her hair. The shiny black strands looked rich and silky and he wondered how they would feel running through his fingers. It took a moment for him to catch onto what she was saying.

  “I’ve gone to the group sessions on and off for five months. I talked a little, but mostly just listened. I took a job transfer out here so I could move in with Lorraine and be with her while she needed me. After she passed, I realized that besides the people at work, I didn’t know anyone but Lorraine, so I thought the grief counseling sessions might help me as well as let me meet some folks who would be on the same page.”

  “How’d that work out?”

  “After the first three months, I’d pretty much come to the conclusion it’s not my thing. What about you? I saw you on the stairs with that boy Kevin from the art class. He’s always making a run for it.”

  Law chuckled. “His name is Kenny. He’s a hoot. I swear, he almost had me convinced to go to his mother for comfort. He was telling me how unloading on her always made him feel better, and he offered her services to me.”

  Jill let out a shout of laughter, then immediately covered her mouth and looked around to see if anyone else had heard.

  “Oh. My. God. That’s priceless. I want him to come to the next Grief Session. He’d be perfect. But I’m not sure that I’m going again.” Jill sighed.

  The waitress approached the table, carrying a tray with two plates. She slid a slice of pie in front of Jill. Law had no idea what in the hell it was, because it was completely blanketed with whipped cream. As a matter of fact, it could be just whipped cream. Jill cooed. She looked up in delight. “Doris, what is this? I’m in heaven.” Law noticed Doris’ nametag for the first time.

  Doris preened at Jill’s words. “Banana cream pie. It doesn’t happen often, but Sophia, she owns a catering company now, brought this by this morning. I got you the last piece. You’re going to think you died and went to heaven when you try this. This is homemade whip cream, too. None of that canned stuff.”

  Jill dipped her finger into the cream and swirled it around, then licked it. “You’re right, this is heavenly.”

  “Told you.” She set the second plate in front of Law. “As for you, young man. You get a hot apple pie ala mode.”

  Law grew up with a mother who made French pastries, so this was a treat. “Apple pie. You nailed it, Doris.”

  “That makes my night. Let me know if I can get you anything else,” she said as she topped off their coffee.

  As much as the pie interested him, Law was still more enthralled with Jill’s reaction to the whipped cream. Thank God she wasn’t making any more moaning noises because then he would really be having a hard time. Literally. As it was, just watching the euphoric expression on her face made his blood hum. He picked up his fork, looked down at his pie, and took a big bite.

  “This is wonderful,” Jill said around a mouthful of cream. “However, I’m going to have to go to yoga at least three times this week to make up for the splurge.” Her voice melted over his senses like the ice cream melted over his tongue.

  Law took a sip of coffee so he could clear his throat. “So, you know that I’m a Marine and grew up with two brothers. What do you do for a living?”

  “It’s boring. I’m a clinical services trainer for systems that do remote heart monitoring.”

  “Like RF cardiac equipment?”

  She cocked her head sideways. “Yes, just like that. How’d you know?”

  “Sometimes I’m involved in medivac extractions. I’d say your job is pretty important.”

  “Nah, it’s mostly just creating training manuals and procedures so that the real folks can do their job.”

  “Jill, don’t bullshit a bullshitter. You had to do the job before you could train others to do the job. So, how much hands-on experience do you have?”

  “I worked down in Houston in a hospital for two years, and also as an EMT. That allowed me to really get into the nitty-gritty. I saw just how important it was to have the right equipment to assess and immediately communicate with the physicians. For a heart attack patient, it could make the difference between life and death.”

  He liked that.

  He liked her.

  “Do you really think your current job is boring?”

  “I really don’t know what I think. I’m antsy. I can do my job in my sleep. I came here from Texas for Lorraine. I could move back to Houston, but it seems like all of my friends have moved on. Ellie got married, and Troy and his wife just had twins. Tonight’s the most excitement I’ve had in months.”

  Law considered her expression. He recognized parts of it. Definite sadness and a lack of direction. She looked like the rug had been pulled out from under her.

  “When was the last time you took a vacation?” he asked.

  Jill didn’t immediately answer. She continued to eat bite after bite of pie. Law didn’t push her, he could see that she was thinking.

  “I took time off to take care of Lorraine, and one short trip with my parents. Other than that, nothing. We had a home health care worker come in a lot, she had good insurance and money to augment what wasn’t covered. But still, I wanted to be there for her, especially in the end.”

  “Cancer?”

  She put down her fork and nodded. “Pancreatic. It was her third bout. I visited the other two times, but we both knew this was going to be the last time, so I came to stay.”

  Lawson covered her hand. Jill turned her palm upwards so that she could tangle her fingers with his.

  “She’d kick my ass if she could see me right now. We discussed this. She knew I had hermit tendencies.”

  “Siblings? Parents?”

  “No siblings. My parents still have the same house where I grew up in Florida, but they both retired about six years ago and Dad talked mom into an RV.” Jill shuddered. “They now spend six months a year on the road in really, really, close quarters.”

  Law grinned. “And that’s a bad thing?”

  “Dad can’t hear and refuses to get hearing aids, and Mom loves to talk. So he can’t hear her, and she gets her feelings hurt. It’s kind of a mess. Then let’s add in the fact that they have three cats in the RV.”

  Three cats?

  Jill glared at him. “Don’t even try to deny it, I see you trying not to laugh. Yes, the darn thing smells like a litter box. Mom uses Febreeze and burns incense. Patchouli. I think Dad might have also lost his sense of smell along with his hearing.”

  “Do they ask you to go RV’ing with them?” Law managed to ask with a blank expression on his face.

  “Fortunately, I had a late-onset allergy to cats. At least, that’s what I told them. I met up with them in Deadwood, South Dakota. I had my own hotel room. We had fun for three days before I needed to get back to the office. How about you? Are you a hermit, or do you do a lot with friends and family?”

  Lawson flipped his hand over so that hers was resting on top of his. Her hands were pretty and dainty. “I should probably release you so you can eat more of your pie,” he admitted.

  “I’m thinking you should quit side-stepping questions,” Jill teased with a smile. “You know, sharing easy conversation and inconsequential personal information are things you do the first time you go out with someone. If you’re interested in having pie with them again, that is. But maybe I’m reading this situation wrong.”

  Jill tried to pull her hand out of Law’s before it turned into a sweaty mess.

  I didn’t really say that, did I?


  Jill watched as Law’s dimples deepened and his eyes sparkled. His grip turned firmer. “Are you asking me out on a date, Ms. Keiler?”

  Her cheeks heated.

  “Ah, God, you’re blushing. Please say you’re not second-guessing yourself, because I really want to see you again.”

  Jill’s lips curved into a slow grin. “Then I guess you’ll have to start participating a little more in the answer part of our conversation,” she teased as she blew out a sigh of relief.

  “You mean inconsequential personal information? I’m good at that. Let’s see. I once grew a moustache on a dare.”

  She curled her lip, then pulled her hand out of his and picked up her fork and took another bite of her pie. Lawson sighed. “That didn’t count, did it?”

  “Ya think?”

  “Let’s try this instead. I’m part of a team of twelve other Marine Raiders. When we’re on deployment we’re even closer than your parents are in their RV. When I’m stateside I’m a normal guy. I go to Belgium at least once a year to visit my mother, and Virginia to visit my brother, Ash. My brother Xave was stationed at Fort Bragg in North Carolina. Not a lot to do there, so he used to come out here.”

  “Xavier died, right?” Jill asked gently. “When?”

  Law put down his fork and his hand bunched into a fist.

  “He killed himself thirteen months ago. Lucky thirteen.”

  He kept a passive expression, but behind it, Jill could see the aching pain and anger swirling in his eyes.

  “I’m so sorry. For you. For him. For your brother and mother.”

  It wasn’t until Law looked down at the table that she realized she’d covered his clenched fist with her hand. He didn’t pull away. Instead, he looked back up at her, his expression confused.

  “You know, I almost never tell people he committed suicide.”

  She didn’t say anything, just waited. Hoping that if he needed to talk, she might be able to ease his burden.

  “Most people just assume he died on a mission or in a training accident, and I just let them go with that. They offer their sympathy and move on when they get the hint that I don’t want to talk about it.”

  She saw Doris walking toward them with the coffee pot and pause. She must have gotten the vibe coming from the table because she turned and walked away.

  When Jill realized Law wasn’t going to say anything else, she asked a question.

  “What was he like?”

  “He was a genuine hero. People use that term too loosely in my opinion, but for Xavier it was true. He was awarded a Bronze Star for heroism. He—” Law shook his head like he was coming out of a trance.

  “He sounds amazing.”

  “He is. Was.” Law’s breath shuddered out of him and he relaxed his hand. “I have trouble thinking of him in the past tense.”

  “I feel the same way about Lorraine. She and I were as close as sisters. My aunt and uncle died in a car wreck when she was fourteen and she came to live with us. She’d think it was pretty pathetic that I was trying to find friends at the grief counseling sessions.” Jill grinned. “But going out for coffee with you, that she would approve of.”

  “Xavier would feel the same way. He’d be hip-checking me to get a chance to take you out.”

  “Yeah sure,” Jill scoffed.

  “It’s true. A beautiful woman who used to be an EMT, he would’ve had your phone number by now.”

  “I don’t know about him, but I’m willing to give you my number.”

  Law’s blue eyes darkened, and his smile turned wicked. “Hallelujah, I get to exchange numbers with the beautiful girl.” Law laughed out loud.

  Jill was entranced. “What are you laughing about?”

  Nothing’s really changed, Xavier is still a fantastic wingman.”

  Chapter 3

  “Did you go?”

  “Really, that’s how you’re going to answer the phone?” Law grimaced as he turned the wrench on a stubborn bolt. “No, ‘Hi, how are you?’ How’s Eden, by the way? Can I talk to her, she has better people skills.”

  “No, you can’t talk to her,” his brother growled. “Tell me if you went to counseling.”

  Law would’ve been pissed if he didn’t hear the worry in Ash’s voice. Ever since Xavier’s suicide, they’d been putting each other under a microscope. Then Ash found Eden and Law was finally able to breathe again. Somehow, after the hell they’d gone through, and the way the couple communicated, Ash was finally at peace. So, Law didn’t worry about his older brother anymore.

  “Law, answer me.”

  “Dammit.”

  The bolt came loose, but he’d stripped it.

  “What’s wrong?” Ash demanded.

  “I’m trying to work on my motorcycle and I stripped a bolt. It pissed me off. Yes, I went to a grief counseling session. It was a total bust. Except for meeting another escapee.”

  Lawson wiped his hands on one of his garage towels, then picked up his phone and carried it out of the garage and into his house. He sighed with relief as he was hit with air conditioning.

  “You can’t just go one time and call it a day. Dammit, Law, you didn’t even go to Maman’s sixty-fifth birthday party.”

  “It was in Belgium and I was in Yemen so just how in the hell was I supposed to manage that?” Law set down his phone and put it on speaker so he could rifle through his fridge. Nothing, absolutely nothing. When was the last time he’d gone to the store? Shit, he had to settle on a protein drink, even though the beer was calling his name.

  “She was disappointed.”

  “Ash, I already told her I’d be there to celebrate Thanksgiving. I don’t know what else to tell you.” He took a chug of the drink straight out of the bottle and winced. Geez, just how old was this? He checked the expiration date. Ew.

  He heard his brother sigh. “I’m worried about you,” he said quietly.

  “I understand that. I was worried about you, too, until Eden came along. She’s good for you.”

  Even before his brother spoke, he could practically hear his smile through the phone.

  “I don’t know how I got so lucky.”

  Law poured the rest of the drink down the sink. “I don’t know either, but I also think she got lucky, too.”

  “Quit being a sap. See why I worry?”

  Law laughed. He couldn’t help being a sap when it came to Eden and Asher—his brother had knocked it out of the park the day he’d rescued that woman.

  “Law,” Asher growled.

  Law grabbed a beer—that he knew, wasn’t expired—out of the fridge, then he picked up his phone. “Seriously, you need to back off now. I’m doing better. Making the decision to go to that group session was a big deal. It meant I knew that I was not in the best headspace. Okay?”

  “So, you went to some kind of group, and not a psychologist?”

  Law set down the beer next to the couch and sat down. He took the phone off speaker so he could enunciate clearly. “Asher, I said back off. I am dealing with this. I just fucking told you that I acknowledged that this has me twisted up. I told you that I’m trying to get my head right. The last thing I need is you crawling up my ass. Are we clear?”

  Ash didn’t say anything, but two could play that game. Law put down his phone and took off the cap and took a swig. Finally, he heard Ash talk.

  “I hear you.”

  “Can I have that in writing? Maybe notarized?”

  “You’re an asshole, you know that Lawson?”

  “I’m hanging up now, big brother.”

  Jill looked at her phone for the eighty-third time, willing it to ring. How pathetic. Even more pathetic was the batch of chocolate chip cookies she’d made. You only made cookies if you were really into a guy. The last time she’d made them was when she had dated Carl, who ended up being a total loser. A total loser.

  The timer dinged and she looked in the oven. Golden brown, as they should be. She pulled them out and placed them on the stovetop.

  �
�You have two choices. You eat five thousand calories’ worth of cookies or call the hottest, nicest guy you’ve met in forever and see if he can be wooed by cookies.”

  Jill threw off the oven mitts and picked up a cookie that was far too hot and took a bite.

  “Hot. Hot. Hot.” She waved her hand in front of her mouth to cool it down but continued to chew on the molten chocolatey goodness. She looked at her phone resting on the kitchen island. Still no message or missed call. She was going to have to pull up her big-girl panties and call him.

  She finished the rest of the cookie and considered her game plan. It was Sunday. What time was football? Did he watch football? Would she be interrupting something? Maybe he was working.

  “Darn it, quit with the doubts. You’re just making a phone call!” She pushed back the loose hair from her forehead and felt something sticky. Oh, for goodness sake. She looked at her fingers. Yep, chocolate was in her hair.

  “Good going, Keiler.”

  After a half-hour, she was freshly showered and her hair was clean and shiny, no chocolate in sight. And, she didn’t look half-bad in her skinny jeans and flowered tank top. A little bit of mascara and lip gloss and she was ready. She went to the kitchen and piled the cookies onto a plate, stacked the extras in a Tupperware container, and made a grab for her phone. She saw the screen, then promptly dropped it in the sink. It barely missed the mixing bowl filled with water to soak.

  Thank God!

  She grinned. Lawson had called. She pressed play on her voicemail.

  Jill, this is Law Thorne, I wanted to see if you would be available to go out to dinner anytime this coming week, either weekday or weekend, my schedule is pretty free. I know this goes against the macho code, letting it all hang out this way, but I really would like to see you again.

  Jill gripped the phone tightly so she didn’t drop it again. She would, too, she was so darned excited. It hadn’t been her imagination; his voice was sexy.

  “I’m going to be giving chocolate chip cookies to Law!” She pumped her fist in the air.

  She pressed redial and felt her fingertips tingle when she heard the smile in his deep voice as he answered. She pictured a dimple.