by Joanne Rock
“He didn’t tell you who he was because he wanted to take advantage of you.” Rick brushed his hands over her shoulders, sweeping them under the pashmina to grip her arms. “I didn’t tell you who I was to keep you safe. Now you know everything and my life is an open book for you.”
The sincerity in his eyes couldn’t be faked. She’d evaluated enough witnesses for trial appearances to know that. But what appealed to her most was the fact that he was still here, and he still wanted to be with her. Much of her worry had stemmed from the fear that his undercover work meant his time with her had all been a lie. That he’d only been with her as part of a job. But obviously, that wasn’t the case.
Hope bloomed in her chest.
“Do you really have five brothers?” she asked, curious about the real Rick.
“Yes. My twin and four others, each one a bigger pain in the ass than the next.” The affection in his voice was clear no matter what he said, warmth lighting his gaze as he talked about them.
His touch skimmed down her back, loosening the cashmere around her shoulders as he drew her closer. Her heart rate stepped up a beat, the pace quickening at his nearness.
“Was your dad really a steelworker?”
“Straight from Pittsburgh before he moved out west and settled down. Why would I lie about that?” His strong fingers dipped lower, finding the laces over her spine that exposed bare skin. “And yes, he thinks dancing is for sissies. His words, not mine. Although I think I caught him watching Dancing with the Stars once when one of his football heroes competed.”
Lianna smiled, wondering about the family that had raised such a warm, wonderful man. A man who didn’t care one bit about her past, but seemed—she hoped—interested in her future.
As his touch threaded between the laces down her spine, her skin heated in anticipation.
“My family is scattered all over.” Slightly breathless from their talk as much as his touch, she thought a little exchange of information was only fair. “My parents divorced when my sister and I were in college. They both left town to travel and pursue their own dreams and they don’t keep in touch more than once a year. My sister is a nurse in Arizona.”
He lingered at the small of her back, sketching light circles until her skin hummed with awareness.
“Maybe you could schedule a visit with her when I succeed in bringing you to San Diego for a visit.”
“You want to see me again?” she clarified, determined there would be no more misunderstandings or false pretenses between them.
“I want to spend every second of your vacation with you since you still have a few days off. Then, after we both go back to work and miss each other like crazy, I’ll fly you out to Southern California and make you fall in love with warm weather and sunshine.”
Just hearing him say it made her realize he was absolutely correct. She would miss him dearly if they were separated. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she let her shawl fall to the ground while she held him close, eyes burning with unshed emotion.
“You want me to fall for the weather?”
He grinned, his teeth brilliantly white against his deeply tanned skin.
“Put it this way—I want to be sure you find some reason to keep coming back.” He dropped a kiss to her neck, his lips branding a hot reminder into her skin. “Maybe you’ll love it so much, you won’t be able to leave. They need good lawyers in San Diego, too, you know.”
He must have taken her breath away because she couldn’t catch it for a long moment. Tenderness unfurled inside her along with a deep desire for that kind of life—that kind of love.
With him.
“I’d really like that.” She nodded and the motion jarred a happy tear from her eye.
He caught it with his thumb.
“Are you sure?” He kissed her ear before he whispered in it. “I warned you, I come from a pushy family. If I’m moving too fast for you, I can slow down. I just don’t want to leave here without telling you what I’m hoping for.”
Stretching up on her toes, she squeezed him tight, savoring his strength and so much more.
“I’m hoping for the same things,” she whispered back, her chin brushing his shoulder. “And considering that I’m a trial attorney, I think I’m going to hold my own with you.”
This time, she would have a confidence in her personal relationships to match the self-assurance she’d always had in the courtroom. No more being drawn to guys who were bad for her.
He chuckled softly as he rained kisses down her neck. Her skin was on fire by the time a knock vibrated the door to the hotel room.
Rick’s soft oath echoed her thoughts, but he came up for air long enough to shout, “Who is it?”
“Jake.”
The sharp bark didn’t sound pleased.
Lianna leaned down to retrieve her shawl so she could cover up the back of her dress while Rick moved to open the door.
The tension that had marked their early interactions had vanished, she noted. The two of them no longer glared warning signals at each other constantly and they exchanged brief nods before Jake stepped just inside the threshold so Rick could close the door.
“I’m headed back to Miami,” he said without prelude. “Just wanted to thank you and Rafe for the help.”
“I’m sure Rafe is going to want to thank you, man.” Rick clapped him on the shoulder. “He’s been itching to can this guy for months.”
“Where’s Marnie?” Lianna asked, wanting to say goodbye to her. After an awkward beginning, she’d come to respect the way that Marnie had no need for the games and charades that used to entertain Lianna. She seemed to know who she was and what she wanted.
“She…” Jake’s jaw tensed “…left about an hour ago.”
A long, awkward paused ensued.
“Did she want to fly home?” Lianna knew it wasn’t truly her business, but the gritty P.I. who’d scared her half to death when he accused her of embezzling funds now looked so brittle he was ready to break.
Something had gone terribly wrong.
“She decided to take a vacation to recover from her vacation, I guess.”
Without him. Lianna tried to put the pieces together in her head, to offer up some words of wisdom for a man who was obviously stinging from whatever had happened between them.
Rick, it seemed, didn’t waste time searching for the right words. He forged directly into the breach.
“Dude, don’t let her get away.” Rick shook his head in obvious disapproval, frowning the whole time. “That woman’s crazy about you. And you should be smart enough to know when a good thing comes along.”
Lianna was prepared for a sharp retort, but Jake surprised her with a slow shrug of his wide shoulders.
“Seeing her in danger…” He shook his head like the memory was too real. “I couldn’t handle that again. And the work—you know how it is. You don’t leave it at the office. Some of those cases follow you home.”
Was that the life of a police officer? Lianna wondered.
“Hey, don’t scare my girl.” Rick winked at her as if he’d read her thoughts. “So you get a place outside the city and a big freaking dog. But you can’t let that rule you.”
“A big dog?” Jake turned toward the door. “That’s your answer?”
“Hey.” Lianna stepped in, feeling the tension ratchet up in the room. “Jake, I think Rick means that you’re a smart guy and you’ll figure out how to keep her safe. Because the other alternative isn’t an option. If you push someone away because you’re afraid you’ll lose them, you end up losing them anyway. Even though I don’t know Marnie that well, I saw how she cared about you, and I’d bet everything I have that she’s hurt like hell. No woman wants a man to let her go like she’s…inconsequential.”
The way Alec had treated her when it suited him. Rick, on the other hand, came after her when she was scared and alone. One of many reasons she knew this was right. He was right.
Jake seemed to take a moment, weighing that sta
tement. And a twitch in his right eye told Lianna he didn’t like the idea of hurting Marnie one bit.
He swore softly under his breath, cursing himself, before leaning in to give Lianna a quick thanks and a kiss on the cheek.
Rick growled possessively, pulling her closer to his side. Jake offered him a terse nod before he turned on his heel and left, slamming the door behind him.
As if he had a woman to pursue.
Lianna broke the silence in the aftermath by clearing her throat.
“You weren’t kidding about the pushy thing, were you?”
“Hey, I was doing him a favor by pointing out what he can’t see. With five brothers, I’ve learned to recognize when a guy is being pigheaded.” Rick stalked back across the room to be close to her. “You watch, he’ll thank me one day for that pep talk.”
He unwound her shawl from her shoulders and tossed it on the couch. Then, he gathered her hair on one side of her head and tucked it in front of her shoulder, exposing the laces on the back of her dress.
“You think he’ll thank you? I think it was me that put a finer point on it than ‘Get a big dog.’ And if that was a pep talk, by the way, I sure hope you never try to cheer me up.”
Spinning her around, Rick halted her so that her back faced him. He slid one finger under the knot that held the ties together.
“I’ve got an entirely different approach to take when I want to make you feel better.” His breath warmed the back of her neck as he leaned close. “Would you care for a demonstration?”
Knees melting beneath her, Lianna couldn’t wait.
MARNIE DIDN’T REGRET flying out of Saratoga late that afternoon.
She’d sprung for a flight to get her away from the man who’d broken her heart as fast as possible. Jake had protested, arguing that he could return her to Miami so she could spend the holidays with her family. But he couldn’t keep her where she didn’t want to be.
And she damn well didn’t want to travel anywhere with a man who didn’t recognize her right to choose what kind of life she led and who she spent her time with. She couldn’t bear one more round of his refrain about her safety.
Did he think she was made of glass?
Now, strapping on a pair of ice skates in the moonlight a day later, Marnie gazed up at her hotel in northern Vermont. More of a ski lodge than a hotel, the Three Chimneys Inn sat on a quiet mountain side with access to cross-country skiing, sledding and a big pond for skating. She’d rented a one-room bungalow outside the main building, unable to return home to all the happy members of her family seated around the holiday table in pairs while she sat alone.
Again.
Inhaling the clean, cold air, she stood on her skates and hoped she remembered how to do this. As it turned out, she needed to lose herself now far more than when she’d been under suspicion for a felony and on the run from the man who framed her. A broken heart trumped all else when it came to reasons for booking a fantasy escape.
She needed this time to figure out how to go on without Jake.
Pushing off on one toe, she leaned forward on the other foot, feeling the blade cut into the bumpy, ungroomed ice. No one else was using the pond tonight, so she had it all to herself. Then again, most people were at home celebrating the holidays with family. Loved ones.
Banishing the thoughts of Jake for the umpteenth time in the past hour, Marnie launched into an upbeat Christmas carol, hoping to sing herself happy.
“It’s great to hear you sing.”
The deep, familiar voice cut right through her chorus about holly boughs and candles on the tree.
“Jake.” She spun to see him standing in the moonlight at the pond’s edge and her heart raced as if it were in triple overtime, even though she willed herself to be calm. Composed. “How did you find me?”
Her breath fogged the air in front of her. She was so not ready to revisit the heartache she’d experienced at his hands earlier this week.
“Don’t worry.” He remained at the edge of the ice, one boot hiked up on the log where she’d sat to lace up her skates. “It didn’t involve any hidden cameras or anything. I just called your mom.”
Oh. She could just imagine how that conversation went. Her mother had probably bombarded him with nosy questions before assuming he’d be present for Christmas dinner. She was like that with every boyfriend and male acquaintance Marnie had from the time she was thirteen.
“You could have just called me.” She tried not to pay attention to the fast trip of her heartbeat. He’d made an impression on her the first time they’d met when he’d built the cabinet for her display at Lose Yourself. And she’d been drawn to him ever since, even when that wasn’t wise. Now was no different.
Forcing herself into a small spin on her skates, she hoped the activity would serve as a distraction so she didn’t gape at him like a starving woman drooling over Christmas dinner.
“I wasn’t sure what kind of reception I’d get and I didn’t want to risk you telling me to go take a flying leap or anything like that.”
Moonlight spilled over him, his breath huffing white and rising quickly in the cold.
She didn’t argue since she wasn’t sure what she would have said to him. She still didn’t know.
“So why did you want to find me?” Slowing her spin, she took some pleasure in discovering the skating lessons she’d taken as a teen were still stored somewhere in her muscle memory.
Besides, thinking about skating seemed more prudent than letting her imagination run away when it came to Jake.
“For one thing, I wanted to return your laptop.” He shoved his hands in his pocket, the snow and the moon surrounding him in white and silhouetting his big, powerful body. “I removed the spyware and cleaned it up for you. It’s at the front desk of your hotel.”
Stepping out onto the ice, he stalked toward her. She couldn’t spin or skate now. All she could do was watch him come closer. And hope that he had far better reasons for trolling around the dark Vermont hillside than to deliver electronics.
“That was thoughtful of you.” She kept her cool outwardly, her voice even despite being so unsteady inside. But the closer he came, the more certain she was that he could see how much she missed him. Wanted him.
When only a few inches separated them, he stopped. She was almost eye to eye with him while she wore her skates. His body blocked the wind, sheltering her in a way that made her warmer, yet gave her a shiver, too.
“I figured it was the least I could do to make it up to you for pulling the freak-out show yesterday.” His voice, all low and growly and private, sent a jolt of pleasure through her, reminding her of other conversations that had been for her ears only.
She liked the idea that this intense, focused man could have a side he saved just for her. Not that she was getting her hopes up, damn it.
“I’m not sure what you mean.” And she wanted to be one hundred percent clear. No more assuming the best because of her optimistic nature.
“Marnie, I’m sorry I went caveman on you yesterday. I kept waiting for you to go into shock after what you’d been through, but I think it was me who went a little crazy afterward.” His expression was so serious. Tiny lines fanned around the outside of his eyes as he frowned. “I had no business dictating that we shouldn’t be together because I got scared by this case. Rick pretty much called me a candy ass to my face for acting like that.”
“Really?” She tried to picture Jake standing still long enough to take that kind of criticism, and couldn’t.
“Yeah.” He shook his head, an odd smile lifting one side of his mouth. “He’s not such a bad guy. And he was right.”
Marnie’s skates nearly slid right out from under her.
Apparently, Jake saw her surprise as he reached to steady her, but he kept right on talking.
“I’ve really put relationships on the back burner for a long time. I had a girlfriend mess around on me while I was on a tour overseas and it sort of cured the itch to have any kind of lastin
g commitment for a while. I just kept up the happy bachelor thing and devoted the best of myself to the job. Until you.”
The night was so still and silent except for his voice. Smoke from some nearby cabins drifted on the breeze. All around them, the fresh fallen snow twinkled in the moonlight. And Marnie had the feeling she would always remember every tiny impression of this moment when Jake had cared about her enough to share something of himself. To open his heart, if only a little.
“I’m sorry some wretched woman cheated on you.” She couldn’t imagine stabbing a guy in the back like that while he was half a world away, and she knew firsthand what it felt like to be deceived.
“She wasn’t The One.” Jake took her hands in his, sliding his fingers inside her mittens to touch her skin. Her heart fluttered like a teenager’s. “Apparently she was a bump in the road on the way to something better. And I’m not going to be too blind to see the best thing that ever happened to me when she’s standing right before my eyes.”
Marnie tipped her forehead to his, a profound sense of peace and rightness wrapping around her.
“Jake Brennan, you brought a much better gift than a laptop.” She couldn’t ask for anything nicer for Christmas than to have him here with her. Tunneling her arms inside his jacket, she wrapped herself around him. “There’s more.”
“You’re going to stay with me through Christmas?” she guessed, already picturing the fun she’d have unwrapping that particular present.
“I’m very on board with that, if you’ll have me.” He bent to kiss the top of her head, the rough edge of his unshaven jaw catching in her hair. “But I also had an early Christmas present to give you.”
He reached inside a jacket pocket and pulled out an envelope that he handed to her.
“A present?”
“You’d better check it out and see if you like it.”
Glancing at his face, she tried to guess and came up blank. Opening the envelope, she saw…
“MapQuest directions?” A route had been highlighted from Vermont back to Miami, with stops in between. “Philadelphia? Savannah?”
