Deadly Reunion (The Taci Andrews Deadly Series)

by Manemann, Amy

  “Hate to burst your bubble but our conversation was pretty tame. I asked a few questions about Samantha which he answered without too much trouble and that was it. If he was upset about anything from our conversation he didn’t show it while we were there,” I finally said.

  Tony’s jaw tightened. “And the guy you were with?”

  His question caught me by surprise. If I didn’t know any better I’d say Parsons was jealous. Now that was an interesting theory to entertain. Giving a look of innocence I decided to play dumb. “What guy?”

  Tony’s jaw clenched again. I fought the urge to smile. He really was cute when he was riled. “You know what guy. The guy you were with at Jason’s office. The guy driving the beamer.”

  Ok, one bad thing about living in this town; everybody knows everybody and somebody new always drew attention. Like hot shot Gavyn driving a fancy beamer in a town filled mainly with mini vans and pick up trucks.

  “Oh, you must mean Gavyn. He’s the new guy at the Times Bryce just brought in to pick up the fillers. I was showing him around town and he happened to accompany me to Jason’s office,” I said as if it had just dawned on me.

  Tony’s jaw unclenched a little bit, adding to my suspicions of the jealousy.

  “Why did you want to know?” I goaded further, unable to resist.

  A lazy smile parted his lips and he moved his lean body towards mine until he had me backed up against the wall. Resting his hands on either side of my face he leaned in close. The scent of his aftershave teased my nose, making my insides quiver. Maybe I shouldn’t have pushed my luck after all.

  “Do you really want to know Taci or are you just playing games?” he asked in a bare whisper.

  I swallowed, willing myself to keep breathing in and out. I should have known better than to start something I knew I wouldn’t finish. Or would I? A loud group of people came bursting through the back entrance, spilling into the alleyway. Tony grinned and pulled away, chucking me under the chin. “Guess we’ll have to save that for later.”

  My knees were wobbly as we made our way back into the club. Downing the last of my beer I tossed it into a nearby trash can, veering from Tony to head back towards Mel and Annie. Upon reaching the now empty table I frowned, turning my attention to the dance floor.

  A grin replaced the frown at the site of Annie dancing with one of the firemen from Tony’s group. Nice looking guy I thought, noticing the dreamy look on Annie’s face. Uh-oh; how many martini’s did she have while I was outside playing with Tony? Oh well, she was due for some fun. Giving a shrug I turned to head towards the bar for another beer, only to come up against a brick wall. Placing a steadying hand at my waist Gavyn flashed a grin, asking, “Whoa there Ace, having a bit too much fun?”

  Shrugging I pulled away, tugging my skewed shirt back into place. “As usual. Didn’t know you were the clubbing kind of guy, Gavyn. What brings you out tonight?”

  The waitress from earlier passed by and I caught her eye, signaling for another beer. She nodded and turned to head back towards the bar.

  “You, actually. Did you forget our meeting this afternoon or did you do it on purpose, kind of like an eye for an eye sort of thing?” he asked amusedly. My face flushed brightly. I’d completely forgotten my meeting with Gavyn.

  “I didn’t do it on purpose, really. I got tied up in Owens office and by the time I left my mind was fried. Sorry about that. Can I buy you a drink to make up for it?” I asked, hoping to soothe any rough edges. So far Gavyn and I hadn’t started off on the right foot. While getting him drunk probably wasn’t the best solution either, I figured it couldn’t hurt.

  Gavyn held up a bottle, giving it a little shake. “Sorry, already taken care of but you can make it up to me if you’re really willing.”

  I let out a laugh, holding up a hand. “I don’t know what you heard about me but I’m not that kind of girl. Don’t worry though, stick around here for awhile and I’m sure something else will turn up.”

  Gavyn chuckled. “Actually I was thinking more along the lines of a dance but if you had something else in mind….”

  You know, there’s a lot to be said for the old adage of putting one’s foot in one’s mouth. Unfortunately for me I have the uncanny knack of swallowing my size 9’s on a regular basis. Go figure.

  CHAPTER SIX

  The alarm clock next to my bed buzzed incessantly, shouting at me to get my butt out of bed. It was Saturday morning for cripes sake, who in their right mind sets an alarm clock for 6:00 AM on a Saturday? Giving a growl I rolled over, slapping a hand across the top of the clock to silence it. Returning to my back I sighed, willing my churning stomach to quiet down. A shifting on the bed beside me made me freeze as an arm was tossed over my mid section.

  “Good morning sunshine,” Tony’s voice purred in my ear. Closing my eyes I counted to ten, praying that this was just a dream. Tentatively I opened an eye and peeked over, cussing softly. He was still there.

  “What are you doing in my bed Parsons?” I asked quietly so as to not disturb the tempo pounding in my head.

  Tony grinned. “I think that’s pretty self explanatory, Andrews. The earth moved, birds sang…Last night was the best religious experience I’ve ever had without going to church.”

  I arched an eyebrow. Obviously a bit more of an explanation was in order here.

  “OK, so maybe I drove you home and let you pass out,” he added. Ok, now that at least sounded more plausible.

  “And it was necessary to sleep in my bed?” I asked.

  Again a dimpled grin. “Nope, that was just an added bonus.”

  Oh brother. Stretching I resisted the urge to kick him out of bed. Closing my eyes again I began to piece together the evening’s fuzzy events. Dancing with Gavyn on the dance floor; macho man Tony glaring at us the whole time; drinking 4 beers which put me over my 3 beer limit; Annie ditching me and leaving with the cute fireman…; Opening my eyes I stared at him curiously. “While I know it must have been hard on your ego I appreciate you keeping Mr. Winkie in your pants last night. By the way in case I forgot, thanks for the ride home.”

  “No problemo. Besides, I promised you my cure all for a hang over. Get your butt up and at ‘em, time for a jog,” he said, whipping back his side of the covers and climbing out of bed. The churning of my stomach kept me from fully appreciating the view of Tony wearing only his boxer briefs. Note to self; don’t overindulge when Tony’s around or you might miss out on a great opportunity. Tugging the covers tightly under my chin I gave a groan. “Thanks but no thanks. I think I’ll just tough it out from the comforts of my bed.”

  The covers were jerked off and I squealed as cold air hit my body, making me suddenly aware that I was dressed only in a t-shirt and underwear.

  “I presume you’re to blame for my lack of clothing?” I seethed, sitting up in bed. Tony grinned, turning towards my dresser. Fumbling through the lower drawers he came up with a pair of stretchy pants and a t-shirt, which he flipped in my direction.

  “No need to get all huffy, it’s not like you have anything I haven’t seen before,” he reminded me.

  Sticking out my tongue I gathered my clothes, tossing my legs over the side of the bed to stand. A wave of nausea hit and I fell backwards, taking deep breaths as I eyed the whirling ceiling. There was no way in hell he was getting me out of this bed today, especially to go for a jog.

  “Looks like you’ll have to count me out on this one. Good luck with the jog, don’t forget to lock up when you leave,” I called out. I heard him sigh, then the sound of footsteps as he approached the bed. Leaning down he eyed me curiously, studying my features. “You look a little green but you’ll be fine. Just get up and hurl, then get dressed. Trust me, the sooner you get jogging the better you’ll feel.”

  I was skeptical but at least willing to give it a try. Anything was better than lying here and wishing myself dead. Inhaling a deep breath I slowly came to my feet, walking unsteadily towards the bathroom with my clothes dragging on the
floor behind me.

  “That’s the spirit, Angel Face. I’ll meet you in the living room,” Tony called out from behind me. I flipped him the finger.

  Entering the bathroom I quickly changed clothes, tugging a brush through my unruly hair before pulling it up into a ponytail. Fumbling in the medicine cabinet I popped open the Tylenol bottle, downing three extra strength capsules. I had a feeling I was going to need more than that by the time Tony was done with me. Surprisingly enough the urge to hurl had passed for the time being. Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth I reluctantly exited the bathroom to seek out my tormentor.

  The sound of voices reached my ears and I gave a soft sigh. Reese must be up. Didn’t anybody sleep in anymore on a Saturday morning? Following the voices led me into the kitchen where both men were conversing about the evening’s events.

  “Mornin’ sis, sleep well?” Reese asked cheerfully, causing me to wince.

  “Yeah great, thanks,” I mumbled, glancing at the empty coffee pot with a frown.

  Tony shook his head, making a tsking sound with his mouth. “Sorry angel, no coffee before jogging. It’ll only make you hurl on the road.”

  Crossing my arms underneath my breasts I studied the men intently. They were far too chummy with each other, giving me the distinct impression that this morning wasn’t their first time visiting since Reese moved in.

  “So, did you kiddies catch up on old times or would you like me to leave you two alone?” I tossed out, causing Reese to grin sheepishly.

  “Actually we caught up last night when Tony brought you home. You were pretty well passed out when he carried you in so I took the liberty of setting him up on the couch. Didn’t think you’d want me to send him home when it was so late,” he replied. I shot Tony a look which he avoided. Sleeping in my bed my ass. Just wait until we got outside.

  Clearing his throat Tony glanced at his watch, saying, “We’d better get a move on if we’re going to keep her standing up straight. Good to see you again Reese.”

  Reese slapped him a high five, giving me a lopsided grin on his way out of the kitchen. Turning I landed a foot on the underside of his butt, grinning at the satisfying yelp of pain.

  “Come on angel face, don’t take your frustrations out on your brother. You can take them out on me when we return to take a shower,” Tony whispered in my ear, escorting me out the door. My cheeks burned all the way downstairs, making me forget to give him a scathing set down.

  An hour later I had to admit that Tony was right, jogging definitely was the key to clearing ones head after a night of drinking. By the time we went two miles and returned to the apartment building I was exhausted, but no longer nauseated. Sweat poured off my face, tunneling down the valley between my breasts. I was pretty sure I could wring sweat from my ponytail if I really tried. At least Tony looked like he’d actually had a work out; for once his finely tuned body had a sheen of sweat to it. Unfortunately where I looked gross and disgusting he still looked yummy enough to eat. How fair is that?

  ”So, how about that shower?” he asked with a grin as we stood outside my apartment building.

  I shook my head, holding up a hand. “Not so fast hot shot. I need at least a dinner and a movie before I take a shower with a guy. Even I have standards.”

  Tony regarded me silently for a moment. “All right then, dinner and a movie tonight. I’ll pick up you around 6:00.”

  I opened my mouth to speak only to snap it shut. Damn, he was good. Crossing my arms across my chest I gave a slow nod. “Fine, but you’d better be a helluva date if you expect a shower.”

  Tony leaned in slowly, reaching out to swipe a bead of sweat making its way down the side of my face. Tilting my chin up he pressed a soft kiss at the corner of my mouth, saying softly, “Your wish is my command. See you tonight.”

  Turning he walked towards his pick up truck and piled in, backing out of the stall and pulling out of the parking lot all before I could even think to reply. Giving a mental shake I turned and headed inside, taking the steps two at a time to try and clear my thoughts. What the hell did I just agree to I wondered, slightly thrilled at the prospects. At any rate I definitely had a date for tonight, something that I hadn’t been able to claim in quite some time. Reese was waiting in the kitchen when I returned, a bowl of cereal in hand.

  “Did Tony go home?” he asked, disappointed. I rolled my eyes, tossing my keys on the counter as I headed towards the bathroom.

  “Don’t worry, he’ll be back later. Try to keep out of trouble for today, will you?” I called out before shutting the bathroom door.

  After nearly an hour of standing under a hot stream of water I was fairly certain I’d washed away what was left of the toxins in my system. Unfortunately the feel of Tony’s lips pressed to the corner of my mouth was all too evident yet. This was going to be a long night. Coming out of the bathroom I headed into my bedroom and shut the door, smiling at the sound of the television blaring from the living room. Even if he was a pain sometimes it was still nice having someone else around. Maybe I should think about getting a pet.

  The sound of a telephone ringing drew my attention, even more annoying so was the sound of Reese’s voice answering it. Ok, the kid was staying here; did that entitle him to phone privileges? A knock sounded on the bedroom door and I turned as Reese stuck his head in, holding the phone out to me.

  “It’s Annie,” he announced, giving me a grin. Snatching it out of his hand I gave him a glare before shutting the door soundly.

  “Since when is your brother staying with you?” Annie asked when I picked it up.

  I sighed, rubbing a towel vigorously through my hair. “Since he’s out of a job and got kicked out of his apartment. But never mind him, what about you? Who was that hunk of a man I saw you leaving with last night?”

  “Holy smokes Taci, was he hot or what?! His name is Drew Barrons and he’s a rookie at central fire. He and I ended up back at my place and let’s just say I was glad I sent the girls over night to Mom’s house,” Annie all but sighed into the phone.

  I laughed, tossing the towel on the bed. “You are turning into a little tramp, you do know that don’t you?”

  Annie laughed aloud. “Dear lord I hope so because it’s about time I had some fun. Did you see Bob arrive with his little girlfriend? Boy was that great to see the look on his face when I left with Drew. And to top it off I caught his little girlie sneaking out the back door with another guy. Looks like Bob’s been dumped on his butt.”

  Laughter bubbled up at that. I couldn’t have planned a better revenge for Annie if I’d tried.

  “Yeah well, I think you owe Mel a big thank you for last night. Who did she end up leaving with? I lost track of her shortly after my third beer,” I replied, digging through my dresser drawer in search of jeans. I had to have a clean pair somewhere. Either that or it was laundry day. Now that was a sobering thought.

  “Actually she and I left at the same time. The guy she was with assured Drew he’d get her home Ok, guess they knew each other. And speaking of getting home, just who did you get a ride from?” Annie asked.

  I sighed. I knew she’d get around to asking sooner or later. I was just hoping for the later part rather than the sooner. “Tony drove me home. Apparently anything more than three beers and I turn in to some sort of fall down drunk girl; who knew?”

  Annie chuckled. “So he drove you home, huh? That was awfully chivalrous of him, considering how hard he was glaring at you and that dark haired guy on the dance floor. And just who was that tall drink of water? He reminded me of the guy I dreamed about.”

  “Oh yeah, I forgot to call you! That’s Gavyn, he just started at the Times and trust me when I tell you it was nothing. Tony had no reason to be jealous…wait a minute, he was jealous, wasn’t he?” I said almost to myself.

  “Lord girl, you have no concept of yourself, do you? Tony Parsons couldn’t keep his eyes off you from the moment he knew you were there. If I didn’t know any better I’d say the man has a
serious case of the hot’s for you,” Annie said, amusement in her voice.

  Could Annie be right? Was it possible Tony Parsons could actually want more from me than my irritation? Somehow it didn’t seem likely yet my heart skipped a beat at the prospect.

  “Think what you want Annie dear but you’ll never convince me Parsons wants anything from me other than to piss me off or get in my pants. I’m leaning more towards the latter, of which I’ll find out for sure tonight,” I scoffed, sitting down on the edge of the bed to tug on my jeans. They weren’t my cutest pair but they’d do. Besides, I was just going to the office to dig through more of Richard’s files. It wasn’t like I needed to look my greatest.

  Annie inhaled a sharp breath. “What do you mean you’ll find out tonight?”

  I took a deep breath. Crap. Why did I have to have such a big mouth? “We’re….sort of going out on a date tonight, dinner and a movie. It’s nothing serious, just a casual thing between friends.” Liar, liar pants on fire.

  Annie snorted in disbelief. “Puh-lease, do you really expect me to believe that load of crap? Come on, you two have been barking around each other’s trees for years. If you’d actually pull the sticks out of your butts for a change you might actually stop to realize that you two might actually like each other.”

  “Gee Annie, if I had feelings that would have hurt. Lucky for you I don’t have that problem,” I replied sarcastically.

  Annie sighed. “You know what I mean. Listen Tace, I know that your career is really important to you right now but I’m worried about you. What if down the line you take a look back and realize everything you had to give up along the way wasn’t worth it? Take it from me, you don’t want to take a look back and find only regret.”