by Janet Dailey
“Why?” Deke responded with a question.
“Sometime soon I’m going to have to drive to Houston to move my things out of the apartment. The Thanksgiving holidays might be a perfect time to do it,” she explained. “It’s no fun being alone anyway on a holiday, so I might as well go.”
“How long will it take?” Deke neither agreed nor objected to her suggestion, but he also didn’t deny that she would be alone.
“I can drive up Thursday. I’ll have to be there onalways undressing you Friday to close my bank accounts. Depending on how long it takes me to pack and load everything in the car, I should be able to leave Saturday to come back,” Angie replied, thinking out loud.
“I have tickets for the Dallas game, so I’ll probably be gone, too.” He was taking it for granted that she was making the trip.
There seemed no reason not to after his statement. Angie noticed that Deke didn’t ask her to go with him. She had no part in his life outside this house.
“I’ll go then,” she decided. “I’ll leave early Thursday morning and hopefully miss some of the holiday traffic.”
“Okay.”
“Deke.” She knew he wasn’t going to like it but she had to ask anyway. “Doesn’t Lindy wonder where you spend your nights?” Angie felt the ripple of impatience that went through him.
“No. Why should she? Most of the time she’s getting ready for bed when I leave,” he replied with a faint terseness.
“And Marissa?”
“If my sister has guessed, she knows better than to mention it to me. It isn’t any of her business where I go or what I do.”
“But if something happened to Lindy—”
“They can call me. I’ve left the phone number.” His fingers tightened in her hair, tugging at the roots to pull her head back so he could see her face. There was suppressed anger in the hard line of his jaw. “Are you trying to remind me of my duty? Or are you tired of having me around again?”
“No—to both,” Angie retorted in hurt defense. “I was just curious.”
“It’s a damned good thing you said no.” Deke crushed her mouth under his, punishing her with hard kisses that were meant to bruise.
Angie tasted blood in her mouth where he had ground her lips against her teeth. Then he was prying them open to sensually lick away the hurt and wipe away the taste. His half-angry love offered her a release from her own frustration and she turned fully into his arms.
Gazing at the assortment of clothes, household wares, linens and a hundred other things, Angie wondered how she was going to pack it all. She doubted if she had enough boxes, and even then, she didn’t know if it would all fit in her car.
With a sigh, Angie walked into the small bedroom to change out of the dress she’d worn to the bank. At least she had that much accomplished. Her bank accounts were closed and she had a cashier’s check for the balance in her purse. Between going to the bank and stopping at the office where she had worked to pick up her final paycheck and say goodbye td her co-workers, the morning had been shot. On impulse, she had phoned Ted’s office, but his secretary wasn’t expecting him in over the holidays. Angle wasn’t sure why she had called him except—it seemed the decent thing to do.
An old sweatshirt and a faded pair of jeans waited on the unmade bed. Once her dress was off and on a hanger, she put them on and went back to the living room to tackle the chore of packing. She seemed to have amassed an endless array of knick-knacks and breakables. Angie carefully wrapped each one with newspaper and fitted them in boxes, trying to use every inch of space.
The knock on her door brought a sigh of irritation from Angie. It was probably the landlord since he had to inspect the apartment for any possible damage or theft before returning her deposit. The place was a mess. He would probably dock her for cleaning costs. Scrambling to her feet, she made her way through the maze of boxes to the door and tried to look pleasant when she opened the door.
But it was Ted standing in the hallway, not her landlord. “Hi,” he smiled a little too brightly. “I checked in with the office and they mentioned you had stopped for your things. I thought I might find you here.”
“Come in,” Angie invited, but she realized she wasn’t totally at ease with him anymore. “How have you been?”
“Fine.” He walked in, glancing around. “You’re busy packing I see.”
“The place is a mess,” she admitted. “I don’t remember bringing half this much from Arizona.”
“Then you’re really leaving?” The inflection of his voice made it a question.
“Yes.”
“I thought you might have changed your mind,” he suggested.
“No.” Angie felt awkward. “Would you like some coffee? I’m afraid all I have is instant.”
“No thanks,” Ted refused. “I just came by to see how you were.” He hesitated, giving the impression that he might be uncomfortable, too. “When’s the wedding?”
“Wedding?” Angie repeated.
“Didn’t you and your ex get things patched up?” His interest sharpened when she avoided his look.
“I’m not sure.” She didn’t know how to describe her present relationship with Deke, but marriage had certainly not been discussed by either of them. She tried not to acknowledge to herself that the idea was appealing.
“That morning the two of you were real lovey-dovey,” Ted reminded her needlessly.
“We haven’t talked about getting married,” Angie admitted, but didn’t comment on his assessment of their attitude. That was the problem. Deke was her lover—and nothing more. An ache started to hurt someplace in her chest.
“Where will you be moving?” he asked, then inserted before she could answer. “Last week I called the motel where you were staying, but they said you left without a forwarding address.”
“Deke has a summer house in Rockport. Since it’s usually closed for the winter, he’s letting me live in it.” Angie moved away and pretended to organize a stack of linen in preparation for packing.
But Ted was too astute. “Alone?” he questioned.
Her cheeks reddened with embarrassment. “Not always,” she admitted, but didn’t tell him that Deke came every night.
“How convenient for him,” he murmured caustically.
“Ted, I don’t think—”
“—it’s any of my business,” Ted finished the sentence for her. “Maybe it isn’t,” he conceded. “But I can’t help being concerned.”
“That’s kind of you, Ted, but—”
“I’m not sure how much kindness has to do with it.” He smiled wrly. “I owe you an apology for the way I behaved the last time I saw you. I’ve always been a sore loser. And I didn’t exactly distinguish myself when I discovered you’d spent the night with him. It caught me completely off guard, and I felt I’d been let down. So I lashed out, trying to hurt you because I’d been hurt. I’m sorry, Angie.”
“Apology accepted,” she murmured. It served no purpose to remind him she hadn’t given him any cause to feel that way.
“I feel better.” His smile grew more natural. “What kind of agreement were you able to reach about your daughter?”
Angie reacted the way Deke usually did, trying to avoid the subject. “We haven’t come to any final understanding,” she hedged.
But it didn’t slip past Ted. “He is letting you see her, isn’t he?”
“Not yet,” she admitted and hurried to ask, “Did you ever bother to look over the papers? The bank said you had stopped.”
“You are staying in his house and he’s ’visiting’ you.” He suggestively stressed the word. “But he hasn’t permitted you to see your daughter. Angie, why did you ever agree to that?”
She began refolding the towels into smaller squares, anything to hide her inner turmoil and confusion. “Deke feels we should get to know each other again.”
“My God, that’s rich!” Ted laughed shortly, without humor. “He wants to ’know’ you, huh? And you fell for it.”
&n
bsp; “You don’t understand,” she retorted in irritation. “Deke is worried that I will try to take Lindy away from him permanently.”
“There isn’t a chance of that and he knows it!” Ted declared. “That document has virtually signed, sealed and delivered your child into his exclusive care. I’ve never read anything so iron-tight. There isn’t a loophole in it. There isn’t even a pinhole in it. You only have the slimmest chance that a court might reverse it to the extent of granting you limited visiting privileges.”
“You have studied it,” she murmured and sagged against the armrest of the sofa. He made it sound hopeless.
“Yes. So did Sam.” He tempered his voice to a less forceful level, knowing his news came as a blow to her. “I’m sorry, Angie.”
“I think I knew it when Deke said the decision would ultimately rest with him.” She stared at the towel that her fingers had wadded into a tight ball.
“Is that why you agreed to . . . his arrangement?” he inquired with new gentleness.
“It wasn’t a question of agreeing to. It just happened,” and she had found herself accepting it—not just accepting it, there was more involved, but she didn’t want to think about that yet.
“Angie, he’s just stringing you along. Your daughter is the carrot dangling in front of you. As long as he keeps her out of reach, he’s got you where he wants you,” Ted informed her sadly. “You’re being used, Angie. Can’t you see it?”
“He’ll let me see her.” She clung to that thought.
“Don’t kid yourself,” Ted insisted.
“I think I know him better than you do,” Angie replied in defense.
“I’d bet you know him better.” His comment was heavy with sexual innuendo, and Angie stiffened in outrage, flashing him an angry look. Ted ran a hand through his hair. “That remark was out of line. I’m sorry. . . . It’s just that—” he paused. “Angie, are you in love with him?”
His question splintered through her, shattering the secret she’d kept locked away from herself. She had insisted for so long that her attraction to Deke was purely sexual, that she had finally believed it until now. She loved him. All along her feelings for him had been so simple that she hadn’t understood them. Love was an emotion that didn’t break down for analysis. It simply existed in its natural form.
Ted must have seen it in her face. “I guess that answers my question.” He walked to the door and Angie was still too stunned by her discovery to leave. “Goodbye, Angie . . . and good luck.”
The door had already clicked shut when she finally added, “Goodbye, Ted.”
With new energy, she set to work. She couldn’t pack fast enough, because she wanted to go home—home to Deke. She was certain he had some feelings for her that could be salvaged. They had a chance, she was sure.
All manner of things seemed to crop up to delay her. On Saturday morning, she had to wait for the landlord to inspect the apartment, so she had a late start. The traffic was heavy which slowed her down more. Then her car’s radiator hose busted and she had to wait in Victoria for it to be repaired. It was late Saturday afternoon when she finally reached Rock-port.
Her car was loaded to the gills so she didn’t want to leave it in the driveway. Since she didn’t want to take the time to unpack it, Angie parked it in the garage-half of the ground floor and locked the doors. The only thing she took out of the car was a suitcase of clothes. It wasn’t six o’clock yet when she climbed the stairs. If Deke came, it wouldn’t be until seven or after. Which gave her time to bathe and change into something more attractive than the travel-wrinkled pantsuit she was wearing.
She went straight to the master suite and left the suitcase unopened on the bed to enter the bathroom and turn on the faucets in the tub. While it filled with water, she returned to the bedroom and unlatched the suitcase. She shook out the aquamarine dress on top and laid it on the bed. Then it was back to the bathroom to add perfumed crystals of bubble bath to the water.
Angie didn’t bother to turn on any lights except the ones in the combination bath and dressing room. Bubbles billowed in the tub, fragrantly scented steam permeating the air as she undressed. She piled her blond hair on top of her head and secured it with a pair of combs. The tub was nearly full when she stopped at the linen closet for a towel and washcloth.
With the water running, she didn’t hear a sound. Almost at the same second that Angie realized someone was behind her, a pair of arms circled her waist. She started to scream as she was gathered against a man’s body and he buried his face in the curve of her neck. The scream never got past the sharply indrawn breath of alarm before Angie recognized the feel of those arms and that body.
“You’re back,” Deke murmured, and let her turn around.
There was raw hunger in his kiss that seemed to eat at her very soul. Angie strained close, pressing herself to his entire length, her arms wound tightly around his neck. The crush of his arms was an exquisite pain she could have endured for an endless time but he drew away. Angie lowered her gaze, not willing for him to see the love she guessed was in her eyes.
“I didn’t hear you come in.” There was a breathless quality to her voice. “I just got back a few minutes ago myself.”
“The tub’s going to overflow,” Deke warned her with a faint smile.
Quickly, she slipped out of his arms to shut off the faucets. Water was already gurgling down the overflow and mounds of bubbles topped the tub walls. Angie turned, his slowly sweeping gaze making her very much aware of her nudity. Deke looked every inch a Texan in his boots, tan cords, leather vest and hat.
“I thought I’d have time to take a bath and change before you arrived,” Angie explained.
“Go ahead.” Deke removed his hat and hooked it on the doorknob, running a hand through his hair to comb out the flatness. “There’s no point in letting the water get cold.”
“Will you keep me company?” She hesitated, then stepped into the tub and sank down amid the perfumed bubbles.
“I planned on it. I’ll pull up a chair and watch,” Deke assured her dryly, and he closed the lid on the toilet seat to sit down. Leaning forward, he rested his elbows on his knees and loosely linked his hands together. “How was the traffic?”
“Bad,” Angie laughed ruefully and soaped the washcloth. She could feel the weight of his gaze as she spread the lather over her arms, shoulders and neck. “On top of that, the radiator hose broke and I was delayed while it was being repaired.” It was a decidedly sensuous feeling to bathe while Deke watched, squeezing warm water over her skin to rinse away the soap. “How was the game?” She looked up as Deke moved from his seat to the side of the tub, unbuttoning his cuffs and rolling back the sleeves.
“Dallas won.” Kneeling beside the tub, he took the washcloth and soap from her unresisting fingers. Angie couldn’t think of anything more enjoyable than having Deke bathe her. He began washing her back, his hand moving in slow, circular motions over her shoulders and ribs and along her spine.
“I’ll bet Lindy was thrilled to see her idols in person,” she mused with her eyes closed, wanting to purr like a cat.
“What do you mean?” There was a slight hesitation in his motion, a brief tensing before it continued.
“The Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders. Lindy wants to be one when she grows up,” Angie replied and tipped her head forward, enjoying his massage. “Mmmm, that feels good,” she murmured.
“How do you know that?” Deke concentrated his efforts on a near shoulder.
“Marissa told me.” A delicious warmth was flowing through her limbs, a combination of hot bath water and the pervading caress of his hand.
“When did you talk to her?” The soap-slick washcloth wandered across her breastbone, prompting Angie to lift her chin. Her lashes drifted open so she could look at the man she loved, his rugged face so close to hers. Her lips laid together softly, moist and shining. Deke noticed them, but he ignored their silent invitation.
Angie was tired of his cross-examination,
but she was aware of his distrust and she wanted to reassure him that he had no cause for concern. “When I was in Goliad.” She felt the faint tension dissipate at her answer.
Almost as a reward, Deke guided the washcloth in his hand to a breast, encasing it in lather and gently rubbing it in until the action bordered on erotic fondling. A faint sound of immense pleasure came from her throat and he duplicated the process on her other breast. Angie closed her eyes to savor the warm rapture in his touch.
“I thought you might change your mind and decide to stay in Houston,” Deke murmured.
Without opening her eyes, Angie slowly shook her head from side to side. “It never even occurred to me.”
“Did you see that Sullivan character while you were there?” The question was under-coated with a low-level challenge.
Without opening her eyes all the way, Angie stole a glance at him through her lashes. Could Deke be jealous? It was a lilting thought.
“Yes,” she admitted. “Ted stopped by the apartment.” She saw the hardness in his eyes, but his expression was otherwise bland.
“What did he have to say?” Instead of looking at her, he was studying the firm contours of her wet breasts.
“He apologized for his previous behavior. Mostly he came to say goodbye.” Angie couldn’t make up her mind whether Deke was jealous or simply disliked Ted.
“Does he know you’re living with me?”
His bluntly worded question stole some of her pleasure. She had never applied that term to their situation. They were living together, but the phrase made it seem so immoral. It didn’t feel wrong.
“Yes.” Her voice was soft, a little subdued.
“Didn’t he advise you against it?” Deke challenged.
“Yes,” Angie admitted that, too, and remembered what Ted had said about Deke’s actions. She wanted Ted to be wrong, and she knew she had to find out. “He said you were stringing me along with Lindy for bait. That you have no intention of letting me see her.”
“Is that right?” Deke countered with an indifferent remark, but there was an underlying harshness in his tone, a biting impatience.
