by Jill Shalvis
And slowly Carolyn’s smile faded. She eyed Tessa’s sundress, a bit dusty from her crawl through Eddie’s attic. “You wore that yesterday.”
“Yep.”
“You never repeat clothes.”
“Nope.”
“Tessa…where’s your left shoe?”
“Oh. I forgot to go back for it.” Her apartment consisted of the “great” room—kitchen, living room and dining room all in one—and a small bedroom and bathroom. Since she favored bright colors, the place was full of them, from the blue-and-green couch she sat on to the sunshine-yellow kitchen table and matching chairs she’d painted herself, to the plants she had thriving in every corner. On the walls were Rafe’s photographs—some abstract, some of their family, some of the places he’d traveled to far and wide. She sank deeper into the couch, kicked off her one shoe and put her feet up. “I’m starving.”
Carolyn was still staring at her. Slowly she came to the couch, hunkered down near Tessa and took her hand. “Honey, you’re scaring me.”
“I know how you feel about cooking, but I swear I’ll be your best friend if you could whip me up some toast and an egg or something. Even PB and J would be great.”
Carolyn didn’t budge. “Are you hurt?”
“Do I look hurt?”
“Your dress has a tear—” She fingered a rip at the seam over Tessa’s collarbone. Then her eyes went hot, and she reached out and touched Tessa’s throat. Her extremely bruised throat. “Oh my God. Baby, you’re—”
“It’s okay.”
“I’m calling the police.”
Tessa caught her hand and brought it up to her cheek, turning her face into it. “I’m okay.”
With her other hand, Carolyn stroked Tessa’s hair off her face. “Are you sure? What happened? Tell me everything.”
“This is the worst of it,” she said of the bruises. “I promise.”
“So you weren’t—”
“No one touched me.” Well, no one that she hadn’t wanted to.
“Spill, damn it. Tell me right now or I’m calling Rafe.”
Their brother was the oldest of the three of them and even more protective than Carolyn. When his sisters had first started dating, it’d nearly killed him. Eventually, he’d gotten used to it, but only by pretending they were still virgins.
If Rafe thought she’d been hurt, nothing would stop him from exacting revenge. “I was supposed to watch Eddie’s house this weekend.”
“Yes,” her sister said impatiently. “The boss’s house in the La Canada hills with all its riches and finery. What happened, Tessa?”
“When I let myself in, I interrupted a burglary in progress.”
Carolyn’s mouth fell open. “Oh my God.”
“Before I could get out of the house, one of them grabbed me and locked me in a room so he could finish what he’d started, which was stealing from Eddie.”
Carolyn wrapped her arms around Tessa. “He grabbed you?”
“Luckily, all he wanted was me out of his way. Eddie’s son had also been shoved into this room, so I wasn’t alone.”
“Eddie has a son? Is he okay?”
“He’s not a little kid, he’s…all grown up.” Really grown up.
“So the two of you were together, locked in a room? All night long?”
She tried not to squirm because Carolyn could read a squirm at thirty miles. “Yes.”
“Tell me he’s a nice guy, Tessa.”
Her sister looked so distraught, so worried, she managed a smile. And though “nice” wasn’t quite the word she would have used to describe Reilly Ledger, she said, “He’s a very nice guy.”
Her sister studied her for a long moment. “You must have been terrified.”
How to explain that with Reilly her terror had taken a back seat to other things, such as a lust she was embarrassed about now.
“How did you get out?”
Good. A question she could answer. “We waited for dawn, then crawled up through an attic access. Eddie’s son beat the crap out of the bad guys and called the cops.”
Carolyn’s eyes were huge. “Does Eddie’s son have a name?”
“Reilly.”
“And he was good to you.”
“Very,” she said simply.
“Well, then.” Carolyn squeezed Tessa again. “I want to hug him, too.”
“He’s not really the huggable type.” She hugged her sister back because, now that it was over, things other than fear were beginning to make themselves known. Embarrassment, exhaustion, hunger… “You know what I really want?”
“What, baby?” said Carolyn, stroking her hair. “Anything. You want me to go burn something for you?”
Tessa let out a little laugh and burrowed in closer. “Yes. But while you do that, I want a long, hot shower. I’m going to go wash it all out of my system.” She pulled free and headed toward her bedroom. “Lots of butter on the toast, okay? And can you try to scramble an egg? I have cheese you could add to it—”
“I’ll get it.”
“Thank you,” she whispered, a little too close to tears. All her life she’d fought her two siblings for her independence, for liberation from “baby” status, but at the moment, she felt just shaky enough to be grateful for the way they loved to smother her.
As she stripped and stepped into the steam and hot water, nearly whimpering in gratitude at how it felt on her bruised, tired body, she wondered what Reilly was doing right now.
The man had a serious back-off attitude. She sincerely doubted he’d ever let anyone baby and comfort him… So where was he now? All alone? Shaken? Needing to be consoled and reassured?
Lonely?
Then she laughed at herself. She had a feeling that the man enjoyed being alone, very much. He wouldn’t ever be weak enough to need someone to comfort him.
And he sure as hell didn’t seem the type to need to be reassured about anything.
A knock came on the bathroom door, just before it opened. “I brought you some hot tea,” Carolyn said.
“Thanks.” Hot tea. She should want that and her bed. But she didn’t think she’d be able to sleep with her mind whirling around in circles the way it was.
“I’ll just leave it here on the counter,” her sister said over the rush of the water. “You doing okay?”
“Sure.”
“Are you almost done?”
Tessa sighed and stuck her head out of the shower curtain. “You called him, didn’t you.”
Carolyn held out Tessa’s portable phone.
Tessa turned off the water and put the phone in the crook of her neck. “Hey, big brother.”
“Tell me you’re really okay.”
At the sound of Rafe’s voice, low and rough with concern, her throat went tight. “I’m really okay.”
But her voice cracked and he swore softly. “Tessa, listen. I’m in Paris on a photo shoot but I’ll get on the next plane—”
“No.” She both laughed and sobbed and wiped her nose. “I’m fine, I promise.”
“You don’t sound fine.”
“It’s your voice. That’s all,” she said. “I heard you and…I miss you. But I’m not hurt, I’m just tired and hungry.”
“You’re always hungry.”
“Yes, so you know I must be okay, right?”
Rafe sighed. “Promise me. Promise me you’re not lying just so I won’t come home early.”
“I promise.”
“I’m going to call you tonight.”
“And probably every day until you come home,” Tessa teased, somehow feeling better just for talking to the brother who’d spent a lifetime making her feel better.
“You know it,” he said. “And Tessa? You also know Carolyn’s going to be hovering.”
“Doesn’t she always?” They both laughed over that for a moment, then Rafe got serious. “Take care of yourself. I’ll see you soon. And when I do, I want to meet this guy who helped you.”
“Love you,” Tessa said, avoiding the
subject of Reilly, and when she clicked off, she tried to find the peace the shower had given her, but the thought of Reilly had shattered it.
He kissed like heaven.
That thought came out of nowhere, and as Carolyn left the bathroom, Tessa went still in the act of drying off, having conveniently and completely blanked that part out of her recollection of the events to her sister.
She’d instigated the kiss. The kisses. She’d practically begged him for them. That he’d caved in spite of trying to be hard and edgy and distant was of little consolation now.
She hated that she’d gone weak and girly on him, that she’d needed comfort in the first place, but bottom line…it had happened and she couldn’t change it. So it was probably for the best that they’d each gone their separate ways after the police had arrived, without speaking again.
Sighing, she tossed aside her towel and prepared to go on with her life, secure in the knowledge she could make it through anything, including being held hostage.
Including being kissed and touched by a man she’d inexplicably been drawn to in the face of danger; a wild, tough kind of man she’d never see again.
Which was just as well, really. She was quite certain in the light of a normal day she’d never be attracted to a man like Reilly Ledger. Never.
* * *
REILLY GOT UP EARLY on Sunday morning. He ran his usual five miles. Showered and grabbed a quick breakfast.
Alone. The way he liked it.
Alone was easy. Alone meant not needing to worry about anyone but himself. Alone meant doing as he pleased, when he pleased.
Alone was…habit.
He knew what that said about him. At least he knew what his mother thought that said about him. He sure as hell knew what the women in his life thought that said about him—they’d all been clear as crystal on their way out his door.
He was selfish.
He didn’t feel.
He was a robot.
Then there’d been the woman who’d simply tried to kill him. That was a memory for the books and had a great deal to do with his dislike of close, dark places, but he wasn’t going to go there.
And yes, maybe he was a little selfish, but he sure as hell felt things, far more than he liked. As for being a robot, well, would a robot have responded to Tessa’s soft, giving body and hungry mouth?
Not likely.
Okay, settled then. He spent the rest of his weekend in precious solitude. And if he occasionally thought about Tessa, wondered how she was coping with the memory of the ordeal, he told himself it was out of general concern. The way he’d be concerned about anyone who’d faced such a trauma.
It was nothing personal. He just knew personal trauma, that’s all.
So why he dreamed so vividly at night—dark, haunting dreams that he couldn’t quite remember in the morning—was beyond him.
Or maybe he just didn’t want to remember.
His father called and again thanked him for helping Tessa but, looking back, Reilly couldn’t say that he’d helped her all that much. Everything he’d done had been for himself—climbing through the attic, nailing his captors…kissing Tess. That had definitely been for him. At the time she’d overwhelmed his body and senses. He supposed he should be glad it hadn’t gone any further, as that would have been even more difficult to face now.
And things were pretty difficult as they were.
* * *
MONDAY MORNING DAWNED bright and clear. Just as Reilly was leaving for work, he heard a knock at his door. He grabbed the leather saddlebag he used as a briefcase, figuring he’d turn down whomever was trying to sell him something on his way out.
Eddie stood there—tall, lean, fit, looking much younger than his forty-nine years. His dark hair was in artful disarray, his clothes no doubt picked out by a stylist. His smile was genuine and made Reilly groan.
“Morning, son.” Eddie lifted a McDonald’s bag, which they both knew damn well was a bribe.
A bribe Reilly was willing to take if there was a breakfast sandwich in there.
“I have tickets to the ball game tonight. Join me?”
Reilly took his gaze off the bag. “Just you?”
“Well, I thought I’d invite a few friends along.”
Women. Not that Reilly had a problem with women, but Eddie always overdid a good time. There’d be a horde of them and Reilly didn’t like hordes.
A loud honk came from the driveway. Reilly popped his head out the door and saw Eddie’s red convertible BMW, filled to capacity.
With women.
In this case, given the size of the car, that meant three women. “Small harem today,” Reilly noted. “You really need a bigger car.”
Eddie sighed. “I keep telling you I’ve changed. I like them one at a time these days.”
“Or three.”
“Reilly—”
“Look, it’s your life.”
“Yeah, you keep saying that.” For a moment, frustration swam in Eddie’s eyes. “But I want you in that life, damn it.”
“I’m in it. How can I help it, you keep showing up on my doorstep.”
Eddie sighed again, then let out a rough laugh. “I keep hoping that one of these days you’ll show up on mine.”
“You’ve got a pretty full plate at the moment.” Reilly nodded toward the carload, which reminded him of his biggest life’s goal—Don’t turn out like good old Dad.
“Those are my employees, son.”
Reilly opened the McDonald’s bag. The delicious scent of fast-food wafted up. “Didn’t anyone ever tell you not to mix business with pleasure?”
“No. No one ever told me anything of the sort. I learned the hard way.”
Reilly had heard Eddie’s poor-little-rich-boy story before, how his parents had ignored him all his life for their travels, etc. It didn’t wash. Reilly hadn’t had a father around either, until lately anyway, and no one caught him whining about it.
“And give me some credit for growing up, would you?” Eddie grinned sheepishly. “Better late than never, right?” When Reilly didn’t crack a smile in return, he sighed again. “The women out there really are my employees. I’m taking two of them into my real estate division today, we’re shorthanded. Totally on the up-and-up. The other is a woman I thought you’d recognize.”
Reilly took another look. The woman in the front passenger seat wore sunglasses covering what he knew to be mossy-green eyes that showed her every emotion as soon as she thought it. Her hair was tucked behind her ears, emphasizing her face, which he knew to be soft to the touch.
For one beat their gazes collided and Reilly stood there, inexplicably riveted.
Tessa looked away first.
“Her car wouldn’t start this morning,” Eddie said. “I offered her a ride to her temp job.”
“She’s working today?”
“She’s one tough cookie.” Eddie blocked Reilly’s view of her and dropped the smile. “She insisted on coming in. I don’t know if it’s because she needs the money or if she needs to keep busy.”
Ah, hell. He didn’t want to know this. Aware that he was letting his guard slip, he peered around Eddie. She sat very still, staring straight forward now. “Is this job an easy one?”
Eddie paused so long Reilly took his gaze off Tessa to his father. “Is it?”
Eddie stared at him, then looked away. “No. But I have a feeling she’s going to be all right.”
It was true. She was bright, brave and adventurous. She’d be all right.
“Enjoy the food, son.” Reilly stepped off the porch. “Oh, and I have you on the calendar for a temp through Thursday. Is that right?”
“Yeah.” His business was up and down, up at the moment. His office manager did most of the everyday work. She’d been after him to hire another permanent office staff member, but Reilly wasn’t ready for permanent.
“Want her with the usual prerequisites? Old and grumpy?”
“Funny.”
“Oh, come on, admit it,”
Eddie said. “You like old and grumpy.”
“I like experienced.”
“Well, so do I, son. So do I. I’ll see you.” He started to walk away. “Oh, and live a little today, why don’t you. Just for fun.”
When Eddie drove off, Reilly locked his front door and headed down his steps. He’d like to say he forgot all about his father and the women in the BMW, specifically the one woman in the front seat. After all, he was good about forgetting things that got to him.
And there was no doubt, Tessa Delacantro had gotten to him.
The last time he’d let a woman do that, he’d ended up on the wrong side of a beating he’d like to forget, both physically and mentally.
He sure was melancholy today. Flipping on his sunglasses, he slid behind the wheel of his car, cranked up the Metallica CD and drove.
By the time he got to work, he felt better. The food had helped, so had Metallica. Nothing like heavy metal to clear one’s head. His building was in San Marino, a small, exclusive suburb of Los Angeles, where he took up the fifth floor of a small glass-and-brick building overlooking the San Gabriel Mountains to the north and the San Gabriel Valley to the south. To the west lay downtown Los Angeles and its famous skyline, highlighted nicely today by a ring of smog. He didn’t mind the smog because he loved it here. He loved the weather, which came in two choices: hot or hotter. He loved the back-off, laid-back, live-and-let-live attitude.
After his long stint back east on assignments, including even longer stints across the world in uncomfortable time zones and climates, he thought he just might never leave Southern California again.
He rode the elevator up, unlocked the double glass doors that led into his business and stepped inside to utter and complete quiet.
His favorite state of being, utter and complete quiet. Given that it was ten minutes to eight, that left him ten precious minutes to enjoy the solitude before his office manager and temp showed up. He hoped the temp worker was Marge, his favorite of Eddie’s employees. She did her job without flapping her mouth, she was knowledgeable when it came to accounting, and because she was old enough to be his mother, he didn’t have to worry about Eddie’s motives for sending her. She had five kids and two grandchildren and never showed him her family pictures. He loved that about her, and he always asked for her. Eddie usually complied.
