I slipped into the bathroom and washed up before heading into the sitting room. “Good morning.”
Hale turned, smiled, and sauntered over, not stopping until his lips brushed mine. “Good morning, beautiful.”
Elara slouched in his arm, kicking her little cricket legs, one bootie still missing. I grinned and held out my hands. “You come to me, little peanut. I’ve missed you. Have you been keeping your daddy busy? Oh my, you’ve gotten heavy.”
She cooed as I carried her back to the bed and gently laid her on her back. “So tell me, have there been any other pretty ladies around the house?”
“I heard that,” Hale yelled.
“Mind your own beeswax. We’re girl talking.”
Elara looked up at me with bright eyes and smiled. My heart melted as I examined her tiny toes and little knuckles.
“You really are too beautiful, peanut. One day your daddy’s gonna have his work cut out for him.”
She babbled pleasantly as I ticked her thighs and blew raspberries on her belly.
“Yes, he is. He’s going to have to chase all the boys away.”
Once Hale found the shoe, he took Elara down to his mother’s room. I showered and dressed because I needed to get my car, go home, and get fresh clothes. Hale and I grabbed breakfast in the hotel then we were off to my house where he would officially meet my mother.
My mother was a sweet woman. I had nothing against her on any level. She’d always supported my hopes and dreams and done her very best to be there for me. That was a hell of a lot more than I could say for my father. I didn’t even know what that man looked like.
“This is it,” I mumbled as I led him to the door and chuckled nervously. “Not quite a Davenport estate.”
“Stop.”
I paused and gave him a shaky grin, but accepted his edict. Hale was far from pretentious and I was making an issue out of nothing by illustrating all the ways our upbringings differed.
“Sorry. I’m just nervous.” I drew in a deep breath as I stepped into the house. “Mom? I’m here and I brought my boyfriend.”
Okay, I was a little immature about the whole boyfriend thing, but everyone, including me, seriously assumed I’d die single. “Boyfriend” was a new vocabulary word for me and I flagrantly abused it.
My mom came around the corner and jerked to a stop. “Rayne…” Her wide eyes took in Hale and she smiled, her shock obvious. I knew she didn’t believe me.
“Hello.” Her hand lifted slowly as if she might frighten him away.
I grinned, pulling Hale to my side. “Mom, this is Hale Davenport. Hale, this is my mother, Penny.”
“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you,” Hale said, reaching forward to shake her hand. My mother was instantly flustered, not used to such formality. Yeah, the acorn didn’t fall far.
“Please, come in. Can I get you some coffee? Have you two had breakfast?”
We followed her to the kitchen and squeezed in at the table. I smiled, watching Hale look totally out of place in our little home.
Leaning into him I whispered, “I was sitting in that chair the first time I heard your voice.” I’d also been so nervous I acted like a telemarketer and he hung up on me. I’d never expected to see his penis.
“You have a lovely home, Penny.”
“Thank you, Hale.” She glanced at me and grinned. “Such manners.”
Once the coffee was made, she joined us at the table. “So what brings you to Oregon?”
“Your daughter. I couldn’t keep away.”
My mother grinned widely. “Couldn’t keep away. Have you ever heard such an adorable thing? My goodness, I can see why she fell for you. And so handsome, too.”
“Mom.”
She totally ignored me. “So what is it you do, Hale? Ray tells me your dad’s into oil and stocks.”
“I have shares in all his companies and own a few of my own.”
“Hale’s looking into solar energy, Mom. And water turbines.” Remington was old school and not yet onboard with clean energy, but Hale was open-minded enough to see the necessity of change.
Her brow lifted, impressed. “Oh, wonderful. I’m a big fan of keeping the world green.”
My mother’s inquisition lasted nearly an hour. Hale could have said he robbed little old ladies and she would have been just as infatuated. I couldn’t blame her. He was just that charming.
She asked about his daughter and insisted he bring Elara by to meet her. She also inquired how Remington was doing. And of course, she brought up Elle.
“So sad. Elle was such a sweet girl.”
“She still is, Mom.” I hated when people talked about her like she was gone.
“I hadn’t realized how badly she’d been hit,” Hale commented, his mouth compressed with worry as his hand gave mine a squeeze.
“Thirty stitches, was it, Ray?”
“Thirty-two,” I grumbled.
“They say if she wakes up, she might never be the same.”
I stood and dumped my coffee, all the ifs and past tense talk of my friend who was very much alive turning my stomach.
“I’m shocked her brother hasn’t been home to visit.”
“That’s because Chris is an asshole, Mom. The last time he was here he robbed Elle and their neighbors. She’s better off without him.”
“Such a sad situation.”
My gaze met Hale’s and I gave him a look telling him I was ready to go. He stood and poured his coffee in the sink. “Well, it was lovely meeting you, Penny.”
My mother smiled. “You too, Hale. You come by again. Bring your daughter next time you visit.”
“I just have to grab some clothes,” I announced, leaving Hale to follow.
Once in my room, I grabbed a bag from under my bed and stuffed it with clothes. As long as Hale was here, I’d probably be staying with him. He stepped into my room and glanced at the pictures on the wall.
“Your mom’s nice.”
“Usually.”
He watched me for a long moment. “People don’t always know the right thing to say in situations like Elle’s, Rayne.”
I counted out socks. “I know. I just wish they’d stop talking like she died.”
He stepped closer to the bed. “Hey. Don’t get upset.”
I stuffed the socks in my bag and wiped at my eyes. “I’m aware every day that passes her prognosis gets worse, so people can stop worrying that I’m kidding myself. I hear the doctors and I know she probably won’t be the same when she wakes up, but she’s my best friend. What am I supposed to do, leave her there alone until she opens her eyes?”
He slid the bag out of the way and pulled me into his arms. “No, of course not. No one expects you to forget about her.”
I sniffled and pressed my cheek to his shoulder. “They’re starting to talk about putting her in a permanent care facility.”
“Well, you know I’ll help you with whatever you need.”
My stomach hurt because I wanted to give her the best possible care, but she was just a hairdresser who had about as much savings as me. “I don’t know how she’ll ever pay for this.”
“Don’t worry about that. We’ll figure it out.”
By that, he meant he’d figure it out.
Never in my life had I been concerned with money. I worked to support my needs and I made do. We were thirty. We weren’t supposed to have problems of this magnitude.
“I can’t let you do that, Hale. I need to talk to a lawyer or something. Elle has a house, but her brother owns half of it.”
“Look at me.” He pressed my shoulders back and lifted my chin. “I have an attorney and I have the money to help your friend. I’m not going to argue about this. For now, she’s at the hospital and no one’s moving her just yet. You do what you’ve been doing and everything else will work out.”
There was that god complex again. Hale had a habit of thinking he had power over things outside of his control. But, maybe in Elle’s situation, he did.
I had to ask, knowing he was here on borrowed time and had countless responsibilities waiting for him on the other side of the country. “What will happen to us if she doesn’t get better? You can’t stay here forever.”
He turned away and his lips flattened. “All of my homes are on the east coast. That’s where my businesses are. I’m not totally restricted, but I can stay in Oregon for a bit.”
And that was what happened when you fell in love across the country. Why couldn’t he have had companies on the west coast? We had stuff.
“But we have the world’s biggest barber pole here. Don’t tell me that doesn’t tempt you.”
He chuckled. “I’m here for now. Let’s not jump too far into the future.”
That didn’t make me feel better. I mean, I was glad he was here, but what happened next? Would we continue to do the long-distance thing?
“Maybe you could rent an apartment here or something.” Maybe I could move in with him if he got a place here. No. Wait. That was way too fast. “Sorry. I just like having you here.”
Hugging me, he pressed his lips to my temple. “I like being here with you. We’ll figure it out.”
After I finished packing we went to the hospital. I painted Elle’s toenails and gave her another massage to keep her blood flowing. Hale disappeared for a bit and returned with a slice of pizza. I wasn’t hungry, but he insisted I eat.
“What’s your work schedule?” he asked on the way back to the hotel.
“I work on weeknights and Saturday afternoon.”
He nodded. “Every weeknight?”
“Yup.”
“Then we should do something tonight.”
“Like what? I didn’t pack any fancy clothes.”
“We should do something fun.”
I hadn’t had a drink in weeks. I could handle some fun. “What about Elara?”
“There’s a reason I brought my mom, Rayne. I’ll be with Elara while you’re working. This is my week off. I needed a break, too.”
Wasn’t he just the cutest with all his dad stress and what not? “I’m up for anything, so long as you remember what I’m like drunk.”
“We’ll start you off slow,” he joked, taking my hand. “But I plan on taking full advantage of you once you’ve hit your limit.”
“You have my consent.”
Chapter Seven
To Pee or Not to Pee
Typically, when drinking with friends, we would meet at local breweries, which Oregon had plenty of, or we’d venture down to my work and abuse my discount. All other alcohol encounters usually revolved around a dining room table, the latest flavored vodka, and a deck of cards.
The Davenports did things differently.
Talk about responsibility. Hale had a limo service pick us up and arranged a private room curtained off from the rest of the club. And by club, I mean one of those establishments with a stuffy bouncer in a suit and velvet roping to keep those who want to get in, out. With Hale, however, I was suddenly VIP.
“How did you even find this place? I’ve lived here all my life and I’ve never heard of it,” I asked as I settled into our private room-booth thing between Hale and his brother.
Barrett had been scoping out his prey since the second we entered the club and boy, were the ladies noticing him. I snickered. The man never stopped.
Scooting around the low glass table, I sat closer to Hale on the black leather couch.
Hale lifted a bottle from the ice bucket—because, yeah, he’d arranged bottle service. That’s how he rolled. “I had Miles look into it.”
Aw, Miles. I got a little verklempt at the mention of Remington’s other assistant. “How’s he doing?”
Hale gave me a sidelong glance as a well-dressed waitress dropped off a Manhattan with a backup shaker. “He’s adapting well, I suppose.”
“Did he go to Maine with your dad?”
Again, he assessed me, his silver eyes somewhat shrewder than usual. “Yes.”
Hale could be very territorial. My theories on territorial men were evolving. First, if a guy was territorial, he better earn it. That meant being there to meet his woman’s every need. Then he’d earn the right to be possessive. If not, it was just petty jealousy. Hale was good to me so I let him get away with the territorial stuff, but when he tugged the leash too hard I wasn’t afraid to bite back.
I had a very novice aptitude regarding the psyche of the opposite sex, but I was getting better at understanding the subtleties of dating. Hale was a very doting boyfriend. As a matter of fact, I was the one with commitment phobia in the beginning. Now, I was like a stage five-clinger, always wanting more Hale.
I was overcoming my commitment issues and he was working on his jealousy issues. It was understandable why he was the way he was. I mean, come on. His dad got Hale’s ex-lover pregnant, thus Elara.
Me, on the other hand… My dad abandoned me the day I was born. I was so terrified of rejection I never wanted to love anything enough to risk having that love ripped away. Yet … I loved Elle. And knowing how rare that was, she promised to never abandon me. Damn. There was that guilt again.
My attention pulled to our company as the long-legged waitress lingered at the door to our private room, fluttering around Hale’s brother like a bee hovers over a flower.
“You’re such a flirt, Barrett,” I said as he finally let the waitress get back to work and rejoined us at the table.
“The world is my oyster.” Barrett lifted his drink and Hale passed me whatever he’d concocted out of the bottles on the table. “To a great night.”
We clinked our glasses. “To a great night.”
Tequila tinged the flavor of pineapple as my first sip worked its way down my throat. Ah, yes, the fruits of the devil.
The music was awesome. People passing by looked in on us curiously, maybe wondering if we were some sort of royalty. Hale loosened up and laughed freely, a perfect date even if we were with his younger brother. Barrett was full of jokes and soon enough I was full of tequila.
“We should dance!” I yelled, envious of the people letting go on the floor below.
“I thought you only danced to Thriller,” Barrett commented.
“Sober. I only dance to Thriller sober. I’m not so sober right now.” I nudged Hale. “Do you want to go down there and check it out?”
He finished his Manhattan and stood, holding out a hand. As I rose to my feet, the ground wobbled. Oh, yeah, those drinks he’d been feeding me had definitely done their magic.
We took a spacious set of stairs down the to the dance floor where colorful strobe lights pulsed to the beat of the music. Once we found an open niche, I started with my typical John Travolta moves, circa Saturday Night Fever. The music was recognizable rock but revamped with techno overlays.
A remix of Avicii's Wake Me Up came on and Hale stepped behind me, holding my hips and swaying his body against mine. I lifted my hands, twirling my wrists, my arms stretching high above my head. His hands glided up my ribs, cutting it close to my boobs and making my nipples hard. I swung my butt, pressing into him seductively and there was really something to be said about dancing with a guy you were also sleeping with.
It was like sex on the dance floor, right there in front of the natives. He turned me and his penetrating stare held me so still my breath froze in my lungs. Jesus, just like fucking, we were suddenly making love. He pulled me to his front, possessively touching me, fingers sliding along my curves as his hungry eyes swallowed me whole. I was totally turned on.
The song switched to Cake by the Ocean and the liquor in my system acted as a love potion for my private parts. My gaze never left his face as I moved in what I hoped was a seductive sort of salsa. Skin damp from exertion, hair falling around my face in sloppy waves, I held hard to my clean record and reminded myself it was illegal to fuck in public places. But boy, did I want to maul him right there on the dance floor.
As the song ended, I caught my breath. “You’re a sexy dance partner,” I shouted
over the pulsing bass of something new.
“What?” he yelled.
“You have hot moves!”
“What?”
I laughed and rolled my eyes. “I have to pee!” I pointed in the general direction of the bathrooms and saw that he understood.
He escorted me to the restrooms but, of course, there was a line. The music was muffled now that we were in the back of the club.
“You don’t have to wait with me,” I said, being that he was the only man in a line full of horny drunk women.
They all needed to put their eyeballs back in their sockets. I threw out a dirty look, but I don’t think it struck anyone as intimidating.
Hale scanned the nearby area. “I’ll wait for you at that table.”
“Okay.” I grabbed his arm as he made to leave. “Wait.”
He tilted his head in question and I lifted to my toes and pressed my front to his, licking across his full lips.
His hands tightened on my ass. “Mmm.” With a promising look, he squeezed, and let me go. I, along with every other woman in the vicinity, watched him walk.
I turned back to the line and grinned. That’s right. My Hale. Maybe we all had a little possessiveness in us.
As the line snaked into the bathroom I considered this new territorial side of myself. I never really cared before if a guy I was with looked at other women, but I cared with Hale. I never really cared about guys, period. Dating was utterly unappealing until Hale. Now, I was a monogamous motherfucker, wiping my scent all over him to mark my territory.
But Hale didn’t look at anyone but me.
A stall opened and I stepped inside. Jesus. What the fuck did women do in here? Gathering a wad of tissue, I shoved the door closed and twisted the lock. As soon as I unbuttoned my jeans the door drifted open again. “Damn it.”
I kicked the door and gave the lock another hard shove. Squatting, I did my business, drunkenly floating in the open space without touching anything. I lifted my foot to the lever and flushed. Once I righted my clothes, I wadded up more toilet paper and turned the lock. Come on. I jiggled the lock again. Damn it.
Calamity Rayne II: Back Again Page 6
