by Dean Murray
“I didn’t know you owned a bike,” I said to Zach. I was not going to freak out — yet. “You wouldn’t be talking about a Schwinn, would you?” Motorcycles terrified me now, and it didn’t slip my notice that Zach easily fit the description of that mysterious rider or the man in the woods. The only thing that made me discount the notion was that as attractive as he was, which was more than yummy, he didn’t pull me toward him like a swirling black hole. I didn’t have to fight to be me.
He gave me a curious expression. “I’ve never gotten that reaction before. Don’t you like motorcycles, Rayla?”
“Sure, I do.” That was if they weren’t morphing into a demon mount bent on running me off the road. “I just hadn’t taken you for someone who would own a bike.”
“Really?” He let out a gusty laugh. “What did you take me for?”
Now that I thought about it, he was exactly the sort of guy I could picture racing the night on a hog. I improvised. “I don’t know — a sporty sedan or something.”
He nudged me gently. “I won’t hold that blasphemy against you. Sedans are for wimps. I’ll take you for a ride sometime …” He waggled his eyebrows dramatically before continuing, “when we’re alone.”
The image that came to my mind shot heat through my body. I could see myself neatly tucked behind him, savoring the closeness with my hair whipping about my face, as he sped away. I just wished the scene didn’t involve me screaming like a banshee, holding onto his torso with a death grip.
“I’m sorry to be tagging along tonight, Zach,” Cassie said. “I could go back to the dorm, if you and Rayla want some time alone.” Her eyes were downcast, her shoulders slumped.
Zach gave her a reassuring smile. “Don’t waste another thought even considering it. I’m the one crashing your party, not the other way around. I wish Derek were here; I would set you up in a heartbeat.”
Cassie’s head snapped up. She was clearly intrigued. “Who’s he?”
“My friend. I haven’t seen him in a while, but I think he would like you.”
Her eyes glistened with hope. “Does he live around here?”
I couldn’t help but wonder if Cassie’s eagerness to find a guy was so she would have an excuse to stay away from home. I couldn’t blame her. Her parents were nice, but they were also overbearing to the extreme, especially when her dad was home. He had become overprotective in the past few years. Every time Cassie met someone and became attached, the guy would suddenly lose interest. Cassie was convinced her dad was paying them off. I wasn’t so sure. Nigel Lambert could be intimidating any time he wanted to. I always thought he was just making sure his baby didn’t get involved with the wrong sort.
“Afraid not,” Zach said. He smiled. “Don’t worry, though. You won’t have any trouble finding a boyfriend in this place. Give it some time.”
I stepped in between them, turning to Zach, hoping to seize the opportunity before it vanished. I was trying to convince myself that I wasn’t at all jealous. “Where are you from, anyway?”
“You name it,” he said with a laugh. “I’ve lived there.”
That wasn’t an answer. “Where were you born?”
His face tightened. He stopped dead in his tracks. One side of his mouth lifted into a smirk. “What’s this, twenty questions?”
“I don’t know anything about you,” I said honestly. For all I knew he could be the guy that followed me here. What if he was? What if he had some kind of power over me? What if … I lost my train of thought when he took hold of my hand. He gave me a look so tender, guilt at thinking those things about him sizzled through me. Zach was great and kind, and I felt safe around him. Man, I was becoming paranoid.
Cassie grunted. Shadows danced behind her scrutinizing gaze. I could guess what she was thinking. Why was I on a date with someone I didn’t know very well? I had no answer to that question.
Zach pulled me into motion. “I come from Ireland, if you must know. Most of family is there, but I haven’t been home in quite some time.”
“Why not?” Cassie asked before I could. Her gaze was intent on Zach.
“I pissed off my sister when I refused my inheritance. We haven’t spoken since.”
“Oh,” I said. “I’m sorry.” Just what kind of messed-up birthright would compel him to refuse it? No wonder he didn’t want to talk about his past. “That must be awful.”
He shrugged. “I hardly think about it anymore.”
Zach led us to Sam’s car. I didn’t know college students could afford a brand new Mercedes. It was probably a graduation present. How would it be? Even Cassie had only gotten a Camry.
Sam leaned against the driver side door with Natalie pressed tightly against him doing the usual. They were completely oblivious to the crowd of onlookers that had gathered. I should have suggested taking my car, but I didn’t want to subject myself to the ridicule.
My beast was as long as a hummer, and nearly as boxy. I just wished it was half as cool. Not many people thought it was as great as I did. I loved the thing because it was once my Mom’s.
. . . . .
Roger, it seemed, was a bit of an eccentric. He lived off campus with a bunch of roommates in a large house that his parents left him when they retired.
How would it be to spend every day basking in the Caribbean sun on your own private beach? I hoped to find out one day.
We pulled up to the scrolled ironwork gate, separating us from the vast estate beyond. The hedge-lined private driveway wound in and out of copses of trees. I couldn’t see the house, but it had to be a doozy from the look of the sculpted gardens — as in plural.
Sam rolled down his window. He pushed a button a few times impatiently.
“Yeesss,” said a butlerish voice.
“Quit messing around, Roger,” Sam said. “Why do you have the gate closed?”
An imperious laugh rang out. “I feel dramatic today. Welcome, friends and all.”
A loud buzz pierced my ears. I jumped even though I expected it. Zach laughed, placing his arm around my shoulder. I grimaced, looking away.
“Great!” Natalie said with a huff. “He’s on one.” Natalie turned around in her seat, eyeing Cassie. She gave her a small smile, not genuine at all. “I promise he’s usually not this bad.”
I glanced at Cassie, wondering if she found Roger annoying or funny like I did. The only thing I could see in her was bright, shining curiosity. In fact, her face was aglow with mirth. Why was Natalie being so harsh? Did she have a complicated past with Roger? I hoped he was decent for Cassie’s sake.
The lawns were expansive. We must have driven a mile before we reached the house. Sam pulled the car into a parking spot on a lower lot. I stifled my gasp when I got out of the car.
The place was more than massive; it was colossal. A grand set of triple ascending staircases rose above us like the proverbial stairway to heaven. Two gigantic turrets jutted over the sculpted hedges on either end of the building like gilded upside-down sugar cones.
When we reached the top of the stairs, I asked, “Why didn’t we park up here?” There was plenty of room. An entire lot lay empty.
“It’s one of his rules,” Natalie grumbled, walking by arm-in-arm with Sam.
The house was a French Tudor classic on steroids. Leaded diamond glass gleamed in the sunlight from five stories of windows cozily set in aged stucco charm. The raised mahogany beams were rough-hewn and stately. Beautiful earthen flagstone covered the walkway, making me think my next stride could transport me into a different century altogether.
The path split around a large three-tiered fountain that cascaded into a crystal-blue pool. The cool mist tickled my skin as we walked by. I greedily sucked in a refreshing breath.
The grand portico held three arches with beautifully carved mahogany columns. The front doors had to be over fourteen feet tall and ten feet wide. The etched pattern mirrored the crosshatched design of the mortared beams.
Before anyone had the chance to ring the bell, the d
oors swung inward theatrically. The man greeting us was quite handsome, by human standards. His blond locks were swept to the side, tucked elegantly behind his ears. His deep brown eyes were fringed by dark lashes any girl would envy. The planes of his face were broad and masculine.
He walked forward, arms splayed in greeting. “Welcome to my not-so-humble home. For those of you visiting Wayne Manor for the first time, I have few rules of conduct.”
Who’d this guy think he was — Batman? I took in my surroundings again. Given recent events in my life, anything was possible.
“However, I hold dearly the ones I do have,” he continued. “First, no man shall enter this home that is handsomer than me.” He looked pointedly at Zach. “Sam, you complement me, my friend.”
Sam cocked his jaw to the side, tongue firmly planted in cheek. Zach smiled like the biggest rogue you ever did see, pulling me possessively closer. Natalie rolled her eyes.
“And second,” Roger continued. “I shall have first rights to seduce any beautiful woman entering my home.”
“We’re leaving,” Zach groused, twirling me toward the car.
Roger laughed wickedly. “I should clarify — I shall have first rights to seduce any unattached beautiful woman that enters my home. I do have some scruples, man.” He smiled broadly at Zach, who chuckled lightly.
Roger gave an ostentatious sweep of his arm. “Please, come in.”
We all filed past him. Even the way he shut the doors had flair. He turned around, striding toward Cassie with pure intent in his step and on his face.
“You have got to be the most spectacular woman I have ever had the pleasure to lay eyes upon.” Roger took her hands in his, bringing them to his lips gently. “You grace me with your presence.”
“Thank you,” Cassie said, a flush coloring her cheeks.
I thought he was way overdoing it, but she seemed to devour his attentions like a starving animal. Zach cleared his throat, obviously annoyed by Roger from the expression on his face. Roger looked up, startled, as though it just hit him that we were all still here.
“Ah, yes. Well said, Zachary.”
Zach glowered at him. “The name is Zach.”
Roger went on, as if not hearing the irritation in Zach’s response, “I am neglecting the rest of you. Shall we retire to the lounge?”
He led us down a hall, up some stairs, through another hall, down two flights of a circular staircase, and through more double doors into a cavernous room at the back of the estate. The rock fireplace jutted from floor to forty-foot ceilings. Three cozy seating areas surrounded it. The couches were overstuffed and inviting. An elegant grand piano rested on a raised platform on the other side of the room. The wall of gleaming windows revealed a pool that belonged in a tropical paradise, not the mid-west. Several small streams cascaded down a craggy hillside with a central gigantic waterfall crashing into the Olympic-sized pool.
“Oh, how lovely,” Cassie said, walking toward the back doors.
“You like my little oasis?” Roger asked, turning to Cassie with a warm smile on his lips.
“It looks quite refreshing,” she replied.
Roger clapped his hands. “Well, then, we have found our entertainment for the evening.”
I panicked. If he thought I was going skinny dipping, he was insane.
Chapter Seven
Zach cleared his throat before speaking in a girly voice, “But, your highness, we lowly people standing humbly before you have a problem.” He smirked sardonically. His jaw tightened when Roger faced him. “We didn’t bring our suits, Roger.”
Roger smiled, his brown eyes sparkling wickedly. “I hadn’t exactly taken you for the timid sort, Zach.” His smile twisted into a smirk. “But not to worry, I am prepared for occasions such as this.” He hit a button by a light-switch. A hidden door in the mahogany paneled wall swung open, revealing a walk-in closet the size of most one bedroom apartments. It was brimming with swimwear and a good assortment of other clothing. “As you can see, there are several to choose from.”
Understatement of the century. He had drawers full of trunks for the guys in every size and color imaginable. I searched through the selection of bikinis, hoping for a one piece or at least a tankini. I was swiftly running out of options.
“How about this one?” Zach asked, holding up a turquoise number with studded rhinestones.
“I’ll pass,” I said, still optimistic I would find something I could work with.
“You would look fantastic in it,” he said hopefully.
“If you don’t mind, I’ll pick my own — unless you’d like me to choose yours.” I nodded toward the Speedos.
His lips raised in a cocky grin. “Be my guest.”
I scrunched up my nose. “Eww. Those should be banned.”
He cocked his head to the side, leveling his gaze to mine. “I wasn’t the one who suggested them.”
I laughed, cuffing him on the shoulder. “Would you stop distracting me?”
He got a funny look on his face. Even though I didn’t know him very well, his smile seemed a little off. “Only if you will do the same,” he replied softly.
“What?” I asked, distracted. With one more rack to rummage, I was frantically trying to figure out how I was going to get out of this. I had no idea what he was talking about, but it didn’t matter anymore. I sighed in relief. “Here.”
I held in my hands the only thing I’d found that might cover my scar. Although it was still a two piece, I thought it would do the trick. I should have kept a swimsuit in my purse.
Zach tugged on the fabric. “That is the ugliest thing I have ever seen.”
I couldn’t disagree. The outdated plaid was in colors usually reserved for bodily excrement. The back of the top looked like a regular bikini, but the front was loose and came to a fringed V. I gazed up through my lashes sweetly. “Who asked you?” He was not getting me into that flashy number, no matter how much he sulked.
I followed Cassie into an adjoining bedroom. It was lavishly appointed in cream silks and velvets. The four poster bed could have probably fit Solomon, his wives, and most of his concubines.
Cassie didn’t seem as taken with the place as I was, but I wasn’t as used to opulence as her. I turned my back to her, undressing.
“Roger seems nice,” I said.
“Yeah, he does.”
I was getting sick of our stilted conversations. But with the men waiting for us, we didn’t have time to get into it. I turned around, surprised by the skimpy thing she was wearing. Her mother would have never approved, which was most assuredly the point.
She walked over to me and strummed my fringe. “You could have chosen something less … repugnant. It isn’t half as bad as you think it is.”
We didn’t have time to argue about my scar again. I couldn’t help that she felt guilty for talking me into riding her Arabian Christmas gift. I didn’t blame her for the accident. That horse wouldn’t tolerate anyone but Cassie. We hadn’t known it at the time, though. “I didn’t exactly plan to swim today.”
She clicked her tongue. “That’s just it.” Shaking her head, she folded her arms. “You shouldn’t have to plan to swim. You think it’s worse than it is. It’s sort of cool.”
I sputtered, lifting the measly patch of cloth that covered the monstrosity between my ribs. “This isn’t cool!” I hated the snow-white patch that marred my otherwise golden skin.
“We need to go,” Cassie said, not waiting for me to follow her.
After a few minutes alone spent preparing for humiliation, I grabbed a beach towel from the hidden closet and went to join the group splashing in the pool. I recognized a few of them. A grimace inched onto my face. The other fifty or so people were complete strangers.
Roger stopped me before I could walk past him. His touch on my arm sent a rippled chill through my bones. “I got that as a joke.” He circled me, intently taking in every inch of my skin, as though he were searching for something in particular.
The creep factor oozing off him pummeled into me. I yanked my elbow from his grasp. “Yeah, thanks for that.” I glared at him, wanting to pound the amused look off his smug face. Maybe there had been something to the way Natalie had acted toward him. “If you’re going to house a department store, you might want to supply other options besides bikinis.” If I hadn’t been so mad, I would have laughed at the bewildered expression that slid across his features.
His voice cracked as he spoke, “Why would I ever do that?”
I walked away without saying a word because what I had to tell him wasn’t nice. Where did Zach go, anyway? He had officially disappeared. No one I asked claimed to have even seen him.
I searched around the three pools, the spa, the lawn, the tennis courts — you get the idea. I climbed the bigger than I expected hill in a final attempt.
A private beach, complete with sand and surf lay nestled snuggly at the top. I wouldn’t have been surprised to learn Roger’s parents had trucked in the mountain of earth that lay beneath my feet. This was the only place I had seen in Indiana that wasn’t relatively flat. I walked to the water’s edge, dipping in a toe.
I was pleasantly surprised. It was warm and soothing against my skin. The rage of rushing water roared from somewhere below me. I walked a few feet into the shallow end. Shielding my eyes from the glare of the glistening water, I dug my toes into the sand. This was the closest I had ever come to a real beach.
The view of the sunset reminded me of my favorite bluff back home. Nothing but sky was visible in the horizon. I might as well have been standing on the edge of the world, gazing at the gilded gates of heaven.
“I will never tire of seeing that,” a melodic voice erupted behind me.
If I had gotten a bit more air, I would have landed on Mars. “Zach.” I put a hand against my pounding heart. I hadn’t even heard him come up to me. “You scared me.”
“I noticed.” He smirked. “I was trying my best not to disturb you. You looked so peaceful, but I am a selfish man.” He chuckled, moving closer.
My attraction to him was hard enough to handle when he had all his clothes on. With his approach, my pulse raced for an entirely different reason. He had the sort of flawless body that belonged on the airbrushed pages of a magazine. His skin glowed golden in the blazing sunset that brought out rusty hues in his dark hair. My fingers itched to trace every angle of his sculpted abdomen and chest.
