The Embrace Series: Romantic Suspense Box Set

by Dana Mason

  “You’re full of it, Hammel. I know you’re just a tenderhearted guy. You act all macho in front of your cop friends, but Ali and I know the truth about you.”

  “Yeah . . . whatever,” he said, deepening his voice. He brushed his fingertips along the top of her ear. “Melissa?”

  “Yes.”

  “Will you go on a real date with me tomorrow?”

  “A real date—as opposed to a fake date?”

  “As in, something we haven’t done since high school.”

  “I guess we can go on a date, after I break up with my boyfriend.”

  “Okay . . . then let’s go to sleep so tomorrow will come faster.”

  When she woke up, she glanced over at Brian’s sleepy face and recalled the night. Him lying with her, cuddling, touching, talking . . . and loving, without the pressure of making love. She wanted to make love with him, too, but felt unsure of him still, even after everything he’d told her last night.

  She carefully got out of bed, slipped on her robe, and went to make coffee. While the coffee brewed, she walked over to her desk and looked at the fresh prints she’d been working on the day before Ali’s wedding.

  Happy faces. She loved taking pictures of happy faces. That’s why she took pictures of people instead of landscapes. Her specialty was twins, but any smiling face would do. She picked up the most recent photo she’d taken of her and Ali and felt a surge of love and contentment. Ali was happy. She would wake in the arms of her new husband, and Melissa felt her happiness across the miles. She hoped Ali felt hers, too. Melissa couldn’t compare her morning to Ali’s, but, as far as good ones went, this one certainly fit the bill.

  “Good morning.”

  She jumped and looked up quickly, although the scene seemed to unfold in slow motion.

  “Chase?”

  He smiled and jingled the keys as he stuffed them back into his pocket. “Who else would it be?”

  “Me.”

  Melissa and Chase both looked in the direction of her bedroom at the same time as Brian stepped out shirtless and still wearing her too small sweats.

  “Brian!” she said.

  The three of them stared at each other, Brian being the only one completely unconcerned with the other two, and Melissa certainly being the most uncomfortable.

  “I see,” Chase said his expression drooping into a frown. “It’s not like that . . .” he repeated Melissa’s words from the night before and glanced from Brian back to her.

  “Since you get the picture, you can have this back.” Brian tossed him the diamond ring Melissa had left on the nightstand. Chase made no attempt to catch the ring. He let it fall to the floor with an echoing bounce.

  Melissa gasped and she threw her hands over her mouth. “Brian!”

  “Wow,” Chase said. “Pure class. That is pure class, Ms. Parker.” He turned and walked out the door.

  “Chase, wait!” She ran after him, pounding down the stairs to the exit. “Please, wait. I’m sorry! Please, stop.”

  “No,” he called over his shoulder. “You don’t need to explain. Everything’s become perfectly clear.”

  “Stop and talk to me. You have to know, I never meant for you to get hurt.”

  He stopped on the bottom stair and glanced back at her. “Goodbye, Melissa.”

  “Please, talk to me.”

  “You’re kidding me, right?” he shouted. His eyes dropped down to her breast. “You’re not even dressed.”

  She clutched the front of her robe. “Chase, I never wanted to hurt you. I was going to talk to you today . . . I’m sorry.”

  “Not as sorry as I am,” he said, turning away from her.

  Melissa climbed the stairs slowly, gripping the handrail for support. She went into the apartment and closed the door.

  “He took that well,” Brian said as he poured a cup of coffee.

  Melissa approached him, her body vibrating with angry tremors. “How could you?”

  “You were going to break up with him anyway. Now it’s over and you don’t have to worry about it.” He shrugged and said, “He saved you a trip.”

  “Get out!” she screamed, pointing to the door.

  “Come on, Lis! Why are you angry at me?”

  “Oh my God! You are completely clueless! Do you have any idea how incredibly uncool that was of you to do that?”

  “Uncool? He’s been sleeping with you. Was I supposed to be nice to him?”

  “Imagine for one minute what that was like for him? To find out this way?” She shook her head and turned away from him. “God, Brian, I don’t even know who you are right now.”

  “What the fuck do you want, Melissa? Because you can’t have it both ways.” He pointed to his chest. “Me or him?”

  She widened her eyes and stared at him. “Are you serious right now?”

  He took a step toward her. “Dead fucking serious.”

  Melissa shook her head and tears burned her eyes. “I can’t even look at you right now. Get out of my house.” She turned away from him and walked into the bathroom before locking the door behind her.

  Within seconds, Brian approached the bathroom door. “Melissa . . . open up.”

  Melissa dropped down on the closed toilet lid and laid her face in her hands. “No, not until you’re gone.”

  “I don’t like him. You know that. Maybe he should have knocked instead of letting himself in like he owns the place.”

  “I gave him a key, Brian. He was my fiancé.”

  “That’s right! Was! Was, Melissa!”

  “Get out!”

  “Melissa, come on, it’s not that bad.”

  She jumped back to her feet. “Yes, it is. It is that bad. Chase did not deserve for you to treat him like that and for you to act all smug as if you got laid last night by his fiancé!”

  “Melissa, don’t do this.” He tried the door, and when he couldn’t open it, he said, “That guy is more than you think. He’s not what he seems. You’re too trusting.”

  “Get out!” she screamed again as the anger vibrated through her.

  “Fine!” he shouted. “Fucking fine!” He pounded his fist on the door then stormed away.

  Melissa waited for what must have been five minutes before she heard the front door open and close. She hesitantly stepped out of the bathroom and looked around to see if he was still in the apartment. When she saw no sign of him, she locked the front door and grabbed her ringing phone to talk to Ali.

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Erin snatched her towel off the bench and rushed out of the women’s locker room. She didn’t think it would take that long to get changed, but she also hadn’t planned on running into Mrs. Neumark. As much as she appreciated people and their condolences, sometimes she wished they’d pretend nothing had happened to her mom. She never knew how to act or what to say when they approached her, and no matter what she said, it never seemed to be enough.

  Auntie Ali had suggested they swim at the Community Center. Too bad Erin hadn’t thought about it before. She pushed open the door to the indoor Swim Center, expecting to see Cody waiting for her, sulking because she wouldn’t let him get in the pool without her. All those months she’d went without swimming because of Coach Jeffries . . . God, she couldn’t wait to get in the water, but Cody wasn’t waiting for her. She peeked in when the men’s door opened, but she couldn’t see past the tiled wall.

  Come on, Cody. What the heck was he doing in there? She hung her towel on one of the provided hooks and started stretching. She didn’t want her swim ruined by a stupid cramp, and it’d been so long since she’d been in the pool, a cramp was inevitable.

  As she stretched, she thought about the last time she’d swum here. Her mom had brought her and Cody during a heat wave. That was the day she’d learned how to do the butterfly stroke. At the time, Erin thought it was a little extreme, but the following year, when she joined the high school swim team, it had become an asset. Her mom had taught her everything she knew about swimming. Her mom was
the best Erin had ever seen. She closed her eyes and remembered the first time she swam with her mom. Not playing in the pool, but actually racing. Her mom had kicked her butt, and that had driven Erin to the max. After losing the race to her mom, she’d put everything she had into the sport. She wanted to prove she could be as good, if not better.

  Halfway through her rotator stretch, the locker room door opened, and Cody stepped out . . . with an arm draped over his shoulder . . . Coach Jeffries’ arm.

  Erin stopped, mid-stretch. Oh my God. What the hell was he doing with her little brother? She lurched forward and grabbed Cody by the arm, pulling him away and turning her back on Coach. “Are you okay?”

  Cody shrugged. “Yeah, fine. Why?”

  She looked back at Coach Jeffries. “What are you doing with my brother?”

  “Whoa there, Miss Hammel. Why are you so worked up?”

  Cody pointed to the pool. “Can I go swim now?”

  Erin glanced down at Cody and said, “Don’t go beyond the three foot-mark.”

  “I know how to—”

  “I said don’t go beyond the three foot-mark!”

  Cody threw his towel on the floor under Erin’s hook and said, “Fine.”

  When Cody was out of ear shot, Erin whipped her head back around to glare at Coach. “Why are you talking to him?”

  Coach Jeffries stared at her with his arms crossed over his chest. “I got suspended from my job because of you and your hot-headed father.”

  “That was your own fault. You need to leave us alone and stop texting me photos.”

  He smirked at her. “You want me to leave the kid alone, Erin?” He nodded toward Cody. “You want me to leave your dad alone? How about his pretty, blonde friend?” He placed his hands on his hips and pursed his lips. “Then I need something from you.”

  “Forget it! I’m telling my dad you’re harassing Cody.”

  “Do you really want to do that?” His lips turned into a grin. “Really?” He held up his phone, flashing a photo of her, a different photo than before.

  Erin wanted to look brave even when she felt utterly sick with fear. It took everything she had to look him in the eye when she muttered, “You won’t share that.”

  He snickered again. “I don’t have to . . . all I need to do is print it and leave it somewhere for someone else to find. I have no doubt whoever finds it will have no trouble sharing it online.” He stuffed the phone back into the belt clip and said, “That’s the beauty of your generation, Erin. You all share everything online . . . and even more beautiful . . . the internet is forever.”

  Erin’s heart rate accelerated so fast, she could hardly take a breath, and now she really did want to throw up. She glanced around the pool area. The decks were crowded with women and their kids, some moms in the water, but a few just sitting on the side with dangling feet. There were small groups of kids racing from one side of the kid’s pool to another. To these people, the Coach’s grin looked charming. He had everyone fooled into believing he was a caring guy. He was a great member of the community and always helping out ‘the kids’ . . . that’s what they believed. What a joke! These people had no idea what kind of man he really was. She looked over at Cody, who was now diving under the water with a group of other kids.

  No, Coach Jeffries was not who they thought he was. He was not who her mother had thought he was. Even Erin had been fooled into believing him a great teacher once. And yes, she’d learned some very important lessons from him. The most important was that he was dangerous, the second being that he didn’t care about her or Cody, no matter what he pretended around other people.

  She met his eyes and stared at him for a full minute . . . but no matter how long she stared, he’d already won. She blinked.

  He pointed to a shaded window and a small door at the end of the enclosed pool area. “That’s my office. Meet me there in ten minutes. We can talk while your brother swims.”

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Melissa finished her last article and hit the send button to email it to her editor. When the message was sent, she leaned back in her desk chair and looked out the high window of her apartment. The street out front was quiet. It was quiet inside, as well—too freaking quiet. She thought of Chase and closed her eyes. Alone again. She’d had everything she wanted and she screwed it up. She opened her eyes and picked up a picture of Ali. At least she had Ali, and Ali’s family. She had her mom . . . when she could stand her anyway. Why had she moved back here? Why did she want to go through this . . . be near him and torture herself?

  Melissa jumped when the phone rang, and she wanted to scream. “He never freakin’ gives up! God, go away, Brian!” She grabbed her cell and looked at the caller ID. Her heart pounded as she slid the bar to answer it. “Chase, hello,” she said, surprised. “Hi.”

  “Hello, Melissa.”

  “I’m glad you finally called me back.”

  “It seemed the easiest way to get this over with and move on with my life, especially since you’ve called several times a day for the last three days.”

  “I’m sorry, but we need to talk. I need to explain. I don’t want to end things like that. Brian was way out of line, and things weren’t how they seemed—believe it or not.”

  “Believing isn’t the question at this point, but between you and Brian, I won’t be able to move on until I hear you out.”

  “What do you mean, between me and Brian?”

  “You are not the only person calling me several times a day. He’s also been calling. He wanted to apologize for his behavior and to explain why he was there. He made it clear his visit was strictly platonic and he ‘didn’t get laid,’ ” Chase said with distaste in his voice.

  She bolted to her feet. “Brian called you?”

  “Yes . . . many, many, many times.”

  “Sorry, I didn’t—I don’t even know how he got your number.”

  “Apparently, he stole it from you while you were locked in the bathroom. He must’ve gotten it off your phone or something.”

  “I’m sorry he’s bothering you.”

  “Brian calling me is the least of our problems, Melissa.”

  “I’m sorry about everything. I’m not sure what he told you, but I—”

  “Don’t. I would rather not have to compare your story to his. It doesn’t matter. Brian made it clear that you belong to him and he will fight the fight to keep you. As you were half naked with him in your apartment—having sex or not—I am to understand you’re in love with him, too. He also made it clear you had every intention of breaking up with me in a more tactful manner. Does this about sum things up?”

  “No. First, I do not belong to him. I belong to no one. Second, I have no intention of ever seeing Brian again. I will never forgive him for what he did, and harassing you doesn’t make it better. I did not have sex with him regardless of how things looked, and I wouldn’t have. I would never do that to you. I care about you too much.”

  “Please, don’t.”

  “Let me finish,” she said, fighting for patience. His tone was so superior it made her sick. “Brian was correct about one thing. I was going to break up with you. I understand now that my feelings for you are not what they should be to marry you. I don’t want to enter a union with you when I have doubts. That’s not fair to either of us . . . but I do love you, and I care for you, and for the last few years we’ve shared . . . I don’t want to end on a bad note.”

  He exhaled into the phone. “Well, it is a little too late for that.”

  “Chase, it doesn’t have to be. I know things were handled badly, but we’re all adults here.”

  “If you don’t mind, I’ll come get my things in a couple of weeks—give the wound time to scab over at least.”

  Melissa nodded and closed her eyes. She tried . . . that was all she could do. “Anytime, Chase, just let me know. I hope . . . I hope you can forgive me one day.”

  “I need to go. I’ll call you to set up a time to meet.”

 
“Okay, thanks for calling me back.” Melissa waited for a response, but he hung up without saying goodbye.

  She curled into the corner of the couch and pulled her knees in. So . . . Brian had called Chase and apologized—good! Brian needed to humble himself, and he owed Chase big for what he had done. Melissa still couldn’t believe Brian’s nerve. What was he thinking when he strolled out of her bedroom carrying her ring and talking to Chase like that, and then to not understand why she was pissed about it? What a jerk. God, what a jerk—jerk, jerk, jerk, she chanted, wishing she could chant away her feelings for him. She couldn’t trust him, and she should’ve never let him stay here that night.

  Melissa understood Brian’s feelings. He was scared of losing her to someone else. She got it. He’d never had to fight for her before so he didn’t really know how. But she also understood Chase’s feelings. She’d had her heart broken in the worst way and never, never would she ever want to put someone else through that. Breaking a promise was bad enough, but she wanted to do it in a respectful way. She wanted to explain everything to Chase, she wanted him to understand what this meant to her, make him understand how important Brian was to her. But now . . . now Brian had ruined everything.

  She hated the regret she felt. One little moment of peace. One night, and she thought things were going to change, that he loved her, and they could start again. Her stomach knotted, and she had to recall the coping skills she’d learned in therapy all those years ago.

  Losing him again would not eat her alive like it had last time. She couldn’t allow herself to return to that place. With all the heartbreak she’d experienced, why had she thought it would be different this time? She should have stayed away. Ali didn’t need her, not now that she had Johnny.

  Melissa stood up and went to her bedroom to pack a small bag. Getting away, even if for only a few days, seemed like the thing to do. Turn the cell off and get some peace and quiet. It would be a good opportunity to get some serious writing done, maybe take some pictures at the beach. She knew this sweet little hotel in Monterey perfect for a single, right on the beach with a walking trail leading to Cannery Row. The fresh air and exercise would do her some good.