Chapter Fourteen
Ryan walked slowly around the house and stumbled in the dark, wondering why he hadn’t had the foresight to turn on the outdoor lights. Probably because he’d been so damn rattled by Brock’s appearance he hadn’t used his head. Knowing Leah had been married to the man grated on his last nerve. The reality of the asshole showing up as though he had every right to expect a welcome . . .
A harsh breath hissed out. It had taken every ounce of his control to keep his mouth shut and let Leah handle her ex. She didn’t need a savior and hadn’t expected Ryan to throw down the gauntlet and defend her honor. She was fully able to fight her own battles.
If part of him wished he could have played hero . . . well, those caveman tendencies would just have to crawl back in the hole where they belonged.
As he stopped near the cliff’s edge, faint moonlight shown through the shifting clouds to illuminate the cove and the three monolithic rocks guarding its entrance. Somewhere behind the house, a car door clicked shut, echoing in the stillness.
Brock’s ride showing up? Ryan strained to hear the acceleration of an engine, but only silence followed.
“What the hell?”
Frowning, he ran past Leah’s garden and stopped near the carport. In the distance, gravel crunched and a flashlight wavered before a car door opened and closed with a thunk. When an engine started, Ryan crossed his arms over his chest and stared toward the road. Tail lights gleamed red before the vehicle drove away.
Had Brock been snooping around his Jeep while he waited for a ride? Irritation surged. Surely he’d locked his car. Pushing away from the support post, Ryan strode out to the driveway and tried the passenger side. Locked. Weird. He’d definitely heard a car door.
“Huh. I wonder . . .” He entered the carport and fumbled along the wall until his fingers brushed the light switch. Blinking in the sudden glare, he pulled open the driver’s-side door of Leah’s Audi. Unlocked, of course.
The interior looked like a tornado had hit it. The glove box hung open, and the owner’s manual, registration, and an assortment of paper napkins and ketchup packets littered the passenger-side floor, along with a dozen or more CD cases. Sweatpants, two jackets, a few stray socks, and a pair of running shoes were in a tangle on the back seat. Floor mats had been jerked askew. Striding around to the back, he opened the rear hatch and winced. A blanket lay in a heap beside a small cooler with the lid flipped open, thankfully empty. A cardboard box of file folders had been dumped out. Papers were scattered everywhere.
Leah was going to go ballistic.
“Well, shit.”
The back porch light flicked on, and the door squeaked open.
“Ryan, what’s going on?”
He glanced up as Leah appeared in the carport doorway. “Slight problem.”
“When you didn’t come inside, I began to wonder. Did Brock—”
“Someone tossed your car. Maybe your ex-husband, but I can’t be positive since I didn’t see him.”
“What the hell!” Her voice rose as she closed the distance between them and took a quick look inside. “Oh, my God!”
“It’s not so bad except for all the papers.”
“The science reports I was grading earlier. It’s going to take me an hour to sort them all into the right folders.” She gritted her teeth. “How many pages do you think won’t have names on them? Damn it!”
“I’ll help you, but first take a look around. Is anything you keep in the car missing?”
“I don’t think so. I actually cleaned out the interior a few days ago, so there wasn’t much in here.”
He refrained from commenting on the accumulation of clothes in the back seat. “Do you think Brock made a mess just to spite you for telling him to get lost?”
“That’s not his style. He’s more direct when he has a problem with me, but I can’t imagine who else would have done this.”
“Do you suppose the same person who trashed your house came back?”
She rubbed her hands up and down her arms and shivered. “If that’s the case, the break-in wasn’t some random freak looking for drugs or money. It must have been someone with a specific purpose.”
“You have no idea what this guy . . .” He paused. “Although I guess it could be a woman. Anyway, what this person is after?”
“No. What if they return while I’m sleeping? Barney isn’t exactly a trained watchdog who will attack on command.”
Sliding his arms around her, Ryan pulled her against his chest. “I’m not going anywhere.”
“You can’t stay indefinitely. You’re in town to help out your mom, and once she gets her cast off, you’ll go home again.”
“That won’t be for quite a while yet, so let’s focus on right now. Do you want to call the police to report this?”
“Not really. What would be the point since nothing was stolen? I’ll mention the—” Her brow creased. “Harassment probably best describes this situation. Anyway, I’ll mention it to Chris Long when I speak to him again. He promised to follow up with any new developments on my grandma’s con man in the next day or so.”
“Fine. Do you want to sort these papers now or in the morning?”
“I’d rather do it tonight and get it over with so I can sleep.”
“Smart plan.” He released her and stacked the papers in a pile, then dumped them in the cardboard box. “Lock your car, okay?”
“Yeah. From now on, I’ll lock up everything I own. Promise. I may be a slow learner, but I’m not completely stupid.”
“You’re plenty sharp, just a tad naïve when it comes to trusting people.”
“Apparently.” She pressed the button to set the locks then slammed all the car doors. “Let’s go do this.”
Ryan flipped off the outdoor light and locked the back door before setting the box down on the kitchen table. “How can I help?”
Stacking the papers in two messy piles, she laid the folders out in rows. “Match the names on the top of the pages to the labels on each folder. Any without names, put in a separate pile. I can sort those based on handwriting.”
He nodded and tackled the task. Ten minutes later, he glanced up as he neared the bottom of his pile. “You couldn’t have assigned a shorter report?”
She grinned, the first smile he’d seen from her since Brock walked in.
“Five pages. They’ve been working on this astronomy assignment for two weeks.”
He finished his pile, then went to work ordering the papers in the completed folders while Leah sorted through the pages without names. It was just short of ten o’clock when she returned the last folder to the box.
“Done.”
“That wasn’t so horrible.”
“No, I guess not. Thanks for helping. You’ve been great through this, which makes staying annoyed with you harder.”
“Huh?” He stared at her. “You’re mad at me? What the hell did I do?”
“You got a little pissy after Brock left. Judgmental.”
Ryan closed his eyes and counted. He wouldn’t lash out at her, no matter how tempted he was to shout that he had every right to be pissy. Didn’t he? He’d had to listen to Brock’s crap and feel like day-old leftovers. The man was a total ass, but Leah had still married the jerk.
Yet she dumped me as unworthy without a solid chance. And I’m the bad guy?
He cared about this woman. Probably still loved her. But he wasn’t sure he’d forgiven her yet. Didn’t know if he ever could.
He stepped back. “Brock struck a nerve.”
“I know that. I’ve been on the receiving end of his jabs enough times to anticipate the sting. I appreciate how hard it was for you to sit there without taking a swing at him. But that doesn’t give you the right to snipe at me.”
“I guess it doesn’t.”
“I’m sorry. The last thing I want is to fight with you, but I have to stand up for myself.” She clenched her hands into fists at her sides. “I promised myself I would never let any man make me feel small again.”
His heart ached. “That wasn’t my intention. My response was triggered by jealousy with a side of pettiness thrown in for good measure.”
“Why would you be jealous of Brock when you’re ten times the man he is?”
“I know that, but . . .”
“You think I don’t?” Her voice rose.
“We’re both tired and running on adrenaline. Now may not be the best time to hash this out because the last thing I want is to cause you more pain. You have enough to deal with right now without me adding to it.”
Her eyes darkened as she held his gaze. “Maybe I overreacted a little. I’m on edge and not thinking straight. I’ll go to bed and try to wake up a little less crazy. When I see you next, I promise not to be so emotional.”
“What, you plan to ignore me for the rest of the night?”
“I’m sure all you want to do right now is go home.”
“Jesus, Leah, some whack job has been creeping around your home. I’m not leaving you on your own.”
“The tick in your cheek tells me you’re upset.”
“Yeah, I am. Frustrated. Confused. Maybe a little angry. I’m still not going anywhere.”
“What about your mom?”
“I told you she doesn’t expect me back tonight. Anyway, she’s doing amazingly well on her own.”
“So well you won’t have much reason to stick around?” Her voice caught.
“I’m not leaving you here alone.” He spoke a little sharper than he probably should have.
Tears filled her eyes, but she blinked them back. “Okay. I appreciate that.” Taking his hand, she led him toward the doorway. “Let’s go to bed.”
In silence, he followed her up the stairs, not too sure what to expect at this point. Maybe that she’d direct him to one of the spare rooms. He paused in the hallway.
She glanced up at him and frowned. “What?”
“Nothing.”
He entered her room, which was softly lit by a lamp on the nightstand, and stopped near her bed. A peach nightgown lay in a silky heap beside one of the pillows, but Barney ruined the otherwise romantic image. Sprawled in the middle of the bed, he rolled to his back and stuck all four feet in the air.
“Get off there!”
With a snuffling moan, the dog opened one eye and gave his mistress a skeptical glance.
“Yes, you. Move it.”
His lip curled back before he flopped over and stretched slowly.
Leah fisted her hands on her hips. “I’m warning you.”
With a grunt, the dog jumped to the floor, shook, then strolled out of the room.
“I’m not very good about disciplining him.” She picked up the nightgown and turned away from the bed. “I’ll be right back.” Her hips swayed as she disappeared into the bathroom.
After a moment, Ryan sat on the edge of the mattress to untie his shoes then stripped off his socks and shirt. Standing, he dropped his pants, glanced down, and grimaced. Since he wasn’t 100 percent sure of Leah’s mood, he kind of wished he’d worn boxers for a change. Hiding the direction of his thoughts didn’t appear to be an option. With a shrug, he flipped back the quilt and crawled into bed.
A minute later, the bathroom door opened, the light went out, and Leah padded into the room on bare feet. The peach gown clung to her curves but somehow still gave her an air of innocence. Or maybe it was simply the vulnerable softness in her wide brown eyes. When he scooted over, she slid beneath the covers and reached over to click off the lamp. Darkness enfolded them.
“Come here.” Ryan pulled her close to wrap his arms around her. He rested his cheek against her soft hair as he aligned her snuggly against him. “I know you’re tired and stressed. We can just sleep.”
“It doesn’t feel like sleep is the only thing on your mind.” Her voice held a hint of humor.
His lips curved in response. “Natural reaction to holding you. Doesn’t mean we have to do anything about it. The problem will go away. Eventually.”
When she turned over to face him, he settled his hand on the curve of her waist. “Are we okay? My goal is openness and honesty, which is why I told you how I felt. I want the same from you in return.”
He was silent for a long moment. “Truthfully, it bothers me that you married Brock. We’re nothing alike. If you were attracted to him . . .”
“I was attracted to you first.”
Without conscious thought, his hand slid over her hip. “Yes, but our differences became an insurmountable obstacle in your eyes. Apparently you didn’t see those problems with him.”
“Obviously I didn’t look hard enough. Deep down, I regretted being so black-and-white with you and not trying harder to make our relationship work. I was determined to avoid making the same mistake twice, so I cut Brock more slack.” She sighed. “Also, he was better at hiding secrets.”
Some of his tension eased as he lowered the hand resting on her hip to her thigh. “You had regrets about me?”
“Of course I did. When my relationship with Brock fell apart, I was able to see that I tossed away something truly special with you. Maybe we weren’t perfect . . .”
“Funny, that thought crossed my mind the other day. High expectations are fine as long as you allow room for flexibility.”
“I can be flexible.” When she slid one leg over his thigh, her nightgown rode high.
Ryan forgot what they were talking about as they lined up in all the areas that mattered most. A throbbing ache overwhelmed him, a need for Leah that obliterated coherent thought.
“I can’t argue with that.”
“The only friction I want between us is the kind that creates sparks.” Twining her arms around his neck, she kissed him with a thoroughness that nearly destroyed him.
Working his hands up under her nightgown, he covered her breasts with his palms, the rasp in her breathing telling him all he needed to know. Leah wanted him as badly as he wanted her. Unable to wait a moment longer, he slid inside her then held still to savor the moment.
“I like being connected to you in the most elemental way.” Her breath feathered across his cheek.
“It doesn’t get any better than this.” He pushed deeper. “Well, maybe a little better, but I’m in no rush.”
He kissed her, exploring her mouth with his tongue while he investigated every inch of soft skin within reach of his questing fingers. Only when her whole body quivered with need beneath his did he move slowly to build the tension between them.
“Oh, God, Ryan. I love . . . this. You make me feel so special.”
“You’re freaking amazing.” He gritted his teeth, holding on by a thread. “I want what we have to last forever.”
A husky chuckle rumbled through her as she licked his ear. “I don’t think I can wait that long.”
Not what he’d meant, but he knew when to shut up and go with the moment. He pushed hard again and again until they clung together, shaking in release. Finally he let her go, and she flopped back against the sheet.
Beneath the silky material of her nightgown, her breasts rose and fell in the faint moonlight as her breathing slowed. “Well, that certainly rocked my world.”
“We both needed a little stress release.” He rubbed her cheek with his thumb. “I’m sorry if I made you feel bad earlier.”
“And I’m sorry I got all bent out of shape about it.” She leaned over to press a kiss to his chest. “That’s why we’re good together. Neither of us minds admitting we’re wrong once in a while.”
He stroked her hair, letting the strands sift through his fingers until he was certain she’d fallen asleep. Slipping out of bed, he pulled on his pants and walked from room to room to stare out into the night. Nothing moved except Barney, who joined him on his vigil.
Ryan nudged the dog with his foot. “You certainly weren’t much help tonight.”
Barney thumped his tail against the floor.
Nothing but darkness and silence hovered beyond the walls of the house. No hint of light. No scuff of a shoe against the ground or rustle of bushes outside the partially opened window. Convinced whoever had searched Leah’s car wasn’t hanging around, Ryan shut and locked the window, then made his way back down the hall to stop in the bathroom to remove his contacts. Afterward, he dropped his pants on the floor and slipped into bed. Leah mumbled softly in her sleep but didn’t wake as she cuddled against him. With a sigh, he let go of the niggling fear that the woman he cared so much about was in danger. For tonight, at least, she was safe in his arms.