Chapter Twenty-four
Leah sat across the table from Ryan, picking at a plate full of chiles rellenos and black beans, while he worked his way through a giant burrito. She glanced up when a blonde, a redhead, and a brunette walked into the restaurant and sat at a table a short distance away. The redhead’s gaze zeroed in on the back of Ryan’s head before she said something to her companions. All three women looked their way.
“Leah.”
“Huh?” She jerked her attention back to Ryan.
“What happened when this bastard’s latest victim called the cops in Astoria?”
“Hilliard had promised to meet the woman at her home with the contract to sign and asked her to have a check ready. The cops were waiting for him, but he never showed.”
Ryan set down his fork and frowned. “That’s odd. You’d think he’d be punctual when it came to cashing in on his scam. Did he contact her about a different meeting time?”
“He hadn’t when I spoke to Chris Long. Chris filled me in on the details while you were in the shower. The police think maybe the guy was tipped off.”
“Who would have told him? No one knew Hilliard was under investigation except your grandma and her friend, the cops in Siren Cove, and the police in Astoria.”
“It doesn’t make any sense. I’m sure Milly didn’t blab the news around town.” Leah poked at her relleno as her appetite faded. “I’d so hoped they would nail the jerk. By the way, I looked up this new alias online. What do you know, Ricky Nelson’s real name was Eric Hilliard Nelson, so the crook in Astoria is definitely the same guy who conned my grandma.”
“Idiot. He must think he’s clever using these old singers’ names. Hopefully it’ll trip him up eventually.”
“Now would be good. Later isn’t going to help us a whole hell of a lot since we can’t pay my grandma’s November rent.”
“I could—” Ryan let out a breath and glanced away. “This conversation is obviously upsetting you.” Reaching across the table, he squeezed her arm. “Let’s talk about something else. You need to relax.”
“Not much chance of that happening.” Leah dropped her napkin beside her plate and stood. “I’m going to use the ladies’ room. I’ll be right back.”
His eyes darkened as he met her gaze. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. Grandma will be, too. Everything will work out somehow.” She limped a little as she made her way past the table where the three women sat drinking cocktails. Once she reached the restroom, she used the toilet, then washed her hands at the sink. Worried brown eyes stared back at her as she glanced in the mirror. When the door opened, her gaze shifted, and she gave a little nod to the redhead who walked into the room.
The woman joined her at the sinks and studied her reflection in the mirror for a long moment, opened her mouth, then pressed her lips tightly together.
Leah pulled a paper towel out of the dispenser and dried her hands before wadding it into a ball. Turning, she met the woman’s gaze head-on. “Did you want to say something to me?”
“I don’t know why I followed you in here. It was a mistake.”
“Okay.” She tossed the towel in the trash and took two steps toward the door.
“Curiosity, I guess. Or maybe the need to poke a wound that isn’t completely healed.”
Leah pivoted slowly and eyed the woman, from her red hair twisted into an elegant knot, past hazel eyes that held a hint of defiance, over a tidy suit jacket and pencil skirt, to a pair of heels that made the most of her long legs. “Since I’m pretty certain I’ve never seen you before, I have to assume you know Ryan.”
“We broke up last month.”
The breath left her in a rush as she reached out to hold on to the edge of the counter. “He’s never talked much about a recent relationship.”
“Why am I not surprised? I don’t want to cause trouble. I’ll go back to my table now.” She drew in a couple of quick breaths but made no move to leave. Finally her gaze rose again to meet Leah’s. “It’s just that you’re the exact opposite of me, so I couldn’t help wondering if the problem all along wasn’t Ryan’s issues with commitment and intimacy but the fact that I simply wasn’t his type.”
This lady had a point. She exuded elegant sophistication. Leah had dressed for comfort in a bright pink sweater over black leggings tucked into heelless suede boots. Subtle makeup made the most of the woman’s quiet attraction, while Leah hadn’t bothered to do much more than dab a little foundation over the worst of the scabs on the side of her forehead. She still looked like she’d come out the loser in a street brawl.
“Ryan’s not into battered waifs, if that’s what you’re thinking. I was in a car accident a couple of days ago.”
The hazel eyes widened. “I just meant you don’t look like the uptight sort. I hope you weren’t badly injured.”
“Scrapes and bruises. I’ll live. I’m Leah, by the way.”
“Ursula.” She held out a hand.
Leah shook it. “Nice to meet you. Commitment and intimacy issues, huh?”
“Look, Ryan’s a great guy, but I got the feeling some woman did a real number on him in his past. Trust doesn’t come easy for that man.” Ursula shrugged. “Maybe you’ll be the one to heal those old wounds. I certainly wasn’t.”
Leah swallowed hard. Any possible response stuck in her throat.
“Unless you only want no-strings fun. Then Ryan fills the bill.” Ursula’s smile looked forced. “Anyway, have a nice evening.”
Leah nodded. “Yeah, you, too.”
After the other woman left the room, Leah took a few moments to compose herself. If Ryan had trust issues, she was more than likely the cause. Closing her eyes, she pressed her fingers to her lids to hold back tears. Maybe she’d done more damage to him than she realized all those years ago. The knowledge cut deep.
But there wasn’t much she could do about it now . . . except try to make it up to him.
* * *
Ryan finished his burrito and pushed back his plate, wondering what was taking Leah so long in the bathroom. She’d been visibly upset talking about the con man evading arrest. Tight lines had bracketed her lips, and the hand she used to push her hair behind her ear had been a little unsteady. He’d almost offered to give her a chunk of cash to pay her grandma’s rent but had stopped himself at the last second. If he’d learned one thing in his experience with his old college roommate, it was that mixing money into a personal friendship could end in disaster. As much as he wanted to ease Leah’s financial concerns, he wouldn’t risk screwing up their developing feelings. He cared about her too much.
Glancing over his shoulder, he wondered if he should go check on her. A movement caught his attention, but his relief faded as the woman leaving the restroom turned his way. Not Leah. Ursula. Their gazes locked as she approached. She paused for a moment at a table where two other women sat before continuing toward him.
Slowly he stood. “It’s good to see you, Ursula. How are you?”
“Busy as usual. I haven’t bumped into you since . . . well, in a while.”
“My mom broke her arm. I’ve been staying in Siren Cove to help her out.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. Is that where the woman you’re with is from?”
“Leah? Yes.” He gripped the back of his chair. “Did you—”
“We spoke in the restroom. She seems nice.”
“She is. Ursula, I—”
“I won’t intrude on your evening. See you around, Ryan.”
She walked away before he could respond, and when he tore his gaze from her stiff shoulders, Leah was halfway across the room. He offered a hesitant smile when she reached their table. “I guess you met Ursula.”
Leah nodded, her eyes sober. When she glanced down at the food remaining on her plate, her lips twisted. “If you’re finished eating, maybe we can go?”
A knot of dread tightened in his stomach. What the hell did Ursula say to her? “Sure.”
He stopped at the cashier’s stand on their way out to pay the bill, then took Leah’s arm as they walked outside and crossed the parking lot. A cold wind sent dead leaves scattering across the pavement ahead of them. After he unlocked his Jeep and helped her inside, he ran around the front. By the time he was seated, his nerves were completely shot. He started the engine but made no move to leave.
“Are we going to sit here or drive?”
At Leah’s words, he shifted into gear and pulled out of the lot. The minutes ticked by with only the sound of the tires on the asphalt to break the silence. When he couldn’t stand the suspense another moment, he spoke. “What did she say to you?”
Leah glanced over. “Ursula? Just that you used to date her. Nice woman.”
“Oh.”
“And that you have intimacy problems.”
He nearly drove off the side of the road. “Are you kidding!” He jerked the wheel and breathed hard through his nose. “Okay, maybe we didn’t spend all our time in bed, but—”
“Eww, stop right there!” Leah’s voice rose in a screech. “I don’t want to hear about that. How would you feel if I told you about my sex life with other men?”
His stomach protested, and he wished he hadn’t eaten all of his giant burrito. “A little ill. It’s not something I want to think about, but you said—”
“Ursula meant you weren’t open about your feelings, not that you couldn’t . . . Eww, just eww.”
“Okay, I get it. Sorry.”
“Are your trust issues my fault?” She turned to stare out the window into the dark forest. “Did I destroy your confidence in women?”
He wanted to deny her words, to take away the misery coloring her voice. But he couldn’t lie. “Maybe I’m more cautious than I would have been if you hadn’t dumped me our senior year. I don’t think that’s such a bad thing.”
“Closing your heart to love isn’t bad?”
“The door isn’t completely shut. Maybe just not wide-open.” He slowed to turn onto the dirt track leading to his house. “If you hadn’t taught me a lesson in relationship reality early on, someone else would have. I learned not to have unrealistic expectations.”
Turning in her seat, she dropped a hand on his thigh. “If you won’t allow yourself to be vulnerable, you aren’t able to experience the joy of totally surrendering your emotional well-being to another person. How can you be happy holding part of yourself back? How can you make the person you love happy?”
“Does it seem like I’m holding back with you? I’d have to say I’ve been pretty damn open.” He pulled up in front of his home and cut the engine. In the silence that followed, the motor ticked as it cooled. “You didn’t ruin me for other women, if that’s what you’re thinking.”
“I’m not that egotistical.” Her lashes fluttered across her cheeks before she opened her eyes and seemed to stare straight into his soul. “Anyway, if I did, I sort of screwed myself in the process. Ironic, don’t you think.”
He covered the hand still resting on his leg and squeezed. “This is me, putting myself out there. I love you, Leah. If I held back with Ursula, it was because my feelings weren’t . . . engaged. She didn’t twist me up inside like a pretzel the way you do. Are you happy?”
A slow smile spread. “Yeah, I’m happy. That’s about the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me.”
“Great. Can we go in now?”
“Yep.” She opened her door and stepped out, then regarded him across the hood of the Jeep when he joined her. “I’m going to make your night worth every one of those knots.”
“You are?”
“I am.” She held out her hand. “Let’s go make it happen.”
His heart beat faster as he walked beside her to the door. When he opened it, Barney pushed through, knocking Leah against him. The dog ran in circles, barking and wagging in a frenzy of joy, like a convict released early for good behavior. Ryan spared a moment to wonder what the cat had done to him in their absence, before ushering Leah inside with a hand on the warm curve of her waist.
“I guess bed will have to wait.”
He snapped on the light in the entry as disappointment filled him. “Okay.”
Reaching up, she ran a finger across his lower lip. “Only until Barney stops going crazy. He’s not used to being stuck in the house, but I was worried he’d run off and get lost if I left him outside.”
“Oh, I thought maybe you changed your mind.”
“Why would I do that?”
“You haven’t exactly had a peaceful evening. I know you’re stressed.”
“Yeah, I am.” Her eyes glimmered with a teasing light. “There’s nothing like a little crazy sex to relax a person.”
Ryan pulled her close. “You never fail to make me smile.” He kissed her, deepening the contact when she let out a little moan. After the dog strolled back inside, he kicked the door shut and scooped her into his arms.
“Don’t hurt yourself!” She clung to his shoulders as he started up the stairs.
“Don’t worry. I’m not going to drop you.” He reached the top, only slightly out of breath, and turned into his loft bedroom.
“I’m not worried.” She stroked the back of his neck with her thumb. “I trust you completely. Ryan?”
“Hmm?” He lowered her onto his bed, sat down next to her, then clicked on the bedside lamp before stretching out at her side.
“I was young and stupid back in high school. Believing we wouldn’t be able to make our relationship work simply because we’re different was the biggest mistake I’ve ever made. I’m sorry I hurt you. I’m sorry we lost all those years together.”
He tucked her close to his chest. “Maybe it was for the best.”
She stared up at him, her eyes wide. “Why?”
“You’re right. We were both young. Maybe we needed to experience life before we could see that what we have together is strong and beautiful and damn near perfect.”
“I had to marry a toad before I could have my prince?”
“I guess so.”
“Since it appears you dated lovely women like Ursula rather than slimeballs, I can only be thankful none of them broke through your walls. Maybe that’s horrible, but you’re the missing ingredient in my recipe for happiness. Maybe my life wouldn’t have been ruined if we hadn’t found each other again, but it would always have lacked . . . heart.”
He kissed her, more grateful for Leah than he could express in words. “If you’d still been married to Brock—”
She pressed a finger to his lips. “Not a chance.”
“I guess we both have a lot to be thankful for.”
“So, maybe we can show each other how we feel after we shed a few layers of clothes.”
He smiled. “I need to take out my contacts first.”
“And I want to brush my teeth.” She laughed. “The movies always gloss over the mundane details.”
He levered up off the bed and held out a hand to pull her up beside him. “But this is reality, and in my book, that’s a whole lot better than any fantasy.”
“Agreed.”
There was something incredibly sexy about watching Leah brush her teeth while wearing nothing but a skimpy black bra and panties. After Ryan removed his contacts, her image blurred around the edges, but the soft haze only added to the mystery.
She rinsed her mouth, then moved behind him to wrap her arms around his waist and lean against his bare back. His fist clenched, shooting out a stream of toothpaste into the sink.
“Oops.”
“A little premature, don’t you think?”
He grinned at her reflection as she peeked over his shoulder, brown eyes alight with humor. “Your fault entirely.”
She kissed the back of his neck. “Hurry.”
Ryan brushed his teeth in record time then reached down to unfasten his jeans. He slid them over his hips and kicked them toward the clothes basket in the corner. When they missed, he didn’t even care. Turning to pull Leah into his arms, his entire focus was on the beautiful woman he held. “I’m ready.”
She pressed closer. “I’ll say.”
He fumbled with the clasp of her bra. A moment later, it fell to the floor at their feet. Sliding his hands down her smooth skin, he hooked his fingers beneath the elastic of her panties and tugged. The lace ripped, and he tossed the scrap of cloth on the tile before spinning around to lift her up onto the counter next to the sink. Heat suffused him as she tossed her head back to let her silky hair puddle around her hips.
“Oh, God.” The tips of her breasts pearled into hard peaks.
Eyes wide open, he pushed into her and nearly came apart as her face went slack with desire. Gripping her firm flesh, he pumped hard, never taking his eyes off her until she cried out and slumped against him. Then, and only then, did he let himself explode . . .
* * *
“Your son is a freaking idiot. I told you using those names was a huge risk, but he thought he was so clever. And what the hell was he thinking, striking again so soon after the last con? That’s just asking for trouble.”
“I’ll speak to him.” The pulse throbbed at his temples as he slumped against the counter with his head in his hands, his cell phone clamped to one ear. “He says he wants to relocate and start his own business, and he’s stockpiling the funds to do it.”
“Screw him and his plans. Samhain is nearly here. It’s been ten long years, and we have our sacrifice waiting. The last thing we need is to have anyone come snooping around, following leads. I’d turn him in myself before I let that happen.”
His voice came out in a hiss. “Don’t threaten me or mine. My boy’s been generous about funding the Brotherhood with his proceeds.”
“Only because I saved his hide last year by convincing a buddy of mine to hide evidence.”
“I suppose that sounds better than blackmail.”
The seconds ticked by in silence before the cool voice filled his ear. “Are you complaining?”
“No, of course not.” He let out a slow breath. “I’m grateful.”
“Then keep your kid under control. In fact, tell him his little game is over. I won’t risk him bringing unwanted attention our way.” The voice on the other end of the line lashed out. “I won’t see a centuries-old tradition destroyed because of your greedy whelp. Got it?”
“Yeah, I got it. He had a close call up in Astoria, and it shook him. He won’t do anything stupid.”
“He better not.”
When the line went dead, he dropped the phone on the counter. He’d had enough of this shit storm that never seemed to let up. At least he could relax, knowing those damn photographs were no longer a threat. He’d given himself an ulcer for nothing.
Maybe he was blowing this latest problem out of proportion, too. He’d make sure his son didn’t take any more risks, and their Samhain celebration would go off without a hitch.
Anything less was unthinkable.