Chapter Fourteen
Rowan stretched her arm around Phillip’s shoulders. He looked like a grown-up version of Ian, trying his best to keep his emotions in check. Oscar lay unconscious on the stainless steel veterinary table, his tongue protruding. The lab assistants were clearing away the last traces of expelled antifreeze and hooking up an intravenous drip to rehydrate the exhausted pup.
“You’re lucky you found the dog when you did,” the vet said, checking Oscar’s pupils with a quick flick of his thumb.
Phillip cleared his throat. “You’ll be able to help him?”
“It was touch and go at first, but we seem to have gotten him cleaned out. For now, it’s good. He’ll have to stay overnight, of course.”
He caught Rowan’s fingers and traced each digit. “I’d like to leave him here for a few days, if that’s possible.”
“I doubt it will be necessary.”
“This wasn’t an accident. It was intentional. I don’t want him hurt again. If you could board him here until I can take him back home, I’d appreciate it. He won’t much like it, but I’d rather have him upset than dead.”
The vet narrowed his eyes, clearly concerned. “Not a problem. But if I were you, I’d notify the Sheriff’s Department.”
“We have friends at the house who should have already taken care of that.” He scratched Oscar behind the ears then bent and gave him a kiss on the head. “You hang in there, boy.”
Rowan wanted to break down and weep. One look at the sheen of unshed tears in Phillip’s eyes stopped her. Someone needed to be strong right now. It should be her.
The ride home was quiet except for a sniff from the passenger seat. Rowan half-expected Phillip to brush it off as allergies. He surprised her again.
“Big ole dope of a dog. He’s the dumbest animal I’ve ever met. Has a heart big enough for twenty dogs. It’s crazy to love a dog that much.” He gave a humorless chuckle. “Zach would say it was crazy to love anyone that much.”
“And what would you say?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
“I would say Zach’s in for a big surprise when the woman walks into his life.” Phillip straightened. “We need to get Ian away from here until this is over.”
“I don’t have any relatives except Mom.”
“I was thinking about Claudia. Ian and Emma could go up there. She’s living in San Francisco right now. Claudia’s job is pretty high-profile. She’s an investigative reporter for the local TV station. She lives in a very secure apartment building. My father won’t bother them, if that’s what you were thinking.”
That was exactly what she had been thinking. “Well, if you’re sure he would be okay and Claudia wouldn’t mind. But how can we make sure they get there safely? Mom refuses to fly. Someone will have to drive them. Any suggestions?”
“Maybe, but before we make too many plans, let’s check with your mom first to see if she’s going to be able to leave for an extended period of time.”
“Call her.”
“We were in such a hurry that I left my phone at the house.”
“Me, too,” she said.
“We’ll stop by her place before we go home. I’d rather talk to her without any eavesdroppers. No sense upsetting anyone until we know if this is doable.”
“You mean Ian.”
“Actually, I was thinking about Zach.”
Rowan flashed him a puzzled frown.
Phillip pointed toward the road. “Just drive. I’ll explain later.”
Light burned behind the drawn curtains of her mother’s house—an odd occurrence at dusk since Mom always enjoyed catching the last rays of sunset each day.
“Something’s not right. Those curtains should be open. Mom never closes them.”
“Jess is with her. I’m sure she’s fine.”
Rowan pulled into the driveway and jammed the gearshift into park. “Someone tried to kill Oscar and threatened Ian. Why would Mom or Jess be any safer? A bullet can kill from a long distance and I doubt at this point the murderer is real picky about who he shoots.”
Phillip conceded the point with a nod. “I’ll go in first, just in case.”
With her breath held, she watched Phillip approach the house. His stride was poised and calm, never giving away to any sniper that they suspected foul play. A flick of his wrist opened the door. He ducked in then pulled back, his eyes wide with shock.
Rowan wrenched open the van door and dashed up the walk. “Oh, my God, they’re dead, aren’t they?”
He pulled her back before she could rush inside. “No, no, no. They are very much alive. Shh…listen.”
She cocked her head to one side. An unmistakable sound reached her ears. Rowan’s jaw dropped. “My mother and Jess Alderman are having… They’re having… They’re doing—”
“Right on the living room couch.” He grinned and hooked his arm through her elbow. “Let’s go. I’ve been traumatized enough for one day.”
Under Phillip’s guidance, Rowan stumbled toward her van.
“Don’t look so shocked.” Phillip chuckled. “Ian said you thought she had a boyfriend.”
“Yes, but I never thought… She’s never said anything about this.”
“What’s she supposed to say? You’re her daughter. Shared confidences only go so far. Have you ever talked to her about your sex life?”
What sex life? She shook her head. “I didn’t have a clue this was going on. She’s been so discreet.”
He yanked open the van door. “Then there’s hope for us yet.”
Rowan spun around, not quite believing her own ears. “What?”
He caught her shoulders in a gentle hold, drawing circles with his thumbs. “You certainly can’t mistake the fact that I still want you as much or more than I ever did. If I can’t be with you soon, I swear I’ll go crazy. I love you, Rowan. You must have realized that by now.”
Somehow she had known, but hearing the words and knowing she wasn’t mistaken made everything right. She pressed closer, feeling the evidence of his desire and praying he could feel the heat of her response.
“I love you, too, Phillip. I can’t say that I’ve ever stopped loving you. And God knows, I want you so much.”
“That settles it then.” He jerked his head toward the house. “If they can be discreet, so can we.”
“Discreet? We’ve never been known for our discretion. Look at us now. We can be seen from Mom’s house, my house and by anyone watching us.”
He dropped his arms and moved away.
“And don’t you think Malcolm Collins is going to notice when you rush to the store for condoms? Unless you have some with you.”
“I don’t. I wasn’t expecting—”
“I wasn’t, either, and I certainly don’t have anything at the house. Collins and whomever else he is working with is not stupid, Phillip. And shopping for birth control isn’t discreet. That little news item would get to my colonel’s ears in a second and your colonel’s a second later.” She snapped her fingers. “He’d use it to destroy your career and mine.”
“So…what do you want to do?”
“What can we do?” The question was meant to prompt discussion, an evaluation of options open to them. “Phillip, I don’t have the luxury of having a just-for-the-heck of it relationship. I… We have a child to consider. How do we know this isn’t sex talking?”
“If it was only sex I wanted, I would have gone to Laura.”
Rowan shot him a glare meant to kill. She swung into the van and cranked the engine. “Get in or walk.”
“You’re blowing this way out of proportion. It was a poor choice of words.”
“You got that right.” She slammed the door.
Phillip pulled it open. “Don’t do this. Don’t be this way. You know what I meant. You know the difference between having sex and making love. I was trying to make a point. I simply used the wrong example. You can’t hold me to account for what I did or who I was with when we were apart. Surely there has been someone in your life from time to time.”
A sigh lifted her shoulders. “All right. You’ve made your point. If it’s love, I’ll be in my room waiting for you tonight. If it’s lust, don’t put one foot on those stairs.”
“And what would you suggest I do about the condom issue?”
A half-smile lifted her lips. “If it’s more than lust, you’ll figure something out. Come on. We’ll let the lovers have a little privacy while you call Claudia.”
* * * *
Zach splayed his hands across his chest. “The Ice Princess? You expect me to willingly put myself into the frozen path of The Ice Princess?”
It would have been comical had the situation not been so dire.
“I heard that,” Claudia shouted from the other end of the line. “You tell that self-indulgent—”
“Stop it, both of you.” Rowan grabbed the phone from Phillip. “Claudia, my son’s life is in danger. I need your help, please.”
“I’m sorry. You know I’ll help. It’s just that Zach Taylor is the most—”
“I know, but aren’t they all to some degree or another? We’ll call you back when we make a decision on when they’ll be leaving.”
Phillip expected her to launch into Zach next and from the way Zach fidgeted, it looked like he expected it, too. Ian’s arrival defused the situation.
“Is Oscar going to be all right?” His bottom lip quivered with every word and tears filled his eyes.
To Phillip’s surprise, Zach pulled him to his lap. For someone who had sworn not to have children a few hours ago, he fit the father role well. “The doctor is doing all he can.”
“Can I see him?”
Phillip pulled up a chair. “He’s at the vet resting so he can get better. He’ll be home before you know it, ready to play, chase rabbits and begging for something to eat.”
Rowan tsked. “Oh, Zach, your dinner. I’m sorry.”
“I kept it warm for you in the oven.”
“Thank you.” She touched his arm. “I’ll get something in a minute. I want to make sure Mom can do this, unless I shouldn’t bother to try.”
“Go ahead. I’ll watch the tadpole for you, even if it does mean getting frostbite.” He leveled his gaze to Phillip’s. “And no lectures about getting along. I’ll behave if she does.”
He laughed. “No lectures. I promise.”
Ian hopped down from Zach’s lap. “Dad, the sheriff was here after you left.”
He lifted a questioning brow to the other two men.
“It looks like the guy may have gotten sloppy,” Mike said. “The sheriff took the jug of antifreeze for fingerprints.” A triumphant grin spread across his face. “There are boot prints in the sand.”
“How do we know they aren’t from one of us?”
The grin widened. “Because the deputy sheriff tracked the prints to the road.”
“Hot damn.” Phillip smiled. “Now all we need to do is tie them to our suspect. We have to find some way to trip him up.”
Rowan poked her head into the room. “You can work that out with Jess. He and Mom are on their way over. I’m going to take a long soak in the tub. Ian, bath time for you, too.”
“Aw, Mom.”
Phillip scooped Ian up and held him upside down until he started to giggle. “Come on. I’ll let you beat me at computer games once you’re done.”
* * * *
Rowan slid into a sea of bubbles. Maybe the warmth would ease her tension away. The last of the bruises from her various adventures, even the scratches from Kemp’s wife, were beginning to fade. She sighed. So much for her body, but would there ever be a day when her life would return to normal?
All she had wanted to do was get to the bottom of the flurry of accidents centered on the Lava training area. She had been doing her part—being a Marine, protecting her own. What had it gotten her? Threats, agony, turmoil…and Phillip back in her life. The one plus or another minus?
The bath pillow cushioned her as she leaned back. Forgetfulness would be nice, if only for a moment.
Dreams pulled her in. Rowan let them. Sleep would be a welcome escape. She didn’t know how long she lay there—minutes, hours? It didn’t matter. It wasn’t long enough. She cursed the fact that it was time to summon her energy and get tucked into bed.
With a cat-like stretch she opened her eyes then started when she saw Phillip sitting next to her on the edge of the tub. He was naked, muscles shifting under taut skin. The heat of the bathroom had already slicked his body with a thin sheen of moisture.
“What—”
“Ian’s in bed fast asleep. You said to come up if it was love.”
“Then I presume you somehow managed to discreetly find a condom?”
“This is love, remember? That would be lust.” He brushed his hand through the sudsy water and caressed the long length of her leg, sliding slowly up the sensitive skin to her inner thigh.
“Don’t get me wrong. I want you so much that I feel as if I’ll explode any minute. But I asked myself, if something happened and for some reason you and I could never make love again, would I still love you and stand by you? The answer was yes. I’d love you no matter what.
“So…” He swung himself into the other end of the garden tub and lowered his body into the swirling water. “I’m going to sit over here and simply be with you, no matter how much it kills me.”
“Oh, Phillip, I…” She slid toward him, gliding her body against his, a silken caress.
Phillip sucked in a breath as her belly brushed against him. He cupped her buttocks and nestled her closer. With a feathery touch of her tongue, she kissed him, inhaling the very essence of his being.
“Over my dead body. I love you no matter what,” she said, “but I’m afraid I can’t be as noble as you right now.” She straddled his hips and rubbed herself along his length.
Phillip shuddered. “If you keep that up…”
She pulled up and stroked him again, smiling when a soft groan left his throat.
“Rowan, we can’t—”
“We can, this way. We have before. Remember? That hot tub in the Poconos?”
“How could I forget? But I’m not going to last very long if you keep doing that.”
Rowan caught his hand and guided it to where their bodies touched. “Neither will I if you do this.”
He dipped his hand between them, parting her with a flick of his fingers before probing deep inside her. She moved against him, urging him on with each caress he gave.
Agony, pleasure, that white-hot rush she loved and tried so hard to forget… It burst upon her with little warning, engulfing her with its power, paralyzing her. She tensed with the spasms, then felt him shudder with the force of his own release.