Chapter Eleven
Hailey spent a long time fretting that evening, no matter how Jenna tried to put her at ease. It was only when Tim returned that she stopped twirling her hair and pushing her cuticles back with her nails.
“Hang in there,” Jenna said on her way out. “However complicated things seem, they always work out.”
Hailey wanted to snort. Her grandfather had been mauled to death by wolves. That hadn’t exactly worked out. And Jesus, this was a whole different level of terrifying, what with a werewolf tracking her for an egotistical maniac who wanted her as his bride.
Hailey couldn’t see how the mess of her life could possibly work out, but with Tim taking up most of the doorway, the impossible seemed slightly easier to believe.
He stood there a long time after Jenna went, rubbing his shoulder along the doorframe in one of many quirky little habits she’d come to love. His expression was heart-wrenchingly sad for some reason, and she fished for words to comfort him.
He opened his mouth first, but she held up her hand.
“If you don’t mind, I’d rather just…pretend tonight,” she said. “I know it’s childish, but sometimes, you just have to turn things off and make believe everything is fine. I swear I’ll face up to things tomorrow. But, tonight…”
Surprisingly, he looked relieved. Really relieved, like there was something he would rather not face up to either. “Never tried that before,” he admitted. “But, yeah. Pretending works for me.”
She bit her lip. He could have lectured her on making a mess of her life, especially getting involved with the likes of Jonathan and his thugs. He could have said enough was enough and cast her out to fend for herself. But he didn’t. He just looked at her and smiled, like having her there was all he needed.
“So,” she said, forcing a light tone. “Interesting place you’ve got here.”
He ran a hand along the doorframe. “You like it?”
She turned pink. One little gesture shouldn’t ignite the dirty part of her mind, but she couldn’t help fantasizing about his hands on her instead. Rubbing up and down. Touching. Possessing. Protecting.
Maybe she was suffering from some kind of rescuer complex. Or maybe it was the way his chest stretched the fabric of his shirt, because what woman couldn’t notice that? Either way, around Tim, a long-neglected sensual corner of her mind revved into overdrive.
Did she like the house? She cleared her throat, because saying I love it in a hoarse, needy voice just wouldn’t do.
“I do,” she managed.
She’d wandered around the outside already, and it was neat as a pin. Cute, too, what with an old-fashioned water pump and a coffee drying shed around the back.
Tim stepped forward, and her blood rushed, even though he only advanced as far as the next supporting beam. He thumped it and motioned around. “This whole place was a coffee plantation, and this was one of the sheds.”
The walls were rough wood, and starlight showed through gaps between the beams. Crickets chirped all around, and a huge tree sheltered the west side. The roof sloped at different angles in different spots as if the building had been added on to over time. Inside, the structure split into two levels — well, two-plus, because the place had all kinds of cellars, towers, and side wings stuck onto it.
“Dell calls it the shoehouse. You know that story with the old woman who lived in a shoe?”
Hailey laughed, because that fit the structure perfectly. There was a big living room in front, with a kitchen niche to one side. Three narrow stairs went up to an open second level that stood at about the height of her chest — like a loft, but a low one. There was a double bed up there set on short legs, plus a small reading light and books stuck into the open framework of the walls. She could already picture curling up there after a long day of work.
“I love that quilt,” she murmured, stepping over for a closer look at the appliqué work. The motif was an abstract pineapple pattern stitched in tiny, parallel lines.
“Dawn found it at a flea market. She makes some great finds.” Tim smiled a little and looked off into his memories. “She and Hunter gave it to me as a moving-in present, from one bear—” He stuttered and started again. “From one buddy to another.”
She looked around. Yes, the place was pretty bare. But all in all, it was more rustic than ramshackle, and homey as anything.
“How long have you lived here?”
“I’ve been on Maui for about two months, but I only moved in to this place a few weeks ago. It still needs a lot of work.”
It did, but he’d already made it into an inviting, cozy home. It was small and a little dark, like a log cabin, but the air was fresh, and she could imagine sunlight pouring in by day. With a few nice decorative touches, it might even make the pages of a lifestyle magazine.
“Your own little man-den,” she joked.
His smile wavered slightly as he mumbled his reply. “You could say that.”
The loft looked barely high enough for a man of Tim’s height to stand in, but the left side had a raised roof like a church belfry. Beneath the loft was a cellar that was too dark to see.
“You sure you’ll be okay here?” He motioned to the bed that Jenna had covered with fresh sheets.
She gulped, fighting images of curling up with Tim on that bed. Not for steamy sex like she’d daydreamed about for the past few days — just to cuddle up for the night.
“It’s perfect, but what about you?”
He motioned to the cellar.
“You can’t sleep there!” she protested.
“It’s fine. Seriously. Like you said, it’s my den.”
His voice was just as steady as ever, but there was something vulnerable in his eyes. Some terrible sadness where she’d seen hope shining before.
“But it’s dark. Cave-like. I can’t make you sleep there.”
“You’re not making me do anything I don’t want to do,” he said softly. “Plus, I guarantee once I get down there, I practically hibernate.”
She laughed. “Ha. Hibernate. That’s what I need to do. Then I can wake up a couple of months down the line and get my life back together again.” She took a deep breath and shook her head. “Just kidding. I swear I’ll only impose on you for one more night. Tomorrow, I’ll make a plan and move on.”
“Tomorrow?” He snapped his head up in surprise.
She gulped. Did he hate the idea as much as she did? In so many ways, she wanted to stay. Not just for safety but to feel as alive and free as she had over the past few days. And, damn. It would be nice to explore her feelings for Tim, too. But she was painfully aware that her attraction to him could be a function of being on the run. After all, she’d misjudged Jonathan in her desperation to gain some freedom from her mother and career. Was it just her desperation to get away from Jonathan that made her fall for Tim?
Her heart said no, but she’d already decided. “Tomorrow. I can’t possibly ask you for anything more.”
“Stay a few days.” Stay as long as you like, his eyes added. “And you don’t have to ask,” he said, so quietly, she nearly melted all over again. “I’m happy to help.”
The room was small enough that it only took her two steps to come right up to him, and when she got there, she slipped into a hug. “Hope you don’t mind.”
Their first touch was awkward, and she thought she might have made a mistake. At first, his arms were stiff and uncertain, but within seconds, he’d cinched her nice and close, just as he had on the beach. Even closer, if that were possible, and he held her tight. His body heat chased away the chill of fear, and his arms, circling her so carefully, created a wall no enemy could breach.
“I definitely don’t mind,” he mumbled, reminding her of his kiss. A kiss that had lit every on-switch in her soul until Lamar had appeared.
She kept her face buried in his shoulder, determined to shut Lamar and all evil away for the night.
This is all temporary, she tried reminding herself, but it was getting harder and harder to do.
“I don’t know where I’d be without you,” she mumbled.
“Aw, you’d be fine,” he said, sounding breezy. But his arms tightened in a promise, and she closed her eyes.
“Sleep with me,” she whispered. A second later, she pulled away and slapped her hand over her mouth. “I mean — that came out wrong.”
He tilted his head, letting a hint of amusement show for the first time. “How did you mean it, then?”
Her cheeks burned. “I mean, sleep beside me. I mean… Oh, God…”
He laughed outright then pulled her into a warm hug. “I think I know what you mean.”
She closed her eyes, ready to crawl into that cellar of his and die of embarrassment. “I’m going to blame that on being a little mixed up tonight.”
His arms rubbed up and down her back, putting her at ease. “Being only a little mixed up is pretty amazing, considering what you’ve been through.”
She laughed. Plenty mixed up was more like it, and not just from the scary parts of the day. Her lips were still tingling from the kiss they’d shared earlier, and her blood was much too warm for a woman who ought to feel chilled to the bone.
She forced herself to pull away. “I’m sorry. I have no right to ask so much of you.”
The right side of his mouth curled up. “I think I can suffer a little more.” His eyes clouded for a moment, like he’d just remembered a very good reason to say no. But then he nodded firmly. “Seriously. I’m happy to help.”
She took a deep breath. “Okay, so — the bathroom is…”
He pointed, and she skittered away to get ready for the night. They’d agreed to pretend, right? So pretend she would. That it was perfectly normal to sleep beside a man she’d only known for a few days. That she hadn’t been hunted down by a werewolf — correction, wolf shifter — earlier that day.
God, mixed up didn’t begin to capture how she felt.
But, wow. Once she was ready for bed, sliding between the sheets had a certain thrill, and when Tim slid in behind her — slowly, carefully, like he was afraid she’d bolt — sparks ran through her veins.
She lay on her side, facing the wall, wearing nothing but panties and the T-shirt he’d loaned her. Tim tucked in behind her, leaving a half-inch gap between them as he drew the sheet and quilt over both of them.
“This okay?” he whispered as he rested his arm over her side, careful to keep his hand in the neutral zone around her belly.
“Sure.” Her voice had a forced lightness to it, but every muscle in her body was taut.
She lay still, telling herself that feeling safe was all she wanted. That she hadn’t been fantasizing about Tim every night for the past week.
“Goodnight.” His deep rumble vibrated through her back and joined in with the sparks exploring her veins.
“Goodnight,” she whispered.
For the first few minutes, Hailey listened to the chirp of crickets and the distant sound of the sea. She stared at the shelf where she’d left her watch and phone, wishing her pearl were beside them. The phone she could do without. But the pearl… Ever since her grandfather had given it to her years ago, she’d never been without it.
My father and mother met when he was stationed at Pearl Harbor at the end of World War II, her grandfather had once explained. Love at first sight, he always said.
Hailey closed her eyes, tuning in to the sound of Tim’s soft breath.
My mother was a beautiful Hawaiian girl who followed him all the way to Montana. They were that in love. This pearl was her family’s wedding gift.
Hailey had always wished she could have met her great-grandparents, but her grandfather’s stories made up for that in part.
The pearl might not be perfect, but that just makes it more honest, as my mother always said.
Hailey closed her eyes. To her, the pearl had always been perfect. The dimples and oblong shape made it that much easier to hold when she needed it most. Like now, when her fretting mind was all over the place. But she’d left the pearl at Pu’u Pu’eo, and she hadn’t had the chance to pick it up before they left.
I’ll tell you a secret my mother told me. Her grandfather’s warm, scratchy voice echoed in her mind. This little pearl holds all the love in the world. Love that will keep you company wherever you go. Love that gives you strength to carry on. Her grandfather would always pause there, and his smile would turn bittersweet. I think my mother needed that, so far from home. She always wished she had a daughter to pass it on to. You know how happy she would be to know it’s yours now?
Hailey found herself curling her fingers in thin air, imagining the pearl in her palm. She could use some extra strength after the terrifying events on the beach, not to mention everything else. Jonathan. Her mother. The mob of reporters she was going to have to face when she emerged from hiding.
She nearly shuddered, but Tim curled his hand around hers as if he’d read her mind.
“Everything will be okay,” he whispered, kissing her shoulder softly. Just a chaste little kiss, but still, her soul fluttered around in glee.
She wrapped her hand around Tim’s and tugged it closer to her heart. Not close enough to seduce the poor man, just to settle herself down a bit. The next day, she’d make a quick plan of action, and step one would be retrieving her pearl. But for now…
Tim pulled her closer, erasing the distance between them, and she just about sighed. With a quilt, a comfortable mattress, and a huge, hulking bodyguard literally at her back, she had everything she could want, and before she knew it, she was drifting into sleep.
Pretend, Hailey. Pretend. That it was fine to have her rear snuggled into Tim’s lap and her fingers laced through his. That the world was as peaceful and safe as it felt just now, and that everything would be all right.
Funny how pretending wasn’t all that hard in the end.
* * *
To her utter surprise, Hailey slept like a rock, and when she woke, the pink light of dawn streamed through the gaps between the cabin’s beams. She stretched then froze, suddenly remembering how she’d gone to bed. This was supposed to be the awkward part, right?
But Tim murmured from over her shoulder, soothing her all over again.
“I think pretending is allowed for a little longer. Coffee’s on me this time,” he whispered, kissing her on the shoulder and rolling away.
She turned and watched Tim, keeping the quilt close in the chill of daybreak. Every move the man made was powerful and controlled, from the easy way he swung down the loft stairs to the exactitude with which he placed the kettle on the single-burner stove. He was wearing black boxers and nothing else, and the soft morning light glowed over every chiseled muscle on his broad frame. He scratched his chest in the absent-minded gesture of a man who was a little sleepy and totally at home.
When he pulled on a shirt and wrestled it down over his torso, she tried not to stare at the way all the different layers of muscle rippled. It wasn’t just his looks that drew her in, though. She’d modeled alongside enough finely chiseled body-builder types to know a great body didn’t always come with a sharp mind — or a pure heart. Some of those men had made lewd jokes; others had all but assumed she would follow them off the set and into bed. Few men so much as held a door open for her, let alone bent over backward to help her the way Tim had. And no one had that amazing mix of a soft touch and iron will that Tim had.
She stared at the shelf where her pearl ought to be and shook the thought away. She wasn’t falling in love. She couldn’t allow herself to. Not at a time like this, and not with her record of making mistakes.
So she took her phone off the shelf and clicked it on, bracing herself for the onslaught of messages that were sure to be there. Pretending was all well and good, but she had to face the music at some point.
Sure enough, her inbox was packed with dozens of messages, and she cringed.
“Milk?” Tim asked, holding up a mug. Looking at her with those deep, undemanding eyes. Begging her to stay in his world for a little longer.
She put the phone down, happy to delay unpleasant realities for a while.
“Milk would be great,” she whispered, sliding out of bed and away from the phone.
He waited, quiet and patient as ever, while she slipped off to brush her teeth and change into the clothes Jenna had brought over the previous night. She would have preferred wearing Tim’s oversize shirt all day. Unfortunately, that wouldn’t do — not on the day she’d sworn to finally get a move on with her life.
But Tim said she could pretend a little longer, and damn it, she did. She sipped her coffee, looking into his eyes the whole time.
“Perfect,” she breathed when she was done, though she’d been busier drinking in the sight of her companion than appreciating the flavor of that particular brew.
When he licked his lips, she had to yank her eyes away, and she swore his breath hitched. Hers did too, and an invisible energy field started swirling around them again, wrapping her in its spell. All kinds of crazy visions zipped through her mind, like waking up to an infinite number of mornings with Tim. Spending every night with him. Before long, a whole, happy future was playing out in her mind, with kids and summers and Christmases. Birthdays, weekends, and the occasional dinner out. Laughter, silky touches. There were tears too, but none were brutally dark and desperate, not if she could face sorrow with Tim.
She bit her lip. Was that a vision — the kind she’d be a fool to ignore — or was it mere fantasy?
Tim’s eyes glowed, making the beautiful brown irises turn caramel. He whispered, reaching for her hands.
“Hailey, I really have to tell you something.”
She held her breath. Had he seen what she saw? Did he want it, too?
His Adam’s apple bobbed with a heavy gulp, signaling something momentous. Something that could change her life.
She nodded eagerly. But he paused, and the moment stretched on and on.
A shrill, piercing ring broke the silence, and they jumped apart. Hailey looked around and spotted her phone, vibrating and flashing with an incoming call. The urgent ring hammered at the silence of the rustic house until she couldn’t stand it any more. She hurried over, looked at the display, and grimaced as it rang again.
“My mother.”
Guilt sliced through her. How heartless had she been, cutting off her mother like that? The poor woman was probably worried out of her mind.
Hailey’s hand froze halfway to the phone as it hit her. If Lamar could threaten her, he might threaten her mother. She snatched the phone up to answer.
“Mom? Are you okay?”
Tim tilted his head, listening, and she wished she could hold his hand. It sure would help her get through the call.
“Hailey? Goddammit, where the hell have you been?”
She held the phone away from her ear. No Are you okay? or Oh my God, I’ve been so worried about you. Just that shrill, cockatoo voice. Scolding. Demanding — no, issuing an order Hailey didn’t want to hear.
Tim’s brow knotted. “Everything okay?”
Hailey made a face, covered the phone, and held back a sigh. “Yeah. Totally normal.”