Third Time's a Charm

Taking a deep breath, she risked a look at her forcing house. Only one corner remained. Gone were plants hundreds of years old. Gone were seeds kept in large glass jars, ones that you couldn’t find on eBay or at Littman’s Nursery five miles up the road.



It wasn’t just seeds or flowers; it was her legacy. Her means of support so she didn’t have to end up like her mother. Like Summer.



How in God’s name would she finish fulfilling the order for Barbara’s Bugs? If she didn’t uphold her end, then she wouldn’t get paid. If she didn’t get paid, she couldn’t pay off her loan to Harrison. Thoughts of everything she was responsible for fell like dominoes.



“I’ve never seen anything like this,” David coughed. He waved over one of the volunteer firemen, and started questioning him. The terse shake of the fireman’s helmet indicating that things were worse than what she thought.



“Arson.”



The word pierced her heart. There was no way she could blame lightning now. There would be reports to fill out and reporters to avoid once they arrive. At least she didn’t have an insurance policy on the house, because then she would have the added burden of convincing one of their agents she hadn’t started the fire.



Despite the organized chaos of men and women running around lifting hoses, adjusting nozzles and giving orders, she’d never felt more alone. Defeated.



Rose lifted her chin, determined not to show how hollow she felt inside. Determined not to lean on anyone for anything. Ever. She wouldn’t acknowledge that it was Sasha holding her up, that his arms were anchoring her to this world.



“You’re shivering, love.” Sasha added another blanket—his own—to the one wrapped around her.



“I’m not cold.” She was shaking with rage. Fury and pain threatened to consume every good and decent part of her soul. Who would do something like this? She sliced her gaze to Sasha for a moment, then watched the sheriff head back their way.



“Don’t come any closer—the fire’s too hot.” David ambled over, headlights illuminating the grim slash of his mouth. “The chicken coop out back’s empty and someone saw your cat run off to the east.”



The tiniest prick of joy made her want to smile. “Good.”



Ominous creaking gave way to a sharp crack. The emergency crews began to shout and back away.



Sasha jerked her against him as the roof collapsed. “We have to leave, Rose. It’s not safe.”



“Romanov’s right, honey.” David took off his hat and wiped his arm across his face, smearing ashes on his nose and cheeks. “There might be another explosion. Whoever did this wanted to make sure that nothing would be salvageable.”



“It wasn’t me.”



David held up his hands. “I’m not accusing you, Rose. Everyone knows how important this house was to you. It’s been in your family so long, it’s like an honorary member. There’s nothing you can do no how. I’m not sure why I was told you needed to come out here.”



Because it was a message. The Hollands had finally been purged from Holland Springs. At least her sisters and Ivy hadn’t been home. Fury gave way to panic.



Rose grabbed Sasha’s arm. “I need to go to Jemma Leigh’s. Now.”



“Summer’s gone.” Gabriel stopped a few feet in front of her, his face highlighted by the fire behind her.



“Gone?” Rose whispered.



Sasha muttered something under his breath.



“She took off about fifteen minutes ago.” Gabriel held out a piece of torn notebook paper. “She left this for you.”



Rose took the paper. “I need more light.”



David shined his flashlight on it.



She read the note, then looked up at Gabriel. “An address—that’s it? I didn’t even get to say good-bye.” Covering her mouth with her hand, she tried not to cry. Tried to remain furious, but a piece of her was gone. Her baby girl was gone.



“Why didn’t you stop her?” Sasha stepped in front of her. The pain in his voice undeniable. “You know how much Ivy means to Rose.”



“What I know is that Summer’s her mother and it’s not up to me,” Gabriel countered. He sighed. “She loves her daughter.”



“But I love Ivy, too,” Rose whispered brokenly.



Sasha turned around, grasping her upper arms. “We’ll get her back. My uncle has a massive legal team at his disposal.”



She looked up at the night sky, stars playing hide and seek with smoky clouds. Out of habit she searched for her star, resigned when she didn’t find it. Apparently everything that mattered to her was gone. When she came back to earth, Sasha was frowning.



“Did you hear what I said?” He gave her a little shake, then let go.



“Everything’s as it should be.” But it wasn’t. She shuffled to Sasha’s car, climbing into the passenger side and staring at the windshield, staring at nothing.



Sasha joined her, a few minutes or hours later, she wasn’t sure. He started up the car and covered her hand with his. “I texted Skye and assured her that you were okay. She said she’ll see you in the morning.”



“Take me to my store. I can sleep there.”



He shook his head. “No, I’m taking you home with me.”



She was too drained to argue. “Fine.” Taking one last lingering look at her home, Rose placed her palm on the window. Condensation gathered around the outline, blurring the colors.



Mercifully, the image faded as they drove away.



***



“Do you need help getting your corset off?” Sasha asked as he slid past her, turning on lights and opening doors.



Rose blinked, realizing they were in his room at the B&B. She couldn’t remember how she got there. Letting the blankets fall to the floor, she set to work on the buttons of Sasha’s shirt. Somehow it’d gotten wet, and the blankets had done very little to soak up the moisture.



She heard rain falling and turned to the window, but the part in the lace curtains showed a perfectly lovely night.



“Shower’s going. Let’s get this off of you, yes?” Waiting for her consent, he smiled gently.



She nodded and he turned her, each tug sending a bigger rush of air into her lungs. The pretty lingerie fell to the floor in a small heap. Her panties and stockings were next to go. Sasha had been quick, efficient. Touching her only when necessary. There hadn’t been any lingering, or hot kisses, not like the night he’d fed her dinner.



Had that only been last night?



Sasha led her to the bathroom, joining Rose in the shower and pulling her close. “We smell like eau de smoke, love.”



“Could be worse.”



Haunted blue eyes met his and Sasha wanted to howl at the unfairness of her situation, because in his mind it couldn’t get any worse. Rose had lost her house, the supply to her business and most importantly, Ivy. All in one night.



“I’ll take care of you this time. Wash you up and tuck you in bed.” He kissed her eyes closed and let hot water soak her hair before massaging in shampoo. Curls slipped through his fingers as he rinsed her hair, a sweet flowery scent replacing the smell of smoke and despair.



He soaped up a washcloth, tenderly running the material over the smooth skin of her face, her neck and shoulders. He followed the graceful lines of her back, the generous swell of her hips and the perfect breasts that tempted him to kiss the nipples.



Shaking his head, he mentally scolded himself for being the worst sort of cad.



He let his hand drift lower, closing his eyes as his fingers brushed her stomach and lower, then lower still as the cloth dropped to the floor. Damp hair slid on his knuckles and he jerked his hand away.



There had to be a safe place on her body that he could wash. Feet. And legs—or at least the calves. Although her calves were shapely—like her thighs—and the curve of her birthmark on her inner thigh drove him crazy.



This was his penance, he thought. For every bad deed, thought or look. Hell wasn’t fires burning bright, melting your flesh while you lived through the torment. No, hell was two consenting adults, bare skin, soapy palms and hot water while being forbidden to touch the woman of your dreams in the way you wanted.



Or perhaps this would be the closest he’d ever get to heaven.



Bracing her against him, he bent down on one knee and lifted her foot to rest on it. Every delicate fold of her intimate flesh was bared to him. He swallowed a groan.



“The polish job doesn’t look half bad,” he said, trying to distract himself. Concentrating on her needs, he kept the cloth between them, a shield from his entirely inappropriate and unruly body. Each pass humbling him, unable to fathom why she would allow him of all people to care for her. To touch her when she was the most vulnerable.



He wanted to fall to his knees and thank her. Worship her.



Managing to angle the shower head so that water would hit them both, he washed his hair and body, then turned off the water.



Fluffy towels hanging from warm hangers waited for them as he stepped out of the shower. Grabbing two, he wrapped one around her sweet body and the second around her hair.



“Feeling more yourself?”



Wordlessly she nodded and handed him a towel.



He wrapped it around his hips and helped her out of the tub. She toweled herself off and grabbed the comb by the sink to run it through her hair.



When she was done, he gathered the wet mass and braided it for her, wringing the end out with a towel. “Do you know how long I’ve been waiting to wash your back?”



A ghost of a smile flickered in her reflection.



Scooping her up in his arms, he carried her to bedroom. “Should’ve brought my cell phone into the shower and videoed it for prosperity.”



Another small smile buoyed his heart.



Tucking her between the sheets wasn’t hard, but dragging himself away was. “You really didn’t have to set your house on fire in order to get me to sleep with you.” He grabbed a pair of boxer briefs and pulled them on. “I’m not that complex of a man.”



Black lashes lifted, revealing blue eyes full of anxiety and a deep pain. “I don’t have any clothes.”



That was the last thing he expected her to worry about, and sorry bastard that he was, it was the last thing on his mind. “I’ll leave straightaway. Think the mall’s open?” He glanced at his phone, checking the time. It was nearly midnight. Nothing was open, not even the local Wal-Mart since it wasn’t ‘super-sized’.



Her hand caught his arm and he froze. “Don’t leave.”



Whether she meant the bed, the room, or her life, he didn’t care. He would stay in whatever capacity she’d let him. Nodding, he gently grabbed her hand and kissed the knuckles.



Sliding over, she lifted the covers and met his eyes.



The selfish need to hold her overruled his sensibilities. He joined her and she went willingly into his arms, her body soft and warm. Feminine and sweet.



“Strawberry Grove can be rebuilt, you know.” He brushed his lips against her temple.



She shook her head. “I don’t have insurance.”



Well, that certainly made things more difficult, but maybe he could find a way to help her. He was definitely sure she wouldn’t take his money, so he’d have to go another route. “You can stay here with me. I’ll put off leaving for a couple of weeks.” His mother was safe for the time being and Vladimir had always allowed him to take a holiday after his work was finished. For once he’d actually like to think or say the word holiday without feeling like a fraud.



“I’ll think about it.” Her voice was soft and serious. She sounded exhausted and felt like a dream. She shifted closer to him, the parts of her body that he was trying hard to ignore getting his attention. “Everyone I love is leaving me.”



Did that include him? He brushed the thought away. “Skye’s close by.”



“She’s leaving for Colorado on Monday.” Rose let out a shaky breath. “She finally got off the waiting list for their midwifery program. It’s for two years.”



Ah, hell. He wanted to fix it for her, make things the way they used to be. Before he’d shown up and ruined her life. Wasn’t that what a man was programmed to do—fix things for his woman? No, he reminded himself, Rose was not his woman.



“Thank you for taking care of me.”



“No need to thank me. This is what…” He paused, wondering with what word exactly he should use to fill in the blank. Friend or lover? While desirable, neither seemed appropriate at this point. “...people who care about other people do for each other.” He winced. That sounded lame to his ears.



Rose remained silent.



After what seemed like an eternity, he risked a peek of her face and exhaled the pent up breath he hadn’t been aware he’d been holding. She was asleep, her chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm. One that indicated she’d been that way for a while. There was a great chance (and his great hope) she’d fallen asleep during his ‘people caring about people’ fail.



Rolling to one side, he turned off the lights.



Chapter Twenty-Two



Sasha had hardly slept last night. The woman laying so trustingly in his arms had seen to that. Every time she’d moved or made the smallest of noises, he’d tried soothing her. And every time her bare breasts or sweet ass had pressed against him, he’d tried not to notice.



He’d failed miserably. However, he’d kept his own promise of thinking of her needs and ignored his body’s insistence to make love to her.



Rose slid a silky soft leg over his thigh, her intimate curls brushing his skin and he hardened. Of its own volition, his hand drifted lower and cupped her. She was wet and warm. Damn, she felt so good. Her hips undulated against him and one of his fingers nearly slipped inside of her. She moaned and he glanced up at her face.