Jenna watched the preparations with skepticism as they drove through some of the smaller streets that still remained open. She couldn’t quite figure out what was so special about a vegetable—or was it fruit?
“So, what’s the story behind the tomato fetish?” she asked, glancing over at him as he drove, one hand on the wheel, the other arm resting in the open window.
He chuckled. “I think it’s something along the lines of it being the first crop the initial settlers were able to grow here in Arlington. Ever since then, we’ve celebrated the crop that allowed my ancestors to stay here.”
“So your family was all from Arlington as well?”
“Yeah, we’re born and bred.”
“And you haven’t wanted to leave?”
He bit his lower lip and gave a slight shake of his head. “It wasn’t like I didn’t want to. I had plans to move to a big city, live a little. But then I had Mikey to take care of, so I forgot about my stupid plans.” He gave a shrug. “They didn’t mean anything, anyway.”
She twisted in her seat to face him. “Of course they did! You sacrificed your youth for your brother. That means a lot.”
He glanced over to her and grinned. “What do you mean, ‘sacrificed my youth?’ Is that your way of telling me I’m not young anymore.”
She cocked an eyebrow. “Well you must be pushing thirty.”
He choked a laugh and reached out to playfully shove her thigh. She noticed his hand lingered on her leg. “Hey, I’ll be twenty-six next month. Nowhere near thirty.”
She tried not to be totally distracted by his hand on her leg. The contact was sending sparks of electricity through her body.
“I won’t make any comments about you aging badly, then?” she said, teasing him through her nerves.
He glanced over again and winked. “Better than looking barely legal.”
“Hey!” She laughed and slapped at his hand, but settled her palm over the top of his. The back of his hand felt big and strong beneath hers, the hairs on the back of his fingers tickling her palm. It took all her courage to leave her hand on his, and he made no attempt to move it himself. Instead, he glanced over at her and gave her that small, thoughtful smile.
Within five minutes, they pulled up into a small driveway. Ryker took his hand back to put the truck into park, and she tried not to wilt in disappointment at the loss of contact.
Jenna looked out of the window. Ryker’s house was a gray, wooden clad, two story home, with a garage and a porch out front. A push bike stood, propped up against the outside wall, and the yard was simple, but with maintained lawns and a small flowerbed containing hydrangeas which added bursts of pink, blue and white to the place.
Ryker slammed the truck door, making her jump. He headed to the back and grabbed her things.
“Come on, then,” he called out to her. “What are you waiting for?”
She had no idea. She gave him a smile and climbed from the truck, trying to quell the nerves roiling in her stomach. Two young men lived here alone, and her imagination was running wild. What if the place was a total mess, and she freaked out as soon as she walked in the door. She imagined a sink full of dirty dishes, and a carpet that had never been vacuumed. Even thinking about the possibility of how filthy the bathroom might be made her dizzy.
The front of the house appeared tidy enough—the lawns well-kept and the windows clean. She prayed that was a good sign.
Jenna followed Ryker into the house. The entrance hall led to a staircase, both of which appeared clean and modern. A couple of doors led off the hall, and Ryker took her through one, and into the living room. The room was all cream walls and leather couches, and she couldn’t spot so much as a dirty mug left on the coffee table. She breathed a sigh of relief.
Mikey sat on the couch, staring at a handheld tablet. His feet were up on the coffee table—something Jenna tried not to focus on—but Ryker crossed the room and batted at Mikey’s shoes.
“Hey,” Ryker said to his younger brother. “We’ve got a guest.”
Mikey moved his feet off the table. He raised his chin in a nod of acknowledgment, without lifting his eyes from his tablet, and continued to play his game.
Jenna glanced over at Ryker, but he just gave a shrug of apology and turned to head into the kitchen. Jenna followed him.
“No school for Mikey today, then?” she said, making conversation as Ryker set about putting on some fresh coffee.
“Nah, it’s Saturday!”
“Oh, is it?” In her head, she calculated the days. With her lifestyle, she often lost track. Damn, so it was. Something occurred to her. “But if it’s Saturday, there’s no chance the parts for the car will come in tomorrow.”
He kept his back to her, grabbing a couple of mugs from the cupboard as he spoke. “A courier might still deliver them tomorrow. It’s a twenty-four-seven world we live in now.”
“Even so, there’s less chance, right?”
“It’s out of our hands, so let’s just forget it and enjoy the day, okay?”
But it wasn’t okay, not really.
She didn’t want to press the subject. He was doing everything he could for her, and she didn’t want to appear like an ungrateful brat. There was one thing she needed to deal with though, especially if she was going to sleep here.
She needed to wash her bed sheets, as she didn’t want to contaminate Ryker’s bed with whatever germs the sheets might have picked up from the motel mattress, but didn’t want to look like a freak. She weighed in her mind the embarrassment of asking to do laundry at his house, to not being able to sleep all night due to the image in her head of miniscule germs crawling all over her like parasites.
The image won out.
“I don’t want to be cheeky, but do you mind if I do some laundry?” She hurried on, “I can always take it to the Laundromat if it’s a problem.”
“No problem. I can do it for you.”
She put her hands on her ample hips. “Ryker Russo, I am not having you washing my smalls.”
“Really? Well now I’m disappointed.”
“I don’t need looking after.”
He locked his eyes on hers. “What if I wanted to look after you?”
Her heart hitched, but she said, “I need to be able to take care of myself. Now are you going to show me to your laundry room, or not?”
He did a mock bow and waved his hand in a swirl. “This way, my lady.”
Thankfully, he left her to stuff her sheets and dirty laundry into the machine. She found some detergent and set the cycle on.
Ryker spoke from the doorway. “Now, how about you and I go and have some fun?”
Fun? Fun wasn’t something she’d had in a long time—with the exception of the times she’d spent with Ryker recently.
They left the truck parked outside Ryker’s house and walked into town. Most of the roads were closed to traffic now to accommodate the stalls and the procession that would take place later that day. Ryker had invited Mikey along, but he’d declined with only a wave of his hand. She couldn’t say she blamed him. Tomato-based activities wouldn’t be her first choice of entertainment either, but Ryker could have invited her along to a shit-throwing contest and she still would have gone.
At first the streets were relatively empty, but they soon reached the center of town and all the people here for a day of festivities began to fill the streets.
Ryker led Jenna from stall to stall. Everything was tomato related; fried green tomatoes, different cheeses with spicy tomato chutney, even bloody marys were up for sale. Ryker insisted on stopping and sampling the produce of every stall.
He held a piece of tomato, topped with mozzarella and basil to her mouth. Tentatively, she parted her lips and he pushed the piece of food between her teeth and onto her tongue. Self-consciously, she covered her mouth with her hand as she chewed, relishing the fresh and creamy taste. A piece of bruschetta was next, something else he fed to her, the toast crisp and delicious, the tomatoes juicy, sweet, and
ripe.
Juice dribbled down her chin, and she laughed and self-consciously wiped it away.
“You’re going to think I’m an absolute pig eating this much.”
That hint of a smile appeared on his lips again. “I like to see you eat. There’s something about a woman enjoying her food that makes me think her appetites stretch to other places as well.”
“Is that right?”
He stepped closer. “Plus, you have a beautiful mouth. You can’t blame me for enjoying putting things in it.”
“Ryker!” Her cheeks colored and she glanced around to see if anyone had heard.
Her eyes locked on a couple of young women, in their early twenties at the most, heading toward them. They both had the sort of figures she’d always envied, slender with small breasts that allowed them to wear the sort of strappy tops they had on now, without having to worry about the mammoth thick straps of the type of bra she had to wear. Both girls were brunettes, one with long hair falling around her shoulders, the other with a pixie crop that suited her delicate features.
“Ryker, hey!” the girl with the long hair called, lifting her hand in a wave. “I wondered when you’d be getting here.”
For a moment, the girl didn’t even seem to realize he and Jenna were standing together. She brushed Jenna aside to lean in and give Ryker a kiss on the cheek. Jenna glanced away, heat burning her face. Despite her size, she felt tiny, and not in a good way.
“Hi, Ryker,” the girl with short hair chirped, looking at him from beneath her long lashes.
“Hey, girls,” Ryker said. He reached out and took Jenna by the hand, making her look up. “Have you met Jenna yet? She’s in town for a few days.”
Matching expressions of confusion floated across the girls’ features. They glanced at Jenna and then down to Jenna and Ryker’s joined hands, before exchanging a glance with each other.
Seemingly oblivious of the tension, Ryker continued. “Jenna, this is Nikki and Megan,” he introduced the short-haired girl and the one with longer locks respectively.
“I was hoping you’d be here,” Megan said, flipping her hair over her shoulder. “You fancy getting a drink or something later?”
He glanced at Jenna. “Oh, no thanks. I’m with Jenna, so we’re kind of busy.”
Jenna felt stupid. Of course he’d know people here. He’d lived in this town his whole life, had been to school here, and now ran a business. For some reason, the possibility of them bumping into past or even future girlfriends while they were walking around hadn’t occurred to her.
They walked away.
“Sorry about them,” said Ryker, when they were far enough away for the girls not to hear. “They were a couple of years below me at school, and don’t know how to take no for an answer.”
Something twisted inside her. Those were the type of girls Ryker should be hanging out with, not embarrassing himself on the arm of a big girl like her.
“It’s fine if you want to go and meet them for a drink later,” she said, trying to make her voice light. “I’ll just hang out at the house.”
His brow furrowed in confusion. “Why would I do that?”
“Uh, ‘cause they obviously like you, and they’re kind of... you know... hot.”
He snorted. “Yeah, and don’t they know it. Anyway, I’ve already got a hot girl sleeping in my bed tonight. Why the hell would I want to go anywhere near those two?”
She stared at him, her mouth opening and closing, but not finding the words. He grinned and tugged her hand, leading her through the throng of people.
“Come on. The procession will be starting any minute now, and we’ll want to get a good spot. You’ll be amazed how many versions of a papier-mâché tomato people can come up with.”
Jenna couldn’t help but laugh.
They found a spot near the front of the crowds, people laughing, bustling and jostling behind her. Voices and music mingled, together with the scents of the numerous food stalls. Having Ryker by her side made her feel special, as if she was better than she was because he had chosen to be with her.
Farther down the road, movement and music began to approach. Ryker gave her a nudge and nodded toward where the floats had begun to wind their way down the street. Various trucks and tractors pulled giant sculpted tomatoes in different forms, all of which had scantily clad, pretty girls positioned upon them and holding on for dear life while still maintaining winning smiles.
Through the crowds, Jenna’s eyes locked on a familiar cold, gray gaze. She felt as if someone had thrown a bucket of cold water over her, literally freezing the breath in her chest. She stumbled backward, bumping into the people behind her, blindly clutching for Ryker’s arm.
He must have noticed something was up. “Jenna? What’s wrong?”
He caught her hand and pulled her toward him and she lost sight of the steel-like gaze that was so familiar and yet so frighteningly distant.
“It’s him,” she said, her eyes filling with tears, her heart hammering. She peered over Ryker’s shoulder. “Garrett! He’s here.”
Ryker turned in the direction she was looking. “Where?”
“Just over there, beside one of the floats.”
She looked frantically, but the gray eyes had vanished. She’d always believed that when this moment came and she saw him again, she would turn and run for her life, but instead she found herself pushing through the crowds, wishing she’d not lost sight of him. Ryker followed close behind, calling apologies to the people she shouldered out of her way.
Garrett was nowhere to be found.
“Damn it!”
“Where is he?” Ryker asked.
“I don’t know. He was just here! It’s like he’s vanished.”
“He can’t just vanish. This town isn’t big enough for someone to vanish into.”
“I know that!”
Ryker shook his head and locked a hand in his hair, staring around. “Are you sure it was him? There’s a lot of people here.”
“I’m sure.” But was she?
“Oh hell, I don’t know.” She rubbed at her eyes as if it would improve her sight. She’d only caught the briefest of glimpses—a second or two at the most, and only of his eyes. Yet, the recognition had been like a punch in the gut, and she’d been so certain in that moment. But now threads of doubt began to wind their way into her heart.
Could she really be sure it had been him?
Chapter Eleven
Ryker pulled her into a hug and kissed the top of her head. “It was probably nothing. You have every right to feel like you’re seeing him everywhere right now, but you haven’t even seen the guy for what, more than a year? His face might look completely different. He might have gained fifty pounds.”
She was trembling all over, but she still made herself step away. “What? In jail? Unlikely.”
“Okay, but you know what I mean.”
“Anyway, it wasn’t his face I saw. It was only his eyes.”
“You just saw a set of eyes?”
“Yeah. I recognized them and it was such a shock I didn’t get a chance to look at the rest of him.”
“So it could have been anyone?”
She felt herself rise in defense. “No, it couldn’t! Even if it wasn’t him, something about those eyes made me react. I wouldn’t do that for no good reason.”
“You have a reason,” he said, his voice gentle, his hand resting on her arm. “You know your ex has recently been released from jail.”
She stared at Ryker, at his clear, blue gaze as he studied her face in concern, at the fullness of the mouth that had kissed her, at the solid, square jaw. She also took in the sight of the piercings, tattoos and muscles. Ryker looked tough, though he’d already proven to Jenna that he had a soft side. If Garrett saw her with him, would he think twice about approaching her? She wanted to believe he would, but her heart told her Garrett would only view Ryker as an extra challenge.
But Ryker was right. Garrett had been constantly on her mind lat
ely, and finding out about his early release had been a shock. She’d been so sure those had been his eyes, but as every second ticked by, more doubt crept in. She could easily have mistaken someone else’s eyes for Garrett’s.
Jenna released a sigh. “You’re right. I feel like I’m losing my mind sometimes.”
“Well, you’re not. You’re completely sane.”
She tried not to snort in derision, but she had to admit she was feeling better. The trembling had stopped and her heart had calmed to a normal pace.
“Do you want to go home?” he asked.
Home?
“I don’t have a home.” The closest thing she’d had for the past year was her car and that was currently locked up in his garage.
His expression was deadly serious. “You do while you’re here with me.”
Her heart swelled with happiness and she gave him a smile. “Thanks, Ryker. You’re being too nice to me, you know that, right?”
He grinned. “Only because I’m expecting something in return.”
Jenna reached out and smacked him on the arm.
He laughed and pulled away. “So seriously, do you want me to take you home—and I’m not just offering ‘cause I want to get you in my bed. If you’re frightened, I’ll get you out of here.”
Part of her wanted to run and hide, but the other part of her felt like if Garrett was here in town, she wanted to know.
Also, she didn’t want to spoil Ryker’s day. She was acutely aware that he could be spending time with a couple of sexy, skinny girls like Megan and Nikki, and not a paranoid freak like her. She still didn’t quite understand his reasons for wanting to spend time with her, especially considering her background—or at least what he knew of it. Maybe he felt sorry for her and had taken her on like a project.
She shook her head and forced a smile. “No, it’s fine. You’re right. I’m sure I’m just seeing things.”
He took her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. “As long as you’re sure you’re okay.”
Dangerous Encounters: A Romantic Suspense Boxed Set Page 50