Hunter jumped. Molly stepped back and hit the wall.
“It’s only considered public if you have an audience. We didn’t,” he said to the older woman.
Anna Marie slammed the window shut tight.
“I really need to move,” Molly said, laughing.
Hunter grinned. “That’s a little drastic. How about next time you can walk me home?”
She leaned her head back, meeting his gaze. “Albany, right?”
“Close enough to drive in twenty minutes, far enough away from prying eyes.” He gestured toward Anna Marie’s side of the building with a nod of his head.
Molly put her key in the door, her hands still trembling from the impact of their kiss. “I’ll have to take you up on the offer one day.”
“I’m going to hold you to that,” he said. And with a brief wave, he took off, leaving Molly wishing he’d taken her up on that cup of coffee after all.
Chapter Eleven
Ty knocked once on Lilly’s door and let himself in without waiting for her to answer. They needed to talk. Most of all, he needed to just be with her and know she really was safe. But when he stepped inside and shut the door behind him, he realized she was lying on top of his old double bed and was fast asleep.
He smiled and sat down beside her, watching as her chest rose and fell. Her face was so peaceful, so beautiful. His heart ached just looking at her. Far from getting her out of his system by making love with her, he’d only fallen harder and deeper. He reached out and brushed her hair off her cheek, letting his fingers linger on her soft skin.
He wondered what she thought about them being together last night. And he was curious to know how she’d handle that boyfriend of hers now that she’d been with Ty. All questions he wanted answers to, even though he sensed none of those answers mattered. Not to Ty’s future.
Whether or not she remained with the guy, she had a business back home that meant everything to her. A life that she’d created without him. What did she have here? Painful memories and an uncle who seemed to want her dead. Ty doubted his pull could overcome those obstacles.
For now, they had more important things to think about than them. Their priority now had to be in proving her uncle was behind the two attempts on her life.
A few phone calls earlier confirmed that although someone had broken in, there were no fingerprints to go on. No leads. Ty knew someone had to have been watching Lilly, waiting for an opportunity to strike. Ty’s grocery trip this morning hadn’t been routine, so unless someone had been outside his apartment, they wouldn’t know or anticipate Ty leaving Lilly alone. The police were investigating, but that didn’t give Ty comfort as long as the culprit was still out there.
The only thing they had going for them was that her uncle was turning out to be an inept killer. Thank God.
He decided right then and there to call his assistant and turn his business over to Derek for the time being. Until this mess with Lilly was resolved, Ty wasn’t leaving her side.
Starting now, he thought, setting himself on top of the covers and pulling a pillow beneath his head. Then he wrapped one arm around her, snuggled her curves into his and settled in for the night.
Next thing he knew, the sun shone through the open window blinds. Beside him, Lilly lay facing him, and when she stirred, her knee came into contact with his thigh.
She opened her eyes, looked directly at him, and a warm smile curved her lips. “Well, this is a surprise,” she murmured.
“I came by to lure you into the kitchen for milk, cookies and late-night conversation but you were fast asleep.”
“So you decided to stay.” Laughter danced in her brown eyes, her joy at finding him here obvious.
Pleasure surged through him. “It is my room.”
She laughed. “Well at least I know now why I slept so well.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment,” he said as he caressed her cheek with the back of his hand. He didn’t see any reason to scare her by telling her he planned to be her twenty-four-seven bodyguard. “Seriously, are you okay?” he asked.
She nodded. “The paramedics said I’m fine, and after your mother’s cooking, I’m even better.”
She obviously didn’t want to get into detail, but they had to touch on some important things. “I wasn’t talking about physically.”
She swallowed hard. “I know. I’m trying to avoid thinking about it,” she admitted.
“I wish that was the answer.” He paused, then asked, “Do you have a will?”
She blinked in surprise at his question. “Well, yes. I wrote one recently. Alex said anyone who owns a business needs to plan for all possibilities.”
Alex. Another conversation they needed to have. This time it was one he wished to avoid. Coming from Lilly, the man’s name reminded him better than anything else that she had another life, and everything inside him froze.
Ty cleared his throat. “A will ensures all your possessions will pass the way you want. Which means you need to claim the trust right away. As soon as you do, your uncle will have no claim to it. He’ll have no reason to kill you in the hopes of getting his hands on the money.” He spoke in a clipped, businesslike tone.
Then he rose, intending to get out of bed. They were too close, too cozy for comfort.
She touched his back, her hand warm through his shirt. “Ty, listen—”
“Your appointment is in the morning, right?” he asked, cutting her off.
“Yes. And we’ll talk some more about the trust fund and about my uncle later. Right now, I need you to hear me out.” She paused. “Please,” she said, her tone plaintive.
He never could deny her anything. He lay back, propping his hand beneath his arms as he stared at the ceiling. “I’m listening.”
She breathed in deep. “I called Alex after you fell asleep.”
He turned to look her way. In her Target flannel pajama pants and men’s T-shirt, she looked so soft and vulnerable, he had to remind himself he was the one with his head on the chopping block.
“I broke it off with him,” she said, taking him off guard.
Ty tried not to overreact to the news. He couldn’t allow himself to get his hopes up that her decision would affect his life. But he couldn’t control the kernel of hope lodged in his chest.
A flush stained her cheeks as she explained, “Despite what happened between us, I’m not the type to cheat.”
“I know.” With her words came the realization that he hadn’t been in touch with Gloria at all. Not once since Lilly’s return. He had some nerve being upset about her love life when he hadn’t put his own in order.
She bit down on her lower lip, pausing in thought before continuing. “After being with you, I couldn’t pretend he didn’t exist, and I couldn’t go on the way I’d been doing, either.”
“And how was that?” Ty asked.
“Well, I’d been avoiding giving Alex an answer on his marriage proposal, and now I know why.”
Marriage, he thought, his stomach churning. “I didn’t realize it was that serious.”
Her eyes remained solemn, her expression even more serious. She nodded. “It was an important relationship in my life. I can’t deny that.” She toyed with the comforter. “I don’t have many close friends in the city. My job just doesn’t lend itself toward meeting people, and I’m not a bar person. Alex and I had a lot in common, at least on the surface.”
Ty hated hearing about the guy, yet he also knew he needed to listen if he wanted to know what made Lilly tick. “So why didn’t you say yes before I ever showed up?”
She smiled grimly. “He’s a good man and he loves me. And he could give me a warm, secure future. But I always knew something was missing.”
He wondered if he’d regret asking his next question. “And what was that?”
“He wasn’t you.” She reached out, touching his cheek with her hand. The simple gesture reached past his barriers and into his heart.
Every instinct he possessed told him
to back off. Ty prided himself on possessing good, solid instincts, but he wasn’t surprised Lilly was able to overcome them. With a groan, he rolled over and pulled her into his arms, his mouth coming down hard on hers.
He felt her desperation in her kiss and in the frantic way she ripped at his clothes, her desire as strong as his. Only when they were naked, hot skin against hot skin, did he let himself calm a little. Enough to remind himself that he wanted to feel every last minute he had with her.
And he did, all the way from foreplay to climax, when he lost himself inside her moist, wet sheath, her fingers digging into his back. They lay together for a while, savoring the moment before he headed to the bathroom briefly then returned and climbed back into the warm bed.
She curled right back into him. “I can’t believe you had protection,” she said, laughing.
He grinned. “The firemen said to take anything that’s important because I might not get back into the apartment for a while.” He shrugged. “I took what was important.”
“You’re so bad.” She snuggled backwards, her behind pressing into his groin, which had already begun to harden again.
“No, I’m good. And smart.” He pressed a kiss against the back of her head.
“And egotistical,” she said, teasing. “But we need to get going.”
So much for a second round, he thought wryly.
“Will you come with me to meet with the trustee?”
“I already put Derek in charge for a while. Until we figure out who’s behind the attempts on your life, I’m not leaving your side.”
He only wished she’d never want to leave his.
“I appreciate you,” she murmured.
As she dozed off again in his arms, he wondered why that couldn’t be enough.
Lacey showered and dressed quickly. Now, as she and Ty were led to the office of Paul Dunne, the man who’d been trustee since the death of her parents, she couldn’t help but shiver.
She knew from just the fact that he’d been left in charge that he was someone her parents must have trusted. She also knew she had no relationship with him then or now. She hadn’t thought much about that fact back when she was a child, but she did today. Paul Dunne had left her in her uncle’s care, and if he’d checked up on her at all, he’d done so from a distance. He’d probably taken Marc Dumont at his word that Lacey had been a problem child. Understanding things didn’t leave Lacey feeling charitable toward the older man even if she didn’t know him at all.
The woman who’d greeted them in the reception area knocked on the closed door and stepped inside, leaving Lacey and Ty waiting in the hall for a moment before she stepped out again. “Mr. Dunne will see you now.”
“Thank you.” Lacey walked inside, Ty right behind her.
An older man with gray hair and a navy power suit rose to greet them. “Lillian, it’s a pleasure to meet you at last.” He came around the desk and clasped her hand. “I was so relieved to hear you’re alive after all this time. You must tell me where you’ve been all these years.”
Lacey forced a smile. “The past is the past. I’d rather look to the future,” she told the man. “Isn’t that why we’re meeting? So you can explain what my parents’ wishes were and how things will work from here?”
He nodded.
Lacey took that as her cue and seated herself in one of two large chairs across from his old wooden desk. Once again, Ty followed her lead and took a seat in the other chair. Lacey folded her hands in her lap and waited for the trustee to speak.
As if sensing her discomfort, Ty reached over and covered her hand with his stronger, warmer one, offering her his strength. She appreciated it more than he realized.
The older man cleared his throat. “I’d be happy to get started. However, I’d prefer to discuss these matters in private,” he said, his gaze settling on Ty.
Dunne obviously wanted Ty to leave the room, but Lacey decided she was calling the shots. She was too nervous to remember anything said in this room today and another set of ears would help her recall it. Besides, Paul Dunne’s cold aura gave Lacey the creeps. And the last reason she wanted Ty here had everything to do with the strange things happening around her lately. She’d be with people she knew well and trusted or none at all.
“Ty stays,” Lacey insisted.
Dunne nodded. “As you wish.” He settled into his chair and pulled out a blue-backed set of papers. “These are your parents’ final wishes.”
He read through the basic terms of their will and she discovered that in addition to the huge sum of money in the trust, her mother and father’s house would also revert to her. Stunned, Lacey barely heard the rest.
Finally, the older man finished. “Do you understand what I just read?”
She shook her head. “I’m sorry. Can you repeat that?”
“The gist of it is you must claim the money in person on your twenty-seventh birthday or any time thereafter. Should you die prior to that date, the money is divided between your father’s brothers Robert and Marc.”
Lacey shook her head. “That can’t be right. Uncle Marc always said I would inherit at twenty-one.” In fact, he’d counted on her signing the handling of her money over to him by then; the day she overheard that conversation was still vivid in her mind.
Beside her, Ty remained silent.
Paul Dunne steepled his fingers and met her gaze. “I can assure you these are your parents’ wishes. I can’t imagine why your uncle would have told you otherwise.”
“Probably because he was hoping he could have convinced her to trust him enough to sign her money over to him when she was younger,” Ty muttered in disgust.
Lacey nodded in agreement. Ty’s reasoning made perfect sense, but the trustee shook his head.
“Lillian, you must admit you were a difficult child. I’m certain if your uncle misled you it was only because he knew someone with your—how shall I say it—your lack of maturity needed him more than you understood.”
She pushed herself out of her seat. “You’re condoning his lie?” Not to mention validating what she’d already thought of Paul Dunne. He was a disinterested paper pusher who hadn’t given a damn about her as a child any more than he did now.
“Of course not. I’m just offering a possible explanation. Your uncle’s lies were uncalled for. Assuming things happened as you remembered them. Isn’t it possible that with the trauma of losing your parents, you were confused back then?”
Lacey stepped forward at the same time Ty rose and pulled her backwards until he had an arm wrapped around her waist. “I think speculating about the past is useless. What Lilly needs now is for you to explain to her what the next steps are for her to claim the money on her twenty-seventh birthday which is—”
“Next month,” she said, suddenly becoming more aware of the other parts of her parents’ will. “Why twenty-seven? Isn’t that an odd number?”
Paul straightened his papers. “It isn’t uncommon for parents and guardians to delay the distribution of money to their children until they’ve grown up. In this case, there are yearly allotments paid out of the interest on the money that came due each year. Those were designated for the care and upkeep of the house and land and were paid to your guardian, Marc Dumont. Your guardian also had the right to request money at the trustee’s discretion for your care.”
Lacey did her best not to snort at that last comment.
“But to answer your question, the reason you can’t claim the money until you turn twenty-seven is that your parents wanted you to have time to really live. They wanted you to go to college, or Europe, etc., while you were young. Once again, the interest would have paid for those things according to the trust agreement. They wanted you to learn about life before inheriting. Otherwise they feared you might go through the money unwisely.”
“Little did they know how things would turn out,” she said to Ty.
She ran her hands up and down her arms. Her parents had wanted her to have valuable life experiences, an
d she’d had more than they could ever have imagined. Instead of college, she’d ended up in New York City, barely surviving thanks to her uncle, her so-called guardian.
Ty pulled her close, his strong presence the only thing holding her up.
“Still, isn’t twenty-seven an odd number? Wouldn’t they have picked a number like twenty-five? Or thirty?” Ty asked.
“Your mother was a sentimental woman. She met your father at the age of twenty-seven. They married on April twenty-seventh.” He shrugged. “Your father lived to indulge her,” he explained.
“That makes an odd sort of sense,” Ty said.
Hearing about her parents caused a lump to fill her throat, and Lacey could only nod in agreement.
“So, on Lacey’s birthday, she can come here and sign the papers?” Ty asked, obviously understanding that she was unable to ask coherent questions herself.
“It’s a little more complicated than that, but essentially yes. She signs, and the papers need to be filed with the bank. Then she’ll be able to access the money.” He cleared his throat. “Now if you two will excuse me, I have another appointment I must prepare for.”
Lacey was not ready to be dismissed. “Just how much money are we talking about, exactly?”
“Well there has been fluctuation of interest rates over the years.” Paul Dunne fidgeted with his tie. “But approximately two point five million dollars.”
And Lacey knew she only had to stay alive long enough to claim it.
They exited Dunne’s offices and Ty led her out onto the street. He knew she’d been shaken by all she’d heard, especially the fact that she’d inherited her parents’ home. He knew better than to bring up the subject now. She needed time to digest the information.
Ty stopped at a drugstore next door to the law firm and bought her a bottle of water before they settled into the car.
“You okay?” he asked, as he opened the bottle and handed it to her.
She nodded and drank some. “Surreal doesn’t begin to describe things, huh?”
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