Dive Into You

by Chris Keniston

  “If the police need to be brought in, you don’t want to have touched anything.”

  The mere mention of police was enough to force her thoughts back to the here and now. And there was not one thing about calling the authorities, or her superiors, that appealed to her. But she couldn’t imagine what Tim would be doing in the building that he would intentionally rig the door.

  Careful not to make any noise, she followed Doug inside. For the first time in her life she had a small window into what had once been her brother’s world when he’d served his country. Doug moved slowly, with the stealth of a cat. His steps didn’t make a sound touching down.

  With every forward movement he scanned the upcoming area. His gaze so intense she wouldn’t have been surprised if he could see through the walls. Midway down the hall they came to the first offshoot leading to another hallway. Raising his fingers to his lips, he stared down the dark empty hall. He reminded her of a guard dog with his ears perked, listening to sounds no human could hear. With a dip of his chin, he waved for her to follow.

  Only a few yards down the hall she heard what Doug must have. Muffled noise. Voices. A few more steps and she placed the source of the sounds. Light spilled into the hall from an open door several feet away. The computer room? She sucked in a breath and hoped they weren’t walking in on a burglary in progress. But deep down she couldn’t believe that of Tim. She just couldn’t.

  Doug raised his hand palm out and motioned for her to stay. The look in his eyes showed a determination that hadn’t been there when they were outside. There was a sharpness she hadn’t expected. Even though it had been years since he had separated from the service, he was clearly in military mode. Not until she agreed with a nod to stay behind did he advance.

  She almost expected him to morph into a TV cop, pulling his gun from its holster and pointing straight ahead, screaming, “Police!” as he stormed the classroom. Instead he inched to the door and pressed against a wall, leaning forward far enough to see inside. Immediately his shoulders relaxed, and, when he looked back at her, the warrior expression was gone, and Doug—the man—stared back at her. Crooking his forefinger at her, he indicated for her to come along.

  “Tim?”

  The skinny tall kid with jet-black hair and piercing brown eyes hidden behind dark-rimmed glasses stumbled erect. Jennie Blaylock gave a low-pitched squeal. Both echoing, “Miss Everrett.”

  Tim continued, “I was just helping Jennie with her project for Mr. Sumpter. It’s due tomorrow, and her computer crashed at her house.”

  “We’ve been reconstructing my work.” Jennie’s hand hovered over the mouse, her other resting on the keyboard. If they were up to anything else, it sure didn’t look like it.

  “I thought we’d be done by now.” With his forefinger, Tim pushed at his glasses. It was one of those gestures that had endeared Emily to him early on. Like the nerdy kid in a teen movie. “We’re almost finished. If we could have just a little bit longer?”

  “Please?” Jennie nibbled on her lower lip, and Emily couldn’t decide what to make of all of this.

  At best Tim was being a good friend and helping a damsel in computer distress. And rather than some high-tech sabotage, Emily hoped the worst case scenario was Jennie taking advantage of a good kid to do her work for her. Emily’s biggest concern was the small matter of breaking and entering. With both kids staring at her, waiting for her response, Emily almost wished she’d simply gone shopping with Kara and Angela as planned. By the time Emily would have returned to the school, the kids would most likely have been done, and she would have been none the wiser.

  Except she had come now, not later, and needed to deal with the situation at hand. She directed her thoughts first to Tim. “Let’s say I think it’s admirable of you to help a friend in need.” He blew out a visible sigh, and Emily hated that she had to say more. “But you are trespassing.”

  “That tape you used on the backdoor latch to sneak in constitutes breaking and entering,” Doug added, from where he’d perched one hip on a nearby desk. Damn, he looked good. Again. Still.

  Redirecting her attention to the wayward teens, Emily wasn’t sure which one had paled the most. Both kids looked equally ashen, though Jennie had a bit of a green tinge to her faded complexion.

  “Are you going to call the police?” Tim swallowed hard, and Jennie’s eyes shone with budding tears.

  If there had been a sliver of doubt that the kids might not be telling the truth, the teary-eyed young lady had Emily convinced that this was, indeed, nothing more than an academic dilemma. “I gather there’s a reason you’ve risked arrest instead of using a computer at a public library or at Tim’s house.”

  “I’d backed up some of the work on this computer last week.”

  “And. Well. My dad works nights. He’s been doing a lot of double shifts so I didn’t want to bring anyone to the house while he’s sleeping.”

  Emily had known his father worked a lot, but she hadn’t realized just how much. “Let’s get all your things together. The two of you can finish this project at my house.”

  “We’ll need to use the printer.” Tim stuck a thumb drive in the computer and hit a few keys.

  “I have a printer.” Did they think her house was still in the Stone Age, like the Flintstones?

  Arms crossed, Doug said nothing, but Emily could feel that, behind those reflective Ray-Bans, he was taking in every word, every movement, every possibility.

  Jennie, a pretty blonde with blue eyes and the fashion sense of a Cosmo girl, didn’t seem the type to spend her Sunday afternoon at a desk with the class nerd. But dressed down in lounge pants, a Honu Turtle T-shirt, wearing her normally well-coiffed hair pulled back in a ponytail and her face free of any makeup, Emily saw a completely different girl.

  “Okay. Ready.” Holding up the thumb drive in one hand and shoving his glasses onto the bridge of his nose with the other, Tim sported a satisfied smile.

  Emily just hoped the kid wasn’t in for a major letdown. Turning to spot Doug on his feet, his eyes hidden by the sunglasses and his expression blank, she hoped neither was she.

  * * *

  Making decisions on the field was a relatively simple thing for Doug compared to deciding what to do with Emily and her potential juvenile delinquents. Though the way the young man kept pushing up his eyeglasses with one finger, it struck Doug that the kid was more likely to design a flying car than steal one.

  “My car is out back.” Emily pointed to her left with one arm and pulled the door shut tight behind her with the other. “I don’t live far. Wait for me to come around, and then you can follow me.”

  “Us.” Doug held up his keys and pointed to his car.

  Tim’s eyes widened, and Blondie looked Doug over from toe to head. She was definitely out of this poor kid’s league. He may not be at risk for grand theft auto yet, but Doug wasn’t putting anything past Tim’s cohort.

  “That won’t be necessary.” Emily waved the kids on and waited until they were halfway across the lot to respond to Doug. “You don’t need to come. I’ll just be doing a little teensitting.”

  There was no question in his mind. If she were his kid sister, if he still had a sister, he’d want the buddy he had entrusted to take her home to see it through. “I won’t get in the way.”

  Her eyes did a magnificent impression of a startled owl. “You’re planning on staying?”

  “I could call Billy and have him stop by instead?”

  “No,” she spat back quickly. “You can stick around. You know where I live.”

  That he did. Keeping an eye on her as she turned the corner and got into her car, he only had one thing to figure out. How to chaperone two kids and ignore one totally off-limits Everrett sister.

  Chapter Seven

  This morning she’d thought last night a one-time thing; now Emily was almost giddy with the possibilities. How long would it take to get the school project all wrapped up and the teens out the door?

  Latc
hing the seat belt buckle, she glanced up to see Tim pull in behind her. “Don’t Rain on My Parade” sounded from her bag on the passenger seat. Still looking at the rearview mirror, she answered her phone, waiting for Doug’s car to turn the corner and line up after Tim. “Hello?”

  “If you bailed on baby shopping you must be dying.” Angela’s voice carried only a slight note of concern. “Thought I’d run home and steal some chicken soup from the freezer.”

  “No need. I’m feeling better already.” And she was. The more she thought about it, the more she wanted to spend time getting to know Doug better. Much better. There might be some archaic man-code about avoiding little sisters, but there was no such sister-code.

  “Good. Want us to swing by and pick you up after all?”

  “Nope. I ran into a small complication. Meeting up with a couple of students for a little while.” Noticing Doug maneuver behind Tim, she shifted gears and rolled toward the exit. Smiling at the possibilities. “I may have plans for later too.”

  “This isn’t more of that tap-dancing stuff is it?”

  “No need for an afternoon practice. The dancers are catching on just fine. I know the chorus line is going to be great. The whole cast is going to be great.”

  “Good, but, if you’re not dying from early onset bubonic plague,”—amusement softened her words—“let’s reschedule the baby stuff for tomorrow. Will that work for you?”

  “Uh, probably. Yeah.”

  “Try to hold back your enthusiasm. I know we’re not a couple of hot—Oh, my!” Angela’s voice rose an octave with excitement. “This is about a guy. Do I know him? Oh, I bet he’s good looking.”

  Through the phone she could hear Kara in the background. “She told you?”

  “Told me what?”

  Blast. From the silence on the line Emily couldn’t tell if Kara’s lips were sealed or if Angela had covered the phone so Emily couldn’t hear. Either way she was outed.

  “Kara’s doing that tight-lipped attorney-client-privilege thing, only you’re not her client. You’re my future sister-in-law, and I want to know what gives.”

  “Nothing gives. I met a guy. A nice guy and I’m hoping to hear from him later.”

  A long silent beat passed. “There’s something you’re not telling me,” Angela said.

  From the background, Kara called out, “I’m hungry again. Are we going to spend all day interrogating the poor girl, or are we going to find me a milk shake?”

  Another minute ticked slowly by before Angela finally heaved a sigh. “You two win.”

  Emily could picture Angela’s head shaking. How the heck was Emily going to handle this situation she’d gotten herself into? She really, really, really wanted to see Doug again. But did she really, really, really want to tick off her big brother? And Angela was too nice to be put in the middle. No, if Emily moved forward with Doug, any romance would have to be their little secret.

  * * *

  Insanity had to run on his father’s side of the family. That would be the only explanation for why Doug was following this caravan of cars to Emily’s. Tim and the girl were not exactly Bonnie and Clyde. There wasn’t even a millionth of a chance that Emily was going to need Doug’s protection. So why had he gone all macho on her?

  Simple. He wanted to see her again. He’d gone out of his way to keep busy after leaving her place so he wouldn’t think about just how much he wanted to see her again. And now that he knew Emily was Billy’s sister, that deep spirit-lifting laugh made sense. She’d come from the perfect family. Both a mother and father to raise and protect her. A household full of love and laughter. A childhood that probably involved pillow fights, not knife fights, and home-cooked meals, not passed-out mothers.

  All the more reason why he needed to stay away. He should make a U-turn and go back to the motel. Not think about that sweet smile and infectious laugh. And out of respect for Billy not let Doug’s mind linger on all the other sweet things a sailor shouldn’t know about a guy’s kid sister.

  Like a game of Simon Says, one car after the other pulled into the available spaces in the parking lot to Emily’s complex. It would be very easy to wave and leave. A smile was all he’d need to explain that she’d made it home safe and sound, and didn’t need him. And yet, in only a few minutes, his engine was cut off, his doors locked, and he’d fallen in step behind Emily and the kids.

  “Here we go.” Emily stood by the door, one arm pointing across the small space to her desk in the corner of the living room. “Computer’s all yours. Would anyone like something to drink?”

  “No thank you.” Like any card-carrying geek, Tim had already scoped out the electronics and was making himself at home in front of the computer.

  “Me neither.” Jennie strutted after him. A young woman on a mission.

  The guy was definitely in way over his head.

  “And you?” Emily tilted her head and smiled as though she’d just offered him something sinfully delightful. It took all his self-discipline to keep his mind on anything tamer. “Water would be great.”

  “Water it is.” Crossing the short distance he’d taken only this morning, she continued to chat. “I should have guessed my brother would know most of the guys at the wedding.”

  “Mmm.” He didn’t want to go there.

  “How long have you been friends with Billy?”

  A smile lifted the edges of his mouth. “Long time.”

  She grabbed a glass from the cupboard and placed it under the fridge’s water dispenser. “I detect a story behind that grin.”

  “Several, but your brother would keelhaul me for sharing most of them.” Which would come just before drawing and quartering him for sleeping with Emily.

  “Billy doesn’t tell too many stories.” She handed him the glass and took a seat at the table where she could watch the kids on the computer. “Now my mother—”

  “Your mother?”

  “She had a key she’d use to clean the house for Billy whenever he’d planned to be here on leave. The first time he’d come home after buying his house, he brought Nick and a couple of other buddies. Mom thought the boys would appreciate her making them breakfast.”

  Doug closed his eyes and groaned at the words he was sure were going to follow.

  “Yeah.” Emily chuckled. “Mom did okay when one of them came strutting out into the living room buck naked following the scent of fresh coffee, but she had a harder time with the girl who trailed behind, groggy and wearing only his shirt. Mom had come face-to-face with her neighbor’s granddaughter.”

  “Oops.”

  “Mom’s a champ. She pulled out another carton of eggs and made breakfast for eight instead of four. The whole time my brother telling her she didn’t have to. When breakfast was served, she kissed her precious boy on the cheek, gave Nick a hug, walked out the door and never came back unannounced again.”

  “Honestly I thought it was going to be worse.” Doug gulped his water. His uncooperative mind having leaped to the memory of her moving buck naked across the bedroom this morning in search of a cover-up, he’d had a hard time holding back a smile. She’d blushed all the way down her neck to the swells of her breasts. Pretending not to notice her had been a test of wills. Keeping away had been impossible. He’d had to steal one last taste.

  “What brought you to Hawaii?” Emily asked.

  “The Island Girl.”

  “The shop’s new boat?”

  He bobbed his head. “I was with Billy when he bought her. She’s a beauty.”

  “Can’t argue with you there. It’s nice to see the business doing so well. When Dad first passed away, Mom thought she might have to sell. But Nick and Billy came up with the idea of buying it from her themselves. Nick was going to man the helm—his words not mine—until Billy had put in his twenty…” Her words trailed off as she took a sudden interest in her glass of water.

  “I’m sorry.”

  Shaking her head as though forcing the memories back to their relegated corn
ers, she smiled up at him. “It’s okay. He’s okay. And though I’d prefer that last accident would never have happened, I’m glad to have him home safe now. And really glad he and Angela found each other.”

  “They do seem to make a good team.”

  “Yeah.” Her smile brightened, lighting her eyes. “And hopefully they’ll give Mom some grandchildren so she’ll leave the rest of us alone for a while.”

  “I thought she was working on marrying off her friend’s daughter Sara?”

  “Don’t tell me—”

  He chuckled. “Yep.”

  “I swear, those women aren’t going to rest until we’re all married, pregnant and barefoot in the kitchen.” She set down her glass. “I hope she didn’t put you on the spot too badly.”

  “Nah. I’ve learned to sidestep more than one matchmaking mother.”

  “I bet.” Emily developed renewed interest in her water glass. “Do you have, um, any plans for, you know, tonight?”

  This was it. Any other girl, any other place and to cut her illusions short, he’d put on his bastard hat. Say something rude and obnoxious about what a great fuck she’d been. Only he couldn’t have said that to Emily, even if there weren’t a good chance he’d run in to her again while working for her brother. A polite lie would have to do. “I already have plans.”

  “Oh.” Her smile faltered and then slid back into place. “Is it because I’m Billy’s sister?”

  “No.”

  She didn’t move, didn’t even blink.

  “Maybe a little,” he backpedaled. “Trust me when I tell you I am not the kind of guy you want to spend a lot of time with.”

  “I don’t know about that.”

  The way her cheeks flushed a pretty shade of pink, he knew exactly where her mind had gone and damned if his thoughts hadn’t willingly followed the same path. “I like fast cars, fast boats, fast planes and fast women. A lot of women. I’ll never be your Mr. Right.”

  “What about Mr. Right Now?”

  He could see the challenge in her eyes. One he wished to hell he could accept. “I also value my life. And my dick. If Billy ever found out about last night, I’d lose both.”