Declan

by Kate Hoffmann

  “I suspect this is one of those rules you dispense on your radio show?” Dec asked.

  “It’s a good guideline,” she said. “That, and never, ever have sex on the first date.” Rachel sent him a smug smile.

  “All right. It’s Wednesday. That means we can go out on Saturday night.”

  “I work on Saturday night. My shift starts at ten and ends at one a.m. I have to be at the station by nine-thirty.”

  “That will give us plenty of time for an early movie and dinner,” Dec said. “Perfect. I’ll pick you up at your place.” He paused. “I don’t know where you live. Where do you live?”

  Rachel giggled. “I’ll show you, since you’ll be taking me home.” She relaxed back into the soft leather seat of his BMW. “It’s going to be nice to get back home. I miss sleeping in my own bed. And having my things around me.”

  From that moment on, the mood in the car changed. Whatever had been bothering Rachel before had been alleviated and she was her usual candid and witty self. They talked about the date they’d have and he made suggestions for the restaurant while she gave him dating dos and don’ts. In the end, they decided he’d pick the restaurant and she’d pick the movie.

  Dec was truly looking forward to spending an evening with Rachel, just talking and enjoying her company, without seduction on his mind. Sure, he’d be thinking about how nice it would be to kiss her or touch her or undress her, but there wouldn’t be any possibility of that while they were out in public. And, according to Rachel’s rules, not on the first date anyway.

  So it would be a simple date, a chance for them to get to know each other a little better, to spend some time talking and laughing, time for him to confirm what he already knew-that Rachel was the most intriguing woman he’d ever met. He’d be satisfied to see where things went from there.

  When they turned off the interstate and headed into Providence, Dec was sure things were back on the right track again. He tried to keep himself from pulling the car over to the curb and kissing her, just to make sure. From now on, he’d take more care to make sure Rachel wasn’t pressured to feel something she didn’t.

  Hell, this was new to him as well. He’d always had women waiting in line, willing to do what it took to spend a night in his bed. But in retrospect, Dec realized it hadn’t made him really want a woman in a very long time-at least not in the same way he wanted Rachel.

  She gave him directions to her house and he steered through the city. Strangely enough, every direction she gave put him on the same route as the one he took from his downtown office to his house in Colonial Hill. To his surprise, they turned down a street just three blocks from his house and Rachel pointed to a pretty two-story colonial surrounded by tall trees.

  “That’s it,” she said. “The white one with the dark blue shutters.”

  “I can’t believe this,” Dec muttered, as he pulled in the driveway. “You live here?”

  She nodded. “This is the house that sex bought. I used to have an apartment close to the university, but I got this a few years ago when I took the radio job.”

  “I live three blocks away from here,” Dec said. “I run past this house almost every morning. I didn’t know you lived here.”

  “And I didn’t know you lived there,” she said. “How come I never saw you around the neighborhood?”

  “I run early in the morning. I usually spend my weekends with my family in Bonnett Harbor. Maybe we just weren’t meant to meet until now.”

  “Maybe not,” she said with a playful grin.

  He jumped out of the car and jogged around to Rachel’s door, then politely opened it for her. She got out and stretched her arms over her head. “It’s good to be home,” she said. “I’m going to take a shower in my own bathroom and lay on my own sofa and read my own books. It’s going to be strange though.”

  “How is that?” Dec asked as he fetched her bags from the trunk of the BMW.

  “I can relax. I don’t always have to be looking over my shoulder. I can go places and do things again. Maybe I’ll go to the grocery store. Or for a walk. Or just go out for a drive.”

  Dec followed her around to the side door of the house, waiting while she found her keys in her purse and unlocked the door. They entered a large kitchen, beautifully decorated with pale cabinets and a granite-covered island, cozy yet airy. This was the first chance he’d had to see how Rachel really lived, to walk around and look at her belongings.

  Dec didn’t waste any time, setting the bags down next to the door. “Can I look around?” he asked, glancing at her collection of odd refrigerator magnets.

  She shrugged. “Sure. I can take you on the tour if you’d like.”

  Nodding, he took her hand as they walked from the kitchen through a short hallway into the front of the house. They stopped in the foyer and Dec walked over to the front door. The lock system was ancient, an old deadbolt and button lock on the knob, with no reinforcement on the doorframe. He could gain entrance with a shove of his shoulder. “We’re going to have to do something about this,” he said.

  “My door?”

  “Your security,” Dec replied. “Any halfwit burglar could be in here in less than five seconds.” Dec walked over to the window beside the door. “You could use a glass break alarm on this window. If the guy didn’t want to expend the effort to bust the door down, he could just break this window and reach in and unlock it. And you should have sash alarms on every window and motion detectors on the first floor.”

  “But this is a pretty safe neighborhood. And I always lock my doors.”

  He stepped over to her and took her hand, then kissed her fingertips. “Sweetheart, you’re the expert in sex and I have been happy to defer to you on that. But I’m the security expert and this house is a burglary waiting to happen. I’m going to send some of my guys over here tomorrow morning to spec out a system for you.”

  “All right,” she said. “But don’t make it too complicated. I can’t even program my VCR.”

  “Don’t worry,” he murmured, dropping a kiss on her mouth. “It’ll come with private lessons taught by the president of the company.”

  Rachel pushed upon her toes and kissed him and Dec took the opportunity to give her a kiss that would last for however long they were apart. Hell, four days suddenly seemed like an eternity. “Can I call you?” he asked.

  Rachel nodded. “Sure. My number is in the book.”

  “Well, that’s going to have to change too,” he said, nipping at her bottom lip. “You should have an unlisted number.”

  “Stop,” Rachel said, giving him a teasing slap on the chest.

  He grabbed her face between his hands and kissed her again. “I can’t stop,” he whispered. “Don’t make me.” Dec gave her one last kiss, then smoothed his hand through her hair and stepped back. “I should go.”

  “You’ll call me?”

  “Yeah. And I might jog by your house a few times a day, just to make sure everything is all right.”

  “I’ll look forward to seeing you run by,” Rachel said. “Make sure you’re wearing very tight shorts.”

  Dec chuckled as Rachel unlocked the front door and walked out with him. They stood on the porch for a long moment before she reached out and grabbed his hand. “Thank you,” she said, twisting her fingers through his. “For everything. For watching over me. For taking me to Maine. For making me feel safe.”

  “No problem,” he said. “So, I’ll see you Saturday?”

  Rachel nodded. Maybe there was a chance they could make this work, Dec thought. In the beginning, it had been about the sexual attraction. But now, it looked as if they might share more. He drew in a deep breath. Best not to think too far ahead into the future. He would just take this one day at a time.

  And if they ended up in her bed-or his-he’d enjoy the experience, whether there would be a next time or not.

  RACHEL PICKED UP THE LAST page of the manuscript and carefully read through the bibliography. She felt as if she was finally accom
plishing something today. She’d had all three of her Thursday morning group therapy sessions at her office downtown and then, after a late lunch, she’d come back to campus to catch up on all the work she’d missed.

  “I think there’s a later edition of that Barrington book,” she murmured. “Do you think we should cite that instead?”

  “Which book did you use for reference?” Daniel asked.

  “The 1963 edition,” she said.

  “Leave it. If they want to change it, they will.”

  Rachel handed him the page. “So would you like Simon to type up the edits or are you going to give it to your assistant?”

  Daniel chuckled. “Give it to Simon. He’s eager to please. And from now on, when you’re out of the office for more than a day, be sure to give him a call. He was frantically trying to find you yesterday morning. He called me three times to see if I’d heard from you.”

  “He’s just doing his job,” Rachel said.

  “I think he’s in love with you,” Daniel countered.

  “Simon? No, I don’t think so.”

  Daniel carefully rearranged the pages of the article. “It’s not so difficult to believe,” he murmured. “Any man that really knew you would have a hard time not falling in love with you.”

  Rachel gasped softly, stunned by the look on his face. “Daniel, I-I-”

  “You don’t have to say anything,” he continued. “You don’t have to tell me I’m married. You don’t have to tell me my wife loves me very much. And that I’d be putting my marriage at risk. I just had to get that out there.”

  “Were you hoping I’d want something more?” she asked.

  He shrugged. “Nope. Because, that would be one of the biggest mistakes I’d ever make. You’re a colleague and an old friend and I know better than to put our friendship at risk. But I’m not going to lie to you. There are times, when my marriage is not the best and when I wonder what might have happened if I’d been single when you took this job and you’d been interested.”

  “I’m sorry,” she said. “I just never thought about it. Not because you aren’t a great guy, but because you’re married.”

  “And if I wasn’t?”

  Rachel shrugged. “Well, there is this man I’ve met and he’s-”

  Daniel held up his hand. “Say no more. Declan Quinn seems like a charming guy, although I wouldn’t have pegged him as your type. But I can see you must care for him.”

  “How?”

  “You look different. Happy. Excited.” He set the article on her desk. “How did you meet him?”

  “Trevor Ross sent him over last weekend after I got another threatening letter at the station. He was my bodyguard.”

  “He told me he was a salesman,” Daniel said.

  “Well, he probably told you that because he suspected you might be my stalker. But they caught the guy sending the letters.”

  “Who was it?” Daniel asked.

  “Jerry Abler. An intern at the radio station. He seemed like such a nice guy.” She frowned. “They’re still holding him. I was going to go over and talk to him but Ross’s people told me I shouldn’t.”

  “They’re right,” Daniel said. “It’s best to just put this behind you.”

  “Right,” Rachel said. She drew in a deep breath. “So, I guess we’re done here.”

  Daniel nodded, then smiled sheepishly. “Listen, forget what I said before. Just wipe it out of your head. I’m just feeling a little bit battered lately.”

  “Are you having trouble with Marcy? If you are, I could help you out with that. Maybe find you a marriage counselor.”

  “I think you’re the last person we need helping us out with our marriage,” Daniel said. “We’ll work it out. But thanks for your concern.”

  “And thank you,” Rachel said. “You know, you’re the only person I’ve told about my work at the station and my little stalker problem. I’m glad I can confide in you. You’re a good friend, Daniel.”

  “I will always be a good friend,” he said as he pulled her office door open.

  Rachel watched as he left the outer office, a melancholy smile on her face. There might have been a time when Daniel’s overture would have been welcomed, before he was married, before she’d met Dec. But now, all she could feel was sad that he was so unhappy in his marriage. Everyone deserved to find that one great passion in their life, the one person who could make life exciting. Maybe Daniel could recapture that with Marcy. Rachel made a mental note to put together some books that might provide help. And get together a list of marital counselors. It was the least she could do for a friend.

  Rachel went back inside her office and grabbed the manuscript, along with her purse and her briefcase. She wrote a quick note on top of the manuscript, then dropped it on Simon’s desk before she left.

  Her car was parked in a surface lot not far from her office and Rachel took her time walking over, enjoying the sense of freedom she now had. She hadn’t realized how much having a stalker had affected her life. There had always been an underlying fear in everything she’d done, everywhere she’d gone. And now, that fear had vanished and she felt as if she could live her life again.

  Today was Thursday. She had to wait another two days to see Dec, but in that time she planned to shop for a new dress, get her hair highlighted and her nails done, and decide on the perfect movie for them to see. It was strange. She was even enjoying the anticipation of their date, wondering what it would be like to just focus on each other for an evening, without the possibility of seduction surrounding them.

  That possibility would probably always be there when they were together, Rachel mused. It was difficult not to think of Dec in those terms. Every time she looked at him, she found herself mentally undressing him, then mentally going through all the things she wanted to do to him once he was undressed. She could play out an entire seduction in her head, from first kiss to final orgasm and Rachel was sure even that fantasy wouldn’t live up to the reality.

  But there was time for them now and she didn’t mind waiting. Waiting would make everything so much more intense once it actually happened. Rachel crossed the lawn to the parking lot, all the while going over the delicious details in her head.

  She found her car where she had left it, but as she was unlocking the door, she noticed something odd. A long, deep scratch ran across the lower part of the door. She followed it, only to find that it ran the entire length of the Lexus sedan. Someone had keyed her car!

  She knew there had been instances of vandalism on campus, but security kept that to a minimum. As she walked around the car, an uneasy feeling began to set in. Maybe this wasn’t a random act of vandalism. Maybe this had been deliberate. She’d never really believed Jerry was her stalker. What if the real one was still out there and the police had made a mistake? They’d ignored her case for so long, perhaps they’d just arrested the first convenient person they’d found.

  But Jerry had confessed. Why would he have confessed when he didn’t do anything? Rachel groaned softly. She ought to know, since she understood the psychology of interrogation. Jerry had always seemed like such a sweet, shy guy, the kind of guy who got pushed around at the radio station, asked to pull all the worst shifts. When the other interns were out at the clubs on Friday and Saturday nights, Jerry was covering the shifts they were supposed to take.

  It was easy for a guy like that to want a little attention. And if he’d been accused of doing something unlawful, perhaps accepting the blame was a way to increase his street cred with his fellow interns. She’d personally seen the way he sought their approval.

  “No,” she murmured, getting into her car. “This is over. Dec said it was over and he knows what he’s talking about. He wouldn’t make a mistake.”

  But as she drove to campus security to report the incident, Rachel’s mind began to spin with the possibilities. As she waited at a light, paranoia began to set in and odd little comments niggled at her brain. First, there was Daniel. He’d basically professed h
is unrequited love for her. Harboring a secret affection could give him every motivation to stalk her. And then there was Simon, who according to Daniel, was also carrying a torch for her. And then there were her clients and her students and her colleagues, any of whom could be concealing a hidden resentment.

  Her first instinct was to call Declan and tell him what had happened. But after careful thought, she decided he would probably overreact and lock her up until he was sure she was safe. She’d just gained her freedom again, she wasn’t going to lose it due to her own paranoia.

  “I’m just tired,” she said. “This is all just some post-traumatic panic attack.”

  Rachel spent the next half hour with campus security detailing what had happened, then headed for home. Security reassured her that they would look into it and informed her that campus cameras may have picked up video proof of the perpetrator.

  Satisfied and somewhat calmed, she headed for home. But when she got there, Rachel began to feel uneasy. She’d planned to do some gardening, planting a few flower pots for her porch. But instead, she locked herself inside the house.

  As Dec had promised, a crew had showed up that morning to wire her house with alarms, but they wouldn’t complete the job for another day or two. She walked back and forth in the hallway, trying to work through her fears, telling herself that they were unfounded.

  But the more she attempted to calm herself, the more upset she became. Rachel hurried to the kitchen and picked up the phone, ready to call Declan. She wouldn’t tell him what had happened, she’d just call to talk. His voice had a way of calming her. That would be enough.

  She snatched her purse off the counter and searched through it for his business card. He’d written his cell phone number on the back, along with his address and his home phone number. She decided to try the cell phone first.

  Punching in the number, she said a silent prayer that he’d pick up. Perhaps he’d be ready to head out for a run and she’d suggest he’d stop by for something to drink. Or maybe he was coming home from work and he’d drive by to say hello. Her mind conjured all kinds of excuses for him to come over and allay her fears.