All I Need is You

by M. Malone

  “You are? Geez, all I did today was sing a few love songs.”

  Bennett flushed. Even the tops of his ears turned pink. “The arts are a science unto themselves. We need things that make us happy just like we need food.”

  While Kay agreed, she was still a little flustered. He was so smart it was kind of scary. “Tell me more about the vegetables you’re working on.”

  “Well, I’ve identified a few key crops that would benefit the most. Soy, corn, and wheat to start. Imagine what it could mean for people around the world to have food that grows even through periodic drought or extreme heat. We could end hunger. Or at least make a dent in it.”

  Kay tried to follow the conversation, but after too many phrases like easy propagation, mediated transformation, and plant genome, she gave up on understanding. Either way, it was a joy to see Bennett so passionate about something.

  And it was definitely better than wondering exactly when Eli would walk through the door.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  NORMALLY ELI WOULD have ignored his cell phone while driving, but if there was a chance it was Matt calling, he didn’t want to risk missing it.

  “This is Eli.”

  “Hey man, it’s Matt. I’ve got Kay and we’re at your parents’ house.”

  Eli let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. A million and one things had gone through his mind when he’d gotten that figurine. Mainly that this nut job had been in Kay’s apartment. Could in fact be in her apartment at that very moment. All he’d cared about was making sure she was safe. He’d spent the last half hour worrying they’d be assaulted or run off the road before Matt could get them to his parents’ house.

  “How is she doing?”

  “She’s fine. Just a little annoyed that I interrupted her recording session. I know you wanted to talk to her yourself, but she keeps asking what’s going on. What should I tell her?”

  Now that he knew they’d reached his parents’ house safely, he could take a step back and think. Who could have sent the figurine and more importantly, why? When she’d first started receiving threatening letters the previous year, they’d gone through her life with a fine-tooth comb. He’d scrutinized her family and friends, her acquaintances and coworkers. Anyone she came into contact with on a regular basis had been suspect. Everyone had checked out with the exception of the man who’d eventually been arrested. So Eli was forced to face an uncomfortable truth.

  He must have missed something.

  “Tell her I’ll be there soon.” He hung up and focused on the road. As he passed the familiar streets leading to his parents’ farm, a sense of calm stole over him. By the time he pulled into the long drive leading to the ranch-style home, some of the stress he’d been carrying for the past few hours melted away. He parked behind Matt’s truck and got out.

  His father, Mark Alexander, poked his head out of the garage. “There you are. You made good time.”

  “There wasn’t much traffic since it’s so late.” Eli averted his eyes. Even without traffic, he’d still arrived a half an hour faster than usual. He’d made excellent time because he’d been speeding most of the way. He doubted if his evasiveness fooled his father. Mark Alexander always saw way more than Eli would have liked him to.

  “That’s a nice girl in there. Is she in danger?”

  Trust his dad to get right to the heart of things.

  “I’m not sure yet. But I plan on protecting her until I know for sure.”

  Mark nodded and clapped him on the shoulder. “I wouldn’t have expected anything less.” Then he ambled back into the garage, no doubt to tinker with his old truck or one of the tractors.

  Eli jumped over the few steps to the front of the house and then opened the door with his key. Light, warmth and the sweet scent of his mother’s baking hit him all at once. Kay sat snuggled on the couch under a blanket next to his older brother, and Eli’s eyes immediately homed in on her. When she saw him, she clutched the mug she was holding closer to her chest like a shield.

  Bennett stood then and nodded at Kay. “Well, I’d better get going. It was nice to see you again, Kaylee.”

  He shook hands with his older brother absently before his attention was drawn back to Kay. She looked like a bundle of softness from the nubby texture of her soft blue sweater to the jumble of kinky curls she’d piled on top of her head in a bun. Her brown eyes sparkled as she took a small sip from her cup.

  Eli yanked at the buttons of his coat and snatched off the knit hat protecting his bald head from the cold and wind. Kay watched him over the rim of her cup but didn’t speak as he drew closer.

  “We need to talk.”

  Matt stepped forward then and Eli realized he hadn’t even greeted him. He stuck out his hand. “Thanks for getting to her so quickly.”

  Matt returned the handshake and glanced over at Kay. “I’m just glad she came easily. I thought she was going to deck me when I interrupted her studio time.”

  “I thought about it,” Kay muttered behind her mug. “Am I in danger? What’s going on?”

  Eli retrieved the envelope he’d tucked in the inner pocket of his coat. He sat on the edge of the couch tentatively. “Does this look familiar to you?” He opened it and the cat figurine slid out and into his palm.

  “Hey! I have one just like that.” She reached out to touch it and then her gaze settled on Eli. “I have one exactly like that. What’s going on?”

  He held out the note next. “Someone sent this to me at ASI headquarters. It had to be checked by my mail department before I opened it, so I didn’t see it right away. It was sent last week.”

  Matt leaned over and, after reading the note, shared a look with Eli. He then picked up the figurine and turned it upside down, peering into the tiny hole at the bottom. “He’s taunting us. Showing off that we failed to catch him last time.”

  Eli agreed. They didn’t have anything concrete that linked the two yet, but in his gut, he knew this was the same guy.

  What did he miss last summer that could have kept her safe? They’d been so sure they had the right guy. The dumb ass had already had a warrant out for a drug charge, so he’d been picked up and was serving time. Could he have gotten someone else to pick up where he left off harassing Kay? But what would be the point if he was already in jail? He had to know that the police would immediately know it was him and give him more time. It didn’t make sense.

  Kay’s safety hinged on something that was completely illogical.

  “This note is sending a pretty direct message. He’s right under our noses and he wants us to know it.”

  Kay read the note, her lips moving slightly as her eyes scanned the page. “I don’t understand. What does this all mean?”

  “It means we might have made a mistake last summer.” Eli took the figurine from her trembling fingers.

  “It means you aren’t safe.”

  KAYLEE FOLLOWED RIDLEY into the kitchen, conscious of Eli’s gaze on her back.

  “I figured you could use a break,” Ridley whispered as they sat at the small dining table in the kitchen.

  “Thanks. A little space is much appreciated right about now.” It had only been a few weeks since she’d last seen Eli at Christmas. So why was her traitorous body reacting like he was just coming home from war? Kay accepted another cup of steaming hot cocoa from Mara, who sat on her left. “Did Matt call you?” she asked the pretty brunette.

  They’d spent a lot of time hanging out when Matt had been her bodyguard last summer. With her curvy figure, long dark curls, and sultry bedroom eyes, it would have been easy to hate Mara if she wasn’t such fun. It was hard to believe she and Matt were related sometimes since their personalities were such polar opposites. She wouldn’t have guessed that those two could have even come out of the same family, much less be twins.

  “He did. He’s worried about you. We all are.” Mara took a sip of her own tea. “How are you holding up?”

  Kay shrugged. “Okay so far. I’m just not sur
e why this is happening. I’m nobody. The album I did with Divine had lackluster sales, and I haven’t released any music since. If it’s true that the police arrested the wrong guy last summer, why would he suddenly start stalking me again now? It doesn’t make any sense.”

  Mara regarded her over the rim of her mug. “Maybe this isn’t a stalker. Well, not a random one. Maybe it’s someone you’ve dated who is mad that you’ve moved on.”

  “That’s just it. I haven’t moved on. The only things I do are go to work, take care of Hope, and record music. Other than Nick’s clients, I don’t come into contact with many people.”

  “Well, that doesn’t sound like much fun.” Mara glanced over Kay’s shoulder. Her eyes narrowed and then sparkled with a mischievous gleam. “You know what you need? You need a man. Penny told me what you guys talked about at Christmas. About how you’re going to let us fix you up on a blind date.”

  Kay thought back to all the things they’d discussed on Christmas Day. Once she’d realized that Eli had left his own family celebration just to avoid her, she’d tearfully confided in the other girls. They’d rallied around her, supporting her decision to move on and start dating after the holidays. But she didn’t remember agreeing to any setups. She hated blind dates.

  “But I never said—” Kay’s mouth dropped open as Mara kicked her under the table. “Ow,” she whispered.

  Mara typed something quickly on her cell phone and pushed it across the table. Raina, Ridley, and Kay all leaned forward to read what it said.

  - - - Eli is outside the door listening.

  “What?” Kay exclaimed. Then she crossed her arms. Pretending to set her up on a date to make Eli jealous was ridiculous. And childish. And unlikely to work since he couldn’t seem to care any less about what she was doing.

  Mara shot her an exasperated look. “So, who’s up for a little matchmaking?”

  Raina raised her hand. “I know someone who’s perfect. He used to be a model but now he’s an actor—”

  “No models or actors,” Kay interrupted. Just the thought of it made her feel squeamish. Blind dates were awkward enough. She definitely didn’t want to deal with a guy who was prettier than she was.

  “Oooo-kay then,” Raina drawled. “What about bodybuilders? Who doesn’t like a strong guy with lots of muscles, right?”

  Kay had been pretty sure this was a bad idea from the beginning but she was especially sure of it now. A bodybuilder? Was Raina serious? She looked down at her own body, comfortably ensconced in her favorite pair of worn jeans and a soft sweater. She liked how she looked. Most of the time. But she had no illusions that a guy who spent most of his time in the gym would share her love of elastic waistbands.

  “Um, I’m not sure if that would be such a good idea. I’m not that athletic.”

  Mara waved away her concerns. “That’s okay. You shouldn’t have to pretend to be something you’re not. I’m not athletic either. We’ll just find you a guy who appreciates other things. You’ve got a great rack. And plenty of guys are breast men.”

  Kay almost choked on her cocoa just as there was a soft oomph outside the door as if something had just knocked into the wall.

  Mara tittered behind her hand. Kay dabbed at the spots on the front of her sweater with a napkin and glanced behind her at the doorway nervously. She wasn’t so sure baiting Eli like this was the way to go.

  “What about T.J.?” Ridley piped up, mentioning an R&B singer that Jackson had recently signed to his label.

  Kay shook her head. “I’m not dating another singer from the label. If it doesn’t work out, it would be weird.”

  “Actually, he’s perfect because he’s only in town for a month or so to record his album. Then he’s going back to L.A. because he has a condo there,” Ridley said.

  Kay looked around at the other girls, sure she was missing something. “Why would I date someone who’ll be gone in a few weeks? What’s the point?”

  Mara hugged her. “Aw, you’re so sweet and innocent. It’s almost a shame that we’re corrupting you.”

  Ridley finally took pity on her. “What Mara is trying to say is that sometimes you date guys just for the fun of it. Not because you plan on being together forever.”

  Mara pursed her lips. “Actually, I was trying to say she should date him because I heard he is huge. Like barely able to walk straight while carrying that—”

  The door to the kitchen burst open. They all jumped, including Kay. Eli stood in the doorway for a moment before he crossed the kitchen to stand behind her chair. His fingers curled over the top of the wood so hard it creaked. Kay gulped when his eyes landed on her.

  “We need to go now. I want to get to your place and make sure it’s safe for the night.”

  Eli regarded his sisters-in-law with a scowl before turning his dark look to Mara. Kay shrank back into her seat, but Mara just grinned.

  “Oh hi, Eli. Lovely to see you,” she chirped.

  “Um hmm,” was all Eli said in reply.

  “WE NEED TO get to your place.” Eli ignored Mara and the other girls’ knowing looks. He didn’t doubt for a minute that they knew he’d overhead their conversation. Their amused grins told him that.

  As far as he was concerned, he’d shown some serious restraint so far. They were trying to set Kay up with some big-dicked player who’d probably use and abuse her. What the hell were they thinking? He was shutting that down.

  Immediately.

  Kay raised her eyebrows. “We?”

  “I’m not letting you go there alone.”

  “I figured I wouldn’t be going home alone, but isn’t Matt coming with me?”

  “No.”

  She made no move to stand up, so he pulled her chair out. It made a loud screeching sound as it dragged over the tile floor. Kay jumped up and gave him a dirty look before marching back into the family room. The other girls abandoned their drinks on the table to follow. Their expressions were a little too bloodthirsty in Eli’s opinion. He had no intention of being the sacrifice.

  Matt stood near the door, talking to Jackson. He looked up when they entered. “Hey, are you guys getting ready to leave?”

  Kay turned toward him with what looked to be desperation. “You’re not coming with me?”

  Matt glanced at Eli before responding. “I was just assigned to a new client. I’ve been working with him all week. It would be unprofessional to yank me off his job and then force him to reacclimate to someone else. I thought Eli explained everything.”

  A strange sense of satisfaction came over Eli as he watched Kay’s face. She was stuck with him and apparently didn’t like it. He knew he’d hurt her. Their kiss at Christmas should have never happened. But he was the best man for this job. He hadn’t protected her well enough last summer, obviously, or this dickwad wouldn’t still be out there toying with her. This was his chance to make it right.

  Eli wasn’t going to leave her safety up to some new associate who might screw it up. Even if he hadn’t gotten the right guy before, he’d kept her safe. They’d kept her security low-key since last summer, but it had been there. She didn’t go anywhere without letting someone know and her cell phone and car were constantly being tracked. She also had a state-of-the-art security system at her apartment so she was safe while she slept.

  “Is there a problem, Kay?”

  She wouldn’t meet his eyes. To his surprise, it was Mara who answered.

  “It’s no biggie. She’s just nervous about her date.”

  Eli gritted his teeth at the reminder of the conversation in the kitchen. He was careful to keep his face neutral when he replied. “Her date? What date?”

  “We’re setting Kay up on a blind date. She’s looking for Mr. Right. Or Mr. Right Now. Whatever. Either way, I know we can find the perfect guy for her.”

  “I’m sure Eli doesn’t care about that.” Kay grabbed her coat and slid her arms into it. “I’m sure he has a lot of important stuff to do running his company. In fact, maybe it would be better
if Tank or one of the other guys stayed with me for a while.”

  “You don’t want me on your case, Kay?” Eli tucked his hands in the pockets of his jeans, the better to enjoy watching her squirm as she tried to figure out how to respond.

  “It’s not that.” Kay made several indistinct gestures while pointing at him. “It’s just that, I don’t know…”

  “You’re kind of scary,” Mara supplied.

  “Mara! I think Mara meant to say you’re a little intense sometimes.”

  “And you’ll scare her date away,” Mara finished.

  Kay dropped her head into her hand. Eli bit his lip to hold in a laugh. Damn if she wasn’t cute when she was embarrassed.

  “I’ve been in this business a long time. We’re trained to be inconspicuous.”

  Kay sent him a disbelieving look as she grabbed her handbag. “So you won’t interfere in any way?”

  Eli made a motion as if he was crossing his heart. “You won’t even know I’m there.”

  KAYLEE SHOVED THE books on her night table in the drawer. Her eyes swept over the rest of the room frantically. Hopefully she hadn’t left anything embarrassing lying around. She wasn’t used to having guys at her apartment. Especially not men like Elliott.

  Big, masculine men that she fantasized about every night.

  The hair on the back of her neck stood up and she didn’t have to look to know that he was standing in the doorway. Her apartment wasn’t that big, but it suddenly seemed exponentially smaller with Eli sucking up all her oxygen.

  “Tank finished his assessment before we got here. We’re all clear.” Eli stepped in and looked around. “Where do you normally keep the figurine?”

  Kay pointed to the top of her dresser. Eli walked over and looked down at her collection. He touched one and the sight of his thick fingers stroking the delicate china shouldn’t have seemed erotic at all. But the image of this big, strong man handling tiny breakables with such care struck her as incredibly tender. Would that be how he treated a woman in bed? Like she was delicate, precious?