by Deborah Camp
“You had some new, unopened underwear and socks. I put them out for you. I picked up freshly laundered shirts at the dry cleaners. Will that do for now?”
“Yes. Thanks.”
Half an hour later, Levi entered the living room again, showered, shaved, and dressed in a navy suit, dark blue shirt, and navy and white striped tie. He ran a comb through his hair as he moved through the spacious room and around the partition that gave access to the dining room and kitchen. Wes had already set a place for him at the table – scrambled eggs, bacon, toast, and coffee.
“Well, you look as if you have it all together,” Wes noted with a quirk of one of his blond brows. “But you’re a friggin’ mess inside, right?”
“I feel like I have a hangover, but I didn’t have a drop of liquor last night. So, go figure.” Levi attacked the food. He hadn’t eaten anything since yesterday afternoon. He glanced at Wes every so often. Wes watched him with the intensity of an eagle sizing up prey. That was Wes. Nothing got by him.
Levi wiped his mouth with a napkin and sat back in the comfortable chair to savor the final sip or two of coffee and check his e-mail. After a couple of minutes, he shrugged at Wes’s unasked questions. “Once this woman has her day in court and I know she’s not going to bother me any more, I’ll be back to my usual fucked up self.”
“Ah, that’s good to hear.” The faintest of smiles flickered across Wes’s handsomely weathered face. “What’s she charged with?”
“Breaking and entering, stalking, and impersonation. We have a restraining order in place.”
“Did you see her? Talk to her?”
“At the police station? No. I don’t want to see her unless it’s absolutely necessary. With this kind of personality disorder, seeing me will only feed her fantasy.”
“You know her?”
“No. I saw her a few times while I was in Key West. And she called my cellphone, which means I have to change my number again.”
“How did she get your cell number?”
“Beats the hell out of me. I’m hoping the police or Gonzo will figure that one out.”
Wes leaned against the kitchen counter and crossed his ankles and arms. Instinctively, Levi tensed because he knew that Wes could tell that something else was up with him. Wes had a way of seeing right through most of his façades. He had that in common with Trudy. Levi studied his cellphone and flipped through old e-mails.
“So, tell me about Trudy Tucker. Quintara says she’s quite something.”
Levi flicked him a look. “When did you talk to Quintara?”
“Last week. She called and we chatted. She implied that you and Trudy were getting along very well when you weren’t complaining about how difficult she can be.”
Levi chuckled under his breath. “She’s a handful, for sure.” He took in a quick breath. Might as well tell him, he thought. Sooner or later, he’d have to tell everyone, so he’d better get used to it. “The thing is, Wes . . . Trudy is . . . well, we have decided – ah, fuck.” He ran a hand down his face, feeling the weight of Wes’s all-knowing, all-seeing stare. He pitied the sailors who had been under Wes Statler’s command. It had to have been impossible to slip anything by him. Levi shrugged, giving up. “We’re doing the monogamy thing.”
“The monogamy thing?” Wes shook his head vigorously as if he didn’t believe what he’d been told. “She talked you into telling her that you wouldn’t screw other women? That’s some feat on her part.”
“Actually, I was the one who . . . I don’t want her involved with anyone but me.”
Wes regarded him intently, then straightened, reached for the coffee pot and his own mug, and jogged down the three steps to the dining room. He refilled Levi’s mug and sat down beside him. “I’m interested. You’re going to swear off all other females? Have you broken this news to Nicola or Emma or . . . what’s her name . . . Lynnette? How about Sissy?” His close-set eyes widened and a grin raced across his face. “Oh, I’d pay good money to watch you tell Sissy Franklin that she can’t have your dick to play with any more.”
Levi winced. He wasn’t looking forward to that particular conversation. “I haven’t told anyone except for Gonzo – yet. But I will. I just have to get used to the idea. You know, this is virgin territory for me.”
Wes chuckled. “You said a mouthful, boss. This is going to be fun to watch.”
Levi sent him a dark look over the brim of his coffee cup.
Wes chuckled, but then cleared his throat and curiosity glinted in his eyes. “Tell me about her. When am I going to meet her?”
Levi took another sip of the piping hot coffee. “As soon as this stalker mess is dealt with, she’ll be here and I’m supposed to go to Tulsa, too, and meet her parents.”
“Her parents, huh? That sounds damned serious.” Wes shook his head in wonder. “Excuse me, but I feel like I’m shell-shocked. I never expected you to return to Atlanta wearing a lock on your cock. I saw Trudy’s picture in the paper. She’s pretty, but she didn’t seem to be your type.”
Levi puffed out a breath, irritation making him bristle. “Gonzo said the same thing. What the fuck does that mean? I don’t have a type.”
Wes shrugged. “From my observation, you usually go for curvy blondes who are former beauty pageant title holders, cover models, or rolling in dough. And I don’t recall you ever screwing around with another medium either.”
He pondered that for a few seconds, realizing Wes was right to a certain extent. “I’ve been with clairvoyants before,” he amended. “But they were blond, come to think of it.” Staring at his empty plate, he could see Trudy in his mind’s eye – feel her all through him. The way she smiled that made his heart expand and the way she could make him laugh. The warm, satiny touch of her skin and the sweet seduction of her kisses on his face, his neck, his chest. The way her mouth felt around his cock, hot and tight and . . . he stiffened against his fly. With a quick intake of breath, he forced his thoughts back to the present where Wes was still eyeing him like a doctor examining an x-ray. Except this doctor was grinning from ear to ear.
Levi rolled his eyes, realizing that Wes had a damned good idea of what he’d just been fantasizing about. “You’ll like her, Wes. Tru is smart, feisty, and she’s an incredible psychic. Very gifted.”
“I hope, for your sake, that she hangs in there,” Wes said. “It’s time for you to find a good woman and treat her like a queen.”
“Yeah, well, having a crazy woman impersonate her isn’t a great way to start off.”
“Have you told her about this whole thing yet?”
“No. I hate to lay this on her right now. She’s been through so much the past couple of weeks.”
“How about some advice from a happily monogamous man?”
Levi swallowed the rest of the coffee and set the cup down with a thump. “Bring it.”
“She should know about this, boss. It concerns her. Leaving her in the dark about it will only piss her off. If she’s smart and feisty like you say, she’ll handle it.”
“You’re right.” He glanced at his watch. “I’m off. I’ll grab lunch on the go and I’m meeting Nicola tonight for dinner.”
“Oh?” Wes stood up and started to turn away, but spun back to him.
“Yeah, she texted me last night. The break-in had already hit the news desk at the TV station. I thought I’d go ahead and take her out for dinner and fill her in about it and about Trudy.”
Wes delivered a cagey wink. “Start with the easy ones and work yourself up to Sissy. Good strategy.”
Levi shoved up from the chair and pocketed his cellphone. He didn’t bother to comment because when Wes was right, he was right.
###
Nicola Bartlett stared across the restaurant table at Levi as if he’d just told her he was the Easter Bunny. They’d discussed the whole deranged stalker business and then he’d told her about his situation with Trudy.
“You’re already in a relationship with her?” she asked, disbelief quiveri
ng in every word as her big, light brown eyes grew even larger. “Just like that? You’ve known her for a couple of weeks, right?”
He was coming to expect this kind of reaction since it was the same one he’d received so far from every person he’d told that he was a one-woman man now. “I met her about a year ago, but we got to know each other while we worked on the Key West case and . . .” He shrugged. “It all worked for us. We hit it off.”
“I guess!” She blew out a long breath and shook her head, making her lustrous, long blond hair drift over the bodice of her silky, red dress. “I’m just recalling how you told me not so long ago that you weren’t interested in being with just one woman. That you would never marry or want children, so I should steer clear of you if that’s what I wanted.”
Nothing like having your words crammed down your throat, Levi thought with a grimace. Marriage? Did Trudy think that’s where this monogamy thing was headed? Children? Hell, no! He focused back on the woman opposite him. “That’s how I’ve felt for . . . well, forever. I don’t know if this will pan out for me, but I gave Trudy my word that I would try to be faithful, so that’s what I’m going to do. I wouldn’t be surprised if she ends up hating me and I end up hating myself, but—.”
“No.” Nicola reached across the table and rested her hand on top of his, giving it a squeeze. “Don’t think like that. If you care enough about her to want to be with her and her alone, then that’s great. I’m . . . well, surprised. I didn’t see this coming.” She blinked rapidly as if she were warding off tears. “I missed you while you were away and I was looking forward to spending time with you now that you’re home.”
“We can still do that. I’m your friend, Nikki. That hasn’t changed.”
Her smile bordered on pity. “Here’s the thing about being in a committed relationship – I don’t think your girl will be thrilled about you spending ‘friendship’ time with women you’ve slept with. I know that would be a deal-breaker for me.”
Levi sat back and pushed aside the remainder of the beef wellington he’d been enjoying a few minutes ago, his appetite snuffed. Glancing around at the other diners in the posh restaurant, he wondered how many of them were married and how many were cheating.
“I think that’s asinine,” he said, looking at Nicola again. “There’s nothing wrong with taking a friend out for a drink or lunch once in a while.”
Nicola made a scoffing sound. “What if your girl went out for drinks with a guy who had been in her bed or made it clear that he wanted to be? Would you be cool with that?”
“Hell, no. That’s the whole point of—.” He pressed his lips together, seeing the irony shining in her eyes as his own double-standard slammed through him. “Oh, right. I wouldn’t like it. Deal-breaker . . . jaw breaker if I could get my hands on the motherfucker I caught her with.”
Nicola laughed softly, her eyes widening. “Wow! You’ve got it bad for her, huh?” She tipped her head to one side, her hair cascading over one shoulder, and regarded him more intently. “Bring her around some time. I’d like to meet her. I hope she knows how lucky she is.” She leaned closer to him and lowered her voice. “You’re fantastic in the sack and you’re easy on the eyes, too.”
“Back atcha,” Levi replied, bringing her hand to his lips for a quick kiss.
Nicola pulled her hand away and dabbed at the corners of her lush mouth with a linen napkin. “So, have you given this news to Sissy Franklin?”
Levi frowned at the obvious sign Nicola had just given him that she was now officially off-limits to him. “Uh . . . no. I will, though.” He ran a finger around his shirt collar. Thinking of telling Sissy about Trudy made him tense, edgy.
Nicola arched her pale brown brows. “I bet you’re not looking forward to that confrontation. I hear that Sissy can be hell on wheels when she doesn’t get her way.”
Levi cleared his throat as past scenes of Sissy throwing hissy fits flashed through his mind. That was one of the things he disliked about Sissy – her rampages. When she started screaming and throwing things, he usually tackled her and fucked her hard and she loved it– the rougher, the better. That wouldn’t happen this time. She could scream obscenities at him until she popped a vocal chord. His days of giving it to Sissy and Sissy giving it right back to him were history. With a little start, he realized he didn’t really care, either. Christ! He did have it bad for Trudy!
“You know what?” Nicola said, smiling. “You should save yourself some trouble and have a party with Trudy there. Invite all the people who should hear this relationship news and that way you only have to announce it once.” Mischief twinkled in her brown eyes. “And Sissy won’t throw as big of a fit in public and the rest of us will get to see her reaction to hearing that you’ve taken yourself out of the singles market.”
He considered her suggestion with a smirk. “I owe it to Sissy to tell her the news one on one. Just as I’ve done with you. We’ve shared some good times together, Nicola.”
Her smile grew tremulous. “Yes, we have. I’ll miss those times. I’d always hoped that you might want more than someone to escort to various functions or for dinner and sex. I thought we might have a future together once you were ready to settle down.”
He winced at her description of their relationship. It sounded so shallow, but he didn’t feel that way about her. He genuinely liked her. She was sweet, uncomplicated, and always eager to please him. “Nikki, you deserve much better than me.”
“And Trudy doesn’t?”
Her question sent an arrow of misgiving through him. He looked away from her, not wanting her to see the apprehension and guilt that he knew had to be evident in his expression. “Yes, she does. I’m a selfish bastard.”
“I hope she can convince you that it’s okay for someone to love you,” Nicola said, her voice just above a whisper. She looked down, throwing her face in shadow and her next words were hardly more than a murmur, “She’s a lucky girl.”
“Thanks, Nicola.” He felt uncomfortable and pushed back his chair, stood, and helped her stand. Resting his hands lightly on her shoulders, he leaned close to her ear. “I’m still your friend. Don’t forget that, okay?”
She nodded, raised one slim hand and patted his. “I won’t. Thanks.”
Chapter 3
Staring at the cloud-draped sun hanging low in the sky, Trudy Tucker sat in the metal chair in her backyard. Her thoughts traveled to a setting sun in Key West and the feel of strong arms around her waist, the caress of warm lips on her neck.
Levi.
Longing spiraled through her. God, how she missed him! This was her fifteenth day without him and she didn’t know how she could stand a sixteenth or seventeenth or, God forbid, an eighteenth without Leviticus Wolfe within arm’s reach.
The daily phone calls, Skypes, and text messages were cold comfort. She’d spoken to him this morning in a video chat and didn’t like the irritation that seemed to radiate around him or the tense set of his mouth. He wasn’t telling her something. She could sense it. Something had happened either this morning or yesterday that had him on edge. It was probably something about the stalker.
Music sounded near her and Trudy reached blindly for the cellphone on the patio table. She glanced at it.
“Is it lover boy?” Sadie, her sister, asked. She shifted on the chaise longue and arched a brow above her sunglasses.
“No, it’s Quintara.” Trudy pressed the phone icon. “Hello there.”
“Are you still in Nebraska?” Quintara asked.
Trudy shifted on the hard seat. “No, I flew back to Tulsa last night.”
“I just saw on the news that the little girl you helped look for was found. She wasn’t kidnapped, after all?”
“As it turned out, she’d wandered away from the motel where the family was staying and was lost in the woods. A hiker found her.” Trudy sighed. “I wasn’t any help at all.”
“Well, at least she was found.”
“Yeah, that’s a blessing.” Trudy pinc
hed the bridge of her nose between her thumb and forefinger as the stress of the past couple of weeks built into a mild headache. She’d worked on two kidnapping cases since Key West, both involving children. While they were traumatizing, she found that she liked the challenge.
But there was more . . . something else was plucking her nerves. She glanced toward her sister, not wanting to worry her, hoping she could hold it together . . .because that feeling was creeping up on her. Someone’s thoughts were edging into her subconscious, trying to find a way inside her head.
“When are you going to Atlanta?” Quintara’s voice broke through to her.
“Levi’s supposed to be heading to Tulsa in a day or two. His birthday is day after tomorrow.”
“Yes, I know.”
“He says he doesn’t celebrate his birthday – ever – but he’s going to celebrate it this year with me.”
“That’s good to hear. Trudy dear, when you take on an undomesticated animal to tame, you can’t do it long-distance.”
Trudy blinked and grew quiet for a few seconds to absorb Quintara’s words. “Undomesticated animal? I like that.” She grinned, but then Quintara’s warning resonated more keenly and she sobered. “You’re right. I’m playing a dangerous game staying away from Levi for so long, but our lives have been complicated and he’s been in Las Vegas doing his magical mystery psychic show. Yesterday he was in New York as a guest on the Tonight Show.”
“I saw him last night on TV.”
“Me, too,” Trudy said, wistfully.
“He looked devastating in the charcoal suit and black shirt.”
“You’re preaching to the choir, Quintara.” Trudy closed her eyes, remembering how she had ached with longing as she’d watched the show. At one point, when the camera had closed in on his face and he’d graced everyone with his trademarked, lopsided grin, she’d actually groaned in abject depravation. Sadie had called her and they’d discussed how he could easily be a fashion model or a Chippendale headliner. Turned out that her sister had been nursing a “celebrity crush” on him for a couple of years.