by P. J. Mellor
Devon reacted, turning on the steps and reaching out, closing his arms around her.
Unfortunately all he caught was her dress as it slid up around her armpits.
The cool breeze wafting around her privates told her she’d just flashed all the patrons of the Dockside Steak Emporium and Bar.
31
A collective gasp came from all the restaurant patrons. Jamie kept her eyes squeezed shut, too mortified to react, while Devon’s shaking hands tugged her dress back down to protect what little modesty she had left.
When he helped her to her feet at the base of the stairs, she kept her gaze firmly on the toes of her shoes, concentrating on placing one foot in front of the other. Just as they reached the door, an employee rushed up.
“Ma’am? I believe you dropped this.”
The flesh-colored glob of silicone entered her field of vision.
Her hand shot out, grabbing the telltale augmentation and shoving it into her dress in one—she hoped—lightning-fast motion.
Devon cleared his throat, drawing her attention. He glanced pointedly at her chest, so she looked down.
Darn. She’d shoved the falsie into the wrong side of her bodice, resulting in a horribly lopsided bosom.
Without a word, Devon guided her to his car. After helping her in, he slid into the driver’s seat and started the powerful engine.
As they entered Interstate 45, he finally spoke. “You want to tell me about what you stuffed down your dress?”
Even though she’d immediately shifted the misplaced form, she glanced down at her chest and tugged on her neckline. “Not really.”
What sounded suspiciously like a smothered laugh echoed in the silence of the car’s interior. “It really wasn’t necessary, you know. I’ve already seen you naked, up close and personal.” He chuckled. “And, now, so has everyone in the restaurant.”
She punched his bicep.
“Ow!” He made a show of rubbing the offended spot. “You’re not only an exhibitionist, you’re violent.”
Burying her heated face in her hands, she wished he’d just push her out of the car on some deserted stretch of highway. A person could take only so much humiliation in one’s life.
The car pulled onto the shoulder of the road, making her wonder if Devon had read her mind.
“It’s past time you told me what you’re really doing in Surfside.” Devon leveled his gaze on her as the car rolled to a stop, the glow from the dash casting him in harsh relief.
“What do you mean?” She chewed on her lower lip and wondered how far they were from the apartment. Her stomach sank—she’d never make it more than a block in the grotesquely high heels. What had she been thinking? The shoes were so not her style.
“Jamie, don’t look so worried.” He reached and took her hand in his much warmer one. “I had hoped we knew each other well enough not to have secrets.”
Without warning, he dipped his free hand into her bodice and removed a traitorous gel pack. “Want to tell me why you feel you need to wear these ridiculous things?”
“Give me that!” Her grab was unsuccessful. “I mean it, Devon. This isn’t funny.”
“I know.” His quiet voice filled the silence. “What I don’t know is what you’re doing.”
Shifting on the seat, she glared at him.
He glared right back.
Defeated, she slumped back in the red bucket seat. “I told you I’m trying to keep a low profile because of Fred.” At his nod, she continued. “I thought maybe if I changed the way I looked, Fred wouldn’t be able to find me so easily.”
“And you thought a bigger bosom would do the trick?” The tone of his voice told her what he thought of that idea. “What is he, some throwback, a true ‘breast’ man?”
“Of course I didn’t think just a bigger chest would throw him off my trail. I also changed my hair and eye color. And I began wearing clothing the old Jamie would never wear, more flamboyant types of things.” Not to mention acting a way that was also foreign to her old lifestyle. Ironically, she found she liked the new hedonistic Jamie.
She pulled a strand of hair from his toying fingers and leaned back against the passenger door. His touch was too disturbing.
“Yet you keep thinking you’ve seen him,” he pointed out. “Obviously the disguise thing isn’t working too well for you.”
Her sigh filled the car. “I don’t know what else to do, Devon. Everything I’ve tried in the past hasn’t worked. It’s spooky the way he keeps finding me. If you have any other ideas, I’m all ears.”
“Could he be finding you through your bank or credit cards?”
“I canceled my credit cards and have been accessing my trust fund through a personal banker in Denver. He transfers the funds to a checking account, and I use my ATM. I don’t even have an e-mail account for Fred to hack into anymore.”
“Is Jamie Cartwright your real name? Maybe that’s how he’s finding you. A lot of things are public record, you know. It’s just a matter of finding out a way to access it.”
“Actually, my real name is Jamie Lambert. Cartwright is my middle name. It was my mom’s maiden name.”
“But your driver’s license said Cartwright. I saw it when you signed the lease.”
“It was pretty easy to get a new license. All I had to do was apply for a new one and use my birth certificate. My mom and dad were fighting when I was born, so Mom put her maiden name on my birth certificate and listed my father as unknown. They made up, of course, but she never got around to having the birth certificate changed.”
“Does Fred know this?”
She thought about that for a moment and then shook her head. “No. He’s never had any dealing with me that would have required the use of my full name.”
“Your name wasn’t on the lease when you lived with him?”
“No. Fred has control issues.”
“Which is why you left him in the first place.”
“Exactly.”
He started the car and glanced over at her with a grin. “Have you ever done it in a Mustang?”
The question shot heat through her. She checked out the space and then shook her head. “No, and I don’t think it’s logistically possible, even if we tried.”
“There’s an old saying, where there’s a will, there’s a way.”
Tempting as the thought was, she shook her head. “Ah, that’s the thing. I’m not willing. And you’re still injured from our little lawn-chair sex experiment—”
“—I’m a fast healer—”
“Plus,” she continued as though he hadn’t spoken, “I’ve had enough humiliation for one night. Maybe for a lifetime.”
His chuckle warmed her more, adding to the flush of desire blazing through her. “I hear you. I was embarrassed on your behalf. While I, personally, enjoyed the view, I wasn’t too happy about the rest of the crowd. And I knew you had to be dying.”
“You can say that again! I can’t recall ever being so mortified. Thanks, by the way, for your fast reaction in helping me get my dress back down.”
“You’re grateful and yet not willing to have sex with me in the car?” He tsked and put the car in gear, checking for traffic as he pulled onto the road. “What ever happened to gratitude sex?”
“Oh, come on! I think you’re making stuff up. Really. Have you ever actually had gratitude sex?”
“Well, no. But that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t be grateful for it,” he said with a smile in her direction.
“Just shut up and drive.”
“Want to come to my apartment and rub more gunk on my sex injuries?” Devon helped her out of the car and then locked it.
“No offense, but I think I’ll pass. We got sidetracked the last time I did that. I ended up rubbing a lot more than your injuries.”
He waggled his eyebrows and kissed her temple. “That’s what I’m counting on.”
“And that’s why I’m not going to do it,” she shot back with a saccharine smile.
Devon hung his head and trudged toward the courtyard. “You’re a hard woman, Jamie.”
“I still have some pineapple upside-down cake, if you can behave yourself.” Even without sex, she found she liked spending time with him and was surprised to realize she wasn’t ready for the evening to end.
His smile caused a returning one from her. He saluted her. “Scout’s honor. I’ll be on my best behavior.”
Devon rolled from her sweat-slicked body and heaved a sigh. “I know, I promised. But the sight of you serving whipped cream with the cake caused all this. It did me in. You know, in some countries whipping cream is an aphrodisiac. Sixty-three percent of couples prefer their sex with whipped cream.”
“You’re making that up!” She would have swatted at him, but her arm refused to obey her command.
“Okay, maybe I am, but if it’s not a fact, it should be.” He rolled close to her and ran his fingertip along the outside of her breast. “If I promise to behave, may I have seconds?”
“Oh, no, you don’t! I’m not falling for your word games. Seconds of what? Cake? Or sex?”
“Yes.”
He popped an antacid in his mouth and chewed vigorously, his eyes narrowed at the darkened bedroom window. How long did it take to eat cake? He’d seen Jamie and the guy go into the apartment, heard them discussing cake, saw them eating at the table. Then they’d disappeared. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out where they went. Jamie had turned into a real sex maniac since they separated.
The thought made him sick, and he chomped down on another chalky mint.
He took a deep breath. He could control his temper. He’d been doing so well. Why did she have to be such a slut?
Footsteps sounded on the courtyard. He turned and walked toward the back parking lot.
“Hey!” a deep voice shouted. “Hey, you! Are you looking for someone?”
He picked up the pace and then sprinted to his car, not looking back as he took the exit on two wheels.
Bang, bang, bang.
Devon jackknifed to a sitting position, dipping the mattress and jiggling Jamie.
Bang, bang, bang.
“Whoever it is sounds anxious.” Devon pulled up his pants and stepped around the pile of clothes on the floor. “Stay here. I’ll go see who it is.”
As soon as he left the room, she vaulted from the bed and grabbed her robe. No way was she going to allow Fred to pulverize or otherwise bully Devon.
She hurried into the living room as Devon opened the door. Her shoulders slumped with relief when she recognized Todd’s friend Rick.
“Everything okay in here?” Rick scanned the room while he talked.
“It was, until you started banging on the door,” Devon answered with a wry smile.
Rick’s gaze zeroed in on Jamie, raking her from bare feet to the top of her head and back. “I didn’t mean to interrupt.” He stepped back over the threshold. “I just saw some creep loitering outside by the bedroom window and wanted to make sure everyone was all right.”
“Did you see who it was?” Jamie pulled the lapels of her robe tight against her neck.
Rick shook his head. “Nah. Too dark. All I saw was a dark silhouette, tall, male. Buzz cut. That’s about it. As soon as I yelled at him, he made tracks for the parking lot. By the time I got out there, he was a speck of taillights.”
“Well, thanks for coming by,” Devon said, closing the door. “Appreciate it.”
Rick stared for a moment and then nodded and walked away.
“Do you think it was Fred?” Jamie was right behind him when he closed the door.
He pulled her into his arms and rested his chin on her head. “Calm down. No reason to think it was him.” Of course, there was also no reason to think otherwise, but he wasn’t about to tell her that. “I’m going to go home now and try to get some work done. How about breakfast tomorrow; then we can catch some rays on the beach.” He held up his hand. “Don’t worry, I plan to keep my distance from you so we don’t get arrested again. Besides, I need to be back in time for Francyne to watch her soaps. She claims subbing for me at the manager’s office cuts into her viewing time.”
“Okay. Should I bring anything? Orange juice, suntan lotion? A chastity belt?”
“Ha. Ha. Very funny. Why don’t you be there around eight; then we can be on the beach by nine.”
A chaste kiss was followed by a steamy gaze, and he walked away.
After pausing to listen for the dead bolt being thrown, he whistled tunelessly and set off across the courtyard.
A metal scraping sound drew his attention. It sounded like it had come from the corridor running next to Jamie’s bedroom.
Even with the light of a full moon, it was difficult to see once he progressed a few steps toward the interior.
Out of nowhere, a fist connected with his face.
32
When Devon opened his eyes, he was flat on his back next to Jamie’s window. It hurt, but he turned his head. He was alone.
Good thing, too. If he’d seen the coward who’d clocked him, he’d kick his ass.
He stood and grabbed the wall until the wave of dizziness left him.
Okay, maybe the guy’s ass was safe.
Right now, he needed a stiff drink, a soft bed and an extra-strength pain reliever. Not necessarily in that order.
A glance confirmed that Jamie’s lights were still on.
He sighed. Rest would have to wait. He needed to make sure she was okay.
Jamie dried her face as she walked from the bathroom, pausing until she heard Devon’s voice call through the door.
She swung the door open to see him leaning against the frame, his hand covering his face.
“Are you all right?” She tugged until he was inside the door and then shut it again. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” he said in a muffled voice. “I just wanted to double-check that you were okay before I went home. Night.”
“Wait! What’s going on?” She grabbed his arm as he passed, turning him toward the light. “Oh, my gosh! What happened? Do you need to put ice on it?”
Devon’s nose was swollen beneath both eyes a shade or two darker than usual.
“No,” he assured her. “I’m fine. Really. Just had a little accident, that’s all. After I picked myself up, I decided I should check on you one more time.” He grinned and winced and then touched his nose and winced again. “I wanted to make sure my clumsiness hadn’t rubbed off on you.”
Tugging him until she could reach the freezer, she took out a small bag of frozen peas and handed it to him. “You’re not going anywhere until you put something on that.”
While he sat with the bag on his face, she rummaged around in the drawer until she found the small bottle of Tylenol she’d bought at the grocery store. She shook some into her hand and got a glass of water. “Here. Take these. And drink the whole glass of water.”
He peeked around the plastic bag and took the pills, throwing them into his mouth and gulping the entire glass of water. “There,” he said, handing back the empty glass, “are you happy now?”
“Not really. Not until you tell me what really happened.”
“I tripped.”
“Why don’t I believe you?”
He stood and tossed the peas back into the freezer section. Walking back to her, he gripped her shoulders and pulled her into a kiss that curled her toes.
“Because,” he said when he finished kissing her senseless, “you are a suspicious person.” He kissed the tip of her nose and stepped back. “I have some work to do, and then I’m getting a good night’s sleep. I suggest you do the same. See you bright and early tomorrow, sunshine.”
She stood staring at the door after he left. It certainly looked as though someone had punched Devon in the nose.
With a sigh, she walked over and locked the door. If he didn’t stop lying to her, she might be the next person to punch his lights out.
“I smell bacon,” Francyne said as she walked int
o Devon’s apartment the next morning. “You didn’t tell me you were making breakfast for me. I already had a bowl of All-Bran. ’Course, I wouldn’t turn down a cup of coffee—holy shit! What happened to you?”
She reached and turned his face to the light. “You’re working on a set of black eyes. Somebody punch you?”
“Nah. Just clumsy. Here.”
He grinned and handed her a filled mug with the flavored creamer she favored already in it.
“You’re a good boy,” she said, patting his cheek. After taking a sip, she sighed and looked up at him. “You’re going to make someone a good wife someday.”
“Very funny.”
“So,” Francyne said, leaning against the counter, “who’s coming for breakfast, as though I didn’t know?”
“Jamie,” he answered, his head bent over the biscuits in the oven. He straightened, wiping his hands on the towel tucked into the waistband of his shorts. “We’re going to go to the beach for a couple hours after we eat. I printed up some lease applications, in case you get a rush while I’m gone.”
That earned a snicker.
“Yeah, I don’t think I’ll hold my breath on that. Did Rick tell you his faucet is leaking again? I’ll call the plumber as soon as I’m finished with my coffee.”
“I can take a look at it when I get back.”
Francyne snorted. “Like I said, I’ll call a plumber.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” He stirred the gravy and put the lid on the tureen.
“It means you’re a great guy, pumpkin, and we love you, but a fix-it man you are not. Remember Drew’s shower fiasco last year? It’s cheaper to call a plumber.”
“It’s open,” Devon called a few seconds later when a knock sounded.
Jamie entered, looking very tan and sexy in a white fishnet cover-up over a very revealing bright yellow bikini.