She offered a smile that I swore held a measure of sadness in it. “In the heat of the moment, when he was still intent on ruining me if I moved forward with the divorce, he admitted that he’d been falling for you, that it’d taken all his willpower not to act on it and make you his mistress. He was trying to hurt me, and at the time, it worked. Nothing should have surprised me or hurt me. Women like me, we’re thrust into this life of security and possession. It’s always understood that loyalty is a one-way street. No one expects us to be happy.”
She emptied the glass and refilled it, pouring a bit more into mine as well. “Anyway. If he wasn’t sleeping with you already, I figured it was only a matter of time. His words stung of course, but ultimately the truth gave us both another reason to move on.”
“I’m not sleeping with him,” I insisted. The mere thought of sleeping with Reilly made me faintly nauseous. I’d never see him that way. I was in disbelief that he could possibly want me that way. He couldn’t possibly.
“It doesn’t matter now.”
“But I’m not. I work for him. We work long hours, yes, but I swear to you he was never unfaithful to you, with me or with anyone else that I knew of.”
She flashed me a practiced smile. “I believe you. Thank you. Regardless, it’s over now. We’re friends, David and I. That will never change. I want him to be happy, but I don’t know if he’s capable of it, honestly. Maybe he can find that in you.”
I bit down hard on my bottom lip. Was she giving me her official blessing to be the woman to replace her? I wanted to yell out that I didn’t love her husband, that my only concern for his happiness was tied directly to my steady employment. I honestly didn’t know what to say, so when Reilly called down the stairs for us, much as I didn’t want to see him right now, I welcomed the chance to leave this conversation.
I grabbed some extra glasses, brought them upstairs, and quickly retired to my room. I wanted to jump in the car and drive straight back home, but I was here until the morning. With Reilly and this unspoken thing between us. Good God. I silently prayed that everything Cheryl had said was nonsense. Maybe she was only trying to bait me into admitting some imagined wrongdoing.
The noise downstairs died down after less than an hour, and footsteps shuffled up the stairs.
“Vanessa.”
I turned in my chair. Reilly was in the doorway, tie askew, lips dark from the wine. There was nothing hard and fierce about his countenance. Drunk, he looked like half the man he was on a normal day. He stumbled on his first step into the room.
“I want to talk to you. I have things I need to say.”
I stood and faced him, torn between wanting to help him stay standing and wanting to keep my distance.
“Reilly…”
“Call me David.”
He lifted his gaze. Seeming to gain some composure, he made his way to me. I swallowed hard and tried to look away.
“Look at me.”
I closed my eyes, a momentary escape from the nightmare I was certain was only just beginning. He put his hand on my cheek. I jerked away, his damp palm on my skin a shock and a violation at once. We so rarely touched.
“I want you to be mine, Vanessa. She was never really mine. I want to start over, with you.”
He reached for me again, but I backed away a few steps until I was up against the wall. He slid his hands over my blouse, his bleary gaze shifting there.
“God, I want you.”
I brushed his hands away and recoiled, panic prickling under my skin.
He reeked of wine and something else, a nervous odor that became more pronounced as he caged me in with his arms propped against the wall beside me.
“Stop it. You’re drunk.”
“Maybe. Doesn’t change anything. You’re everything I want.”
“You should get some rest.” I wanted to run, but I’d never seen Reilly this way. I had no idea what I was dealing with, and I didn’t want this to escalate more than it needed to. We had to face each other, one way or the other, in the morning. Already it was going to be more awkward than I could imagine.
“I don’t sleep. You know that. Unless maybe you come to bed with me. Take care of me. That’s what you do, you know? We’re perfect, you and I. I can give you everything you could ever want. You already give me everything I need. We’re just missing this one thing…”
His hand strayed again, finding its way to the place where my blouse split into a V at my chest. When I pushed him away this time, he held on and the fabric ripped.
He groaned and pushed me hard against the wall. “Give me what I want, Vanessa. Goddamnit, I can’t stop thinking about you. I need this.”
Adrenaline spiked, and I pushed him off hard. He stumbled back against the chair I was sitting on earlier.
“Get out! Get out, or I’m leaving.” I was trembling. How far would he push this agenda?
With some struggling, he found his way upright again. “Tell me you don’t feel the same way.”
“Reilly…David. You need to leave. We can discuss all of this in the morning. You’re drunk, and you need to go to bed.”
That perpetual need to get ahead of a potential problem propelled me out of my room, down the hall, and into his. I found a glass in the adjoining bathroom and filled it to the brim. Searching around the cupboard, I located some ibuprofen. I returned to the bedroom and Reilly had followed me. His face fallen, he dropped onto the bed. I pushed the glass and tablets into his hand.
“Drink. And go to bed. We can talk about this in the morning.”
I turned and shut the door behind me. I hurried back to my room and locked the door. I hoped against hope that he was too drunk to remember any of this in the morning. But even the possibility of brushing all of this under the rug wouldn’t stop the anxiety thrumming through me.
I stood in front of the window, my arms wrapped around myself. I waited for my heart to slow, for the panic to ebb away. Reilly was gone now, and I prayed I’d never feel him touch me that way again. Ever.
I stripped off the ripped shirt, wanting to rid myself of the evidence of his hands on me. I’d never had someone touch me that way. A few grabby guys in college but nothing I couldn’t handle. Nothing had ever felt this unwanted.
I was angry that he’d put me in such an uncomfortable situation. He was drunk, but he had no right. I riffled through my small suitcase and pulled on a T-shirt that Darren had worn on the island and I’d claimed for myself. Sinking into a chair that overlooked the darkening sky, I inhaled deeply. His familiar scent filled my lungs and some tension released in my shoulders. I closed my eyes, wishing Darren were here with me, taking all this madness away.
I picked up the phone, trying to still my shaking hands. I didn’t believe Reilly would really hurt me, but the entire evening had me rattled. Between Cheryl’s blunt admission and then his…
How could I have known he felt this way when he’d only ever been cold toward me?
I called Maya. I cursed when it went to voice mail. I hovered over Eli’s number and hesitated…
DARREN
The phone rang, jolting me out of sleep. I’d drifted off between calls. Vanessa’s number came up on the screen, and I answered groggily.
“Beautiful.”
“Sorry for calling so late.” Her voice was small, like she was a thousand miles away. She wasn’t that far away, but it reminded me that she was farther than I wanted her to be.
I stretched, trying to ignore the wood I was sporting that would love some attention from my favorite redhead. “I miss you,” I said, not bothering to hide the suggestion in my tone.
“Were you sleeping? I can call back.”
“No, it’s fine. I was just catching a few winks before my next emergency. And I was telling the truth, I miss you. Miss hearing your voice.”
She was quiet and the fog of sleep began to clear more. “Is everything all right?”
She let out a heavy sigh. “I don’t know. It’s been a strange trip.”
/> “Vanessa. What’s going on? Are you okay?”
“I’m fine now. Reilly came home from the funeral drunk.” She sighed again. “I shouldn’t even be talking about this. It’s stupid.”
“What happened?”
“He came on to me. I had no idea—” Her voice had that small faraway sound again.
“Did he touch you?” I sat up straight in my bunk. Every second she was silent was killing me.
“It all happened really fast, and I got him to leave, thank God.”
Rage scorched through my veins. I stood up and looked around for my keys. I found them and went for my coat next. “I’m coming to get you.”
“Stop. Darren, I’m fine. I’m just kind of rattled and wanted to talk to a friend. I just… I wanted to hear your voice too.”
I hesitated, but every protective bone in my body wanted to get to her as fast as I could. “Should I be worried? I mean, is he in the house with you?” I’d learned how to keep my cool for a thousand emergencies, but the first hint that Vanessa was in trouble had me ready to fucking sound the alarm.
“I think he’s passed out now. I’m pretty sure he’s going to have a massive hangover tomorrow. Hopefully this will all blow over.”
None of that comforted me in the least. “I can be there in a couple of hours. I can have someone cover my shift. It’s not a problem.”
“I’m fine. I promise. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have even mentioned it. I didn’t want to upset you. Seriously, forget it.”
I gripped my coat tightly before dropping it back on the bed. Maybe I was being rash, but the only thing keeping me from getting on the highway right now was the concern in her voice when I’d mentioned it.
“When are you coming home?”
Home. To me. Where you belong.
“We fly back in the morning. We have an event in the evening, so maybe I can come see you before.”
Not likely, knowing him.
The thought of another man’s hands on her was making me crazy. She was mine, goddamnit. Fuck, I didn’t even want his eyes on her. She bent over backward for that asshole, and their first trip out of town he got grabby with her. My fingers curled into a tight fist.
“Promise me you’re okay.”
“I’m okay. I’m a thousand times better now.”
“I’ll stay on the phone with you all night if you want. You gotta talk me down though. I’ve got my keys in my hand, and I’m ready to come get you. Say the word.”
“Just stay on with me a while. Tell me about your day.”
I sighed. “I slept most of the day. Figured it would be a long night.” I closed my eyes and had the vague feeling that I’d dreamed of her. “What if I don’t want to wait until tomorrow to see you?”
The promise of seeing her, touching her, making love to her, was potent. Maybe the prick could walk in on us and know without a doubt who’d laid claim to her body. Her heart. If he heard the way I could make her scream, I’d remove all doubt.
“What did you dream about?”
I smiled. “You, of course.”
She laughed.
“I don’t like you being far away.”
She let out a small sigh. “You sound like my mother.”
“Maybe she’s onto something.”
“She hates when I travel, and she can’t understand why I live where I do. I think she’s scared for me every day of her life. She thinks Callaway is the safest place in the world.”
I dropped my keys and settled back onto the bed. “What made you leave anyway?”
She was quiet a moment. “I never really felt like I belonged there, I guess. One day I realized I couldn’t stay in that little town for the rest of my life and watch my dreams fall away.”
“And what are your dreams?”
I knew I was living my dream, but I had a feeling she was far from it.
“I don’t know. I guess I’m still figuring that part out. All I knew was I wasn’t going to find them there.”
“You have real talent, red. You should do something with that. I know I’m not the only one who’d pay to see you sing your heart out the way you did the other night.”
“That’s nice of you to say.”
“Nice or not, it’s the damn truth. Have you thought about it?”
“I don’t know. Real life gets in the way. Bills to pay. Bosses to please. Plus it’s hard to imagine the life of a musician turning out any better for me than it did for my mom.”
“They’re your dreams, Vanessa. Your dreams, your life. If you don’t make sacrifices to make them come true, no one else will.”
I knew that better than most. Of course, most of my family thought my life choices were one giant sacrifice. Didn’t matter, because I was living my dream, and no one would ever convince me otherwise.
She was quiet and then yawned. “I should go. It’s getting late.”
I got angry again, thinking about her being there with her boss. I fought every instinct to respect her wishes and let her be. Besides, what would I do? Barge into the house and sweep her away? Seemed a little dramatic, and as much as she hated her job, she probably still needed it. For now. Still, I wasn’t ready to let her go just yet.
“Stay on with me a little longer. I’ll quit nagging you, I promise.”
She laughed, and I smiled at the sweet sound. Damn, I missed her. I wanted her in my arms, her voice in my ears.
“Sing something for me.”
She laughed again, a little more tentative. “What do you want to hear?”
“Anything. The first thing that comes to mind.” I had a feeling she could sing me a TV jingle and I’d hang on every word. She had the voice of an angel. The sexiest redheaded angel this side of heaven.
She cleared her throat, and then her voice came through. Soft at first, and then a little stronger as she moved through the lyrics. I didn’t recognize the song, but it was a sentimental tune. A little sorrowful, about falling in love, a bittersweet state of being. The way she sang it, with so much heart, made it something visceral and beautiful.
I wanted to answer the lyrics like she’d spoken them to me. If she’d been with me and not miles away, I swore I would have.
Her voice faded away. I could listen to her sing for hours. The saddest, sweetest songs…all day long.
“Sing me another one.”
Chapter Fifteen
VANESSA
“I want her gone.”
Reilly’s voice echoed through the large kitchen as I crept down the stairs. The edge in his tone fell like a tight fist in my gut.
He’s firing me. Oh God. This is it.
“I don’t care how many street kids she’s done finger paints with, my money fuels the whole damn operation. She’s not sitting on that board with me. You vote with me, or I pull my pledge. See how long the initiative stays afloat without my donations.”
I relaxed a little but stayed out of view. He continued pacing the kitchen floor. He looked pale and tired. No doubt the buckets of wine he drank last night weren’t doing him any favors.
“Cut the bullshit, Nicole. I don’t care that you and Cheryl are friends. Vote against me, and I take my investors with me. You’ll be done. That’s all I’m going to say about it. I’ll see you at the meeting at the end of the month, and I trust you’ll make the decision that’s best for the organization.”
He hung up and rested his hands on the granite countertop with a sigh.
I wanted to run back up to my room, but the house was too quiet. I set my suitcase down on the landing and walked to the kitchen.
He lifted his gaze. “Morning.”
“Good morning. Want me to make some coffee?”
“No, we’ll pick some up on the way. Are you ready?”
“Ready when you are,” I answered lightly, avoiding his gaze.
We didn’t speak the whole way to the airport. Once we were in the air, I decided to break the awkward silence and get to work.
“We have the investor cocktail tonight. I have
everything set with the venue so we should be good with all that. And then you have a lunch meeting with Dermott today. Do you still want to keep that, or should I move it?”
“Keep it.”
“Okay.” I tapped out a quick e-mail to Dermott’s assistant confirming the time and location.
He exhaled heavily and stared out the window. “I’m sorry about last night.”
I stopped typing. I didn’t know what to say. Words failed me, as they so often did around Reilly. But he remembered, which was the last thing I’d wanted. My hope that by some miracle we could go on pretending it hadn’t happened disintegrated.
What he’d done wasn’t okay. I didn’t want to forgive him, but I also didn’t want to acknowledge it at all.
“I don’t lose. All my life…” He shook his head and looked back to me. “You know I used to play baseball, back in high school? I was the best player in town. Then I went to Yale, played a little bit there, but mostly just studied my ass off. Graduated with honors. Then I came to Wall Street and the rest is history. I’m good at what I do.”
“I know you are.” No one could dispute that. In the greed-fueled game of making money, he was right up there with the best of them.
“I’ve never lost like I did with Cheryl. She woke up one morning and decided she wanted something different. Just like that. Somewhere on my way to the top, this piece of my life just failed. I never even saw it coming. I struggled with it for a long time. Then I started to think, maybe this wasn’t really a failure. Maybe I didn’t lose this round. Because I realized I wanted something different too. I wanted you.”
I could hardly breathe. “Reilly, I—”
“David. Call me David.”
“David.” I swallowed hard and abused the inside of my lip as I searched for the right words. “I had no idea you felt this way. You’ve always been so…” Cold, unfeeling. The possibility that under all of that he wanted me sexually could not have been further from my mind. “You’ve challenged me a lot.”
“All that would change,” he offered quickly. “This new life, working on the fund, things are going to be different. We’ll make a great team, the two of us.”
Into the Fire (Bridge Book 2) Page 16