Whisper

by Lockwood, Tressie

  “Yeah, uh huh.” She rolled her eyes. “Anyway, that’s all I can think to say about myself. Pretty boring, I guess.”

  He took her by surprise when he reached a hand out to stroke her cheek. Whisper froze. She liked the sensations he created a little too much. No, he couldn’t possibly want her, especially after he’d been about to get Sheila. How could she forget that little fact?

  “You’re far from ordinary,” he commented when she drew away.

  Whisper lowered her eyes to her plate. “You keep coming on to me, but I don’t mess with my friend’s men, and she doesn’t mess with mine.” The statement wasn’t wholly true, but she didn’t care to revisit the past.

  “I assure you, I’m not your friend’s man.” The bite in his tone startled her. She stared at him, and he softened his tone. “What you thought you saw in the laundry room wasn’t what it looked like.”

  She opened her mouth to say something, but he cut her off.

  “I’m interested in you, Whisper, not your friend.”

  In which of my fantasies?

  “I’m flattered, but I’m not really looking to get into a relationship right now. I have to get work straight, and I’m planning to go back to school the minute my schedule is predictable.”

  “I wasn’t offering a relationship.”

  Of course not.

  “I’m not looking for casual sex either.” She leaned back and gathered her purse, about to rise. He stopped her with one of his big hands covering hers. To her embarrassment, it trembled under his. She wasn’t sure if it was anger, disappointment, or excitement. Maybe it was a mix of the three. They never wanted more than a roll in the sack. Where did the women who were married to amazing guys for years find them? Whisper’s selection of men was way less than Sheila’s, but she couldn’t count on one hand the ones who had wanted a real relationship. That was because there hadn’t been any. She sometimes feared if she found something long term, she wouldn’t know how to handle it.

  “You drive a hard bargain,” he complained with a half smile that did funny things to her insides.

  “This isn’t a negotiation.”

  He released her hand and sat back when she didn’t bolt. The way he studied her with those dark eyes made her want to fidget. She didn’t want him to know how he affected her, so she held perfectly still. Only after her itching nose tormented her did she think about how false that looked, too.

  “Five dates,” he announced at last.

  “Excuse me?”

  He grinned. The man must have used that smile to fell many stronger women than she. “Promise me five dates, and if after the fifth you don’t want to sleep with me, then I will walk away. I won’t pressure you at all.”

  Whisper pursed her lips. “Are you for real? You’re going to sit there and put a number of dates on when I have to sleep with you? Every smart woman knows she doesn’t sleep with a guy until she’s sure he doesn’t just want her for her body and nothing else.”

  “And I’ve just dispelled the question for you by saying it is what I want,” he countered. “However, like I said you don’t have to sleep with me. You can walk away. I want casual. You don’t. At the most, you can enjoy my company, get a few free dinners out and maybe have some fun. All without obligation.”

  Whisper frowned and shook her head. “Something about this is jacked up. I can’t put my finger on it. I guess I have to give you props for getting the whole thing out there in the open, but I should be running for the hills.”

  He gestured toward the exit. “You are free to leave at any time.”

  She made as if to go to see if he’d stop her again. He remained seated, relaxed, and too damn sexy for her own good. She should be pissed off at him saying some mess like after five dates, he wanted her to put out, but somehow the reaction wasn’t the same with him being honest and straightforward about it. Maybe this was the way he lured women in, with twisted proposals they couldn’t wrap their heads around. Then again, glancing at his full head of silky dark curls, the strong line of his jaw and full lips, the awesome build, he didn’t need a line to get a lot of women to spread their legs. Whisper was tempted to say, “Fuck it, my place or yours.” However, there was the question of her body. Alec was perfection itself. She was a whole other matter. With little money, dreams of a tummy tuck was just that—a dream. Her boobs were saggy, and she couldn’t even blame it on having kids. She was just plain chunky and scared to show him her body. He could run out of the room in horror.

  So I should just say no and leave right now.

  “Okay, five dates,” she agreed. What was she thinking? “You can’t be skimpy in taking me out and letting me have fun. We get to do whatever I want, and you don’t push for more, or get happy with your hands.”

  “Deal.” There was that smile again. Goodness, if she wasn’t careful, she’d give it up tonight.

  “Okay, tell me about you,” she encouraged him to distract herself.

  His knowing look said volumes. The man was too confident. She’d love to knock him on his ass and make him fall madly in love with her. Ha ha. Real fantasy, Whisper.

  She listened as she continued eating her food. Alec wasn’t just some pretty boy more into his next lay than anything else. She found herself enjoying his stories and him, and that was dangerous.

  “Max and I are twins,” he said. “I’m older by two hours.”

  Whisper gaped. “Two hours? I thought you were about to say two minutes.”

  He chuckled. “I’m sure my mother would have loved it that way, but Max is stubborn. He likes to give everyone around him a hard time and do things his way. I guess he was starting early with all the trouble he gave my mother. I have a younger sister who is married with children. She lives with her family in Maine. That’s where Max and I moved down from after…”

  She saw pain in his expression, but he masked it and went on. Whisper wasn’t sure whether to acknowledge it or let it go, trusting that if he wanted to share he would. In the end, she let him decide.

  “He lost his girlfriend recently, a woman who for all intents and purposes was to be his wife. To have her in his life was a big deal for Max. To lose her was more than he could bear for a while.”

  Whisper made a sympathetic sound. “Sounds like it was hard for you, too.”

  He gave her a startled glance. “Yes, we all loved her. Sarah became like one of the family. Anyway, I was used to looking out for Max, used to smoothing over whatever feathers he’d ruffled. Things got touchy where we were, so I decided we both needed a change of scenery. We moved here to Virginia.”

  “Wow, big change. Maine must be really cold in winter and mild during summer? Here it can get hot in summer.”

  He winked. “I think we can handle it.”

  For some reason, she blushed. “What do you do for a living?” She didn’t figure it paid that much since he lived in her same apartment building.

  “We both work in real estate. I wanted to get into the area to be sure of various locations and the best possible place if we decide to buy a house here.”

  “That makes sense.” She hesitated. “Are you planning on always being together? And what do you do naked in the woods?” She slapped a hand over her mouth, eyes going wide. The question just slipped out because she didn’t even realize she’d been thinking about it right then.

  Alec laughed. He didn’t appear to be offended. “No, we’re not always going to be together.” He raised her hand to his lips and planted a light kiss on her knuckles. She shivered. “Trust me, when I have you, I won’t want my brother anywhere around.”

  “When?” She sucked her teeth. “You’re pretty confident, but don’t get excited. I’m firm about where I am in my life.” Lies, all lies. Girl, who are you fooling?

  “I’m hopeful,” he said and released her.

  Alec went on to discuss all the hair-brained schemes his brother had gotten him into, including the purchase of a money pit of a house—their first—and forged Alec’s signature on the pa
perwork.

  “Are you serious? Didn’t you want to kill him? Or did you try?”

  Alec’s gaze clouded a bit as if he recalled just what he’d done. “We have our ways of getting even.”

  “Hm, I don’t like that way that sounds. Remind me not to get on your bad side.”

  “I wouldn’t hurt a beautiful woman like you, Whisper.” His tone dropped so deep and rumbly, she shifted in her chair and tried not to think of the state of her panties.

  When he went on not answering about the naked woods running, she mentally set a key and lock to her heart. No sir. Sexy was crazy, and she wasn’t going down that route. She’d made stupid mistakes in the past with glaring road signs that showed she was headed in the wrong direction. Not again. The dates would be fun for a change because she’d had a long dry spell and was lonely for male companionship. After that, it was over, and Alec could be the stuff of her dreams when she was alone taking care of things with her hand.

  She tilted her head to the side and studied him. “Okay, tell me more. Entertain me.”

  And he did.

  Chapter Five

  Whisper woke up with her eyes burning. She hadn’t slept much the night before because her mind was filled with thoughts of Alec. After dinner, he’d taken her to see a movie. She couldn’t have said what the thing was about because she was busy stealing glances at him. Every time she did, she found him looking back. Eventually, he took her hand, and they laced their fingers together. He whispered in her ear, low enough for no one else to be disturbed. She felt like a schoolgirl with a crush, but no matter how hard she fought it, the man charmed her.

  “This is why he’s so confident,” she complained on the way to the bathroom. In the mirror, she frowned at herself. “How many women were right here arguing with themselves to get a grip before it’s too late?” Maybe she should cancel the date three days from now. Yeah, she’d been surprised last night at his insistence that they make the next of the five dates as soon as possible. Whisper had had to put up some resistance and suggested three days. Now that she thought of it, maybe three was too eager on her part. Damn it, I should have said a week.

  An hour later, when she arrived at work, her stomach knotted. She hadn’t spoken to Mr. Peters since the night before when he’d been pushed into a corner to allow her to leave with Alec. For all she knew, he’d be pissed and make her life more miserable. She drew in a deep breath as she approached his office and made to pass by with a mere wave and a smile.

  “Whisper, come in here a minute,” he called.

  She stopped cold, and the pain in her belly increased.

  “Shut the door,” he instructed.

  Whisper did as she was asked and took a seat. If she didn’t get support under her now, she’d collapse. As she waited for Mr. Peters to finish signing a few papers, she did a running tally of her bills in her mind and tried to determine how long her savings would cover them until she found another job.

  Mr. Peters looked up from his papers. “I’ve decided to restructure your schedule.”

  She blinked. “Come again?”

  “Your schedule.” He stood up and moved from behind his desk. Whisper assumed he was going to do his usual, like sit on the edge of his desk way too close to her, or drop a hand on her shoulder and squeeze. Instead, he stood at the window with his back to her and peered out. “I’ve been unfair to you, Whisper. Just because you don’t have a family doesn’t mean your time isn’t precious to you like the rest of us.”

  She didn’t bother correcting him on the family part. What he said blew her away.

  “You’ll work until five and not a minute over, Monday through Friday. I insist on it.” He smiled as if he’d just done a good deed and was proud of himself. In a way, she guessed he had. “There’ll be no need for Mr. Macgregor to miss you unless that’s by your choice.”

  While her boss kept talking, enjoying listening to himself speak, Whisper went over what happened at the office the night before. Alec showed up, and she said his name. Did she say his last name? Of course not. That would be stupid and unnecessary. Who said their supposed boyfriend’s last name when they saw him? So how did Mr. Peters know his last name?

  “Um, I don’t want to interrupt you, Mr. Peters, and I definitely appreciate you cutting out all the overtime for me. Trust me, I can use the extra time for…um…some important things.” She decided not to tell him about school. “But how did you know Alec’s last name? Did you talk to him?”

  Her answer came in Mr. Peters’ face going red and a look of fear and horror coming into his eyes. “I-I-I,” he stuttered.

  She watched him open and close his mouth like a fish and fidget with his shirt collar. Whisper recalled Alec saying he had a way of influencing people when he wanted to. She couldn’t help wondering if he’d contacted her boss and threatened him. No, that couldn’t be it. He wouldn’t know how Mr. Peters would react. Besides, it was just a few dates they had agreed to, nothing serious enough to contact her boss over.

  “He or you must have said it last night when he picked you up,” her boss lied. She always knew when he wasn’t telling the truth. “Anyway, I have a lot of work to get through today, so if you’ll excuse me, I’ll let you get to yours.” He dropped into his chair and mopped his brow with a tattered tissue. “Shut the door on your way out, will you? Thanks.”

  She had no choice but to leave. She couldn’t beat him over the head and demand he tell her what really happened. All day, she pondered it, but no scenario gave her peace. In the end, she decided she was jumping to conclusions and forced herself to let it go.

  That evening, Whisper stopped by the school she’d wanted to attend and picked up some information. Her heart beat a rapid tattoo, and she couldn’t keep the smile off her face as she entered her building. After going through everything, she would probably find out how to register for classes online. This reprieve in her schedule couldn’t come at a better time. She only had a short wait for the next semester to start, and she’d be on her way to a better life.

  Stepping out of the elevator on her floor, Whisper hummed as she walked and thought of all the new career opportunities that would someday be hers. She rounded the corner to where her apartment was and bumped into the broad back of the man just coming out of his place. She winced at the pain to her nose.

  Max turned around and looked down at her with concern in his eyes. For some reason he appeared a tad less manic today, although she was still struck by how much he looked like Alec. “I’m sorry. Are you okay?”

  “Fine, thanks.” She rubbed her nose. “I wasn’t looking where I was going, so it’s my fault. No harm done.”

  She started to go around him, but he seemed inclined to talk. “You were humming. Good news?”

  Whisper studied him. This was the dude who liked to drive his brother nuts and get him into trouble. Still, he was someone to talk to. She grinned. “Yes, my boss just told me that I don’t have to work overtime anymore. That means I can go to school like I’ve been longing to do forever. I’m so excited.”

  “I see.”

  The twinkle of amusement in his eyes made her somehow wish Alec was there. She hated that feeling since it had no place in her heart. Thinking of Alec, she frowned. “I’m wondering if Alec had something to do with it because my boss mentioned his last name. There’s no reason he would know, even though Alec came to pick me up last night.” She was rambling. She clamped her lips together and pressed them tight.

  Max’s grin spread over his face. “Ah, my brother is becoming more protective of his mate.” Max nodded as if it was all matter of fact. “He’ll get worse before he gets better. Hopefully, he’ll open his eyes to what’s really happening before he pisses you off and you tell him where to go.”

  Okay, and now he’s crazy again. She sighed. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. You said that mate stuff before. Alec is just wanting to date…well, a little more than that. I’m looking to date. He just wants sex.”

  She had no
problem admitting the truth to his brother. With any luck, Max would repeat it to Alec, and it would give her a greater shield. A suspicion in her gut told her she was still fooling herself, but she ignored it.

  Max leaned a shoulder against the wall and folded his arms over a broad chest. “Tell me. Was your boss getting a little too friendly with you?”

  Her eyes widened. “How did you— I mean, what does that matter?”

  He chuckled. “Instincts. You’re his mate, so he will do whatever it takes to protect you, even stoop to the levels I’ve been known to use. My brother is for the most part straight-laced, but with a mate nearby, a man can lose his sanity.”

  Max’s gaze grew cloudy, and she almost felt his pain. She rested a hand on his arm when he didn’t appear to know she was there anymore. He shifted his shoulders and focused on her.