Buried Truth

  A slow smile spread. “Yeah, I’m happy. That’s about the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me.”

  “Great. Can we go in now?”

  “Yep.” She opened her door and stepped out, then regarded him across the hood of the Jeep when he joined her. “I’m going to make your night worth every one of those knots.”

  “You are?”

  “I am.” She held out her hand. “Let’s go make it happen.”

  His heart beat faster as he walked beside her to the door. When he opened it, Barney pushed through, knocking Leah against him. The dog ran in circles, barking and wagging in a frenzy of joy, like a convict released early for good behavior. Ryan spared a moment to wonder what the cat had done to him in their absence, before ushering Leah inside with a hand on the warm curve of her waist.

  “I guess bed will have to wait.”

  He snapped on the light in the entry as disappointment filled him. “Okay.”

  Reaching up, she ran a finger across his lower lip. “Only until Barney stops going crazy. He’s not used to being stuck in the house, but I was worried he’d run off and get lost if I left him outside.”

  “Oh, I thought maybe you changed your mind.”

  “Why would I do that?”

  “You haven’t exactly had a peaceful evening. I know you’re stressed.”

  “Yeah, I am.” Her eyes glimmered with a teasing light. “There’s nothing like a little crazy sex to relax a person.”

  Ryan pulled her close. “You never fail to make me smile.” He kissed her, deepening the contact when she let out a little moan. After the dog strolled back inside, he kicked the door shut and scooped her into his arms.

  “Don’t hurt yourself!” She clung to his shoulders as he started up the stairs.

  “Don’t worry. I’m not going to drop you.” He reached the top, only slightly out of breath, and turned into his loft bedroom.

  “I’m not worried.” She stroked the back of his neck with her thumb. “I trust you completely. Ryan?”

  “Hmm?” He lowered her onto his bed, sat down next to her, then clicked on the bedside lamp before stretching out at her side.

  “I was young and stupid back in high school. Believing we wouldn’t be able to make our relationship work simply because we’re different was the biggest mistake I’ve ever made. I’m sorry I hurt you. I’m sorry we lost all those years together.”

  He tucked her close to his chest. “Maybe it was for the best.”

  She stared up at him, her eyes wide. “Why?”

  “You’re right. We were both young. Maybe we needed to experience life before we could see that what we have together is strong and beautiful and damn near perfect.”

  “I had to marry a toad before I could have my prince?”

  “I guess so.”

  “Since it appears you dated lovely women like Ursula rather than slimeballs, I can only be thankful none of them broke through your walls. Maybe that’s horrible, but you’re the missing ingredient in my recipe for happiness. Maybe my life wouldn’t have been ruined if we hadn’t found each other again, but it would always have lacked . . . heart.”

  He kissed her, more grateful for Leah than he could express in words. “If you’d still been married to Brock—”

  She pressed a finger to his lips. “Not a chance.”

  “I guess we both have a lot to be thankful for.”

  “So, maybe we can show each other how we feel after we shed a few layers of clothes.”

  He smiled. “I need to take out my contacts first.”

  “And I want to brush my teeth.” She laughed. “The movies always gloss over the mundane details.”

  He levered up off the bed and held out a hand to pull her up beside him. “But this is reality, and in my book, that’s a whole lot better than any fantasy.”

  “Agreed.”

  There was something incredibly sexy about watching Leah brush her teeth while wearing nothing but a skimpy black bra and panties. After Ryan removed his contacts, her image blurred around the edges, but the soft haze only added to the mystery.

  She rinsed her mouth, then moved behind him to wrap her arms around his waist and lean against his bare back. His fist clenched, shooting out a stream of toothpaste into the sink.

  “Oops.”

  “A little premature, don’t you think?”

  He grinned at her reflection as she peeked over his shoulder, brown eyes alight with humor. “Your fault entirely.”

  She kissed the back of his neck. “Hurry.”

  Ryan brushed his teeth in record time then reached down to unfasten his jeans. He slid them over his hips and kicked them toward the clothes basket in the corner. When they missed, he didn’t even care. Turning to pull Leah into his arms, his entire focus was on the beautiful woman he held. “I’m ready.”

  She pressed closer. “I’ll say.”

  He fumbled with the clasp of her bra. A moment later, it fell to the floor at their feet. Sliding his hands down her smooth skin, he hooked his fingers beneath the elastic of her panties and tugged. The lace ripped, and he tossed the scrap of cloth on the tile before spinning around to lift her up onto the counter next to the sink. Heat suffused him as she tossed her head back to let her silky hair puddle around her hips.

  “Oh, God.” The tips of her breasts pearled into hard peaks.

  Eyes wide open, he pushed into her and nearly came apart as her face went slack with desire. Gripping her firm flesh, he pumped hard, never taking his eyes off her until she cried out and slumped against him. Then, and only then, did he let himself explode . . .

  * * *

  “Your son is a freaking idiot. I told you using those names was a huge risk, but he thought he was so clever. And what the hell was he thinking, striking again so soon after the last con? That’s just asking for trouble.”

  “I’ll speak to him.” The pulse throbbed at his temples as he slumped against the counter with his head in his hands, his cell phone clamped to one ear. “He says he wants to relocate and start his own business, and he’s stockpiling the funds to do it.”

  “Screw him and his plans. Samhain is nearly here. It’s been ten long years, and we have our sacrifice waiting. The last thing we need is to have anyone come snooping around, following leads. I’d turn him in myself before I let that happen.”

  His voice came out in a hiss. “Don’t threaten me or mine. My boy’s been generous about funding the Brotherhood with his proceeds.”

  “Only because I saved his hide last year by convincing a buddy of mine to hide evidence.”

  “I suppose that sounds better than blackmail.”

  The seconds ticked by in silence before the cool voice filled his ear. “Are you complaining?”

  “No, of course not.” He let out a slow breath. “I’m grateful.”

  “Then keep your kid under control. In fact, tell him his little game is over. I won’t risk him bringing unwanted attention our way.” The voice on the other end of the line lashed out. “I won’t see a centuries-old tradition destroyed because of your greedy whelp. Got it?”

  “Yeah, I got it. He had a close call up in Astoria, and it shook him. He won’t do anything stupid.”

  “He better not.”

  When the line went dead, he dropped the phone on the counter. He’d had enough of this shit storm that never seemed to let up. At least he could relax, knowing those damn photographs were no longer a threat. He’d given himself an ulcer for nothing.

  Maybe he was blowing this latest problem out of proportion, too. He’d make sure his son didn’t take any more risks, and their Samhain celebration would go off without a hitch.

  Anything less was unthinkable.

  Chapter Twenty-five

  Leah covered the knickknacks with a final layer of newspaper, closed the flaps on the box, and sealed it with a piece of packing tape. Straightening from her bent position, she stretched to work the kinks out of her back and glanced around the apartment. “I think we’re making prog
ress.”

  Her grandma turned away from the half-empty bookshelf and nodded. “It looks barren in here with only furniture. No pizzazz.”

  Leah smiled. “You do have a style all your own.”

  “Magnus calls my style Early American Clutter, but what does he know. His apartment looks like a monk’s chamber. It’ll benefit from a few trinkets to dress it up.” Hands on her hips, her grandma surveyed the living room. “I don’t think there’s enough room to move over most of my furniture, though.”

  “We can fit your rocker by the window and replace my coffee table, since yours is nicer. What furniture we don’t sell at the yard sale, we can donate to charity if it comes to that. Have you decided if you want to keep your bedroom set?”

  “Definitely. There isn’t much of anything other than a desk in the spare room, so my stuff will outfit it in style.”

  Leah frowned. “What spare room? All the bedrooms have furniture.”

  “Magnus’s second bedroom. His apartment is bigger than mine.”

  “So you’re giving him your furniture? I guess that’s one way to get rid of it. Less to move to my house.”

  “Why would I move my furniture to your house?”

  Leah wondered if Gram was beginning to lose it. “Am I missing something? What the heck are you talking about?”

  “Geez, Leah, I told you I’m staying put.” She returned to packing books. “I told you not to worry, that I had the situation under control and wouldn’t need to move in with you.”

  “Yes, but that was when we thought the police were going to bust the con artist. They didn’t, so your money wasn’t recovered.”

  “I’m not happy about that, but my basic plan didn’t change. Over the weekend, Magnus asked me to move in with him. It only took a little nudging on my part.” She glanced over her shoulder. “Do you think this box will be too heavy to lift?”

  “When, exactly, were you planning to tell me this?”

  “I did tell you, but I don’t think you were paying attention.”

  Probably because I was thinking about Ryan.

  “Gram, you can’t move in with Magnus.” Her voice rose. “You’ve only known him a few months.”

  “So? At our age, why waste time. We aren’t going crazy and planning a wedding or anything.” Her eyes gleamed. “We intend to live in sin.”

  Leah slumped into the nearest chair. “I don’t know what to say.”

  “Why say anything? You pack faster when you aren’t talking. Since you had a minimum day today at school, we’ll be able to finish up in the living room before my scuba lesson this afternoon.”

  Nonplussed, Leah shook her head. “I may need a few minutes to process all this. Have you told Mom and Dad?”

  “Not yet. I plan to wait until it’s a done deal so they can’t try to talk me out of it. Of course, they’ll be worried about a strange man taking advantage of me.” Her grandma gave an unladylike snort. “Magnus certainly isn’t after my money, since that horse already left the barn. As for anything else, he takes advantage very nicely.”

  Leah held up a hand. “Stop right there. TMI!” When her cell vibrated in her pocket, she pulled it out. “Uh, that means—”

  “Too much information. I’m hip to all this texting lingo.”

  Leah couldn’t help but smile, though she refrained from pointing out that “hip” wasn’t hip. Instead, she glanced at her phone display. “It’s Ryan. I need to talk to him.”

  “I’m not stopping you.”

  Gram was certainly in a feisty mood. Leah shook her head and answered, “Hey, Ryan.”

  “Hey, yourself. Are you riding your bike home, or would you like me to come pick you up?”

  “Neither. We had a minimum day, so I’m over at my grandma’s helping her pack. We plan to put in another couple of hours before I head home.” Standing, she skirted boxes on her way to the door. Once she’d shut it behind her, she let out a breath. “Do you mind if I whine a little? That woman has more vintage crap than Paige’s antique store. And don’t get me started on all the furniture we need to sell. The only bright note is we don’t have very far to haul everything.”

  “Your grandma’s moving out of her apartment?”

  She frowned. “I told you we don’t have the money to cover her rent for next month. I could maybe squeeze out another payment or two, but then I’d be up against it in an emergency. And let’s not forget I have to buy a new car.”

  “Surely the insurance—”

  “The Audi was so old I didn’t carry anything but liability, so, no, I won’t be getting a check from the insurance company.” She pressed the heel of her palm to her forehead. “No one cares that the accident wasn’t my fault, that I was the victim of a crime.”

  “Hey, calm down.”

  “I am calm. I’m not screaming, am I?” She leaned against the wall and let the cool wind that fluttered her skirt around her knees defuse her temper. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to snap at you. You’ve been terrific through all this.”

  “I guess I could—”

  “Help?” She straightened. “If you wouldn’t mind—”

  “I don’t mind.”

  Leah frowned. He certainly didn’t sound very enthusiastic. “If it’s a problem—”

  “No problem. I’ll be over shortly.”

  “Great. Thanks.” She disconnected, stuffed her phone back in her pocket, then went inside. “Ryan’s coming over to help. We can use his muscle to move boxes, since I’m still a little sore from the crash.” She fisted her hands on her hips. “Are you going somewhere?”

  Gram nodded and pushed her arm through the sleeve of her coat. “Magnus just called to remind me our scuba lesson was rescheduled for earlier today. I’d completely forgotten.” She held out a key. “If Ryan wants to haul boxes over to Magnus’s place, you can keep packing. Tell him to put everything in the small bedroom with the desk.”

  “Sure.” Leah bent to drop a kiss on her grandma’s cheek as she took the key from her. “Don’t you need your wetsuit?”

  “All our gear is in Magnus’s car. Bye, dear. Thanks for your help this afternoon.”

  “Of course. Have fun.”

  “We always do.” The door shut behind her with a thud.

  “Good God, I can’t keep up with that woman.” Shaking her head, Leah went to work on the second bookshelf and smiled as she loaded the box full of paperbacks with half-naked men on the covers. The fact that her grandma was moving in with Magnus probably shouldn’t have surprised her. The woman was a born romantic.

  When a knock sounded, she glanced up and called out, “Come on in.”

  Ryan entered the apartment and stared around the main room before giving her a quick smile. “Unpacking everything is going to take a while. I guess I should have called sooner.”

  “Huh?” Leah scooted around to face him and rose to her feet. “Thanks for coming over. We aren’t unloading the boxes today, just moving them. You’ll never guess what new twist my grandma threw at me. My head is spinning.”

  He pulled a checkbook and a pen out of his jacket pocket and dropped onto the couch. “More financial woes? How much does she need to keep her in her apartment and weather the latest crisis?” He glanced up, pen poised.

  Leah frowned. “What are you talking about?”

  “Should I make the check out to you or Evie?”

  “Why would you write a check to either of us?” Leah pressed fingers to her temples when they started to throb. “I feel like I’m in some alternate universe. First with Gram, and now you’re talking in circles. Am I just being dense?”

  His gaze held steady on hers. “Look, your grandma is in trouble, and you asked me to help. So, I’m here to give you the money. How much do you need?”

  She stiffened, fists clenched at her sides. “Fifty grand ought to do it.”

  He didn’t even blink, just bent his head and started writing.

  “Are you kidding me?” Her voice came out in a screech.

  “What’s wro
ng?” He stopped writing to look up as confusion darkened his eyes.

  “What’s wrong?” She kicked a box then winced when her toe smarted on impact. “This whole situation, that’s what’s wrong. You’re sitting there writing a check with a look on your face like you just bit into something rotten. I was kidding about the fifty grand. I just said that to get a reaction. Jesus!”

  He leaned back against the cushions. “I’m afraid I don’t understand. You asked for my help, and I agreed. Granted, I have a few concerns about bringing money into our relationship. That didn’t work out so well with Jay, but I hate seeing you worried sick about finances.”

  “So you figured all my problems would go away with a big, fat check?” She swallowed hard as her throat burned with tears. “I can’t believe your opinion of me is so low you thought I’d expect you to give me money. What am I looking for, a sugar daddy?”

  “Hardly, and I don’t think badly of you.” He surged to his feet and dropped the checkbook onto the coffee table. “You’re the one who asked for my help, so why are you all bent out of shape that I agreed?”

  “Help moving boxes! They’re freaking heavy, and I’m still sore from the damn car crash. I never said anything about money.”

  “You said you couldn’t afford your grandma’s rent.” His voice rose. “What did you expect me to think?”

  “Excuse me for wanting to complain a little. God!” She rubbed a hand across her eyes. “I think you should leave.”

  He shoved his hands in his pockets. “I’m sorry if I misunderstood. Can we talk about this?”

  She wiped away more tears. “Probably not a great idea right now. I need to cool off.”

  “Leah . . .” He stepped around the coffee table and held out a hand.

  “No.” She backed against the bookcase. “Just take your checkbook and go. My heart hurts right now, and I don’t want to talk.”

  He didn’t say anything else, just regarded her with a look she couldn’t interpret.

  “Let me know when you’re ready to discuss it.” He grabbed his checkbook off the table, strode to the door, and opened it. After one final glance over his shoulder, he shut it behind him with a quiet click.