Chapter 35
Ford stared down into Tess’s serene face. She had been so quiet for so long and her breathing was so even, he figured she had dozed off. He couldn’t believe what they had just done. I’m such an asshole.
In spite of feeling guilty, he was tempted to go at it again. It had been a long time since he’d had sex like that. Hot, unbridled, sober. But he knew better. In fact, it wouldn’t be long before dawn started creeping up and Hudson would be back to the office.
Reluctantly, Ford stroked the side of Tess’s face with his thumb. He ran it along her cheek and chin, and then moved it across her lips. Quicker than lightening, she opened her mouth and playfully nipped at him.
“Gotcha,” she whispered and giggled.
He couldn’t help but grin. “Yes, you did.” Against his better judgment, Ford leaned down and pressed a quick kiss to her lips. “We better get out of here.”
“Why?” Tess snuggled up against him and closed her eyes.
“Because Hudson will be in the office sometime between ‘fuck it’s early’ and early.” Ford untangled himself from her, taking one last look at Tess in her glorious nakedness. She really did have an incredible body, all curves and smooth, pale skin. Turning away, he found his pants and pulled them on, while he waited for her to find her own clothes. When they were both dressed, he led her out of Hudson’s office. Quickly lighting a cigarette, Ford puffed on it several times so that the whole place would be filled with the smell.
“I thought you weren’t supposed to smoke inside,” Tess teased, as she zipped up her hoodie.
“I’m not supposed to have sex with clients on my brother’s couch, either,” Ford muttered. He poked his head inside Hudson’s office one more time to make sure there wasn’t any evidence of their activity and then closed the door. He turned back to Tess and watched her straighten herself and comb her hair with her fingers.
He didn’t know what to say. What they had just done was about as irresponsible as it got. She wasn’t over her husband and he wasn’t in a position to be with any woman, much less one who was as kind and decent as Tess. He knew it was just a spur of the moment thing, but in her fragile state, Ford was afraid Tess would think there was more to it than that.
“Don’t look at me like that,” Tess warned. “My father won’t be showing up with his twelve gauge to make you marry me.”
Laughter burst out of his mouth like an unexpected sneeze. His anxiety was eased immediately. “You sure? I mean, I don’t want your reputation to be damaged.”
Tess returned his laughter and flipped her hair back. “I think I’m the one who did the advantage-taking.”
Ford turned out the lights and locked up the office, then escorted Tess to her car which was parked beside his bike. “I need to be straight with you about something.”
“Uh oh,” Tess sighed. She leaned against her car.
“Hudson can’t know about this.”
“Duh.”
“Not just for the reasons you think.”
“Oh?” Tess raised an eyebrow and twirled her hand at him to go on.
“I think he has a thing for you.”
Tess frowned. “Yeah, I kind of got that impression. I catch him looking at me sometimes.”
“You do?”
“Of course, I’m not blind.” Tess smirked.
“Well, I wouldn’t want his feelings to get hurt. Especially if he thinks he’s got a chance with you.” Ford shuffled his feet and shoved his hands into his pockets. “I mean, when all this is over.”
“Has he said that?”
“No,” Ford said quickly. “He and I don’t talk about that kind of stuff. But we don’t have to. I know how he thinks.”
“Don’t worry about it. I won’t say a word. But I’ll be straight with you about something too.”
“What’s that?”
“He doesn’t have a chance with me. I like Hudson a lot, but he’s my lawyer. And maybe one day he could be my friend, too. Just my friend.”
Ford realized he was holding his breath and he let it out slowly and carefully. That statement made him feel a lot better and a lot worse at the same time.
* * * * *
“I’ll follow you home. Make sure you get there okay.” Ford opened her door and Tess smiled. It was a gentlemanly gesture she appreciated, wondering if he would have still done it if they hadn’t just hooked up.
“You don’t have to do that. I’ll be fine.”
“It’ll make me feel better,” Ford insisted.
“All right.”
As she pulled out of the parking lot, she heard the motorcycle roar to life. Within moments, the headlight shined behind her, illuminating the inside of her car.
What the hell did I just do?
Tess couldn’t tell how she felt about the last couple of hours. Part of her was all tingly and satisfied. Her release had been so profound, she felt as if she could sleep for days. Finally. There was no guilt at finding an outlet for her despair. Well, except that she felt bad for having to involve Ford. But she wasn’t the type of person who could just go out and find some random person to sleep with.
Then there was the other part of her. Mortified and racked with guilt for having betrayed her husband who hadn’t been in the ground a year. Slut. Tramp. She knew she was neither of those things, but being her own worst critic made those labels flash like neon signs on the side of a building.
Driving through the darkened streets of St. Clair Shores, Tess tried to listen for Jack’s voice of reprisal, but it was silent. Of course, she didn’t hear him cheering for her, either.
Decisiveness had never been one of her strong suits, but Tess figured it was about time she started standing by her choices. She decided once and for all she wasn’t going to have any regrets about the time she had just spent with Ford Marks. It would probably be difficult to stick to it, but she was going to try her best. At some point she needed to stop worrying about what Jack would think of the things she did in life. He was gone and she didn’t want everything she did to be colored by his influence.
Now that she wasn’t in his arms, Tess was able to compare Ford and Jack more objectively. Jack had never been with anyone but her and vice versa, so their knowledge of sex was limited to the things they saw in movies or read about in books. It had been satisfying in a comfortable and familiar way. But being with Ford had unlocked something inside of her. He was aggressive and confident. He took what he wanted, but still gave what she needed. He seemed to know what she needed and wanted, without having to ask or try until he found it. His passion was intuitive and that excited Tess.
As she parked in the assigned spot in front of her building, she was amazed that her breath was short and her body full of electricity. She was nervous to have to see him when he pulled his motorcycle beside her. It had been so long since she had been in a spot like this, nervous about what another boy, or man, thought of her. Trying to figure out what to say, she kind of wanted to invite Ford inside and see where it went. But then she wasn’t so sure she wanted things to go any further between them. It would be difficult enough not letting Hudson find out. Staying for a whole night could make that even harder. Tess licked her lips and cleared her throat before getting out of her car.
Ford was holding his helmet in his hands, waiting for her. As she took the two steps toward him, he cut the engine and toed the kickstand into place.
“Well, uh, thanks,” she said softly, suddenly unable to look him in the eye. She shoved her hands into the pockets of her hoodie and poked at some rocks with her toe.
“You okay?”
“Yes, I’m fine.” She chanced a quick peek at him. His green eyes were like dark emeralds in the dim light.
“You’re embarrassed now.”
“No!” Tess’s head whipped up. “Not at all. I just…” her voice trailed off, not knowing how to say what she wanted to say.
“Just what?”
Tess inhaled deeply. “I’m not embarrassed about what we did.” She took a step cl
oser to him so that their bodies just barely touched. “I’m embarrassed because I don’t know how to ask for more without sounding like a total tramp.”
Ford didn’t move. He didn’t look away and he didn’t say a word. He just stared at her for what felt like an hour. Just as Tess was about to say something, do something, to relieve the awkwardness, Ford leaned over and kissed her. It wasn’t rough like before, but Tess felt a wanting there, like he was holding back.
“Come in with me,” she murmured against his lips. “Just for a little while longer. Then we’ll pretend like it never happened.”
Ford’s answer was to pull her into his arms. He crushed her against his chest as their lips melted together.
As the sky was changing from full dark to that subtle, slight gray of predawn, Ford took her hand and followed Tess inside.
* * * * *
This is a mistake, Ford thought as he followed Tess inside. I know I shouldn’t be doing this. But when had he ever made the right choices? Not since Hudson got old enough to take care of himself. Since then, his life had become one long string of chaotic instances and freak occurrences, most of which landed him in some form of trouble or another.
He was about to change his mind and tell Tess that he ought to go, but she turned around and flashed him an angelic smile that unwound him entirely. He pulled her into his arms and clung to her with a ferocity that scared him more than it would have upset her.
Before he knew what he was doing, he had her hoodie and bra off and she was tugging at his pants. They stumbled and staggered their way to her bedroom. In a tangle of limbs and hands, they managed to keep their mouths fused together while still stripping away every last article of clothing.
Pushing her onto the bed, Ford sprawled next to her and proceeded to explore her body with his hands and his mouth. He turned off the voice in his head that told him it wasn’t too late to stop. He ignored the gut feeling telling him he was making one of the biggest mistakes in his life. He opened his heart for just a little while and let himself pretend that this was the kind of life he was meant for. A beautiful girl in bed and passion not fueled by alcohol and regrets.
Chapter 36
Hudson dialed Tess’s number for the third time since arriving at the office around eight, only to get her voicemail again. Her phone was off and that was odd. Usually it would ring a couple of times and she would answer his calls. Instantly, he was worried. There was always a chance she would run, overwhelmed by the insanity of being suspected of murder, facing a possible life sentence in prison. But Hudson never really thought she would do it. She seemed to have too much confidence in him – way more than he had.
With days flying by and no new evidence coming to him to explain Jack’s death, Hudson was getting more concerned. He and Ford worked day and night, around the clock, to figure out what they were missing. Something they weren’t seeing. Some avenue gone unexplored. They often argued and bickered, like brothers do, but it was becoming more volatile and belligerent the faster the days ticked by.
And just where was Ford anyway? He had promised to be in the office early. It wasn’t like him to break a promise. Hudson dialed his brother’s number and it too went directly to voicemail. A sense of foreboding bubbled in his stomach, making the protein bar and smoothie he’d consumed for breakfast jump and jostle. It was almost noon and Hudson didn’t want to be worried about both his brother and Tess. If he couldn’t reach either, it made him think that something terrible could have happened that he didn’t yet know about.
As he was about to try Tess’s number again, Ford walked through the door. The first thing Hudson noticed was that he looked… rested. As though he got some real sleep and not just booze-induced unconsciousness. His hair was wet from a fresh shower and his clothes looked reasonably clean.
“Where have you been?” Hudson demanded. His eyebrows furrowed with suspicion and the tone of his voice was clipped.
“Sorry, brother.” Ford tossed his leather jacket onto the chair and leaned inside the doorframe. “Late night last night.”
“Hmm,” Hudson sighed. “Again? Don’t become a client, Ford. You need to lay off the booze.” He swore he could smell beer from where he sat. Or maybe I just think I do?
“You got it, brother. Did you make coffee?”
“About four hours ago. I used the last packet. It’s my turn to pick up more.”
“Shit.” Ford poured two cups of the lukewarm, tar-like substance and then tossed them into the microwave to reheat.
Hudson clicked around on the internet for the time it took Ford to heat the coffee, printing out sheet after sheet. Gathering them from the printer, he moved out to the desk where the rest of Tess’s file still sat, spread from one end to the other.
“I’ve been looking up some information about that poison. Being organic, it could have come from any number of plants. I’m not sure there’s any way we’ll ever be able to tell exactly what plant produced it.”
“That is not what I wanted to hear this morning.” Ford handed him a cup, then sat down.
“I found a website that lists a few dozen different flowers that could possibly do it, but I don’t know that we have time to look into all of them.”
“Uh, I think we’ll have to make the time, don’t you?”
Hudson’s brows furrowed. “I’m doing the best I can here, Ford. I’m not a scientist.”
“Then we need to get one, don’t we?” Ford’s eyes crackled with determination. “I have chemist buddies. Let me have a copy of the tox report and I’ll start spreading it around. See who comes up with something first.”
Hudson handed over the report. “Go for it. Maybe they can narrow down the list of plants.” He felt his brother’s resolve boosting his own confidence. He pulled some more yellow sheets of paper out of a file and began sifting through them. “Tess said that they were getting deliveries from people the whole week before the wedding. Flower arrangements, goody baskets with all kinds of food and tea and coffee. The poison had to be in one of those. It’s the only thing that makes sense.”
Ford nodded. “Probably. It was probably dumb luck that Tess didn’t eat or drink the same thing.”
“Yeah, shitty dumb luck. I know I wouldn’t want to live with that kind of survivor’s guilt.” Hudson ran a hand through his hair and stood up. He came around his desk to pace in and out of the door to his office. “What’s worse is that she might have poisoned him after all.”
Ford nearly spilled his coffee as he gaped. Hudson put up his hands in defense. “I don’t mean she murdered him. But if she gave him the food or drink with the poison in it, even unknowingly, the PA could still try to charge her.”
“Jesus,” Ford whispered, wiping away the drops of coffee on his jeans.
“Yeah. I’m going to need to go over things with her again. We have to figure out how to trigger her memory somehow.”
“I bet she has a list somewhere of the names of florists or the people who sent stuff.”
“Yeah, sure, if I could get a hold of her. She’s not answering her phone. I’ve been trying all morning to reach her.” Hudson’s irritation was evident by the frown on his face. He was about to make another snide remark when he noticed Ford staring into his coffee cup. “Have you spoken to her?”
“Nope.” Ford lifted the cup to his mouth to drink. Hudson continued to stare at him.
As much as Ford knew how he thought, Hudson could read his brother’s tells just as easily. He’s not telling me something.
“What’s going on, brother?” Hudson sat back down and forced his brother to look at him. “Is something up?”
Sighing, Ford ran a hand through his damp hair. “Tess stopped by last night. She saw the light on and needed someone to talk to.”
Hudson waited, but Ford remained mute. “And?”
“What?” Ford got up to get more coffee. “She got here around midnight and left about one. She said she wasn’t sleeping, so I bet that’s where she is.”
“What
did she tell you?” Hudson’s bad vibe meter was deeply in the red. “Tell me everything she said.”
“Nothing, brother. She was sad about Jack and worried about prison. She just needed to vent for a while. I listened and then she went home.”
The needle bounced back into safe territory and Hudson relaxed. “Okay. You had me worried there for a second. You looked nervous and I thought maybe she confessed or something.”
Ford laughed and sat back down, looking more composed. “No. She most definitely did not confess.”
“I’m sure she’ll call me back.” Hudson turned back to the mess on the table. “In the meantime, I want you to get that report to your chemist pals.”
“You got it.”
After Ford left, Hudson sat back, chewing on the end of his pen. His brother hadn’t been himself this morning and he knew it. Something was going on that he wasn’t ready to talk about and it definitely had to do with Tess. Hudson felt a little miffed that Tess had chosen Ford to confide in, rather than him. He knew it was ridiculous to feel jealous, but he couldn’t help it. It was hard not to feel protective of her, especially when her whole life was depending on him. Just a client, he reminded himself.
Hudson forced himself to shake it off, setting it aside for more introspection later. He needed to keep digging and fast, if he was going to keep his prettiest client ever out of prison.
Chapter 37
“I’m here! What’s the big emergency?” Lilly called out as she walked through Tess’s front door. She was immediately assailed with the smell of coffee and bacon. Her stomach rumbled, even though she had already eaten a bowl of cheerios.
“In the kitchen!”
Lilly dropped her purse and keys on the couch, quickly following the delicious scents into the kitchen. Tess stood at the stove, fork in hand, poking at the crackling strips of bacon in the frying pan. “Hey, sis.”
“Hey, sis.” Tess finished what she was doing and then gave Lilly a hug. “Thanks for coming.”
The Widow and the Will Page 20