Ties That Bind

by Heather Huffman

  Justin had tried to catch her attention a few times. She’d always smiled politely, waved, and ducked in the other direction.

  “Funniest thing,” a reporter from one of the locals caught Kate’s attention. She smiled in invitation for him to continue while she tried to remember his name. It was Terry. “The Pinole police blotter has something about a Kate Yager being arrested for stealing an Audi TT. She was picked up speeding on Highway 80…”

  “Wow, the police blotter huh?” Kate grimaced.

  “It was you, wasn’t it?” he laughed.

  “Yes,” Kate admitted. “But I didn’t steal the car. It was Gavin’s.”

  “Oh yeah, I heard you and Nichols are an item now.” He picked up another glass of sparkling wine and offered one to her.

  “We’re engaged, actually,” she accepted the flute, her ring sparkling prettily in the candlelight as if on cue.

  “Then congratulations,” his warm smile backed his words.

  “You’re engaged?” Justin’s voice was thick with an emotion Kate couldn’t quite place. Was that hurt? Disappointment? Anger? She’d been so caught up in her conversation with Terry, she’d completely missed Justin’s approach.

  “Yes, we’re engaged,” Gavin materialized behind her to lay a protective hand on her shoulder. He glowered at Justin for a minute before turning his attention to the other reporter, who seemed to be trying to interpret the scene unfolding before him.

  “Gavin,” the reporter nodded slightly. “Congratulations, my man.”

  “Thanks Terry.” Gavin returned the nod with a friendly smile. “Are you enjoying yourself tonight?”

  “It’s great. I love this place,” he returned Gavin’s smile and the two were soon chatting easily about what a grand party Kate had thrown and the future of the magazine. Kate slid closer to Gavin without even thinking about it, the weight of Justin’s glare made her skin crawl. There was an awkward moment where everyone knew Justin had been dismissed from the group, issued the unspoken decree to leave, but he seemed disinclined to listen. Kate didn’t know where to look or what to say that would make the situation any less uncomfortable. Suddenly Liz and Derrick had joined their little group, their bodies creating a barrier between Kate and Justin’s stare. But she could still feel it.

  With military precision, Jessica and Ryan were there as well. It was obvious to Kate that they’d intentionally created a wall around her. Terry seemed more comfortable now that the cause of the tension was out of sight and Kate was glad for that. She didn’t want her stalker becoming the talk of the evening. She realized with a start that was exactly what Justin had become. His reaction tonight solidified his transition in her mind from nuisance to scary.

  Jessica stifled a yawn, which earned the worried gaze of her friends.

  “You should go home,” Kate frowned.

  “I’m not missing this,” Jessica shook her head.

  “At least get off your feet for a while,” Liz argued.

  “Come on, I could use a break,” Ryan tucked her arm into his and with a wave to the rest, guided her to a secluded little table. Once he’d seated his protesting wife, he scurried off to get her a bottle of water and a plate of strawberries.

  “I’m not ready for her to be having a baby,” Liz confided in Kate once the men had moved off to answer Jack’s beckon.

  “It is strange, isn’t it?” Kate mused. “The dynamics in our little group certainly are changing.”

  “Have you guys set a date yet?”

  “No. We’re kind of thinking something like February because we’re both impatient. But I want to get married at Blue Valley and his mother won’t be able to travel that soon. So that leaves us with getting married in London or pushing the wedding back.”

  “You do realize most engagements are a lot longer than five months, right?” Liz reminded her pointedly. “And that if you pushed it back, you could at least tell people that you knew him for a year before you got married.”

  “True,” Kate acknowledged with a little grin. Had Gavin changed her that thoroughly? A year ago, such impulsivity would never have occurred to her. A memory of the wild youth she had been crossed her mind and she realized that Gavin hadn’t changed her—he’d just helped her unlock the passionate spirit Kate had tucked away years ago. She met Liz’s eyes and her grin broadened. “But I’ve never been so sure of anything and I don’t want to miss a minute with him.”

  “Don’t forget to enjoy the engagement, too,” Liz cautioned. “Don’t be so focused on the next phase you miss this one.”

  “Point taken,” Kate nodded, a mischievous smile playing on her lips. “Speaking of enjoying your engagement, how’s the guest list war going? Do you know who’ll be at your wedding next weekend?”

  “That’s not nice,” Liz made a face at Kate. “That’s just not nice at all. I think jail hardened you.”

  “Ouch,” Kate laughed out loud at that. “If you’re going to get vicious, I’m going to go see how things are going downstairs.”

  “I’m going to grab another glass of champagne. See you in a minute?”

  “Yeah, I’ll be right back.”

  Kate made her way downstairs, the pulse of the band growing with each step. The party was going strong; the dance floor was full and the band was obviously a good choice. She made her way over to the bar to see if they needed anything and to order an amaretto sour. She went with a classic, her mind too full to try to sort through any of the trendier options.

  “Seeing you with him makes me wish I were blind,” Justin was suddenly behind her, causing Kate to jump.

  “Don’t you think that’s a little drastic?” Kate turned and scowled. “Considering I’m really nothing to you?”

  “Don’t say that,” he tried to clasp her hand but she yanked it away. “You don’t know how much you mean to me.”

  “You’re a business acquaintance,” she reminded him. “And that’s all you’ve ever been.”

  “Why are you saying these things?” His hand reached out to touch her cheek. Warnings were sounding in Kate’s brain and she started inching her way towards the stairs. She no longer cared about damaging her relationship with the Chronicle; she just wanted to feel safe again.

  “Justin, I’m sorry if you misread something, but I have absolutely no interest in you.” Kate polished off the drink she’d just ordered and made a break for it. She could almost feel him following her as she made her way to the stairs, the crowd forcing her to move along the wall. She didn’t dare look behind her out of the fear she’d see him right on her heels and let out a scream or something embarrassing. The rational part of her brain told her he was just misguided, not dangerous. Instinct told her to run. She tried to balance the two by walking quickly.

  “Where do you think you’re going?” His hand grabbed hers and he pulled her back. Kate tried to push him off but found herself pinned to the wall, her hands caught as his mouth greedily made its way across her collarbone. Kate struggled against him in vain. Her legs couldn’t even get the range of motion needed for a good knee to the groin. If anyone noticed her distress, they didn’t come to her aid. There was too much noise, the lights were too low. It probably looked like she was enjoying it, Kate realized in a moment of stark terror. What could he do to her against this wall with no one the wiser?

  “Let me go,” she ground through her teeth, venom lacing her voice.

  “So you can run back to that little boy?” He growled at her. Kate narrowed her eyes, wishing looks could, in fact, kill.

  “I will find a way to make you pay for this,” she promised as he rubbed his body against hers. She tried to fight but was too thoroughly pinned. With the unmoving wall behind her she couldn’t build any momentum. It was pure hell to be so helpless.

  “I’ll help.”

  Relief washed through every pore of Kate’s body at the sound of Gavin’s voice. Even through the din, she could have sworn she heard him growl as he lifted Justin from his feet and away from her before his fist con
nected with her assailant’s face. Gavin seemed ready to kill Justin right there in the Bubble Lounge, but the fight got the attention of security, and he was pulled off of him. Justin scrambled to his feet and disappeared as Gavin strained to free himself so he could finish what he’d started. Now that her brain was registering the fact that she was safe, she began trembling. Soon, tremors racked her entire body.

  “It’s okay baby,” Gavin was gathering her in his arms. “It’s going to be okay now.”

  They were following a security guard somewhere quieter. It looked like the office. Gavin laid her gently on a couch. The door was closed, blocking some of the noise outside. Gavin was soothing her hair back, his worried eyes trying to assess the damage. Kate tried to smile reassuringly but tears sprang to her eyes instead. She just felt so… dirty. She wanted to take a long, hot shower to wash away the slime from Justin’s touch. Her stomach roiled and Kate worried for a second that she was going to throw up.

  “The way he was talking was scaring me,” she tried to explain to Gavin. “I was trying to get back upstairs to you. I knew I’d be safe if I could find you.”

  “I’m so sorry I wasn’t there sooner.” Gavin’s eyes were filled with anguish. Kate reached up to stroke his temple, willing away his pain.

  “Our security cameras caught the whole thing if you’re interested in pressing charges against the man,” the security guard spoke. “The police are on their way.”

  “I would like to file charges. And have a restraining order issued. I don’t want him hurting someone else because I didn’t speak up.” Kate sat up a little straighter.

  “Whatever you want,” Gavin promised her, pulling her into his arms. She gladly rested against him, the tremors still rippling through her no matter how much she wished them away. There was a knock at the door and Jack entered.

  “What on earth is going on down here? I heard there was a fight.”

  “Kate was accosted…,” Gavin began only to be interrupted.

  “Are you trying to destroy me? Is that what you’re after?” Jack demanded.

  “That’s not it at all,” Kate sputtered, taken aback.

  “It certainly looks that way!”

  “Kate didn’t do anything wrong,” Gavin was on his feet, ready to take Jack on.

  “Not in here, guys,” the security guard stepped in between them.

  “You know what, Jack? Why don’t you go back to your party, we can hash this out later.” Kate stood.

  “There’s nothing to hash out. You’re fired. I’m done with this game.” He turned on heel and stalked back out the door.

  “He didn’t mean that,” Gavin promised, gathering her in his embrace. “We’ll talk to him later.”

  “No,” Kate shook her head. “I’m done. I’ll talk to him later, but not to get my job back. He’s done hurting me.”

  “Jessica and Liz won’t take to that too well,” Gavin pointed out.

  “They’ll still be my friends. They’re part of me now,” Kate told him with more conviction than she felt.

  The security guard listened to the voice in his ear then instructed whoever it was to “Send them on back.” Kate assumed it was the police.

  It hadn’t taken all that long to give her statement. Gavin gave his—he’d gone looking for Kate when she hadn’t returned right away and had seen her struggling against Justin. He’d practically flown down the steps to pull Justin off of her. The police were given copies of the security feed to back up the story. They promised Kate they’d keep an eye out for Justin, but she knew there were much bigger crimes to solve. The only thing she really hoped to accomplish here was to get word out that he was scum so other women would know to worry less about manners and run faster.

  After the police had left, they profusely thanked the security guard and went to find Jessica and Liz, knowing their friends would need some reassurance—after a stop by the ladies room so Kate could try to straighten her appearance. All Kate really wanted to do was go home and get that shower. As soon as they’d spoken to her friends, they made one last round of pleasantries and left.

  “I’m going to set the food out. You go get that shower you wanted.” Gavin offered as he hung Ty’s leash up.

  “I’m not hungry,” Kate shook her head.

  “I’d feel better if you ate something. Besides, we’ve already picked the food up. At least try to eat.”

  Kate nodded absently, not really acknowledging the bags of food he’d insisted on picking up from the 24-hour diner they’d passed on their way to get Ty. Gavin went about getting plates. Kate locked the door and kicked off her shoes before padding to the bathroom. Gavin paused to watch her go, casting a worried glance at the shoes left carelessly by the door.

  All Kate cared about was the hot water beckoning her. Justin’s touch clung to her skin like a bad smell. She had to get rid of it. She left her clothes in a crumbled heap on the floor and stepped into the steamy shower without bothering to test it. The heat seared her skin but still the unwanted touch lingered. She poured a healthy amount of mandarin-scented soap on her loofah and began to scrub her skin. When that didn’t work, she tried her exfoliating sponge. She was vaguely aware of Gavin knocking at the door. She heard him tentatively calling her name but ignored it. His voice, worried now, seemed so far away. He was on the other side of the wall. On the inside, feelings of helplessness replayed in her mind like the scene from a bad movie. The kind she turned off. But she couldn’t turn this off. She scrubbed harder. The pounding at the door became more incessant. The door handle moved. Kate closed her eyes. It was locked, she knew. If he was that hungry, he could just eat without her. She was going to scrub until Justin’s touch was gone.

  There was a crash. Gavin’s voice was closer now.

  “Kate? Kate? What have you done to yourself baby?” His voice was thick, worried. His arms were around her now. He was in the shower with her, holding her.

  “Why are you in the shower with your clothes on?” Kate blinked in her stupor, the sponge and soap still clutched in her hands.

  “What are you doing?” he asked again, his voice gentler now as he reached down to turn off the water. “Your skin is raw.”

  “I can still feel him touching me,” Kate scrunched her face up, trying to focus her mind on Gavin. “I just wanted him to go away.”

  “You can’t scrub your skin completely off,” Gavin grabbed a towel to wrap around her.

  “You’re soaking wet,” she frowned at him.

  “You scared the hell out of me.”

  “Sorry.”

  “Don’t apologize. I didn’t mean to snap.”

  “You didn’t snap,” she assured him. “I’m just sorry I scared you. I’m a little foggy still.”

  “Can you get dressed or do you want me to find you some clothes?” he offered.

  “I can get dressed,” she smiled at that. He was being very sweet. And he was very wet. “Why don’t you leave those clothes in the tub? I think some of your clothes are in that laundry basket in the corner.”

  He looked like he didn’t want to leave her alone again, but knew she had regained her senses enough to not let him drip water everywhere. He quickly stripped out of the wet clothes and wrapped a fresh towel around his waist—hurrying to be sure he was in the same room as her.

  “Don’t worry,” she assured him. “I’m feeling a little better now. I won’t make you break down any more doors.”

  “Good,” Gavin rubbed his shoulder gingerly. “It’s not as easy as it looks.”

  Kate ducked into her closet for a second to shimmy into her pajamas, reappearing in time to watch Gavin retrieve the clean clothes she’d left folded in the laundry basket for him. Lord help her, despite everything that had happened, she couldn’t help drinking in the sight of him. He really was breathtaking. Kate knew that one day in the very near future she would be free to trace each and every bare muscle with her fingertips but today was not that day. She didn’t want the memory of her first time with Gavin to be in an
y way linked to Justin.

  “What kind of food did you get us?” She turned her thoughts down a safer path.

  “Burgers. Not sure how good they’ll be cold,” he answered apologetically.

  “I’ll toss them in the oven to warm them up.” Kate left him to change in privacy, although she was secretly glad he hadn’t donned more than boxers and a t-shirt. She might be fresh off a trauma, but she was still human and there was something very comforting about padding around in this relaxed state with him. They ate piled up in bed. Once she’d begun to eat, Kate realized she was starving. She fell asleep that night curled up tight in Gavin’s protective embrace.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Sunbeams trickled through the curtains, playing merrily across Gavin’s features. Kate watched him sleeping, sure the archangel Michael could not be as beautiful as her Gavin—could not have features as perfectly carved. If she already planned to marry him, was it wrong to do so sooner so she could feed this yearning for more of him and still honor their decision to wait until they were married?

  It seemed silly. Certainly everyone assumed they were sleeping together already. But then, Kate knew why he was so adamant. It was the same reason she played along. Neither wanted to be completely swept away by the physical side of their relationship, and the pull was strong enough she was sure it would overtake them both if they gave in. She’d never wanted someone so badly; she’d never felt so wanted. By waiting, it somehow seemed more special. She seemed more special. He treated her like she was the most valuable treasure on earth.

  In the past, Kate had rushed headlong into relationships, feeding her passion with little heed to anything else. Kate blinked and sat up suddenly, realization hitting her like a lightning bolt. In her reckless youth, she’d always chased love. She’d jumped into bed with boys like Peter because, if only for a moment, she’d felt like she was worth something in their eyes. But she wasn’t worth any more to the Peters of the world than she had been—or still was—to Jack.