“Michael’s men acted alone, without consulting him. He had no idea you’d been turned away or threatened. I’m sure of it.”
“Why are you so certain? ’Cuz he’s been such a paragon of virtue telling you the truth all along?”
Sloane flinched, accepting the verbal slap. He had a point, but she still felt compelled to defend the man who’d raised her. “Michael has always acted in my best interest. Or what he thought was my best interest,” she explained. “He may have kept the truth from me but he’s a man of his word. If he said he was going to tell me, he was. It’s his men who took things into their own hands. I’d stake my life on it.”
“And was it a good one?” Samson asked, his tone shocking Sloane, and she sucked in a startled breath. For a moment, the surly old man was gone, replaced by a concerned, caring one. “Was your life a good one?”
Unexpected tears formed in her eyes. “Yes, it was a very good life.”
The wrinkles around his eyes eased. “I figured that. Saw it for myself when I went back to check on your mother. She’d married someone else.” Without warning, he sat down in the grass, as if the weight of telling the story was too much for him to bear.
Sloane knelt, then settled herself cross legged beside him. “You went back for Jacqueline?” She plucked a blade of grass and twirled it between her fingers, finding it easier to concentrate on the mundane than the painful history between her parents.
“In a manner of speaking.” Samson squinted and looked into the sun. “I made sure she was living good. But her father said unless I stayed away from his daughter, he’d make sure the loan sharks my old man borrowed from came after him. Your grandfather said Jacqueline was only eighteen and I couldn’t support us and my family. If I agreed to his terms, he said he’d make the debts go away and my father wouldn’t die.”
“So you took him up on it.”
He nodded. “I put my family first. Before what I wanted. I had no choice.”
Just like Chase, Sloane thought, drawing the unexpected parallel. Two men willing to give her up for the good of family. She realized she was being irrational—Samson hadn’t known Jacqueline was carrying his child any more than Chase had turned away from her. Yet.
“You didn’t know Jacqueline was pregnant, did you?” Sloane asked to make sure.
“No. But she was married to someone who had money and could give her a better, healthier life than I could have done.”
Sloane tried unsuccessfully to hold back tears. “How did you find out about me?” she asked in a small voice.
“Pictures. When this presidential campaign started, I saw you on television with the senator. Your red hair blowing in the wind. I borrowed a computer and looked up when you were born.” He coughed and ended up laughing. “Bet you didn’t know your old man even knew what a computer was, but I was smart once. Before life got in the way.”
Sloane lifted a hand, then feeling useless, let it fall to her side. For once, words wouldn’t come.
“Once I realized the truth, I went to the high-and-mighty senator. He said he’d tell you and we could meet. A week later, a man shows up at my door and says the senator changed his mind. He wasn’t going to risk his career for the likes of me. I would threaten the campaign.” He smacked his hand against the green grass. “But all I wanted was to meet you once. See you, talk to you, know you’re mine, then leave.” He rose again, intending to just walk away.
“Samson, wait.” She jumped up to stop him, but at the same moment, Grace’s voice called out to her.
“I’m not in the mood for people.” He stepped toward the bushes.
Sloane’s mouth went dry. She didn’t want to part ways yet. Not when she didn’t know how to reach him again.
“Sloane?” the other woman called from the deck of the house.
Sloane glanced her way. “One minute.” When she turned back around, Samson had disappeared.
She let her hands drop to her sides, disappointment welling inside her at the opportunity that she’d lost.
Thinking about Samson, she made her way back to the house. She’d met her father, something she hadn’t counted on happening so fast. Crossing the lawn where her mother had grown up, she shivered at the odd sense of belonging she felt in this town, at the odder connection she had for the eccentric man who’d bolted at the first sign of another person.
“I just wanted to let you know that we were leaving,” Grace said as Sloane walked up the deck stairs. “The girls are in the car and I’m taking the teenagers for dinner.” She feigned a shiver at the prospect. “You’re welcome to hang out for as long as you’d like.”
“Thanks, Grace. You’ve been very kind.”
“No problem. I saw you with someone. Were you talking to the neighbors?”
“You could say that.” Sloane shrugged, not wanting to give Samson’s hideout away. “Listen, I think I’m going to leave too.”
“But you never went up into the tree house.” Grace gestured in the distance. “You’d really be amazed at that place.”
Sloane smiled. “Then I’ll have to come back, if that’s okay with you.”
The other woman nodded. “Of course it is. Come. I’ll walk you out.”
As they headed for the driveway, Grace made small talk until they reached the cars. Sloane’s rental blocked Grace’s minivan.
“You see? I’d have to move my car anyway so you could get out.”
Grace reached for the handle on the car, then paused. “Hannah said she thought you were Chase’s new girlfriend.”
Sloane chuckled. “I don’t know what’s worse, the small-town grapevine or a teenager’s perspective on life.”
“You mean Hannah exaggerated?” Grace placed a hand on her heart and donned a shocked expression. “Do tell,” she said, laughing.
Sloane rolled her eyes. “Let’s say she’s got the bare bones, not the whole story.”
Grace’s eyes lit with curiosity as she rubbed her hands together. “Sounds like an interesting tale.”
“One that’s just not worth telling,” Sloane said, trying in vain to hide her disappointment at the turn her relationship with Chase had taken.
She said good-bye to Grace, then waved to the girls before climbing into her own car and pulling out of the driveway.
She fought the tide of emotion, attempting to keep any thoughts or feelings of Samson at bay. She needed time to think back on their conversation, to understand the events that had shaped the man he’d become. But not dwelling on Samson meant focusing on Chase. And that prospect wasn’t any more uplifting.
Yet despite the pain, common sense told her she couldn’t fault him for not giving when he’d never promised her more. She was lucky he’d helped her out when she needed it after the accident, and she should be grateful for the time they’d shared. He was a good man, one who in another lifetime would have made a great husband.
But in this lifetime, Chase Chandler had made his choices and they didn’t include Sloane.
* * *
“If actions could make things happen, I’d think I caused this heart condition.” Raina glanced around her bedroom, happy to be home, a little scared to really be sick, and a lot guilty for what she’d done to her boys.
Eric sat down on his side of the bed. Raina had long since re-decorated the bedroom she’d shared with John, her husband, and lately she’d started to think of things here as belonging to Eric too.
“As your doctor, I can tell you that I am one hundred percent certain your charade did not cause this illness.” He grasped her hand, bringing it close to his heart. “But as the man who loves you, I can say the stress you’re adding to your life hasn’t helped.”
She nodded. “I understand. I do. I just wish Chase would see the error in his think—”
He cut her off by lifting her hand and kissing her knuckles, startling her into silence. He had the most amazing ways of shutting her up, Raina thought, warmth heating her veins and her heart rate picking up.
“I like w
hen you touch me,” she told him.
“See how easy it is to refocus your attention?” he said, laughing. “Anytime you mention the boys, I’m going to have to kiss you into forgetfulness.”
Leaning against the pillow, she turned her head toward him. “I want to be married. I want you to be able to shut me up anytime you want, day or night.” She reached for him, pulling him down so he lay beside her. “I want to make your breakfast every morning and let you take care of me every night.”
“Why, Raina Chandler, what would the town think if they knew just how old-fashioned you really were?”
She laughed. “They’d think what I already know. That I’m lucky to have found you. And with life being so short, I don’t want to put off our days together anymore.”
“I was never the one holding us back.”
“I realize it’s been my fault and I’m the one who insisted we wait. I just wanted my sons happy.”
Eric reached out and stroked her cheek. “And they are, Raina. You raised them well. It’s time to let them go.”
“Now? Before Chase has settled his turmoil?”
He graced her with a gentle smile. “What better gift could you give them? What better gift could you give yourself than to let their good judgment and fate take over?”
“Quite frankly, Chase’s judgment is wonderful when it comes to his family, but it sucks when it comes to his personal life.”
Eric burst out laughing. “I do love you, Raina. Now, how about setting a date?”
A buzzer rang, preventing Raina from answering.
“That’s dinner. I’ve been heating the meal Izzy sent over. I have to go check it before it burns,” Eric said, rising from the bed. “But don’t think I’ve forgotten where we left off.”
“Of course not.” She waited for Eric to disappear out the bedroom door. He had no idea how fortunate the interruption was. Because Raina wasn’t getting married until Chase proposed to Sloane.
* * *
Where was Sloane? Chase had gotten his mother settled at her house hours ago, leaving her in Eric’s capable hands. He’d come home expecting to find his guest, but instead the house was empty. The way it should be.
So why didn’t he feel better?
Because he was worried about Sloane. Because he wanted her by his side. He kicked his foot against the carpeted floor in frustration.
He grabbed his keys and started for the door at the same time she slowly walked inside, as if she had no idea he’d been pacing the floors in concern. He wanted to demand answers, to know where she’d been way past dinner, but the lost, dazed expression on her face stopped him.
Sucker punched him, in fact. He stepped back from his anger and exhaled hard. He knew she’d gone to her mother’s old house, but if anything urgent had come up, she’d have called. She’d promised.
Or had Raina just asked her to check in? He no longer remembered. “Where have you been?” He studied her, wanting to be certain he didn’t miss any clues to what she might be thinking.
She shrugged. “Around.” Swinging her hands at her sides, she started past him.
Without meeting his gaze. “You said you were going by your mother’s old place. Did the memories there upset you?” Drawn back to her despite his better judgment, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close.
He sensed her struggle not to give in, to maintain the distance he’d begun in his mother’s hospital room. But just as his deepest feelings pushed him toward her, she came to him.
Her body molded to his, her light weight leaning against him. “I found Samson,” she said as her legs went weak beneath her.
“You what?” He turned her around, not letting her fall and providing the support she needed.
Wide eyes met his. “I found … my father. My real father.”
Her voice cracked, and so, he thought, did his heart.
“I walked out back to the tree house and—” She placed her hands out in front of her, wide and imploring. “There he was. As if he’d materialized from thin air.”
That was Samson, Chase thought. He came and went, no one close enough to him to notice or care. He appeared and disappeared on a whim. But after the explosion and his obvious vanishing act, Sloane finding him today was no accident. He’d obviously sought her out. If not, he’d come to the tree house for the same reason she had, solace and peace. He wondered if either of them had found the answers they sought.
“So now you know where I’ve been.” She straightened her shoulders and righted her stance.
Body language indicated she no longer needed him. Chase knew better. He saw the longing in her eyes and it matched the desire pulsing through him. Not just a physical ache that needed satisfaction but an emotional one only this woman could fill. For him, it was an all-consuming need to be a part of her and take away her pain.
“I need some rest.” She started past him, but he stopped her with a simple touch on her arm. Turning, she raised an eyebrow in question. “Is something wrong?”
Hell yes, he thought. Everything was wrong. From his mixed-up emotions to the overwhelming desire to pick her up and drag her to bed and make love to her—no discussion, no questions. And that would solve nothing. Not his problems and certainly not hers.
From the pain in her eyes, he saw she had plenty. “You said you saw your real father for the first time, and in the next breath, you said you needed to rest. Don’t you think you left out something important in between?”
“Nothing I can’t handle.” Her gaze darted from his, letting him know in no uncertain terms she was excluding him on purpose.
“You don’t need to handle things alone,” he reminded her, his words at odds with his own needs.
She slanted her head to one side, a defiant tilt to her chin that boded no good. “Oh really? Since when did I start sharing my life with anyone in particular?”
“Ouch.” He winced. “You know I’ll be there for you.”
“Yes, I do,” she said, her eyes glazing over as she spoke. “Because you’re Chase Chandler, everyone’s white knight.”
* * *
Sloane bit down on the inside of her cheek, fighting against the urge to do as he suggested, to lean on him and let her problems seem more manageable for as long as he held her and made her feel safe.
“So let me do what I do best,” Chase said.
One look at his lopsided grin and endearing wink and she was tempted to do just that. But Chase specialized in riding to the rescue for one reason only. He felt obligated. “I wish I could give in as easily as you.” Sloane forced herself to meet his gaze. “You’re here for me one minute; you’re pushing me away the next. Don’t get me wrong, I understand why—”
“Then you understand a hell of a lot more than I do,” he said, interrupting. He ran a hand through his hair before pinching the bridge of his nose in a gesture she’d come to recognize as one of intense contemplation.
One that never failed to endear him to her even more. Dammit. “Look, it’s been a long day. Between your mother’s sudden illness and my father’s return, well, we don’t need any more drama in our lives.”
“No, but right now I need you.” His voice dropped a husky octave and Sloane had no doubt he meant what he said. Right now. And that was what bothered her.
But despite her misgivings, it also freed her. Chase’s attitude hadn’t changed from the day they’d met. Hers had.
She wanted the happily-ever-after Raina hoped for. And she wanted it with Chase. Knowing she could never—would never—have it, she decided she’d take one last time with him instead.
After the meeting with Samson, Sloane was at her most vulnerable.
Swallowing her pride, she held out her hand and admitted, “I need you too.”
Chapter Fourteen
Thank God. Maybe he was selfish, but damned if Chase wouldn’t take what Sloane offered. Even as he placed his hand inside her softer palm, he looked into her eyes and saw the finality there. A finality he refused to dea
l with now.
Not when he could have Sloane and comfort her at the same time. He admitted to himself he wasn’t sure which pleased him more. He also understood the implications that his heart was involved. But his heart couldn’t dictate his future or else he’d give up his dreams. Again. And this time he was on the verge of uncovering a story that would jump-start his career. No matter that it was at Sloane’s expense.
He pushed aside all thoughts in favor of more pressing desires to satisfy. And those were all about Sloane, the woman who beckoned to him like no other, the one who understood him like no other.
First he checked the lock on the door leading downstairs to the office, then the outside entrance. Only after he was certain they wouldn’t be interrupted, he returned to Sloane. He sensed this was going to be their last time, and if that was true, it was damn well going to be one they’d both remember.
Sloane leaned against the wall, a determined, come-hither look in her eyes. She held out her hand and Chase came willingly. He didn’t know who kissed whom first, but once he tasted those moist, damp lips, he wanted more and wasn’t about to wait.
Between deep sensual kisses, they made their way to the bedroom, where they shed their clothes along with inhibitions that were already long gone. Before he knew it, Chase had joined Sloane on the bed, hovering over her lush, naked body, which just waited for his undivided attention.
Bending his head, he lavished his attention on one plump breast, kneading her full flesh in his hand while drawing one distended nipple into his mouth, pulling on the damp, pointy flesh. Arching her back, she moaned her delight; then she suddenly pushed on his head, letting him know she wanted equal attention paid to the other breast.
Happy to oblige, his tongue trailed a moist path across her chest. “Mmm,” she said, a purr coming from her throat.
He encircled her other nipple and grazed lightly with his teeth, while plumping one breast with his hand. He wanted to continue feasting on her flesh, but his body was straining, begging for release, and it wouldn’t be denied.
He spread her thighs, and while her dilated eyes locked on his, he thrust inside her, discovering her full, wet, and completely ready for him. And even as he found his release, sex was the furthest thing from his mind, as unexpected, overwhelming emotion swamped him.
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