Tender Is The Night (Callaways Book 10)

by Barbara Freethy

  "This is Devin Scott," Kate added. "He's a former FBI agent. Sharon and Tim Callaway."

  "Nice to meet you both." He shook Tim's hand and then received a hug from Sharon.

  "It's nice to meet you, too," Sharon said with a very interested smile. She turned to her daughter. "What are you doing here, Kate? I thought you weren't going to be able to come home until Wednesday."

  "Surprise," Kate said a little weakly.

  Her mother raised an eyebrow. "What's going on?"

  Kate licked her lips, and he could see her hesitation. She hadn't asked for his help, but he decided to throw her a lifeline.

  "It's my fault," he said. "I asked Kate to come home early, so I could see her before she got busy with the wedding."

  "Oh," Sharon said, her gaze turning more speculative. "So you two are…"

  "Dating," he finished, ignoring Kate's warning look. If she didn't like his story, she should have come up with one of her own more quickly.

  "Why didn't you tell me you were dating someone?" Sharon asked.

  "It's new," Kate said. "There was nothing to tell. I was going to call you."

  "Where are you staying, or should I ask?" Sharon enquired.

  "I'm staying at Ian's," she said. "Don't get mad at him. I asked him not to tell you."

  "Why is it a secret? I don't know if I like the way the FBI is turning you into such a cagey person, Kate."

  "I told her she should come clean," Devin interjected. "And I'm glad you're here, because I really wanted to meet you. Kate has told me a lot about her family, but, of course, I want to know more."

  "We want to get to know you, too," Sharon said. "Don't we, Tim?" She slipped her arm through her husband's.

  Tim seemed amused by the entire exchange. "Absolutely."

  "So you'll come to brunch tomorrow," Sharon said. "It's at our house this week. The whole family will be there."

  "Oh, I don't know…" Kate began.

  Her mother waved off her answer. "It's just brunch, Kate. You and Devin will have plenty of alone time before and after."

  "But I'm going to see all the family at the wedding, so—"

  "So you'll see them tomorrow, too," Sharon said. "Right, Devin?"

  He now realized he'd opened a door that probably should have stayed closed. "Whatever Kate wants."

  "That's what I like to hear," Sharon said with an approving nod. "A man who puts my daughter first." She paused. "Are you two sticking around? Shall we get drinks?"

  "No, we were just leaving," Kate said quickly.

  "Then we'll see you both tomorrow." Sharon gave him a pointed look. "I'm looking forward to getting to know you better, Devin."

  "Me, too," he said.

  "Why did you say we were dating?" Kate asked as her parents left.

  "You needed an excuse for why you were in town early; I gave you one."

  "You gave me a lie, and you got us invited to brunch."

  "We don't have to go."

  "Are you kidding? If we don't go, my mother will hunt us down."

  "You can go."

  "Oh, no, not just me. You started this. You're going to finish it. When you get swarmed at brunch tomorrow by more than a dozen Callaways, you will remember this is all your fault."

  So maybe teasing Kate and making up a story for her mom wasn't the best idea he'd ever had. On the other hand, as her mother had said, it was just brunch. "I think we can get through it. Don't worry, I'll be good."

  "I'm not worried that you won't be good; I'm concerned you'll be too good. My mother would love to see me with a boyfriend."

  "Really? Even though you just started working a big job?"

  "She thinks I can have it all."

  "Maybe you can."

  She shook her head. "I don't think so."

  He found himself wanting to change her mind, which was surprising and disturbing, because her future relationships were not his business.

  "Let's get out of here," she said, heading across the room. As they left the bookstore, she added, "Why, oh why, did my parents have to be there?"

  "They seemed nice."

  "They are nice. They're just really nosy—at least my mom is. I hope you're ready for a grilling, because there won't just be steak on the barbecue tomorrow; there will be you and me and our fake relationship."

  He laughed as they got into the car. "I can handle it. I promise to be an excellent fake boyfriend."

  "Do you even know how to be a boyfriend?" she asked dryly, as she started the engine and pulled away from the curb.

  "Enough to fake it."

  "Have you met anyone's parents?"

  "I've been in a few living rooms," he said with a smile. "I've talked to some dads. I've made a few promises regarding a few daughters."

  "Did you keep your promises?"

  "I think so. I tried. Those daughters were never quite as innocent as their fathers thought they were."

  "That's probably true," she agreed. "Daughters don't tell their dads a lot, no matter how close they are. Moms are a different story. Even when I try to be more private, my mom somehow gets information out of me. I told her she probably would have made a good interrogator. She has great skills."

  "That's because she knows you."

  "Too well. Maybe that's the way it is with mothers. They know their kids better than anyone."

  "Not all mothers," he muttered, then wished he'd kept silent, because Kate's gaze swung in his direction.

  "I feel like you need to mend that relationship, Devin. Not now," she added quickly. "I know you can't focus on anything else, but after…sometime soon."

  "I told you we're fine. Let's get back to your parents. Why do you think they were at the signing? Are they Dillingsworth fans?"

  Kate stopped at a light and looked at him. "Good question. I don't think so. My dad doesn't read any fiction, and my mom reads romance. I wouldn't think Dillingsworth's books would appeal to her. I guess I should have asked them." She frowned, then drove through the intersection. "They got me so flustered, I didn't think to ask them questions. I will say they're very well-connected in the city. They both have a ton of friends, and they go to a lot of events, so it's probably just that they knew someone who asked them to come."

  "That makes sense." He paused. "There's a parking spot down on the right."

  "I see it."

  "Is it possible your father knows Brad Connors from his firefighting days?" he asked, as she parked the car.

  She nodded. "Very possible. The fire department is a close-knit group. I'll ask him tomorrow." Her expression changed as she turned to face him. "But Devin, I don't want them involved in this case. I can't have my parents mixed up in my professional life."

  He understood her reasoning. When he'd been with the Bureau, he'd distanced himself from not just family but friends. There were too many things he couldn't talk about, too many secrets he had to protect, too many bad things that he couldn't share. "I get it, Kate."

  "Good." Relief filled her eyes. "It's not that I don't trust them."

  "I know. It's that you love them. It's not going to be easy for you," he said, shaking his head. "Not with the kind of family you have. There's so much love, affection, connection between you all. You're going to want them in your life, and they're going to want to be in your life."

  "They understand there are boundaries. When it comes to the important things, they won't press."

  "Sometimes the boundaries become walls, big ones, hard to get over—no matter which side of the wall you're on. You forget why you built the walls. Was it to protect them or to protect yourself? It gets fuzzy."

  Her concerned blue gaze held his. "Is that what happened to you, Devin? Is that why you're so isolated? Why you can't remember the last time you talked to a friend or a family member?"

  "Partly that and partly the case," he said, wishing he hadn't been so honest with her, but Kate, like her mother, was also very good at getting information out of people.

  "But there's always a case, right? So
when do the walls come down?"

  "They don't. That's my point. You're just starting out. You think you can compartmentalize, put different parts of your life into different boxes, but eventually you start to realize that can't happen, because everything blurs together. Sometimes your whole life is a lie; the people you meet, live with, talk to. They don't know who you are. Eventually, you can forget who you really are, too."

  "Then I'll have to remember to keep people around me who know me, who can remind me, who can see past the lies and through the walls. Who don't let me pretend, because they know I need to be honest with someone."

  She wasn't talking about herself anymore; she was talking about him, and his heart beat a little too fast, which was getting to be a normal occurrence when it came to Kate.

  "I'm coming in," she told him.

  He looked into her eyes and felt like he was standing on the edge of a cliff. There was a big part of him that thought he should send her away but then another part of him that asked if it was completely insane to think of telling her to go.

  Just because she thought she could strip down his walls didn't mean she actually could. He could handle her. He had more years, more experience, more practice at self-preservation.

  "Of course you're coming in," he said, opening his car door.

  He didn't really remember how they got from the car and into his apartment, because his blood was rushing out of his brain to other parts of his body. But as soon as the front door slammed behind him, they were in each other's arms.

  They kissed their way down the hallway, taking only quick second breaks to strip off their clothing. By the time they fell onto the bed, they were completely naked. He ran his hands over her curves—her shoulders, breasts, hips—and down her thighs as he followed the same path with his mouth. He wanted her to take everything he had to give, but Kate seemed to have other plans.

  She put a hand against his chest and then pushed him back against the pillows. "My turn," she said.

  He swallowed hard at the purposeful look in her eyes. She was definitely on a mission of pleasure, and he had a feeling those walls she wanted to get past were already crumbling. So he'd build them back up later, he told himself, feeling a little desperate at the thought that Kate was getting too close.

  But his thinking process evaporated as she kissed her way down his body, as her hands cupped him, as she closed her mouth around him.

  Damn the walls. She could have anything she wanted as long as she didn't stop doing what she was doing.

  And she did exactly that…until he needed all of her, until he turned the tables, until they came together in a connection so intense and so deep that it blasted away whatever walls were left between them.

  Kate hadn't just gotten past his defenses; she'd gotten into his heart.

  Soon…he'd have to figure out a way to get her out.

  But not now.

  Now, she was his, and he was hers…and the outside world didn't exist.

  * * *

  Kate woke up wrapped in Devin's arms. She felt warm, safe, protected, and it was weird how much she liked the feeling. She'd been fighting for independence since she came out of the womb. She'd been trying to prove herself her entire life, that she was just as strong, just as smart, just as powerful as anyone else. But this morning, in Devin's soft bed, his hard body pressed against hers, she didn't want to be strong; she just wanted to be herself and to be here.

  She breathed in deep, her senses tingling with Devin's scent. Her memories and her body reminded her of every touch, every kiss, that had passed between them.

  He was going to be really hard to forget.

  Did she have to forget him?

  Of course she did. She had a career to go after. She was just starting her dream. Living out the ambition of a lifetime. She couldn't let a man get in the way.

  But as she studied the hard profile of Devin's face, the strength of his jaw, the sexy grizzle of his shadowy beard, the firm lips that could both tease and tantalize, she knew that this man was not just any man.

  He was Devin.

  He knew her. He understood her. He didn't try to change her.

  Not yet anyway.

  No, he wouldn't try to change her. Just as he wouldn't try to change himself.

  She'd gotten past his defenses last night, but they'd be back up today, probably as soon as he woke up. He'd been guarding his heart since his parents split up, since his dad died, and even more so since Sam was killed.

  He'd been hurt many times, and she wanted so badly to take some of his pain away. She'd been able to do that for a while last night, but she was too smart not to know that sex wasn't a long-term answer to Devin's pain. He might not think he needed anyone, but he did. He'd been alone too long. He needed love in his life. He needed someone who cared about him.

  But she couldn't be that person.

  Devin's eyelids fluttered, and for a moment she thought he was waking up, but then he let out a little sigh.

  This was her chance to escape. She could shower, get dressed, put her game face back on before Devin woke up. She could be at work on the computer while he was catching a few more minutes of sleep.

  So why the hell wasn't she moving?

  She took a deep breath and forced herself to move, but then Devin's arm came down heavy on her waist.

  "Where are you going?" he asked sleepily, his brown eyes now open and on hers.

  "Time to get back to work."

  His gaze moved to the clock on the bedside table. "It's early."

  "We have to go to my parents' house this morning. We should work before then."

  "We will. We'll start here—in bed."

  The teasing smile on his lips melted her heart and her resistance. "How are we going to work here?"

  "You're going to show me again how helpful you can be."

  He shifted his body and she felt his arousal. "I don't think you need any help," she said with a laugh.

  "Oh, but I do. I need you, Kate Callaway."

  She knew he was only talking about a sexual need, but she had the craziest feeling that she wanted the words to mean so much more.

  He followed his words with a kiss and whatever lingering protest she'd thought to make completely vanished—because she needed him as much as he needed her.

  Eighteen

  They left Devin's apartment at eleven, and Kate felt a little breathless and rushed as she got into the car. They'd lost all track of time and had finally gotten out of bed and grabbed a quick shower before heading out of the apartment. Her hair was still damp, and she was quite sure that if her mother saw her now, she'd know exactly what her daughter had been doing for the last several hours.

  "You okay?" Devin asked as she made a quick stop at a rapidly changing light.

  "Sorry, yes, I'm fine." She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Just wishing we hadn't agreed to this."

  "It will be fine. I won't chew with my mouth open or talk about how great you are in bed."

  She glanced over at his teasing smile. "You're in a good mood."

  "And you're responsible for that. The question is—why aren't you in a good mood?"

  "I am. I'm just…I don't know." She couldn't find the right words, and the words that came to mind she couldn't say.

  "Well, I think this is the first time you don't know what to say," he said, giving her a thoughtful look. "Let's talk about your family. Is Emma going to be there today?"

  She was grateful to have a question she could answer.

  "I don't know for sure. Everyone in the extended family is always invited, but we never know who's coming in advance. We have the brunches every Sunday after Mass. It rotates from house to house. It's a massive potluck. If you come, you bring something."

  "Maybe we should stop and get something."

  "My mom will have us covered. I'm pretty sure at least a few of my siblings will be there, Mom and Dad, of course, maybe my grandparents. My grandmother Eleanor Callaway has Alzheimer's, so if you see a
pretty and elderly blonde woman with somewhat vacant blue eyes, you'll know why."

  "Sorry. That must be rough."

  "It is. She has good days but not as many as we'd like. My grandfather is devoted to her. He has become quite the caregiver, which surprised everyone a little. He's a gruff, brusque man and he doesn't show much affection for people, but he has a deep and abiding love for her. They've been married sixty-five years now."

  Devin whistled under his breath. "That's a long time."

  "They've had some trouble over the years, but my grandmother told me once that there has never been a moment in her life when her love faltered or that she considered breaking her vows. She married for life." She paused, realizing that Devin's profile had grown a little tense. "Sorry, I'm rambling, and I'm not being very sensitive. I just remembered that your parents split up when you were little."

  "They definitely got over the idea of breaking their vows. In fact, I don't think they gave it a second thought."

  "I can't imagine what you went through, Devin. As much as my parents make me crazy, I really liked having both of them around when I was growing up."

  "What's your dad like? He seemed pretty relaxed at the bookstore. He let your mom do the talking."

  "He's definitely quieter than she is. He's a rock. He's brave and confident, intensely loyal. He's the kind of man you want around when things are tough." As she said the words, she realized that she was describing Devin, too. They would both go to the ends of the earth for a friend. She glanced at Devin. "What was your dad like? He was an agent, so I'm thinking he had some good qualities."

  Devin nodded. "He was a solid guy. He was strict. He had a lot of rules, and there wasn't much gray area for him. I think that's partly why my mother fell out of love with him. He was rigid. And, of course, he put his job first. He believed that he was working for the greater good."

  "He could definitely make that case," she said tentatively, not sure her opinion would be welcome.

  "He could, and he did—many times. I'm sure it was true. But maybe he shouldn't have gotten married, shouldn't have had a kid."

  "Well, I'm glad he had a kid," she said, giving him a smile, and wishing she hadn't brought up his father, because she'd definitely put a dent in Devin's good mood.