He gave her hand a squeeze, sending a bolt of electricity straight to her heart. Don’t you let this one get away! her heart warned her. You’ll never find another man like him. Pushing aside her insecurities, she agreed with a nod.
“What’s somewhere between slow and smoking hot?”
“This.” His fingers threaded through her hair, cupping her head, guiding her mouth up to meet his. She could taste the bacon grease on his lips. Calories never tasted so good. As her body warmed to his touch, he broke away. After a brief kiss to the tip of her nose, he rose from the bed.
“Now eat your breakfast, take that shower, and get dressed before I forget my promise and join you in bed.”
He turned his back to her and headed toward the bedroom door. She opened her mouth to call him back.
Back to her arms.
Back to her bed.
Too late. The door closed behind him, the moment lost.
****
Terry leaned back against the closed door and swallowed the lump in his throat as he tried to ignore the pressure in his jeans. Down boy! He tugged at the material at his crotch to ease the painful constriction. The promise he’d made had barely been spoken before he’d been tempted to break it. How would he ever keep his promise? How could he work at his desk without imagining her perfect bottom resting on the leather surface? Her long, shapely legs wrapped around his waist? The weight of her beautiful breasts resting in his open palms? The sight of her damp underwear discarded in his wastepaper basket?
He wondered what she’d say if she found out he’d taken the undies out of the trash and placed them in his pocket as a memento of their lovemaking. He scratched his head. Sounds like the act of some psycho. Some asshole wanting a souvenir of a one-night stand with a hot babe. But making love with Susie meant so much more than sex. So much more than bodies joining to experience pleasure. They had a spiritual connection. A joining of souls. In the short time they’d known each other, he knew she would make him a better person. She completed him. He reached into his jacket pocket, his fingers fondling the scrap of silk and lace. You should give them back, he chided himself, but his lips curled into a smile as he withdrew his empty hand from the pocket. Maybe later.
Chapter Eleven
“What the hell is going on?” Terry pondered aloud as he handed Susie another report to type up and file. “Has the entire town gone mad?”
Susie glanced up from her work and shrugged as she took the paperwork from his hand. “Ten new clients. That makes a total of thirty since I started work here two weeks ago. Maybe I should have held out for more money.”
“You and me both, honey. You and me both.” He leaned back against the filing cabinet and sighed. “I think Corel may need to hire more staff. I can only spread myself so thin and more crazies are popping out of the woodwork every day.”
She reached out and stroked his hand. “You look tired. Maybe you should take a little nap at your desk.”
He caught her hand and dragged her to her feet. “I think my fatigue has less to do with clients and more to do with our nightly workouts, as you so eloquently call them.”
His mouth brushed her lips, softly, seductively. “I do believe you’re wearing me out.”
“Ahem.”
Terry closed his eyes tight and tried to keep his expression emotionless for Susie’s sake.
“Oh for fuck’s sake, Corel. The office closed an hour ago. We’re on our own time now.”
“As much as I love to yank your chain, I see your point.”
The loud cough resounding through the corridor gave Susie enough warning and time to sit back in her chair and resume her typing before David appeared at the office door.
“Thanks.”
“It was for her benefit, not yours.”
“I know. I repeat, thanks.”
“You’re welcome.”
Terry sensed a gentleness to David’s tone. A shared affection for Susie. Does she even realize how many people love her?
“Hey, boss,” she chirped when David entered the office, but she kept her chin down and a blush of pink stained her cheeks. Terry had seen that rosy glow nightly for the last two weeks. A glow that covered her entire body. A glow often illuminated with the sheen of perspiration.
“More information than I wish to know.”
“Get out of my head!”
Terry adjusted his pants and hoped that Corel wasn’t able to access his mental pictures.
“Oh, I can and I did. Nice. Very nice.”
“Did you want something!” Terry growled. The agitation in his voice caused Susie’s head to snap up. Her wide-eyed expression showed her alarm.
“Terry?” She grimaced and tilted her head in the boss’s direction. “David has every right to be here.”
“Someone’s in a mood,” David told her with a wink and a flash of dimples. “I’m sure he has other things on his mind.”
Terry squeezed his eyes shut, took a deep breath, and counted to ten before responding.
“It may interest you to know, Corel, that we picked up ten new clients this week.”
David’s expression quickly soured. His eyebrows knit and his smile tightened into a thin line.
“This is bad.” He ran his fingers through his perfectly styled hair. “Email me a copy of the files and I’ll divvy up the work. You two handle the day work and pass on all relevant information. I’ll get my coven working the night shifts.” He addressed his next statement to Susie.
“These are extenuating circumstances. There will be times when our shifts overlap. I need to know that you’ll be okay if—”
“If Christoff comes in?” Susie’s face paled and the light dimmed in her eyes. Terry worried that she may be about to faint but his little trouper steadied herself on the edge of the desk and lied through her teeth.
“I’ll be fine, David. Really. You do what needs to be done. Don’t worry about me.”
“You know she’s barely keeping it together,” Terry told his boss through their telepathic link.
“I’ll do everything I can to keep Christoff out of the office when she’s here,” David answered. “But try to get her home before dark to avoid any confrontations.”
“I know Christoff can come across as a bit of a monster,” David told Susie, “but he’s one of the good guys.”
“I’ll have to take your word for that,” she answered. “I find him terrifying.”
“I hate to admit it, Corel, but even I find the guy intimidating. He’s like a supermodel version of Frankenstein’s monster. His eyes are soul-less. Should we be stocking up on crosses and holy water?”
David’s eyebrows narrowed and his eyes darkened. “Considering we share a desk … an emphatic, No.”
A chuckle escaped Terry’s lips and the corner of his mouth curled in a smile. “Sorry, I forgot about that.”
“Did you?”
“Maybe. Maybe not.”
“You’re walking a very fine line.”
David turned his attention back to Susie. “Look. I understand your concern. I’m asking you to put your trust in vampires and that can’t be easy. Don’t forget”—he motioned to the heart button on his watch—“anytime you feel threatened, I’m only a push away.”
“I’d like to give you a push.”
“The feeling is mutual, Palmer.”
“Thank you, David.” Susie rose from her seat and slid her hand into Terry’s. “But I’m feeling a lot safer nowadays.”
He gave her hand a squeeze. “Yeah, thanks, Corel, but I’ve got things covered. No one is getting near her while I’m around.”
David smiled. “I guess you’d better get out of here and let me get some work done, unless you’re bucking for overtime?”
Without releasing Terry’s hand, Susie grabbed her purse from under the desk and dragged him toward the door. “You don’t have to tell me twice.”
“Before you go.” David blocked the door with his arm, preventing them from leaving. “I wanted to tell you bo
th how impressed Meaghan and I are with the job you’re doing for our business. Consider this a glowing report.”
“That means a lot,” Susie told him with a warm smile. “It’s the least I can do after all your family has done for me.”
The emphasis on the word glowing struck a chord with Terry. The compliment he accepted as genuine. After all, they’d both busted their buns to make the business work, but he knew David couldn’t resist one last jibe at his expense. A not-so-subtle reminder of their earlier non-verbal conversation concerning his X-rated thoughts.
For Susie’s sake, he smiled and nodded at their boss, but once she’d turned away, he mouthed, fuck you, and left the room with David’s laugh ringing in his ears.
****
“How does Chinese food sound?” Susie called through the open bathroom door as Terry showered.
“Sounds great,” he called back over the running water. “Don’t forget to order prawn chips.”
“How could I forget prawn chips?” she mumbled under her breath. Terry could eat a whole bag on his own.
The vibration of her phone startled her and she almost dropped it before answering the unknown caller.
“Hello?”
“Is that Susie? Susie Lister?”
“Yes. Who’s this?” No answer. She repeated her question. Still no answer. As she prepared to hang up, the chanting began. The strange, hypnotic melody unintelligible yet oddly compelling. Her head began to nod of its own accord and she kept the phone to her ear as she slowly made her way to the front door.
Once outside, she bent down to reach the red velvet pouch hidden behind the patio pot plant, and slipped the small bag into her pocket before returning to the lounge room.
“Yes. I have the pouch,” she informed the caller. “I understand.”
“Hey, woman. Where’s my food?”
She looked up from the phone. Terry stood in the doorway, a towel draped around his waist, his hair dripping wet, a goofy grin on his face.
“Food?”
“Our dinner. You did order it, didn’t you?”
She stared at the phone in her hand. Had she ordered the food? She couldn’t remember. Lifting the phone to her ear, she listened. The familiar hum of the dial tone greeted her. Had she made a call?
“Please tell me you remembered to order the prawn chips.”
Chinese food. Was I meant to order Chinese?
“No, I didn’t order food.” Or did I? She reached over to where he’d left his own phone on the coffee table and pushed it at him. “If you want dinner ordered, do it yourself.”
“Whoa. Where did this new attitude come from?” he protested, taking the phone from her hand while holding the other up in surrender. “It’s not like you.”
She tried to remember. Was he right? How should she feel?
He scratched his head, screwing up his face as he asked, “What’s gotten into you? Ten minutes ago you asked if I wanted Chinese. Now you’re berating me for saying yes.”
Chewing on the inside of her bottom lip, she considered his statement. Had she asked or was he trying to confuse her? Fogginess clouded her memories. Was this a lie? How many lies had he already told her?
“Susie! Snap out of it!” He held her by her forearms, shaking her.
“Get your hands off me!” she screamed, pulling away from his grasp. “Don’t touch me!”
“Fine,” he said, holding up both hands and backing away. “I’ll get dressed and we can talk about this.”
He hesitated. Did he expect her to protest? What were they meant to discuss?
His shoulders slumped and he opened his mouth to speak but left the room without uttering a word. Within minutes, he returned, dressed and fuming.
“This doesn’t make sense,” he argued. “What have I done?”
Why don’t I remember? It must have been something important, or why would I feel so upset? “It doesn’t matter,” she reasoned, “I need to be alone.”
He looked down at his feet for a moment, then his head snapped up. “Was it that stupid comment about dinner? You know I was only kidding, right? I thought you’d laugh.”
Stupid comment? Why did he look so upset?
“It was a joke. I care about you, Susie. I think I’m falling in love with you and I believed, no, hoped, that you felt the same way about me.” He reached for her but she took a step back.
Beautiful words.
Beautiful lies.
Another trap.
“I’m going for a walk.” She turned towards the door, anxious to put distance between them.
He rushed to her side. “I’ll come with you. We can—”
“No.” Something stirred inside her, pushing her to escape before it was too late. Before—
“No? Can’t we even discuss this?”
She knew he needed an explanation, but she had none to give except the words, “I’m sorry.”
Chapter Twelve
“What do you mean by that?” Terry roared, almost spilling his scotch.
“It was a simple question, Palmer. What did you do to upset Susie?”
“Fucked if I know.” He growled, downing his drink in one gulp. He passed David his glass for a refill. “One minute she’s asking if I’d like Chinese food for dinner, the next, she’s shutting down emotionally.”
“It sounds like she’s had a relapse,” Anna suggested with a shrug of her shoulders. “We shouldn’t have pushed her into working. Maybe it was too soon.”
“Maybe we weren’t the ones doing the pushing.”
Derrick cast Terry an accusing look that left little doubt as to what he was insinuating.
Terry rose from his seat on the sofa and squared up. “What are you insinuating?” As if I don’t know.
“I saw the way you gawked at her when we introduced you. You just couldn’t keep it in your pants, could you? You knew the fragile state she was in but you seduced her anyway.”
A low growl resonated from Terry’s throat as he approached his accuser. “Maybe we should finish this conversation outside?”
David stepped between them. “As much as I’d like to see Palmer bust your nose, little brother, we can’t afford to be fighting among ourselves. Besides, you owe him an apology.”
Derrick glowered at his brother. “And why should I do that?”
“Because Terry didn’t instigate the relationship. Susie made the first move.”
Two sets of eyes widened. Both men opened their mouths to speak but neither said a word. Terry’s fist connected with David’s chin.
“Ouch.” David objected as he rubbed his face. “What was that for?”
“I don’t know which pisses me off the most,” Terry complained, tugging at his hair in frustration. “The fact that you just dissed my woman or the revelation that you were reading my mind when we, I won’t go into what we were doing. Asshole! Can’t you give a guy some privacy?”
“We can discuss the privacy issues later,” David told him. “We have bigger problems. Your ‘woman’ no longer wishes to work with you.”
If David had punched him in the gut, it would have hurt less. She didn’t want to work with him. He flopped back down on the sofa, cupping his forehead in his hands as he leaned forward. After a few silent minutes, he raised his chin.
“I’ll have my resignation typed up and on your desk within the hour.”
“Like hell you will!”
“What choice do I have, Megs?” he asked his life-long friend. “I can’t ask her to do night shifts and neither of you”—he motioned to her and David—“can work day shifts.”
Meaghan turned to her husband for support. “Any ideas?”
David pinched his chin between his thumb and finger. “What about this? Palmer has enough work to keep him on the streets for a while doing surveillance.” He addressed his next question to Terry. “Could you work from your car?”
He shrugged. “I’d have to buy an iPad or laptop, but, yes. I could easily work from home or the car. Actually, it would sa
ve time.”
“Consider it done.”
David grinned but Terry found no comfort in the new working arrangements. Yes, he could work without Susie if he was forced to, but could he live without her?
“There’s one more thing. Something that might not go down very well.”
“This day just keeps getting better.” Terry let out an audible sigh. “Fine, spill.”
“You’d better have another drink first.” David filled his glass before continuing. “You’ve got a new partner. Someone who can take over from you at night and provide extra protection.”
“Oh, fuck no!” Terry slammed his glass down onto the coffee table, spilling some of the contents. “Not him. Anyone but him.”
“We had no choice. No one wants to work with either of you.”
“David!” Meaghan protested. “How can you say that?”
“Because it’s true.” He turned to Terry. “Sorry, chum but the vampires don’t want to work with a human and they’re all afraid of Christoff.”
“Why can’t I work with Megs?”
“Because Meaghan is my partner.” David narrowed his eyes. “In business and in life. It would be wise to remember that.”
“As if you’d let me forget it.” Terry snarled under his breath. As he rose from his seat he added, “Look, I’ve had about as much good news as I can stand for one night. I’m going home.”
With a wave of his arm, he left the room with David hot on his heels.
“I’ve given Christoff your mobile number and I’ll have a laptop sent to your home first thing in the morning.”
“Fine. Whatever.”
He reached for the door handle but David grasped his forearm and spun him around.
“I’m on your side, Palmer. As much as I hate to admit it, you’re a good guy. Susie will come around, you’ll see.”
Terry shrugged. Without reason, she’d turned on him.
“Maybe she’s reconsidered? Maybe I saw a future where there’d been none?
“You’re wrong,” David corrected him. “She was happy. She felt safe with you.”
“Then, what should I do?”
“Give her some time.”
“And what about my new partner?”
Take Back the Night Page 10