Touch Me Now

by Donna Hill

  Chapter 26

  “One of these days the guests are going to figure out what really goes on in here,” Maurice murmured against Layla’s neck as they stepped out of the shower together.

  “Then I’ll just have to charge more,” she said over her giggles and tucked the towel securely around her body.

  Maurice put his arm around her waist as they walked back to the massage room where they’d left their clothing.

  “A lot has changed…since…you left,” she began tentatively. She glanced up to gauge his reaction. She lifted her panties from the chair and wiggled into them before dropping her towel.

  Maurice swallowed, his eyes eating her up from head to toe. “Not that I can tell,” he said in a rough voice.

  She made a face. “This,” she waved her hand along the length of her body, “is not what I’m talking about.”

  “Oh. My bad.” He grinned mischievously. He shrugged into a white cotton shirt and zipped his jeans. “You gonna tell me or do you want me to guess?”

  Layla fastened the snap on her shorts. “I bought a little place out here.”

  His fingers stopped buttoning his shirt. His right brow rose in question. “So…you’re planning to stay out here.”

  She nodded. “There was nothing for me back in the city and when you left…I…” Her voice trailed off.

  Maurice stepped up to her. He lifted her chin with the tip of his finger. “I think I’ve finally reached a place in my life where moving forward is the plan for the day. That means accepting that there is only so much I can do about what has happened in the past, and I have to make the most of the present and the future.” He paused a moment. “I want to include you in my present and my future…if that’s what you want.”

  She blinked away the sudden burn of impending tears in her eyes. “I want to,” she managed.

  He reached out and tucked behind her ear the forever-wayward strand of hair from her face. Slowly, he leaned down and kissed her tenderly on the lips. “Brooklyn is only a car ride away,” he said softly.

  Her heart pounded like crazy in her chest. Her smile wavered at the corners. “True.”

  “But, I’m here now.”

  “For how long?”

  “A couple of days. I need to get back.”

  She nodded. “Bills to pay,” she said tongue in cheek.

  “Yeah, unfortunately, my father’s will, after what he’d done, was pretty much only a lot of words on paper.” He shook his head and sighed heavily. “He’d made some really bad investments, lost everything and then began using his clients’ money to pay back clients. It was a real shell game. I knew he was having some trouble…but I never imagined…”

  Layla gently touched his upper arm. “I’m sorry.”

  “So am I,” he said on a heavy breath of regret. “And I’m sorry that it took me so long to want to hear the truth.” He took her hand and they started out.

  “What made you change your mind?” she asked as they stepped out of the spa and into the corridor that wound around the main complex of the resort.

  “Let’s talk about it out of here.”

  She grinned up at him. “I like the sound of that.”

  He reached around her and pulled open the glass-and-chrome door to the lounge area of the main building.

  Several guests were milling around in the common areas and a young couple that had “newlywed” written all over them was checking in at the reception desk.

  “Are you staying here?” Layla asked, realizing that it was Labor Day weekend and she was pretty sure The Port was at capacity.

  “Naw. I wasn’t able to get a room. I’m staying in town.”

  She stopped and turned to him. “I have plenty of space on one side of a very comfy queen-sized bed.”

  His eyes darkened. “I have to warn you, I sleep in the nude.”

  Her smile widened. “I remember.” She tugged on her bottom lip with her teeth for a moment. “I have one condition.”

  “Condition?”

  “Yes. When I wake up in the morning, I want you to be there,” she said softly.

  “For as long as you’ll have me, you’ll never have to worry about that again.”

  “Promise me,” she said, almost breathless.

  Maurice cupped her face in his palms and looked deep into her eyes. “I promise.”

  Layla’s eyes moved slowly over his face, taking in every edible detail. Lawd, how she’d missed this man. She hadn’t believe she’d ever feel this way about anyone again. But she did, and when she thought she’d lost him for good… Well, he was back now and that was what was important. Live in the present and for the future. That would be their motto from now on.

  “Let’s go into town and get your things.”

  “My one bag is with the concierge. They’re holding it for me.”

  “Here?”

  “Yep. I didn’t stop at the hotel on my way in. I’d taken long enough. All these weeks…I didn’t want to waste another minute not finding you, seeing you again.”

  Layla pressed her lips together to keep them from trembling. She swallowed over the tightness in her throat. “Then I guess we’d better get your bag.”

  They strolled along the pathway and away from The Port, turned onto another winding road that led to her new home.

  “There’s been something I’ve been meaning to ask you for a long time. And if we’re going to make a go of this, I don’t want anything hanging out there to linger between us.” She took a quick glance at him.

  “Ask me anything.”

  “One day I saw you with Kim…Fleming. It looked like you were arguing.” She hesitated. “What was going on?”

  He heaved a deep breath. “That’s complicated.”

  “Too complicated to tell me?”

  “No.” He waited a beat. “I knew her husband. We were on the failed mission together.”

  Her stomach clenched and she grabbed his hand and gently squeezed it.

  “She said she recognized me from a photo that her husband had sent to her. She wanted to know what happened that night. She said the Navy wouldn’t tell her anything. She wanted to know if I was with him, if we were together. She wanted to know everything.” He glanced away. “All of our missions are covert. I was bound by an oath that I took. I wanted to tell her,” his voice cracked, “but I couldn’t. I still can’t.” He lowered his head and pushed out a breath. “Just like I can’t tell you why we were there, only that we were. And if you didn’t see us together, I wouldn’t have told you that I even knew her husband. There isn’t a day that goes by that I wished things were different.”

  Layla stopped walking and turned to him. “I know how difficult it is for you. But I can’t tell you how much I admire the man that you are. Even though telling her the truth would have eased your conscience you didn’t do it because of your own moral center. I couldn’t ask for more than that from a man.”

  He gave her a short smile. “Thank you.”

  “No. Thank you.”

  * * *

  Layla opened the door to her quaint one-bedroom house that overlooked the rocky shore.

  Maurice stepped inside and closed the door behind them. “Very nice,” he said, looking around at the inviting space.

  Sheer floor-to-ceiling curtains in off-white blew gently in the partially opened window. The open layout gave an immediate view of the living and dining space and modern stainless-steel kitchen. The low smoked glass tables, and the taupe-colored micro-fiber sectional and ottoman sat on gleaming hardwood floors. Accents of candy apple red, gold and sea foam green played out in soft throws, pillows, pottery and vases filled with flowers.

  “Thanks,” she said, turning toward him with a bright smile. “You can put your things in my room.” She angled her head tow
ard the bedroom and he followed her around the short corner.

  Layla opened the door and there was an instant feeling of calm that permeated throughout the room and embraced them. Everything about it was soothing, from the soft palette to the spare furnishings. Every surface was clear except for vases filled with blooming flora in vibrant bursts of tropical colors. The aromatic air only added to the sense of serenity.

  She slid open the door to her closet. “You can unpack if you want. I can make space in one of my drawers and you can hang what you want in here.”

  Maurice placed his overnight bag at his feet. “This is a great place, Layla. It’s you.”

  She tipped her head to the side. “Me?”

  “Yes.” He crossed the room and stepped up to her. “Soft and inviting.” He leaned down and kissed her lightly on the lips.

  Her heart fluttered. She drew in a breath. “I still have a few things I want to do, but it’s coming along. I’m getting used to things…a new life.”

  He looked into her eyes. “Me too.”

  Her warm brown eyes moved slowly over his face, recommitting every plane to memory. “I can tell.”

  “Can you?”

  “Yes.” She stepped away and turned toward the chaise longue that was in front of the window. She sat down. “Your aura is different. The tension that hovered around you like a storm cloud is almost gone. There is a light in your eyes now, an easier tone in your voice.” She paused a moment, gauging her words. “Your leg…the limp is barely noticeable.”

  His mouth moved into a half smile. “Very observant, Ms. Brooks,” he teased.

  “How’s the pain?”

  His chest rose and fell. “I haven’t taken any pain medication in weeks. I’ve been sleeping better. The nightmares…one in the past month.” He studied her expression that remained fixed on him—open and waiting. “I finally started listening to what Dr. Morrison and you have been telling me all along.” He sat down next to her on the chaise. He linked his fingers together and lowered his head while he collected his thoughts.

  “My uncle came to see me just before I was leaving to come here.”

  Layla’s body tensed.

  Maurice angled his head toward her. “We talked, finally. We really talked.” He told her what Branford had revealed and how his heartfelt confession was another part of the broken pieces of his life that were coming back together. “I’d been holding on to so much anger and rage and irrational feelings of betrayal.” He looked directly at her and her breathing tightened. “It’s like you and Dr. Morrison have been saying all along, I’ll never get past it and heal until I can let it go.”

  “Have you?” she asked softly.

  He nodded his head. “Something Dr. Morrison said brought it all home.”

  “What was that?”

  “She said that the root of it all was that I loved my father, and I believed that what he did was a betrayal of that love.” He turned fully toward her and took her hand in his. “And that I love you and that’s why I flipped when I thought you’d betrayed me.”

  Her pulsed pounded. Love. Did he say love?

  “I love you, Layla, more than I ever realized. I love you and I want to use every day ahead of us to remind you how much.”

  “Are you sure?” she asked, her voice wobbly.

  “I’ve never been more certain of anything in my life.”

  She leaned forward and draped her arms around his neck. “I think I fell in love with you the moment I touched you,” she whispered.

  Maurice threaded his fingers through her hair, cupped the back of her head and eased her toward him. “It won’t be easy,” he said.

  “Nothing in life is.”

  “You were meant for me,” he said in a strained almost faraway voice. “This is going to sound crazy, but…when my plane went down and we were trapped in those mountains…there were moments when I didn’t think I would make it.” He swallowed. “But I kept seeing this light.” He squinted as if trying to bring the vision into focus. “It gave me hope that everything would be okay. And then I came here and the first time that I saw you, from a distance walking along the path, I saw that light again, radiating all around you.” He slowly shook his head. “I thought I was seeing things. But I wasn’t. I was seeing hope and it was you.”

  Tears of joy filled her eyes and slid over her lids onto her cheeks.

  Maurice leaned closer and kissed away her tears.

  Layla pulled him to her. Her soul sang with unbridled happiness.

  Their kiss was new, sweet, bursting with hope and possibility. And when they christened her bed with their pledge of love and fidelity, they understood that today was the beginning of the rest of their lives.

  Epilogue

  As the summer wound down, Maurice spent his weeks in New York and his weekends at Layla’s. She’d made several trips into the city and met his friend Ross and Ross’s wife, Janet, whom she loved on sight. So, of course they were in attendance at Melanie’s end-of-season party.

  “You really lucked out, my man,” Ross was saying as he stood next to Maurice on the deck.

  Maurice looked out to where Layla was laughing with Melanie, Desiree and Janet. He grinned. “Yeah, I am lucky.” He draped his arm around Ross’s shoulder. “I wanted to run something by you.”

  “Shoot.” He took a swallow of his drink.

  “Layla and I have been talking about opening a therapeutic center for injured vets out here. Desiree and Lincoln are all for it. I’ve been taking some counseling classes and I know that I can connect with vets who have been injured and are trying to readjust, and Layla has the physical therapy skills…”

  “Wow. Heavy undertaking. But I know you two can do it. Any way that I can help?”

  Maurice grinned. “I’m sure I’ll think of something.”

  “What are you two conspiring about?” Layla asked with a smile as she walked up to them.

  Maurice slid his arm around her waist and pulled her close.

  “Planning on healing the world, one man at a time,” he said before leaning down to kiss her.

  She gazed up into the eyes of the man she adored beyond reason and knew that the healing of her man had already begun.

  * * * * *

  We hope you enjoyed reading

  TOUCH ME NOW by Donna Hill,

  the third book in SAG HARBOR VILLAGE series.

  In Donna Hill’s upcoming

  Harlequin Kimani Romance,

  EVERYTHING IS YOU,

  we’ll revisit the popular Lawson family,

  and we’ve included the first three chapters

  for your review.

  Preview: Everything Is You

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 1

  A yellow cab turned onto South Figueroa and eased to a stop in front of the Beacon Hill Towers. Jacqueline Lawson stepped out into the late, balmy Los Angeles afternoon. The red-vested doorman pulled open the glass-and-chrome door of the condominium as she approached.

  “Afternoon, Ms. Lawson.”

  Jacqueline smiled but it didn’t reach her eyes that were hidden behind wide, dark shades. Her maple brown skin glistened in the June sun. “Hi, Bobby. Hot out here today.”

  “Yes, ma’am. They say thunderstorms.”

  “How’s your wife and daughter?” she asked, stepping into the cool embrace of the lobby.

  “They’re well. Thanks. There’s a package for you at the front desk.”

  “Thanks, Bobby.” She adjusted her tote bag over her shoulder. Her teal colored sling back heels tapped out a slow by steady rhythm against the terra-cotta floor. She approached t
he concierge desk. “Hi, Mike. Bobby said I have a package.”

  “Sure do. Would you like me to send it up? It’s kind of heavy.”

  “Yes, please. Send it up later. Thanks.” She started off toward the elevator and the room swayed. She slowed her step and drew in a steadying breath. The warning words of her doctor echoed in her head. Concentrating, she walked to the bank of elevators. Exhaustion rode through her in waves. She squeezed her eyes closed for a moment and willed herself to remain upright.

  The elevator dinged and the polished stainless-steel doors silently slid open. A young, very tanned couple exited, gave brief nods and moved past her.

  Jacqueline stepped inside, thankful to be alone as the doors closed behind her. She leaned against the back wall for support. She was running out of time and her options were limited.

  The doors slid open on the eighteenth floor and Jacqueline pushed herself forward down the hallway that was decorated with fresh flowers on antique tabletops and black-and-white art on the walls. Her two-bedroom apartment was at the end of the hall that she shared with one other tenant.

  Once inside, she adjusted the cooling system and walked into her bedroom that opened onto a panoramic view of downtown Los Angeles.

  Item by item she stripped out of her clothes and tossed them into a hamper in the bathroom. She took her silk robe from a hook on the back of the door and slid it on, tying the belt loosely around her waist.

  She needed to lie down. The simple trip to the doctor’s office had drained her more than she’d anticipated. She stretched out on the bed and then turned onto her side curling into a half-fetal position.

  That’s the way Raymond found her when he came in an hour later, carrying the box that had been delivered earlier.

  He placed the box in the corner near the chaise longue and quietly approached. He leaned down and placed a feathery light kiss on her forehead. She stirred ever so slightly, murmuring something that he could not make out. He eased out of the room and shut the bedroom door halfway, deciding to surprise her with an early dinner. He took a quick shower, changed into his favorite weather-worn navy blue sweatpants and padded barefoot into the living space that opened onto the kitchen. He crossed the gleaming hardwood floor to the entertainment unit. The gleam of Jacqueline’s Associated Press Medal for photojournalism sat in its place of honor encased in glass. Every time he looked at it a feeling of pride puffed his chest, reminding him of what an incredible woman she was and the fearlessness that it took for her to earn it. He turned on the stereo to his favorite R & B station.