“Not very smart of me, but then I didn’t exactly use my best judgment tonight.” She let out a frustrated breath. “Should we call the cops? I had the alarm company cancel the emergency response.”
“What would be the point? I’m sure the guy is long gone by now. What did you actually see before you called me?”
“Just a shadow move near your shed. Then a dim glow. I assume he looked at his phone while he was standing there.”
Approaching slowly, Teague slid an arm around her waist and squeezed. “I’m sorry I didn’t catch him, but he had a decent head start.”
“My fault for setting off the stupid alarm. Thanks for trying.” Her hand shook as she pushed a lock of hair behind her ear. “Teague?”
He pulled her in closer and rested his chin on her head. “What?”
“Is your offer still good?”
He pulled back to look down at her. “What offer?”
“To spend the night. I don’t think I want to be alone.” He tilted her face and kissed her. “If you hadn’t asked, I would have camped out in your yard. I don’t have any intention of leaving you alone. Not now or ever.”
* * *
Breathing hard, she collapsed into a chair in the dark front room. She’d escaped, but only because she’d tripped and fallen into a ditch. Her pursuer had run right past her while she tried to gather her wits. Once he’d turned back, she’d crawled onto the road and limped home.
A stupid, stupid risk to take, but she’d been worried.
With a moan, she pushed to her feet. Climbing the stairs was an effort, but she conquered them. When she reached the door to Lynette’s—not Lynette, the impostor’s—door, she paused. All was quiet on the other side. She removed the padlock and dropped it in her jacket pocket. The time to bury her mistake was drawing near, but until then, she couldn’t take any risks.
Which was why her actions tonight had been so foolish.
After flipping on her bedroom light, she shed her filthy clothes and pulled a flannel nightgown over her head. She needed a shower but was too exhausted. Instead, she entered the bathroom to brush fir needles and twigs out of her gray hair and wipe dirt streaks off her face.
With trembling hands, she fumbled with the cap to her pain meds. After swallowing two, she snapped off the light and headed to bed. The cool sheets soothed her aching limbs as she flopped down with another moan.
She’d been a fool tonight, but having only a few yards of space and thin walls separating her from Lynette had been a comfort. Then Nina had come home, and the car headlights had nearly caught her in the beams. When Teague left his house to rush to her side, she’d been oh so tempted to take what belonged to her then and there.
Too soon.
The day of Lynette’s birth was only a couple of weeks away. She could wait until the time was right. In the meantime, Nina was becoming a real problem, an obstacle to her ultimate goal. Not to mention the woman still had the stinking lottery ticket. She’d have to think about the best way to eliminate the threat.
She didn’t fight it when her lids slowly closed. For now, she’d sleep on it.
Chapter Nineteen
Teague woke to the blare of the alarm early Sunday morning. Reaching across Nina, he slapped down hard on the clock to stop the noise. Instead of rolling back to his side of the bed, he snuggled in close. He could think of worse ways to begin his day than waking with her in his arms.
“You know that thing has a music setting, right?”
He smiled at her grumpy tone. “Yes, but I sleep right through it.” Nuzzling his nose against her neck, he breathed deep. “You smell good.”
“Peach-scented lotion.” She turned over and blinked in the faint light filtering through the blinds. “Don’t you have to get up for work?”
“I have some extra time, and I’d rather eat breakfast on the fly if it means hanging out with you a little longer.” He ran the pad of his thumb across her cheek. “Anyway, I think we need to talk.”
“About the fact that we didn’t make love last night?”
Lying beside her while keeping his hands to himself hadn’t been easy. “I wouldn’t take advantage of the situation, and you made your feelings pretty clear earlier in the evening.”
“I don’t know how I managed that when I’m not even sure how I feel.” She pressed one warm palm to his chest. “I think that’s part of the problem.”
Beneath her hand, his heart beat a little faster. “No problem on my end. I know what I want—you.”
“We discussed not rushing into anything, taking it slow to see how we do together.”
“In theory that sounds smart, but in reality . . .” He gathered her close and kissed her, a long, slow, drugging kiss that left him keyed up and wanting more. “I can’t imagine not having you in my life.”
“I think I’m in love with you, Teague.”
Her words came out of nowhere, and his mouth dropped open. He’d expected to have to push and prod her into a committed relationship. For Nina to lay her heart out in a vulnerable confession changed his whole strategy.
“But—”
Here it comes . . . “Does there have to be a but? I love you, too.”
“I know.”
His brows lowered. “You do?”
“Your feelings are honest and open. I know you care about me. I expect you’d like to take casual dating to the next level.”
“I definitely would.”
“But on your terms. You want to insert me into your life without disrupting the balance you’ve worked so hard to achieve over the last few weeks. Your priorities will still be Keely, work, and then me.”
“I can’t ignore my daughter when she needs me.” Pain flared in his chest, but he couldn’t hold back the truth. “I have to make a living.”
She touched his cheek. “I know that. I don’t expect—or want—you to neglect Keely. Obviously your job makes demands on your time. For you, working late may mean the difference between life and death for someone. But I’m not sure I want to be squeezed in around the edges. I’ve been there and done that, and honestly, I wasn’t very happy making all the compromises.”
“I’m not Keith.”
“No, you’re not, and I’d like to think you’ll try harder to understand my needs instead of dismissing them in favor of your own.”
“Yet you were still going to marry the guy.”
She nodded. “I didn’t know then what I know now. I loved him, but we might not have lasted as a couple over the long run.”
“That’s not what I want to have happen to us.” He held her a little tighter and tried not to notice the way her breasts, covered only in thin cotton, pressed against his chest. “I also don’t want you to walk away. Can’t we work on this?”
“Of course we can, but I wanted to let you know where I stand.”
“I appreciate that.” He met her troubled gaze. “No relationship comes without its fair share of problems. Compromise by both parties, along with a willingness to keep trying, is always necessary.”
“True.”
“My marriage wasn’t perfect. Jayne and I had different priorities and fought about them.”
“Can I ask what they were?” She kept her gaze steady. “Not to be nosy, but to understand what’s important to you.”
“Money. Jayne lived in the moment. She thought it was more important to make memories than save for the future. I have a more practical nature. I wanted to start a college fund for Keely. She wanted to take her on an African safari.”
Nina nestled her head against his shoulder. “Wasn’t your daughter a little young to appreciate a trip like that?”
“My point exactly. I told Jayne there’d be plenty of time for vacations once we were better off financially.” His gut tightened. “Turned out, she didn’t have all those tomorrows I was counting on.”
“You couldn’t have anticipated what happened.”
“No, but now I wish I’d gone along with what she wanted.” He brushed a strand of
hair off Nina’s cheek, the skin so soft beneath his fingertips. “My point is I’m more than willing to consider your perspective. I know I have a tendency to be overprotective. Last night was a perfect example. Keely really would have been fine staying at her friend’s house. I didn’t have to leave you at the wedding.”
Nina pressed a little tighter, aligning her curves to his angles. “I don’t intend to make unreasonable demands on your time. But—”
He touched her lips with his finger. “When something matters to you, I should be there to support you. I get that.”
She smiled. “On that note, maybe we should end this conversation.” She wiggled against him. “Or don’t you have time?”
A soft groan escaped as his body heated. “For this, I can make time.”
Cradling her in his arms, he was happy to stop talking and kiss her instead. He couldn’t get enough of Nina. From the passion shining in her beautiful eyes as they slowly closed, to the long, shapely legs she wrapped around his waist as he rolled her beneath him, he only wanted more. To give and to take. After tossing her T-shirt to the floor, he cupped her naked breasts in his palms and went in for another kiss before slowly sinking into her.
She ran her hands up and down his back and clutched his ass to hold him closer. When little whimpers of need escaped her throat, he nearly lost it.
“God, I love you. I want you here with me every day.”
She nodded in response as she thrust against him. When a soft cry wrenched from her throat, he shuddered against her before collapsing full-length on top of her.
Holding him tight, she strung kisses up the side of his neck. “I love you, too.”
“I’m crushing you.”
She gripped his shoulders harder. “No, don’t move. I want this for just a minute longer.”
He was happy to stay . . . until he caught a glimpse of the digital clock on the bedside table. “Crap!” He pressed one more kiss to her lips before levering off her. “I’m going to be late for work.” He headed toward the closet. “Stella’s due in a few minutes to babysit. I called her last night after I brought Keely home.”
“Are you kidding?” Nina scrambled off the bed. “Geez, I don’t want to announce to the whole world we’re sleeping together.”
By the time he grabbed pants and a shirt off the built-in shelves he’d added to the closet, she had her T-shirt and robe on and was looking under the bed for her second slipper.
She glanced up, her hair rumpled. “I’ll get out of here and talk to you later.”
“Nina, I—” He broke off when his cell rang. Scooping it up off the dresser, he glanced at the display. “Speak of the devil.” He raised the phone to his ear. “What’s up, Stella?”
“I threw out my back getting out of bed this morning. I thought I could suck it up and make it over there, but that’s not happening.” Her breath hissed through the receiver. “I’m in some serious pain.”
He massaged the back of his neck. “Do you need help getting to the doctor?”
“Don’t worry about me. I’ll call a neighbor or a friend, but I’m sorry to leave you in the lurch with Keely today.”
He glanced over at Nina as she rose to her feet holding the missing slipper. “I’ll do the same and call a neighbor. Hopefully Nina can watch her.”
“I really am sorry.”
“You just take care of yourself, and let me know if you need anything.”
“Thanks, Teague. Bye now.”
He clicked off his phone, then glanced down and realized he was still naked. Moving quickly, he opened the dresser drawer to pull out briefs and socks.
“Do you need me to babysit?” Nina dropped down onto the edge of the bed.
“If you don’t mind. I hate to take advantage of you, but Stella threw out her back.”
“Hey, don’t worry about it. I was going to paint today, and I still can. I’ll just bring Keely with me. She can paint, too. We’ll have fun.”
He turned to face her. “I’ll make a few phone calls when I get to work to see if I can arrange a playdate for her. But until then . . .”
“Don’t be silly. Get dressed and take off. I’ll hang out with Keely.”
All the tension drained out of him. “Thank you.”
“It’s not that big a deal, but it’s terribly distracting talking to you when you’re bare-ass naked.” Her gaze dropped.
He grinned. “Fine. I’m out of here. Well, after I get dressed.”
She smiled back. “That’s probably a good idea.”
* * *
Nina focused on the square of canvas propped on the easel in front of her. Tipping her head, she examined the burst of colors in shades from palest pink to deep fuchsia before studying the climbing roses covering the back fence of the playground. She’d gotten the variations right, and the weathered boards behind the climbing vines made a gorgeous rustic backdrop for the blooms.
“Look, Nina. Isn’t my picture pretty?”
She turned to admire Keely’s painting of the roses clipped to the chunky plastic easel. “Wow, you did a terrific job. I’m sure your dad will want to put that up on the refrigerator.”
The girl stood and dropped her paintbrush into the cup of water. “Maybe we can frame it and hang it on the wall.”
Near the base of the easel, Coco rolled over and opened her eyes. After a moment, she scrambled to her feet.
Nina nodded. “I can help you with that, but first the painting needs to dry. I’ll tape the edges of the paper down so they don’t curl.”
“Can I go play on the slides? I don’t want to paint anymore.”
She glanced toward the playground behind them where several kids were running between the swings and various climbing structures. A few women occupied the benches placed strategically throughout the area, most of them on their phones.
“Do you know anyone here?”
“No, but I can talk to those girls by the drinking fountain.”
Nina smiled. “Go ahead. Maybe you’ll make some new friends. Keep Coco on her leash, though. I don’t think dogs are allowed to run loose.”
“Okay.” She scooped up the leash and looped it around her wrist. “Come on, Coco.”
After Keely and the dog ran off, Nina pulled a roll of masking tape out of her bag and taped the corners of the wet painting to the easel before sitting back down to work on her own project. She needed at least another hour to complete it and hoped Keely could occupy herself for a while. Mixing shades of green to the perfect tint for the leaves, she went back to work.
Every few minutes, Nina glanced over her shoulder to pick Keely out of the thinning crowd of kids. As the sun climbed higher in the sky and the noise behind her decreased, she hurried to finish her painting. Satisfied with the results, she laid down her brush and gave a fist pump. “Yes! Someone out there will want to hang this baby above their living room couch or give their office a splash of color.”
Wiping her hands on a rag, she turned to search for Keely. When she didn’t immediately see her or the dog, she rose from her stool to better scan the playground. A flash of color in the parking lot caught her attention. Keely’s bright pink shirt. She stood between a car and a van with her back to the playground.
The hair on Nina’s neck rose. “Keely! Get over here right now!” Dropping the rag, she sprinted toward the parking lot.
When Keely turned to head her way with Coco following, Nina slowed and stopped beside the swings, then pressed a hand to her chest.
“Hey, Nina! Why did you yell like that?”
When the girl reached her side, she controlled the urge to shake her. “You scared me, that’s why. You should know better than to wander alone into a parking lot. Anyone in a car could open a door and grab you.”
Keely’s eyes widened. “I wasn’t alone. I’m not stupid.”
Out in the parking lot, an engine started, and a white sedan pulled onto the street. At their feet, Coco sat on her butt and scratched furiously behind one ear with her back paw.
>
Nina stared at the dog. “Coco doesn’t count.”
“Not Coco, the lady I was talking to. She saw a baby bunny and asked if I wanted to look at it, but Coco must have scared it away.”
“You followed a stranger out to her car?” Nina tried hard to keep from shouting.
“She said it was okay because she’s your friend.”
Nina’s frown deepened. “What was this woman’s name?”
“I don’t know, but she didn’t look scary. She looked like a grandma.” Keely’s lip wobbled. “Are you mad at me?”
Nina slipped her arm around the girl and hugged her close. “I’m not mad, but you never, ever walk off with a stranger. I don’t care if the person says they know me or your dad. It isn’t safe. I should have been watching you more closely. This was my fault.”
“Nothing bad happened.”
“I’m very thankful for that. Maybe the woman who talked to you was harmless, but you still can’t wander off with a stranger.”
Keely scrunched up her forehead. “I thought I might know her, but I couldn’t remember for sure.”
“If something like that ever happens again, I want you to run back to me. Understand?”
“Okay. Can we go home now? I’m hungry.”
“That’s because it’s past lunchtime. The good news is I finished my painting, so we can definitely leave.”
Keely skipped beside her, tugging Coco by the end of the leash. “I want to see your picture. I bet it’s pretty.”
“Maybe not as pretty as yours, but I’m happy with how it turned out. We’ll pack up our gear, load the car, and then go get something to eat.”
Keely put both hands over her stomach. “I might starve first.”
Somehow, she managed to survive until they got home and made grilled ham and cheese sandwiches. Taking the gooey golden triangles and a bowl of strawberries out to the porch, they sat on the steps to eat while Coco sniffed the grass along the edge of the driveway.
“I like it here.” Keely bit into a strawberry. “It’s not as hot as where we used to live. My mom said we could get a pool, but then she died.” Her voice quavered. “She used to take me to the park, too.”
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