“You’ve already done plenty, Laura. Thank you.”
“What about the other apartment? I could go over and water your plants and take in the mail.”
“You wouldn’t mind?”
“No. I’ve still got the spare key you gave me.”
“That would be great. I know I have to go over there and sort through everything, but I’m really not up to that hassle right now.”
“No problem.” Laura hesitated. “Is it true? About the baby, I mean. Are you really…”
“Pregnant?” Her hand automatically went to her flat stomach. “That’s what they told me at the hospital. Only, the clinic doctor—”
“Was a quack. You said so yourself.”
“I know.”
“That friend of Jerome’s didn’t know what he was doing. You said the clinic was disorganized and unprofessional.”
“I know. It’s just that I don’t feel pregnant so it doesn’t seem real.” Events had been swirling around her so fast, her chaotic thoughts hadn’t been able to fasten on anything, much less impending motherhood.
“Are you going to keep the baby?”
Sydney opened her mouth in surprise.
“Sorry.” Laura bent quickly and zipped Sydney’s bag. “It’s none of my business. I just wanted you to know you’d be welcome to move back here permanently. I mean, after they catch the robbers and everything. But if you’re going to keep the baby, well…” She shrugged. They both knew this was an adults-only complex.
“I don’t…I haven’t had time to come to terms with being pregnant, let alone given any thought to the future.” A future in which she would no longer be alone. But this wasn’t the way she had dreamed and planned.
“Hey, I really have lousy timing, don’t I?” Laura said in agitation. “You just got out of the hospital, and you’re right, you haven’t had time to think yet.”
No. There hadn’t been time to think about any of what had happened.
“Anyhow, I just wanted you to know you have a friend and a place to stay anytime you want it. Hey, how about some earrings?” She held up Sydney’s favorite pair of crystal earrings. “And let’s try a little lipstick and some blush, okay? Your face is pale as death.” Consternation darkened her already pink cheeks. “Oh, blast. I didn’t mean to say that.”
“It’s okay, Laura.”
“No, it isn’t. I’m normally so controlled. Give me an airplane emergency and I’m unfazed. Let some punk tear my place to shreds and I feel like screaming.”
Sydney stood. Suddenly, she wanted out of this room and away from her friend. She needed a quiet spot where she could sort through the chaos in her head.
“Do you want to borrow my green print dress? It’s supposed to be hot as Hades tomorrow and that dress also has a built-in bra.”
“Okay. Thanks. That would be great.” Anything to hurry things along.
Laura gave her arm a gentle squeeze. “I’ll get it and be right back.”
As Laura opened the door, Noah swung around, a pile of books in his hands. His gaze settled on Sydney. Masculine appreciation crossed his features before his usual mask dropped in place. He set the books down and came toward her in a few short strides.
“Need some help?”
“You can carry my suitcase.”
“Is this everything?”
“No,” Laura said, coming from her room with a garment bag and a small white shoulder purse. “She’ll need this too. I threw in my white silk scarf, Sydney. It’ll look good with the dress and cover those bruises on your neck.”
“Thank you.” She tried to convey all the emotions she was feeling in those simple words and Laura smiled in understanding.
“No problem. Noah, you didn’t have to clean up. I’ll take care of the mess after I get back from my run on Wednesday.”
“Good idea,” Noah agreed. “I’m afraid I listened to a message on your answering machine. Someone by the name of Gunnar wants you to call.”
“Oh.”
“I thought you weren’t going to go out with him,” Sydney said.
“I’m not. He hasn’t called me in a long time. He must have heard about Jerome.”
Noah waited.
“He’s a friend of Jerome’s,” Laura explained. “A group of us ran into him at a club one night. He asked me out a couple of times, but he’s not really my type.”
Sydney nodded agreement. “He’s too old for you.”
“Yeah. He must be close to forty.”
“That old, huh?”
Droll humor played about Noah’s lips. Sydney realized Noah was on the long side of thirty-five himself.
“Oops,” Laura said with a laugh. “No offense.”
“I’m relieved to hear it,” he said. “If you ladies are ready to go we’ll go down and tell the superintendent we’re leaving now.”
SYDNEY ENVIED Noah’s calm, sure demeanor as he maneuvered her small car through the busy Washington traffic a short time later. Her thoughts swirled helplessly—until she noticed him checking the rearview mirror for a fourth time.
“Is something wrong?”
“Heavy traffic,” he replied. “You doing okay?”
“Yes.” She hoped people would stop asking her that pretty soon. She wasn’t helpless and she wasn’t an invalid. She was just—scared.
The familiar landmarks flashed by. How could the rest of the world proceed so calmly as if it were just another day when her entire life had changed so dramatically? Her hand lingered on her stomach. She caught Noah glancing at her and quickly moved her hand away.
“You’ll make a good mother,” he said.
“Thank you. Motherhood suddenly seems a bit daunting.” She smothered a yawn. “And pregnancy makes me unusually tired, I think.”
“Your body has been through a lot the past few days, Sydney. Physically, as well as mentally. Don’t fight it, you need to rest. I’ll have you at the hotel in just a few minutes.”
Noah was as good as his word. After handing the valet his keys, he registered them and led her to another bank of elevators. “Come on, sleepyhead. You need to lie down.”
Sydney didn’t argue. Fatigue canceled out the fear and worry that had plagued her. She let Noah sign them in and guide her to the elevator. As much as she hated to admit it, she was grateful for his support. Even standing seemed like an effort.
He led her into a room and unlocked the connecting door. Vaguely, she remembered him telling Laura he’d gotten two rooms. Too bad Laura hadn’t been able to join them. Her friend would have made a good buffer for the attraction she felt for Noah. Plus, she wouldn’t have to spend the night alone. She couldn’t exactly ask Noah to share a room with her. He was only here with her now because of Jerome. He’d be gone again soon enough.
Stifling a yawn, Sydney followed Noah into the second room and caught herself swaying with fatigue while he turned down the bed.
“Do you need help getting that dress off?”
She thought about what she wasn’t wearing underneath and shook her head. “That’s okay. I can manage.”
“Really?” His eyebrows rose in disbelief.
“Really,” she lied. The truth was, she wasn’t sure she could even manage the distance between the doorway and the bed, but she wasn’t about to tell him that.
“Okay. Holler if you need anything. I’ll leave the connecting door ajar.”
“Thank you.”
Noah tugged back the covers on the bed for her and disappeared inside the other room. She told herself she was grateful that he kept everything so impersonal. It made the situation so much easier, but the truth was, she would have liked to have folded herself into his arms.
And that was a really stupid thought. She was more tired than she’d realized. Sinking down on the bed, she yawned. Forget removing the dress. She’d just lie down for a second.
Her eyes slid shut as exhaustion tugged her down into a deep black well. For one blurry instant, she thought Noah returned, pulling the covers over her. Co
mforted, she nestled deeper into the pillow. She knew she was dreaming, because he bent and placed a kiss against her hair.
NOAH WATCHED her sleep for several discomfiting seconds. What was she going to do when he told her the truth—or at least what he suspected was the truth? Jerome had lied to her. It was the only explanation.
He rubbed his jaw wearily. Noah didn’t want to be attracted to Sydney Edwards, but he was. And that attraction was going to make a bad situation more awkward when he told her what Jerome had done.
If only she’d been the spoiled wimp he’d expected. Instead, he found himself standing guard over what he suspected was an injured tigress. He hoped that assessment was on target because he didn’t think she was anywhere near out of the woods just yet. He was pretty sure a silver Honda had tried to follow them from Laura’s apartment. He’d spotted it immediately, but only because he’d been watching for a tail.
He’d seen the car, or one just like it, sitting across the street from the apartment when they’d pulled up. When he’d seen it behind them after they left, he’d driven in circles before heading to the hotel. Fortunately, Sydney had been too tired to notice.
Leaving the door ajar, he went back to his own room and tried not to think about how compelling Sydney looked in sleep. He picked up the telephone and called Agent Wickowski.
Wickowski was not a happy man. He wanted to talk with both of them again.
“Sydney is sound asleep. I’m not going to wake her up just so she can whisper answers to you that you already have. Give us both a break, okay? Let her get some rest.”
He listened for a moment, staring down at the busy street below. There was no sign of the silver Honda.
“Look, I called to give you some information. Unless you’ve got a tail on us… Yeah, I didn’t think so. I don’t have a plate number, but I’m pretty sure someone tried to follow us when we left her old apartment building. Uh-huh. A silver Honda, this year’s model. You do know about the break-in at Laura Gooding’s apartment, right?”
Wickowski didn’t. Noah gave him that information to brood over and finally hung up. Restless, he tried to settle down with a book he’d been meaning to read, but he couldn’t concentrate. In desperation, he turned on the television, seeking a news station. Reading between the lines on an international story, he was surprised his leave hadn’t been canceled. And relieved. He would have hated for that to happen right now.
Eventually, he had dinner sent up to the room and went to check on Sydney. She didn’t so much as stir. As far as he could see, she hadn’t moved since he’d left her. Her hair spilled across the pillow like every man’s fantasy. Too bad he wasn’t immune to it. The soft rise and fall of her chest told him she was deep in sleep.
When he started thinking about what a nice chest it was, he returned to his room.
Sydney didn’t stir when dinner was delivered and Noah didn’t have the heart to wake her. He went back to his room and let a game show keep him company over his meal.
Sydney only roused once, groggily, to use the bathroom. Since she didn’t call for him, he watched silently from the doorway as she stumbled from the bathroom and fell back into bed. He doubted she even knew he was standing there. She obviously needed sleep more than food, so he left her alone. But he took the image of her in that rumpled sundress into his dreams when he called it an early night.
Hours later, he surged from the bed, abruptly wide-awake. Adrenaline rushed through his system at her broken scream.
CHAPTER FOUR
The darkness of the room was complete. Sydney lay still, wondering what had awakened her to such heart-pounding fear. A raging thirst burned in her throat. Abruptly, she remembered where she was and why. That accounted for the adrenaline rush pumping through her body.
Until she realized she wasn’t alone in the room.
Someone moved stealthily towards the bed. Her gaze flashed to the connecting door. Instinctively, she knew the person in the room with her wasn’t Noah.
Sydney rolled from the bed, but the assailant was faster. Before she could draw in a breath to scream, he’d rushed her, bridging the distance between them in a heartbeat. She tried to twist away, out of his grasp, but he was lean and snake quick.
The recognizable smell of garlic assailed her. He wrestled her back down onto the bed. New terror gripped her when his hand landed on her breast. She tried to squirm free but his weight came down on top of her, forcing the air from her lungs.
Terrified, she bit his arm hard enough to draw blood.
“Bitch!”
He slapped her, jarring her head with the force of the blow. In desperation, Sydney jerked her head forward. She was rewarded by a grunt when her forehead struck his face. She clawed at the ski mask covering it, even as she found the air to scream.
The cry came out a broken croak of sound, but it was enough. The man hesitated. Sydney didn’t. She swung her cast, trying for his face again, now partially exposed by the dislodged ski mask. He rolled off her and away with astounding speed. The blow glanced off his forearm instead of smashing his face as she’d hoped. The mask came off as he ran for the door.
The intruder fled out the hall door, giving Sydney a glimpse of dark hair and an unshaved jawline as he fled into the light. She drew in another breath to scream for Noah when the connecting door swung wide with a jarring crash. Her breath expelled in an involuntary cry as Noah charged into her room.
“Sydney!”
“He went down the hall!” The words came out on a choked sob. She was shaking all over.
“Wait here.”
“No, wait!” But as Sydney struggled from the bed, Noah ran into the hall. Fear for his safety sent her feverishly hunting in the dark room for the telephone—until it occurred to her to turn on the light. In the soft glow of the lamp, she calmed.
Her face and head throbbed. So did her hand beneath the cast, but otherwise she was unhurt. She tried for calm, while she concentrated on trying to decipher the printed instructions for the phone. She pressed the symbol for the front desk.
“Good morning, this is Leighton. May I help you?”
Desperately, she tried to swallow past her dry throat. “Yes.” The word came out sounding like sandpaper. “Someone just broke into my room.”
“Broke into your room?” the voice asked incredulously.
“Noah is chasing him, but what if he has a gun?”
New fear blotted out the clerk’s startled response as someone pounded on her door.
“Sydney!”
“Noah!” She dropped the receiver and ran to let him inside. Only after she opened the door did she realize Noah had been running through the hotel stark naked.
“We need to call security.”
“I’ve got the front desk on the phone.”
“Good.”
A very naked, very angry Noah stalked across the room, totally unconcerned by his nudity.
She tried hard not to stare, but he resembled some sort of Greek god come to life. Unbidden, her gaze traced a path over his lightly furred chest and lean hips that tapered to a thatch of hair from which sprang…
Quickly looking away, she glimpsed a flash of droll humor in Noah’s otherwise darkly stormy eyes.
“You’re naked.”
“When I heard you scream, I didn’t take time for the niceties.” Retrieving the fallen receiver, he spoke with quiet authority. “This is Noah Inglewood. Get security to meet the descending elevator right now,” he demanded. “You’d better call the police as well. I’ll be right down.”
He hung up without waiting for a response. “Are you okay?”
She nodded, trying to focus on his face, but a naked Noah Inglewood was impossible to ignore. “Uh…” Embarrassment paralyzed her vocal cords. It was impossible to ignore his semierect state.
“Wait here.” He crossed to the connecting door giving her a good view of a slim waist, strong legs and nicely rounded buttocks.
He returned seconds later, fastening his pants. A white dr
ess shirt was draped over his shoulder while his bare feet were stuffed into a pair of spit-polished dress shoes.
“Are you sure you’re okay?”
She managed to nod.
“He didn’t touch you?”
She shook her head. “No. I mean, yes.” She hadn’t thought eyes could get that dark.
“But I’m fine.”
His hand cupped her face. The gesture was amazingly tender. So was his expression. Her heart began its wild tattoo once again.
“Tell me what happened.”
His quiet authority released the dam of words.
“Something woke me and I realized someone was in the room. I tried to get away, but he knocked me back onto the bed. We struggled and I bit him. Then I butted him in the face with my head. I think I hit his nose. I hope I broke it. When I hit him with my cast, he took off.”
Her voice sounded thin and shrill and she was still shaking all over in delayed reaction. Noah cradled the back of her head and pulled her gently against his chest. The gesture was meant to offer comfort. Instead, it sent shock waves through both of them as her cheek connected with his bare skin. Noah instantly released her.
“Sorry.” He pulled on his shirt, never taking his eyes from her. “I hope you broke his nose, too. You’re pretty incredible, you know that?” He said it with a tight smile.
“Noah, it was the same man.”
Noah stilled.
“I could smell the garlic. He reeks of it, Noah. And I pulled his ski mask off.”
Noah turned back toward the bed.
“Over there. On the floor.”
Noah walked over and looked at it, but he didn’t pick it up. “Did you see his face?”
“No. It was too dark and I was too scared. But he has dark hair and he needs a shave. I saw that much when he ran out into the hall.”
“You did great. Wait in my room, Sydney. Lock the connecting door and don’t open either door until you hear me call your name, all right?”
She managed to bob her head in answer.
His thumb caressed her bottom lip. Then he was gone. Sydney stared after him, badly shaken all over again. Her lips tingled where he’d touched them and she couldn’t quite seem to catch her breath. His touch was electrifying and she craved it.
My Baby, My Love Page 7