“Ten, I love you.”
Her heartbeat spiked for just a moment, making her glad she was sitting and not standing. “You don’t really know me, Kyle—”
“I most certainly do,” he insisted. “And I love you. I need you in my life. I want you to stay.”
“And I barely know you. I mean, look at this place!” she said with a hand-sweeping gesture that encompassed the luxury and expanse of the room. “You’re obviously more than just a cop.” She reached over to the nightstand and picked up the watch he wore most days. “This costs maybe sixty dollars. But how much was that one?” She pointed to a custom Urwerk lying casually next to where his day watch had been. “Well? Answer honestly.”
“I don’t remember … not as much as you think … seventy, possibly seventy-five thousand …” he answered, frowning up at her.
Stunned, she couldn’t keep her jaw from dropping. “Kyle!”
“Look, I’ll tell you all you want to know about me,” he said, holding his hands up in mock surrender. His beseeching, dark eyes showed her a vulnerability she was sure not many had a chance to see. “Just don’t leave,” he said, pulling her into his arms. “Don’t leave before we figure out all this good stuff between us.”
She laid her head gently against his chest, savoring the masculine feel of him. His muscular arms twined about her in a way that affirmed he needed her as much as she needed him.
“We can’t do this right now, Kyle,” she murmured.
“If not now, when?” he asked. When she couldn’t form an answer fast enough, he added, “Call your mom or your sister and let them know I’ll have you home later this afternoon.”
She reluctantly left his arms and did as he asked.
“Okay, I just sent Fallon a text,” she said. A strange sense of sadness washed over her. When would her family realize that it was time for her to have a life? Why didn’t she ever put herself first? Never before had a man encouraged her to see to her own needs and offered to answer those needs because he loved and cared for her. She wanted to free her heart to love, but he seemed to be too much goodness to be true.
“Who are you?” she asked in a breathy whisper.
Kyle’s smile eclipsed the morning sunshine. “Let me get dressed. I can show you better than I can tell you.”
He brushed a kiss across her forehead, then trotted to his attached bathroom and turned on the shower. He returned with a towel precariously knotted at his waste. “Shower?” he asked, offering his hand.
“No, thanks, I think I’ll wait until—”
Kyle’s towel fell to the floor. With a little gasp, Tenley was off the bed faster than a blink.
Chapter 7
An hour later, hair still damp from more than the shower, a hidden smile played at the corners of her mouth as she recounted their lovemaking. She could still feel him moving inside her, still feel the heat in her throat as she inhaled and exhaled steam, still feel his hands, his heart … “I love you, Tenley…”
They were on the road again, equipped with coffee and bagels. Soon they were winding down a tree-lined private path up to a security booth where, after a quick search of Tenley’s purse, a guard activated a massive wrought-iron gate. They pulled up to a mansion so enormous, Tenley was surprised to find it so close to the city.
“My Lord!” Tenley exclaimed. “What’s going on?”
“Hold your horses.”
They clickety clacked across marble flooring, up a winding staircase, and down a carpeted hall, answering the occasional greeting of servants and assistants with a nod, until they came upon a set of towering double doors guarded by two armed men who barely acknowledged them when Kyle pushed the doors open.
“Grandfather.”
“There you are,” a low, genial voice said.
At first, Tenley couldn’t see the speaker. He was surrounded by so many people waiting for an audience with him, hovering like an anxious flock of birds. But as Kyle drew her closer, literally dragging Tenley along with him, realization staggered her.
“Mayor Powell!” The words gushed from her lips before she could rein them in.
“Grandfather, this is my girlfriend, Tenley Lyman.”
Girlfriend? The word hung on the periphery of her attention, while she tried to process the fact that she was standing in her enemy’s home.
Mayor Powell’s face comically transformed from welcoming acceptance when he laid eyes on his grandson, to an emotionless displeasure when he saw Tenley. Still he tilted his head toward her in greeting. “We talked about surprises, son.”
“It’s only Tenley,” Kyle answered, moving further into the room. “Tenley lives in Sowell Gardens, grandfather. She and her family are working hard to mobilize the community in its own crime prevention efforts—”
“We’re not beating that dead dog again, are we?” the Mayor growled, shifting on the brown leather, tufted armchair. “Do I need to show you last month’s crime report for that area? The plans for Sowell are already laid.” Then his gaze narrowed onto his grandson, his annoyance evident in the coolness of his slate grey eyes. “Now if you want to quit playing cops and robbers and join my administration, like I’ve been trying to get you to do since … forever, then we might have something to talk about.”
Kyle’s grip on Tenley’s hand tightened. “I’m not—”
“Kyle, let it go,” Tenley insisted, giving his hand a gentle squeeze.
With a fleeting look at her, he took a long, slow breath and refocused on the aging twin of his father, who sat considering them balefully. “Is Grandmother about?” Kyle asked.
“What do I know about your grandmother’s movements?” Mayor Powell snapped. “I’m trying to get briefed for an interview.” His icy gaze shifted between them. “You two will have to excuse me.”
“Come on.” Kyle took Tenley’s hand and, again, tugged her down the lengthy hall. “A word about my grandmother, before you meet her—”
But Jillian Powell was already floating up the staircase, greeting them before he could finish.
“There you are, darling! They told me you were on the grounds. We’re so glad to see you!”
“Grandmother, this is Tenley, my—”
“Friend. Tenley Lyman,” Tenley interjected, to which the older woman smiled. “It’s an honor to meet you, Mrs. Powell,” Tenley said. She had to curb the urge to curtsy. With Jillian Powell’s high-end labeled lounger, designer slippers, iced ears and wrists, the woman seemed more like royalty than the “Nana” Kyle had spoken so lovingly about.
“Such a beauty!” Mrs. Powell clasped Tenley’s hand between her own, her eyes flashing with an undisguised glint of mischief. When she released Tenley, she pulled Kyle’s face close and kissed his cheek. “You’re staying for breakfast, aren’t you?”
Kyle began, “We—”
“I can’t,” Tenley resolved, backing down the stairs and toward the exit. “I really have to go.”
“But you just got here! She’s practically running, Kyle,” Mrs. Powell said, nearly whining.
Actually, Tenley was running. She didn’t belong in such a world as this, and she couldn’t stay another moment.
Soon, Kyle was close on her heels. “Tenley!”
“I have to get out of here!”
“All right! Calm down.” He caught up with her, grabbing her arm. “Let’s go to the car.”
Moments later, Tenley slid into the passenger seat and folded her arms across her chest.
“I can explain everything!” Kyle said, leaning into the passenger side window.
“Just take me home!”
Kyle looked at her for a spell, then moved around the car and dropped into the driver’s seat, turning toward her. “You act like I shot your dog. I don’t know what you’re so mad about.”
“Are you kidding me?” she shot back, feeling hairs stiffen along her neck, like hackles. “You’ve been lying from the moment we met! If you’re a police officer, I’m the Shah of Iran!” She snapped her attention to the fron
t window. “Lonnie’s right. Your grandfather gave badges to a bunch of his puppets and loosed them into Sowell to destroy it!” She looked at him. “I have to give it to you, Kyle. You nearly had me.”
“That’s ridiculous,” he said, his dusky eyes imploring. “Listen to me, honey.”
The massive effort it took Tenley to remain calm had to be obvious. She practically held herself down in her seat by gripping the edges of the leather cushion.
“I am a respected, tried and true officer of the law,” he said in a low tone. “I have degrees in both criminal justice and law enforcement, and I aced the academy. I did not lie about that.”
She glared at him, unable to keep her indignation at his betrayal at bay. “Wearing cheap jewelry and driving a Hyundai to hide your true identity. Why?”
“I want the guys on the Force to treat me like everybody else.” He paused, as though allowing a memory to seep in. “Look, I wasn’t always tied to politics. My father was the love child of my grandfather’s secretary way before grandfather ever even dabbled in government. My father married into money before he even met his own father, who also had money,” he said, scowling. “I can’t help what I come from, and I wasn’t trying to be deceitful. I just wanted you to see me!”
Tenley shifted her gaze from the mansion with its armed security strolling the grounds, back to his entreating face.
“Come on.” Kyle stepped out of the car and walked over to her side, opening her door. “Walk with me.”
They meandered along a stone paved path to the gardens, taking in the fresh morning air and sunshine.
“My dad was taken care of by the family,” Kyle said, his gaze focused far beyond their path. “But his father’s identity was kept from him until he learned the facts and launched his own investigation. By the time they met, he was on the Force, and I was in grade school.” Kyle smoothed her hair with a gentle touch. “My grandfather aspired to politics, so they couldn’t reveal the truth about the mother of his child, and to this day, it remains …” he paused to find the right words, “low key.”
“How’d your grandmother handle that?”
“My dad didn’t have much of a relationship with my grandmother, but with no children of her own, she doted on me.” Kyle issued a sigh steeped in such sadness, Tenley wanted to wrap her arms around him. Instead, she clasped her hands behind her back, lest they betray her.
Kyle gave her a knowing look and continued. “When the crime rate began to escalate in Sowell, my father was assigned to the area as a beat cop. He was too old for it, but he loved that job. And he loved that area.” A charmed smile of nostalgia split his face. “Worked those streets for years. Nothing could make him give it up.” He sighed. “When Grandfather ran for mayor and finally won, he demanded that my father leave the Force and work for him, or at least get off the beat.”
“Why?” she asked, stopping to dip her fingers in a fragrant fountain that sprinkled them with synchronized droplets of water.
“The area was becoming too dangerous, and the City had plans for Sowell Gardens. They were reducing police presence, but my father would not abandon his beat.”
“So they did set us up,” Tenley said, taking a seat on the lip of the fountain.
“My dad refused to give up on Sowell,” Kyle replied, sitting beside her. “All those years of working, and he finally decided he’d retire. Then, last year…”
Realization dawned like a bomb going off, and Tenley drew in a deep breath. “The cop that died from that stray bullet last year …”
“Yeah.”
“Your father …”
“Yeah.”
“I’m so sorry, Kyle.”
Kyle got up, took her by the elbow to help her rise, and guided her back toward the car. Her sympathy seemed to distress him. Still, he plowed on. “He had become slow and heavy in his later years,” Kyle said, his tone going sour, “and it cost him.” He stopped and turned to her. “I must carry on his legacy, Tenley. You might feel that I have a hidden agenda, but I’m not one of them.” Passion gleamed in his inky black eyes. “I didn’t lie to you. I just took my time to be sure. Last night, though … last night was magical.” He used his thumb to trace the jut of her chin. “Last night, I knew for sure.” His eyes were so filled with love that it made her gasp. “You might not say it, but your eyes, your heart … I know how you feel.”
She shook her head. “Oh, Kyle.” She gazed up at a willow tree, searching for what to say next. “It’s too much, too soon. I have to absorb all this.” She made a sweeping motion with her hand, indicating the grandeur of the estate.
“Honey, I—”
Tenley held up a hand to silence him. “Could you listen to me, please?”
Kyle nodded and picked a low-hanging cherry blossom from a tree branch, handing it to her. They began walking again.
“I’m just a regular girl,” she said, bringing the sweet-scented bloom to her nose. “Before we met, I thought I’d be fine with owning my own CPA firm, someday helping Fallon put the kids through school, helping Lonnie find his way, taking care of my mother in her sunset years.” She blew breath out of her cheeks. “I couldn’t see myself with … a husband. I never aspired to that. It would get in the way of my career.”
“But it doesn’t have to,” he said, taking her hand and stroking a finger across her upturned palm.
“Now … I’m just so confused,” she confessed. “You’re in a high-profile, political family. Once word gets out, our lives will be open for everyone—the media, your family, my family—to pick apart. I don’t know if I can handle that, Kyle.” She stopped walking and looked up at him. “I don’t know where I fit in all this. I—”
“You fit here.” He pulled her hand to him and placed it over his heart.
In the ensuing silence, they listened to a gang of crows in conversation. The words that he had spoken meant so much, but she had obligations and her own goals and dreams. Their union would create another battle, and she’d had enough battles.
“Take me home, please,” she whispered. “They’ve been expecting me. Lonnie—”
Kyle’s expression grew dark. “I don’t get this relationship between you and Lonnie. He’s only your brother, right?”
“What are you trying to say!”
“Tenley, you’re a grown woman!” he argued. “They need you, yes, and I admire your dedication to your family, but don’t you want to branch out and start a family of your own? ‘Course, I’m not asking you to marry me tomorrow—”
“They are a family of my own,” she said coldly. “Now I suggest you take me home.”
He stared at her a while. “Can we just—”
“Home!”
Without another word, she turned and stalked to the car. He caught up with her in time to open her door. Moments later, once they were settled inside, he pulled off. They rode in silence until he arrived at her street.
“Can I let you out at your door, or do I need to let you out a block away?”
She examined his face for sarcasm and found none. “My front door is fine.”
Kyle coasted into the driveway and switched off the ignition. Then he quickly ran around to her side to help her out. Several shadowy ovals peered from the bay window, watching them.
She wasn’t surprised when Lonnie stepped outside, hands on hip, his gaze boring into them.
“You okay?” Kyle asked her.
“I’m fine.”
She tensed when he moved closer to her and asked, “Can I get a parting hug? A kiss?”
“Not here,” she whispered, gazing into his eyes. “I’m sorry. I have to go, Kyle.”
“May I call you?”
Tenley felt trapped between Kyle’s imploring eyes and Lonnie’s challenging ones. Finally she said, “I don’t think that’s a good idea. Give me some time to think. I need time.”
“I understand,” he said, though his expression, dark as a thundercloud, said he didn’t understand one bit.
Chapter 8
&nbs
p; Tenley barely cleared the front door before several pairs of accusing eyes were scrutinizing her.
“Tenley, you oughta be ashamed of yourself!” Meryl cried. “We were worried sick about you, while you’re somewhere laid up with that man!” She made an exasperated sound akin to a bull snorting. “I warned you about cops. They’re all whores!”
“Mama, I’m grown!” Tenley said, parroting Kyle’s words.
“Clearly you’ve grown clean out of your mind!” she snarled, her eyes flashing. “What’s come over you? You want a man so badly that you would give up your treasures so easily?”
Throughout their youth, Tenley and Fallon often endured “the talk” from their mother, who reminded them that their most valuable treasure lay between their legs. Where Fallon fought to keep a straight face during those lectures, Tenley took her mother’s words to heart and remained both selective and protective of her “treasure box,” gifting it only when her heart co-signed. The way Kyle made her feel, he might get her to sign over the title.
“Mama, I’m not going down this road with you or anyone,” Tenley said, letting her gaze land on each of them. “Now please leave me alone about it!”
Tenley headed for her room. She needed another shower and a nap. She had barely slept last night. Those memories quickly covered her skin in a sheen of sweat.
An uncomfortable sensation made her pause and turn suddenly. She found Lonnie, Fallon, and both kids following her down the hall. “Y’all missed me that much?” she snapped.
“We’re not trying to get into your business,” Fallon said from her space in the middle of the hallway. “We just don’t want you to get hurt!”
Tenley sighed, and at once wished she was back in her own home. Just the privacy it afforded had her mentally salivating. Surely, Meryl Lyman would be perfectly happy to have Tenley stay with her to take care of things forever, but the more this new journey of her life played out, the more she had to consider Kyle’s point about living for herself. In the midst of these thoughts, she realized that Fallon was still talking.
Signed, Sealed, Delivered ... I'm Yours Page 15