Brady’s eyes darted between her left and right. He loved the gold flecks that sparkled in the fluorescent lights. He had never forgotten the variance of her brown and gold eyes. They pulled him in, like a siren’s song. He knew it would mean destruction. Like the sailors crashing against the coral reefs. He willed his mouth for say no. He parted his lips, the word no formed on his tongue as it touched the roof of his mouth. He spoke—
“Sure.”
What? Oh God! He agreed to go! This was a bad idea.
“Great. Let me tell Poppy. And we can walk over there. It’s just around the corner.” She lifted her phone and thumbed a message. “There. Let’s go.”
Brady sighed and followed her out of the hospital, tossing the vending machine coffee in a trash bin.
Chapter Six
Seated with two coffees, Brady allowed himself to smile. Her scent had not changed. It still aroused the flame inside him that had never fully been extinguished. He stamped it into submission and focused on just the woman who sat with him at the Jumping Java. At least he tried his best to ignore the embers sizzling deep in his loin.
She was so beautiful. Just like in his dreams. Twenty years had added a few crow’s feet but her hair had the same silky softness it did in high school. If anything, she looked even more luscious as a woman. The embers sparked to life. Brady closed his eyes, willing the flames to be snuffed out.
“So, what do you do for a living?” He started with a safe subject. He’d already stumbled across a tough one and learned she was a widow.
“Well, after high school, and … you know… I took a year to… recover, emotionally and physically. Then I went to nursing school and got an RN degree. Grandma had moved to Denver Colorado and had brought GiGi with her. GiGi settled in a really nice community for independant elders. After several years, Grandma put out an SOS that she was in bad health and needed Poppy and me to come out here to help. We did, of course. Only to find out she was faking her frailness.”
Heather laughed. The sound of her voice danced across Brady’s nerves. It felt good and yet it was painful.
“Once we got out here, just like she had hoped, we settled down and stayed. Me in Denver with her and Poppy in Cañon City with Hank. Grandma had been working for the hospital and ended up taking a position in the morgue as the ME.”
Heather sipped her coffee and stared out the window. “I met Justin in Denver. He was the coroner. He and Grandma got along well. Funny how they were friends before we—” She drew in a deep resigning breath. “Anyway, he’s been gone two years now and I moved back in with Grandma. I work with her in the ME clinic and we are roommates. You’d think we’d get sick of each other, but we don’t.”
She fingered a silver pendant that dangled just above the line of her cleavage. Brady forced his eyes up from the object of her worry to maintain eye contact. His eyes had a will of their own and darted back to the pendant and the soft hint of her breast.
He nodded as she spoke to show he was listening, but if she asked what she had just said, he’d be in trouble. It was great to be with her again. And yet, he knew it was wrong.
The man and the legacy warred over what he wanted and what it needed. To procreate. To continue its existence. He had brushed up against that mistake once. His son had died in the womb. It was better that way. Brady just couldn’t allow this curse to continue beyond him.
But it was a struggle. Pin pricks of excitement radiated across his skin as he listened to Heather talk about her life. The hunger to feel her body next to his, to take her into his arms and make love to her right here at this table filled every fiber of his body. Like his dream, he wanted to dominate her, scoop her under him, and feel his seed spill into her.
He swallowed against a dry throat. This was such a bad idea. He needed to end this now.
Solid determination forged in his heart. This would be the only time he’d allow her to talk him into spending time together like this. The moments dilated. He wanted to memorize everything about being here with her. In the flesh. Her scent teased his nostril. A vision of her warm flesh pressed against his. His body’s weakness to deny her pleasure. The growing ache in his pants—
“So, I help family members get closure by determining what killed their loved one…”
Brady lurched. God, he had to stop this!
Heather tilted her head. “Are you even listening to me?”
“Yes. Of course. You help family members get closure… I get that. It’s very noble and so like you.” He forced a cool smile.
Her cell phone played a Caribbean tune. She jumped. “Oh.” She glanced at the screen. “That’s work. Excuse me.”
She turned sideways in her chair as if it gave her privacy. “Heather Richards.”
“Yes… Oh dear. Sure, I’m in the Springs, but I can be there in…” She pulled the phone from her ear and looked at the screen. “Thirty minutes, maybe forty. Okay. Yes, thank you, we found her. She’s good… Okay. Goodbye.” She turned to face Brady.
“I’m sorry. There was a multicar pileup on 70. It’s bad. Grandma needs me.”
“Sure. Uh. Listen.” He hesitantly stood, running his hand through his hair. “It’s been great seeing you again. I— uh, wish you the best.”
She stopped. Her brow knitted. “You sound like this is goodbye… forever.”
“Well, you’ve got your life. I don’t see any reason to complicate things—”
“Oh. I see.” Her lips pressed into a hard line. “So, we’re not even going to talk about it?”
Brady blinked. “It?”
“Yeah. Our baby… that we lost? Don’t you even want to know what it was.”
“It was a boy.” He hated the sound of his own voice. “I stayed until I knew you were alright and that… our son had died. Then I left.” He sighed heavily “I’m sorry. I took off without saying goodbye, but I thought it was for the best.”
“For the best—?” She turned from him, then jerked back. Her eyes were ablaze. “Look, Brady Armstrong, you probably don’t look at every nineteen-year-old boy walking the streets and wonder if that’s what BJ would look like, but I do.”
Brady glared at her. “You named our son Blow Job?”
She stared at him. Shock blanched her cheeks. “I named him Brady Junior, Dumb Ass.”
Brady closed his eyes. “Oh.”
“Yeah. Oh.” She turned. Her sneaker squeezed against the tile floor. “I’ve gotta go. Have a nice life Brady.”
He sighed as the glass door closed with her on the other side. He didn’t mean to piss her off, but maybe this was better. This way she wouldn’t continue to ask him out for coffee. And he wouldn’t be tempted to do the monster’s bidding. “Goodbye, Li’l Dove. I’ll always love you.”
Chapter Seven
“Well, Brady Armstrong, as I live and breathe.”
Brady leapt to his feet, gawking at Heather. “Li’l Dove, I mean, Heather. What are you doing here?” Chatter filled the restaurant, waiters bustled around the table where he had been sitting. Table for one with two chairs.
“I eat too, Brady!” She snapped. “Mable is still in the hospital.” She looked as though she was forcing herself to speak more civil. “After the big accident on 70, Grandma and I did our thing and I called Poppy. She said they want to keep little Mable one more night.”
“What seems to be the problem?”
“They’re worried she sustained a head injury.”
“She didn’t hit her head.” Brady ran the scene through his mind. She hadn’t any sign of trauma on her noggin’. When the rockslide fell over them, he made sure she was tucked under his body. He took the brunt of the falling rocks. He was sure of it.
“Well, Poppy said she’s been talking like she did.”
Brady swallowed. Mable’s little voice echoes in his memory. Doggy save me. Did she tell them he turned and the monster saved her from the rockslide? “What’d she say?”
Heather chuckled. “She keeps talking about a doggy saving her. I
told Poppy she probably saw a coyote or something like that and the image stuck in her head. She’s only four years old. Who knows?”
“Yeah, who knows?” Could he rely on everyone not believing her because she was a child? Maybe this was the time to tell Heather the truth. The reason he had walked away when she lost the baby. Let her know he wasn’t a complete asshole. He was a shapeshifter and turned into a hideous dog-like monster whenever his life was threatened. He didn’t want to pass the curse on, and that was why he couldn’t see her or be with her… ever.
“But to be safe, they are running tests. Poppy feels pretty certain they’ll let her go home tomorrow.” She stopped to draw in a deep breath. “Anywho… I’m back in the Springs to give Poppy a break. She left Mable’s room long enough to go to the hospital cafeteria and eat a bite then ran me out because I made the mistake of mentioning I hadn’t had a chance to eat all day either. So I thought I’d get some Chinese and go back. She’s gotta be exhausted.”
She paused to determine his attention, just like she always did. “You okay?”
“Yeah, I, uh,… you want to join me?” Brady winced. Why did he say that? Inviting her to sit with him was the last thing he should have done. She hesitated. For that stretch of two seconds he thought maybe she would say no and his mistake would be fixed.
“Sure. Why not?”
Brady pulled the chair beside him out for her to sit down. Cautiously, she accepted. Brady returned to his seat and handed her his menu. He’d already decided on the lo mein. She took the menu and disappeared behind it.
Should he apologize? Spill the beans? Would she believe him? More importantly, would she forgive him? The monster saved a lot of lives in Iraq, although his men would never share that truth. As a man, Brady had done very little to deserve the metals that were pinned on his uniform. It was only when the monster emerged that he and his men were saved from being overrun by the enemy. If it weren’t for the monster, he and Mable would have been crushed in the rockslide. That was the truth.
But how could he tell Heather? How could she understand that was why he couldn’t procreate with her or any female, no matter how much he longed to be with her, body and soul for the rest of his life. He just couldn’t do that to her. She loved children. He couldn’t ask her to remain childless just because of his family legacy.
“What are you having?” She peeked over the leather menu holder.
“Oh. I’m having the pork lo mein.”
“Hmm.” She turned a page. “That sounds good.” Closing the menu, she folded her hands on top of it. “I think I’ll have the chicken moo goo gai pan. Better to keep it simple and not spicy since I’ll probably be sitting up with Poppy all night. I wish I could talk her into going home for a little while.”
“Did they bring in a cot for her?”
“Oh sure. But she looks exhausted. You’re probably right though. Even if she went home, her mind would still be with Mable in the hospital. I get that. Maybe what I ought to do is relieve Hank and stay with Marla tonight so he can go up to the hospital with Poppy.
“Still… I don’t know. Something tells me Poppy would rather Hank stayed home with Marla…”
A petite Chinese woman stepped up to their table, sat down two glasses of water. “What you dinking?”
“I’ll have iced tea.” Heather turned to Brady.
“I’ll have the same.”
“Okay. You know what you want?”
“Yes, I’ll have the chicken moo goo gai pan, fried rice, egg drop soup.”
“Very good. And you sir.”
“I’ll have the same.” Brady avoided Heather’s surprised eyes. He couldn’t explain why he’d changed his mind. Suddenly chicken seemed more appealing than pork. What he really wanted was to skip eating all together and take her straight to the nearest hotel. But he would settle for simply eating the same meal she was eating. It was as close to being one with her as he could allow. Although, when he ordered the same dish, her pheromones tickled his nose. He knew somehow it had scored him points, if he were out to score at all.
She probably had no idea it had happened. It was the monster who picked up on it. Her unique scent drove him mad. Always did. If he weren’t so determined to end this curse with his life, he would admit she was his change-mate, his destiny. Even now, after twenty years of being separate from her, he still wanted her more than life itself. He swallowed hard.
“So, how many ended up in your clinic after the accident?” Maybe if he could get her to talk about work, she’d calm down and her pheromones would too.
“A lot, actually.” She lowered her voice. “It was a bad wreck. But you don’t want to hear about that. It’s not exactly dinner table talk.”
Brady shrugged. He’d seen and heard much worse. But at least her arousal level had lowered, and he could sit still without struggling with the beast. “I don’t mind, but I can see where discussing such things in a restaurant could be frowned upon.” He smiled.
She returned his smile. Was there a slim chance she had forgiven him? Not likely.
The waitress brought them a bowl of soup and filled their glasses of tea. They both dug into the soup and stacked their bowls and plates together. Brady hated the silence between them. “So, Mable is alright otherwise.”
“Yes. She’s bored and that’s always a good sign.”
Brady chuckled. “I’ll take your word for it.”
Her smile dissolved into a frown. “Don’t you want to know? About kids, I mean?”
Oh crap. How had he brought the conversation back around to this? “It’s not for me.”
The waitress saved him from her response by placing their meals in front of them. “Enjoy you food.” She scurried away.
Brady snapped chopsticks apart and scooped food into his mouth. Heather held her glare several moments longer, then snapped her chopsticks apart to begin eating too. Whew. Relief washed over Brady’s nerves. He needed to finish this meal and go home. This had to be the last time he spent time with Heather. She was the one person in this entire universe who made him vulnerable to do what he knew he shouldn’t.
His phone rang. He glanced at her apologetically and lifted the screen. “Uh oh.” He uttered.
“What?”
“I’m sorry, I’ve gotta go.”
“What is it?”
He hesitated. A man went overboard on a white-water tour. They’re calling the auxiliary to look for…” Brady lowered his voice. “His body.” He stood, pulling his wallet out of his back pocket. “I’m sorry I didn’t finish dinner with you.” He tossed down two twenties. Enough for both their orders and a generous tip.
“Wait.” Heather grabbed her purse off the floor and slung it over her shoulder. “I’ll come with you.”
Brady slammed to a halt. “Why?”
“Because I’m a medical examiner. You may need my help.”
Brady stared at her. She wanted to come with him. This was a bad idea. “But it’ll be a search on horseback.”
“So? You think I don’t know how to ride a horse?” She laughed and hurried toward the door. He gawked at her retreating form. Her laugh still dancing across his skin. God, he loved to watch her walk away. He had two horses, two saddles, what was the problem? No. He couldn’t take her with him. The spell broke.
“Heather! Wait.”
Chapter Eight
Brady jogged to catch up with Heather. “Wait. You can’t.”
“Why not. I do this for a living. You need me.”
“Yeah, sure. But—” He rubbed the back of his neck. Her jaw was set. She would not be swayed. “Okay. Follow me to my place. We’ll load up the horses and head out past Eight Mile Road. Search, Rescue, and Recover has set up a base camp along the river.”
“Fine.” She leapt into her Mini-Copper and turned over the engine.
Brady shook his head as he climbed into his truck. “This is a big mistake!”
He led the way out of Colorado Springs to Highway 115 south to his land. He backed the
truck up to the trailer and jumped out to connect the hitch. Ignoring where she parked or what she did once she got out of her car, he pulled the trailer closer to the barn.
He whistled for two reasons— To call his dog and alert the horses they were needed.
Hudson came loping out of the house and ran directly to Heather. Brady cringed, imagining Hudson knocking her down. He darted his eyes toward her to find Hudson circling her legs and Heather laughing.
“Traitor!” Brady muttered and dashed into the barn. He tossed two saddle blankets over his shoulders, lifted two saddles and walked to the corral door. “Dick! Li’l Dove!”
Heads down, they still grazed in the pasture. He whistled a pattern meant only for the horses.
Their heads rose simultaneously. Li’l Dove leapt forward. Dick responded with the mare, trotting behind her straight to Brady.
“You named your horse Dick?” Heather stepped up behind him.
He started. He’d practically forgotten she was there, even though he was preparing to saddle two horses. It was his custom to do this alone for so long, it felt odd to have another person waiting to ride with him. Especially Heather. It was like having the ghost from Christmas past standing in his barn. Mentally he shook off the déjà vu.
How often had he wished—
He glanced over his shoulder at her. A shrug and a sharp inhale seemed like an appropriate response. The horses halted inches from Brady’s feet. He reached up and took Li’l Dove’s harness. “Hold her will ya?”
Heather complied. He pulled his horse into the barn by his reins and looped the leather through an iron ring to keep him out of the way. Maybe he should explain. “He’s a gelding. I thought it appropriate to give him back what he missed the most, with the name.”
Heather giggled. “You’re something else.”
A stone slammed into his gut. She didn’t say anything about the mare’s name. He didn’t think twice about calling her Heather’s pet name. Until now. Brady frowned. So much for the guise that he’d put the past behind him.
His Only Weakness Page 4