* * * *
Tears rolled down her cheeks and she hid her face against his shoulder. He didn’t ask questions, just held her tight until she stopped crying.
“Better now?” He stroked her hair and kissed her. “I’ll do anything you want.”
“I want to go to his funeral.”
“Griffin’s funeral?”
“Yes. He was my friend.”
Jack exhaled and gazed down at her. “That is not a good idea.”
“Why?”
He shook his head and looked at her with a tinge of anger in his eyes. She didn’t have to hear what he thought. His hard gaze spoke all too clearly. He seemed to know everything about her, knew about all the times Link had pushed her around, left her waiting for him in front of bars while he shot up with drugs and her screaming at him to stop doing those things.
“Okay, Tessa.” He raked fingers through his hair. “I’ll go with you.”
He took her breath with his constant consideration. “I’d like that.” She hugged him, wishing the warmth between them would never fade.
“It’s seven o’clock, Tessa, but the café is still open.” He kissed her slowly, gently. “You get comfortable, and I’ll go hunt down something to eat.”
“You heard my stomach growl.” She laughed at her own words. “I love being with you.” She hated the loneliness that fell upon her after he let her go. Hungry or not, she didn’t want him to leave her. “I’ll go too.”
“No.” He buttoned his parka and grabbed his gloves, finishing his comment on the small porch. “I’m taking the shortcut, and you didn’t do too well in that alley if I remember right.” He dropped a quick kiss on her lips. “Go inside and lock the door. I’ll be back soon.”
She took up her watch for his return in the window seat overlooking the homes across the street. Gaily lit Christmas trees could be seen in most of the windows.
She watched a young couple across the street shoveling snow from their driveway. They were laughing, throwing snowballs at each other, happy and in love.
What would it be like to have that, a true love? Maybe with Jack? Fool, you have blown that with your easy sex and don’t-give-a–damn-about-anything attitude.
She sighed heavily, lonely and confused. Two days ago she was buying a mink coat and a diamond bracelet at her favorite shop on the Plaza.
Today, here she sat in a virtual stranger’s home with nothing but the memory of the best sex she’d ever had.
Glancing out at the evening darkness, she reached for her handbag and pulled out her cell phone. After hitting speed dial, her brother’s voice came on the phone.
“Drake.” She hesitated. “I have something to tell you.”
There was the usual moment of silence on his end of the line. “Merry Christmas, Tessa.” His laugh was dry and short. “What kind of trouble are you in now?”
There was no easy way to say it. “Link is dead and I am staying with Jack.” There, she’d gotten the worst part out. “I’m going to the funeral and Jack is going with me.”
“Unbelievable.” Drake sounded angry, and it chilled his voice. “I forbid it.” She heard him take in a deep breath before he continued. “I’ve asked you to give up that crowd for years. It’s a wonder you haven’t spent some time in jail because of your refusal to act like an adult.”
She let the barb go uncontested. “The police questioned me and Jack.” Now it was Drake’s turn to wait for more information.
“What the hell? Tessa!” She figured his face was turning red while his blood pressure rose. “You didn’t tell me why they questioned you. Was Link murdered? Spill it all. Right now.”
“I am not under suspicion. Link was alive when I last saw him. Plus, I have been with Jack.” She couldn’t help the wry grin that touched her lips. “All night.”
“God help the man.”
Chapter Eight
Jack couldn’t shake the nagging knot of worry in his gut. Tessa was determined to be at Link’s funeral.
What a weekend. He had learned more than he wanted to know about the Duval family. The woman he’d wanted from afar had moved in and taken over his life and heart. He was well aware that he was crazy about the combustive beauty, but knew not to make plans for anything permanent.
While she spoke to the funeral director of the funeral home where Link had been taken, Jack sat on her bed listening to her side of the conversation. While she spoke to the funeral director where Link was laid out, Jack sat on her bed. She smiled his way and scribbled something on a fancy notepad.
Astounding woman. He splits her lip and she’s sending flowers.
“What’s wrong?” Tessa hung up the phone and gazed at him. She pushed a strand of hair away from her cheek. “You think I’m crazy, don’t you Jack?”
“No.” He held his hands out to squeeze her fingers. “I know you’re a beautiful, caring woman.”
Her arms went around his neck as she sat on his lap. “You make me so happy. I’m not afraid anymore.”
He leaned back to study her face. “What were you afraid of?”
“Being alone and never finding you.”
Okay. She was doing exactly what he didn’t want. Mistaking tenderness and good sex for love. She assumed he wanted to make this a full time thing and it was his fault. He did want that. That would be great, except she’d probably dump him in a New York minute if she decided he wasn’t what she wanted.
“Tessa.” He moved her onto the bed and rose, bothered by the disappointment in her eyes. “You have way too much to offer someone to not look around before settling on a guy you hardly know.”
Her lashes lowered, shielding any emotion she felt, but he heard it, no matter how modulated her reply. “I thought we understood each other, Jack.” She rose and began taking her clothes off. “I said you made me happy, not that you were anyone I’d want to keep around.”
Why couldn’t he keep his mouth shut? She had that same closed expression he’d assumed was her normal look before seeing her heartbreaking smile.
“Do you want me to stay tonight?”
“No, I don’t need the distraction.”
“From what?” He really was curious about her plans. “Don’t try to drive. The streets are still slick.”
She rolled her eyes and removed her earrings, tossing the four carat diamonds on the bedside table. “I have a driver.”
He wanted to stay, but that wasn’t a good idea. They would probably have another argument and he was in no mood for it. He wanted to stay, but it wouldn’t be pleasant. He was still worried about her safety. Her chin set in a stubborn line that meant there was no changing her mind.
“I’ll be there, Tessa.” He paused at the writing desk on the way out of her bedroom to pick up the note pad. “Come down and lock the door, okay?”
She got up to follow him down the stairs. “You don’t have to come, you know. Drake said he was flying in tomorrow morning.”
Jack took a ragged breath. He was glad Drake was coming home. Maybe he could change her mind about attending the funeral.
“Tessa, you know there will be news crews and more cops than you’ve ever seen.” He turned the doorknob, waiting for her to say something. “You are still considered a person of interest. Do you want the publicity?”
She moved his hand and opened the door wide. “I’m used to it, Savage.” She pointed to the walkway. “I won’t use your name if that’s what you’re worried about.”
He knew he’d made the right decision. They were as different as salt and pepper. “Lock the door.”
Damn! Why hadn’t he gone on with his life instead of letting her mess him up like a jigsaw puzzle? It would have been so simple, get on that plane and forget her and that dead son of a bitch.
Jack pulled into a fast food place parking lot. He groaned, letting the truth sink in.
It would all be here when you got back, the snow, the job, and you would bust your balls to see Tessa again.
That revelation wasn’t new to h
im, and Jack had thought about it with regular frequency. No amount of sex would make them breathe the same air or want the same life. She was Tessa, multi-million-dollar heiress, and he was average Joe and liking it.
Get out now, Savage. She flies too high for your simple taste.
* * * *
He thought she was crazy.
And now he’d told her in his smooth attorney style that he was finished being her boyfriend.
Tessa thought about the way she’d fallen for all his rancher boyish charm, even spent insane moments feeling that she’d found Mr. Right. The only thing right about Jack was his expertise in bed.
That’s a lie. He’s strong and kind and all the things you’ve never seen in a man before.
Looking around her apartment, she knew the silence would drive her crazy if she stayed home.
Hell with this.
Grabbing her coat and purse from the chair where she’d dropped it, Tessa hurried out the door to find the comfort of music, laughter, and her unpredictable friends.
Not wanting to risk her driver’s habit of spying on her and reporting back to Drake, she backed her red sports car from the garage. The ice on the driveway only briefly concerned her.
She managed to drive away from her complex and head for the loudest bar in Westport. No one there would give a damn about her private life or what she did with it.
Tessa swiped a hand at the tears blurring her vision.
She wasn’t a crybaby, but right now, her heart was breaking and she couldn’t stop them from streaming down her cheeks.
She saw the red light and hit her brakes, but her car skidded on through the intersection, sliding to a stop after crashing into a mailbox on the sidewalk.
The airbag inflated with mind-boggling speed and force. A few seconds passed before the pain in her nose and cheekbones set in, and she screamed in the aftershock of being jolted forcefully in a blink of an eye.
Too shaken to remove the seatbelt, she wept in frustration.
People rushed to the car and knocked on the window, yelling at her to see if she was all right.
She struggled to open the door and tried to get out.
“Why don’t you stay put, lady? Your nose is bleeding.”
The earnest words from a skinny kid in a skull cap and fleece jacket sobered Tessa. She lifted her hand to touch her nose, drawing it back when pain shot through her again.
Fresh tears rolled down her numb face when she witnessed the blood on her hand.
Her phone. Where was her phone?
The concerned kid opened her door and reached across her lap to grab her purse and hand it to her. “Want me to dial for you?”
She shook her head and took the cell phone he’d taken out of her handbag. “No…no thanks. I can do it.” She tried to smile, but her lips seemed frozen in a grimace.
Tessa punched in the number of the one person she wanted to see. When the phone rang and he said hello, her heart pounded with frantic relief.
“Jack.” Fresh tears streamed down her face once again. “I need you.”
Chapter Nine
After talking with the kid who had obviously taken over at the scene, Jack tried to calm his heartbeat down to a sane level.
Tessa! He hadn’t been surprised, just worried to hell about her. He backed out of the garage and skidded down the sloping driveway, wondering what on earth had possessed Tessa to drive on a night like this.
Jack promised himself he’d choke her if and when he ever got to St. Luke’s Hospital.
Thirty white-knuckled minutes later, he hurried into the emergency room where he was directed to a curtained off alcove.
His gut knotted in shock when he saw Tessa propped up against pillows, her nose packed with gauze and both eyes circled in dark blue.
He wondered if the nurses had asked about the older bruise on her cheek.
Damn. She looked pitiful, and all he wanted to do was hold her.
She finally noticed him standing in the doorway and began to cry.
“Tessa.” He couldn’t believe she was so upset, the girl that had been slapped around by a jerk and fought the world with no help or complaint. He moved to the head of the gurney to lean over her. “How’s my girl?”
She sat up to hug him, her slender body quaking with sobs. “I’m so glad you came. Thank you.”
For several minutes, he held her, listening to her account of what happened. “I should be mad as hell at you, Tessa, but I’m just grateful you weren’t badly hurt.”
She covered her nose with her hand. “I must look horrible.” Looking at him with a puffy-lipped smile, Tessa waited for his answer.
“You’re gorgeous no matter what.” He meant that, seeing past the bruises and gauze sticking out of her nose. “I’ll take you home and stay with you.” He qualified his meaning. “For tonight. That is, if you don’t mind. I’d like to make sure you’re all right.”
“No.” She pulled the sheet up to cover her nose and mouth.
“Why not?” Her stubborn, inconsistent personality pissed him off.
“You weren’t worried about me earlier. Anyway, I need to be alone.” She wiped her eyes with the sheet bunched in her hand. “And if you can’t stay more than a few hours, I’d just as soon you didn’t come at all. I’ll call James to come for me.”
That idea irked Jack. “Will James undress you and put you in bed?” He pulled her hands away from her face. “Who the hell is this James character?”
He couldn’t believe his ears. She laughed, or more like giggled. She held his hand and relaxed against the pillows.
“My Jack is jealous.” Her yawn meant the pain relievers were kicking in. “I love you, Jack.”
God help him, he had to say it. “And I love you, Tessa.”
He sat by her bed while the nurse checked Tessa’s vital signs, and the intern looked her over one final time. Armed with medication and instructions on keeping Tessa warm and quiet, Jack once again took on full responsibility for her care.
In the car, she leaned against him and smiled at everything he said. This night, he would take care of her and try to figure out what came next. Tomorrow, he would put her in the hands of her brother.
Thirty minutes later, Tessa had been tucked into her bed where she promptly fell asleep. Jack turned up the thermostat and crashed on the fancy white couch. Unlike the princess in the bedroom, he couldn’t fall asleep. The drone of the television helped some, but the weather report was lousy.
More snow coming tomorrow night and he could have been in sunny Arizona. He turned off the set and lay down on the couch, trying to get comfortable. Arizona would always be there.
* * * *
Her body ached some, but Tessa couldn’t be concerned about a little pain, not after she got a look at her swollen lips and the blue circles around both eyes.
Jack. The aroma of coffee brewing meant he’d stayed the night. She got out of bed and hurried into the bathroom. Come hell or high water, she wouldn’t let him see her looking like a prize fighter.
She worked quickly, disguising the discoloration framing her eyes with eye shadow, lots of mascara and a double slathering of foundation. Pale pink lipstick wouldn’t draw attention to her mouth. She eyed her reflection with a hard grimace of disgust. She looked like hell.
The doorbell rang, her stomach knotting with apprehension. That had to be Drake, and she prayed he’d come alone. She had no desire to see anyone else.
She pulled on a pair of beige slacks and a white sweater, combing her hair into a casual loose style. If she leaned forward a lot, her bruises wouldn’t be too noticeable.
Idiot. Just face up to it.
At the top of the stairs, she could hear Drake’s commanding voice and Jack’s softer drawl. She went downstairs, taking deep breaths, struggling to force a smile on her lips.
Both men stood near the fireplace, having a cup of coffee like two old cronies. They both looked at her, Drake with his usual accessing gaze and Jack with a warm smile on his hands
ome face.
“Drake, I hope you didn’t have any problem getting here.” Surprised by her ability to sound calm, Tessa went to him, hugging his waist. “I’m sorry for ruining your holiday.”
She wanted to lean on him and cry her eyes out, but she couldn’t. Jack didn’t comment, but brought the coffee urn to the living room and poured her a cup.
He didn’t appear to be ill at ease or worried. She loved him for sticking around and grabbed his hand when he started to leave the room.
Drake sat on the couch, eyeing the folded blanket and pillow. He didn’t appear to be too angry, but she knew he had a big spiel to unload on her. He leaned toward her, obviously preparing his speech.
“Tess, how many more scrapes are you planning to get into?” He carefully placed his cup on the coffee table. “Savage filled me in on the situation and we both owe him a great deal.” Drake’s blue eyes pierced her defensive shield. They always did.
“It just happened, Drake.” She shifted in her chair. “I’m not in trouble, and Jack will take me to the funeral.”
“What?” Drake glared at her, meaning he hadn’t finished raking her over the coals. “Of all the asinine ideas, that takes the prize.” He pointed his finger at her. “You are not going. That’s out.”
“Yes, I am.” Tessa conjured up the will to stand her ground. “You have no right to come here and throw your weight around.” She liked his expression of disgust. Just like always, he tried to think of something to threaten her with.
“Tessa.” Drake used his best calm, parental tone. “Think of your name, your family. Not only is this Link person an unsavory type, but he has been murdered. This isn’t a normal funeral. You can’t do this. I won’t allow it.”
He’d thrown the gauntlet down and she picked it up. “You can go home, Drake. I’ll go because he would show me the same respect.” She went to the door and waited for him to follow her.
Jack stepped in, putting on his coat. “I’ll take her. It’s important to Tessa, and I can’t see the harm in it.”
Taming Tessa Page 5