Friends and Lovers

by Tara Mills

  Friends and Lovers

  by

  Tara Mills

  Friends and Lovers

  Copyright © 2013, Tara Mills

  ISBN: 9781937325534

  Publisher: Beachwalk Press, Inc.

  Electronic Publication: January, 2013

  Editor: Pamela Tyner

  Cover: Fantasia Frog Designs

  eBooks are not transferable. No part of this book may be used or reproduced without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations in articles and reviews.

  This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously.

  Back Cover Copy

  Can the man of Lauren’s dreams save her from the man in her nightmares?

  Wes Dunlop was a hot commodity in high school and the ruin of good reputations, so it was easy to criticize the guy when his sister did it too. Then Lauren McKay actually met her best friend’s brother, and she was intrigued. When he came to her rescue, she was doomed. Afraid to admit her change of heart, Lauren hid her secret from both of them.

  Fifteen years later Wes is back. Now a dedicated cop, he’s determined to win Lauren—the girl he can’t forget and the only one his sister demanded he leave alone. But he finds that Lauren’s life is a lot more complicated than he imagined.

  Personal tragedy made Lauren a fierce defender of battered women. However, when a dangerous gunman tracks his wife to Lauren’s shelter, the protector becomes the target. Her life suddenly in the balance, nothing will stop Wes from doing everything in his power to rescue her.

  Content Warning: some violence, sensual sex

  Dedication

  To my husband.

  Chapter 1

  The scent of spring entered Lauren McKay’s open office window. She couldn’t get enough of the sweet perfume of a neighborhood in full bloom. To her amazement she was able to isolate the fragrance of apple blossom, lilac, plum, and the showy hyacinths she’d planted along the foundation out front. Even the sky was on display today, the blue so crisp it snapped like fresh sheets on a clothesline.

  But her face fell when an unmarked dark blue sedan pulled into the driveway. Back to reality.

  “They’re here,” she called to her assistant Jackie.

  Lauren saved her work and stood, taking a moment to smooth her skirt as she watched through her office window. The corner of her mouth curled up on one side at the way the two men in the front seat popped out of their car and turned to open the back doors. Their movements were dead on, almost as if they’d been choreographed.

  Then Lauren’s faint smile collapsed when she saw the woman getting out of the back. Her battered face was an arresting mixture of colors, the ages of the bruises as easy to read as the newspaper on Lauren’s desk. Even from here, Lauren could see the fresh stitches holding the woman’s lower lip together. Her nose was clearly broken.

  The injured woman held out her arm and a young girl slid under it. They leaned together and the short, heavyset cop gave them an encouraging nod and motioned them forward. They set off toward the house.

  Lauren turned to look at the younger cop. He was bent down and a second later she saw why. A pair of short little legs wrapped around his waist, and two hands and a small yellow truck suddenly appeared behind his neck. The man straightened and closed the car door then followed the others up the front steps.

  Turning from the window, Lauren went to greet their guests. She circled her assistant’s desk, fluffing her hair before she stepped into the foyer. Seven warm bodies in that small space made it feel crowded but they’d had more. Counting on Jackie to distract the young girl, Lauren approached the mother with an extended hand.

  “Hello, Patricia. I’m Lauren McKay. I’m so glad you found us.”

  The young cop jerked slightly at the name, her voice, but just as his head tipped to the side to see around the boy in his arms, Lauren shifted her attention to the girl.

  “And I’ll bet you’re Morgan, am I right?”

  The girl nodded bashfully.

  Lauren smiled. “What’s your brother’s name?”

  Morgan pointed with her thumb. “He’s Josh.”

  Lauren’s expression softened on the small boy. She reached out to touch his back, and froze, stunned to see a familiar face looking back at her over the boy’s shoulder.

  Those warm eyes belonged to a man she never expected to see again. He’d haunted her for years, and now she felt desperate and weak, and yes, more than a little afraid. He’d always thrown her without even trying. His slow, intimate smile sent her heart rate galloping like a thoroughbred’s.

  Flustered and shaken, Lauren turned back to the mother. “Why don’t you go with Jackie? She’ll show you to your room, and while the kids make themselves at home in the playroom, you can come back and we’ll go over a few things in my office, okay?”

  The woman nodded and reached out to take her son from the officer. Relieved of his burden, the man lightly brushed the back of the boy’s head. He watched them walk downstairs before turning back with a more personal smile for the woman in front of him.

  “Lauren.” His voice caressed her name, and she trembled.

  “How are you, Wes?” Her warm response didn’t betray the inferno inside her.

  “I’m good. Oh, this is my partner Chuck Townsend.”

  Lauren blushed with embarrassment. She’d barely noticed the other man.

  “Hi, Chuck,” she said with an apologetic smile.

  “Nice to meet you, Lauren.” He chuckled and winked at Wes. “I’ll just wait outside. Take your time.” Chuck bolted for the door.

  Wes turned with a laugh. “Well, that was smooth.”

  Lauren’s blush deepened. “It’s nice to see you. I didn’t know you were back from Washington.”

  “Six months now.”

  “Oh? How’s your family?”

  “Good. You know Sherry got married.”

  “She did?”

  “And they’re expecting a baby in a couple of months. You should see her,” he said with a smile. “Pregnancy agrees with her.”

  “I haven’t talked to her in years.”

  He shook his head sadly. “You should call her. I know she’d love to hear from you.”

  Wes dug into his pocket and pulled out a card. Flipping it over, he drew a pen out of his breast pocket and gave it a click. She watched as he wrote out his sister’s telephone number.

  He handed it over. “My number’s on the front.”

  She blinked at it. “I see.”

  When she looked up Wes was watching her in a way that would have given her life meaning back in high school. It wasn’t doing her any harm now either.

  He moved in closer and dropped his voice discretely. “Listen, I heard about Sarah. I’m so sorry.”

  “Thank you,” she murmured, all too aware of his size, his heat mere inches from her.

  “Is she the reason you got involved with the shelter?”

  “Yes.”

  She couldn’t tear her eyes away from the shadow of his beard behind his clean shaven skin. His subtle aftershave was wreaking havoc on Lauren’s system. He was standing too close, putting her at a serious disadvantage. Just meeting his luscious eyes meant she had to tilt her head way back. It made her feel vulnerable on so many levels—her neck exposed, her eyelids heavy, and her lips parted. It felt as if they were poised for more than a painful discussion.

  “Sarah was a good person,” Wes went on, his voice a low, soothing baritone. It should have calmed her. It didn’t.

  “So are all the women I’ve helped here,” she informed him softly.

  Wes scratched
the back of his head awkwardly. “Do you offer self-defense?”

  “Not here, but we have an arrangement with the gym on Lancaster and Eighth. It’s open to anyone, and the registration fees help support the shelter.” Lauren eased back, no longer comfortable sharing space with any man these days, especially Wes, though for very different reasons.

  “You know, I used to teach self-defense back in Washington. I’d be happy to take on a few classes here in Durban if you need me.”

  Surprised by the offer, Lauren gave Wes a big smile. “We’re always looking for volunteers.”

  “Good.” He relaxed and smiled back. “I’ll be in touch. We’ll work something out.”

  * * * *

  Lauren struggled to stay focused during the fifteen minute orientation with Patricia. As they went over the shelter’s welcome packet together and Lauren explained the rules it took every ounce of strength she had not to drift off to her own concerns. Lauren had never been so relieved to send a resident back to her children. Tonight that family would meet the others under their protective roof, and the kids would make friends, and another woman would take those important first steps on a journey of rediscovery and healing.

  Finally, grateful to be alone with her thoughts, Lauren stared out the window at the fluttering elm leaves and let the scene blur until she saw something else entirely.

  For fifteen years, Lauren McKay had been hopelessly in love with Wes Dunlop. He wasn’t just an obstacle between her and a healthy relationship with someone else—Wes was an impossible standard no other man could hope to meet. He was the reason Lauren allowed her close friendship with his sister Sherry to crumble, but neither Dunlop knew it.

  Lauren never doubted she loved him. Thoughts of Wes day after day, year after year, had impressed that fact on her. Had it been a mere crush, she could have overcome him long ago. But that never happened.

  How many times had she wished to turn back the clock and bare her heart, her very soul to the object of her silent adoration? Too many. Her cowardice burned her, still burned her.

  She’d met Sherry the first day of their sophomore year of high school. Lauren was miserable at being cut off from her friends by opposing schedules and lunch hours, and Sherry was coping with the same problem. But it wasn’t until gym class late in the day, their fourth period together, that Sherry approached Lauren in the locker room and a friendship was born. They hung back as they ran around the track, talking and laughing. Sherry was the living embodiment of a lifeline for Lauren, a floatation device thrown overboard to a girl floundering in rough waters. From that moment they were a team in the hostile world of high school. They told each other everything; sharing thoughts, feelings, and interests. Quiet and reserved by nature, Lauren loved how liberating it felt to open herself up so completely.

  Wes changed all that.

  At first he was merely a phantom, described in titillating, though disapproving detail by his sister. The stories Lauren heard were scandalous, his misdeeds many. When Sherry criticized Wes for being a degenerate panty hound, Lauren didn’t doubt her opinion for a second. She’d heard too many corroborating whispers by then.

  One Friday afternoon, Wes caught the girls at the locker they shared. He gave Lauren a cursory glance then turned to his sister. “Find another ride home today. I’ve got plans.”

  Sherry glared at his back when he walked away, absorbed into the flow of students. “He’s probably going to a party,” she said sourly.

  Lauren was so dazzled she barely heard Sherry over the drumming of her heart. The guy made an ordinary pair of jeans unforgettable. That Friday marked the end of Lauren’s immunity to the male species and she had Wes to thank for it.

  Now, with a face and body to put to the notorious name, Lauren found herself scanning the halls for him all the time. Wes was never alone. When he was with his friends he was laughing, joking, horsing around. When Wes was with a girl, there was touching and kissing, or the promise of it.

  “Slut,” Sherry would mutter when they caught him in action. “Doesn’t she care that all he wants to do is get in her pants? Ten bucks says he gets what he wants by Friday.”

  Lauren would nod, agreeing the girls were idiots to sacrifice their good names on the altar of his body—still, something inside her longed for initiation too. What would it be like to be kissed by him, to find herself in his experienced hands?

  This longing for Wes was Lauren’s dirty little secret. It wasn’t something she could share. It would horrify her friend. Sherry would never understand.

  Still, Lauren’s feelings for Wes didn’t shift to love until spring break. She and Sherry were already in the water at the community pool when Wes strode out of the men’s locker room and went directly to the diving board.

  Sherry groaned when she saw him. “Why can’t he find something else to do?”

  Lauren blinked the chlorinated water off her lashes, her eyes glued to his wide shoulders, sculpted back, and tapered waist.

  Wes stood straight and tall at the end of the board. His arms went up and his trunks slipped down, catching on his slim hips. Lauren stared, transfixed by the dark line of hair running from his navel down the front of his low slung shorts. He was beautiful, magnificent. Wes reeked with raw sexuality and she responded to it.

  Then he broke into an unexpectedly playful grin and bounced into the air. His cannonball sent waves radiating across the pool. Seconds later he breached the surface with a laugh and swam to the shallow end to join his friends who were tossing a Nerf football back and forth. Someone passed the ball to Wes and he sliced up out of the water to catch it.

  Lauren trembled violently at the sight. Misinterpreting the cause, Sherry suggested they go warm up in the hot tub. However, minutes later the waterlogged Nerf sailed out of nowhere and hit Lauren square in the face. The tiled walls amplified her piercing scream and brought Wes running.

  Clearly stunned to see blood streaming from her nose, he ran for a towel and pressed it on her as she sank onto a chair.

  “Jesus, are you okay?” he asked, crouching beside her.

  “Are you guys out of your fricking minds?” Sherry shrieked at him.

  “It was an accident.” Wes turned back to Lauren with concern. “Let me see.”

  Even though she wanted to run and hide, she pulled the towel away. Talk about lousy timing. It was mortifying that this was how he finally noticed her.

  “Nope, still going.” Wes pushed the towel back in her face. “Put your head back. Way back, and squeeze your nose.”

  Hot tears glittered in the corners of Lauren’s eyes as she followed his advice. When the first slid slowly down her cheek, Wes stood with a frown. Without a word, he spun around and stalked to the far end of the pool.

  There was a heated exchange of words between Wes and one of the guys standing waist deep in the water. They both turned to look at her then the kid slapped his hand across the top of the water before making his way to the ladder. Wes was waiting when he climbed out, and he led the resentful kid back with him. They stopped in front of Lauren. The scowling boy didn’t speak until Wes gave him a sharp look.

  “I’m sorry. I threw the ball. It was an accident,” he said tightly.

  “I realize that. I’ll be fine.” Lauren wasn’t comfortable with all the attention they were drawing. “I’m just glad it didn’t hit any of the little kids.”

  The guy looked at Wes impatiently, and when he nodded, the kid strode off to rejoin their friends.

  Wes bent down, eye level with Lauren, and she felt the intoxicating pull of his gaze. It took his next question to snap her out of her trance.

  “Are you sure you’re okay?” he asked.

  She blushed. “I will be. It’s just a bloody nose. Accidents happen.”

  Wes chuckled and slowly shook his head. “You’re all right, Lauren.”

  Then he wandered off, leaving her staring after him in shock. Wes knew her name? He knew her, and he was the coolest thing on legs! Not only that, but he actually made
his friend come over and apologize. That’s when Lauren knew Wes’s heart was in the right place. Maybe he just needed time to grow into it.

  Wes graduated that June and left for college, but it was too late for Lauren. His visits home were few and brief but Lauren always tried to see him, even if only a glimpse. When she was lucky enough to talk to him he was always unfailingly nice. He’d tease her about her nose, and tell her he was glad it was still where it belonged. It was her in and she didn’t regret the embarrassment anymore.

  Lauren brought her eyes back into focus and whispered at the window. “My God, Wes is back.”

  Chapter 2

  As incredible as it seemed, Chuck didn’t mention what he’d witnessed at the shelter until they got back to the station.

  “So, you met up with an old girlfriend then?” Chuck said, signing his name with a flourish.

  “Hmm?” Wes glanced up and frowned across the desk at his partner.

  “Today.”

  “What about today?”

  “You can be downright exasperating sometimes.” Chuck gave Wes a significant stare. “You, that woman…you know.” He rolled his hand. “You two have a thing?”

  “Never.” Wes went back to his typing.

  Chuck snorted. “Right.”

  Wes’s hands paused over the keyboard and he looked his partner in the eye. “Never,” he repeated.

  Chuck shook his head. “Man, that’s hard to believe what with all the electricity pinging off the walls between the two of you. I was afraid I was going to get zapped myself. Damn near raised the hair on my arms for Christ’s sake. I’ve never felt anything like it.”

  Wes tried to remain impassive, but it was tough to suppress the smile inside of him. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “You never had her? Never?”

  “For the third and final time, I’ve never even touched Lauren McKay, let alone kissed her. She was my sister’s best friend. Nothing more, end of story.”