Secrets We Keep

by Barbara Freethy

  But looking into her eyes now, he couldn't remember the pain, only how good it had felt to be with her. And he wanted that feeling again.

  "I think it's worth the risk. We don't know what tomorrow will bring. But we have tonight. Want to live in the moment?"

  "This moment?" she asked with a helpless smile. "Yes. I'd like to stay in this moment for as long as possible." She framed his face with her hands. "I really missed you, Hunter."

  Her words completely undid him. "I missed you, too."

  He pressed his mouth against hers. She tasted like tea, like sweet, spicy herbs, and as he slid his tongue between her lips, her heat enveloped him. He couldn't get enough of her. He wanted to taste and touch every inch of her. He wanted to stop thinking, stop worrying, stop pretending like he didn't give a damn about her anymore. Because he did; God help him, he did.

  Sixteen

  An overwhelming rush of desire and need swept over Cassidy as she kissed the man who had stolen her heart at sixteen. She'd thought she was over him. She'd thought she could handle being his ex, his friend, but that had been a foolish thought. Everything that was wrong in her world tilted back to right as his tongue danced with hers, as his hands ran under the T-shirt he'd given her.

  He backed her up against the kitchen counter, but not even the cool granite did anything to cool the heat sweeping through her. She'd felt exactly like this that day in the rain fourteen years ago, when being with Hunter was an all-consuming need.

  Like then, she'd dismissed all thoughts of logic, common sense, self-protection. All the complications of her life had faded into one simple, driving desire to connect with Hunter in every possible way. The consequences might be brutal, but at this moment, she didn't care.

  He broke away from her mouth to pull her shirt over her head, and she was eager to help him, wanting his hands on her breasts, wanting his mouth there, too.

  He was happy to oblige, his tanned, rough hands immediately cupping her breasts as his mouth touched her lips and then slid down the side of her neck, sending shivers through every nerve ending.

  "Cassidy," he murmured.

  The sensual, husky tone of his voice melted her heart. She'd always loved the way he said her name. He'd asked her why she hadn't changed her first name, and she'd told him the story she'd told herself, that it meant something to her family.

  But wasn't he the reason? Wasn't it that she heard his voice saying her name in her dreams? That she hadn't wanted to lose that last connection with him?

  As his hands moved down her body, his fingers playing with the snap on her jeans, she grabbed the hem of his shirt, and urged him to take it off. As the material came off, she pressed her hands against his chest, loving the feel of his ripped muscles under her fingers. Hunter had definitely developed a more powerful body since they'd last been together, and she wanted to feel all that power around her, inside of her.

  She lifted her gaze to his and saw the same need she felt in the fire burning in his blue eyes. She gulped, feeling a little nervous. It had been a long time.

  What if it wasn't the same, wasn't as good?

  What if it was better?

  "Stop," he murmured. "Don't overthink it."

  "Are we crazy?"

  "Probably. But it feels crazy good."

  "It does."

  "Let's take this into the bedroom."

  At his words, she licked her lips, suddenly realizing that she was woefully unprepared for this. "I—I don't have anything. I'm not on anything."

  Awareness dawned in his eyes. "No problem."

  "Really?"

  He took out his wallet and pulled out several condoms.

  She smiled. "Just like the last time, you're much more prepared than I am."

  He grinned back at her. "Whenever you're around, I feel the need." He stole another kiss. "But I don't want to rush you." He kissed her again, not giving her a chance to answer. "It's whatever you want," he said, before covering her mouth again.

  She playfully pushed him away. "Good, because I want…" She let that dangle as she leaned in for another kiss. "You." She grabbed his hand and led him into the bedroom.

  At the end of the bed, she paused long enough to unhook her bra and pull it off, loving the way Hunter's eyes lit up. Then she shimmied out of her jeans and panties, feeling remarkably confident. She didn't know what would happen tomorrow, but tonight…she had no doubt that tonight would be great.

  "Beautiful," he murmured with male appreciation.

  "And you're…slow. I can't be the only one who's naked."

  "I could spend the next hour just looking at you."

  "I doubt that," she said with a little laugh, as she put her hand on the waistband of his jeans. "These might be getting tight."

  He laughed back. "You're right. The looking might have to come later."

  "Much later," she agreed, as she helped him off with his pants, knowing that she wanted to do some looking of her own, but right now she just wanted to touch and to feel.

  Hunter tossed several condoms onto the bed. "For later. I want to warm you up first."

  "I'm already burning, Hunter."

  "Let's see about that." He pushed her back onto the soft mattress, then covered her body with his. He kissed her mouth, then moved his way down her body until she was grabbing handfuls of the comforter, as she bit back a scream of delight. The man definitely knew how to push her buttons.

  Then it was her turn to explore, to touch and taste, to torment with pleasure, and she loved every minute of it.

  She did all the things she'd wanted to do with Hunter the first time they'd made love, but she'd been too shy, too inexperienced, too insecure to risk doing it wrong. Now, there was no holding back. She could love him exactly the way she wanted to, and Hunter urged her on, saying her name again and again as they climaxed together.

  Then she had the second crazy thought of the night—she felt like she'd finally come home.

  * * *

  Hunter watched the early morning sunlight play off the ceiling as he held Cassidy in his arms. Her head was on his shoulder, her silky blonde hair spread across his chest, her arm around his waist. They'd made love twice, and while she'd fallen asleep, he'd been unable to doze off, not wanting to miss a second of their time together. He just wanted to look at her, to hold her, to watch her breathe.

  She looked peaceful. Her cheeks were pink, her lips still red from their passion, her long black lashes hiding her beautiful eyes.

  He'd remembered her this way before. In those days after she'd left, all he could think about was how they'd been together. But now he had to admit that those memories were a dim comparison to reality.

  It hadn't been as good as he remembered; it had been better. It had felt incredibly…right. Like he'd found what he'd been looking for all these years. Wariness followed that thought.

  Had missing Cassidy been at the core of his restlessness all these years?

  Was that why he hadn't found what he was looking for in South America, in Mexico, anywhere on the roads he traveled?

  He didn't want to believe that.

  He'd had relationships since high school. He just couldn't remember any of those women now. His heart and his head were filled with Cassidy. She'd once been his girl. Now she was his woman.

  But as much as he liked that thought, he knew it wasn't true. She'd never really been his girl. She'd hidden so much of herself from him. And even now, he didn't think he knew all her secrets. She'd been generous with her body, even with her heart. But would she ever really trust him enough to tell him everything, to be completely vulnerable?

  Maybe that was asking too much of anyone. How many people would he trust in that way?

  Only her name rang through his head.

  But did he trust her? Wouldn't he be stupid to go that far? She'd left him before. She could do it again.

  Cassidy shifted in his arms, and as she blinked her eyes open and gave him a sleepy smile, he knew that the future didn't matter, not when thi
s moment was so perfect.

  "Is it morning?" she asked.

  "It is. How did you sleep?"

  "Good. What about you?"

  "Great," he lied.

  "This is the first time we've ever spent the whole night together. I'm glad you had more than one condom."

  "Me, too, and there's one left."

  "We have things to do this morning."

  "Not quite yet," he said, rolling onto his side, so he could face her. "We have time."

  "I wish we had nothing but time. I wish reality didn't always have to ruin my dreams."

  "Last night wasn't a dream; it was reality."

  "I know, but I feel like today isn't going to be quite as dreamy. The past is waiting outside the door."

  "Not everything in the past was bad. Maybe the good is waiting there, too."

  "Your optimism is irresistible."

  "Only my optimism is irresistible?" he teased, cupping her warm curves with his hand. "I must be doing something wrong."

  As his fingers strayed, she sucked in a breath of air, and her eyes glittered. "You have been doing everything right. And, yes, there are other parts of you I find incredibly irresistible."

  "Want to show me?"

  "I thought you'd never ask," she said, planting her sweet lips on his.

  * * *

  Hunter would have stayed in bed for another hour, if his phone hadn't started ringing quite persistently, and Cassidy hadn't used the opportunity to slip out of bed and grab a shower.

  He pulled on his briefs before venturing out of the bedroom to retrieve his phone from the kitchen island. He had three missed calls, all from Max. He'd planned on calling him to report what had happened to Cassidy the night before, but it appeared there might be other news.

  Frowning, he called Max back, wondering what could be so pressing on a Sunday morning. Maybe Mrs. Faulkner had finally found her voice.

  "Max, what's up?"

  "I have some bad news," Max said heavily.

  His gut clenched, but he told himself whatever the news was, it couldn't be that bad since Cassidy was safe. "What's happened?"

  "Geralyn Faulkner disappeared from the hospital last night."

  "What? How did that happen? I thought there was a guard on her room."

  "There was. Something was put in his coffee. He became violently ill and rushed to the bathroom. When he got back, Geralyn was gone. We've checked the security cameras, but it appears that the footage was hacked and erased."

  "How is that possible?"

  "Unfortunately, the system had not been updated in a few years, and there were holes."

  "Well, that's just great. What did she say before she escaped? You told me you were going to talk to her yesterday afternoon."

  "I tried, but as soon as I started asking questions, she began to cry, became hysterical, and the doctor ended the interview."

  "She's just faking it."

  "She was definitely medicated after her breakdown with us. I saw the doctor give her an injection. She was taken out of the hospital approximately three hours later, so I suspect she was still in a sedated state."

  "But whoever took her doesn't want to hurt her; they did it to help her. I'm guessing it was one of the now adult foster children I met with last night."

  "Who did you meet with?"

  "David Bellerman, Jeremiah Hunt and Quan Tran. David had reached out to Cassidy. When we got there, the other two were there as well. None of them wanted to believe Geralyn was guilty of Tommy's murder. They seemed rather angry that Cassidy wasn't getting on board with them."

  "She should be careful."

  "She knows that now. Late last night, on her way back to Half Moon Bay, an SUV tried to run her off the road. It was around ten. It happened just south of Pacifica, no witnesses, no other cars on the road. Fortunately, she managed to hang on until she got back to a more populated location and then they sped off."

  "That sounds a lot like Donald Faulkner's tragic accident."

  "Cassidy had the same thought. She also said that David told her he believed someone was trying to get revenge on the Faulkners, first with Donald, then with the fire. David thought he might be the next target because he was the only kid adopted by the Faulkners, and they apparently treated him better than the others."

  "That would make more sense than the attack on Cassidy. Why go after her?"

  "Someone doesn't like the fact that she's hell-bent on proving the Faulkners killed Tommy."

  "She needs to back down on that. You both do. Leave the investigation to us."

  "We just had a conversation with them. It didn't seem like it would be dangerous."

  "Well, I'll talk to David again, see what I can find out."

  "If I was going to bet on who sprung Geralyn Faulkner, I'd bet on one of those three guys, with David at the top of the list."

  "I'll keep that in mind. But in the meantime, watch your back, Hunter. And maybe think about staying away from Cassidy. From what Emma has told me, it doesn't sound like she was good for you the first time around."

  "I appreciate your concern, but I can take care of myself, and the last thing I'm going to do is stay away from Cassidy."

  "Who wants you to stay away from me?" Cassidy asked, as he set down the phone.

  "I didn't see you standing there. How much did you hear?"

  "Only the last part. Who were you talking to?"

  "Max."

  "Why does he want you to stay away from me?"

  "He's just concerned about me. It's a family thing."

  "You told him someone tried to kill me last night?"

  "I did."

  "Well, no wonder he's concerned," she said with a sigh. "I understand that, and he's probably right. I've been worried all along about dragging you into the mud with me, and clearly others share my concern."

  "I can take care of myself, and you're not dragging me anywhere I don't want to go." He paused. "But there is something else to worry about."

  Concern filled her gaze. "What happened?"

  "Mrs. Faulkner escaped from the hospital last night. No one knows where she is."

  Cassidy's eyes widened. "I knew it. I knew she was going to get away with it."

  "The police will find her."

  She shook her head. "Will they? There is no justice, Hunter. I was a fool to think for one second there could be."

  "This isn't over yet."

  "Isn't it?"

  He hated the despair in her voice. "No. Because we have a good lead on someone else who needs justice—Molly. Remember her?"

  "We don't know if she's still alive. There's a good chance we'll find out Molly is dead, too."

  "Or we'll find out she escaped, just like you did." He put his hands on her shoulders. "Don't give up on me, Cassidy."

  "I'm not giving up on you. I just don't know how long I can keep fighting."

  "You're not fighting alone. When you get tired, I'll take over."

  "But—"

  "No, that's how it works," he said firmly. "Whether you want me to stick around or not, I'm going to be there. Now, there is something you can do for me."

  "What's that?"

  "I could really use some coffee."

  She let out a breath. "I can make coffee."

  "Let's start there."

  Seventeen

  Cassidy not only made coffee, she scrambled up eggs with fresh vegetables from her garden while Hunter took a shower. Hunter was very good at simplifying things, narrowing the focus of her chaotic brain, which gave her one more reason to like him. He was good for her. She just didn't know how good she was for him. Although, she had made him a lovely breakfast, she thought. That was something.

  A familiar knock came at her door, and she hurried across the room to open it, knowing it was George. "Good morning."

  "Is it?" he asked with a frown.

  "What's wrong?"

  "The back bumper on your van is all bent up. Did you get rear-ended?"

  "Oh, yes, I did," she said, not
wanting to worry George. "It was on my way home last night."

  "Did you get their insurance?"

  "No. They took off. It was dark. I couldn't see the license plate."

  "But you're all right?"

  "I'm fine." She cleared her throat as Hunter came into the room, feeling a little like a guilty teenager. She was entitled to have men over; she just never did, and George was going to be curious.

  "Hello," Hunter said, his hair damp from a shower. "Am I interrupting?"

  "George was just asking me about the car. I told him I got rear-ended." She hoped Hunter could read between the lines.

  "We were going to look at the damage in the light," Hunter said.

  "It's not good," George put in. "Not that the old van is in tip-top shape; I was more concerned about Cassidy."

  "I'm fine. It's all good," she said. "I was just making breakfast. Do you want some?"

  "No. I don't want to interrupt. I'll talk to you later." George gave Hunter a speculative look, then glanced back at her. "Let me know if you need anything."

  "I will. Thanks for your concern." She shut the door behind George and smiled at Hunter. "I have coffee and breakfast ready."

  "It smells delicious." He grabbed her around the waist and kissed her. "But it doesn't smell as good as you."

  "That's a nice line," she said with a laugh, unable to stop the happy feeling that ran through her every time Hunter kissed her.

  "You look pretty, too."

  She'd put on a sleeveless floral dress and wedge sandals since the weather looked nice and they were going to church. Plus, she had wanted Hunter to see her in something other than jeans and a T-shirt, although, he'd seen plenty of her the night before.

  He snuck another kiss, and she playfully pushed him away. "No more kissing until we get food."

  "As long as there will be more kissing after that," he said, following her over to the kitchen island.

  She shot him a smile. "We'll see. In the meantime, you need to eat your vegetables." She spooned scrambled eggs and veggies onto a plate and pushed it over to him.

  "This looks amazing."

  "And good for you."