Desire for Love (The Club #13)

by S. E. GILCHRIST

  After staring at the screen for several minutes, she composed an email explaining everything that had happened from the moment she’d stepped into the Club last night and included what Sasha had told her this morning. She ended by saying that she’d never stolen from either the Club or its patrons and asking Jet to phone her mobile as soon as possible. She hit the send button and wasted another hour waiting for a response of some kind to no avail.

  What if Jet was unable to get back to her for hours? Days even? Anything could happen during that time. She could be charged with theft, Matty hauled off to Social Services. Their whole lives down the toilet because of someone’s lies. Could it be a client was unhappy with their session? But who? There’d certainly never been any indication any of her clients had been left unsatisfied. Unless it was Roberta, but surely she wouldn’t go this far out of spite?

  She pressed her hand to her throbbing forehead, barely able to think clearly.

  None of this would have happened if I had won that bet.

  Harrison.

  He’s behind this; he has to be. That slimy toad.

  She raced into her bedroom and rummaged through a pile of clothes she’d tossed onto a chair. Her hand closed over a small card and she dialed the number printed in black, embossed ink.

  The mobile on the other end rang and rang. About to end the call, the ring tone finally stopped.

  “Harrison, here.”

  He’s quiet, even tones somehow settled the queasiness churning in her gut. Even her fury at his duplicity for some inexplicable reason began to lessen but it did nothing to soothe her throbbing headache.

  “Hello?” he said when she failed to respond.

  Madeline swallowed. “Um, hi, it’s Madeline, I mean Marigold. You know, from last night at the Club.” She squeezed her eyes shut briefly, at how croaky her voice sounded. This isn’t a social call. You’re not asking him out for a date. The guy’s lodged lies about you. Grow up, Madeline.

  “Madeline. Hey. Are you okay? You sound…upset.”

  Her anger erupted. “You know what, you slim ball? Hell yeah, I’m upset. How could you. How could you lie like that? You’re ruining my life.”

  “Hey! What’s wrong? I don’t know what you’re talking about. If it’s to do with that little matter of changing the rooms around, then I’m sorry. When I saw the names on the board in the foyer, I did a little switch. I didn’t think it would be such a big deal. I’m not a fan of green walls. But I do like green eyes.”

  His words hardly impacted on Madeline.

  Her headache was rapidly developing migraine status and she wanted to put her head through the wall. She could barely think. Nausea was burning in her belly, darkness shrinking her vision. It was if screws were tightening either side of her forehead. Pain sliced over the top of her head. “It was you. You. You got me fired and now I’m going to lose everything. Matty. Oh, Matty. I’m sorry, baby.”

  Her voice trailed off. Gasping she clutched her head, only vaguely aware she’d dropped her mobile and that Harrison was yelling something from the other end. I’m gonna be sick. Where are my tablets?

  She stumbled to the bathroom, where she fumbled open the medicine cabinet and sank down onto the cold tiles.

  Chapter Four

  Harrison gunned his pickup truck and took another corner far too wide. Luckily no one was coming in the opposite direction. Ahead was another intersection. The lights turned orange. He pressed down on the accelerator and roared through, slowing back to the speed limit once on the other side.

  Despite repeated attempts to reach Madeline by phone, no one picked up on the other end. He’d been tempted to dial 911 but the thought he could be sending emergency services on a wild goose chase stilled his hand. There was no reason to believe she needed medical attention. The odds were she was simply furious with him for his duplicity.

  Not that he blamed her. When Aaron had told him about the bet being whispered around the club, Harrison had known immediately he had to either stop it from taking place or failing that, be the one to seduce Madeline.

  A little voice had suggested perhaps this was the chance he’d been waiting for; a way to snag the interest of the woman who he’d fallen in love with the moment he’d set eyes on her. Not that she’d noticed. She’d been oblivious or determined on ignoring the guys sending her meaningful glances. Instead, she’d been totally focused on a high school baseball game and watching the young boy holding the position of center fielder.

  One look on Harrison’s part—that was all it had taken and he was a goner.

  He’d been instantly attracted to her shapely body, but it had been the expression of pride mingled with love on her face that had stolen his heart.

  Harrison had made it his business to learn all he could about both of them which wasn’t much. His mate, Aaron who’d been with him at the ballgame that day, had noticed Harrison’s interest and had offered the information that he knew she worked at the Club. Aaron had also volunteered that the woman’s brother was on the same team as his son and that there were no parents in the picture. When Harrison realized she supported and was bringing up a younger brother, his fate was sealed. This was the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with, the woman he wanted to raise a family with—the only problem being she hadn’t even looked in his direction at that ballgame. As far as she was concerned, he could have been invisible.

  That soul-rocking moment had been his alone.

  And now she was totally pissed off with him.

  He had a lot of fences to mend if he was to achieve his heart’s desire.

  First off, was an apology. Hence his mad dash to her home when he should have been knee-deep in marsh mud and continuing his research on the migratory habits of snow geese. Luckily, he’d only been half-way to the McFadden National Wildlife Refuge when her phone call had come through.

  All it took was searching online for her address using her mobile number and he was on his way. He rolled his shoulders, telling himself that looking her up like this wasn’t the actions of a sleazy stalker. She sounded like she was in trouble and he needed to make damn certain it wasn’t through any stupid thing he’d done. He flicked on his mobile and tried her number again. No answer. Sighing, he tossed the phone onto the passenger seat.

  He took the next left, slowed down, and checked the house numbers as he cruised down the street. Number one hundred and ninety-six. He pulled up behind her Chevy and parked, taking a couple of minutes to calm his nerves and organize his thoughts. This was it and it wasn’t much. A small clap-board house on a narrow allotment and painted a dingy grey. But the grass was mown, sunshine yellow curtains covered the windows, and there were several hanging pot-plants dancing in the wind on the porch.

  How am I going to do this? How do I explain turning up on her doorstep, uninvited?

  A sudden downpour roused him from his ruminations. Damnit. Now he’d get soaked before he got to her door. I’m going to look like a shipwreck survivor. Maybe, she’ll take pity on me.

  Harrison tucked his mobile into his top shirt pocket and pulled on the oilskin coat he used on his job. Taking a deep breath, he stepped out into the rain. He ran for the door and arrived on her front porch, dripping and with slick dread like boulders weighing him down. I’ve got one go at making this right.

  He knocked.

  Nothing.

  Realizing water was sloughing off his oilskin and puddling around his feet, he shrugged out of the coat and draped it over the back of a wicker chair. He eyed the door, then stared about the porch. The wicker chair was one of a pair, arranged around a redwood coffee table with a mosaic countertop. Harrison knocked again then stepped over to admire the image made from broken tiles of a lake with three swans skimming across the surface. Clever and attractive.

  The rain drummed on the house’s iron roof and the wind howled through the branches of the tree out front. He walked back to the door. It was possible she hadn’t heard his knock.

  He thumped harder.

/>   The unlocked door swung open under his onslaught.

  “Hey, Madeline? It’s me, Harrison. Okay if I come inside?” He pushed the door wider and peered into the shadowy house. Although going onto mid-day, the overcast sky and sleeting rain made it appear much later than it really was. Outside the street lights flickered on.

  From what he could see the front of the house was made up of a combined living and dining room to the left with a breakfast bar dividing what was probably the kitchen. A hallway led from the center of the room into the back of the house where he guessed the bedrooms and bathroom would be located.

  There was no sign of her.

  Cautiously, Harrison stepped inside, then stumbled over a pair of boots left near the doorway. There still was a tiny puddle of rain surrounding them, which hopefully meant Madeline was home. He sure hoped so. He didn’t want to be done for breaking and entering if some nosy neighbor decided to call the police.

  “Madeline, I just wanted to check up on you. Are you here?” He crossed the room, feeling more and more like a stalker. His heartbeat kicked up a gear. What if she was sick? The door hadn’t been latched properly. What if some gangbanger was prowling through her house?

  His hands fisted and he crept slowly along the hallway.

  Someone groaned.

  The sound was faint, barely more than a sigh, but it galvanized him into action. Stuff whoever else was in the house. Harrison hurried forward, ears straining for any other noise. He heard the scuffing of cloth over tiles and pushed open the bathroom door.

  “Blood hell! Madeline, what’s the matter?” He rushed toward the figure huddled in the corner, her hands holding her head, intermittent shivers racking her body.

  “Migraine,” she gritted.

  “Come on. Let’s get you out of here and into bed.” He crouched, gripped her under the armpits, and helped her upright. Once he’d shuffled her out of the cramped bathroom, he lifted her into his arms and by kicking open the other two doors, found her bedroom. With infinite care, he laid her on the bed, covering her with the blanket that was folded up at the end. “Have you taken anything?”

  “Yes.”

  “Let’s get you warmed up, then. Your skin is like ice.” Harrison tucked the blanked in more closely. “My mum suffers from migraines. One of my sister’s is a massage therapist. She does this amazing stuff with mum’s feet and the back of her neck and it helps with the intensity of her attacks. Okay for me to give it a go on you? Bron showed me what to do last time I was home.”

  Madeline nodded, her eyes squeezed tight. “Home?”

  “A town called Dubbo, in outback Australia. My parents have a vineyard there and also run a mob of merino sheep.” He walked to the end of the bed and gently pushed aside the blanket. “Ready?”

  “Sure.”

  Starting with her right foot, he rubbed and tugged her big toe with fluid movements, then gradually moved onto her other toes before massaging the bottom of her foot and her heel. After he finished her left foot, he toed off his shoes and knelt on the bed beside her.

  “Starting to relax?” he said.

  “Yeah, the pain is easing.”

  He scanned her face, noting how she no longer had her eyes crunched up and her jawline appeared less tense. “I need you to roll over onto your stomach and I’ll work on the back of her neck and head.”

  Obediently, Madeline rolled over.

  Harrison began to knead, pushing his thumbs deep into the pressure points.

  “Ooooh, that is so good,” whispered Madeline.

  “Last one.” He leaned down and whispered near her ear. “I need you to sit up now.”

  When she was sitting upright, he shifted about until she was facing him where he spent several minutes massaging her temple and around her eyes.

  “I can keep going, if you like.”

  Madeline opened her eyes and smiled. “It’s only a headache now. Thank you so much. Now, how about you tell what you’re doing in my house.”

  This close to her, Harrison had to exert all his will power and not pull her into his arms and blab about how much she meant to him. But this wasn’t the right moment. Her green eyes were shadowed, reserve was already stealing back into her, and he could feel her pulling emotionally away from him.

  Putting up her barriers.

  Determined to keep him well and truly out of her life.

  But he had news for her. He wasn’t going anywhere until he’d fought with every breath he had to win her heart. He grinned, pleased when her eyelashes flickered and her gaze dipped for a moment to stare at his mouth.

  She made a big deal out of wrapping the blanket around her shoulders and using her movements to put some space between them. Her hair was tousled, a few strands had fallen into her eyes, and Harrison’s fingers twitched, wanting badly to feel the that silky softness falling over his hands.

  Clearing his throat, he slid off the bed and picked up his shoes. “Your phone call scared the living daylights out of me.”

  She stared at him for thirty long seconds before saying, “You’ve got a nerve. How you feel is not the issue here. Let’s talk about that call. And about your low, disgusting actions last night.”

  Fire had returned to her eyes. Chin lifted, Madeline flung off the blanket and scrambled off the bed. “Not only did you get me fired, you’ve lied and accused me of stealing from you. Money is missing from the till and my supervisor has apparently called the cops. Get out of my house!”

  Harrison back away, hands held out as if to stay stop. “Listen, I don’t know what you’re going on about.”

  She frowned, her eyes searching his face. “How did you know where I lived?”

  “I’ve got more than one skill, babe.”

  Her lips quirked, as if she was repressing a smile. The brief flash of amusement died from her eyes. She said, flatly, “Did you know about the bet?”

  Holding her gaze, he said, “Yes.”

  “And that’s it? Just, ‘yes’?” Her voice shook. “I got fired last night because we lost.”

  “You didn’t have to agree to take part,” he pointed out coldly, remembering the wild explosion of jealousy and desperation that had gripped him when he’d first heard she was involved.

  “I wasn’t given a lot of choice. My hours have been cut. I need the money.” Her gaze left his and fell on the photo frame sitting on the bedside table.

  Harrison picked it up. “Is this your brother?” He already knew that but he figured keeping her talking might ease a little of the wary suspicion in her eyes.

  Madeline nodded.

  “Looks like a good kid. I’ve got three brothers and two sisters myself, plus a bunch of cousins.”

  “Bully for you.” She folded her arms. “Do you mind putting that photo back where you found it?”

  “Sure thing.” He replaced the photo. “Listen, about that bet. I want to explain—”

  “Don’t bother. I’m feeling a lot better now. You can leave.” Her eyes glittered as sharp as green glass.

  “Hey, but I want to talk about why I agreed to being part of the bet.” Cold sweat formed on his upper lip.

  “Forget it. I’m not interested in your narcissistic excuses. There’s the door.” She pointed across the room.

  Crap, this wasn’t going anywhere near how he imagined it might turn out. “Listen, babe…”

  A mobile phone trilled with the ring tone of the song I will survive.

  “Yours, I take it?” Harrison grinned.

  Madeline dropped the blanket and stalked out of the bedroom. Harrison followed her to the living area where she snatched up the phone lying on the breakfast bar.

  “Hello?” She fell quiet, obviously listening to whoever was on the other end.

  Harrison could tell by the way she clenched her hands over the phone the news wasn't good. Her face bleached of all color, causing the tiny scattering of freckles over the bridge of her nose to stand out like brown dots. Definitely not good.

  “Hey, I appreciate the
call. Thanks.” Madeline laid the phone down on the counter and looked at him. Shock had widened her eyes and her hands trembled visibly. “That was a work colleague letting me know that the police are on their way to arrest me on theft charges. How could you? I’ve never done anything to hurt you. I don’t even know you and yet, you lied and said I’ve stolen your credit cards and cash from your wallet. Shit, maybe you even set me up with the missing till money.” With every word she uttered, her voice rose higher and higher.

  “What?” Harrison shook his head, longing to draw her into his arms and hold her tight. “This is news to me. I swear on my mother’s soul, I didn’t do any such thing. Whoever is making these claims, is not me.”

  “Whatever. You need to go.”

  “No. What we need to do, is sort out this mess.”

  She rubbed her face, saying, “I can’t believe this is happening.”

  “I’m sorry, babe. I truly am but I’m as much in the dark as you. But we can work this out.”

  “How?” Madeline poured a glass of water for herself from the tap and turned back around, leaning against the sink as if she needed the support to stand.

  “Someone is obviously lying to get you into trouble.”

  Frowning, she pressed the glass to her forehead. “I don’t understand anything that’s going on, all I know is that someone is setting me up.”

  He gave into his primal urge to wrap his arms around her waist, pulling her back against him. Man, did she feel good. Memories of their mind-blowing hours together in that red room flooded him. But now wasn't the time to be getting all hot and bothered.

  Gritting his teeth and hoping she wouldn’t feel how hard his dick was, he said, “Let me help you. I think you’re gonna have to anyway, since it looks I’m involved somehow. I’ve got an idea.” He held his breath and told his conscience to shut up when it began to warn him, taking advantage of the situation was not a good idea. “There’s a small cabin I rent during the week when I’m working in the marshes, saves me traveling time running back and forth from my apartment here in Karim. Pack a few things, grab your brother, and you both stay there, give us some time to think everything through without the cops leaning over your shoulders.”