“The garage is closing?” she asked as she met up with Pax where he waited for her.
“Yep. Peter’s selling the property to some developers. Raleigh’s going to operate his high-performance engine shop out at the speedway. That’s why he and Mia were sizing up the space yesterday.” He arched an eyebrow. “Well, when they weren’t making suck face.”
The happy couple. As much as she wanted that, seeing them being so affectionate gutted her.
“You have a very expressive face,” Pax said, and she realized he’d been watching her ruminate. “You went from a smile to a frown just like that.” He snapped his fingers. “You got all sappy watching the guys at the house, giving you hope and all. Raleigh and Mia ought to give you lots more. They were torn apart and found each other again.”
Like us. But no, she and Pax hadn’t had a chance. Because I killed it.
“See, there you went again,” Pax said, studying her.
“Just goes to show you how messed up I am. That’s a warning, in case you didn’t notice.”
He obviously remembered using that same phrase earlier, judging by his faint smile. “Well, now, I never did pay attention to warning signs. No trespassing, speed limits.” He shrugged. “Life’s too short to play inside the lines.”
His words tickled her tummy. “What did Mia say? Something about Fate using her dirty tricks to bring two people together?”
“Yeah, dirty tricks,” Pax muttered, his gaze sliding from the garage to her. “And she has plenty of ’em, it seems.”
“What was the trick that brought them back together?”
“Her grandma passed and left them both equal shares in her house.” He winked. “Clever woman, she was. Knew the two of them belonged together. Come on, let’s talk to Raleigh.”
Gemma longed to know more, but she followed. She wanted Pax to find more reasons to wink at her.
A tall brunette already had Raleigh’s attention as he pointed out something under the hood of her car. She nodded, then pointed at a different area.
Raleigh saw them coming. “Hey, hey.”
The woman, dressed in linen pants and a silk shirt, came around the car. As Gemma assessed her features as fine and pretty, it hit her who this woman was.
“Hey, Grace,” Pax said, reaching out to shake her hand. “Thanks again for taking care of my boy, here.”
She smiled. “It’s the kind of case I became a lawyer for.” She still had a southern accent, not unlike Pax’s. Her gaze moved to Gemma, smile still in place. “Who’s this?”
“This is…” Pax must have connected the dots, because his expression fell.
Gemma saved him from a moment of indecision. “Gemma Thornton. We’ve met. Sort of.” She kept her voice even, her expression neutral. Inside, she was seething.
“Thornton, Thornton…” Grace looked up, trying to place her, no doubt.
“You interviewed Blake Sullivan’s friends to paint a picture of me as a vengeful whore who accused him of rape,” Gemma couldn’t help supplying. “And you did a good job. The case was dropped, and a rapist went free.”
Grace’s smile wilted. “Oh. Oh, shit. I didn’t recognize you.”
Gemma doubted that this woman had many moments of discombobulation, and she was glad to have provided one. But it was more than that. Grace had gone pale, her brown eyes looking at the floor, to the side, anywhere but at Gemma.
“Look,” Gemma added. “I know you were just doing your job and that it was nothing personal on your end. It was very personal on mine, however.”
“Yeah, well…” She regained her composure, meeting Gemma’s gaze. “I didn’t set out to paint any picture of you. Your so-called friends did it all on their own. And, for the record, I didn’t want that case.”
“Why didn’t you want to take it?” Pax asked. “You can be honest with me, Grace.”
Raleigh joined them, wiping his hands on a rag. “You told me that you didn’t take a case unless you were totally behind the client.”
She didn’t meet anyone’s gaze. “I was young, newly minted. And your father was very persuasive. He knew I’d interned with an attorney who’d successfully handled a similar case.” There was more to it than that from the way her mouth tightened.
Pax asked, “Did you believe Blake was innocent?”
She glanced at Raleigh, then back to him. “I shouldn’t say.”
Raleigh put his hand on her arm. “You said that you’re good at telling if a man’s innocent. You knew I was right away.”
Grace nodded, quick, jerky movements, as though she suspected where Raleigh was going.
“But you said that you were wrong once,” Raleigh finished. “Early on in your career.”
She curled and uncurled her fingers, her attention focused on nothing in particular. Finally, she looked at Pax. “You really want to know? Because you’re not going to like it.”
“I need to know, Grace.”
“Blake was that case. I did believe him at first, and I dug.” She knelt down and scratched Harley’s chin. “Like a dog after a bone. Everyone was eager to corroborate the theory that you put yourself in a bad situation, and then regretted it.” She stood again, her attention on Gemma. “It’s the one case that haunts me, because I didn’t recognize what my instincts were telling me. I know it doesn’t help now, but I vowed never to do that again. I’m so sorry.”
Gemma had to swallow hard on that heartfelt apology. “Did you know Blake was guilty? Did you find evidence of someone else who’d been hurt by him?”
“No. God, no. I wouldn’t have ignored facts. To be honest, I don’t know that it would have turned out differently if I had quit. Another attorney would probably have done the same damn thing. But I hated that I didn’t quit.” She looked at Pax. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. You’re right; he did date-rape Gemma. And I think he’s coercing his secretary into screwing him.”
Grace grimaced. “How old is she?”
“Probably early twenties.”
Another grimace. “A full adult. She’d have to testify that he threatened her. Or literally forced her. Holding a job over her head—well, I’m not sure that’s going to be enough to prove rape. Sexual harassment, yes, but not rape. Still, it shows a pattern of coercion.”
“If I could get him to confess what he did to me and record it,” Gemma asked, “could he be prosecuted for my case?”
“You were, what, seventeen when it happened?”
“We both were.”
Grace seemed to calculate in her head. “It’s been seven years. I don’t think so, but I’ll check. I believe the statute of limitations has expired. Especially since he was also a minor at the time. I’m sorry, Gemma.”
Gemma’s insides had tightened into a knot. She’d gone from angry to hopeful that justice would finally be done to losing that hope. Slowly, though, the knot unraveled. She knew that the final stage of her healing wasn’t making him pay for what he’d done to her. “If we can stop him from doing this to someone else, if we can prove that he is the kind of person who would force himself on a drunk girl, I will be vindicated.”
Grace aimed a sober look at Pax. “Just be careful. Your dad isn’t going to like another allegation sullying his family name. He sells himself as the town’s champion, but you know he doesn’t play fair.”
Pax traded a look with Raleigh. “No, he sure as hell doesn’t.” He shifted back to Grace. “What does he have on you, anyway?”
She blanched.
“He does have something, doesn’t he?”
“He caught me with prescription drugs that weren’t mine. I made mistakes when I was young.”
“And he let you off?” Pax said, clearly surprised.
“Yeah. But he made sure I knew that I owed him.” Her words were hard. “I’d better go. I have a meeting in twenty minutes. Give me my bill, Raleigh, so I can be on my way.”
The two went into the office.
“I bet there’s more to the story than that,�
� Gemma said.
Pax rubbed the bridge of his nose. “I’m sorry I didn’t realize your history with her.”
“No, it’s good.” Gemma caught herself touching his arm, consoling his regret. “She meant that apology. And now we know that even she suspected Blake was guilty. It feels good to be validated.”
He twined his fingers with hers. “But you may never get vindicated. I’m going to talk to Blake’s secretary, though I doubt Lily’s going to point a finger at him. She looked more ashamed than he did.”
“I hate that for her. But…I know the feeling well. It’s way too easy to take some of that blame yourself when you don’t fight. It confuses you. If you didn’t physically try to stop it, are you complicit? I went to that beach party; I drank what Blake gave me. I let him lead me away from the others. Every day she goes to work knowing her boss may have expectations beyond the job description. But she still goes. It messes with your mind.”
Pax’s expression was soft as he brushed her hair to the side. “I’m sorry that happened to you.”
His heartfelt words caved her in. She wanted to lean against him, let him hold her the way he’d done the night before. But closer. In a sense, the doubts made it feel as though the assault was still happening. She lingered in emotional limbo. Guilty. Innocent. Culpable. Blameless. She wanted to tell Pax, but he’d just come to see his brother’s guilt. She didn’t want to lose his support.
“All right, let’s take a look at your tire,” she heard Raleigh say.
Thank God, she thought. She’d just about given in. And giving in was proving to be incredibly easy to do with Pax.
Chapter 9
After a day spent pouring footers for the bleachers and painting one of the buildings, Pax returned to the B&B exhausted. It wasn’t the physical activity that taxed him, though. He bore a thousand pounds emotionally, dragging it with him from task to task.
The pain on Gemma’s face when she shared her doubts about who was at fault had crushed him. He imagined her in all her goth-candy sensuality, drunk and draped over him, and not for a second could he fathom initiating sex with her in that state. Or ignoring her protests.
He’d saved her voicemail from the day before. Listening to it had nothing to do with saving her number, but he did it anyway. She’d sounded hesitant. Guarded. Their relationship had changed a bunch since then. Not that they had a relationship, per se.
But Wade had clearly been fishing during his last visit. How are you and Gemma getting on? Thanks for staying at the B&B and watching over her. She’s special, isn’t she?
Yeah, she was. And she was putting Pax in quite the tangle.
He texted her, telling her that he was bringing pizza for dinner. Their first meal together. He didn’t count that torturous time at the Flying Pepperoni when the chemistry between them sizzled as strong as ever. When she’d clearly wanted to be with him rather than with Blake.
He smacked his forehead. Stupid. He’d known that she wanted him, had even called her on it just the other day, so of course she wouldn’t have been devastated at Blake breaking up with her. Another one of those bits of evidence against Blake that Pax hadn’t let himself see.
Now she was even more taboo. Still, his heart did a two-step when his text alert dinged.
I’m taking photos of the happy couple on the beach. Is there enough for everyone?
Sure is.
He ordered two pies, just in case.
The B&B was quiet when he stepped inside. It was Saturday, and the crew had worked only half a day. The kitchen was completely cleaned out now, ready for part two. He filled a bowl with dog chow as he packed one of the inn’s picnic baskets with napkins, paper plates, and a bottle of red and a bottle of white wine from the cooler. Plastic cups and bottles of water joined everything.
Harley looked up from his empty bowl, licking his chops as he implored Pax.
“Damn, you eat fast.”
The dog glanced at the pizza, nostrils flaring.
“No pizza. It’s bad for you.”
Another plaintive glance.
“You can have my crusts.”
Harley’s tail swished once. Halfhearted enthusiasm at best.
“And a meatball. Just one.”
The dog barked, happy with that compromise.
Well, Pax thought that was it, anyway. He loaded everything into his arms and headed toward the road. He paused a few feet shy and glanced at Harley, whose attention was on the beach beyond. Once the dog realized that no one was moving, he met Pax’s gaze and sat.
“Good boy. Look both ways.” Pax did it for them. “Wait.”
A car passed, then another. “All clear.”
Man and dog crossed the two-lane road and the sandy shoulder. Pax spotted Gemma off to the right, where she was lying on the sand aiming the camera up at the guys, who were poised like ballet dancers.
“A little more to the right,” she said. “And up. There!”
They froze, and so did their smiles. Ah, she was trying to position them so it looked as though they were holding the setting sun.
“Okay, now cheeks together. Nice.” Click. “Hold those smiles. Know what Pax’s ferocious dog’s name is? Harley Cuddlebug Slobberbuckets.”
Both guys grinned, and she snapped several more pictures. Pax smiled, too, as he set down the basket and balanced the pizza box on top. Gemma was completely absorbed in her work. Her legs were bent, and sand coated her calves as well as her arms. She still had a small waist and narrow hips, and, even though she tried to diminish them, luscious breasts.
“It is?” Trey asked when Gemma pulled the camera back to check the display.
“Yep,” Pax said. “Dubbed by my sister and my best friend’s little brother. Though in Harley’s defense, he doesn’t slobber anymore.”
“He had an infected tooth,” Gemma threw in, and Pax had the oddest sensation of being part of a couple with her. Like the way the guys finished each other’s sentences.
She must have realized that, too, because she gave him a funny smile. “Sorry, I’m telling your story.”
“No problem.” He stepped closer and held his hand out to her.
She snapped his picture instead. “Sorry, force of habit. You look good with the golden-hour light on you, all soft and warm. And a seagull flying past in the background.” She accepted his hand and let him pull her to her feet.
“Yeah? Let me see.” He reached for the camera, but she kept a hold on it as she flipped to the gallery screen. “Not bad.” It seemed strange to compliment your own picture, but he had to admit he looked good.
“You’re very photogenic, you know.”
“I didn’t know. But thanks.”
“Gemma mentioned pizza,” Trey said with a hopeful smile.
Within a few minutes, they’d unpacked the picnic basket and set everything out. Pax spent most of the time watching Gemma, which was easier to do unobserved, since she was busy listening to the guys.
He tried to overlay the old Gemma with this new one. Nope, couldn’t do it. They were totally different. His teenage self had been intrigued by the sexy misfit, but his adult self was becoming more and more intrigued by the woman she’d grown into. Confident, a bit closed off; yet hints of that sensual creature glimmered in her subconscious movements.
She fluffed her hair with her fingers as she laughed at something Trey said. She drew her fingertip down her collarbone along the edge of her shirt when Gary relayed a serious, sad story. She languidly scratched the length of her calf.
Pax wanted to draw that sensual part out. The need gnawed through him even as his mind vetoed it for many reasons. Geography. Genealogy. Association.
She turned to him, catching him with God knew what expression on his face. He pasted a smile over it. “It’s great that your dad is in a regular room.”
“I know, right? They moved him just before I arrived. So happy.” She reached for a slice of pizza. “Thank you for bringing the pizza,” she said, and it was quickly echoed by the guys.
Pax had half hoped the couple would join them and half hoped they wouldn’t. Being alone with Gemma was dangerous. Tempting.
The guys picked up their plates and napkins and tucked them into the basket. “We’re going to Catchekan’s for dessert and to catch the sunset from the deck. Our treat if you’d like to join us.”
Thank God Gemma waved her hand and said, “No, thanks. You lovebirds go. Be alone together. That’s what you’re here for.”
Those words resonated with Pax, but he simply smiled in agreement.
Trey had a glint in his eyes as he took in Pax and Gemma. “Yes, the lovebirds need some time alone. We’ll take the basket and boxes. Do you want us to take your camera bag, too?”
She eyed the large bag. “That would be great if you could just pop it in the guest room next to yours.”
“You got it. Can we peek at our pictures?”
“No! Let me load them onto the computer and adjust as necessary. You’ll like seeing them larger anyway.”
“All right, all right,” Trey groused good-naturedly. “Enjoy the sunset.”
As soon as the two reached the pathway to the road, Gemma said, “Why do I think he was referring to us when he said ‘lovebirds’?”
“Yeah, that would be crazy, right?”
“Well, yeah.”
Take note. She agrees that the idea is crazy.
Their gazes held in that awkward way as his mind scrambled for something to say. He glanced down the rocky beach. “Want to go for a walk?”
“Sure.”
Pax had the crazy—that word again—urge to reach out and hold her hand as they headed south. He stuffed his hands into his pockets instead, and they walked side by side in silence for several minutes.
She tucked her fingers into the front pockets of her shorts. “It’s funny how uncomfortable people feel with silence. Like they have to fill it in with meaningless words.”
Falling Hard Page 13