by Vella, Wendy
“No…thanks.” Annabelle added the last because he’d been nice to her this morning when she’d really needed it. Of course, along with that niceness now came the knowledge of just how solid and well-formed that large body of his really was.
She watched as he looked around them before his eyes landed on her again.
“What?” Annabelle questioned him.
“I wanted a witness to that thanks. I’m pretty sure it’s the only one you’ve ever given me.”
“Nope, there was that one time when we were at Buster’s and you handed me the sugar.”
“You got a smart mouth on you, Annabelle Smith.” He looked at her lips and she felt them tingle. What would it feel like to be kissed by the man who had touched the mouths of more women than Casanova?
“I’ve decided to sell my car, Gelderman number 5, she said using the nickname his friends in Howling had given him, when they realized he was the 5th Ethan Gelderman in his family."Do you know somewhere here in Brook I can take it?” Annabelle tried to stay calm as she said the words. She was desperate, and he lived in this town, so she’d ask him, and act like it was no big deal if he couldn’t help her.
In fact it was a huge deal, because even though Annabelle loved her home, the people, the place, sometimes she just needed some space, and an hour or two driving gave her that, but even that would be denied her now because of Cooper.
“Why do you want to sell your car?”
“Because I do. Can you help or not? A simple yes or no question, Tex. Even you can manage that.”
“I can only imagine what you were like as an older sister.”
“I’m a bitch, what can I say?” Annabelle looked away from him. “Yes or no?”
“Okay, give me the keys. I’ll sell it for you.” He held out a hand.
“I can sell it. Just tell me where I need to go.”
“My doorman needs a car for his son. If he’s not keen on it, I’ll find someone else who is.”
He sounded reasonable, but Annabelle wasn’t sure if she should take him up on the offer. She didn’t like owing people anything.
“I can do it.”
“Why are you being difficult about this?” Frustration was written all over his face. “I’ve offered to help, haven’t I? Do you want to sell it or not?”
“Yes, but I just want a name and address and I’ll drive it there.”
“You ever sold a car before?”
“No.”
“Then hand over your keys, because I have. Loads of them,” he added, holding out one big hand, palm upwards.
She looked at it for several seconds. Could she do this? You have no other choice, Annabelle, if you want to survive.
“Is it just me you don’t trust, or do you treat everyone as if they’re a career criminal?”
His mouth was smiling but his eyes weren’t; they were narrowed and glaring at her. The big Texan didn’t like anyone doubting his integrity.
“You Texans are touchy,” she muttered.
“Honey, you question a Texan’s honest intentions and he just gets plain pissed off.”
Annabelle rolled her eyes but said, “I don’t like owing people.”
“And if you let me do this, you’ll owe me?” He balanced his weight on one leg as he studied her intently.
“Yes.”
Annabelle wasn’t big on silence; she liked noise, and gaps in conversations unsettled her. She looked at the Texan, who was staring at her. She couldn’t read what he was thinking so she looked away again.
“It’s rude to stare,” Annabelle muttered.
“Ha. You’re not actually accusing me of being rude, when every word that comes out of your mouth is a curse or an insult.”
“No, it’s not!”
“Smith, you’re belligerent, rude and downright aggressive, and those are on your good days. It’s just a stroke of luck you’re so hot you can get away with it.”
“Flattery will get you nowhere.” Why did it unsettle her that he thought she was hot?
“Keys now.” He held out a big hand again.
“Okay, but I-I need to get my stuff out first and…thanks.”
Annabelle watched as he staggered backwards clutching his chest.
“Go easy on the compliments, Annabelle. My heart can’t take much more.”
“Fuck you,” she snarled, feeling off balance, which was her most hated state of mind. She liked to be in control of every aspect of her life, but today things were just not working out that way.
“There’s my girl.”
“I’m not your anything, Gelderman.”
“Whatever. Now get your stuff out and we’ll sort out the paperwork when I get it sold.”
Annabelle was a tidy person, so her things weren’t spread everywhere in her car. Years of living with two brothers had taught her to pick up after herself and them. She took out her handbag, and anything else that was personal.
“You want that?”
She was in the back seat when Ethan’s head appeared in the driver’s door. He was pointing at the small, heart-shaped silver charm that hung from her rearview mirror.
“No.” Pulling her eyes from the charm, Annabelle folded the blanket she kept in the back seat. “It’s nothing important.” She opened the trunk and took out her rain jacket, she then had everything. After she’d shut the trunk lid, she placed her possessions at her feet and took the car key off the chain Dr McBride had brought back for her from Hawaii, and handed it to Ethan.
“How’re you getting home?”
“Bus.”
“I’m flying out today for Howling. I’ll take you.”
“I’d rather go by bus.”
“You ever stop with the BS? Christ, Annabelle, it’s an offer from one friend to another. Can’t you for once just take it at face value? You don’t always have to fight me.”
“We’re not friends. Our friends are friends.” Annabelle folded her arms, but instead of going away like she’d thought he would, Ethan lowered his head and pushed it toward her until it was two inches from her face.
“What is your problem with me?”
You’re too handsome and you make me tingle all over, and your voice makes me melt.
“I have no problem with you. I just think you have enough adoring people in your life without adding another, and that you and I are better off keeping our distance.”
He looked at her, really looked, bright blue eyes studying hers, as if he could read her thoughts.
“You’re scared of flying.”
“What? Am not!”
He hooted with laughter. “I’m sure this is a moment I should be savoring. The Amazon is scared of something.”
“I’m not scared of flying, and don’t call me that.” Annabelle clenched her fists so one didn’t smack that happy expression off his face.
“You ever flown, Smith?”
“I went away to college, didn’t I?”
“You drove away to college. Jake told me that,” Ethan said.
Damn Jake McBride. “Whatever, Gelderman. I don’t have time for this shit. You going to sell my car or not?”
“Yes, but the deal is, I sell it, and you fly back to Howling with me.”
Oh God, just the thought of climbing into that big metal insect made Annabelle lightheaded, but, she needed that car sold and quickly, or she’d miss her next mortgage payment.
“Whatever. Just go do what you do, and I’ll be sitting here reading when you come back. Don’t get distracted by a woman, either.” She picked up her stuff, then turned her back on him and walked to the bench. He watched—she could feel his eyes on her back—but she didn’t stop, just marched up to it, dropped her things on one end, and then sat on the other. Annabelle then opened her bag, pulled out her book and pretended to read.
She heard her car start seconds later and as it drove away she lowered the book and watched, fighting to hold in more tears as she silently waved goodbye to her independence.
CHAPTER TWO
&nbs
p; Ethan pulled Annabelle’s car to a stop in front of his apartment building. He hadn’t bought the story about her not needing the car. She loved this thing; he could tell that simply by looking inside it. It was immaculate, everything clean and neat. He untied the charm and dropped it into his pocket. There was a story behind this thing too—he’d bet his bird on that—and maybe one day she’d want it back, so he’d keep it safe until then.
What kind of trouble was she in? Did it have to do with the phone conversation he’d heard earlier?
Ethan climbed out, then made his way inside the building to where Roy was sitting behind his desk.
“Roy, I’ve been given this car in payment for a trip in the bird. I don’t need it, and have nowhere to store it, so you have it and give it to your boy.”
“I can’t take that from you, Ethan.” The man looked stunned.
“You were just telling me how you need to get your boy a car, so you can and you will.” He slapped the keys on the desk and left them there. “You’d be doing me a favor, Roy, so nothing else needs to be said. You take care of the paperwork and we’ll call it even. It’s a blue sedan parked out front, so go park it underneath in my slot when I leave.”
“I don’t know what to say.”
Lifting a hand, Ethan left before Roy could say anything further. He rode up in the elevator to his apartment on the top floor and unlocked the door.
Surely two good lies in one day wouldn’t get him into too much trouble.
What was going on with Annabelle Smith? She’d looked scared when he found her looking at her car. Scared and alone, and Ethan had never thought of her as vulnerable. She was a she-devil, yes, sexy as all hell, yes, but vulnerable wasn’t a tag he’d ever labeled her with. Yet he had today, twice.
He pulled a soda out of his fridge, popped the top and drank deep. There was a mystery there and he wanted to know what it was. She’d come to Brook for a reason, and he wanted to know that too.
Looking at his watch, he decided to make her wait thirty minutes. That’d be time enough for him to sell the car, get the money, then make his way back without raising her suspicions. Standing at his window, he looked to where she was sitting on the bench. He couldn’t make out much from this height, but he could see she was still there and alone, with no one hassling her. A woman couldn’t look like she did and not draw attention, and he wasn’t having anyone near her when she was vulnerable.
After swallowing another mouthful of soda, Ethan headed for his safe. He opened it, took out some cash, and counted out five thousand dollars. He put them in a roll, then pulled on a jacket and placed the roll in the inside pocket.
She obviously needed cash and he had lots, so he’d give her some and she’d think it was from the sale of her car. There was no other way Annabelle Smith would ever accept money from him.
She frustrated the hell out of him. The first time they’d met, she’d acknowledged him then hadn’t looked at him again. Ethan wasn’t a vain man, but he understood that women found him attractive. Annabelle had never looked at him as anything but a pain in her very sweet, tight butt. She’d curled her lip at him, snorted, scoffed, abused and generally shriveled his manhood whenever he was in a five-foot radius of her, and the hell of it was that Ethan wanted her badly.
Her scent drove him crazy, an elusive, subtle mist that he could smell whenever she was near. Her car had smelled of her and his body had reacted predictably. Her mouth was usually painted in bright colors and it was like a beacon screaming kiss me.
This is insane, Gelderman. The woman can’t stand the sight of you and you still want her.
He swallowed the last of his soda, crushed the can, then went into his bedroom to pack an overnight bag. Maybe that was why he wanted Annabelle Smith so much, because she showed no interest in him. That put his sanity into question, because he had plenty of warm, willing women in his life, but he wanted the cold, abusive one.
He zipped the bag shut, picked up his keys and headed out the door, then took the elevator to the basement. He left the building at the wheel of his Bronco, and ten minutes later he pulled into a park beside the water and went to find the woman who occupied far too many of his thoughts.
Stopping before her, he realized she was sleeping. Her body now relaxed, head resting on the hard wood of the backrest. Ethan had no idea how she’d managed to achieve that state, given that around them were cars, plenty of people and a fair amount of noise.
He’d never observed Annabelle Smith still, her luscious mouth silent. She was a beautiful woman. Her face was oval, her nose perfectly straight, cheekbones brushed with soft color, and her lips a deep raspberry that invited him to touch. He’d fantasized about that mouth wrapped around various parts of his body or kissing him senseless. She always dressed in bright colors; it was her thing, Jake had once told him. Today she was wearing emerald pants, a scarlet top and sandals. She looked like an exotic bird, although now something had clipped her wings, and he wanted to know who or what.
Stepping closer, Ethan ran a finger down her cheek. “Annabelle, honey, time to go.” She didn’t wake slowly, instead sitting bolt upright, eyes wide with panic. “Hey.” He touched her arm. “It’s me, Ethan.”
Her eyes closed again briefly, and then when she opened them, there was Annabelle Smith.
“Christ! You nearly stopped my heart, Gelderman.”
“Well, now, that would be a shame.” Ethan took her things to his Bronco and she followed.
“Did he like the car?” She climbed in beside him, already fully awake. Ethan envied that; he always took a while to function after opening his eyes.
“He did. He went straight to his bank and gave me this.”
Ethan started the car as she began to unroll the notes. He saw her hands clench briefly before she began counting.
“But surely this is too much?”
It was, but Ethan was relying on her lack of knowledge about car prices to pull this off. “I drove the car up, then said for him to take a look and name a price.” He shrugged as he slipped on his aviators. “He did, I agreed, and that was that. We need to sort out the paperwork, but other than that you are now carless.”
Her hands clenched again and Ethan had more proof that selling her car had been hard. Obviously she needed the money, and he was sure that phone conversation he’d overheard had something to do with it
“Thank you, Ethan.”
He placed his hand over his heart. “God’s truth, Annabelle, I’m not sure I can take much more of you thanking me, when in the normal course of a day you would have abused me at least twice by now.”
She snorted. “It’s not like I don’t want to. It’s just that now that you’ve done something nice for me, I need to hold off a bit.”
“It’s unsettling, is what it is.”
She opened her bag and he noticed it didn’t contain the normal clutter that he’d seen inside other women’s purses. Like her car, it was neat and tidy.
“You a neat freak or something?”
“I like things orderly, Gelderman. There’s no crime in that.”
“You want me to take you to the bank so you can deposit that?”
“No…thanks.”
“It’s a lot of money to have lying around, Annabelle.”
“I know that.”
So she didn’t want to put it in the bank, which just confused him even more. Did she owe it to someone?
“Something in your bag is buzzing, Annabelle.”
He watched as she pulled out her cell and turned it off. Her face didn’t invite him to ask why, so he left it alone…for now.
Twenty minutes later Ethan drove through the gates of the small airfield where he kept his bird. He had phoned ahead and they had it readied for him, so it was sitting outside the hanger when he arrived. He pulled the Bronco inside, then got out, and Annabelle followed.
“You ever crashed that thing?” She looked nervously over at his gleaming helicopter where it sat on the landing pad.
“Hone
y, if I’d crashed it, then it wouldn’t be still in one piece, but several of them. More importantly, I wouldn’t have been able to put them back together.” Or me, but he kept that thought inside his head.
“I’m not sure that’s reassuring, Gelderman.”
“You scared, Annabelle?”
“Hell, yes!” Ethan watched her fingers dig into the strap of her bag.
Most people would bluff their way out of it, spin him a line, or act tough, but not her; she told the blunt truth.
“So let me get this straight. You’ve never been up in anything?”
“Define ‘anything.”
Ethan just looked at her.
“No, all right? I’ve never been off the ground and never had a hankering to do so.” She was glaring at him, brown eyes darker now she was angry.
“Oh, now, this is just too much fun,” Ethan said as he took her things out of the back seat and headed to where his bird was standing. “Annabelle Smith has a weakness.”
“Fuck you.”
He laughed as she stomped after him but didn’t say anything else until he’d finished his pre-flight checks.
“Okay, we’re ready.”
She muttered something like I’m glad one of us is under her breath, but came forward as he signaled to her.
“In you get.”
Annabelle climbed into the seat and tried to breathe. Why had she agreed to this? Her lungs had seized and fear was clawing at her throat. As Ethan strapped her in, she tried to think rationally. Surely he wouldn’t put her in danger; after all, he flew in this metal death trap all the time.
“You can talk to me and I’ll hear your words, okay?”
She nodded as he fitted a set of headphones over her ears. He then jogged around the front and climbed into his seat. He fastened himself in, then pulled on his headset, and suddenly she panicked. It robbed her of rational thought and had her reaching for the headset.
“I can’t do this!”
He stopped her by grabbing her hands, caging hers inside his, gripping them hard enough so that she was forced to look at him.
“Yes, you can. The brave, strong woman I’ve come to know can do anything, and this, flying in a harmless helicopter, will be something you’ll enjoy if you let yourself. Annabelle, you need to trust me on this.”