by A. C. Arthur
They didn’t talk last night. They’d simply fallen asleep in each other’s arms. By the time they awoke this morning, Lynn and Jeremy were already downstairs and Bree could smell the coffee brewing. Sun slanted through the slit in the curtains, draping its fiery rays over the bed.
Renny’s heavy arm was still wrapped around her waist, where it had been throughout the night, his front cradled into her back. She never realized how much she liked this simple position. When he held her like that she felt safe, cherished. That was weird because she’d never had reason in her life to be afraid before and she knew that her family loved her completely. Yet this was different, this comfort was more.
“Mornin’,” he whispered in her ear.
She hadn’t known he was awake, but the sound of his gruff voice first thing in the morning held its own appeal, as well. “Mornin’.” She smiled despite herself. They’d crossed the line last night, entered into a whole new realm and she wasn’t quite sure how they were going to deal with it. But at this very moment her thighs ached and she craved a shower. The rest would have to wait until later.
She pushed the covers away, sliding her legs to the edge of the bed. Renny groaned. “Where are you going?” He loved the feel of her soft curves against him and had slept more peacefully last night than he ever had in his life. She felt as if she belonged in his arms. And he decided he didn’t want to argue that fact. If it was where she belonged, then that was where she would be.
“We can’t stay in bed all day. What will Lynn and Jeremy think? Besides, the opening’s only two weeks away. I’m sure you have lots of stuff to do, so we might as well get started early.” She moved to the closet door where her robe hung and thrust her hands through the silky material. Her skin tingled as she knew he was watching every move she made. She turned to face him, caught the glimmer of admiration in his eyes as she did. Could he really be looking at her like that? Did he really want her as much as it seemed? That still baffled her. She was so clearly not what it appeared he would be interested in, yet last night he’d made love to her as if she were the answer to his every prayer. “What are you looking at?”
“Perfection,” he answered without hesitation. She was perfect; from her mussed hair, to her swollen lips, to the gentle curve of her waist and the plump jiggle of her bottom. He pushed the covers away, exposing his naked body. “Somebody wants to say good morning.” He smiled mischievously.
Bree returned his smile even as her eyes wandered down to his sex jutting up asking for its own attention. Her tongue snaked out, lingered over her lips even and her center dampened.
“Don’t be rude, Sabrina. Come on and say good morning.”
He was splendidly naked—and she definitely meant splendid! Bronze muscles, ridges and planes of gorgeously toned skin lay against the light tone of the sheets and she found her feet moving in his direction.
Renny couldn’t wait another minute. As soon as she was close enough to the bed he rolled over and tugged on the belt of the robe until it loosened and the material fell open. Wrapping his hand around her waist, he pulled her onto the bed and covered her body with his own.
Hastily Bree reached over onto the nightstand to grab the last condom and tear it open. He rose enough for her to slip it on him, then spread her legs with his knees and sank into her warmth.
“Now, that’s a good morning,” he murmured in her ear just before tracing her lobe with his tongue.
Bree moaned, opened her legs wider, acclimating herself to his size and length. “Mmm, it sure is.”
Bree and Renny were showered and refreshed as they both took the stairs and entered the kitchen.
Although they didn’t touch and remained a reasonable distance apart, Lynn knew something had happened in that room last night. She was a woman, after all, so she’d figured her sister would succumb, no matter how strong she was, to the alluring male trailing behind her. Lynn wasn’t quite sure how she felt about that, but respected that it actually wasn’t any of her business…as long as Mr. Cassanova didn’t hurt her baby sister.
Briefly she wondered if Bree had shared her troubled past with him. Then his gaze locked with hers as Bree moved to the counter, retrieving a cup and filling it with coffee.
“Good morning,” Renny said cheerfully.
Lynn nodded. “So it is.”
Renny didn’t miss the speculative tone or the questions lingering in Lynn’s older eyes. She was worried about her sister, worried he would repeat whatever had gone on in her past. Finding out what had happened to Bree in North Carolina took on a new urgency. “Did Sam stop by this morning?”
Lynn tilted her head. She was sure they were both thinking about Bree, but couldn’t figure out why his gaze had suddenly grown sullen and he’d asked for Sam. “He called and wanted to talk to you, but I told him you were still asleep.”
“Can I use your phone?”
“Sure.” Lynn nodded toward the phone hanging on the wall near the refrigerator.
“Thanks,” he said quickly and turned to go into the living room. He needed privacy for this conversation. Sam had told him he’d do a search on the name and number and see what he came up with. Obviously he’d come up with something and Renny couldn’t wait to find out what.
Bree had heard the pleasant exchange and wondered what Renny and Sam had to talk about. She took a sip of her coffee to see if she’d sweetened it enough. She couldn’t stand bitter coffee.
“You think they’re close to finding out who this stalker is?” Lynn looked down at the law journal she’d been perusing, very much aware that her sister was wondering why Renny went into another room to make the call.
Bree shrugged. “I guess.” Her mind really wasn’t on the case this morning even though she knew it should be. She simply wanted a few more minutes to bask in the afterglow, to feel the sweet remnants of being well loved. Well, sexed right was probably the better term—there was no love between her and Renny, just an undeniable attraction that they’d decided to act on. She couldn’t be fool enough to wish for love anymore.
“Bree!” Lynn called in a higher tone; then she stood and snapped her fingers in front of her sister’s face. “Earth to Bree.”
Bree blinked and tried not to flush at being caught daydreaming. “Sorry, Lynn. I guess my mind was elsewhere.”
“Yeah, up in that bedroom with that man.” Lynn turned so that she mimicked Bree’s stance, bottom pressed against the countertop, arms folded over her chest. “So tell me what happened.”
Bree had already decided that sleeping with Renny would be her secret, no sense in everybody knowing about something that would be over as soon as the case was wrapped up. But she was brimming with so many emotions this morning she had to tell somebody. She took another sip of her coffee, then licked her lips slowly, choosing her words carefully. “We had sex,” she said simply.
Lynn chuckled. “Is that all?”
Bree shot her a puzzled look.
“You’re daydreaming about having sex?” Her smile lingered. “I’ll admit I haven’t had any in a while so I’d probably be a little glazed if I got some, too. But you definitely look like you have more than a night of sex on your mind.”
Bree shrugged. “Not really. It was good.” She’d looked away from Lynn, but could feel her intense gaze still on her. She smiled. “Real good.”
Lynn laughed. “I’ll bet it was.” Then she nudged her sister. “I want all the details. Just let me refill my cup.”
Bree went to the table and took a seat. Lynn followed her momentarily. “Okay, shoot.”
Bree couldn’t help but smile as she remembered. “Well, to start he said he wasn’t going to do anything I didn’t want. And as much as I wanted to jump on him…I just thought it was best that we kept our relationship simply business.”
“I can see the logic in that.” That was Bree for you, always logical. As fine as Renny was, Lynn was sure she’d have thrown logic to the wind a long time ago.
“And I probably would have been fir
m in my resolve if it hadn’t been for the other night. If he had never touched me…if I didn’t have some idea of what I was missing, I could have resisted him.”
Lynn frowned. “Yeah, right, Bree. Are we talking about the same guy? How long do you think you could have resisted that?” She pointed in the direction of the living room. “You’d have to be straight lesbian material not to get wet around him, and even then you might think about backtracking.”
The sisters laughed.
“I guess you’ve got a point there. But you know it’s still just business. I’m not naive enough to believe it’s anything else. Just a sexual attraction that two adults have acted on.”
Her words sounded hollow and just a touch nervous as Lynn listened to her. “It doesn’t have to be, you know. You’re single and he’s single. There’s really no reason why you can’t pursue this. Unless…” Lynn purposely paused.
Bree looked at her then and wanted to share her fears with someone, wanted to tell her what Harold had done to her and how those scars kept her from believing in love again.
“You ladies mind if I join you for a cup of coffee?” Renny made his way into the kitchen. His conversation with Sam, while not very revealing, still had him reeling a bit.
“Sure, help yourself,” Lynn answered, all the while watching Bree’s reaction.
There was a knock on the door and Bree hastily took advantage of the opportunity to regain her composure. “I’ll get it,” she told Lynn when she was about to rise.
Bree was out of the kitchen before anybody could stop her. Renny took a seat at the table across from Lynn. The woman had been watching him, assessing the situation, he figured, since he’d come in last night. They’d had a brief conversation earlier yesterday in which the older Desdune daughter had not pulled any punches in telling him she knew he had a thing for her sister and inquired as to his intentions. This morning her look was different. Without a doubt she realized that things between him and Sabrina had changed. The question was how she felt about that.
“So, what now, Cassanova?” Lynn raised her brows as she watched Renny prepare his cup of coffee.
He didn’t stop his movements, but did glance at her momentarily. He took a sip, then sat back in the chair and stared her directly in the eye. “Now I convince your sister that I can make her happy despite whatever happened in North Carolina.
“I know that there was a man involved and that he hurt her deeply. The particulars I’m still trying to figure out. It all depends on how soon I can convince your sister she can trust me enough with this information.”
“Why would you want to know about her past if you know it concerns another man?”
Renny looked at her seriously. “Because I can’t fix what he messed up if I don’t know the whole story. And I won’t live in his shadow.”
“Hmph.” Lynn considered him. “So, what else do you know about this guy?”
Renny had just opened his mouth to tell her what Sam had learned when they heard a crash and then a bloodcurdling scream. The sharp sound echoed throughout the house until Renny swore the windows shook.
Lynn stared at him. He stared at her. Then simultaneously they both got up from the table and ran to the living room.
Bree stood in the hallway, the door behind her closed, a card in her shaking right hand. At her feet was a broken vase, from what Lynn could see a very expensive vase, water and at least two dozen bloodred roses.
Renny wasted no time stepping over the mess, pulling her into his arms. He cradled her head into his chest just after he’d smoothly slipped the card out of her hand. “Calm down, baby,” he crooned as her body shook beneath his embrace.
“Bree, honey, what is it?” Lynn took a step closer. Renny’s back was to her, but she could see Bree’s face clearly, could see the shock in her sister’s eyes, the look of dread etching her dilated pupils.
Lynn bent down to pick up the shards of glass before Jeremy came from the den where he was watching television.
“It’s…him…he’s…he’s here.” Bree tried to take a deep breath, tried to calm the sickening vibrations that moved throughout her. She was panicking, and panicking was weak in her book. Closing her eyes, she mentally willed herself to get it together. The flowers were beautiful and she’d momentarily been caught up in their fragrant aura until she’d read the card.
Behind her back Renny flipped the small card in his hand and read the inscription.
To my one and only love. I cannot live without you. The time has come for us to be together. Loving you always,
H.
His instincts told him to crumple the piece of paper just as he planned to crush the man that had hurt her so. Instead Renny slipped it into his pocket and continued to rub his hands up and down Sabrina’s back until he felt her muscles relaxing. “It’s okay, baby. Everything’s going to be okay. He can’t hurt you anymore. I won’t let him hurt you anymore.” And with those words he realized that he wouldn’t, couldn’t, stand by and let someone terrorize Sabrina or even think that he was going to have her. He wanted Harold Richmond and he wanted his ass served on a platter for what he’d done.
“I’ll get something to clean the rest of this up.” Lynn carried pieces of glass in her hands as she made her way down the hall. “Take her to the couch so she can sit down,” she ordered on her way out.
Renny moved slowly, guiding Sabrina over the water and splayed flowers farther into the living room, where he gently lowered her to the couch before sitting down beside her. “I want to know what he did to you, Sabrina, and I want to know now.”
Bree heard his words, heard the deadly seriousness behind his enunciation and cringed. His eyes were fierce, his lips stretched into a thin line as he watched her closely. She wanted to tell somebody, she really did want to share this awful part of her life, but the pain was stifling and had her shaking her head. “It…it doesn’t matter anymore. It’s in the past…he’s in…the past.” She took another deep, steadying breath. Harold was her past, a deep, dark, demented part of her past that she didn’t want anything else to do with.
“I’m fine,” she said in a shaky voice. “I guess the flowers sparked some memories and just threw me for a minute. But I’m good now. We can leave whenever you’re ready.”
He’d watched her slip that mask back into place, the one that boasted of her control, of her seriousness and her desire to be taken that way. Veils lowered over her eyes, blocking all view of any emotion. Her lips barely trembled now, her hands still and staunch on his leg. It was all a show, all a facade to convince people that the strong, untouchable Sabrina was back. But he knew better. She couldn’t hide her feelings from him, not after last night. He clamped his hand down over hers and took a deep breath. Demanding and forcefulness would not work with her. He had to get around her defenses another way.
“Baby, I know something happened in North Carolina. I know that this man did something to you.” She blinked and looked away from him. With a finger to her chin he guided her face and her gaze back to his. “You can trust me, Sabrina. I want to know your secrets so I can make it better.”
Bree closed her eyes and took another deep breath. The last man she’d shared her secrets with betrayed her and cost her the career she’d worked so hard for. She wouldn’t make that mistake again. “Renny, there are no secrets for you to know. And if there were, they would be mine and mine alone. I don’t need you to make anything better.”
Her words sliced through him with intense heat. Never before had he been cut down so quickly, so seemingly easily. He’d been serious when he admitted that he wanted to make things better for her because that’s really what he wanted. He liked seeing her smile, liked seeing her eyes blurring with passion, then brightening with release. He liked hearing her laugh and watching her competitiveness.
He did not like seeing her scared and shaken at receiving a phone call or some flowers.
Clamping down on his own temper, he watched her before he dared speak again. This was importan
t to him and when something was important he took his time. Like one of his sculptures, he molded and shaved until it was just right, being careful not to move too fast or cut too swiftly. It was an art, this patience he had come to master over the years, one he would use to obtain the ultimate prize.
“I know he did something to you. It’s just a matter of time before I find out what. And if he comes near you—”
Bree stood abruptly, cutting him off. “If he comes near me, I will handle it. I’m your bodyguard, remember?”
He stood and faced her. He would concede this round. He wouldn’t push her any further. A tiny vein pulsed in her neck and he knew she was still edgy from the card and the flowers. But he would find out what had happened and he would take care of Harold Richmond whether Sabrina liked it or not. But there was one thing he needed to make perfectly clear, right now. “Don’t give me that bull about you being my bodyguard and me being simply your client. All that’s changed as of last night and you’d better get used to it.”
Over her head he’d watched Lynn appear in the entryway and because he wanted to grab Sabrina by her shoulders and shake, hard, he moved around her, taking long measured strides until he was out of the room.
When he was alone in the kitchen he picked up the phone, immediately dialing Sam’s number. Richmond was making the move Sam had just spoken of, and while neither of the men knew what to expect from this guy, they both agreed they needed to be prepared.
If Sabrina was that frightened by a note and some flowers, then Harold Richmond was to be taken seriously.
Chapter 9
Renny hadn’t mentioned the flowers or what had happened between them last night all day long. They’d gone to the foundry, where he’d allowed her to pick out a few of the pieces that would be shown at the opening. He’d seemed cordial enough with her then and on the ride to the gallery they’d held steady conversation. Still, Bree sensed the tension.