by Leger, Lori
“Will you be there all night?”
“I don’t know yet, hon. I’m not too damn sure what can be done tonight, after all.”
“Call me when you get home?”
“It may be too late, and I don’t want to wake you. You have to get up early.”
“I won’t be able to sleep until I hear from you, Red.”
“Okay, I’ll call.”
“Thank you.”
“I better let you go. I need to call the investors and let them know their money just went up in smoke.”
Red drug himself through his door around ten fifteen, his clothes and skin saturated with the stench of smoke. He punched the button for Tiffany’s number, smiling when she answered on the first ring.
“Hey, are you on your way back?”
“I’m home, Doc.”
“Oh, thank God. I’ve been bouncing off the walls over here. I’d much rather have gone with you than be stuck waiting to hear from you. Are you all right?”
“Yeah, I guess.” That was a lie. He was sick at heart.
“Red?”
“Huh?”
“Why don’t you come over here?”
“I can’t do that Doc. You don’t need to be missing out on any sleep.”
“I function well on a few hours of sleep, just like you.”
“I know, but I have to go over some things over here. I haven’t showered yet, and I reek.”
“If you change your mind, call me.”
He smiled. “I won’t. Try to get some sleep, okay Doc?”
“You too, Red. Good night.”
Red took a hot shower, washing every trace of soot and smoke from his body. He changed into his lounge pants and a tee shirt and lay down in his bed. After tossing and turning for thirty minutes, he finally realized the futility of his effort. He got up, roamed the house for a few minutes, and even stepped out onto the back patio for some fresh air. He stared into the dark winter night. The stars even hid from him tonight under dense cloud coverage.
He stepped back inside, thinking for the first time that being alone didn’t suit him anymore. After exchanging his flannel pants for comfortable jeans, he picked up the phone and hit redial. She answered within a second.
“Red?”
He swallowed, struggling to take the first step as anything but the dedicated bachelor he’d been for nearly thirty-nine years. “Doc …”
“I’m leaving the door unlocked for you. Lock it after you come in.”
Red stared at his phone, the line already dead from her quick disconnect. He squeezed his eyes shut, hoped nothing ruined this chance for them. He threw a few things into a small duffle bag and grabbed his phone and keys on the way out.
Thoughts of her filled his mind during the entire drive over to her place. This was new territory for him. Unexplored, unknown terrain—he should step gingerly. By the time he arrived at her place, he’d decided they had to take things slow. Doc didn’t deserve any less. She wouldn’t want it any other way.
Red entered her place quietly, locking the door behind him, and kicked off his shoes. He placed his bag on the floor by the door, silently made his way into Tiffany’s bedroom. She was snuggled under the covers in the cool room, illuminated only by a nightlight. Red crawled under the covers and tucked up behind her into the spoon position, soon realized it was his favorite new spot. He draped his arm over her waist and pulled her close to him. She grabbed hold of his hand and arm with her own and held him tightly.
After a few moments of silence, she scooted around to face him, reaching up to brush his hair back from his forehead.
“I don’t want to be alone anymore, Doc.”
“I know.”
“And I’m kind of depressed.”
“I am too. Your beautiful club.”
He reached for her face, using his thumb to brush a tear from the corner of her eye. “I can rebuild. I just don’t like having enemies.”
“Do you think it was arson?”
“Yes, I do.”
“Isn’t there a chance it was faulty wiring or something?”
“The wiring in that building was top notch. I know because I went over every single inch of it myself when the electricians were done. The building inspector was very impressed with it.”
“Do you think it was Tanner?”
“I don’t know, it could have been Angelique or either of two men whom I’ve managed to piss off pretty good. It could have been an employee that I had to fire for stealing a couple of years ago. I’ve been getting some strange phone calls lately from some guy with a grudge. I have no idea who it is.” He sighed and rolled over onto his back, frustrated at the situation. “It could be the competition. Hell, I don’t know. It bugs the hell out of me that someone out there could hate me this much, you know?”
“Drake said if it turns out to be arson, he’d like to help. He keeps a private investigator on retainer who’s very thorough and has connections in the Lafayette area. He could help you get to the bottom of this.”
“I’ve got my own P.I., but tell him thanks for the offer.”
She trailed a finger across his furrowed brow. “Red?”
“Hmmm?”
“You’re not alone anymore.”
His heart constricted at her confession, hoping that meant what he wanted it to mean. “How’s that?”
“You’ve got me.”
He turned to face her again, and reached for her hair, letting her curls form ringlets around his fingers, another new favorite. “Do I?”
“Did I not make myself clear before you left me earlier?”
He smiled in the quiet darkness of her bedroom. “Maybe you should refresh my mem—”
She interrupted his words with another kiss.
Red held onto her tightly as she pulled his head closer and deepened the kiss. He tangled his fingers in her hair, groaning at the silken softness.
“God, you feel so good to me,” he said, after they finally broke free from the kiss, his voice deep and raspy with emotion.
“You feel like home to me,” she groaned, curling her foot possessively around his calf.
“I’ve wanted to get my fingers all tangled up in this hair since the second I saw those curls,” he gasped.
Tiffany nipped at his ear lobe. “What stopped you?”
The sensation had him growling deep in his throat. “I didn’t want to take advantage. You’d had a bad night.”
She whispered seductively in his ear. “Your mother raised a gentleman.”
“She tried, but when you showed up at the club with it all golden brown like it is now I just about lost it, I swear.”
She grinned and rubbed her nose to his. “If I’d have known that, I’d have done it months ago.”
Red kissed the tip of her nose. “It feels like I’ve been waiting for you my whole life, Doc.”
“I know exactly what you mean, Red, but it’s you who’s having the bad night this time. I’m wondering whether or not to take advantage of you.”
“All the way over here I told myself to take this slow. You deserve that. I told myself you’d want that.”
“You were wrong. I don’t want to take anything slow.”
You need to get up early,” he said, as he slipped his hands under her the soft cotton Tee to take hold of her waist. “I should let you get some sleep.”
“I’m good—five hour nap, remember?” She nuzzled his neck and placed soft kisses on the curve of his shoulder.
“When do you have to leave here?” He closed his eyes and reveled in the feel of her mouth on his skin.
“Around seven-thirty.” She caught her breath as he drug his hands across the surface of her bare back.
“I’ll have to go around the same time, I guess.”
“Red.” She slipped her hands under his shirt and lifted it to explore the sculpted planes of his chest and abs.
“Wha-what?” His breath caught at the contact of her cool hands on his hot skin.
“We’re
wasting precious time with all of this small talk.” She curled her leg around his thick muscular thigh, dragging him closer.
“I know, but it’s not what I had planned for us.”
“Best laid plans …” She lifted his shirt and kissed his chest. “Take this off, Red.”
He ripped off his shirt, amazed that his night had suddenly taken such a turn for the better. “Well, hell then, Doc. What are you waiting for? Take advantage of me.” He heard her sigh as her fingers examined the sculpted lines of his upper body.
“God, you are such a beautiful man.” She brushed her hands gently over him.
He smiled in the dimly lit room as he began to push his hands higher, lifting her shirt, exulting when she sat up abruptly to pull it over her head. He wrapped his hands around her waist and pulled her on top of him.
The harsh and unwelcomed ringtone of his mobile phone had them both groaning in frustration. Tiffany flipped on the bedside lamp. Red reached inside his jeans pocket to retrieve his phone, no easy feat considering the significant erection he was sporting. He sent Tiffany a heated gaze, a silent promise of what he’d do as soon as he could get back to what they’d started.
“McAllister here…..Hey Mike, what’s up?…..What?…..Do they know who it is?….How the hell could that happen?….Aw hell, this is turning into a freaking nightmare.” He sighed heavily. “I’m on my way. Thanks for calling, Mike.”
He disconnected, and sat up. “I’ve got to go, Doc. That was a friend of mine at the police station. They found the body of a woman in the club.”
“Oh my God!”
He stood, facing away as she slipped her T-shirt back on. He found his own shirt and pulled it over his head. She faced him wearing the same type of grim expression that he was sure was plastered all over his own face. “Best laid plans.” Damn, he regretted the lousy situation.
She gave him a sad smile and walked into his embrace for a tight hug, before walking him to the door. Tiffany stilled his hand as he reached for the door knob. “Come back to me, Red.”
“I will.” He knew now—there was nowhere he’d rather be than by her side.
She reached up and smoothed his hair back from his brow. “Do you need me to call anyone for you?”
“No but thanks for asking.” He kissed her. Pulled away and went in for another. He finally broke free from her. “God, I hate to leave you.”
“I know, Red. I know.”
“But thank you, Doc. I don’t feel so alone now.”
She nodded. “I’ll be waiting for you when this is all over with. Call me when you can and leave me messages. I’ll check them in between surgeries and I’ll call you back when I can. And Red?”
“Yeah?”
“I want you here with me.”
“Are you sure? I don’t know what all of this is going to bring about.”
“I can handle anything as long as I have you.”
“Same here, Doc.” He kissed her again and walked out.
Tiffany crawled back into bed, amazed at how empty it felt without Red in it. It couldn’t be this easy to fall in love, could it? Maybe it is if it’s the right person. There wasn’t a doubt in her mind that she was well on her way to loving him. Thoughts of him already filled her mind. How would she function knowing she could actually go to him at the end of the day? She smiled, thinking this was one challenge she was ready for.
She’d never had this kind of reaction to a man before, not even in her younger, boy crazy, less experienced high school and early college days. Once she’d switched to pre-med, work or studying had taken up every spare moment of her time. She’d never had time for relationships, and until now, she’d never had anyone to compare with Tanner. Now that she did, she knew the only thing she’d ever felt for her ex-fiancé was an acceptance of her parents’ choice for her.
Once again, she wondered how they could have been so inconsiderate of her own wishes. To hell with them. She’d discovered her own options and made her own choices. She chose college, a career in medicine, and now she would choose Red, no matter what.
Her heart ached for him—every bit as much as her body ached for him. The look on his face when he’d heard the latest horrific news told her how devastated he was. If only she could have gone with him. She tried to relax, feeling for the first time ever, like her career was a lead weight around her neck. She loved performing surgeries, and knew that when she walked into that hospital tomorrow morning she’d be able to leave everything behind her and be at her best, but right now, all she wanted was to be with Red.
Imagining him making the hour or so drive to where his club used to be, alone and disheartened, had her brushing at tears. If she could just do something to make it easier for him maybe this gnawing ache inside her would disappear. She closed her eyes and tried to rest but finally realized that sleep would not be her companion tonight. She looked at the clock on her nightstand and discovered that Red had only been gone from her for ten minutes. This was only the beginning of a long, unbearable night.
Red glanced once more at the clock on his truck and discovered he’d only been gone from Tiffany’s for five minutes. He wondered if time would always drag when he wasn’t with her. Suddenly the thought of rebuilding the club in Lafayette didn’t sound as appealing to him. Maybe he’d just keep the one in Lake Coburn so he wouldn’t have to be away from her as much. If not for the dead woman they’d found in his club, he may have found some humor in his change of attitude since falling in love with Tiffany.
He had a sudden epiphany as to why his parents hadn’t been as excited over his various business ventures as he thought they should be. Any time he’d tell them of his proposals or plans, they’d always come back with the standard, “That sounds nice, Son.” His mom always gave him this sad little smile that told him she was holding back her honest opinion. Once he’d asked her what was wrong.
She’d shaken her head. I’m glad you’re doing what makes you happy now, Scott, but I can’t help but want more than that for you.”
Suddenly, he couldn’t wait another minute to tell her.
He’d been in contact with his folks several times since he’d heard about the club. It wasn’t quite midnight but somehow he knew his mom would be awake. He opened his phone and called her cell phone number, hoping she had it near her.
Vivienne picked up in the middle of the first ring. “Scott, are you alright?”
He smiled. “How do you do that, Mom?”
“Caller I.D.,” she said.
“No, I mean know that I would call. You must have had your phone in your hand.”
“I did, I admit. I know you’re upset. Your father and I are praying for you.”
“I know you are, and thank you. Listen, I called you for two reasons. The first is not good news—they found the body of a woman in the club, no ID on her yet. I have no idea who it could be. No clue to what’s going on, why someone, anyone would have been in there.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry. I’ll pray for her when I pray for you.”
“I didn’t want you and Dad to have to hear about it on the news. But, there’s another reason I called. I wanted to let you know that I finally understand what you meant when you said you wanted more for me. I finally want more too.” He smiled at his mother’s quiet laughter.
“Falling in love has its own way of changing things.”
“I guess it does.” He laughed nervously.
“Does she feel the same way?”
“She wants me with her, Mom. I don’t know what I did to get so damn lucky.”
“I’m ecstatic for you, Son. Tiffany is a wonderful young lady.”
“Wait until you see her again. She’s got this head full of gorgeous golden brown curls. Her ex made her keep it straight and blonde, can you believe that?”
“Tell her I’m proud of her when you talk to her again.”
“I will. I’m seriously thinking of not rebuilding the club in Lafayette.”
“Oh? Why not?”
“I
t would take too much time away from her.”
She laughed. “There are two sure things that always have a way of rearranging your priorities. One of them is love.”
“What’s the other?”
“Why, babies, of course.”
Red’s phone beeped and he looked at the caller I.D. “Hey Mom, that’s Doc calling me. I’ll call you and Dad tomorrow morning, okay? I love y’all.”
He hit the answer call button. “Doc? What’s wrong?”
“I’ve got a serious problem, Red.”
“What is it?” He took his foot off the gas, already seeking an exit.
“My bed is entirely too big without you in it.”
He smiled, feeling the tension ease from his body. “Oh, I see.”
“It feels like you’ve been gone forever.”
“It’ll be a hell of a long day without you.”
“Nights won’t be any easier. Now that I know how I sleep with you in my bed, I don’t know if I can sleep without you.”
He laughed. “How is it that you can make me go from miserable to laughing in under a minute, Doc?”
“It’d be funnier if it wasn’t so close to the truth.”
His smile faded. “I know, and I feel the same.”
“After that nap, I don’t know if I’ll sleep again.”
Red sucked in air through his teeth. “That depends on you, and whether or not you plan on swilling Crown like a freaking Marine anytime soon.”
“Call me naïve, but I never imagined you’d have evil women scheming to get rid of your future prospects.”
“Fair enough, Doc. Regardless, I hate that you can’t sleep but I sure love that you called me.”
“I got to thinking how you must be feeling on that long drive all by yourself and I couldn’t stand it. I needed you to know how I feel before you went to face all of that.”
He swallowed, sensing this would be big. Really big. “How you feel?” His heart pumped wildly in his chest.
“I’ve never felt this way about anyone before. Every night since Thanksgiving I’ve been thinking that when I wake up tomorrow morning, I’ll feel normal again, and you won’t mean that much to me. But every morning when I wake up you’re the first thought in my mind. Yours is the first face I want to see. And—there’s one other thing.”