Exactly what Rico had been thinking.
‘Maybe he’s not stalking me at all.’ She frowned. ‘And if that’s the case then it means...’ She glanced up at him. ‘It means my search for love, my desire to be important to someone, didn’t cause all of this.’
‘None of this has been your fault!’
She shook her head. ‘It took me a long while to recognise Chris’s possessiveness for what it was. When I did, I ended our relationship.’ Her frown started to clear. ‘That was a sensible decision. Smart.’
She’d get no argument from him on that. ‘Exactly.’
The dazed light in her eyes was slowly replaced by a new clarity. ‘I’ve been blaming myself for not having come to that decision sooner, but I’m not a fool or an idiot. I’ve just been finding my way and trying to live my life the best way I can, like every other person on the planet. I might’ve made a poor judgement call where Chris was concerned, but it wasn’t that bad.’
She leaped up and started to pace. Rico rose too.
She swung to him. ‘Which is exactly what you’ve been trying to tell me.’
He shrugged. He had no intention of saying I told you so.
‘I was never in danger. My parents have been playing on my insecurities until I’ve blown them out of all proportion.’ She stopped dead. ‘I can’t tell you how freeing it is to realise that.’
And then she walked over to him, flung her arms round him and hugged him fiercely. He wrapped his arms around her, every cell in his body coming alive at the contact. He never wanted to let her go. It took all his strength to keep his hands where they should be.
Her breath quickened. So did his.
She softened against him. He started to harden.
With a yelp she jumped back, her cheeks pink and pretty. ‘Sorry, I—’
‘Nothing to apologise for,’ he ground out.
She looked everywhere but at him. He told himself it was a blessing as he fought to get his body back under control. He glanced at his watch and bit back a curse. He needed to get this conversation back on track. ‘Neen, about your parents...’
She turned back.
He wished he could spare her this. ‘We’re not going to be able to prevent them from being charged.’ He wasn’t sure how she’d feel about that. ‘At the very least they’ll be charged with criminal damage.’
Her eyes swirled with a mixture of emotions. ‘I won’t be pressing charges myself, though.’
He hadn’t thought she would. ‘We have roughly an hour before the police are given a copy of the tape you just watched.’
The tiniest smile touched her lips. ‘You thought I might want to see them first?’
Did she?
Her hands gripped the tops of her arms until her fingers turned white. ‘This might sound pathetic, but I don’t want to go there on my own.’
‘That was never an option.’
‘Oh, they won’t threaten me physically.’
He wasn’t taking that chance.
Suddenly she smiled, as if she’d read something she liked in his face. It lightened something inside him.
He took her arm. ‘C’mon, I’ll drive. You can give me directions.’
* * *
They arrived at Neen’s parents’ house on the outskirts of Hobart thirty minutes later. Rico glanced around at the rows of dog kennels, runs and exercise yards, and winced at the cacophony of barking.
Neen had started to lead the way towards the house, but suddenly stopped dead, tilted her head to one side and then redirected her steps towards the kennels.
‘Monty!’ She raced forward to unlock his cage and half caught him as he tried to leap into her arms.
How on earth she’d recognised his bark through the racket Rico had no idea. She dropped to her knees and let him lick her face and bounce all around her without once remonstrating with him.
‘Neen!’
Neen rose. ‘Heel,’ she murmured to Monty, who immediately sat as close to Neen’s left leg as he could get. ‘Mum. Dad,’ she said, as a middle-aged couple reached them.
She made no move to kiss their cheeks or hug them, which he understood. But they made no move to kiss her, which he didn’t get at all.
They glanced at him. ‘This is my boss and friend Rico D’Angelo. My parents,’ she said shortly. ‘Jack and Elaine Cuthbert.’
They nodded at each other. Rico had to hold himself in check and remain where he was, when all he wanted to do was seize both of them and shake them till their teeth rattled.
She gestured to Monty. ‘I should’ve known you wouldn’t leave him to burn.’
Her mother drew herself up. ‘What nonsense are you talking, Neen? He was brought in this morning and—’
‘Stop lying. Please stop lying.’
Neen didn’t shout, which somehow only made it worse. Rico moved in a fraction closer to give her whatever moral support he could.
‘I know you’re responsible for last night’s fire. There was a security camera. You were caught on tape.’
The older couple both paled.
Neen tucked her hair behind her ears. ‘I take it the plan was to scare me into returning home? To create a sense of obligation in me so I’d hand Grandad’s money over to you without a whimper?’
The way she twisted her hands twisted Rico’s heart.
Her mother leaned forward, her face contorting. ‘That money should’ve come to me!’
‘I offered to give you half,’ Neen cried. ‘Why couldn’t you be content with that?’
‘Half?’ her mother spat. ‘We deserve the full amount! We’re doing good work here! This place needs the money more than you do, and—’
‘That’s utter rot!’ Neen’s whole body shook.
Monty whined. Without looking at him she made a hand gesture and he promptly lay down, but his head remained lifted and alert.
‘Rot?’ Her father surged forward. ‘What are you talking about?’
Rico shifted his shoulder a fraction to shield Neen. If either one of them tried to so much as pluck a single hair from her head...
‘Running this dog shelter is the only thing the two of you have ever wanted to do. It has nothing to do with being compassionate to four-legged creatures or being self-sacrificing for the greater good. You just package it that way to get more money out of people...and more kudos—Oh, those Cuthberts. Aren’t they good people? But you’re both as greedy and grasping as any capitalist corporate tycoon. Well, I’m not playing your game anymore. My heart’s desire is just as important as yours. And so is Grandad’s! And, believe me, after the stunts you’ve been pulling, no judge is going to grant you a cent of his money.’
The older couple both took a step back. ‘You’re going to have us charged?’
Neen’s shoulders sagged for a moment. Finally she shook her head. ‘It seems I at least still have some family feeling. I won’t be pressing charges. I can’t say, however, that the police and the owner of the unit you burned will be quite so lenient.’
Her mother’s jaw dropped. ‘But...’
Neen moved closer to Rico. Some sixth sense warned him she was nearing the end of her strength. He lifted his chin and widened his stance, did everything he could to look mean and intimidating.
‘It’s out of Neen’s hands.’ A police car had pulled up into the driveway beside his. ‘I advise you to get good legal representation.’ He handed Neen’s father the business card for a local attorney.
Her father glanced from the card to the police car and then wildly at the kennels. ‘But the dogs!’
‘I’ll call the RSPCA,’ Neen said. ‘They’ll take care of it.’
He and Neen watched as her parents were led away. When she glanced up at him, the pain in her eyes made him suck in a breath.
&nbs
p; ‘They didn’t even apologise,’ she whispered.
‘They’re obsessed.’ He gestured to the kennels. ‘And it’s skewed their thinking.’
‘Do you think they ever really loved me?’
She’d tried to make her voice casual but it broke on the last word. With a cut-off oath, Rico pulled her against his chest.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
IT TOOK ALL of Neen’s strength not to cry, but it left her with no strength to resist Rico and the comfort he offered. She melted against him. The warmth and solidity of his chest and the way he wrapped his arms around her kept her anchored. He provided her with a momentary haven from the confusion and disarray that surrounded her.
She closed her eyes and breathed him in until the hard fist around her heart loosened and the ache in her throat eased.
She wished she could stay like this all day, harboured in his arms. She stayed longer than she should, but the rhythmic stroke of his hand on her hair told her he had all the time in the world. And she chose to believe it.
Eventually, regretfully, she eased herself away. She glanced up at him and tried to smile.
‘Neen, they’re idiots. Absolute idiots.’
‘Dear Rico.’ She reached up and cupped his face. He stared back at her with those intense dark eyes and chiselled cheekbones, and she finally grasped that she’d fallen utterly and hopelessly in love with this man.
Well, why wouldn’t she? He had such a big heart. He tried to do so much good. He’d started making connections with people like Travis and Joey. And with her. He’d helped her find a sense of direction. He’d helped her take back control of her life. Of course she’d fallen in love with him!
And she had no idea what to do about it. Did she tell him? Did she try and make him fall in love with her too? Should she fight for him or let him walk away?
Her hand remained at his cheek and his vitality and power flooded into her. A pulse kicked to life deep inside her. His eyes darkened further and his breath quickened. The pulse at the base of his jaw pounded. She stared at it for a moment, and then back into his eyes.
Holding her gaze, he pressed a kiss to her palm and a tremor ran through her. She loved him. The words ran through her over and over. She loved him and she wanted him.
Slowly, almost questioningly, as if to give her plenty of time to back away, his lips descended towards hers. Neen hovered between heartbeats, wanting him so much she was afraid to move in case he changed his mind. And then she lifted her face in silent invitation and he closed the distance between them.
Her lips parted at the first contact. She needed the feel and the taste of him too much to pretend otherwise. He held her lightly, no rush or urgency in his touch. His lips moved over hers as if he had all day to memorise their shape and their texture.
Neen knew no such patience. She slid one arm around his neck while her other fisted in his shirt to pull him closer, urging him to deepen the kiss. A rumble of approval broke from his chest, but he pulled back to kiss a path to her ear.
‘We have all the time in the world, Neen.’ He pressed kisses to the corner of her mouth, her eyelids, her temples.
‘And we have this moment right now.’ She seized his face in her hands and pulled his lips down to hers, her tongue making a bold exploration of the inner line of his lower lip.
Rico’s well-mannered facade crumbled. He dragged her against him with a groan, almost pulling her off her feet, his tongue tangling with hers. She wanted to laugh and cry. She wanted to fling her arms wide and let the wind rush against her.
And she wanted to savour every single moment of kissing him.
She had no idea how long they lost themselves in each other, but when Rico finally lifted his head her lips throbbed and pulsed. She ran her tongue across them and tasted Rico there. Divine and devastating.
He rested his forehead against hers and dragged in several breaths. She did too.
‘Neen...’
He eased back to smile down at her. His smile was full of care and concern and she fell in love with him all over again, because it also held a hint of happiness. And that gave her hope.
‘Neen, you’ve had a big shock today.’
She drew in a breath. ‘And you don’t want to take advantage of me?’
‘That just about sums it up.’
‘I want to take full and frank advantage of you.’
He grinned, and her heart soared and ached and hammered.
‘But...’ She wasn’t ready to tell him how she felt. She needed to examine this state of affairs when her mind had cleared. But he deserved a modicum of honesty from her. She let her hands drift down his chest, relishing the feel of him beneath her fingertips. ‘But if we were to make love the encounter would mean something to me.’
He sobered. ‘It would mean something to me too.’
How much would it mean to him, though? She suspected he couldn’t answer that yet.
She nodded. ‘It may, in fact, mean more to me.’
‘And you don’t want to risk that?’
She was absolutely willing to risk it—but not if it blew her chance with him. Instinct told her she’d only get the one chance. ‘I’m just not sure you’re ready for that. If we make love I will be emotionally invested.’ Who was she kidding? She was already emotionally invested. ‘I’d want you to be emotionally invested too.’
She saw the exact moment his memories of Louis hit him. Her heart sank to her feet and flapped about like a dying fish. Gently she disengaged herself from his arms. ‘I think you need to contemplate that first.’
Drag me into your arms and tell me I’m all you want!
He nodded. ‘You’re right.’
Her heart didn’t even have the energy left to flap. She wouldn’t give up. She’d give him time to mull over her words. She’d fight another day. But not today.
She gritted her teeth and resisted the urge to throw herself into his arms and settle for whatever scraps he offered her. She needed to be away from him. Fast. She needed her fingers to be busy with other work.
‘I best ring the RSPCA and a few of the other animal protection agencies to come and take care of the dogs. We better count how many there are here and make sure they all have plenty of water while we’re at it.’
Rico nodded again. ‘I’ll get on that right away.’
As he walked away, she told herself she hadn’t lost the war. There were lots of battles in a war. She had every intention of making it as hard as she could for Rico to walk away from her—to walk away from them.
* * *
‘Is it all sorted, then?’
For the past two weeks Rico had been skirting around her—them—practically ignoring her, so she nearly dropped her handbag in surprise when she saw him sitting on a stool in the kitchen.
‘Almost.’ She continued through to her locker to stow her things.
‘Neen, were there any problems?’
‘Not a single one.’ She finally turned to meet his gaze, wondering if her heart was in her eyes and if he could read it. If he could tell how much she wanted him.
How much she loved him.
Her hands clenched. Why couldn’t he get over his guilt about Louis and embrace life again? Why couldn’t he show himself the same understanding and magnanimity that he did to the boys?
He stared back at her, his eyes hooded. She knew he was here because he cared, because he wanted to make sure everything had gone smoothly at the solicitor’s for her today. But she wanted—needed—more. And she didn’t know how much longer she was prepared to wait.
‘Everything went exactly as I hoped it would.’
‘I’m glad.’
She swung to Travis. ‘Thanks for covering for me. I know you have an appointment up at Joey’s school this afternoon. Why don’t you take off e
arly and go get ready for it?’
He threw her a grateful smile. ‘It hasn’t been too busy, so I’ll take you up on that. Thanks, Neen. I’ll catch you both later.’
‘He’s gone from strength to strength since he was given custody of Joey.’
Rico had fast-tracked that.
‘I don’t want to talk about Travis, Neen. I want to talk about you.’
Her heart surged into her throat. She swallowed. ‘Let me just make sure everything’s shipshape out in the café first.’
A quick glance around the café told her that her two most recent recruits were handling the small crowd perfectly.
‘Let me know if you need a hand,’ she ordered with a pat to both their shoulders, before returning to the kitchen. And Rico.
‘Now, precisely what did you want to discuss?’ She didn’t kid herself it would be anything other than business.
‘Your grandfather’s inheritance is finally yours?’
‘Yes. All the documents were signed and the money is being transferred to my bank account.’ Her parents’ attorney had advised them to cease all claim to her inheritance immediately. He was hoping their previously exemplary records, combined with an appropriate show of remorse, would work in their favour.
‘And Chris?’
‘I’ve had the restraining order removed. He was responsible for raising all my suspicions in the first place with his initial refusal to leave me alone, but he never threw the paint or slashed my tyres. It’s been something of a wake-up call for him, though. He’s getting counselling to get his control issues under...uh...control.’
Rico scowled, but he didn’t say anything.
‘So as you can see, Rico—’ she lifted her hands ‘—everything is finally coming together in my world.’
He stared at her, his gaze devouring her in a way that made her chest tighten and her pulse flutter.
He snapped upright from his stool and swung away from her. ‘So at the end of your contract you’ll leave to set up your own café?’
The Redemption of Rico D'Angelo Page 17