Forbidden Attraction: A Contemporary Romance Box Set

by K. C. Crowne

  He's up to something, I thought as I closed my eyes. I don't trust him to let me go this easily.

  Gradually, I felt my mind drift off into the twilight stages between sleep and wakefulness. Images bobbed through my mind. I thought of Ruby downstairs and how much I loved her. I thought of Jared today and the way he looked at me. I thought of the way his muscles rippled and the circular scar on his thigh where the bullet entered.

  Hero. That's what Ruby had called him.

  He had rescued his sister from that bunker, taken a bullet for her and nearly died. I wanted a man like that in my life. Maybe he was the nice guy I needed after all.

  As my mind eventually relaxed, and sleep invaded my body, I let myself drift away into nothingness.

  When I next opened my eyes, I thought it had to be morning. But as I rolled over toward the window, I saw it was still dark outside.

  What the...? Why am I awake?

  And that's when I heard it. The frantic sound of Rolo and Reuben barking.

  "Megan!" Ruby's voice came from the bottom of the stairs.

  I jumped out of bed and grabbed my bathrobe. As I slipped it on, I glanced at the clock through bleary eyes.

  "What the hell, Ruby? It's half three in the morning?" I grumbled, moving across the landing to look down over the banister. "What's going on?"

  The dogs barked louder, the sound of their claws against the wooden floorboards getting increasingly louder as they ran from one side of the room to the other.

  "Rolo! Reuben! Come to Mumma!"

  But they ignored me and continued to run at speed up and down the hallway, their barking becoming deafening.

  "There was a noise," shouted Ruby.

  Only now did I see the worried expression on her face.

  "At the back door," she explained. "Like someone was trying to get in."

  "Are you sure?"

  "Positive."

  "Shit!"

  I didn't want to go down and look, but I felt compelled to, like when you're watching a horror movie but can't look away.

  "Come on boys," I said, descending the stairs and grabbing both dogs by their collars. "You'll protect Mommy, won't you?"

  They both trotted along beside me as I gingerly approached the back door.

  "It was probably just a raccoon or something," I said to Ruby as she crept along behind me.

  "Unless it was wearing boots, I don't think so."

  Flicking on the light in the kitchen, I looked toward the back door that led out to the yard. Immediately, I saw it was open a crack and the dogs began barking furiously. Usually, the sight of an open door got them excited. It meant play time and rolling around in the grass. But right now, it meant terror.

  They pulled against me as though they were ready to dash off and eat something alive.

  "Boys! Sit!"

  They began to settle, but they were still anxious and fidgeting as they sat.

  "Oh, God," I said, as I neared the door. “Look at this.”

  It was only open a few inches, but it was enough to let the cold air drift into the kitchen, and enough to tell me someone had been inside. Then a thought struck me. What if they're still here?

  Ruby's hand slid around my arm as she held onto me for dear life.

  "They busted the door," I said, laying my eyes on the splintered wood at the side of the door. "Looks like they used a crowbar."

  A knot formed in my stomach, along with the need to be sick. As I ran my hand down the broken door, I could feel the sweat form in my palms.

  "You don't think its..."

  "It has to be Billy," I said. "Who else would it have been?"

  I knew he was planning something; that his silence couldn't be trusted.

  "Right, help me pull the table across the door," I said. "At least that way it'll be secure for the night and I'll call the police."

  "I don't think it’s this door you should be worried about," Ruby replied, looking at the hooks on the wall.

  I followed her gaze to where I usually hung my keys, and that's when I saw one of the hooks lay empty; the one that held my spare key to the front door.

  "So you saw your ex-boyfriend bust his way in here?" the young officer asked.

  He was at least five years younger than me and looked fresh out of the academy. With bags under his eyes and his blond hair standing up on end, he looked as though I was keeping him up well past his bedtime.

  "No, I didn't see him," I said.

  "But you did," he replied, pointing his pen at Ruby.

  "No, neither of us saw him. We just heard him."

  "You heard him too?" he asked me.

  "No. Well, I heard the dogs barking so..."

  "And you're the owner of the property?"

  The little guy was a cocky bastard who spoke as though he'd learned his voice from an old detective movie.

  "Yeah, I'm the owner."

  "And you were upstairs."

  "Uhuh."

  "So you didn't see anything?"

  "No. Like I said, I heard the barking. When I got down here, I saw the door had been broken open, and my spare keys were gone."

  He huffed and scribbled in his notebook as though I was inconveniencing him.

  "So neither of you can confirm it was this Billy person who entered the home. If indeed he did enter the home."

  "What do you mean if he entered the home?" I raged. "He obviously did. Look at the door! And my keys, they didn't just magically vanish."

  He continued to scribble and blew a long sigh out his mouth.

  "Perhaps it was just the wind," he said.

  "The wind splintered the wood and broke the lock?" I replied sarcastically, leaning against the table. "Was that actually a serious question?"

  "I'm just saying, sometimes the wind can make doors bang open and shut. Make things go bump in the night."

  "And the wind stole my keys?"

  He flipped his notebook shut, obviously not wanting to discuss the matter anymore.

  "Have you tried looking for them?" he asked.

  "What?"

  "Your keys. Maybe you just left them somewhere."

  "Yeah, I left them on that hook right by the back door and now they're gone!"

  He stared blankly at me as though he had no idea what to do next.

  "So, are you going to go talk to him?" I asked.

  He just blinked at me.

  "Billy, my ex!" I elaborated. “Are you going to question him?”

  "I'm afraid there's no proof he was here."

  "Are you freaking kidding me. What's this?"

  I pointed to the shattered wood on the door.

  "I mean there’s no proof it was specifically him."

  "Aren't you the ones who have to find the proof?"

  Again, he just stared right through me.

  "Look, can I talk to your partner?" I asked, desperate to talk to someone with more than two brain cells.

  Walking out into the hall, I found his partner rubbing Reuben's tummy. He was at least ten years older than the dweeb in the kitchen and with a touch of gray sprinkled through his hair. I felt confident that he would at least do something. If he could just stop playing with the dogs for five seconds.

  "Who likes belly rubs?" he cooed over Reuben who was grinning like an idiot. "That's right you like belly rubs."

  I cleared my throat.

  He looked up and saw me standing with my arms crossed.

  "So..." I said. "My ex."

  He stood up, smoothed down his pants and put on his serious voice.

  "I suppose it wouldn't hurt to speak to him," he said to the younger officer. "After all, he does have a motive."

  "Exactly!" I said, relieved at least someone agreed with me.

  "But I'll be honest, there's not a whole lot we can do if you can't actually prove it was him."

  " This is bullshit! I know it was him. Who else could it possibly be?"

  "Sorry," the older officer said as he rubbed Rolo's head. "I understand how frustrating it is."
/>
  "Do you? Do you actually understand how difficult it's going to be for me to sleep in my house again?"

  He looked down at the dogs, then to his partner, then back to me.

  "If I were you, I'd set up some cameras around the house," he said. "So the next time you can prove it's him."

  "The next time? I don't want there to be a next time."

  They were already moving down the hall toward the door.

  "Wait? Is that it?"

  Their radios crackled as a female voice broke through the static. It looked as though my time was officially up and they were moving onto their next call already.

  "Sorry," the older officer said as he walked out into the freezing night. "I wish we could do more."

  "Me too," I replied. "Me fucking too."

  Jared

  The young receptionist was looking up at me with stars in her eyes. She was pretty enough, but the problem was that she knew it, and that was never a turn on for me.

  Flipping her red hair over her shoulder, she leaned forward onto the desk just enough for me to see a hint of cleavage and the lacy edge of her Victoria's Secret bra.

  "I know you," she said. "You were that Navy SEAL who was shot by the Mafia."

  "Yep, that's me."

  "Must have been scary."

  "Scary? Nah."

  "You weren't scared?"

  "I don't get scared."

  Her eyes sparkled a little more and she leaned further forward, her shirt falling open a couple more inches.

  "You're so brave," she said. "I saw you all over the news when it happened. People were calling you a hero, climbing that mountain in a blizzard to rescue your sister. And coming face to face with the Mob too. You must be fearless."

  She smiled, her glossy lips spreading to reveal a cheesy grin.

  "Do you know what would be fun?" she asked. "If you told me more about how fearless you are. I bet you've got a whole bunch of stories to tell. How about tomorrow night? Say, eight o'clock?"

  Aw, shit. The last thing I wanted was for her to ask me out.

  "Maybe another time," I replied dismissively. "I actually came here to see Megan. She wouldn't have any free appointments this afternoon, would she?"

  "Oh... Megan."

  "Yeah, I was supposed to see her next week, but the thing is, I'm in huge amounts of pain, and I was hoping to see her sooner. Maybe even get an emergency appointment with her this afternoon?"

  I wasn't entirely lying. It felt like there were knives poking through my thigh, but that was nothing new, and it wasn't anything I couldn't handle.

  The truth was that I couldn't stop thinking about her. I'd gone to sleep thinking about her hands on my body, remembering the feel of her breasts as they pressed into me. And the scent of her perfume was still fresh in my mind.

  It was like she'd cast a spell on me. It felt as though the more I tried to forget about her, the more the image of her silky tanned skin and beautiful face popped into my head.

  But what I liked about her the most wasn't her looks, although they were hard to ignore, it was her haughty attitude and complete disinterest in me. She was the first girl in months who wasn't fawning over me like this redhead.

  "Megan isn't free this afternoon," the receptionist replied, sitting back straight and pulling her shirt over her cleavage. "You'll have to stick to your original appointment."

  Suddenly, the flirtatious glint in her eye had disappeared and was replaced with a steely death stare.

  "Can you check?" I asked.

  She sighed, turned to her computer, tapped lightly along her keyboard for a few seconds then said, "Nah, no free appointments. You'll have to come back next week."

  Wow, I take it she doesn't want to hear my stories anymore.

  "Well can you leave her a message?" I asked.

  "I suppose so."

  "Can you tell her that-"

  "Jared? I thought it was you."

  I turned and looked down the hall to see Megan standing in the hallway with a cup of coffee in her hand. She looked exhausted.

  "Your appointment isn't until next week," she said.

  "I know, but I was hoping to maybe catch you real quick. I'm in agony."

  "Oh... Well, sure. I don't have a patient for a couple hours. Come right in."

  I looked back at the receptionist and her cheeks reddened. She turned away coldly and returned to her computer as if I wasn't there.

  She clearly wasn’t used to guys saying no to her.

  Megan led me into her office and took a seat as she sipped her coffee.

  "Ignore Lucy," she said as she logged onto her computer. "She's got quite a little attitude on her."

  "I noticed."

  I took a seat on the edge of the examination table and watched her as she moved around her desk. Every one of her mannerisms was graceful, every movement refined and elegant. Even her fingers were soft and deliberate making it look more like she was playing the piano than typing on a keyboard.

  "Okay, let's bring up your file," she said.

  She set her coffee cup down and yawned before rubbing her eyes.

  "Excuse me," she said. "I'm exhausted.

  "Late night?"

  "You could say that."

  "Go anywhere exciting?"

  She kept her eyes on the screen, deliberately avoiding my gaze and replied, "No. Nowhere exciting. Anyway, what can I do for you? You're in a lot of pain?"

  "Aw, God. I'm in agony."

  “You look pretty happy for being in agony,” she said, raising an eyebrow at me.

  I grinned sheepishly. “Well maybe not agony exactly, but it does hurt pretty bad.”

  "Okay, let's take a look at you. Lie back."

  She yawned again, took a gulp of her coffee then popped a breath mint into her mouth. I watched her chew, the hollows of her cheeks pulling themselves in tight as she sucked.

  "So it's this muscle right here," she said, leaning down.

  As soon as her hands landed on my leg a shock of electricity ran up my thigh right to my crotch. And as her fingertips rolled up my pants leg, I felt a warm feeling spread throughout me. Just the mere touch of her was enough to relax me like no pill could.

  "Does it hurt when I do this?" she asked.

  She bent my leg at the knee, the heat of her hand burning right into me.

  "Oh, yeah. It's sooo sore."

  "Uhuh. And this?"

  "It's torture."

  "On a scale of one to ten how bad is it?"

  "Oh, like a ten. Definitely a ten."

  “If it was a ten, you’d be in the hospital right now,” she said flatly.

  Damn, she knew my game. “Well maybe more like a seven,” I admitted.

  "And have you been doing your exercises?" she asked.

  "Religiously. Every single day."

  She gently squeezed my thigh and I flexed my muscles against her hand.

  "Do you know what I really need?"

  "No," she replied. "Tell me."

  "For some extra private appointments."

  "Private."

  "Yeah, you know. Like you come over to my place or I come back to your place so you can really show me how to-"

  "Stop right there," she snapped and reeled away from me. "I don't do ‘private’ appointments. I never go to a clients' home, and they most certainly don't come to mine."

  She was done with me and moved back to her desk where she picked up her coffee and swiveled around in her seat to turn her back to me.

  "If you need some extra therapy in between our sessions, I can suggest my coworker Curtis. He's an expert at working knots out of muscles. He has fists like a jackhammer."

  "Uh, no. Thanks. I'll just stick to our appointments."

  She remained with her back turned to me, her eyes fixed on the database of appointments in front of her.

  "Look, I'm sorry," I said. "I didn't mean to come across like a creep. It's just that... I'll come straight out with it. I think you're incredible. And not just because you're sup
er hot, which of course you are, but because I really think we click."

  She shot me a skeptical look but said nothing.

  "I know. I know. I bet you get guys hitting on you all the time in this place. Bet you don't go a single day without coming into contact with some creepy old man who wants you to touch him."

  "There’s plenty creepy young guys too," she added, looking right at me.

  "Ouch. Yeah. I deserved that."

  She turned back to her screen and sipped her coffee. By the deafening silence, I could tell she was waiting for me to take the hint and leave, but I didn't give up on things so easily.

  "Okay, you've found me out. I did come here just to see you, not just because I'm in pain. Although to be fair my leg does hurt like a motherfucker. But the truth is that you really made an impression on me. And I'm not the kinda guy to just sit around and wait for things to happen. So here I am."

  She set down her coffee, rubbed at her eyes and swiveled back around to me.

  "I'm flattered, really I am," she said. "I’ve told you before that I don’t go out with patients. It’s unethical. Not to mention, the last thing on Earth I want to do is go on a date with you. Or with any guy for that matter."

  I froze for a second, and then the penny dropped.

  "Oh, shit, you're gay! I'm so sorry. I had no idea."

  Of course, that had to be why she wasn't interested in me like most girls were. It wasn't that she didn't like me. She didn't like any man.

  "I'm not gay," she replied, flatly, bursting my bubble. " I was just hoping for maybe a beer or two."

  For a split second, her tongue darted out over her bottom lip, then she shook her head and stiffened back up straight in her seat.

  "No, I can't," she said.

  "What about the next night?"

  "Wow, you really don't give up."

  "I'm not a quitter," I flashed her my most devastating grin.

  For a second, she almost wavered, but just as I got my hopes up, she said, “No. I don't date clients. Now, if you don't mind, I need to get ready for my patients who actually need my help today.”

  She stood up and showed me the door. Inside, it felt as though my ego had been given a slight bruising.

  “See you next week,” she said as I left. “Make sure you keep up those exercises.”