Chapter Eight

Later that night, Kristen pulled up in front of Jeff’s house. She hadn’t called ahead, convinced he would try to delay their conversation for another time, and on the phone earlier today she hadn’t bought his excuse of working late.

Luck was with her, she decided as she slipped out of her father’s car and walked up the sidewalk. A light from inside beckoned through the windows and screened security door, illuminating the manicured lawn and lantana-trimmed hedges on either side of the brick walkway. She let herself into the cool, air-conditioned entryway and was about to call out a greeting when she heard Jeff’s voice. Curious, she closed the screen and front door softly behind her and moved down the hall on silent feet.

“What do you mean she’s out of the hospital? When the hell did this happen? I thought the old bat was in remission and about to drop dead. You told me yourself she had a half-year—max— months ago. And now, you’re telling me differently?” From the kitchen, rage and frustration crackled through the air, its power forcing Kristen back a step. “Well, at least that’s something. Let me know when she’s back in the hospital—”

Cemented to the floor, Kristen listened, wondering in alarm who Jeff was talking about. And why? It sounded as if he wanted this woman dead. Although she wanted to turn away from his spiteful words and leave, she stayed because she needed to talk to him.

Sudden silence, then the echo of Jeff’s heels against the kitchen tile interrupted her thoughts. Instinct impelled her to retrace her steps. Just as she re-closed the screen door, Jeff came around the corner and stopped abruptly. He smiled, but it lacked any warmth.

“What are you doing here?”

That same instinct kept her from mentioning what she’d overheard. “I wanted to talk to you about Marla and your daughter.”

“Can’t it wait? I thought Friday was good enough.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m tired. I had a long day at work. I don’t have the energy to deal with a scene.”

“No, it can’t wait,” she coolly replied, reining in her temper at his condescending tone. “And I’m not going to cause a scene. All I want are some answers.”

Nodding, he motioned her forward. “Then let’s go sit down. It might take a while.”

She closed the front door, led the way into the living room and said over a shoulder, “You know, you really should get out of the habit of leaving your door unlocked.”

“I’m not worried.” He shrugged, then reclined on the sofa, resting both arms along its top and crossing an ankle over his knee. “I shouldn’t have to. Not when I had to cough up a load of money to live in this neighborhood. Anyway, the cops aren’t stupid. They know who really pays their wages.”

Recoiling at Jeff’s attitude, she sat on the chair’s edge to the right of the sofa. “So can you tell me what this is all about with Marla and Caroline?” she asked. “I can’t believe you had an affair with Morgan’s wife. But then, it explains everything—all this hostility and anger between the two of you.”

Sighing in apparent frustration, he sat forward and placed both elbows on his knees. “I can’t explain just like that.”

“And why not?” She raised a brow, trying to remain neutral.

“It’s complicated.” He must have caught her skeptical look because he moved across the sofa toward her and reached for her hand. “It’s the truth.”

She slid back in her chair to avoid his hand. She couldn’t abide his embrace, disliked even the idea of his touch. At her obvious snub, he tightened his lips but didn’t mention it as he rose to his feet. “It happened years ago. Let’s see…what did Morgan tell you?”

“He didn’t tell me a thing other than what I’ve told you,” she lied, wondering if Jeff was formulating some glib reply as he rose to his feet and walked over and faced the window. “Are you going to tell me Caroline isn’t your daughter?”

He stood, looking outside, his back toward her and his thoughts hidden from view. Finally he turned and faced Kristen.

“She is, but I didn’t know it until much later,” he insisted, tension in the line of his jaw. “You have to believe me on that. I’d moved to Austin for a nearly two years. Then I moved back four years ago. That was when I learned the truth. It was a chance meeting. I caught sight of Katie at the mall with Morgan and knew immediately. At first, I didn’t do anything about it. I couldn’t offer my daughter anything. I had no money.” He frowned. “Don’t look at me that way. At the time I didn’t. At least not enough to raise her as I thought she needed. Then the business took off just as I met you. I didn’t want to tell you about having a daughter right then, because I didn’t want to scare you off.”

Kristen shifted in her chair and searched for the lie beneath his earnest expression. Even though he looked and sounded so convincing, she didn’t think—no—she knew she couldn’t believe him. “That doesn’t explain Marla and the fact that you had an affair with Morgan’s wife.”

“He wasn’t married at the time.”

“That’s not what he said.”

“I can just bet. The bastard.” He flushed an angry red. “What other lies has he been feeding you?”

“That’s not important. What is important is the fact that you’ve been keeping things from me. And these aren’t little, insignificant secrets, by any stretch of the imagination. We’re talking about an affair you had and a child who resulted from it. You should have told me long ago. It’s a slap in the face to learn it from someone else. After all, I was seriously considering your marriage proposal.”

“You see? This is the very reaction I was afraid of,” he retorted, his voice rising as he balled his hands into fists. “And what do you mean by ‘I was’? Don’t tell me you’ve changed your mind about us?”

Tonight she’d considered telling Jeff she couldn’t marry him tonight, but now seeing the ruthless, almost savage expression cross his face, Kristen paused and thought of her father and the telephone conversation she’d overheard. A chill of foreboding crawled over her as she gripped the cushioned seat on either side of her. “Don’t put words in my mouth, Jeff. I didn’t say I’ve changed my mind.”

Face softening, he nodded, seeming satisfied. “I’ll make it up to you.” He hurried over and sat down on the sofa beside her. Thankfully he didn’t try to touch her. “You’ll have the best wedding money can buy, and on our honeymoon, I’ll take you to the Cayman Islands or somewhere as exotic.”

She sighed, feeling trapped. “I don’t know, Jeff. Let’s not worry about it now.” She glanced at the modern gold clock on top of the end table beside her. “I’ve got to go. It’s getting late. Almost ten-thirty.” She stood up and walked to the door.

“I love you,” he murmured from behind her. Staring through the screen to the street outside, she paused, her tongue frozen to the back of her throat, unable to return his words even if she wanted to. Then, not looking back, she stepped outside and walked down to her father’s Accord. The summer night air, hot and dry, enveloped her and teased the wisps of hair along her neck and brow but could do little to warm her body. Nothing could penetrate the chill eating into her skin.

At work the next morning, her mood lightened only fractionally. What she overheard Jeff say last night continued to resound inside her head. On the phone, under the anger and rage, she had sensed an uneasiness, almost a desperation behind Jeff’s words. For the life of her, she couldn’t fathom the reason.

Smothering her curiosity, she focused her thoughts back to her office and looked around, at the black plastic pencil holder and matching in-baskets, at the little knickknacks she’d added since she started and finally at her framed diploma on her wall. With any luck, next year she’d have her CPA Certificate hanging along side her degree.

She inhaled sharply, pleased at what she saw and how she’d stubbornly remained at Eagle Builders after Jeff had insisted she leave. This was her career, her life now. She enjoyed the people and work too much to throw it all away.

Suddenly, Morgan stepped into her office and her train of thought disintegrated. He’d lost his tie earlier that morning and rolled up his sleeves to the elbows. The white shirt and navy slacks complimented his tall, elegant figure. He had this uncanny ability to look comfortable in either faded denim, casual attire or business suits, even though Kristen knew he detested a tie around his neck.

“How’s your workload?” he asked. “Are you going to be real busy this afternoon?”

“Well.” She looked away from his serious expression to the opened file folders and computer spreadsheets strewn across her desk. “I have several things I need to get done.”

“But it can wait till tomorrow, right? You don’t have any deadlines.”

“Not exactly…” she began, disconcerted at the tension, almost impatience she felt coming from him as he walked around her desk. “No.”

“Good. Go ahead save what you’re doing on the computer and pack up everything. You need to come with me.”

She saved her work. “What in the world are you talking about?” As he reached across her and switched the power off her computer’s terminal and hard drive, she sat up in her chair. When he started systematically stacking her papers and files into one pile, her bafflement turned to indignation. “Hey, what do you think you’re doing?”

“I want to show you something.”

She shook her head, impatient at his mysterious behavior. “What are you talking about?”

“Jeff.”

A sinking sensation hit her in the middle of her stomach as she pushed away from her desk, rose and widened the distance between them. “I don’t want to talk to you about him. What’s between the two of us is none of your business.”

“I thought I told you when we first met that Jeff is my business.”

“Not when it concerns me!” She stared back in frustration. It was useless arguing with someone so stubborn.

“You know,” he said gently, though it looked like the effort cost him. “It’s great that you’re willing to stand by Jeff, but you need to take a real good look at him and see him for what he is. There’s going to be a point when no one’s going to sympathize with you.”

“All right. You’ve convinced me. What do you have to show me?”

“It’s better if you see for yourself.”

“I don’t know if I like that answer.” It reminded her of those disgusting photos of Jeff and that woman.

“We need to hurry.” He cupped her bare elbow and urged her forward.

“My purse!”

With his hand still on her arm, he ducked, grabbed it from under her desk and dangled it between his fingers. “You might want to use it on Jeff the next time you see him.”

Snatching her bag from his hands, she suppressed the urge to use it on Morgan instead and smack that smirk off his face. Once they were in the parking lot, though, she did manage to shrug off his hand.

Almost fifteen minutes later, Morgan turned off Camelback Road and drove into the parking space of a prestigious hotel. He killed the engine but left on the battery for the air-conditioner.

“This should be perfect,” he said. “Far enough back to blend in with the other cars but close enough to recognize anyone coming in and out.”

“I don’t like this.” She turned in her seat to glare at him. “I don’t have to ask. I already know you think Jeff’s here with some woman.”

“The investigator I hired called less than an hour ago. He saw Jeff go in with a blonde.”

She flinched, turning away from the sympathy in his eyes to look out the windshield. Although she’d been thinking of breaking off her relationship with Jeff last night at his house, Morgan’s words still cut. After all, this was the man she’d seriously considered marrying. Catching Jeff with another woman seemed the ultimate betrayal—far worse than any secret. It would mean that their engagement had been a lie from the very beginning.

“Maybe he’s not inside,” she said after several minutes of watching the entrance.

“Give him time. On some things he’s so damn predictable it’s sickening. He comes here usually on Wednesdays around lunchtime.”

“Your detective, I take it?”

“Hey, don’t get mad at me. I’m not the one screwing around. That’s Jeff’s territory. I know what he’s capable of. He moved in on Marla and had the gall to get her pregnant and blame her for it. Then he left town—probably to find some other willing victim. Someone ready to spread—”

Wincing at the anger in his voice, she glanced over at Morgan in concern. He looked like he might tear the steering wheel from its column the way he kept twisting his hands around the leather.

She pulled at the collar of her pale paisley blouse, growing uncomfortably hot. Even the whisper of the refrigeration against her exposed arms, face and neck didn’t soothe her. If she could tell by the shimmering heat rising from the parking lots’ asphalt, it had to be over 110 degrees. And if Morgan was telling the truth, Jeff wasn’t worried about the sweltering temperatures outside. No. Her soon-to-be ex-boyfriend was inside some cool, air-conditioned, hotel bedroom getting hot from something other than the weather.

She sighed and turned back to the window. “I still don’t like sitting here and spying. It doesn’t feel right.”

“But you haven’t told me to leave, now have you?” Morgan asked softly.

“It doesn’t mean I like it,” she hissed.

Sympathy turned the color of his eyes to deep gold. “I know, but you’re still here, because, deep down, you know he’s been sleeping around on you. You’ve just been too damn stubborn to admit it.”

“That’s not—” Her protest died in her throat. She couldn’t argue with the truth.

He smiled, almost sadly. “You’re not the only one that made the mistake of trusting him. I did the same.” On the armrest between them, he covered her hand with his own. “Do you still love him?”

She jerked her hand from his grasp and opened her mouth. “I—I—” Morgan’s eyes widened as she struggled for words. “I…No.”

Stunned at the sudden awareness that surged between them, Kristen looked back through the windshield just as a woman stepped from the gilt-edged, glass doors. A sexy white sun-dress hugged her buxom curves as she glided down the shallow cement stairs, her hips swaying in seductive invitation. Her bottled-blonde hair curled around her face and over her tanned shoulders.

Another person stepped through the doors. He trotted down the stairs and caught up to her. Pulling the woman under the curve of his arm, he nuzzled her neck and said something that made her laugh.

Even from this distance, Kristen couldn’t miss the pleasure on Jeff’s face or how his hand rubbed suggestively against the blonde’s hip.

“Please. Can we leave?” Kristen whispered, unable to look away from the couple.

“Sure.”

As Morgan guided the car out of the parking lot and back onto Camelback, she closed her eyes, which was a mistake. The imprint of Jeff and that other woman burned in her mind. She opened her eyes and stared outside, past the modern glass and metal buildings, the palo verde and mesquite lined roads until everything became a blur of color and motion.

She murmured in a surprisingly calm voice, “You know, Jeff never once looked at me like that.”

Morgan said something rough and angry under his breath.

“It’s the truth.” She clutched her hands painfully in her lap. “I guess he didn’t find me attractive. He never slept with me,” she said in a detached voice. “He never wanted to, and now I know why. There’s no way I could compete with a woman like that.”

Morgan swore loudly. “Kristen, don’t do this to yourself. He isn’t worth it.”

They came to an abrupt stop. Gravel kicked up beneath the Lexus’s underbelly. Blinking, she focused on her surroundings. “Where are we?”

“My house. You’re in no condition to go back to work.”

For a second she didn’t recognize the place. Probably because she’d only been there the once and that had been at night. As she slipped from the vehicle, she did recognize the soft scent of honeysuckle and the large, distinctive eucalyptus and oleander trees that shaded the lawn and house.

He led her into the bright yet cool interior and a living area where windows, lining one wall, overlooked the backyard. Between an outcropping of queen palms and lush green ground cover, a waterfall splashed and rolled down glassy gray rocks into a large pool.

She turned from the view to find Morgan directly behind her with a glass of amber liquid. “Brandy.”

She wrinkled her nose. “I’m not hysterical.”

“I never said you were.” He held it out to her. “Here.”

Too numb to argue, she took the glass and downed the liquid, welcoming how it burned a path down the lining of her throat.

“Thanks,” she gasped, catching sight of a photograph on a mantel. In it, Morgan held a plump, smiling baby in his arms. The child, of course, was Katie and the love and adoration in Morgan’s eyes were undeniable. And Katie—such a beautiful golden haired baby—grinned up at her father with a look of wonder in her face.

Something inside Kristen splintered then shattered, and with it, feeling returned, along with the pain. She bit back a sob. All she’d ever really wanted was a family.

It didn’t matter that her relationship with Jeff had already disintegrated. His betrayal still hurt. How could it not, when everything between them had been based on lies and deceptions? Right now, Jeff was probably laughing at her gullibility.

Her hand tightened on her glass.

“Oh hell,” Morgan growled. “I’m always hurting you. Every damn time.”

“Don’t worry.” She sniffed. “I’m not going to cry on you.”

Taking the glass from her nerveless fingers, Morgan put it on the coffee table and pulled her into arms that were warm, caring and compassionate as he whispered inconsequential words into her hair.

Morgan. He truly cared. She’d misjudged him, Kristen realized sadly as he carried her to the couch and rocked her gently. It was the tenderness in his touch, the understanding in his eyes that undid her. She buried her head against his shoulder and cried out her disappointment and anger at being used while he silently held her. After a time, she inhaled deeply as the last of her tears lay spent against her lashes.

“I’ll never understand why he wanted to marry me,” she murmured against Morgan’s throat, her voice shaky and uncertain. “He was constantly lying and cheating on me. He couldn’t possibly care if he did all those things.”

Morgan’s breath fanned her brow, smelling of coffee and peppermint as he wiped her tears from her cheeks with a gentle thumb. “I don’t know what to say, Kristen. He never deserved you. Not for one second.”

“If I need someone on my side, I’ll give you a call. You know exactly what to say to make a person feel better.”

Glancing up, she attempted a smile but froze at his expression. Desire. It flushed his face, darkened his eyes and sent her pulse careening. He looked like he wanted to devour her bite by ravenous bite. An answering hunger rushed through her, heating her skin and her blood.

She didn’t move away—didn’t want to—as Morgan lowered his head and grazed his mouth over her own.

“Katie?” she whispered.

“At school. Then from there, she’s going to a friend’s for the night. It’s just the two of us,” he breathed against her neck before recapturing her lips.

She kissed him back, loving the taste and feel of him. She slid her hands up the slope of his spine and pressed deeper into his body, relishing how the muscles along his back flexed and contracted beneath her inquisitive fingers. She forgot Jeff—forgot everything but Morgan touching, holding and kissing her. Feeling his arousal against her hip, she whimpered and dug her fingers deeper into his back. Morgan couldn’t know the power of that mouth, those hands as they glided over the slope of her shoulder, the curve of her hip.

Sighing, he pulled away and searched her face.

Reading the question in his eyes, she smiled tremulously and nodded. “If you want me. Just me. And not as a way to get back at Jeff.”

He groaned. “What a crazy thing to say. Of course I want you. I’m burning up with it. All you have to do is feel my heart.”

As he placed her hand against his chest, she caught her breath and stared at him with wonder. No man had ever made her feel this wanted, this desirable or this much a woman.

He caught her up in his arms and held her against his chest as he carried her through the hall to his room. By the foot of the bed, he eased her to the floor. Kristen relished the way her body slid over the hard length of his until she stood on legs that threatened to give way beneath her. Their clothing pooled to the ground. The whisper of sheets being drawn back followed.

Naked, Morgan eased her down on the cool cotton, gazed at her with hungry, hot eyes and murmured, “You’re beautiful.”

Smiling shyly, she stretched against the sheets and lifted her arms to him. Morgan looked at her with such heat, such wonder and longing. Kristen shivered in anticipation. She couldn’t fight this attraction and she didn’t want to. All that mattered was the moment.

Sinking down into her curves, he rested his weight on his elbows on either side of her. With his fingers entwined in her hair, he used his mouth to scorch a path down her neck, over her collarbone to the tip of one breast.

Cupping his head, she arched her back off the mattress and closed her eyes against the thrill of his mouth and tongue, the gentle but confident touch of his hand and fingers. Desire sank low in Kristen’s belly as her senses magnified. The scrape of Morgan’s jaw line burned against her skin, his male scent enclosed her. She loved his maleness, the feel of him, of muscles and tendons and the corded strength of him against her hand.

She stirred restlessly beneath his touch and arched upward, craving Morgan’s possession as she pulled his head to her and hungrily claimed his mouth with her lips. She couldn’t keep still as she shifted from beneath him and pressed him back against the pillows.

He stared up at her with fierce, hungry eyes. “You’re beautiful.”

The heat in his gaze sent a delicious wave of hunger rushing through her body.

“You have the most beautiful breasts.” He cupped their weight in his large hands and rolled the tips gently between her fingers. “They’re perfect in my hands.”

She glanced down, saw his dark, tanned fingers against the pale skin of her breasts and whimpered as a wave of need washed over her heated flash.

Growling deep in her throat, she closed her eyes, caught his hands and pressed them harder against her breasts. She need more than a touch, more than a look. She wanted him inside her. Every single inch of him.

But she wanted more. Kristen wanted to discover every facet of him, the rough texture of his chest, arms, legs, the sensitive curve of his neck below his ear, the smooth wall of his back, then lower, still lower. His flesh quivered against her fingers as she caressed the hard, silken flesh of his penis.

When she wrapped her fingers around his erection, he sucked in a loud breath. His quick, unmasked reaction sent another wave of need rolling through her body.

“Do you like that?” she whispered, slipping her other hand lower.

“Yeah.”

“What about this?”

Morgan groaned; a dark flush stained the rugged lines of his face. He caught her wrists. “Enough.”

With one quick move, Morgan caught her around the middle and swung her around until she lay on her back and he straddled her hips.

Chest heaving, he stared down at her with both of his hands locked around her wrists on either side of her head. Desire darkened his eyes to almost black. A sheen of sweat gleamed against his skin. He looked fierce, dangerous and sexy; she wanted him like she’d never wanted a man before. For a long moment she returned his stare, unable to find words for the raging hunger buffeting her.

Then he kissed her, driving her crazy with his mouth, his tongue. His hands, strong and sure, caressed, fondled her breasts, the slope and small of her back, the curve of her hip, then delved to secret and hidden corners of her body. He was everywhere, enveloping, stroking. He drove her wild with wanting.

Settling between her thighs, he eased slowly into her heat, inch by incredible inch until his entire length filled her. She took him all in, digging her fingers into his back, his hips. Faster, harder, she met each of his thrusts with equal hunger. Her breath quickened, turned ragged as he pulled her into a maelstrom of desire.

Morgan’s pace quickened, drawing her deeper, deeper still, until an orgasm caught her entire body and smashed her into a wave of pure sensation. She clung to his hard, slick body until her limbs turned heavy and languid and her mind cleared.

Breathing deeply, Kristen lay in the circle of his arm, aware of his sated body, warm, damp and scented of her. She stared up at the ceiling with mounting horror, the air catching in her lungs.

Morgan must have sensed her tension, because he rose on an elbow and looked down at her with a puzzled frown. “What’s wrong?”

“I can’t believe—” she stumbled to a halt, overcome by emotion. She’d used Morgan to get back at Jeff in a sick sort of way. It was the only reason she could think of for her to act so out of character. She might not have consciously been out for revenge, but she done it just the same. She’d acted incorrigibly, thinking that if Jeff could cheat on her then she could do the same, which made her no better than Jeff. “This is a mistake.”

She slipped from the sheets and hurriedly donned her bra and underwear. With her skirt hanging loosely about her waist, she jammed her arms into her blouse. Blinking back tears, unable to look at the bed and Morgan, she fumbled with the fastenings until she had her blouse buttoned and her skirt tied. Then she jammed her feet into her shoes.

“A mistake?” Morgan whipped off the sheet, stood up and pulled on his pants. He raked his fingers through his hair and eyed her with confusion. “What do you mean by that?”

“I wasn’t thinking clearly.”

“Of course you weren’t. Neither was I. But that doesn’t mean it was a mistake.”

“I don’t want to argue with you.” She stared back, desperately trying to ignore how sexy he looked naked from the waist up. “I want to go back to the office and get my car.”

“We need to sit down and talk about what’s going on between us,” Morgan stubbornly insisted.

“I don’t want to right now. I just want to go home. I’m tired and in a state of shock. This is the last thing I ever planned on doing.” She stood stiffly in the middle of the room with as much dignity as she could summon. “Can you just drive me to my car please?”

“Fine,” he bit out. “But this isn’t over.”

In the living room, she found her purse and stuffed her nylons inside. Her body didn’t quite feel like her own. Morgan had thoroughly branded her.

During the drive back to the office, she could feel his anger between them, almost touch it, so thick was the silence.

“Kristen, I can’t let this drop.”

She sucked in an unsteady breath. “Please. Not know. Maybe later, but please not now.”

Morgan grunted, but didn’t argue.

As soon as the car was stopped and before Morgan had a chance to say a word, she fled the Lexus in a daze, reached her car and slid into the front seat. Not looking back, she drove out of the parking lot.

Leaving her purse in her bedroom, she stripped and immediately went into the shower. She soaped her breasts, her belly and couldn’t help but relive Morgan’s touch. She couldn’t scrub the feel of him from her skin no matter how she tried. The truth was deep down she didn’t want to erase the feel of Morgan against her flesh.

She leaned her forehead against the wet tile and closed her eyes as the water pounded against her skull and spine. Her shoulders slumped with exhaustion. The idea of showing up at Eagle Builders filled her with dread. How could she look Morgan in the face again without thinking of their sexual encounter?

After drying off, she pulled on her terry robe and heard the telephone ring. She almost ignored it, but habit had her rushing to the kitchen to answer it. Really, what were the odds of it being Morgan after the way they parted?

She caught the phone before the answering machine took the call.

“Kristen!” her mother cried before she had a chance to speak. “It’s your Dad.”

She tensed at the anguish in her mother’s voice.

“H—he’s had a heart attack. I’m at the hospital right now.” Her mother’s voice wobbled. “You may want to come down.”

“I’ll be right there.” Kristen hung up and forgot everything but getting to the hospital.