– 11 –
Brett slowly eased away from the emotional precipice he’d been about to fall over. He knew it would be hard to tell Dani about Jonah. He was man enough to admit he’d been a little anxious about how she’d respond. But he hadn’t expected to be the one seeking her comfort.
To find himself getting lost in the luminous pools of her dark eyes.
He placed his arm around her shoulder, pulling her close. Her initial resistance was slight, then she rested her head against his shoulder. He shouldn’t touch her, shouldn’t give her false hope. But if he hadn’t embraced her, he’d have kissed her. The tantalizing mouth, the parted lips, had been too mesmerizing. The urge to lose himself, to escape his pain, almost unbearable.
Resting his jaw against the warmth of her hair, he shut his eyes and focused on relaxing the tension in his muscles. Talking about Jonah had sharpened the pain he’d grown accustomed to living with, its multifaceted blade slicing his heart into a million scattered pieces. But with Dani fitted snugly against him, his breath steadied and the sharpness eased into a dull and heavy ache.
His phone buzzed, and Dani stirred. He tightened his hold. “Not yet,” he whispered. “Please.”
“I don’t care.” He breathed in the floral notes of her fragrance, and his lips brushed her hair.
She pushed herself away from him, retreating to the corner of the couch. He swept his gaze over her as desire flared. Resisting the urge to gather her up, he simply squeezed her arm instead.
“If you were anyone else . . .”
“What?”
“If I answered that, you might run out of here. Then I’d have to roam the streets to find another date for tonight’s banquet.”
As he expected, her cheeks reddened. Pulling a square pillow from behind her, she swatted him with it. He ducked and rolled to the floor, practically getting stuck between the sofa and the coffee table. She swatted him again, and he grabbed the pillow. The quick tug-of-war ended when he let her win. As he sat on the floor between the table and the sofa, the remaining tension seeped from his body.
“For the record, Mr. Somers, you didn’t find me by ‘roaming’ the streets.”
“But I did find you.” He playfully squeezed her foot as he rose, then stretched the kinks from his back.
She gazed at him, a rare teasing glint in her eyes. “Maybe I found you.”
“Maybe you did.” Maybe there was more truth to that than he wanted to admit. The moments holding her, brief as they were, had given him more comfort, more of a sense of well-being, than any he’d known with a woman.
Unsettled by the thought, he sat on the edge of the chair across from her. “I’ve told you my dark secret. Now it’s your turn.”
Her expression darkened, and she hugged the pillow to her chest. “What makes you think I have any?”
“You’re hiding something.”
“Nothing of interest to you.”
He gazed at her, purposely keeping his eyes soft and nonthreatening. For years, he’d practiced the art of creating a silence, then patiently waiting for the other person to break it. Just another part of The Game, except this one worked equally well in business as it did with women.
Grinning on the inside like the Cheshire Cat, he tried to imagine what she might tell him. It couldn’t be anything too serious, given her air of naivety and seeming lack of worldly experience.
Her facial muscles seemed to stiffen as guilt and shame chased each other across her features. She pulled her legs close to her body and bent her head so her dark hair fell forward. Huddled in the corner, hiding behind her hair and a pillow, she appeared helpless. Alone.
Perhaps she had a hidden past after all.
Intrigued, he moved to the coffee table, pushing aside a magazine so he could sit in front of her. “What is it, Dani?”
Silence.
“You can tell me.”
She looked up and brushed the hair from her eyes. “Why did you tell me? About Jonah?”
“In case Elizabeth or Tabby mentioned him this afternoon.” He shrugged. “And maybe I just needed someone to hear my side. Someone who wasn’t family.”
“So you told me. A stranger.”
“You’re more than that.”
Surprise brightened her eyes, and he quickly stood. Almost as a defense against the words he hadn’t meant to say, he reached for his phone and checked the screen.
“That missed call was AJ. I’m going to leave you alone again. Sorry.”
“You aren’t afraid I’ll snoop?”
He started at her audacity, then chuckled. “Read a magazine.” He picked up the latest issue of Forbes and handed it to her. “I won’t be long.”
“Do you mind if I get a glass of water?”
“There’s a pitcher in the fridge. Help yourself.”
He headed to his closet, then picked through his large assortment of ties while returning AJ’s call.
“Are you on your way?” AJ asked.
“Hello to you too.”
“Sorry.” AJ audibly exhaled. “Hi, Brett. Thanks for returning my call. Are you almost here?”
“We’re still at my place.” He looped a black-and-silver silk tie over his suit hanger. It perfectly complemented the charcoal gray jacket. “You okay?”
“Shelby had an errand, so I’m alone with two little girls who can’t wait for you to get here. But first they want you to stop by King Karl’s and pick up a ‘p’roni’ pizza, as Tabby calls it.”
“You know, don’t you, that King Karl’s isn’t exactly on the way.”
“I don’t think they do. Besides, they say it’s tradition.”
“Two times.” Brett plopped on the foot of the bed. “Two times I stopped there and now it’s a tradition?”
“Don’t know what to tell you.”
“Are you sure you know what you’re getting into with those little monsters?”
“Only that I can’t wait to find out.”
Jealousy poked Brett’s gut. Like it did any time he thought too much about AJ and his soon-to-be family. He longed for the certainty AJ had that marrying Shelby was part of some divine plan. Inevitable. Perfect.
With his history, a divine plan would mean retribution. His heart being torn in two to repay him for all the hearts he had needlessly trampled. Even more reason, then, for him to guard his affections. To let no one in.
“You’re a lucky man,” he said. “You know that, don’t you?”
“I do.” AJ paused, probably counting his blessings. One, Shelby. Two, her daughters. Three, his own soon-to-be family. “So what about the pizza?”
“Do you think I’d disappoint those two hooligans?”
“Thanks. You know they’re crazy about you.”
“Only because they’re too young to know any better.”
After hanging up, he placed his suit in a garment bag, then packed his dress shoes and a few other things. Though he went through the motions on autopilot, his mind whirled as one thought chased another.
Dani’s question about why he had told her about Jonah poked at a tender spot deep inside him. All he knew was that he’d said an impulsive prayer, then felt a resolve he’d never experienced before.
But he’d only meant to tell Dani of Jonah’s existence.
So why had he poured out the sad, sordid story to her? A woman—little more than a girl herself—whom he’d just met?
It wasn’t his style to share his deepest feelings with anyone. He’d learned not to do that long ago, having been taught by great teachers—his parents. He experienced firsthand how often each one lied to the other. And he was very aware of the deceitfulness implicit in his own relationships. He seldom out-and-out lied to the women he allowed into his life, but he always knew the secret they did not.
A relationship with him was on a countdown clock. Once the time ended, he said good-bye.
With that as his plan, women got access to his wallet but not his heart.
Yet he’d shared something important, something significant, with an unemployed brunette. One with a liberal arts degree, no less.
He zipped up the garment bag. Had no one been around to advise this girl?
After the door closed behind Brett, Dani stretched her legs, then wiggled her toes in the plush carpet and closed her eyes.
The apartment was blissfully quiet, the only sound the purring hum of the refrigerator. A fresh, clean fragrance seemed to fill the room. Despite the emotional upheaval she’d experienced while talking to Brett, she sighed contentedly.
How wonderful it must be to live in a place like this. No sirens waking you in the wee hours of the morning. No rank odors. No creepy-crawly things in dark corners.
She shivered, then headed for the kitchen area. The first cabinet door she opened held stacks of dishes, bowls, and mugs. The next held bottles. She pulled down one that was half-filled with rich amber liquid.
Scotch. The brand her stepdad only bought on holidays. Then downed like water.
Repulsed, she shoved it back onto the shelf next to a delicate glass dish. Intrigued by its etched design, she tilted it forward. A ring slipped from the dish, and Dani fumbled to catch it.
Diamonds surrounded the deep purple gemstone set in a platinum band. Enchanted by the ring’s elegant beauty, Dani slid it on her finger. It was a little loose, but she trapped it in place with her thumb and admired its loveliness. The diamonds sparkled, and she leaned across the counter to see them radiate their fire beneath one of the trio of pendant lights that hung from the ceiling.
Startled by a noise from the hallway, Dani straightened. Brett appeared, and she quickly crossed her arms to hide her hand, then shoved it into her pocket.
“I just talked to AJ,” he said as he laid a garment bag over the back of the sofa. “Apparently we need to pick up pizza.”
“Sounds fun.” She forced her voice to sound casual and hoped he couldn’t hear the pounding of her heart. Or notice that she didn’t have any water.
“According to Elizabeth and Tabby, it’s tradition.”
“Pizza is a tradition?”
“Twice I’ve brought them pizza. Only twice. Apparently now I have to every time I visit.” He gave an exaggerated sigh.
“You know you love it,” she said, her voice remarkably calm considering her pocket was laden with stolen loot.
“You’re right.” His lopsided grin revealed only one dimple. But even that was enough for her breath to catch in her throat.
Especially now that she had unwittingly become a thief. How was she going to fix this?
“Ready to go?”
No, I need you to go away so I can put this ring back where it belongs.
“Ready as I’ll ever be.”
“Before we do . . .” He perched on the back of the sofa, his hands resting on either side. “I’ve been thinking that, well, after what I told you, you know, about Jonah, about Meghan.” He stopped and licked his lips.
He’s nervous?
“I’ll understand if you don’t want to hang out or go with me to the banquet. Just say the word, and I’ll take you home.”
“Is this your polite way of getting rid of me?”
“Not at all,” he said hurriedly. “It’s just, now you know something about me most people don’t. I haven’t exactly gone around town shouting out the news I’m a dad.”
“No, of course not.”
“So now that you know the truth about me”—he paused and heaved a sigh—“I probably shouldn’t have told you.”
“I’m glad you did.” And not only because his behavior had been scandalous or because she wanted him to suffer. He’d trusted her with something important. Something personal. She doubted many women could say the same.
Maybe not even the woman who had last worn this amethyst ring.
Her conscience burned as she pushed the ring from her finger and as far into her pocket as it would go. Who did it belong to? Amy? Or an old girlfriend? He’d said he wasn’t seeing anyone, but he could still be in love with someone.
The mystery of the hospital had been solved, but another mystery had taken its place.
She shouldn’t have hidden the ring when Brett walked in on her. After all, she hadn’t done anything wrong. But now it was too late. Somehow she had to figure out a way to get the ring back in the dish before he noticed it was gone. Though it didn’t look like she was going to have that opportunity this morning.
With both hands tucked in her pockets, she came around the counter. “I’m ready if you are.”
“You’re not going to ditch me?”
She tilted her head and pretended to scrutinize him. “Not for now.”
Definitely not till this ring is where it belongs.
“Then let’s go.”