Having spent most of his life, or what he knew of it, in what amounted to emotional outer space had its advantages, Kev reflected. He knew who he was, insofar as a bashed up, brain-damaged amnesiac could, and he was at peace with himself. Disapproval felt like the yipping of a faraway dog to him. About as significant. People could think whatever the fuck they wanted. It didn’t change reality one bit.
But that blast of icy disapproval hurt Edie. Fucking bastards never gave her a break. Or so he thought, until a slim young girl in a lavender dress detached herself from the group and ran headlong at Edie, knocking her almost off her feet in a furiously tight hug.
“Veronica!” snapped a skinny older woman with a vinegary mouth. “Come back here this instant!”
To her credit, Veronica ignored the old hag, and just buried her face against Edie’s shoulder. Yay. He wanted to applaud the kid.
“Sorry,” Edie whispered, over her sister’s shoulder. She jerked her chin towards the others. “About them, I mean. If looks could kill.”
“Not your fault.” He gave her a quick, wry smile. “And I don’t care.” He cataloged the rest of the group. The skinny, dried-up older woman who had scolded Veronica, one chubby younger one, both in evening gowns. An older guy, with glasses. Two bodyguards. One was a big, muscular black man, the other was the ass-faced gorilla with no forehead who had driven Edie this afternoon. The one who’d spit on the ground in her presence. The one who needed to lose a handful of teeth.
The stringy older broad stepped forward. “I cannot believe this,” she said. “Your father is at death’s door, and you bring this person to his bedside? Have you lost your mind?”
Edie let out a sharp breath. “Aunt Evelyn, this is my boyfriend, Kev Larsen,” she said. “Kev, my aunt Evelyn Morris.”
Her resolute dignity made him proud. He nodded politely at the woman’s empurpled face. “How do you do?” he asked, stopping short of offering his hand to shake. That would be over the top.
“I’m not enjoying this masquerade.” The woman’s voice was shrill.
Edie’s voice remained even. “And this is Tanya Morris, her daughter, my cousin. And Marta is…is Marta here?”
“She’s in with Uncle Charles,” Tanya said. “They’ll only let in one family member at a time. They don’t want him agitated.”
Edie forged on. “Dr. Katz, our family physician,” she said, pointing at the older, bespectacled guy. She nodded toward the big black man. “Robert Fraser, from our security department.” She gestured toward the Neanderthal buttface. “And you met Paul Ditillo earlier, of course.”
“Ms. Parrish, are you aware that your father’s security staff were attacked this afternoon by this man?” Ditillo asked. “Almost fatally?”
Kev rolled his eyes. “Fatally, my ass.”
Edie blinked. “I beg your pardon?”
“One of them is undergoing emergency surgery on his knee,” Paul said. “The other has a broken nose, a dislocated jaw and a concussion.”
Shit. Busted. Edie looked up at him, confused. “What’s this?”
He shrugged. “They jumped me. One grabbed me from behind. I didn’t know they were your father’s people.” He shot Paul a glance. “They should be more polite if they value their kneecaps and noses.”
Paul’s face reddened. “This man is dangerous. It’s our job to protect you, Ms. Parrish, and you are making it very difficult for us.”
Edie caught her luscious lower lip between her teeth. “I doubt Kev went off deliberately looking for Parrish security staff to assault this afternoon, Paul. You told me yourself that you sent them to follow me.”
Paul’s nostrils flared. “That’s what I expected you to say. Mr. Parrish said you were probably brainwashed.”
Edie ignored that dig. “Can I go in and see him?”
“Marta’s with him now,” Evelyn said. “He goes in and out. I assume it was brought on by the stress. Of your little escapade.”
Kev laid his hand on Edie’s shoulder. No wonder she was stressed. These people were nuts. Edie’s sanity was in such stark contrast, it seemed like craziness to them.
The door to Parrish’s room opened. A statuesque Barbie doll in shimmering gray satin and lots of bling came out, dabbing her perfect mask of makeup with a Kleenex. She saw Edie. True to theme, her mouth tightened like a prune. It aged her fifteen years in an instant.
Then she saw Kev. Her face went blank. Not the snobbish disapproval of the aunt and the cousin. This was recognition. And fear.
Her gaze skittered away. “Have we met?” he asked her.
She shook her head. “No, no. I’m sure we haven’t.” She sounded breathless. “Please excuse me. It’s just that you looked a little like…”
“Like who?” He couldn’t control the hard note of command.
Her gaze darted from him to Edie. “Um, nothing. Excuse me.” She scurried, heels clicking, down the hall, toward the bathroom.
Edie gazed after her, mystified. “What was that about?”
“Not a clue,” he murmured. But he and Blondie were going to be having a talk, sometime soon.
Edie kissed Ronnie on the top of the head, and murmured something in her ear as she pried the girl’s arms off. She put her hand on the door, and gave him an apologetic look. “Sorry to leave you alone with that.” She jerked her chin at the clot of hostility down the hall.
He smiled at her. “I’ll live.”
She grabbed a handful of his shirt. “Don’t disappear on me,” she blurted. “Don’t walk back into the pages of my novel, or into the fifth dimension, and leave me stranded here alone. That would suck. Got it?”
“Fuck, no,” he assured her. “You couldn’t pay me to leave. I’m loving this dimension.”
Her quick smile clutched his heart. “Me, too.”
She went on in. Evelyn Morris strode over, grabbed Ronnie and frog-marched her out of harm’s way. The girl stumbled along, sniffling.
He contemplated the scowls and poisonous glares coming his way with stoic calm, but it made him uneasy to be here at all. It felt counterintuitive, bringing Edie to a place where she clearly was not valued or respected. But probably only the big dude himself was authorized to commit his daughter to a mental hospital, and he wasn’t going to be signing any paperwork tonight. Kev was almost grateful to whoever had treated the arrogant bastard’s wineglass. His timing couldn’t have been better.
He’d get Edie the fuck out of here and get her home, where he could proceed to convince her of the wisdom of blowing off these brainless pinheads definitively. They could be three states away by tomorrow.
Of course, she’d never leave the sister, but whatever. The effort to convince her could be a whole lot of fun. Even if it was in vain.
He found himself entertaining vivid images of various heated methods of persuasion, and remembered that he’d given his conceal-all coat to Edie. Damn. No more sex fantasies, or these people would have cause to add “sex maniac” to his list of dangerous attributes.
Edie stumbled out the door some minutes later, eyes bleak. That sadistic son of a bitch. In a hospital bed with tubes up every orifice, and still he found the energy to make her feel like shit. He hugged her. “So?”
She leaned in toward him. “He’s strong enough to be pissed off at me,” she said wearily. “Which is a good sign, I guess. We have to wait for the toxicology report to have any idea about drugs, or poisons.”
The sphincter-mouthed aunt and cousin were still glaring.
“Babe,” he murmured into her ear. “Let’s get the hell out of here. There is nothing to be gained from talking to these people.”
“Robert and I will escort you and Ronnie home now, Ms. Parrish,” Ditillo said loudly. “And Dr. Katz will accompany—”
“She’s not going anywhere with you,” Kev said.
There was an uncertain pause.
“She needs care,” Evelyn announced to the room at large. “She’s mentally unstable. Paul, Robert, please take care of it.”
The two men started moving toward him. Kev shoved Edie behind him, and gave them a thin smile. “Keep your distance,” he said. “Or you’ll have reason to be glad that you’re in an ICU already.”
The two men had enough experience to read the energy. Other people in the area felt it, too, and stopped to look. Kev just held the head bodyguard asshole’s gaze, pushing back with his will. He was ready to follow through, if he had to. And hoping like hell that he wouldn’t. They wouldn’t want violence here. It would be undecorous, embarrassing, public. Kev didn’t want it either, it would fuck them up, and make their situation worse. But these guys wanted it still less. He was banking on that. He could not let them take Edie. Not an option.
Paul’s eyelids fluttered. “You will be hearing from us.”
“I’ll be looking forward to that,” Kev said, meaning it. He turned to the cousin, and the aunt. “Ladies. With all due respect, you can go fuck yourselves.” He turned to Ronnie. “Except for you, of course.”
He swept Edie down the hall, as fast as she could totter.
He shouldn’t have said it. It was childish, undisciplined, and it weakened his overall position, but it had been irresistible. And the shocked giggles coming from Edie made it more than worth it.
He scooped her into the elevator, silently exulting in the hysterical shaking in her slim shoulders. It would help her unload some of this tension. She took her hand from her trembling mouth.
“I cannot believe you just said that to them,” she choked out.
“Me, neither,” he admitted. The elevator opened, and he yanked her out. “Hurry. I want to put some distance between us and those people, before they lock both of us up.”
She struggled to keep pace with his long strides. It was all he could do not to scoop her up and toss her over his shoulder. Like they needed to draw more attention to themselves right now. “Do those people have a financial reason to mess with you?” he asked.
She looked perplexed. “Ah…well…”
“What I mean is, do they get zillions if you get put away?”
“To be honest, I don’t know,” she said, sounding lost. “There are so many strings attached to Parrish money, I just automatically assumed I’ll never see a penny of it, so I haven’t bothered to inform myself.”
“You need to stay away from them,” he said. “Far away.”
“See what I meant, about this being dangerous for you?” she said dolefully. “Just being near me is dangerous. Before you know it, you’ll find yourself charged with some crime, just because you were unlucky enough to find me in a bookstore this afternoon. I can’t do this to you, Kev. It’s irresponsible of me, and—”
“No!” He rounded on her, making her totter backward. “This is not your fault,” he said. “You did not put me anywhere. I put myself here. There’s nowhere else I want to be. And I’m not leaving. That’s final. So that train of thought stops right here. Everybody off that train. It is permanently derailed. Do I make myself perfectly clear?”
She stared up at him, breathed quick, and licked her lips, eyes wide. Those soft lips shone, pink and tempting. “Ah…OK?”
He stepped back, somewhat abashed. “Just so we’re clear on that.”
Edie was still owl-eyed. “Wow,” she said. “That was, ah, pretty damn masterful. You’re scary when you do that.”
He shrugged. “So shoot me. Your freaky family stressed me out.”
She looked imediately contrite. “I am so sorry about that. I told you they would attack you, and it’s the last thing I wanted to—”
“Do. Not. Start.” He bit the words out.
Edie cleared her throat. “Ah. Yes. So what now?”
“Home,” he informed her, trying to sound masterful. “My home.”
“Edie? Thank God you’re still here. I was afraid I’d missed you.”
They jerked around. A tall, handsome guy in a tux was loping down the corridor towards them. “Your aunt told me you just left.”
He grabbed Edie, and hugged her. And kept on hugging her. And on, and on. Edie looked startled, and a little smothered. Kev counted the seconds. One. Two. Three. Four. Fuck this shit. He tapped the guy’s shoulder, not gently. “Hey. That’ll do. Back off.”
Blue eyes looked up, from where the guy’s face was nuzzled voluptuously in Edie’s hair. “Excuse me,” the guy said, all innocence, as he detached himself. Too slowly. “I didn’t know you were, ah…” He glanced at Edie, waggling his eyebrows. “That he was, er—”
“I am,” Kev said. “And we are. Keep your hands to yourself.”
The guy lifted his hands with a chuckle that annoyed the shit out of Kev. “Whew! I didn’t mean to, ah…whoa. No offense.”
“None taken,” Kev lied, after a meaningful pause. “Yet.”
The man turned to Edie, reaching out to her. Jerking his hand back when he intercepted Kev’s gaze. “I’m sorry, Edie,” he said to her. “It’s been a hell of an evening, and I was so grateful when I heard that Charles’s condition was stabilizing. You must be so relieved.”
“I am,” Edie said quietly. “I look forward to finding out what actually happened to him. They still need to run a lot of tests.”
“I hope you’ll keep me in the loop.” The guy stared at Kev, his eyes lingering on the scars. “This is the friend that you spoke to me about?”
Kev was startled. She’d spoken about him to this plastic putz?
“Yes, it is,” Edie said. “Kev, this is Desmond Marr, the vice president of Helix. Des, this is Kev Larsen.”
Marr held out his hand. Kev stuck out his own. He didn’t want to shake that slobbering wanker’s paw, but he didn’t want any scenes, either. Not worth upsetting Edie. The guy’s smile was perfect for a male underwear catalog. He couldn’t bring himself to smile back. Not tonight.
“I asked Des if he might put you in touch with someone who could help you search Dr. O’s old research archives,” Edie told him. “I’m sorry, I meant to tell you before, but we got, um, sidetracked.”
Kev was taken aback. It seemed so improbable, that just asking somebody politely could actually yield answers that might help him. And this oversexed asswipe was the last person he’d have expected help from. Maybe he just had a negative attitude. God knows, hanging out with Edie’s family would bring the latent negativity out in anybody.
Desmond Marr was nodding enthusiastically, a big grin all over his face. “I’ve already made some phone calls. My colleague Dr. Ava Cheung in research and development is looking forward to meeting you. She’s not sure what she might find, since Helix didn’t exist eighteen years ago, but she’ll give it a shot. I hoped to catch up with you so we could get going on this. Give me your data, OK?” Marr pulled out his cell phone, punched open the address function and waited.
Strange, that this news didn’t jangle his bells more. Or jangle them in a more pleasing way. Kev just wanted to smack this guy.
“So?” Marr prompted, a hint of impatience in his voice. “Tomorrow, then? Can I have your number? Or your card?”
Kev glanced at Edie. “Have you got his number?”
“Right here.” Edie reached into the bosom of her gown, and whipped a wilted business card out. Drawing Marr’s interested gaze to her luscious cleavage in the process.
Kev snatched the card from her. It was warm, from being nestled against those firm, lovely tits. “We’ll call you,” he said. “Depends on what’s happening with Edie, and her dad. We’ll be in touch.”
Marr’s smile froze. The realest split second that Kev had sensed so far. Then the smile switched on, cheerful crinkled eyelids and overly bleached teeth. “Sure. That’s great, then,” he enthused. “I’ll wait for your call.” He made a move to kiss Edie, but Kev stepped in front of her.
“Nah,” he reminded the guy, smiling real big. “None of that.”
Marr’s eyelids tightened. “I think you have the wrong idea. I—”
“Not at all,” Kev said smoothly. “It’s just late, and Edie’s had a really long day. So, then, ah…good night.”
Marr’s smile faded away. “Sure,” he said. “Whatever. Call when your busy schedule permits.”
Kev waited for the guy to turn the corner, and scooped the sputtering Edie into the circle of his arm to hurry her the fuck up.
“Why were you so rude?” Edie demanded. “For God’s sake, don’t you want to look through those archives?”
The elevator to the parking garage pinged. He hustled her in and waited for the door to close. “You don’t know why?” he asked. “You have no idea? Think about it for a minute. Search your memory for clues.”
She made an exasperated sound. “I am too tired for games. Tell me, or else take me straight home to my own apartment. Or better yet, I’ll call a car.” She hesitated. “But I’ll have to borrow your cell to call it.”
He snorted. “That guy wants to fuck you,” he said.
Edie stared up at him, her face blank. She really, truly was oblivious to all that testosterone whipping around. Granted, she was selective about who she tuned in to, but that was pretty clueless, for a psychic. And after being grabbed and kissed and groped, too.
The woman truly had no idea how gorgeous she was. The smudged makeup setting off those incredible eyes, lipstick worn off the soft pink of those cushiony, kissable lips. Tits spilling out of the dress. Any man with a goddamn pulse would want to mount right up.
He certainly wanted to, at his earliest opportunity. He dragged her out into the garage. No more interruptions, no more distractions.
She stumbled awkwardly beside him. “But he…but I…no way!” she protested. “You’re way off base. I’ve known him since I was fourteen, and he’s never…I just don’t believe that—”
“Shhh.” He lifted her up, placing her against the concrete wall of the parking garage and wedging his thighs between hers, so that she straddled the aching bulge of his cock. “Believe it. That guy wants to fuck you. But he’s not going to. Because you’re mine.”
She stared into his face, her thighs tightening around him. Her cheeks were going pink, and the corners of her mouth were quivering.
“Actually. I’m not disputing that, Mr. Masterful,” she said demurely. “On the contrary.”
“That’s fortunate,” he informed her.
“I didn’t mean to make you jealous,” she went on. “I was just trying to help. In the search for your past. If you still care, that is.”
“I care plenty. It’s just that my brain’s on override. I think it’s the dress. And since you’re, ah, completely in my evil thrall, and all that—”
“Excuse me?” The quiver in the corners of her mouth was becoming a genuine uptilted curve. “In your evil thrall, am I?”
“Totally,” he assured her. “You’re brainwashed, remember? Assface said so.”
Her giggling snort made his spirits soar. “You mean Paul?”
“Yeah. So I figured to take advantage of the situation,” he said. “Take you home. Show you my big bed. My big condom stash. Stake my claim, six or seven more times. Seal the deal. What do you say?”
“Oh. Mmm,” she murmured, her sooty eyelashes sweeping down.
She steadied herself on his shoulders, and he stared down at the perfect curves and angles of her. He couldn’t wait to let those perfect tits bounce tenderly, free of restraints like God intended. “I know some excellent brainwashing techniques,” he coaxed, kissing her throat. “You’ll be begging me to make the orgasms stop. So you can rest.”
“Wow.” She leaned into his caresses. “Sounds intense.”
“It will be,” he assured her. “Your problems will be a distant dream. You’ll lie there, too tired to flutter your eyelids, and I’ll deliver the final blow. Hand feeding you fudge ripple ice cream.”
She hid her face against his neck, her shoulders shaking. “Make it Dulce de Leche, and I’ll do your bidding for all eternity.”
Yes. “There’s an all-night grocery two blocks from my house,” he said quickly. “All eternity, then. It’s a deal.”
He meant for the kiss to be a quick, glancing contact, a seal-the-bargain sort of kiss, and a promise of more to come, but he couldn’t lean away. She was so soft and sweet. That tender mouth, those soft lips, that shy, sweet tasting tongue. She was delicious.
She leaned back, panting. “One condition,” she said.
He took the opportunity to drag in some badly needed oxygen. “Condition? What condition?”
She stroked his face, thighs tightening hungrily around him. “That you let me brainwash you back,” she murmured huskily.
Kev noticed, as he grinned like a fucking fool, that the scar tissue on his cheek was stinging a little bit less than before. He must be stretching the scar tissue out. Limbering it up.
“Oh, babe,” he said hoarsely. “I was counting on it.”