Crimes of the Heart (17 page)

Torn from the haze of passion, she nodded numbly. A bubble of happiness sprang up as she watched Devon race down the stairs. His concern for Sean warmed her even more than his leather coat did. In that moment, she realized that fate had sealed them together for the rest of time; Sean was their precious, unbreakable link to each other. A ray of sunshine broke through her doubts about their future.

The clean, male scent of him, captured in the folds of his coat, lured her to stick her arms through the sleeves and hug it to her tightly.

Thrusting her hands in his pockets she met resistance in the right one. It crinkled under the pressure. Tentatively, she withdrew the paper.

“What do you have there?” Tessa asked, sliding closer.

Unfolding it gingerly, Jewel recognized the sheet instantly. Quickly, she read, and then reread the official document. A chuckle escaped of its own accord.

“Hey, what’s so funny?” Tessa nudged her in her side.

“It’s a speeding ticket, dated today, isn’t that great?”

Her redheaded friend leaned forward and faced Bree’s puzzled look, and then asked, “What planet does she come from? A speeding ticket is great?”

“Must be love.” Bree shrugged. “That’s all I can figure.”

Jewel barely registered the continued speculation among her friends. Pressing the wrinkled paper to her chest, she knew Devon had apparently lost track of time while working, but, once aware of his error, he’d rushed to the field, earning himself a ticket in his haste.
All for the sake of Sean.

The leaden weight from earlier dissipated. Hope replaced it, flowering as she came to a life-altering decision. The gamble for her future would be well worth the risks involved. At least she prayed they would be. Only time and Devon would tell.

Devon dodged a few stragglers returning to their seats as he made his way to the sidelines to find Sean. “Excuse me,” he threw over his shoulder as he nearly upended a lady’s box of popcorn. Absently, he thought she looked like someone he’d gone to high school with. He couldn’t quite tell by the overall short, round appearance of the woman. But there had been something in the sharp, narrow-eyed look she’d sent him that tugged at a hurtful memory. He shrugged it off, renewing his mission to talk to his son.

In the back of his mind, he couldn’t shake thoughts of Jewel as easily. His body still hummed in electrifying pulses just from being close to her minutes ago. He swore he heard her musical laughter floating down from the stands. The beautiful sound caused him to tingle all over.

The way she looked at him when he’s joined her had sent a mixture of awe and heat charging through his system. Her simple acceptance of him showing up late, of her forgiveness, brought him up short.

Why can’t I do the same for her?

With the instantaneous awareness that sprang up between them still scorching his blood and branding his soul, he wondered if he’d ever get enough of her.

“Hey, Mr. Marshall.” Kev waved as Devon approached the roped off area where the players warmed up for the second half.

He smiled at the freckle-faced kid whose scraped jaw showed signs of his accident and the clean uniform he wore nearly swallowed him whole. “I hear you need a new skateboard.” Nodding to the boy’s bandaged left arm, he frowned, asking, “Is the coach letting you play like that?”

“Naw. Not really. I’m just holding the ball for field goals and stuff.”

“Good. Sean and I are going to need you to help with fixing up the haunted house.”

His blue eyes widened. “Cool!”

Speaking of cool, where’s Sean?
Checking out the sea of young boys preparing for the last part of the game, Devon failed to spot his son. “Could you do me a favor, Kev, and ask Sean to come talk to me?”

“Sure thing, Mr. Marshall.” He sprinted off to the other end of the bench.

The moment Kev reached Sean, Devon sensed the dejection in his child. The slumped shoulders and the way he scuffed his cleat across the grass spoke volumes. Something twisted inside him.

Kev pointed Devon out. Suddenly, Sean’s head snapped up and a big smile transformed him back into the happy-go-lucky kid Devon had come to know and love. Slowly, he walked along the rope line to greet his son as Sean’s footsteps ate up the yards separating them.

The red, raw scraps and scratches on the boy’s face had faded some in the last three days and the bruises darkened to a purplish-blue. “Hey, sport, nice uniform.” He gulped hard. “Number twelve.”

“Same as Roger Stauback’s,” they said in unison. Chuckling together, Devon’s anxiety lightened.

“And yours when you were in school,” Sean added softly.

Sobering, he noticed the way Sean refused to look directly at him. “Your mom must have told you.”

“I’ve seen pictures of you in her yearbook.”

Remorse for his callus behavior swamped him.
How can I make it up to him? You can’t.
“Listen, I screwed up royally by coming late. As much as I’d like to, I can’t change that. I’d love to see you play though and maybe later you, your mom, and I can go out for a burger or something and talk about it.”

This time, Sean caught his gaze and held it for a moment. The cloud of hurt slowly lifted from the depths. His heart squeezed at what he’d done to his son.

Suddenly, a wide grin broke through the boy’s pained expression. “Can Kev come, too? Mom was going to drop him off afterward since his mom’s working late tonight.”

“Sure, why not?” Devon realized he’d been saying that a lot lately. The easy acceptance was totally out of character for him, but in the end he’d always received the greatest reward.

“Thanks, Dad, you’re the coolest.”

This time proved no exception. Thick emotion clogged his throat and he could only nod at the touching compliment. Clearing his throat, he said, “Ah…they delivered the supplies for your mom’s greenhouse today. Think you and I could get it put up when I come back from my trip?”

His whole face lit up and he nodded eagerly. “Man, this is going to be the best. I can’t wait until mom sees it when it’s all done. She’s gonna love it.”

“It’s our secret ’til then, right?”

“You betcha. Gee, Dad, she’ll love you forever for this, I just know it.”

As Sean ran off to join his fellow players in a huddle, Devon’s heart swelled to overwhelming tenderness.

If it took him the rest of his life he knew he could never find a way to thank Jewel for allowing Sean to see him not as someone who’d run away from her, but as a loving, caring man. And, most important of all, he’d never be able to adequately thank her for doing a damn fine job of raising their child to be a forgiving person, something he hadn’t ever been taught, nor could learn now.

***

Later that night, Jewel gulped in a deep, shaky breath as she stood outside Devon’s office. She wiped her sweaty palms along her jeans. The strangeness of the situation didn’t fail her notice. Living in this house once again dragged up memories she’d have preferred stay buried.

Just then the cat brushed against her leg, and then sat back on its haunches as if waiting for her to get on with it. The feline lifted his head to look at her and thumped its tail on the floor.

“All right, you don’t have to get pushy about it,” she muttered under her breath, thinking the cat must be able to read minds or something.

For several moments, she stared at the refinished oak door, recalling other times when she’d been rooted to the spot when she had to face her irate father. She soothed herself with the knowledge that she’d done nothing wrong this time. The assurance didn’t ease her anxiety one bit though; the information she’d share with Devon would ultimately change her life. For the good or bad, she couldn’t quite determine just yet.
That’s the whole problem.

Squaring her shoulders, she tapped lightly on the solid wood. Absently, she wondered if Devon had even heard the light series of knocks.

“Come in,” he called out.

With a damp hand she twisted the knob, and then shoved the door open. The cat zipped by her, and then hopped up into one of the empty bookshelves. From his perch, he eyed her speculatively and licked his paw. Moving into the almost barren library, Jewel shook her head at the strange feline.

In the back of her mind, she thought how she longed to get her hands on this room in order to restore it to its former grandeur, only with Devon’s unique stamp on it this time. She turned all her attention to him now, detecting his distinctive male scent teasing the air.

He sat behind his desk bathed in a pool of light from the one lamp resting on the corner of his large, oak work surface. His brow furrowed as he stared at the small screen of his computer.

“Damn,” he swore, punching another key.

A nervous smile tugged at her mouth. “If you’re too busy maybe it will be better if I come back another time.”

“No, that’s all right. I’m not getting anywhere with this today.” After he stabbed at a few more keys, the screen went blank. Devon leaned back in his chair and dragged a hand through his hair. “So, what can I do for you?”

The way he captured her stare, she wondered if there was a hidden meaning behind the innocent words. Her nerve endings jumped when she caught a flash of desire in his green eyes and noticed the wicked grin transforming his features. A delicious lick of heat curled low in her belly. She nearly moaned.

Rising, he placed his hands on the desk, saying, “You know, since this thing was delivered, I’ve had this fantasy of loving you on it.”

The erotic image practically robbed her of her common sense. She clung to her mission, warring with her body’s responses to this sexy man. “Devon,” she said hoarsely. “I…why is it you always distract me?”

His chuckle came out strangled. “I can say the same for you. I haven’t gotten half the work done I anticipated these last three days. And what I have accomplished needs more corrections than I dare confess to.”

Somehow his admission brought her a calm reassurance in what she had to do. It allowed her to see him as vulnerable and human, something he’d have taken great pains to hide even as late as last week.

Cocking her head, she shot him a genuine smile. “Now, Mr. Marshall, if you’re already having problems concentrating, don’t you think making love in here will make it worse the next time you work?”

He stepped from behind the desk, shifted Sean’s baby book out of the way, and then sat on the corner with his arms folded. “You do have a point there, Mrs. Marshall.” He lifted a brow, asking, “So what do I owe this pleasure to?”

A sudden fluttering sensation gripped her. She inhaled slowly, and then released it along with the momentary panic. “There’s some things I have to explain first before I can tell you why I’m here.”

Shooting her a puzzled look, he said, “I’m not sure where you’re leading, but go right ahead.”

“You may not like it,” she cautioned.

A grimness settled around his mouth, but he nodded for her to proceed.

“Well, to tell you the truth, I’m not going to like it either.”

His frown increased. “So why do it at all?”

“Because it has to be said.”

“You’re not making sense here, Jewel.”

Shaking her head, she said, “Oh brother, I’m really messing this all up.” Pausing for a moment, she collected her thoughts. “I’m scared, Devon.”

He tensed noticeably. “Of me?”

“No, never
you
. It’s…well, let me go back and try to explain.” She blew out a breath, and then wandered to the bookcase where the cat lounged. Scratching his head, she went on, “For years now, since you left, I’ve led this life pretty much free of any kind of threat. Oh, I know I was thrown out on my own and had to scramble to make a living and everything. But the pressure to find out what happened between our fathers was gone.”

“No one else gave a damn except me,” he choked out.

Turning to face him, she witnessed the raw pain chase across his features. Something twisted inside her. “I don’t think that’s true. I think your mom did, she just couldn’t allow it to show through, that’s all.”

Shrugging, he cleared his throat. “Go on.”

Sighing, she tried to find the right words. “The moment you arrived in town, my security was shaken. First, with Sean.”

“I swear, I’ll never rob you of him.” The vehemence in his tone rocked her to her core. Her heart swelled in awe and overwhelming love.

“Thank you,” she whispered, having considered the worst a time or two since he’d found out about their son. Her chin trembled slightly and she tried to go on with her former train of thought. “By security I also mean emotionally. You’ve never made it a secret that you plan to destroy my father. Yes, I know how ruthless and power hungry he was. I even know how he manipulated people to get what he wanted out of them. I lived it, remember?”

“What I can’t understand is how your mother allowed it to happen.”

An ache swept through her at the mention of her mother. “She was trapped. He’d taken everything from her, but, most important of all, he took away her self-confidence and she let him. Looking back, I can see it so clearly. He wasn’t evil, mind you, just a desperate man hungry for love and that’s the only way he knew how to get it, or so he assumed.”

Devon rose and paced, entering the deepest shadows of the long room, and then reemerging. “Jesus, dollface, how can you not hate him for what he’s done to your mother and to you?”

“I think a part of me will always dislike him for how he behaved. But I can still love him. I’ve made my peace with both. That’s why your returning to town bothers me so much. He was all those things. But he was never a criminal in my eyes.”

He stilled. The inadequate lighting cast gloom across one side of his face. He turned slightly so now soft fingers of illumination landed on his eyes, allowing her to see the skepticism there. “Not even once?”

Shooting him a tremulous smile, she shook her head. “Not until today did I realize why I’ve been so against your uncovering the secrets of the past. Oh, I’m still worried about Sean and how it will affect him. But, I discovered that I’m scared for me, too. What if all your allegations are proven true? Then how can I face that?”