Cross My Heart (16 page)

Lacey knew he was talking about more than just the fire itself. Neither of them had brought up the issue of her uncle. Although they'd have to talk about it soon, she needed a clear head first so she could focus and make decisions. “I'm going to turn in,” she said, rising from the couch.

Ty's gaze followed her movements. All evening, they'd acted like old friends, neither touching the other, neither letting on to his mother that they'd been intimate last night and Lacey wanted to be again. She wasn't hiding their relationship out of a sense of shame or regret, but only because Ty seemed to want to keep his private life private.

But she ached to feel his arms around her and to know he cared. That
he
wasn't filled with regrets of any kind.

“If you need extra towels or blankets or anything, just let me know,” Flo said.

Lacey smiled. “I will.” She turned and headed to Ty's old room, her thoughts jumbled and in turmoil.

Thoughts about Ty, her life and her future.

 

F
LO
B
ENSON WATCHED
the beautiful young woman disappear down her back hall and she listened for the sound of the bedroom door shutting before she turned to her son.

“So what are you going to do to make sure you don't lose her again?” Flo asked.

Ty raised his eyebrows. “I don't know what you're talking about. Now that we've reconnected, Lilly will always be in my life,” he said, a diplomatic nonanswer if she'd ever heard one.

Flo picked up the television remote and shut off her favorite show. “I am not talking about friends keeping in touch with friends and you damn well know it. You've been in love with that girl since the day she moved in here. Now I'm asking you what you're going to do about it?”

Ty rose from his seat and stretched. “What I'm
not
going to do is discuss my love life with my mother.”

“So you admit you love her?”

He rolled his eyes much as he'd done when he was a child. “Don't read anything into my word choice,” he warned her. “I think I'm going to turn in, as well.”

Flo nodded. “Whatever you say. But I can tell you one thing. Few people receive second chances in life. I suggest you don't let this one pass you by.”

“I'll take it under advisement,” he said wryly.

Clearly he was humoring her. “So how long before your apartment is ready for you to move back home?” she asked.

He shoved his hands into his pockets. “Good question. I'm hoping four or five days max. It needs to be aired out, then I have a cleaning crew coming in.” He shrugged. “We'll be out of your hair soon enough.”

She grinned. “That's not what I meant and you know it. I'm happy to have you for as long as you need to stay. But I'm guessing the couch is going to be uncomfortable after a night or two.” Her perceptive gaze met his.

“Quit fishing for information,” he muttered, shaking his head.

He leaned down to kiss her good-night and strode out through the doors leading to the small alcove where Lilly's bed had once been. Flo had long since replaced it with a pullout sofa.

With both Ty and Lilly under one roof, life felt full again. It felt right. In Flo's experience, life never stayed perfect for very long. She shivered and headed up to bed, hoping against hope this time would be different.

 

H
UNTER PICKED
M
OLLY UP
at seven o'clock and together they headed to The Pizza Joint on Main Street. Anna Marie wasn't sitting on the porch swing and with a little luck, Hunter hoped she wasn't home to watch them leave. He was pleased to see not only was Molly wearing jeans and a long-sleeved black V-necked shirt but a pair of red cowboy boots that did amazing things to his libido.

Because he liked touching her, Hunter kept his hand on her back as they walked into the old-fashioned restaurant. He passed the sign that said Please Be Seated, choosing an empty booth in the back. He had his first time alone with Molly in years and he didn't want to be disturbed.

He gestured for her to slide into the booth first, then instead of sitting across from her, he edged in by her side.

“Make yourself comfortable,” she said, her eyes gleaming with questions at his seating choice.

“I intend to.” Not only did he want to take full advantage of whatever time they had together, he didn't want her to mistake his intent. He'd decided to gamble on Molly and he wasn't going to do things halfway.

“Can I get you folks something to drink?” a waiter asked, pad and pen in hand.

“Molly?” Hunter glanced her way.

She wrinkled her nose in thought. “Light beer. Whatever you have on tap is fine,” she said.

“Regular for me. Tap's fine for me, too.” Hunter couldn't help but notice the choice had flowed off his tongue easily.

For the first time in a while, he'd given no thought to ordering a martini or one of the premium vodkas he'd begun drinking as a statement maker. One that said
I've arrived
. With Molly, Hunter didn't feel the need to prove anything to her other than the fact that he cared. That said something important, he knew.

“I heard what happened at Ty's apartment today.” Molly shifted in her seat, too aware of the man sitting beside her. She could barely concentrate thanks to the tingling in her leg where his thigh touched hers.

Hunter inclined his head. “It wasn't pretty. I got there just in time.”

She placed her hand over his. “I'm sorry. I can't imagine what you must have gone through thinking your friends…” She shivered, unable to continue.

The waiter interrupted with their beers, placing them on the old wooden table and handing them menus, as well. “I'll be back in a few minutes,” he said.

“I love their pizza.” Hunter flipped the menu over to the back, focusing on the words and not on her. “I'll eat any topping you like, so just choose.”

“Someone doesn't want to talk about the fire.” Molly reached out and placed a hand over his. “Just know that I'm glad your friends are okay.”

“My family is okay.”

His words settled in her belly, telling her as nothing else could that he didn't have feelings for Lilly. At least not the kind that were a threat to Molly. Her stomach flipped with excitement and relief.

Taking his cue to change the subject, she picked up her menu. “So how do mushrooms sound to you? And maybe some onions and pepperoni?” she asked.

“Sounds delicious.” He pulled the menu out of her hand and placed their order.

Then he turned his full attention her way. They shared a large pizza and relived old law school stories. They laughed about professors Molly had forgotten all about and by the time he'd paid the check, she realized she'd smiled more than she had in ages.

He drove her back to the house and walked her to her front door. Her stomach fluttered making her feel like a teenager on her first date.

“Would you like to come in? I could make a cup of coffee or we could have an after-dinner drink,” she offered. When they weren't discussing his past or Marc Dumont, they had a lot in common and she didn't want her evening with him to end.

Hunter placed one hand on the door frame and looked into her eyes. “I'd like to.”

“But?”

He let his fingertips trail down her cheek. “But I don't think we should push our luck.” A sexy grin tipped his lips. “We had a good time. Let's do it again soon.”

She smiled. “I'd like that.” A lot, she thought.

She dug into her purse and pulled out her keys, glancing up at the same time he leaned down and brushed his lips over hers.

His mouth was warm and enticing, his kiss as sweet as it was arousing. She reached up and cupped his face in her hands, the new position allowing a deeper kiss. The minute her tongue touched his, he groaned and took over, sweeping inside her mouth with demanding energy. He kissed her like he cared and she'd had too little of that in her life until now.

She heard a scraping noise and then Anna Marie's voice. “Isn't that what's called an inappropriate public display of affection?” the older woman asked.

Hunter jumped. Molly stepped back and hit the wall.

“It's only considered public if you have an audience. We didn't,” he said to the older woman.

Anna Marie slammed the window shut tight.

“I really need to move,” Molly said, laughing.

Hunter grinned. “That's a little drastic. How about next time you can walk me home?”

She leaned her head back, meeting his gaze. “Albany, right?”

“Close enough to drive in twenty minutes, far enough away from prying eyes.” He gestured toward Anna Marie's side of the building with a nod of his head.

Molly put her key in the door, her hands still trembling from the impact of their kiss. “I'll have to take you up on the offer one day.”

“I'm going to hold you to that,” he said. And with a brief wave, he took off, leaving Molly wishing he'd taken her up on that cup of coffee after all.

T
y knocked once on Lilly's door and let himself in without waiting for her to answer. They needed to talk. Most of all, he needed to just be with her and know she really was safe. But when he stepped inside and shut the door behind him, he realized she was lying on top of his old double bed and was fast asleep.

He smiled and sat down beside her, watching as her chest rose and fell. Her face was so peaceful, so beautiful. His heart ached just looking at her. Far from getting her out of his system by making love with her, he'd only fallen harder and deeper. He reached out and brushed her hair off her cheek, letting his fingers linger on her soft skin.

He wondered what she thought about them being together last night. And he was curious to know how she'd handle that boyfriend of hers now that she'd been with Ty. All questions he wanted answers to, even though he sensed none of those answers mattered. Not to Ty's future.

Whether or not she remained with the guy, she had a business back home that meant everything to her. A life that she'd created without him. What did she have here? Painful memories and an uncle who seemed to want her dead. Ty doubted his pull could overcome those obstacles.

For now they had more important things to think about than
them.
Their priority now had to be in proving her uncle was behind the two attempts on her life.

A few phone calls earlier confirmed that although someone had broken in, there were no fingerprints to go on. No leads. Ty knew someone had to have been watching Lilly, waiting for an opportunity to strike. Ty's grocery trip this morning hadn't been routine so unless someone had been outside his apartment, they wouldn't know or anticipate Ty leaving Lilly alone. The police were investigating but that didn't give Ty comfort as long as the culprit was still out there.

The only thing they had going for them was that her uncle was turning out to be an inept killer. Thank God.

He decided right then and there to call his assistant and turn his business over to Derek for the time being. Until this mess with Lilly was resolved, Ty wasn't leaving her side.

Starting now, he thought, setting himself on top of the covers and pulling a pillow beneath his head. Then he wrapped one arm around her, snuggled her curves into his and settled in for the night.

Next thing he knew, the sun shone through the open window blinds. Beside him, Lilly lay facing him and when she stirred, her knee came into contact with his thigh.

She opened her eyes, looked directly at him and a warm smile curved her lips. “Well, this is a surprise,” she murmured.

“I came by to lure you into the kitchen for milk, cookies and late-night conversation but you were fast asleep.”

“So you decided to stay.” Laughter danced in her brown eyes, her joy at finding him here obvious.

Pleasure surged through him. “It is my room.”

She laughed. “Well at least I know now why I slept so well.”

“I'll take that as a compliment,” he said as he caressed her cheek with the back of his hand. He didn't see any reason to scare her by telling her he planned to be her twenty-four-seven bodyguard. “Seriously, are you okay?” he asked.

She nodded. “The paramedics said I'm fine and after your mother's cooking, I'm even better.”

She obviously didn't want to get into detail, but they had to touch on some important things. “I wasn't talking about physically.”

She swallowed hard. “I know. I'm trying to avoid thinking about it,” she admitted.

“I wish that was the answer.” He paused, then asked, “Do you have a will?”

She blinked in surprise at his question. “Well, yes. I wrote one recently. Alex said anyone who owns a business needs to plan for all possibilities.”

Alex. Another conversation they needed to have. This time it was one
he
wished to avoid. Coming from Lilly, the man's name reminded him better than anything else that she had another life, and everything inside him froze.

Ty cleared his throat. “A will ensures all your possessions will pass the way you want. Which means you need to claim the trust right away. As soon as you do, your uncle will have no claim to it. He'll have no reason to kill you in the hopes of getting his hands on the money.” He spoke in a clipped, businesslike tone.

Then he rose, intending to get out of bed. They were too close, too cozy for comfort.

She touched his back, her hand warm through his shirt. “Ty, listen—”

“Your appointment is in the morning, right?” he asked, cutting her off.

“Yes. And we'll talk some more about the trust fund and about my uncle later. Right now I need you to hear me out.” She paused. “Please,” she said, her tone plaintive.

He never could deny her anything. He lay back, propping his hand beneath his arms as he stared at the ceiling. “I'm listening.”

She breathed in deep. “I called Alex after you fell asleep the other night.”

He turned to look her way. In her Target flannel pajama pants and men's T-shirt, she looked so soft and vulnerable, he had to remind himself he was the one with his head on the chopping block.

“I broke it off with him,” she said, taking him off guard.

Ty tried not to overreact to the news. He couldn't allow himself to get his hopes up that her decision would affect his life. But he couldn't control the kernel of hope lodged in his chest.

A flush stained her cheeks as she explained, “Despite what happened between us, I'm not the type to cheat.”

“I know.” With her words came the realization that he hadn't been in touch with Gloria at all. Not once since Lilly's return. He had some nerve being upset about her love life when he hadn't put his own in order.

She bit down on her lower lip, pausing in thought before continuing. “After being with you, I couldn't pretend he didn't exist and I couldn't go on the way I'd been doing, either.”

“And how was that?” Ty asked.

“Well, I'd been avoiding giving Alex an answer on his marriage proposal and now I know why.”

Marriage, he thought, his stomach churning. “I didn't realize it was that serious.”

Her eyes remained solemn, her expression even more serious. She nodded. “It was an important relationship in my life. I can't deny that.” She toyed with the comforter. “I don't have many close friends in the city. My job just doesn't lend itself toward meeting people and I'm not a bar person. Alex and I had a lot in common, at least on the surface.”

Ty hated hearing about the guy, yet he also knew he needed to listen if he wanted to know what made Lilly tick. “So why didn't you say yes before I ever showed up?”

She smiled grimly. “He's a good man and he loves me. And he could give me a warm, secure future. But I always knew something was missing.”

He wondered if he'd regret asking his next question. “And what was that?”

“He wasn't you.” She reached out, touching his cheek with her hand. The simple gesture reached past his barriers and into his heart.

Every instinct he possessed told him to back off. Ty prided himself on possessing good, solid instincts but he wasn't surprised Lilly was able to overcome them. With a groan, he rolled over and pulled her into his arms, his mouth coming down hard on hers.

He felt her desperation in her kiss and in the frantic way she ripped at his clothes, her desire as strong as his. Only when they were naked, hot skin against hot skin, did he let himself calm a little. Enough to remind himself that he wanted to feel every last minute he had with her.

And he did, all the way from foreplay to climax, when he lost himself inside her moist, wet sheath, her fingers digging into his back. They lay together for a while, savoring the moment before he headed to the bathroom briefly then returned and climbed back into the warm bed.

She curled right back into him. “I can't believe you had protection,” she said, laughing.

He grinned. “The firemen said to take anything that's important because I might not get back into the apartment for a while.” He shrugged. “I took what was important.”

“You're so bad.” She snuggled backwards, her behind pressing into his groin, which had already begun to harden again.

“No, I'm good. And smart.” He pressed a kiss against the back of her head.

“And egotistical,” she said, teasing. “But we need to get going.”

So much for a second round, he thought wryly.

“Will you come with me to meet with the trustee?”

“I already put Derek in charge for a while. Until we figure out who's behind the attempts on your life, I'm not leaving your side.”

He only wished she'd never want to leave his.

“I appreciate you,” she murmured.

As she dozed off again in his arms, he wondered why that couldn't be enough.

 

L
ACEY SHOWERED
and dressed quickly. Now, as she and Ty were led to the office of Paul Dunne, the man who'd been trustee since the death of her parents, she couldn't help but shiver.

She knew from just the fact that he'd been left in charge, that he was someone her parents must have trusted. She also knew she had no relationship with him then or now. She hadn't thought much about that fact back when she was a child, but she did today. Paul Dunne had left her in her uncle's care and if he'd checked up on her at all, he'd done so from a distance. He'd probably taken Marc Dumont at his word that Lacey had been a problem child. Understanding things didn't leave Lacey feeling charitable toward the older man even if she didn't know him at all.

The woman who'd greeted them in the reception area knocked on the closed door and stepped inside, leaving Lacey and Ty waiting in the hall for a moment before she stepped out again. “Mr. Dunne will see you now.”

“Thank you.” Lacey walked inside, Ty right behind her.

An older man with gray hair and a navy power suit rose to greet them. “Lillian, it's a pleasure to meet you at last.” He came around the desk and clasped her hand. “I was so relieved to hear you're alive after all this time. You must tell me where you've been all these years.”

Lacey forced a smile. “The past is the past. I'd rather look to the future,” she told the man. “Isn't that why we're meeting? So you can explain what my parents' wishes were and how things will work from here?”

He nodded.

Lacey took that as her cue and seated herself in one of two large chairs across from his old wooden desk. Once again, Ty followed her lead and took a seat in the other chair. Lacey folded her hands in her lap and waited for the trustee to speak.

As if sensing her discomfort, Ty reached over and covered her hand with his stronger, warmer one, offering her his strength. She appreciated it more than he realized.

The older man cleared his throat. “I'd be happy to get started. However I'd prefer to discuss these matters in private,” he said, his gaze settling on Ty.

Dunne obviously wanted Ty to leave the room, but Lacey decided she was calling the shots. She was too nervous to remember anything said in this room today and another set of ears would help her recall it. Besides, Paul Dunne's cold aura gave Lacey the creeps. And the last reason she wanted Ty here had everything to do with the strange things happening around her lately. She'd be with people she knew well and trusted or none at all.

“Ty stays,” Lacey insisted.

Dunne nodded. “As you wish.” He settled into his chair and pulled out a blue-backed set of papers. “These are your parents' final wishes.”

He read through the basic terms of their will and she discovered that in addition to the huge sum of money in the trust, her mother and father's house would also revert to her. Stunned, Lacey barely heard the rest.

Finally the older man finished. “Do you understand what I just read?”

She shook her head. “I'm sorry. Can you repeat that?”

“The gist of it is you must claim the money in person on your twenty-seventh birthday or any time thereafter. Should you die prior to that date, the money is divided between your father's brothers Robert and Marc.”

Lacey shook her head. “That can't be right. Uncle Marc always said I would inherit at twenty-one.” In fact he'd counted on her signing the handling of her money over to him by then; the day she overheard that conversation was still vivid in her mind.

Beside her, Ty remained silent.

Paul Dunne steepled his fingers and met her gaze. “I can assure you these are your parents' wishes. I can't imagine why your uncle would have told you otherwise.”

“Probably because he was hoping he could have convinced her to trust him enough to sign her money over to him when she was younger,” Ty muttered in disgust.

Lacey nodded in agreement. Ty's reasoning made perfect sense, but the trustee shook his head.

“Lillian, you must admit you were a difficult child. I'm certain if your uncle misled you it was only because he knew someone with your—how shall I say it—your lack of maturity needed him more than you understood.”