Dangerous Embrace (Embrace #1) (18 page)

Stop! Stop! Stop! Forget it, Sarah! He’s bad news—this is a bad idea.
She hugged herself for a moment trying to get her bearings, and then she stood and finished getting ready.

It took her ten minutes to decide on what to wear. She appraised herself in the full-length mirror. The black, twill, tight-fitting pencil skirt tapered down her legs to below the knee with a nice, little, center slit in the back. The tops of her high-heeled black leather boots got lost behind the bottom of her skirt. To add a little color, she chose a deep blue, button-up blouse that tapered in at her waist.

“Dressy enough?” she whispered with a frown. “Definitely not that dressy.” But she didn’t have the time or energy to look for something nicer.

When she came out of the bedroom, Mark and Jamie were on the sofa watching TV together. Mark looked at her, and his jaw dropped in slow motion.

“What?” she asked, looking down, thinking she’d forgotten something important.

“Wow.”

“What?”

“You look incredible,” he said, wide-eyed.

She raised one eyebrow. “Hmm, you sound so surprised.”

“Ah—not surprised, struck dumb.” He cleared his throat. “I’ve never seen you in anything but jeans and sweats. I guess we better pick a fancier restaurant, Jamie.”

“Thank you, but anywhere is fine. I’m just happy to get out of the house, and you can hardly call this fancy.” She walked toward her coat closet, feeling self-conscious now.

“We were thinking about cheeseburgers.”

“I love cheeseburgers.” She smiled over her shoulder at Jamie. He blushed again and turned away.

Before she realized he’d gotten up, Mark was at her side, helping her with the jacket.

When he rested it on her shoulders, he whispered, “If you want to get his attention, let’s take the car.”

“I’ll get the keys if you move your truck.”

Five minutes later, Jamie stared at her car with a big grin, unable to hide his face now.

“Cool Shelby Mustang! Is this your car?” he said in a sweet, little boy voice.

Sarah nodded and Mark laughed.

“Well, check it out—I get to drive!” he bragged.

“Awesome,” Jamie said, looking up at his dad.

~

Mark was right, the car did it. Jamie started talking and didn’t stop until they were driving him back to Ali’s house.

Sarah realized when Mark asked Jamie if he was ready to go back to Mommy’s house that she’d have to tag along with them. Her stomach gave a nervous jolt, but she didn’t let Mark see her nerves. She’d had a good time with them and she felt good. It’d been a long time since she’d laughed so much.

She wasn’t surprised when Ali’s home turned out to be another big square track house in a new development.
Boring.

Mark walked around the car to open Sarah’s door and then reached in and took her hand to help her out. When she was out, he lifted the seat for Jamie. She turned to get out of Mark’s way as a woman stepped out of the house.

The first thing Sarah noticed about Mark’s ex-wife was that she was beautiful, even with a large protruding belly. She expected a monster, having prejudged her for cheating on Mark. Instead, she faced a very pregnant blond, dressed in sweats with her long hair pulled into a ponytail.

Sarah, despite her prejudice, tried to plaster a smile on her face, determined to behave herself.

Mark turned and was surprised to find Ali behind him. She held her arms crossed above her belly and looked thoroughly annoyed.

“Oh—hi,” Mark said with the same big smile he’d worn most of the night.

“New car?” Ali looked at the car like it personally offended her.

“Ah...Sarah.” He looked over at Sarah. “This is Jamie’s mom, Ali. This is my friend, Sarah.”

He placed his hand on Sarah’s lower back when he introduced them.

“Hi.” Ali nodded at Sarah without uncrossing her arms.

Sarah smiled at her and said, “Hello,” in the sweetest voice possible.

“It’s Sarah’s car,” he said, not giving in to Ali's accusatory tone. “Okay, big guy, give me a hug. I’ll see you Friday night.” Mark reached down and grabbed Jamie in a big hug.

“Goodbye, Jamie, it was nice meeting you,” Sarah said, still using a sickly sweet voice.

When Mark came back to her side, they simultaneously reached out and grabbed each other’s hand. Sarah suppressed an evil chuckle as she watched Ali’s expression change from annoyed to pissed off.

“Bye, Sarah,” Jamie piped in before bouncing into the house.

Ali turned without saying anything.

“Bye, Ali,” Mark said.

Ali gave him a wave over her shoulder and entered the house.

When they were in the car, Sarah rested her hand over her mouth to hide the evil grin. “Sorry, I couldn’t help having a little fun with her.”

“Yeah, I enjoyed that a little too much, too.”

“How can she have the nerve to be jealous after what she did to you?” Sarah said with a little edge in her voice.

Mark steered the car away from the curb. “She’s usually much friendlier. I’m not sure what her problem is tonight.”

“I guess she hasn’t met any of the girls you’ve dated since the divorce?”

“Nope.” he grinned. “Maybe I should have rubbed it in a little sooner.”

“Does it bother you that she’s pregnant?”

He glanced at her briefly and said, “Yes.”

She felt a little pang with his admission but couldn’t find the words to respond.

“Wasted time." He exhaled a long breath. “I always wanted a big family.” He shrugged. “No big deal. If I only ever have Jamie, I can live with that too.”

“So you’re not still in love with her?”

He shook his head. “I’m not sure I was ever truly in love with her.”

“What do you mean by that? You talk about her like you miss her.”

“We were kids when we got married—best friends. Should have stayed that way. We kind of got our lines crossed and neither of us had the nerve to give up.”

“Can men and women be just friends?” Oh God, had she said that out loud? What the hell was wrong with her mouth today? She could’ve smacked herself. Wasn’t she expecting that from him now? Friendship and nothing else.

He stared at her for a moment, and she knew she’d given him the wrong idea.

“You don’t think so?” he asked.

She pretended to consider her answer. “Yeah, I actually have lots of men friends.”

Of course they were all gay. Geez, this conversation was going downhill fast. Now she sounded like a hypocrite—or a slut at best.

Mark’s mouth tightened into a frown. “Was it a
friend
who gave you the scar?”

“No.” She snickered and rubbed her eyebrow. “Clearly he wasn’t friendly.”

“It’s not funny. Domestic violence isn’t funny.”

This time she snorted out a laugh. “You’re telling me.”

“You’re making light over the fact that someone you once loved and trusted punched you in the face. I don’t get the joke.”

“What else can I do? It happened. I can’t change the past. But don’t worry, you won’t find me in that position ever again.”

He chuckled now, though it lacked humor. “Oh...okay, now I understand.” He shook his head and bit on his lower lip. “That’s why you’re such a loner. You cut yourself off from people because some asshole couldn’t control his temper.”

“You shouldn’t assume I’m not happy with my life.”

“Why don’t you tell me what upset you—earlier when you met Jamie.”

She turned toward him. “What are you talking about?”

“I saw the expression on your face.”

“Let’s go inside,” she said, and reached for the door handle.

“What will it take to earn your trust? Why won’t you talk to me?”

“There’s nothing to talk about—nothing to break down and analyze. I’m only a victim of my own poor choices.”

“Bullshit, Sarah.” Mark shook his head and exhaled heavily. “That’s a famous line spoken by battered women all over the country. No man should ever hit a woman—no matter the reason.”

“It’s more complicated than that.” The heat from his anger radiated off him in waves. She wished she could open up to him. He had done a lot for her, but she didn’t trust herself to talk about this. The wall she’d built wasn’t strong enough to withstand letting him in and still maintain her own self-worth.

“Of course it is...” He pulled the door handle. “Let’s go inside. It’s been a long day.” He got out of the car and came to her door to open it for her.

When she stood and faced him, their eyes met and Sarah took the chance to ask him something that had bothered her since they’d left Ali's house.

“Does Ali know why you and I are...” She lowered her eyes.

“Absolutely not, and I wouldn’t tell anyone anything unless I had to.”

She nodded. “It would make me sick to think about her feeling sorry for me.”

“Don’t worry. The only person she’s feeling sorry for is herself.”

Sarah’s head shot up. “Why?”

"Ali likes being the prettiest girl in the room, and you...beautiful you,” he said, poking her nose softly with his index finger, “have completely crushed her feeling of superiority.”

Heat rushed her cheeks. “Thank you,” she said, and laughed.

“Did I miss the joke?”

“The joke is,” she leaned in close to his face and whispered, “I wasn’t even trying.”

He looked her up and down when she took a step back. “In that case, I can’t wait until you try.”

Sarah changed into sweats and joined Mark on the sofa. He picked up the remote and flipped through the channels until he found the news.

Spending time with Jamie improved his mood a great deal. Unfortunately, their conversation brought him back down a notch. She regretted that her past had ruined yet another day for her. She’d had a good time hanging out with Mark and Jamie, but she couldn’t change who she was or where she came from.

When she heard the familiar sound of the Channel Two news anchor’s voice, she looked up and caught the headline.

...third sexual assault in Sonoma County within a week, the police suspect a serial rapist…

Mark’s phone vibrated on the side table and he snatched it up. “Brian...” He closed his eyes. “Yeah, it’s on the news.”

Sarah walked into the bathroom and paced, taking deep breaths to keep from being sick. When she felt more in control, she went back to face Mark.

She stood in the doorway to the living room and listened to Mark’s side of the conversation. And as she listened, it became painfully clear that he hadn’t been honest with her.

“Call me back when you have more news, I gotta go—” He began to stand, but froze halfway up. “Wait, what aren’t you telling me?” His face paled a shade before he straightened. “Oh my God.”

Slowly he closed his phone and turned to Sarah. His expression changed from trepidation to concern. “You okay?”

She gently crossed her arms over her chest. “You haven’t been honest with me.”

“What do you mean?”

“Really? Do you think I’m stupid?”

His shoulders slumped. “Sarah...”

“Tell me what information Brian just gave you.” She inhaled deeply to regulate her breathing. “According to the news, there have been two other attacks in the last week, one today. Did Brian tell you about the second attack?”

She sat down before she lost her nerve and collapsed. She hated being lied to, and she wanted answers, honest answers. His lies scared her more than what she saw on the news.

“Let’s sit down and I’ll tell you whatever you want to know.”

“I am sitting! Mark, did Brian tell you about the other rape?”

“Yes.”

She shook her head in frustration. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I didn’t want to ruin your day. You were finally feeling better and...” His eyes lingered on the floor. He took a step back, stuffing his hands in his pockets. “I apologize for not telling you.”

“What did Brian tell you on the phone?”

“They’re sure it’s the same guy that attacked you.”

“What else?” she asked, clamping her hands together to hide her jumping nerves.

“He...uh...wanted to make sure I was keeping an eye on you. Brian believes you’re still being targeted.”

Sarah bowed her head and scrubbed her face with her hands. He was stalling—keeping things from her. Lying. She wasn’t stupid. She could see right through his stammering bullshit.

Mark stepped forward and reached a hand out for her. “Are you all right?”

She pushed it away. “Why? Tell me why he believes that. What new information did he give you?”

He stared at her without speaking, obviously trying to get his lies in order before he said too much.

“I am not a child. Stop treating me like one. I don’t like not knowing—this deceitful behavior isn’t okay with me.” She fought to control her temper, trying not to overreact. She wanted to trust him, but if he kept secrets, how could she?