Invidious Betrayal (24 page)

They held each other’s gaze, both of them refusing to look away first. “Ok,” he said, accepting that she was determined.

“Awesome,” Aria said, then she exhaled and smiled. As if a great weight was lifted off her shoulders.

It wasn’t big or even genuine but it was telling. Ian couldn’t help but stare at her as she lifted a piece of fruit to her mouth. Aria Cole continued to surprise him at every turn. He was so floored by the way her mind worked and, as he quickly processed her words, she smiled at him again as she lifted an orange slice to her mouth. This smile was genuine.

A spray of citrus squirted on her face when she bit down on the fruit. Ian lifted his hand to wipe it away, but he thought better of it and stopped inches away from her cheek, then retracted his hand. For a brief moment, Ian thought he saw a trace of disappointment cross her face before she took a tissue and wiped away the juice. When she placed the tissue back in her lap, her smile was gone, but she didn’t look sad either.

“I called the hospital,” she said, looking up at him. “I used a woman’s phone that was getting off at the last stop. I didn’t tell anyone who I was. I just asked for my mom. It was Harland who picked up the phone when it was transferred to her room. I was afraid to speak. I just wanted to hear her voice, but I guess Harland somehow knew it was me. He told me they were fine, but hung up right away.”

Thoughts swirled in Ian’s mind as he considered the possible implications. Aria shouldn’t be calling home, but Ian knew she needed to know how her parents were. In the hospital, after her father spoke to them, he’d called Harland in and they came up with a system of communication that would work for everyone. Ian promised that he would keep Aria away until he fixed this mess or the Sheriff was back on his feet. Ian and Harland would communicate by uploading pictures via a social media site using fake names. Harland would post an agreed-upon picture to relay one of several pre-decided messages. Ian would do the same.

According to Sheriff Cole, Harland was a social media whore who uploaded random pictures all the time, so no one would know the wiser. For example, when either of them posted a picture of a runner crossing a finish line, it was time to come home, or he and Aria were returning because Ian had taken care of the problem. It was what they had all agreed upon. Still he wouldn’t chastise her for wanting to know that her parents were recovering.

“I’m glad they’re doing well.” Ian told her. That was all he would say on the matter.

They switched trains in Chicago and spent the rest of their time on the train getting to know one another. They talked about their childhoods in detail. Ian learned that she was an uneasy-clumsy kid who often didn’t accomplish her developmental milestones at the expected times. She came into her own right before she became a teen.

Aria had chicken pox twice, mumps, and a score of colds but never broke any bones. She’d been stung by a bee and a jellyfish before and admitted that those were worse than getting needles, which she hated.

As far as Aria knew she was well-liked by everyone, and she explained to Ian how hard it was for her to understand why Gail had done what she did. She had instantly warmed to Gail, though most everyone in town knew a slutty story about her. Aria further explained how she didn’t listen to the gossip and befriended the buxom blonde, even though her friends and father warned her that Gail was bad news.

Ian told her about his quiet, reserved childhood; that he was considered a smart kid. Where most struggled, academics were a breeze for him. She was shocked to find that he’d finished high school early and that she was talking to a college graduate who dabbled in physics and engineering.

Ian told her about Richard, his older brother that his parents adopted several years before he was born. Richard was the only one who spoke about their mother to him, but it wasn’t often. Usually Richard would remember something out loud and when Ian inquired, he would elaborate. Other than little tidbits here and there, Ian hadn’t been given much information about the woman who gave birth to him.

Ian didn’t remember being ill much as a kid, but there was one incident he could recall. When he was ten, he’d gotten deathly ill. No one knew what had made him so sick, not even his uncle, who’d been very successful in producing life-saving drugs. Being a Senator’s son, he’d made the news when he was hospitalized for several days.

Talking to Aria was effortless and enjoyable.

After getting off the train later that night, they rented a room in a motel next to the train station. Tired and restless, Aria lay down on the queen-sized bed and thought about all she’d learned about Ian Howl. As she and Ian discussed their respective past experiences, Aria gained an increased respect and growing emotional attachment to him. She also knew that she trusted him. But Ian came with an emptiness inside that he’d pushed so deep down that she wondered if he even knew it was there.

Ian had told her during the dinner with her family that his father and brother never celebrated his birth. Aria was appalled that a child’s birth would be treated like a death, even with the unfortunate circumstances that haunted Ian’s family.

Her heart broke for the boy he had been and burned with desire for the man he’d become. He was risking his very life to protect her, and it didn’t seem to faze him at all. Ian was so determined to keep her safe, and he barely knew her. Aria wondered how passionate he would be for a woman he loved.

Oh, how she wanted to be that woman so badly, but that was crazy.

Aria sighed. Everything was such a mess and she wasn’t sure how long she could hold it together. Being on a murder list was bad enough but those who wanted her had attacked her parents just to get to her. How was she going to protect a baby from this madness, especially if Ian didn’t want any involvement with it? She had to hold it together because if she didn’t she was sure she would break and no one would be able to put her back together again.

Ian
…
what am I going to do about him
? If she could only keep herself from falling for him, well completely anyway, things would be better for her when they separated. Aria knew that when her father fully recovered her family would be disappearing without a trace. If she knew her doomsday-prepared father, he would do whatever he could to keep his family safe. If that meant leaving the life they had and never looking back she knew her father would do so with a smile. The problem was that her defenses waned when it came to Ian, so if leaving with her heart intact was the plan, that meant she would need to keep him at a distance.

That’s what she was thinking when he got in bed beside her and pulled her close last night. She should have stopped him but it felt so good just having him hold her that she didn’t object. They were sleeping together again tonight, spooning. Neither had spoken up when the man at the front desk gave them a room with one bed. Now they lay snuggled together.

Even though she knew it was not likely to happen, Aria had hoped that when he climbed into the bed next to her tonight that he would really want
her
and not just her body. She knew Ian was physically attracted to her; she could feel the huge bulge in his shorts pressing against her bottom. As much as the thought of being touched by a man again made her skin crawl, the idea of Ian’s touch had the opposite effect.
What a contradiction
, but it was true. If Aria thought that he could possibly fall in love with her, she would give herself to him right now, without hesitation. But ‘if’ was the biggest small word in the English language, and it sucked.

To even think of him falling for her after what she’d gotten herself into…it was a fool’s dream. No, she told herself, Ian is destined for some debutante whose parents are rich and well connected, not a girl who hated math and knew nothing about wine or what silverware to use at a dinner party.

Frustrated with where her thoughts had taken her and tired, Aria wanted her mind to shut down. She wanted to sleep. Just as she was relaxing, Ian tightened his hold around her waist and pulled her closer. He rubbed his face against her hair, until she could feel his breath on her neck. Then Ian positioned his head above hers, close to her ear.

He whispered, “I’ve never enjoyed speaking to someone so much. Thank you for today. Goodnight, Aria.”

“Goodnight, Ian,” Aria said quietly. In his arms, she found sleep almost immediately, feeling safe and secure.

T
HEY WERE DRESSED, PACKED, AND
boarding a bus by noon. Aria was pleasantly surprised that traveling with a man she barely knew wasn’t that bad. The trains and motels weren’t the most spacious and comfortable accommodations, but they made it work. Their destination was ever the mystery but she suspected Ian may be still working it out.

Aria was constantly thinking of her parents and worrying that Sal or Jasper was going to jump out from nowhere at any moment; but being with Ian made the whole experience bearable. He was interesting, smart, and he listened to her. Most of the guys she knew spoke too much and didn’t listen very well, if they listened at all. Ian was different, and Aria was discovering that she liked different—she liked it a lot.

Their bus turned a corner with a jerk, causing Aria to slide into Ian’s space. He braced her with one hand while he used his other hand and feet to steady the bags in front of them. The train car had been small, but Aria preferred it over this crammed-full, confining bus. In the closed-in, poorly ventilated hell on wheels, the aromas of forty-plus people merged. Gross, on so many levels.

After apologizing to Ian and righting herself, Aria closed her eyes and listened to her MP3 player for the rest of the ride, removing her ear buds only when the bus stopped and she felt Ian get to his feet.

Stepping off the bus was like stepping right into a classic show from TV Land.
My God, it’s beautiful
, Aria thought as she turned in a slow circle on the sidewalk warmed by the mid-afternoon sun. Even picturesque Land’s End had nothing on this place when it came to old-town charm and that Norman Rockwell feel. The well-maintained historic red combination train/bus station with cream trim caught her eye first. The word ‘postcard’ popped into her mind. The sign hanging from the train station said,
Welcome to Clovis County, Iowa.

When she glanced back at Ian, he gave her a ‘follow me’ nod, and she quickly fell in step with his long stride. Approaching the train station, he stopped to speak with a man dressed in clothing that suggested he worked there. While Ian talked with the man, Aria stepped back a bit and was able to fully appreciate the quaint town from what seemed like the perfect location.

The station appeared to be located in the center of Main Street. Clovis County looked to be a vibrant place, with friendly-looking people who spoke to each other as they passed on the street. Modern stores lined the pristine street on both sides, but they held an old-town charm as well. Even the fast food places seemed to have been transported back in time to a degree.

When Ian joined her, he said nothing. She was curious to know where they were going, but she wouldn’t ask. She accepted that he would tell her when he was ready for her to know.