Pass Interference (8 page)

Was that really panic he’d heard in her voice when she called? She was such a fucking good actress, she could be playing a scam on him, for whatever reason. Maybe she was pissed off because except for the one tiny lapse, he gave her a wide berth. Of course, that little lapse—the kiss that had scorched his balls—was giving him trouble, too.

There was a possibility this could just be kids making expensive mischief, but Rafe had a feeling that wasn’t the answer. Tyler certainly had enough losers who’d passed through her life that one of them could be seeking revenge now. Whoever this was, he didn’t think they wanted to harm her. Not yet. This was more about frightening her. Maybe driving her back to him, whoever
him
was, where he could offer safety and protection. And exactly who would that be? Not the losers she picked up in bars, a string of one-night stands he was sure was longer than the ticket line at Southern Bank Stadium. Anyone investigating this would definitely have a full-time job.

He had to figure out the best way to approach this. It was important to let Tyler know she had to take precautions, that she needed to make drastic changes to her lifestyle. The viciousness of the act made Rafe think this was not the first time this asshole had reached out to her. What else had happened? Would she tell him if he asked? Someone had to find out what was going on and take the proper steps with her and for her. He sure as hell didn’t want it to be him. Not when that one kiss was an indication of the sexual chemistry waiting to explode between them

Shit.

A headache brewed as he felt himself getting sucked into the whole thing.

He was still standing in the driveway, trying to organize his thoughts, when the front door opened, and he looked up to see Tyler standing there. Immediately he felt an unexpected and certainly unwanted punch to the gut that just looking at her gave him. Big problem.

She blew out a breath. “Pretty bad, isn’t it.”

He was struck by the fact there was none of the usual bravado in her voice.
Oh, no
, he told himself.
Don’t let sympathy take over here. She is what she is, no matter what. And that spells trouble.
He needed to wear his matter-of-fact cloak.

“But fixable,” he assured her. “All it takes is your plastic to pay for it. Right? You didn’t need me. You could have called a garage to tow it.”

She jerked as if he’d slapped her. Her entire posture changed. She hugged her arms around herself as if in protective mode. “You think I called you to help me get new tires? Listen, I guess this wasn’t such a good idea after all. Go on back to your own little world. I’ll handle this.”

Well, jackass, could you be any more hostile or insensitive?

She was his boss’s daughter. No matter what he thought of her and her lifestyle, he needed to be courteous at least. Besides, he could see how shaken she was by this, even though she was desperately trying not to show it.

With a deliberate effort, he softened his tone. “Tyler, listen, I’m—”

“Never mind.” She bit off each word, her chin lifted defiantly even as a semblance of something resembling pain flashed across her face. “You’re absolutely right. I’m probably making too much out of nothing. I’ll take care of it like you said. I apologize for interrupting your evening. You can just go on back to whatever you were doing when I called.” She paused. “And whoever you were doing it with.”

Guilt washed through him. Yeah, jackass was the right name for him.

“I’m sorry, Tyler.” He tried to make his voice reassuring. Pleasant, even. “Really. I didn’t mean that the way it came out. Just that you’re lucky the tires are all that got damaged. That there was an immediate solution for it.” He swallowed. “And I’ll be happy to help you with that.”

She didn’t move, just looked at him for a long moment. Her defensive posture was so easy to read. In a minute, she’d tell him to go to hell just to protect herself.

“I think I just overreacted, because…”

He cocked an eyebrow. “Because what? Is something else going on here?”

She looked hard at him then sighed. “You might as well come in. I mean, if you want to.”

“I do.” He shoved his phone back in his pocket. “I’m coming. I just took some pictures of the tires. For your insurance company,” he added.

She stood back to let him enter the town house. As he brushed past her, something delicate teased at his nostrils, the faint scent of wildflowers. Probably whatever soap or shampoo she used. He wondered fleetingly and foolishly what she looked like without any clothes on. Was her skin as creamy all over? Was it soft to the touch? His hormones that seemed to have a mind of their own where she was concerned stood up and did a jig, until he sent them a mental death ray. Maybe he should stick his balls in the freezer so his brain knew to chill out.

“Thank you for coming over.” She spoke the words in a stilted, formal tone, jarring him back to the present. “I appreciate it.”

“Of course.” What was he supposed to say? Kurt Gillette might not have the best relationship with his daughter, but Rafe owed him enough to answer a call for help from Tyler.

“Would you like some coffee?” Still with the stiff voice. “I have a lot of different flavors.”

“Sure. Thanks. That would be great. Just regular if you’ve got it.” Drinking coffee might take some of the discomfort out of the situation, although if he were smart he’d get the fuck out of there.

He followed her into the kitchen, hitching himself up onto one of the stools at the serving counter while she busied herself filling mugs. He took a closer look at her in the light. Scrubbed free of makeup, her face had a clean, fresh look that surprised him. It was the same look he’d seen at Al Dente before she’d run to the restroom and slathered the goop on with a trowel. He liked this one a lot better. Her sun-streaked blond hair was pulled back in a careless ponytail, emphasizing skin that minus all the makeup was almost translucent.

The damp ends of her ponytail were an indication she had showered not long before he got there. She wore a short-sleeved faded T-shirt and flannel pants, both worn-looking. Hardly the outfit he’d expect the princess to wear at home. He couldn’t help noticing the drape of the flannel pants against her hips and the curve of her ass before they flared over her legs. Without thought, his gaze was drawn to the way the soft material of the tee draped over her breasts. It was obvious she wore no bra, the way her hard nipples poked at the soft fabric. Were they rigid because of him? Did he do that to her? Was she reacting to his presence?

Shit! Again!

Think of ice cubes. Freezing weather. Dead fish. Anything to control the raging hard-on that popped up so suddenly it shocked him. This was Tyler, the woman trying to convince the world she was the sluttiest woman in the city. Maybe in the state, and Texas was a big state. The woman at the top of his Do Not Fuck list. He certainly didn’t need her to see his disobedient cock poke at her with the mother of all boners. He shifted position enough to keep the free-standing counter as a barrier between them.

When she turned to hand him a filled mug, he was stunned at the look of vulnerability he saw on her face. Her clear gray eyes, framed by surprisingly dark lashes, held an unexpected sadness, as if life had disappointed her. Then it was gone, so suddenly he wondered if he’d just imagined it. Or hoped for it.

“Let’s go into the living room and sit, okay?”

What could he say? I have to hide my misbehaving dick? Instead, he pulled in every thread of self-control and followed her into the large room. She perched on the edge of the couch, so he took the armchair opposite, crossing his legs so one ankle rested on the opposite knee. Camouflage. Okay. That worked.

“Do you have any idea when this happened?” he asked.

She shook her head. “Obviously after dark but I wasn’t really paying attention.” She cradled her mug in both hands. “I sat out on the patio for a long time.”

“How come your car wasn’t in the garage?”

She squirmed a little on the chair and took a sip of her coffee before answering him. “I thought I might go out later.”

“Oh.” Well, that was no surprise. Was there ever a night she stayed home? Not for the first time he wondered how a woman like Tyler Gillette, who had everything going for her, could throw away her life so easily.

“Don’t say what you’re thinking.” She glared at him. “None of the…people I meet know where I live.”

He chuffed a sigh of exasperation. “Tyler, you aren’t exactly unknown. Your face has been in the media as many times as the mayor. Unless the guys you pick up are deaf, dumb, and blind, they know who you are. They can easily find out where you live.”

For a moment pain slashed across her face. Then, as with the other expressions he’d seen, it disappeared, replaced by a carefully arranged mask.

“I’m sure you realize it’s not my face they’re looking at.” She took another sip of her coffee before she focused her gaze straight at him. “Look. I’m sorry I bothered you. This was a bad mistake on my part. I just got a little freaked when I went outside and saw…what I saw. Yes, I can fix it with my credit card. Even get the dealer to send someone out with the tires and change them.” She twisted her lips. “Like you said, I’m Tyler Gillette. I can just wave my plastic.”

“I didn’t mean—”

“No, no, no, it’s all right.” She looked down at her feet. “You’re right. It’s probably just some neighborhood kid. I panicked. Again, I’m very sorry I disturbed your evening.”

Well now, didn’t he just feel like shit? He could see she was desperately trying not to fall apart over this. Just having her tires slashed wouldn’t be something she’d feel compelled to call him about. No, this was no neighborhood prank, no matter what she said. There was something going on here he didn’t know about and had no idea how to get her to tell him.

Maybe if you’d quit being such a judgmental shithead it would help.

The image flashed into his brain of her standing in the open doorway hugging herself, as if she might fall apart. Now he noticed that her hands were trembling, even though she gripped her coffee mug tightly. Okay, this was more than just someone slashing her tires. He should have figured that out right away. She wouldn’t allow herself to bother him if it was just this one incident.

Yes, dickwad. You’re the smart security agent who’s supposed to be able to read a situation.
Maybe he needed virtual reading glasses.

“Have there been other incidents in the neighborhood?” he asked, trying to keep his tone even and calm.

She shrugged, but it didn’t quite come off as nonchalant, if that was what she’d intended. “I don’t exactly socialize with my neighbors, so I wouldn’t know. You think that’s what this is? Kids up to trouble around here?”

No, he didn’t. And looking at her face intently he saw the tiny lick of fear in her eyes. He set his mug on the table beside his chair, uncrossed his legs, and leaned forward, elbows on knees.

“What’s really going on here, Tyler? What else is happening that I don’t know about?”

She wet her lower lip, a gentle swipe of a soft pink tongue that sent unwanted messages to his hormones. Somehow all those years of discipline were slowly eroding.

“What makes you think there’s anything else?”

“Because you’d never have called your father’s head of security,” he answered, “if you thought this was just a kid’s prank.”

He watched her nibble on her lower lip, her forehead creased in thought. He’d been such an ass she probably regretted calling him at all. But if something bad was happening to her, he at least owed it to Gillette to find out what it was.

“Tyler?” he prodded when she still didn’t say anything. “I’m asking you again, what’s really going on here?”

She wet her lips again. Immediately he had a vision of that same tongue licking his cock. He had to deliberately suppress the surge of hunger that raced through him.
Jesus, Rafe. Get your shit together.
But the damn sizzle between them seemed to be growing hotter and brighter. And though she hadn’t given any indication except that incendiary kiss, his gut told him she had the same reaction. Double damn.

“Um, well…” She clutched that coffee mug as if it were a lifeline.

Okay, there was definitely something going on here, besides unbridled lust on his part. Deliberately he yanked his eyes away from her nipples, now as big as gumdrops pressing against the flimsy fabric of her T-shirt. If he could just get his mouth around them—

Shit. Damn. Fuck. And any other curse words he could think of.

“Yes?” he urged again.

“I’ve, uh, had some hang-up calls.”

“Hang-up calls?” Not good. Not good at all. “When and how many?”

She took a healthy swallow of her coffee, avoiding direct eye contact. “A bunch over the past couple of weeks.”

He frowned. “What do you consider a bunch?”

She nibbled her lower lip, her forehead creased in a slight frown. “Um, it’s not all that bad. I don’t think.”

“Well?” he prompted. “I didn’t think the question was so hard.”

Suddenly the words just tumbled out. “It started with just a couple of calls each day, then escalated to about four.”

“A day?”

Was she fucking kidding? Did she even realize she had a stalker? Anger surged through him with a violent force. It took a supreme effort of will to maintain his calm. “That many in just two weeks? Jesus, Tyler. Why didn’t you change your phone number?”

“I did. Three times. Got the new one just today. And I only gave it to the people I really trust. I’m being very cautious about who gets it.”

“Did that work?” He wanted to know. He didn’t like the sound of this.

She brushed a few loose strands of hair from her forehead. “Sort of. I mean, no calls, but, uh…”

“But uh what?” he prodded.

“Tonight he sent me a text.”

Rafe wanted to bite nails. It was like trying to pull a barnacle from a ship. “Did you ever get a text before?”

She shook her head.

“But you got one tonight. At your brand-new number.”

She nodded silently.

Rafe swallowed his irritation. This was like digging for worms. “How about you get the phone and show it to me.”