Safe With You (23 page)

“No luck?”  I shook my head and went back to stand by the floor to ceiling windows looking out over the Manhattan skyline.  “She said she didn’t hate me, but that
’s a far cry from forgiveness.”

“Do you think she’ll tell her dad?”  I shrugged my shoulders, “I don’t know.  That’s the least of my worries right now.” 
He scoffed at that, “Speak for yourself, man.  I don’t want to get fired.”

“You won’t, if it comes to that I won’t drag you down.  I’ll take full responsibility.”  He seemed satisfied with that and went to explore the apartment that was our new home for the time being.  It was well after midnight by the time I felt tired enough to sleep.  My room was right across the hall from
hers and I stood outside her door for a long time before heading to bed.

After years in the military my internal clock woke me up before 6:00 am, and I quickly showered and dressed.  The smell of coffee and pancakes hit me when I walked into the hallway, noticing that
her door was still closed.  My partner was already in the kitchen charming the housekeeper into an extra helping of pancakes.  “Oh, hello.  You must be Wyatt.  I am the family’s housekeeper for 20 years.”  I smiled and held out my hand, but the short older woman with white hair pulled me into a surprisingly strong hug.  “This handsome fellow here tells me you’ve been taking care of our little girl.”  My partner smirked at me over her head.

“Uh, yeah.
  We’ve been making sure she’s safe.”  She patted my arm affectionately.  “Good.  Good.  She is like my granddaughter.  She was such a scared little thing when her parents brought her home.  But now…now, she is a beautiful young woman.  A bit too skinny though.”  She made a tsk tsk sound, and then shooed me to the dining room with a huge plate of pancakes.

My partner
had grabbed the newspaper and had just unrolled it when I walked into the room.  His mouth dropped open when he saw the front page.  “Oh, shit dude.”

Her
reaction to our provocative picture in the paper this morning was not at all what I expected.  When I saw that picture I thought for sure we were over.  But she laughed at it.  After climbing over the table to get it.  I have to admit that was pretty hot.  Now she was lying on the massage table with some guy’s hands all over her body.  I’m pretty sure he’s gay, but still, I don’t like anyone else touching her.

With her reaction to the picture this morning and the way she looked at me when she came out to the pool in her bikini, I was hopeful that she would be willing to talk to me soon.  However, as the day went on she didn’t look at or speak to me again, and the sense of dread settled
back in the pit of my stomach.

She
and her cousin spent the rest of the day lounging by the pool, drinking strawberry daiquiris that the housekeeper made for them.  Her cousin stayed through dinner and late into the evening, effectively blocking my chances to talk to her alone.  As soon as her cousin left she quickly said goodnight and went to her room.

My partner
was making use of the pool out swimming laps, so I threw on some gym shorts and hit the treadmill in the home gym.  Five miles later I threw in the towel and headed to the shower and then to bed.  Sleep didn’t come easily, and I ran through my mind over and over what I would say to her when I had the chance.

The next morning I smelled coffee the secon
d I left my room, and I knew the housekeeper was already here.  I passed the gym and saw my partner on the treadmill, and I knew she wouldn’t be up for hours.  So, I seized this opportunity to pump the housekeeper for information.

“Good morning, Mr.
Hunter.  What would you like for breakfast this morning?”  I gave her a warm smile and replied, “Whatever you’re making is fine with me.”  She patted my arm and motioned to the stools on the other side of the large island.  “Sit, sit.  Keep me company while I cook.  She is never up this early.  It’s nice to have someone to talk to.”  This might be easier than I thought.  I settled on one of the stools and took a sip of the coffee she set in front of me.

“So…you’ve know
her since she was a little girl?”  She nodded, her back to me as she mixed together ingredients for an omelet.

“She was so small and quiet when she came to live here. 
But so beautiful with her long hair and big green eyes.  She was afraid of the dark, still, at nine years old.”  I stared into my coffee cup and wrapped my hands around it, careful not to squeeze it as hard as I wanted to right now.  She continued, “It was two years before she unpacked the small suitcase she brought with her and stopped keeping it under her bed.  I think she was always afraid they would send her back.”

I kept my head down, not wanting
her to see the tears pooling in my eyes.  I knew she had a hard childhood, but my heart was breaking for the little girl with big green eyes that wouldn’t unpack her suitcase.  The housekeeper came over to stand at my side and soothingly patted my back.

“She’s a strong young lady now, Mr.
Hunter.  But I think you already know that.  Whatever you did to make her mad, she just needs time.  She may not be quick to trust or forgive when that trust is broken, but she’s a smart girl.  She won’t let something wonderful pass her by.  Don’t give up, Mr. Hunter.”  I looked up into her warm smiling eyes, wondering how she knew about us, but not bothering to question it.  “Please, call me Wyatt.”

She
came out later in the morning, still in her pajamas, and grabbed breakfast and coffee to take back to her room.  She stayed in there the rest of the day until her cousin came over for dinner.  The girls ate out by the pool and it was clear that my partner and I were not welcome to join them.  I paced the length of the living room, never having been much of a patient man. Her cousin brought their plates in and grabbed a bottle of white wine out of the fridge and two wine glasses.  This was my chance.  I cornered her in the kitchen and asked her for a favor.

***

“This was when you joined forces with Lindsay to get me in that limo.”  He smirked at me, “Yup.  Remind me to thank her for those pigtails.”  I swatted his chest, then smirked back with a wicked gleam in my eye.

“Do you want me to wear pigtails right now? 
Pigtails and nothing else?”  His lips parted and his eyes darkened.

“Let’s skip ahead a bit in the story to the night before we went to visit my parents for the first time.”  He started talking faster, and I knew we wouldn’t get through the whole story tonight.

***

Seeing
her come out the door onto the terrace was like getting the wind knocked out of me.  I don’t know how she could have become more beautiful in the 10 hours since I had last seen her, but she was.  So beautiful with her hair loose around her shoulders, her dress falling to mid-thigh showing off her long legs and bare feet.

She smiled when she saw me, her eyes lighting up like a kid on Christmas morning.  I hoped she would smile at me like that forever.  It was a smile she reserved for me, and I loved it.  I loved her. 
“Hey, you.  When did you get back?”  She asked as she walked over and sat on my lap throwing her arms around my shoulders in her way that told me she trusted me with her life and her heart.

“I got back a couple hours ago. 
Your housekeeper makes a mean pot roast.”

“Yes, she does…you looked so serious out here, are you thinking about tomorrow?”  I nodded, “Yeah, but now I’m thinking about you.  Did you have fun today?”  I asked pulling her
against me so I could kiss her neck and inhale her delicious scent.  She moaned lightly when I kissed her neck and wriggled on my lap, making me instantly hard.

“
Mmmm, what?”  I chuckled and leaned back so she could answer me without being distracted.  “Did you have fun at the salon doing whatever it is you do there?”  She gave me a wicked smile, “Oh, yes.  I have been polished from head to toe and everywhere in between.”  Huh?  “Uh, what exactly does that mean?”  She moved so she was straddling my lap and I got even harder, if that was possible.  Her warm breath tickled my ear right before she whispered, “Everywhere.”  She nipped at my ear and I set my hands firmly on her waist to stop her squirming.

“Sorry,” she said
, moving off my lap and curling up next to me instead.  Her sexy smirk let me know she wasn’t the least bit sorry.

***

My hips had starting moving all on their own again, and Wyatt rolled me under him, whispering in my ear, “To be continued…”

The End
(for now)

Keep reading for a sneak peek of Lindsay’s story…

About the Author

Kirsten DeMuzio
is the author of
Safe With You
, her debut novel.  She and her husband, Tony, live with their two young daughters in Columbus, Ohio with their beloved golden retriever, Whiskey.  Visit her on Facebook for updates on her upcoming books.

Keep reading for a sneak peek of
Lindsay’s story…

Sneak Peek
of Lindsay’s Story…Coming in Fall 2013

Looking around the room Leah said, “Josh isn’t here yet, so we can hang out at the bar for now.”  I quickly looked around too and sighed in relief when I didn’t see anyone I knew - translation Grady.  With some effort Leah perched her pregnant self on a tall bar stool, and I took the one next to her.  The bartender greeted us with something that sounded like a grunt and said, “Hey, Leah,” before moving away to fix a drink.  Leah leaned closer and whispered, “That’s Ford.  He comes across as a kind of an asshole, but he’s really a nice guy deep down.  Cute too, don’t you think?”  She nudged me with her shoulder and winked.  I rolled my eyes at her obvious attempt to set me up.  She had no idea the last thing I was looking for was to be set up with a stranger.

“Yeah, he’s pretty hot.  But I’m not really looking to date anyone right now,” I replied hoping she wouldn’t push it any farther.  Ford came back over to us and set a glass of ice water with lemon in front of Leah.  He looked at me, scowling and raised an eyebrow.  Leah ordered for me, “She’ll have a Lemon Drop Martini.”  Ford rolled his eyes and walked away.  My eyebrows furrowed in confusion, “Was that his way of asking me for my order? 
Because, if so, he really sucks at his job.”  Leah laughed, “Yeah, he’s a tough nut to crack.  Ford was a star quarterback in high school and got a full ride to college.  He was set to be a first round NFL draft pick, but he hurt his leg his junior year and his football career was over.  Now he’s back home working here.”

My attitude toward the surly bartender softened slightly.  It would be devastating to have the world at your fingertips and then have it taken away in the blink of an eye.  I would probably be in a constant bad mood too.  When he set my drink down in front of me I smiled kindly at him, but he didn’t return it.  Oh, well.  I guess I wouldn’t be adding Ford to my list of new friends.  So far Leah was
the only person on that list.

I took a sip of my drink and made a face at the sugary sweetness.  Leah noticed my expression and apologized, “Sorry.  That’s my favorite drink and if I can’t have it I want to at least be able to smell it.”  I laughed and pushe
d it toward her, “Sniff away.”

While Leah was busy inhaling the sickening sweetness of my drink, my mind wandered back five years to Grady talking about some of his friends.  I think he had mentioned somebody going off to play football, but I’m sure his name wasn’t Ford.  It started with a W - Wells or Walker or somethin
g like that.  “Hey, Leah?  What is Ford’s last name,” I asked holding my breath and praying she said Smith or Jones or anything that didn’t start with a W.

She moved the drink back in front of me and said, “Walsh. 
Ford Walsh.” 
Son of a bitch.
  Well, there goes the only friend on my list.  Once Leah and Josh and Ford found out I’m the crazy bitch who broke their friend’s heart five years ago, they wouldn’t want anything to do with me.

“Lindsay?  Are you okay?  You look a little pale,” Leah said looking at me with a worried expression on her face. 
“Um, yeah.  I’m fine.  I think I should probably get going though.”  I started to lower myself off the bar stool, but Leah grabbed my arm.  She was freakishly strong for being so tiny.  “Oh no you don’t.  You’re not going anywhere until after we have something to eat.  I’m starving.  If Josh doesn’t get here soon there’s going to be hell to pay.”

As if on cue the front door opened and a guy I assumed to be Josh walked in.  His eyes lit up when he saw Leah and I could see from here that he loved her very much.  “Hey baby,” he said smoothly, coming over to hug Leah and run his hands over her huge belly.  “How are my two best girls today?”  I was pretty positive he wasn’t talking about me, so I assumed they knew they
were having a girl.  Another twinge of sadness pulled at my heart, but I smiled as Leah introduced me to Josh.

“This is Lindsay.  She’s Lana’s niece and she’s going to be filling in while I’m off work.  And she’s my new best friend because she took me to get my nails done,” Leah giggled and wiggled her fingers and toes.  Josh kissed her hand before reaching over to shake mine.  “It’s nice to meet you, Lindsay.”