Say You Need Me (18 page)

But she wasn’t only worried. She missed him.

A lot.

Which was one helluva surprise to her.

But it was true, she realized. Without a doubt, she missed Darrell. Having practically been joined to him at the hip these past few days, she’d grown accustomed to his presence. In fact, she could hardly remember what her life had been like before he’d come into it.

Ever since meeting Darrell, her life had been a whirlwind of excitement. The threat of real danger aside, the excitement was, to a degree, stimulating. Exhilarating. At least, that’s what she’d realized today as she sat at her desk in the library office, which is where she’d
always
sat, Monday to Friday, for the past six years. She didn’t want to be here, not today. She wanted to be with Darrell, searching for her family’s heirloom like she should be.

The fact that doing so made her feel like she was living out a story she would otherwise only read about in a book was simply a bonus.

No one—certainly not her co-workers at the library—would have expected anything other than predictability from her. And car chases and house break-ins were certainly not predictable.

If she was trying to throw caution to the wind, she was doing it in grand style. And she’d no doubt knock ten years off Kiana’s life before this search for the necklace was through. Yet for the first time in all her years, she felt truly alive…though she had a sneaking suspicion that whether or not there was any danger involved with this search for Cecil, she’d still feel amazingly alive—and that had everything to do with the tall, dark, and too-fine Darrell Montford.

Hell, she felt wonderfully alive every time he touched her, every time he
looked
at her. Was that normal?

A soft sigh fell from her lips as Serena thought of him, thought of his magnificent body clad only in shorts. There was something about him that made every nerve in her body scream with sexual awareness, and that was something she was not used to.

But it was most definitely something she found she liked.

Perhaps too much.

Serena wanted to get to know Darrell better, and only hoped she had the opportunity to do so. Because there was so much about him that intrigued her. He was mysterious. A deep thinker with a sense of responsibility that astonished her. But he had a lighter side, a side that often made her smile.

Yeah, she missed him.

The phone rang, startling her. With lightning fast speed, Serena’s hand shot out to grab it. “West Kendall Public Library.”

“Hello,” a man said. “I’m wondering if you can tell me whether or not you have a book.”

“Oh.” Disappointed, Serena slumped forward on her desk. “Sure. What’s the title?”

Serena spent the next couple of minutes on the phone with the library patron. The moment she hung up, she dropped her head onto her desk.

Then, inhaling deeply, she sat up and pulled herself together. Determined to put Darrell out of her mind, she went back to cataloguing new library items on the computer.

A short while later, Phyllis, another of the library’s workers, interrupted her. “Your sister’s here,” Phyllis announced. “You want her to come on back, or will you go out to meet her?”

“Send her back here,” Serena replied, pleasantly surprised by the diversion. Finishing up an entry, she pushed her chair back from the computer and stood as Kiana sauntered through the door.

“Hi, sis,” Serena said, walking toward her.

“Hey, Serena.” Kiana stopped short when she saw her. “Whoa. You look nice.”

“Oh.” Serena smoothed her hands over the ruby-red sundress she wore. “Thanks.”

“You’re not wearing your glasses.”

“Contacts.”

“And your hair. What’d you do? Go to the salon this morning?”

“What? Can’t a girl do something a little different now and then without getting the third degree?”

Kiana half-nodded, half-shrugged. “I guess. You do look nice.”

Serena spread her arms and was about to give Kiana a proper greeting when a small frown marred Kiana’s pretty face.

Serena dropped her arms to her sides, her eyebrows bunching together with concern. “What’s the matter, Kiana?”

“Nothing, really.” She shrugged. “I can’t seem to get any work done at home today, so I figured I’d use the computer here.”

Serena gave her sister a skeptical look. “You sure that’s all?”

Kiana waved a hand, dismissing Serena’s concern. “Uh huh. And I figured I’d come by to see if there’s any more news on the Cecil front. Any word yet?”

“No. Darrell’s gone back to Cecil’s house in the Grove
today, though, to see if he can find anything we might have missed.” Serena’s eyes ventured to the phone. “He’s supposed to call me if there’s any news, but I haven’t heard from him.”

Kiana slumped into the chair Serena had vacated minutes earlier. “Well, I have a bit of news.”

“Uh oh.” If her sister’s body language was any indication, the news wasn’t good. “What?”

“Nothing bad,” Kiana quickly said. “The background check on Darrell came back clean.”

“I thought it would,” Serena commented. But still, a smile spread on her face. It was good to know her instincts had been right where Darrell was concerned.

“Cecil, however, has apparently been in trouble all his life. He’s gotten a ton of
gifts
from women, which seemed to be quite a lucrative deal for him.”

Serena sat on the edge of the desk. “Tell me about it. You should see his condo on the beach, Kiana. Not to mention his house in the Grove. Darrell said he’s also got a villa in Montego Bay.”

“That one I heard about,” Kiana said. “Geoff said some woman left him the villa in her will.”

“How old was she?” Serena asked, mildly surprised.

“I have no idea.” Kiana tsked. “I don’t understand why that wasn’t enough.”

“Neither do I,” Serena said.

“Geoff did tell me that you’re not the only one he’s stolen jewelry from. A couple other women have filed complaints.”

Serena balled a fist against her lips, thinking. Then she said, “Either he’s gotten into something and needs money badly, or his lavish lifestyle is too expensive to keep up.”

“I left the printout with all the info at home, but the
two other women who filed complaints are Tamara something-or-other—”

“Tamara!” Serena exclaimed. “That’s the woman from the bar! My God, I wonder if she’s the one who ran us off the road.”

“Given the fact that Cecil stole a small fortune from her, I wouldn’t doubt it.”

Serena stood tall. “We need to try and reach these other women. Talk to them, see what their mind-set is. Maybe one of them is out to get Cecil.”

“You’ve got to be kidding.”

“No.” And the adrenaline rush was back. “If we can talk to them, question them, then it’s quite likely we can figure out who’s threatening Cecil’s life.”

Kiana gave Serena an incredulous look. “Did you change your name to Shaft?”

“I think it’s a good idea.”

“What are you going to say if you talk to them?” Kiana asked.

“I don’t know. Fish for information. Tell them I’m also one of Cecil’s victims,” she added proudly, as if the idea was a stroke of pure genius.

“As if anyone’s gonna admit to trying to hurt him.” Kiana reached for Serena’s hand and gave it a firm squeeze. “Let the police handle this.”

Serena simply shrugged.

“Serena…”

“Have you ever known me to do anything stupid? Besides getting involved with Cecil,” she added, flashing her sister a wry grin.

“I’m concerned about you,” Kiana said in reply. “And rightly so.”

Serena didn’t respond as she drifted off in thought.

“Serena?”

“I was just thinking,” she began, already moving toward a different computer, one with internet access. Her sister quickly followed her. “I told you that Darrell found something pertaining to an online auction site at the house, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Gosh, why didn’t I think of this before?”

“What?”

“Checking the internet for a listing of online auction companies. I know about E-Bay, but that’s it. There’s got to be more, however.” Her eyes lit up as she glanced at her sister. “If Cecil has the necklace up for auction, I can try to find it. And if I find it, I can find out who he sold it to, if he already sold it.” She paused, thinking as she accessed the internet via the computer. “If he hasn’t, then I can let the auction company know that the necklace has been stolen, and maybe they can stop the auction.”

“What a good idea.”

Serena sat before the computer. “I don’t know if it will work, but at least it’s something to try. I’m sure reputable auction companies don’t want to sell stolen goods.”

“I can talk to Geoff about what’s done in situations like these.”

Serena glanced up at her sister. “You and Geoff are still pretty tight.”

“Of course. We’re still friends.”

“Uh huh.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You turn to him for advice for
everything
.”

“Like I said, we’re friends.”

“Whatever.”

“Don’t give me that, Serena. You know why our relationship didn’t work.”

“I know what you told me, but I also see how you are every time you mention his name.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Your eyes light up. You talk highly of him all the time, thinking he can solve every problem. Almost like…” Serena paused for dramatic effect. “Almost like you’re still in love with him.”

Kiana rolled her eyes. “Oh, please.”

Serena’s eyes narrowed on her sister. “
Try
and tell me I’m wrong.”

“Aren’t you supposed to be looking something up online?”

“That’s what I thought,” Serena replied, knowing she’d proven her point.

Through her peripheral vision, Serena saw her sister glance at her watch. “I’m gonna leave you down here and head upstairs. I’ve got to get this article done. But if you hear anything about Cecil, come get me, okay?”

“Sure.”

Kiana hurried off, and Serena chuckled to herself.
That’s it, sis. Run away.

A blind man could see Kiana was still madly in love with Geoff Winters.

Serena went back to work, much more content to think of Kiana’s love life than the inexplicable feelings she was having for Darrell.

Later that evening back at home, Serena ran to
answer the door when she heard the knock. Peering through the peephole, she breathed a sigh of relief.

She opened the door. “Darrell!”

“Hey.”

He stepped into her apartment and slipped out of his sandals. “Man oh man.”

Serena closed, then locked, the door. “What? Did something happen? Didn’t I tell you to call me at work if something happened?”

“I figured I’d see you soon enough.”

Serena felt a niggling sense of disappointment. She’d practically gone crazy not hearing from him all day, yet he’d barely given her a second thought.

Darrell strolled to the living room. Feeling like an idiot, Serena followed him. He’d breezed past her as if she was wearing a burlap sack, not the beautiful red sundress
everyone had complimented. For the first time since hanging with him, she actually looked attractive—and Darrell hadn’t even noticed.

Serena sat on the sofa’s armrest. “So, what happened?”

“Well.” Darrell sat near Serena on the sofa. “I didn’t get to search the house for anything because the cops were there when I showed up.”

“What?” Serena asked, instantly worried.

“Apparently, the housekeeper went there this morning, found the place ransacked, and called the cops. They wouldn’t let me in. Besides, I couldn’t very well go in there and search for clues with them around.”

“Who’s the housekeeper?”

“I don’t know. She wasn’t there when I got there, and they didn’t give me her name.”

Darrell stood and walked to the patio doors. Serena watched his back muscles expand and contract. Then her gaze dropped. For the first time, she checked out his butt—really
really
checked it out. It was firm and shapely. Strong.

She sighed. Lord, what a beautiful behind.

Darrell peered outside, then turned to face her. His hard stare knocked some common sense back into Serena.

After a moment, Darrell said, “I was thinking—”

“Well, I did some—”

They spoke at the same time.

“You did some what?” Darrell asked.

Serena moved her butt from the armrest to the sofa’s cushy area. “I did some investigating at work. I checked out the biggest online auction companies, but I didn’t find any listing for the necklace. I don’t know if that means it was already sold and I couldn’t get info on it, or
if Cecil never listed it. In any case, I couldn’t find anything, so without Cecil’s computer, that’s a dead-end.”

“Hmmm.”

“Now, what were you going to say?”

Darrell strolled to the sofa and sat beside her. “I think I did a half-assed job searching the condo. I mean, I didn’t even look for a little black book, and you know Cecil’s got to have one. Maybe he has it on him, maybe he doesn’t, but I’ve at least got to head back there and check it out.”

“I think you’re right. We’ve been spinning our wheels, hoping we’ll happen to find Cecil. But if we can figure out who his friends are, we can probably find out who he’s staying with.”

“Not only beautiful, but smart, too.”

Darrell’s comment caught Serena off guard. “Excuse me?”

“Nothing,” he said, with a wave of the hand.

Serena stared at him curiously. Did his comment mean her dolled-up appearance hadn’t been lost on him? She rarely wore her contact lenses to work, much less a nice dress versus comfort clothes. Yet as she’d glanced at her image in the mirror before leaving for work, she’d liked the look. It was more…feminine. Why didn’t she dress that way more often?

Darrell’s eyes lazily roamed over her, as if he was noticing her for the first time. “You look really nice.”

“Thanks.”

“That’s a nice dress.”

Serena couldn’t believe it—she actually blushed! She glanced at the floor, hoping Darrell couldn’t tell. “Thanks.”

“I miss the glasses, though.”

Serena’s head whipped up.

“Not that you don’t look good without them,” he quickly amended. “I don’t know. They add character or something.”

A small smile lifted Serena’s lips. Truth be told, she preferred the glasses as well. And in her heart, it mattered that Darrell did, too.

For a moment, Serena thought Darrell would say something else, but he didn’t. As she looked at him and he back at her, neither said anything, and Serena suddenly felt awkward.

Because she wanted to kiss him, but she didn’t know if he wanted to kiss her, and she sure as heck didn’t want to make the first move.

But she’d long ago thrown caution to the wind, so why not go after what she wanted?

Darrell abruptly stood, leaving Serena cold with the gush of air resulting from the sudden action.

“Anyway.” Darrell began pacing the floor in front of the sofa. “Like I said, I didn’t get to search the house because of the police, but I called home and work to see if Cecil left any messages for me.”

“And?”

Darrell shoved his hands into his pockets. “And nothing.”

“Maybe he wants to talk to you in person if he’s in trouble.”

“Maybe. I also called his villa in Jamaica, just in case. There was no answer. That doesn’t mean he’s not there, but I don’t think he is.”

“Why not? That might be the best place for him to have taken off to.”

“Yeah, but I just have a feeling he didn’t leave Miami.”

Serena gave him a quizzical look. “Is that one of those psychic connections or something?”

Darrell nodded slowly. “Kind of. I guess we’ve always had it, in a vague sort of way. I always sensed when Cecil was in trouble…but maybe that’s because he was pretty much always in trouble.” Darrell smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes.

Serena leaned forward, linking her fingers. “All right. So you want to head back to the condo and look for a little black book?”

“Yeah. But first, let me call home again and check messages.”

Darrell walked to the loveseat and sat, then lifted the receiver from the adjacent end table that held the phone.

While he made his call, Serena’s mind drifted. Darrell seemed completely comfortable in her space, but more so, she liked having him around. Having him here felt natural. Right.

She wasn’t exactly sure why. But she did know that the thought of Darrell calling home, a place that was far from here, bothered her. It reminded her that he had a life he’d return to once they found Cecil.

“Pen,” Darrell suddenly said. He snapped his fingers to indicate the urgency.

Serena glanced anxiously around her living room. After a moment, she saw a pen and pad of paper on the coffee table. She picked them up and hurried to give them to Darrell.

He scribbled down a number, then hung up.

Serena looked at him expectantly.

“Cecil’s housekeeper. She left me a message.”

“What did she say?”

“She said to call her,” Darrell replied, already punching in the digits to the number he’d written down.

“Nothing else?”

Darrell held up a finger to Serena, silently telling her to wait. After a few seconds, he frowned. “Hello, I’m trying to reach Mariana. This is Darrell Montford, Cecil’s brother. Please give me a call at—” His eyes went to Serena. She scribbled her number on the pad and he repeated it into the phone.

Darrell repeated Serena’s number, just to be safe, then added, “I’ll be here this evening, so if you can call me tonight, that’d be great. Thanks.”

He hung up and stood to meet Serena. “Okay. Guess that means I have to wait for her call and head back to Cecil’s condo later.”

“That could be a while,” Serena said.

His eyes suddenly fell to hers, darkening to sparkling obsidian. “Guess we’ll have to find some way to pass the time.”

Serena reached for his T-shirt and picked at an imaginary piece of fluff. “Did you…have anything in mind?”

Darrell placed a hand over hers, flattening her own over his chest. “This is a pretty damn good start.”

Serena inhaled a quick, jerky breath. “This?” she asked, bringing her other palm to his chest and running it over his pectoral area.

“Mmmm. That feels good, but I bet it would feel even better if you slipped your hands under my shirt.”

Serena swallowed. God, she wanted to touch his bare skin. But she was no temptress. She was a librarian who’d been saving herself for Mr. Right. What if she failed to turn him on?

But what if she did? What then?

Instead of slipping her hands beneath his shirt, Serena
brought a hand to his face. As he looked down at her, she studied him. Her eyes roamed over the firm set of his jaw and his full lips. As her gaze ventured along his cheek, she noticed something she hadn’t seen before. A faint scar that ran along the curve of his jaw to his ear.

Impulsively, she reached out and touched it.

Darrell’s hand shot up with lightning speed, grabbing her hand. Just like that, the mood was dead.

Serena met his eyes with a steady gaze, ever more curious about him. “That scar looks painful,” she said softly. “Like you got it painfully, I mean.”

Darrell dropped her hand and stepped away from her.

“What happened?” Serena persisted.

Darrell headed to the patio window. “Feel like getting some dinner?”

Darrell’s whole body language had changed. His shoulders drooped, and he had his arms folded over his chest in a closed demeanor. Serena’s heart ached for what he must have gone through. “Darrell—”

“What?”

He sounded annoyed, and while his tone hurt her, Serena didn’t back down. She’d been raised to believe that talking about things helped you feel better, and she wanted Darrell to feel better. “I’m willing to listen—”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“Obviously, it does.”

Turning, Darrell gave her a pointed look. “Drop it, okay?”

A lump of emotion formed in Serena’s chest. She wasn’t quite sure if it was because Darrell didn’t want to share with her what had happened, or because she knew whatever had happened was horrible.

After a moment, Darrell blew out an annoyed breath. “Like I told you, I didn’t have a Cosby-type family life.”

“Did your father hit you?”

Darrell didn’t respond, but a flash of pain crossed his eyes. The room was still and quiet as Serena waited for Darrell to say something,
do
something, almost as if they were the only two creatures in the world.

“He was drunk,” Darrell said after a moment, his voice barely above a whisper. “Hell, when wasn’t he? I don’t even remember what happened.”

Serena began walking toward Darrell.

“My dad pretty much blamed me for everything Cecil did wrong. One of the times the cops showed up at our door with Cecil, my dad got pissed as hell. He asked me why I’d left Cecil alone after school, said that if I hadn’t, he wouldn’t have gotten into trouble.”

“Oh, Darrell.”

“My dad didn’t even wait long enough to hear that Cecil had skipped school that day, as usual. He was drunk, or he wouldn’t have done it, but he grabbed a record from the record player and threw it at me. The edge caught me along the jaw.”

Serena stopped in front of Darrell, and this time when she reached for his face, Darrell didn’t flinch. Her touch felt good, like a tender, loving caress; it was a touch he’d never truly experienced.

And suddenly Darrell couldn’t shut up. But damn, it felt good to get all this off his chest. Until Serena, no one had really cared.

“Cecil had been out with some thug friends of his, doing stupid shit. I don’t even remember what. But not enough that the police wanted to bother charging him.
After my dad beat the crap out of Cecil, I also suffered the brunt of his wrath.”

Serena traced the outline of his scar with the tip of her finger. “That’s why you feel so responsible for him, isn’t it? Even now.”

“He’s my brother.”

“No one is going to hold you responsible for Cecil now, least of all me.” Boldly, Serena trailed her finger to his chin. “Darrell, look at me.”

After several seconds, he met her eyes.

“Honestly, if it means me giving up my search for the necklace right now, I will—to prove a point.”

All the moisture in Darrell’s mouth dried. Warily, he stared down at her, the tempo of his heart as wild as the salsa dance. “I know how much that necklace means to you.”

“Exactly.” Her gaze never wavered. “But I get the feeling that if we don’t find Cecil, or don’t find him in time to retrieve the necklace, you’re going to feel extreme guilt over that. And I don’t want that, Darrell. You…you’ve been through enough on Cecil’s account.”

Darrell could hardly think, much less breathe. Was she for real? As Serena continued to stare into his eyes, her fingers still gently caressing his face, a faint smile lifting her lips, a bolt of electricity zapped his heart.

Good Lord, she was serious. She
would
give up her search for the necklace if it meant easing his burden of guilt.

Why?
Darrell asked himself.
Why, why, why?

That question was followed by the thought that Darrell didn’t want to think anymore. Taking Serena’s face in his hands, he brought his lips down on hers fiercely. He
sucked the startled breath from her mouth, swallowed it, then opened his mouth wide for more of her.

He kissed her ardently, as if he could suck every bit of goodness from her body and renew his wounded soul. He kissed her as if her lips alone could erase the pent up frustration that had grown within him over the years.

God, he couldn’t get enough of her.

He drew Serena’s bottom lip between his teeth, biting it gently. When Serena mewled and threw her arms around his neck, Darrell’s blood started to boil.

Slipping his tongue into her mouth, he wrapped his arms tightly around her, molding her body to his. He tore his lips from hers, trailing hot kisses along her jaw, down the side of her neck.

“Oh, God, Darrell. I’ve never felt like this—”

His hands moved over her body with a desperation he didn’t know he possessed. Lord help him, he actually
needed
her. He groped her buttocks like a hot and bothered teenager, then brought a hand around to her breast. But, surprising himself, he covered her breast gently. He wanted her with a frenzy he’d never experienced, but he also wanted to savor her. And he wanted her to enjoy this.