Say You Need Me (19 page)

“How do I get this off?” Darrell asked urgently.

“The zipper,” Serena replied breathlessly. “At the back…”

Darrell’s hands went to the back of the dress, fumbling for the zipper.

The phone rang.

“Ignore it,” Serena said. She kissed the length of Darrell’s jaw urgently, pressing her fingers into his back as she did.

Pulling away, Darrell groaned. He looked down at Ser
ena’s slumberous eyes. God, he didn’t want to end this, but…

“Mariana,” he said, when the phone rang again. Turning, he hurried to the phone and grabbed the receiver. “Hello?”

“Hello,” came a tentative female reply from a woman with a Spanish accent. “I’m looking for Mr. Darrell Montford.”

Darrell sank onto the sofa. “This is he.”

“Hello, Mr. Montford. This is Mariana Ortiz, your brother’s housekeeper.”

Yes!
“Hello, Mariana.” Excitedly, he waved Serena over. “Mariana, I’m so glad you called.”

“I’m not sure if I can help you,” she said. “Like I told the police, I only clean your brother’s house once a week. I don’t know when it was broken into.”

“That’s okay,” Darrell told her. “Actually, I’m wondering if you can help me locate my brother. I recently came in from out of town, hoping to find him. But he’s not around.”

“Oh,” Mariana crooned. “I don’t know where your brother is. Mr. Montford said he was going away for a while.”

“When was that?”

“Um…I think a little over two weeks ago.”

“He didn’t say where he was going?” Darrell asked.

“No, sir.”

Darrell frowned. When Serena looked at him with questioning eyes, he shrugged. “To tell the truth, Mariana, I’m a little concerned about my brother. The last time I talked to him, I got the impression he was in some kind of trouble. Did he say anything at all to you about that?”

“Oh.” Mariana sounded worried. “No. He didn’t say anything to me.”

“What about acquaintances? Anyone that he was seeing, maybe?”

“I’m sorry, sir. I don’t know much about your brother’s life. I only clean his house.”

Damn. Mariana didn’t seem to be much help. After a moment, Darrell said, “I guess that’s it. Thanks for getting back to me.”

“Wait,” Mariana quickly said. “I forgot. Yes, your brother was seeing someone. A woman named Tamara. They broke up not too long ago. Yeah, he had a real bad fight with her on the phone about a month ago. I…I didn’t really hear what he was saying.”

Darrell sensed the woman’s hesitation, as if she had indeed heard more of the conversation but was embarrassed to admit that. So he said, “Nothing at all?”

“Well…I did hear Mr. Montford say something about paying her back soon. That’s all. He kept promising to pay her back as soon as he could. That’s all I heard.”

“How can I reach her?”

“I don’t know.”

“Do you know Tamara’s last name?”

“No, sir. I’m sorry.”

“All right.” Darrell frowned. “Thanks, anyway.”

“What’d she say?” Serena asked as Darrell replaced the receiver.

Darrell looked up at her. “She doesn’t know anything.”

“Great.”

“She did mention Tamara, however. Said that she and Cecil had a really big fight about a month ago.”

“God, I don’t think I told you this. My sister had her
ex–boyfriend do some digging—he’s a cop—and she learned that Cecil stole jewelry from Tamara, too.”

“So that’s why she’s pissed with him.”

“That, and the fact that your brother no doubt led her on.” Serena started for the sofa, then hesitated when Darrell gave her an odd look. She suddenly felt awkward. Had she said the wrong thing? Did Darrell think that comment was meant for him?

Whatever the cause, Serena’s stomach bubbled with tension.

Hell, she wasn’t used to this. She’d never gotten hot and heavy with a guy, only to be distracted, then wonder what on earth was happening between them anyway.

Serena slowly lowered herself onto the sofa, wondering exactly that. What
was
happening between her and Darrell? The tension thickened. Was she too close to Darrell, too far? What was one supposed to do after a moment like the one they’d shared—talk about it, or pretend it had never happened? And if one didn’t talk about it, what did that mean?

Lord, she was so confused. Maybe if Darrell would look at her again the way he had before the phone rang, she’d have some idea of how to gauge his feelings. Minutes ago, they’d been ensnared in a web of passion, yet now it was back to business. Serena didn’t want to delude herself, but she felt that something was growing between her and Darrell, something powerful. But did he feel the same way, or had she simply been a momentary distraction for him?

“Yeah, Tamara seemed like the jealous type,” Darrell commented, interrupting her thoughts. “I can only imagine the line of bull my brother gave her.”

“You think she was the one in the Explorer?” Serena asked.

“Maybe.” Darrell dug the heels of his palms into his eye sockets. “God, this is all one big headache.”

“If Tamara’s as crazy as Mimi intimated, I’m surprised she didn’t make a scene at the restaurant.”

Darrell’s eyes shot to hers, a smirk forming on that sexy mouth of his. “The way you did the night I met you?”

Serena’s face flushed, remembering her own outrageous behavior. She wanted to say something to refute Darrell’s words, but there was nothing she could say. But amazingly, slapping Darrell seemed like a lifetime ago.

“Tamara probably wanted to play it cool at the restaurant,” Darrell said, “especially if she had payback in mind.”

“You mean running us off the road.”

“Yep. If she’d caused some big scene, everyone would remember her. This way, she got to run us off the road with no one giving her a second thought.”

“I’m sure my sister’s boyfriend—her ex—can get more info on Tamara. At least her number.”

“And find out what kind of vehicle she drives. If it’s a gold Ford Explorer…”

“Then we know for sure she ran us off the road,” Serena completed.

Darrell nodded. “And then we pay her a visit.”

Even if Serena relied on an alarm clock to get up
each day, she wouldn’t have needed it this morning. She’d tossed and turned all night, and at the first sign of daylight, she’d been up for good.

She’d been way too wired to sleep. Every time she closed her eyes, she remembered Darrell’s hands on her butt, on her breast, and how close he’d come to taking off her dress. How much she’d
wanted
him to. And damn if she didn’t want to finish what they’d started!

Sitting up, Serena stared at her reflection in the mirror opposite the bed.
Who are you?

That was the million-dollar question. And she had no lifelines to help her with this one.

All night, she had alternated between hoping Darrell would come into her room, and wondering if she should go into his. And if she’d gone into his, what would have happened? That thought alone had scared her, because it
was so
unlike
her. Never had she wanted anyone to touch her body, make her hot with need, as much as she had wanted Darrell to. What had happened to the cautious woman who wouldn’t dare think of tempting a guy because temptation could lead to…

Well, lead to sex.

She’d been saving herself for Mr. Right for twenty-nine years. So why was the thought of compromising everything she’d believed in crossing her mind, even in fantasy?

Because there was a part of her, something in her heart that went a little crazy every time Darrell looked at her. It was the kind of feeling she’d read about in books, had seen in movies. She’d heard her mother talk about it several times in reference to her father. So, God help her, Darrell
felt
like Mr. Right.

But was he?

The biggest mystery was when she’d even started to feel this way. One minute she’d been slapping him across the face, the next it seemed she was falling for him.

Lord, she
was
falling for him.

Serena let out a soft cry. She
was
falling for him. Oh, God. Was it simply that they were spending so much time together and she couldn’t resist his potent male sexuality?

It’s more than that
. Darrell was a very special kind of man, and other than her father, she’d never met anyone quite like him. He had an integrity she admired, a devotion to his brother she respected, and damn if he wasn’t the most irresistible man on the planet.

But he was a Montford, and how in her right mind could she ever get involved with the lying, scamming Cecil’s brother?

The question disturbed her, and Serena dropped her
head back against the pillow. She had to stop thinking about Darrell! Glancing at the phone, she willed it to ring. Kiana should call any minute with some news about Tamara. Serena had called Kiana last night and updated her on the situation, and Kiana had promised to call Geoff right away.

So why hadn’t Kiana called back yet?

Darrell…Again, Serena’s mind drifted to the fine brother who was in the bedroom next to hers. It was still early, and she wondered if he was awake, unable to sleep, as she had been.

If Serena lay here all day, she wouldn’t stop thinking about him. She was better off getting up and doing something,
anything
, to keep her mind off Darrell. Serena sat up and swung her feet off the bed and reached for her glasses. The apartment was quiet. Darrell was probably still asleep. She’d go shower before he got up.

Serena rose, stretched, slipped into her robe which lay across the rocking chair at the foot of her bed, then strolled to the bedroom door. After a brief pause to listen for sound, she opened the door and stepped into the hallway. But at the same moment, Darrell stepped into the hallway from the bathroom.

Serena couldn’t help it—her mouth dropped open. Darrell was naked—except for a white towel wrapped around his waist. Man, she’d known he was sexy as hell after seeing his torso a couple days ago, but with beads of water glistening on his magnificent body, and the towel split at his thigh, he was like an oasis in a desert.

And man, was Serena ever ready to quench her thirst.

“Morning,” Darrell said slowly. “Um, I took a shower.”

No doubt,
Serena thought, glad she somehow kept her
self from speaking out loud. “Yes, I see.” She met his eyes only briefly before perusing the rest of his body once more. He had long, lean legs and strong thighs. Her gaze traveled the length of the slit in the towel, from just above his knee to where it stopped below his hip.

Lord help her, it was getting hot in here. Had the air conditioning died?

“Serena?”

Her eyes shot to his. “Hmm?”

“Did you…” Darrell paused. “Want something?”

Oh, yes, she wanted something all right—the incredible man before her. “Oh, I was going to…take a shower.”

“I’m done. The bathroom’s all yours.”

Stop it, Serena,
she scolded herself.
Stop staring at him like you want to serve him up as the main course.
But God, that’s exactly what she wanted to do.

Inhaling a deep breath, Serena dropped her gaze to the floor. That was the only way she could stop looking at him. Her head lowered, she hurried toward the bathroom door.

As Serena reached him, then took a step past him, Darrell should have let her continue on. Instead, he darted out a hand and took hold of her upper arm.

Startled, Serena looked first at her arm, then raised her gaze to Darrell’s face. She had long, thick eyelashes, and damn if it didn’t seem as if she was giving him a coy look. One minute, she’d been looking him up and down with an I-want-you-in-my-bed gaze from behind her glasses, yet now she giving him a shy glance. Darrell had always been a sucker for the sweet-and-demure-with-a-wild-and-sexy-side type.

He was used to women staring at his body with both subtle and obvious appreciation, but somehow, Serena’s
stare was different. He wanted to be perfect for her, to believe that she found him completely irresistible in a way she hadn’t found any other man.

He tightened his grip.

Serena’s mouth opened, as if she was about to say something, but no words escaped those beautiful, full lips. With her lips parted and slightly moist, Darrell’s hormones went wild. His groin tightened at the thought of smothering her mouth with his, of crushing her soft body against his hard one.

His other hand went to her face, gently stroking her smooth skin. Then, his fingers tangled in her short hair as he angled her face upward and lowered his.

A soft sigh escaped her lips as his face neared hers, and Darrell watched her eyelids flutter shut. God, he wanted her so badly, more than he’d wanted anything in his life.

He turned her in his arms, pulling her body to his. He brushed his nose against hers. Serena moaned and wrapped her arms around his neck.

Darrell pressed his body against hers. He felt his erection rise just as his towel start to slip away.

Quickly, he grabbed the towel before it fell. Serena jumped back.

And just like that, the moment was gone.

“I’m gonna shower…” Serena scurried into the bathroom and closed the door. Darrell heard the lock turn.

Darrell threw his head back and groaned. Then, holding the towel securely around his waist, he stomped into his bedroom and closed the door. Once inside, he pressed his forehead against the wood and closed his eyes.

Man, what was he
doing?
Darrell wanted her, no doubt about it, but hell, crossing the line with Serena would be
the biggest mistake of his life. He’d come to that realization when he’d thought about her all night long, and had repeated that fact beneath the cold stream of the shower a short while ago.

Yes, he was attracted to her—he couldn’t deny that—but Darrell could not get involved with her. Serena wasn’t the kind of woman a guy simply slept with, then walked away from.

He had no doubt that sex with her would be fabulous, which was half the problem. Serena probably didn’t realize it, but every time she looked at him and fluttered those sexy lashes of hers, Darrell practically got hard. That whole combination of good-girl-with-a-wild-side was literally making him crazy.

Wasn’t it exactly that combination that all men wanted in a woman? The quality that made them fabulous-in-bed wife material?

There he went again, thinking the “wife” word. He didn’t want a wife. He’d known that before Jessica, but had conveniently forgotten that when he’d been involved with her, only to have her drive the point home for good with her deception.

So, yes, he wanted Serena in his bed, but the problem was that for Serena, it wouldn’t only be sex. From everything she’d told him, he knew she was a woman with a deep commitment to family. She’d definitely want her own, and that was something he couldn’t give her.

Darrell finally moved from the door and went to the bed, where he lay down. He had to remember what he was doing here in Miami. He was here to find his brother. He didn’t need any distractions.

And he sure as hell didn’t need any complications.

Later, Serena was sitting at the kitchen table when Darrell strolled into the room. At the sight of him, her heart thumped hard in her chest.

She was still reeling from the fact that he’d almost lost his towel—and from the startling revelation that she’d
wanted
him to. When the moment had been broken, she’d run scared not because she was afraid of what could happen, but because she knew without a doubt what she wanted to happen.

She had never, ever felt such a strong attraction to any man before. Why Darrell?

In the shower, she’d thought and thought and thought about him. He was so obviously not marriage material, at least, not for her. He’d flat out told her that he didn’t want a family, and she most definitely did. So how could she even be attracted to him?

It had to be lust. The kind of lust that made you lose all reason—something she wasn’t accustomed to. But, thank the Lord, they’d both regained their senses before she got caught up in something she couldn’t control. Because it would be a mistake. She didn’t want casual sex, and she knew that’s all Darrell would offer. Call her an old-fashioned prude, but she wanted more.

Then why did it bother her that Darrell’s eyes no longer held the spark they had in the hallway?

“Hey,” he said, pulling out a chair and sitting across from her.

No, the electrically charged moment they’d shared in the hallway was definitely gone. The realization disappointed Serena.

“Did I hear the phone ring a while ago?” Darrell asked.

Serena tried to swallow her disappointment, but it got stuck around her heart, which was firmly planted in her throat. “Yeah. My sister called. She told me she still hadn’t heard from Geoff yet—her ex-boyfriend who’s the cop.”

“So no way to reach Tamara.”

“Not unless we find Cecil’s black book at the condo. You still want to do that?”

“Yeah, I’ll go check it out. If that fails, I can try and find Mimi. She might know.”

“You want some breakfast before we head out?”

Darrell’s eyes narrowed. “We?”

“Yeah.” Butterflies danced crazily in Serena’s stomach. “I figured I’d go with you.”

“Don’t you have to work?”

“I already called in and told them I can’t make it.”

“Serena—”

“I want to go back to the condo with you.” Even now, despite what she’d told herself about there being no hope for a relationship between her and Darrell, she still wanted to spend more time with him.

“I don’t like the idea of you missing work over this.”

“I have to get my car anyway,” Serena pointed out, but once again she felt disappointment. Couldn’t she take a hint? Darrell clearly didn’t want to spend more time with her. Why couldn’t she let go?

“I forgot about that,” Darrell said after a moment.

Silence fell between them, and when the phone rang, both Serena and Darrell jumped, startled.

“One second,” Serena said when she recovered, then hustled to the living room to answer the phone. “Hello?”

“Serena.”

That voice. A chill swept over her, then nervous excitement.

“Serena, it’s Cecil. Please, don’t hang up.”

“Where are you?”

“That’s not important. Are you okay?”

“Yes, I’m okay. What’s going on?”

From her peripheral vision, Serena saw Darrell rise. He made his way toward her.

“I don’t have time to talk right now. I just want you to know…I’ll be in touch soon. And I have your necklace.”

Serena heard a voice in the background.

Cecil hurriedly said, “I have to go.”

“Cecil, wait—”

Darrell grabbed the receiver from her and held it to his ear. “Cecil? Cecil?” He slammed down the phone. “Damn.” Facing Serena, he asked, “What did he say?”

Stunned from the call, Serena paused. Then she said, “Not much, really. He asked if I was okay, then said he had my necklace.”

“And then he hung up?”

“Yeah.” Serena checked the phone’s caller ID box. “His number didn’t show up.”

“Why did he hang up?”

“I don’t know. I heard noise in the background, a voice, then he said he had to go. I didn’t even get to tell him you were here.”

Darrell headed to the window and looked outside.

“What are you thinking?”

“I’m wondering why he called, only to hang up.” Darrell faced her. “Does that mean someone’s after him right now? God, I feel so helpless.”

“I wish I knew.”

“At least he said he has your necklace. That means he plans to give it back.”

Serena gave Darrell a skeptical look.

“If he was going to hawk it, he wouldn’t have called to tell you he has it.”

“If he didn’t want to hawk it, he wouldn’t have taken it in the first place.”

Darrell paused, then said, “Whatever. If we’re going to go, then let’s go.”

Clearly, Darrell was miffed, but what did he expect Serena to think? That Cecil had suddenly become a trustworthy guy? She might think Darrell was decent, but that didn’t change the fact that his brother was slime.

“You ready?” Darrell asked.

“Sure,” Serena replied testily. “Just let me grab my purse.”