The Blind Date (14 page)

Suddenly, her whole body exploded like a series of grenades had been detonated. Crying out in a strangled voice, Shawna’s entire body tightened around him like a vice. The aftershocks rippled through her in a powerful wave.

Ryan crushed her against him. His hand fisted at her back as he climaxed right behind her, letting loose a primal groan into the curls swept to the side of her head.

Their harsh breathing couldn’t drown out the sound of high heels on the tile, and the door swinging shut penetrated the afterglow. Someone had just left. They’d been so entrenched in their lovemaking they hadn’t heard anyone enter.

Shawna placed her feet on the floor as Ryan straightened on the seat. She gently brushed the damp hair from his temple and ran her fingers along the back of his neck and upper back. She rubbed his shoulders, pressed her nose to the collar of his shirt and closed her eyes. He smelled so good. A mixture of sweat, cologne, and man.

“I missed you, too,” she whispered. “I’m sorry.”

“There’s nothing to be sorry about. We both said things we shouldn’t have. Nothing matters but right now. We’ll keep the past in the past.”

She kissed his rough jaw. “Don’t leave me again.”

“I won’t. I promise.”

Chapter Twenty-one

Although Shawna wanted to slink away from prying eyes, she and Ryan agreed they owed Jerome and Jessica the courtesy of an in-person goodbye.

They did what they could to fix their clothes, but she had no doubt anyone who took a look at them would know what they’d done in the bathroom stall. Their clothes were wrinkled and their faces flushed. And no matter how much she tried, nothing she did could revive her limp curls.

If their general appearance didn’t tip off the average observer, Ryan’s hand fastened around hers provided another clue. It was a territorial move, and it made a statement that she may have arrived with someone else, but they were leaving together because she was his. Not that she minded. Her fingers curled tightly around his, too, staking her own claim as she stayed close to his side.

Their eyes searched the room. Shawna spotted Jessica and they walked over to say goodbye. Ryan offered his friend cab fare, which she declined. She made a remark about not having to be concerned about getting a ride home and then suggestively cast her eyes in the direction of one of the attorneys standing near the window speaking to two other people. The man lifted a corner of his mouth in a flirtatious smile at her before resuming his conversation.

Ignoring the elevated brows of Gabe Benson—whose eyes didn’t miss the handholding—Ryan and Shawna said goodbye and thanked him for his hospitality. They waited around for a while and searched a few other rooms, but they never did see Jerome again.

After some prodding, Shawna agreed they should leave. Jessica promised to let Jerome know they were gone whenever he made an appearance.

Outside in the chilly air, Ryan removed his jacket and draped it over Shawna’s shoulders. “You’re not dressed for this weather.”

“I’m a woman. I’m used to suffering for fashion.”

He shook his head, and it made her happy to see the lazy smile back in place. “Where to?”

“My place,” she suggested.

They climbed into the truck and she slid across the seat to rest her head on his shoulder. “I can’t drive like this,” Ryan complained good-naturedly.

Shawna wrapped her arm around his chest. “Figure it out, because I’m not moving.” Now that he was back, she resolved to stay close to his side.

“Demanding woman,” he said, putting his arm around her. He squeezed her tight, relishing the feel of her in his arms. Then he kissed the top of her head and pulled out of the parking lot.

****

Ryan and Shawna drifted in and out of sleep, whispering to each other and telling silly jokes. The last time he had awakened her with his erection prodding her thighs and his hands cupping her breasts. When they finished with a short, passionate bout of lovemaking, they’d fallen asleep with him still inside of her, their bodies curled into a semicircle.

The dull whir of a telephone caused Shawna to wake up. She nudged Ryan with her elbow. “That’s your phone.”

He didn’t like having his sleep disturbed. He rolled away onto his back with a groan, and she immediately missed his warmth and the intimacy of their connected body parts.

The vibrating phone continued to buzz and he hopped off the bed to grab it from his jacket pocket. “Hello?”

She watched his naked silhouette against the window, wondering who could be calling at this hour. She heard him curse, say a few curt words, and then end with, “I’ll be right there.”

Shawna sat up and turned on the lamp beside the bed. “What’s wrong?”

“Someone broke into the shop.” He started putting on his clothes.

“Oh, no. Did they take anything?”

“Fortunately, no. The police arrived in time to stop them. Two teenagers, they said.”

“Do you want me to come with you?” she asked.

“No, it shouldn’t take long. They rammed their truck through the front entrance, so the police need me to come down there to secure the building and answer some questions.”

“What would they want in your workshop?”

“They may have planned to steal some of my tools, machinery, the computers, or the software I use for my design work. It could be anything.” He slipped on his second shoe and walked over to her side of the bed.

Shawna pouted. “Hurry back.”

“I will.” He cupped her face and gave her kiss.

When his mouth lingered, she started to giggle and pushed him away. “Go.”

“Oh yeah, I forgot what I was supposed to be doing.” With one last kiss, he rushed out the door.

After he left, Shawna slid down into the bed to catch some sleep until he came back. Thinking about the next day, she realized she didn’t have any food to make breakfast in the morning. She looked at her cell phone screen to check the time. Despite the hour, the store a mile or so down the road would be open. If she hurried, she could pick up a few items before they closed.

She made a mental list while she dressed and left the house shortly after Ryan. When she returned, she had a plastic bag with eggs, milk, juice, and bread.

She made her way slowly up the steps onto her dark porch. With her head bent, she wriggled the key into the doorknob and unlocked the door. Now the deadbolt. She twisted it to the right and pushed once. It didn’t budge. She really needed to get this fixed. She twisted and pushed again. Nothing.
Come on, come on.

She was about to push again when someone grabbed from behind. With a cry, she dropped the plastic bag filled with groceries, and it landed on the porch with a
thunk
as large hands spun her around and pushed backward. Her head hit the door so hard she saw stars.

“Cheating slut.”
Cheating
? It was Jerome, and he smelled like he’d downed a bottle of vodka. “Not good enough for you? I’m an attorney, but you’d rather be with a damn
furniture
maker
?” he asked.

Shawna shrank back against the door. He didn’t touch her again, but he didn’t allow her to move, either. He crowded her with a menacing posture.

“Answer the question.”

“I don’t know what you’re—”

“Did you have sex with him?” he sneered.

Unsure how to answer, her heart started a wild thumping. “I don’t know what—”

“Don’t lie. I know you did.” His heavily slurred speech frightened her. She didn’t know what he would do in this state, and he had the advantage in size and strength.

She slipped a hand inside the open mouth of her purse, careful not to make a sudden move and draw attention to her action. She didn’t have pepper spray, but she had menthol mouth spray somewhere in there, which she planned to turn into a weapon to defend herself if she needed to.

“One of the paralegals said she heard two people having sex in the bathroom,” Jerome continued. “Since you and Ryan were missing, it didn’t take a genius to figure out who were the culprits. Then you left together.” He shook his head and laughed bitterly. “I can’t believe how long I’ve waited for you. I’ve helped you lug groceries, I helped you change a flat on that raggedy car you drove. When it gave you problems, I volunteered to take you anywhere you needed to go and never took a dime from you for gas money. I thought you were special. I thought you were a different kind of woman. I treated you like a queen and put you on a pedestal, but women like you don’t appreciate a man like me.”

Shawna remained silent, worried that anything she said would set him off. She could count on one hand the number of times she’d asked for any of those favors, and he’d refused to take money from her. He’d always been there to help and she’d accepted, but he’d had an ulterior motive all along.

Her fingers found the spray and she thumbed off the cover.

“Two years,” Jerome said, holding up two digits. “And you let a man you barely know fuck you in the bathroom at my company’s office party like a whore. While you were there with me, you fucking slut.”

“I’m not a—”

“You’re a slut!” he said louder, getting in her face.

She held her breath and angled her head away from the stench of his mouth, tightening her fingers around the vial. Fighting back the tremors that threatened to overtake her, she found her voice. “Step back.”

His face twisted into an ugly snarl. “Don’t worry. I’m not foolish enough to harm you. I value my career and won’t jeopardize it over you.”

He dipped his head to look her in the eye. “You think he’s going to make a commitment to you? Men don’t make commitments to women who are easy.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Shawna said in a small voice.

“I know exactly what I’m talking about. What you did was disgusting.” He laughed shortly. “When he dumps you, don’t call me because I don’t want another man’s leftovers. And I don’t like sluts and that’s what you are—a filthy slut. I refuse to dirty my hands with you.” He looked at her with disgust, as if she was something nasty.

Then he turned around and walked off the porch.

Chapter Twenty-two

Ryan returned to Shawna’s house, whistling as he went up the walkway.

Boarding up the building had taken longer than expected. The teens had broken in the double doors, and the impact of the crash caused structural damage to one wall. He’d had to call one of his employees who lived nearby to help him.

He ran up the steps and took out his phone to call Shawna to let him in when he noted the plastic bag near the door. He picked it up and dialed her number.

“Hi, I’m outside. So are your groceries,” he added with amusement. “You’re too young to be this forgetful already.”

“I’ll be right there.”

Hearing the sullen tone of her voice, he became instantly alert. “What’s the matter?” he asked sharply.

“Nothing. I’m coming down to get you.”

Moments later, Shawna let him into the dark entryway. Seeing her shapely form outlined beneath the silk robe should have captured his attention and spiked his libido, but it didn’t. What caught his attention was her lack of response to his arrival and how she avoided looking at him.

“Thanks,” she said in a hoarse voice. She reached for the bag, still keeping her eyes averted and using her hair as a cover.

“What’s wrong?”

“I said nothing.”

Ryan flipped the switch on the wall. She squinted against the bright light and covered her face.

“Look at me.” He dropped the bag on the side table and took her chin in his hand. “You’ve been crying,” he said, noting her reddened eyes.

Shawna pulled away from him. “I’m fine.”

“You’re not. What happened between the time I left and now? I thought we were good.”

Backing away even more, she crossed her arms over her waist. Neither of them spoke as they looked at each other. Ryan didn’t know why she was behaving this way, but it pained him to watch her distance herself from him.

“This isn’t normal.”

He didn’t have to ask her to explain. She meant their relationship. “Says who?”

“I want normal.”

“No, you don’t. Normal is boring. This is way more exciting.”

She gave a humorless laugh. “You have an answer for everything.”

“I wish I did. Then I’d know what to say to put your mind at ease.” He moved to reach out to her, but she tightened her arms around herself.

She blinked rapidly and gazed up at the ceiling before looking at him again. “In Chicago, I suspected that you’d lied to me.”

He frowned. “What are you talking about?”

“I suspected that you might be involved with someone.”

“How?”

“I just did. That first night at the restaurant, when I asked you if you had a girlfriend, I suspected you weren’t completely honest. I wondered if you were lying to me when you said your brother called the next morning, too. I could have asked you more questions, but I was afraid to know the answers.”

“I remember the look in your eyes when you saw me with Holly. You have no idea how much it killed me to know I caused that pain.” He ran his fingers through his hair. The hurt he’d caused her had lashed his conscience. “I thought we agreed to keep the past in the past. Six years ago doesn’t matter. We’re starting fresh, here, now. No distractions.”

It’s true they’d agreed to that, but the confrontation with Jerome had left her shaken and ashamed. She continued speaking as if he hadn’t said anything. “When I saw you with her, I felt so used. Like I was nothing to you,” she whispered.

“You weren’t nothing.”

“Being with you like that was the only time in my entire life that I had ever done anything remotely spontaneous. The
one
time I threw caution to the wind, I ended up on the wrong side of a love triangle.”

“Shawna—”

“Let me finish.” She took a deep breath. “It’s not that I don’t believe you care about me. I’m past that and I do believe you. You’ve shown me that you do. But I’m afraid all this passion and intensity will fade and then you’ll realize that you made a mistake. What if you meet someone else the way you met me? Then you won’t want
me
anymore, and I’ll be alone with this ache inside of me that won’t go away. So how do I know that won’t happen again? How do
you
know?”