The Perfect Couple (18 page)

Suddenly wishing she hadn't called, she hurried to get off the phone.

"II'm exhausted. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Where are you right now?"

"L.A." She winced at the lie but definitely didn't want to mention San Diego.

"I know that," he said. "Where are you staying?"

Afraid he'd somehow sense the guilt that'd made her contact him, she curled into a ball. "In a hotel."

Since he hadn't wanted her to go to Southern California with Jonathan in the first place, she expected his next question to be about their sleeping arrangements. But it wasn't. "How are you paying for the room?" he asked.

She nearly laughed aloud. She was worried that she might wind up sleeping with Skye's private investigator. And he was worried about a hundred and twenty-nine bucks.

"The Last Stand is taking care of it," she said. At least, she thought the charity was paying the bill--although the credit card Jonathan had used looked like his own.

"That's a relief. The longer this goes on, the more expensive it'll be."

"Are you angry I chose colored flyers?"

"I can see why you did it, but it wasn't the best use of our resources, especially since the police investigator told me we should offer a reward."

Of course! Why hadn't she thought of that?

Probably because she didn't have any money.

"How much?" She wished for the millionth time that she had the sort of background he did, that she could be the one with reserves in the bank and the ability to help herself.

"Ten thousand."

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That was nothing compared to what she'd give for her daughter. But she didn't have it. And she knew how much ten thousand dollars would be to a saver like Anton. "What do you think?" she asked.

"We might have to do it."

She clutched the blankets even tighter. He was going to offer a reward, and she was going to let him--even though less than ten minutes earlier she'd been craving another man. What kind of woman did that make her?

"Thank you, Anton." She swallowed around the lump in her throat. If his money brought Sam home, she'd be anything he wanted her to be, for as long as he asked. "I--I won't let you down."

"What?"

The shower went off, and her heart pounded. "Nothing."

"Get some sleep. You're mumbling."

"Good night."

"I love you," he said.

"I--"

She started to repeat the sentiment. Then the bathroom door opened and Jonathan walked out wearing only a towel--and the words wouldn't come.

"'Night," she said again and hung up.

Zoe was positive she wouldn't be able to sleep. She was beyond exhausted, but like last night, the constant worry and agitation wouldn't allow her to shut down.

Although he hadn't spoken since getting out of the shower, she could tell from his movements that Jonathan was awake, too. He was in the opposite bed, wearing his jeans because he probably hadn't brought an alternative.

She felt slightly guilty if wearing pants to bed meant he'd be less comfortable, but she still preferred not to be alone. The muffled sounds of the hotel, the darkness, the strange furniture and shadows would've made it impossible to get through the next few hours alone--and nothing, not even getting her own room, would change the fact that Skye's P.I. held some allure for her. There'd been a spark the very first time she met him, when he'd pulled her into his arms rather than keep a polite distance as most strangers would've done. She'd just been too frantic to see that. But she would've noticed tomorrow, or the next day, if not tonight.

After rearranging the blankets, she yanked down her pajama top, which had crept up above her waist, and rolled over to face the wall. Anton 118

was posting a reward for Sam. She needed to concentrate on how kind and generous that was instead of dwelling on the instinctive way Jonathan acted to fulfill her needs. Anton was the one who'd promised to marry her and adopt Sam, to be the kind of father she'd never had, the kind of father she wanted for her daughter.

She adjusted her pillows. Sam...Would she ever see her child again?

Could Franky Bates somehow have learned of her existence?

The man who'd raped her seemed capable of anything, but--

Jon's voice broke into her thoughts. "Should I go to the drugstore?"

Her mind immediately conjured up a box of condoms. Oh, God..."What for?" she asked tentatively.

"A sedative."

She released the breath she'd been holding. It was okay. She was okay. Except she was so cold. By most people's standards it wasn't even chilly in the room, yet she couldn't get warm no matter what she did. "For me? No, I won't take one." She rolled over again. "I have to be alert in case I'm needed."

"You've got to sleep, Zoe. For a while."

She didn't respond. But after tossing and turning for a few more minutes, she finally admitted the truth. "Jon?"

"What?"

"I can't sleep. I can't even get warm."

She heard him get up and assumed he was on his way to the drugstore.

But he didn't leave. He peeled back the covers and climbed into bed with her. She was about to protest, to tell him in no uncertain terms that she wouldn't let him touch her. Now that she knew she had to be on her guard, she wouldn't be disloyal to Anton.

But Jonathan didn't attempt any sexual advances. He simply wrapped his strong arms around her and gathered her close.

Pretty soon, his slow, even breathing began to sound like a metronome in her ear. For the first time since quitting her job on Monday, she felt somewhat secure. She was anchored to one spot; she wasn't going anywhere and neither was he. As a matter of fact, he'd already dozed off.

Timing her breathing with his, she eventually grew warm enough to sleep.

When the alarm went off the following morning, Tiffany woke with a raging headache and aching breasts. Colin had kept her up most of the night.

He'd taken Viagra and wanted to make love again and again--only he hadn't been able to finish. Whenever she thought he was getting close, she moaned 119

and writhed, did everything she could to help him. But it hadn't worked. At last, he'd dropped exhausted on the bed beside her, leaving her tied to the bedposts in case he woke up and wanted to go at it again. But after sleeping an hour, he had to get ready for work.

"Colin?"

His head popped up amid the mess they'd made of their blankets.

"What?"

"It's time for work."

"Shit!" Shoving to his feet, he stumbled to the bathroom without even looking at her.

"Aren't you going to untie me?"

He used the toilet, flushed. "Why should I? You were a waste of effort last night."

She told herself to ignore him. He was in a bad mood. She'd known he would be.

But he wanted a response. He came back to loom over her, his eyes bloodshot and his mouth twisted in a spiteful grimace. "Did you hear me?"

"It wasn't my fault," she said. "I let you use whatever you wanted."

The clamps on her breasts were proof. They were still on--he'd left them on for ninety minutes, so long she was growing nauseous from the pain.

"Whatever I wanted," he muttered as if it wasn't true. "Tomorrow night is when I'm going to do whatever I want." He finally removed the clamps. She hoped he'd kiss her breasts or caress them to ease the pain he'd caused. But he simply tossed the clamps onto the nightstand and untied her wrists. "I think you should get another boob job," he said.

Now that her hands were free, she rubbed her own breasts. "I'm not big enough?"

"Not by a long shot." His nose wrinkled in apparent disgust as his eyes swept over the rest of her. "Or maybe it's the weight you've gained. It's a turnoff."

She hadn't gained any weight. She checked every day. "You want me to weigh less than a hundred and twenty?"

"I want you to make me come just by looking at you." Instead of untying her ankles, he shrugged and left it up to her. "You'd better hurry and get to the gym. I want an extra thirty minutes of cardio today."

She let go of her aching breasts, but her hands trembled so badly she had difficulty untying her ankles.

When she was free, she could barely walk because the bonds had cut off the flow of blood. She wouldn't have minded these minor injuries if the evening had gone the way it normally did. When Colin was happy, no one 120

could be more charming. She loved it when she was able to please him.

There'd been times he'd wept on her bare stomach while telling her how much he appreciated her love and patience.

"Are you dressed yet?" he called from the shower.

"Almost."

"When you're out today, get a choke chain for Sam, like the one we used for Rover."

Tiffany instantly forgot about her aches and pains. She'd hoped Colin wouldn't notice that their old one had gone missing. "Where's Rover's?" she asked.

"I can't find it. That's what I was looking for last night when I decided to do the wax instead."

She had burn marks on her belly and between her thighs where he'd dripped the hot wax, but she preferred the wax to the collar. Last time he made her wear it, she'd passed out. It had scared her enough that she'd hidden it during the chaos surrounding Rover. Sometimes Colin got so excited, he didn't know what he was doing.

"You're planning to have some fun with her?" she asked, relieved to think they might be back on familiar ground despite his request for another collar.

"Yeah. I'm taking the two of you up to my dad's cabin Saturday night.

We'll spend Mother's Day there. It'll help us forget Rover."

"How will we get Sam out of the house?"

"The same way we did Rover. We'll drug her, put her in a box and carry her out as if she's part of our supplies."

"And what will we do with her once we get up there? We can't touch her 'cause of the mono, remember?"

"We can get her high. Remember how funny Rover was when we made him smoke crack?"

Rover had provided some of their biggest laughs. "That sounds like fun." She finished tying her tennis shoes. "I'm off to the gym."

"Tiffany?"

She paused at the door. "Yeah?"

"Sorry about last night. I think I was more upset about Rover than I wanted to admit."

"I understand."

"You love me?"

Suddenly her breasts didn't hurt quite so much. "Of course."

"If you'd rather not have the guys over tomorrow night, that's okay."

She didn't like competing with Colin's friends for his attention. But 121

she was the one who'd let Rover escape, and after last night she wanted to prove to her husband that she could still excite him. Maybe after that big a sacrifice, he'd forget about Zoe. "It's okay. I'll show them such a good time they'll be thanking you for months afterward."

"Really?" The eagerness in his voice eliminated the last of her reservations. She could get through one night. Like Colin said, she'd probably have fun, too. She always had a good time when her husband was at his best.

"Really," she replied and discovered a dozen roses waiting for her on the doorstep when she returned from the gym.

The card read:

I could never find anyone else like you. You're perfect.

Love, Colin

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"I' m going with you."

Holding the keys to the rental car, Jonathan studied the stubborn expression on Zoe's face. She'd just hung up with Skye, but Skye hadn't been able to talk her out of it, either. "What if we find him?"

The sleep had done her some good. Dressed in a sundress with a little white sweater over it, she looked slightly recovered--and prettier than ever.

Jonathan wished he hadn't become so acutely aware of her attractiveness, but after last night he knew that wasn't likely to change. He could still smell her scent, still feel the silky texture of her skin against his lips....

Next to Sheridan, Zoe was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen.

And equally off limits.

"That's the whole point, isn't it?" she said. "We want to find him."

"A confrontation with him wouldn't be easy for you."

"None of this is easy for me." She finished packing her cosmetics case and zipped her bag. "Ready?"

Blocking her path to the door, he touched her arm--which he might've done to get any woman's attention. But the energy that passed between them made him very much aware that he couldn't go back to believing she was just another client. She meant something to him, something more. And he didn't want to see her hurt or frightened. "Zoe, trust me to handle this."

"I trust you. But you and I both know my decision has nothing to do with that."

He dropped his hand because he was afraid he'd let it slide up her arm.

"You want to confront him?"

"I have to speak to him myself, evaluate his response and draw my own conclusions in order to feel comfortable that we've done everything we can where he's concerned. I can't rely on you or anyone else to do that for me. This need...it's instinctual...a--a mother's prerogative. You understand, don't you?"

Unfortunately, he did. He even saw some value in having her along.

She knew Franky, or at least she had at one time.

She smiled, but it was obviously forced because the expression in her eyes remained wary. "Besides, maybe it'll do me good to see him from an adult's perspective. To finally meet him on an equal footing. Maybe he won't seem so all-powerful and threatening."

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"When was the last time you saw him?"

"When I testified in court."

"Maybe seeing him again will only bring back the nightmare."

She managed a laugh as she shook her head. "I had a baby from that experience, Jon. The knowledge, the memory, is etched on my brain forever.

There's no bringing back something that's always present."

She had a point. With a sigh, Jonathan waved her through the door, hoping he wouldn't regret his decision. She'd suffered so much already. He preferred to shield her, if she'd let him, but he wasn't patronizing enough to think he knew better than she did. "Have it your way."

They walked to the car in silence. Jonathan put their bags in the trunk, then slipped on his sunglasses and got behind the wheel. "Ready?" he said once he'd started the car.