Secrets from Her Past: Scandalous, Book 2 (14 page)

Her back was plastered against the cool tile, but the hot water and Dylan’s passion overrode any chill she might have had.

“I can’t wait, Cori. I need you now.”

His hands slid down her waist and to her backside, then he lifted her up against him, and with very little warning, he slammed into her.

She needed him too, in so many ways. But she’d have to learn to take his advice, enjoy this moment and not worry about what would happen to her career or her future. Because right now, with Dylan’s body on hers, in hers, she only wanted to concentrate on the glorious passion they never seemed to have lost.

Dylan’s hips pumped against hers as Corinne wrapped her arms and legs tightly around his hard body. They came together in a rush and Dylan captured her mouth when she cried out. As their crest died down, he rested his forehead against hers and their eyes locked.

And what Corinne saw terrified her. Love. She saw it plain as day. She knew Dylan probably wasn’t even aware of how he felt, but his heart was looking back at her. If she didn’t get back to her old life soon, she’d be falling headfirst in love with the one man her past secrets could destroy.

Chapter Twelve

Dylan jerked at the pounding on the back door, but he didn’t move too far. With Cori wrapped gloriously all around him, he almost didn’t want to move at all, but the persistent, uninvited guest was about as welcoming as the bright sunshine beaming directly through the slat in the curtains and right into his eyes.

Apparently Cori was dead to the world because the constant knocking downstairs wasn’t bothering her in the least. She also didn’t stir when he pulled himself out from beneath her warm, curvy body.

He threw on his jeans, buttoned them and padded down the steps to the back door. As he passed the wall clock he saw that they had indeed slept in, seeing as it was now ten o’clock—but, hey, they’d had a pretty active night.

He couldn’t make out the silhouette of the person knocking because of the curtain hanging on the back door, so Dylan unlocked the deadbolt and pulled the door open.

Eyes wide, mouth open, Mary from the therapy center stood with her fist up at the ready.

“Mary,” Dylan said, leaning against the doorframe, “what would bring you by here?”

To her credit, Mary composed herself rather quickly. “I assume Corinne is home and probably…in bed?”

Dylan crossed his arms over his bare chest, refusing to rise to the baited question. “Is something wrong?”

“It’s her mother,” Mary said. “I tried calling, but didn’t get an answer from the cell or the landline. Inez was taken to the hospital. We believe she’s had another stroke.”

Dylan jerked upright and spun around to head toward the steps. “We’ll get right down there.”

Leaving Mary at the door, Dylan took the steps two at a time, but by the time he went back into Cori’s bedroom, the bed was empty and the toilet had just flushed in the bathroom.

When she came out she was all sleepy-eyed and messy in that sexy way, but her world would soon be tilted on its axis.

“You need to get dressed,” he told her as he looked around for his shoes. “Mary just came by when she couldn’t reach you on your cell. They believe your mother had another stroke.”

Cori’s eyes rounded as her hand flew up to her mouth. “No,” she whispered. “Oh God…”

He crossed the room and grabbed her shoulders, forcing her to look at him. “They
think
, Cori. They aren’t positive. You know you shouldn’t react until you hear for certain. So let’s get dressed and get down there. This may not be as bad as it sounds.”

She nodded and he released her, though with as pale as she’d gone, he really wished he could’ve pulled her into his arms and held her, blocking out all the hurt the world seemed to keep throwing her way.

But true to Cori fashion, she tilted that defiant chin and went to her closet where she pulled out jeans, a tank, a cardigan and simple flats. In no time she was dressed, with her hair pulled low in a ponytail.

“I’ll call you when I know what’s going on,” she told him as she started down the steps.

“I’m going with you.”

She turned on the landing and stared up at him. “That’s not necessary. The construction guys are coming back today and I need someone here.”

“I hired them, Cori. I trust them and they have my cell.” He moved down a couple more steps until he was right in front of her. “I’m going and I’m driving.”

Her eyes searched his and she sighed. “This was just supposed to be sex, Dylan.”

When he stroked her cheek and she turned that delicate face into his palm, he nearly crumbled at her vulnerability. She truly thought herself to be all alone. He wasn’t having any of that.

“This is a friend helping a friend,” he told her. “Don’t turn me away.”

Her eyes held his. “As if I could.”

Cori bounded down the last few stairs before he could question that statement further.

Yes, the sex was great and, yes, they had a past, but truly, what did they know about each other now? He knew that she’d been arrested for a crime she swore she was innocent of and that she was still loyal as ever to her parents. But she was hiding something so huge she was adamant it could destroy him. And if that was the case, how could he get in deeper with the woman if she was holding back something so damning?

Dylan didn’t want to think about what mystery secret Corinne had or what this newly formed union they had should be called. What he wanted was to get her to the hospital so they could see the doctor and her mother, and find out exactly what was going on.

And he didn’t even want to think about Mary seeing him half-dressed. That woman was starting to give him the creeps, and the way she’d nearly devoured him this morning was a very telling sign that she didn’t just admire his carpentry.

When they reached the hospital, Dylan escorted Cori in and waited in the lobby of that wing while she went into her mother’s room. Apparently in the time it took them to get here, she was taken from the ER straight to a hospital bed.

That couldn’t be good news.

While Dylan waited, he called his friend who was helping with Cori’s house and informed him he would be by later. And because his nerves were already shot after the intimacy of last night, combined with sitting in the hospital waiting room, he called the real estate agent who had the small, empty brick building on Sunray Avenue. He might as well take the plunge…it wasn’t like he hadn’t made mistakes before.

When he hung up the phone, he was surprisingly okay with the fact he’d spent a good chunk of his savings. That is, if the deal went through—and he highly doubted the seller wouldn’t take his generous offer.

Dylan had just slid his phone back in his jeans when Cori came back down the hall, swiping at her tears. He met her halfway and enveloped her in his arms.

Damn, her vulnerability nearly knocked him to his knees. A woman could only take so much before finally breaking. Which made his plan all the more perfect if she’d just agree to it.

“She’s going to be just fine,” she sniffed into his chest. “The doctors said it was a ministroke and they’re keeping her for observation. Dad is staying with her.”

She eased back and looked up at him. “I need to stay for a while. Would you mind if I called you to come get me if Dad doesn’t want to leave later? I hate to bother you, but—”

He placed a finger over her warm lips and smiled. “You are no bother. Call me anytime and I’ll come get you.”

He kissed her on the cheek and walked away, all the while feeling like this was definitely more than sex, more than friends helping friends—and the call he’d just made to purchase an empty building proved his point. He was living in a pipe dream right now and he feared any second it would burst. But he was taking the chance and nothing would prevent him from trying once again to have the future he wanted, needed and dreamed of.

“Looks like you and Dylan are getting reacquainted.”

Corinne glanced up from her magazine to her father who was across the hospital room, next to his wife’s bedside. She set the magazine on her lap and shrugged.

“We’re just friends,” she told him. “That’s all.”

Wow, so an actress she was not. She didn’t even sound convincing to herself, and apparently, from the look her father was giving her, she hadn’t convinced him either.

“Honey, first of all, I know that look in your eye. I know when you’re happy, I know when you’re confused, and I know when you’re in love.”

Corinne’s eyes held his. She swallowed, refusing to respond when he’d so hit the nail on the head—because she was all three emotions where Dylan was concerned.

“Are you planning on staying here?” he asked.

“I’m staying until Mom is better and back home.”

He picked up Inez’s hand and began to stroke it while she slept on. “I know you’re not comfortable with going back to Miami just yet, but please, don’t let me or your mother get in the way of you getting your career back on track.”

“You two are much more important than any career…not that it’s really able to be labeled as such right now.” She came to her feet, tossing the magazine in the seat behind her. “I couldn’t leave until I know you two are fine. Besides, I can’t leave with a hole in your house.”

As she’d hoped, her father smiled. “You’re right.”

Corinne sighed as she watched the pulse ox fluctuate slightly and the stream of her mother’s heartbeat cross the black screen.

“But I do love him,” Corinne whispered. “God help me. I don’t know what to do.”

“You can either tell him the truth or you can leave him be,” her father said in a soft, yet stern tone. “But you can’t have a relationship with the man with a lie this big settling between you.”

Even though she knew she couldn’t have it both ways, hearing the harsh truth from her father only made reality sink in a bit more.

“He can never know the truth,” she insisted, taking her gaze from the screen to her father. “How could we ever have a relationship if he knew? He’d hate me forever.”

Carl leaned back in his chair, crossed his arms over his broad chest and sighed. “Well, that’s a chance you’ll have to take. But, by not telling him, you’re automatically assuming his response, and you’re killing any chance the two of you would have.”

Tears filled her eyes. “I just can’t tell him. I’d rather live without him than have him hate me. And the fact that I know who killed his parents would certainly be reason enough.”

Corinne jerked toward the door, thinking she saw someone, but there was no one there. Mercy, she’d have to choose her words better next time, especially in public. There was no way anyone could know that her biological father, the spawn of Satan himself, had killed Dylan and Evie’s parents while in a drunken rage after he’d gotten behind the wheel of his truck.

Corinne looked once again at her peacefully sleeping mother, the woman who’d risked so much to protect her. Yeah, there was no way the secret could ever come out. Not even for love.

Chapter Thirteen

“Heard you bought a little piece of property.”

Dylan paused, beer halfway to his mouth, and stared at his sister across the patio where she lay all spread out on the chaise.

“Don’t try to deny it,” she said, smiling beneath her wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses. “I was talking with Marsha at Potter’s Real Estate office and saw the paperwork lying on a desk. I’m going to remodel their offices.”

Dylan inwardly groaned. Was nothing sacred or a secret anymore?

Oh wait. Scratch that. Yeah, some things were obviously still a secret. Like whatever the hell Cori was keeping bottled up.

“Care to tell me what you’re going to do with that empty building?” his sister prodded.

Taking a long, hard pull of his beer, Dylan opened his mouth, but Vin, who had been sitting in another chaise, piped up.

“Evie, don’t badger him. If he wanted you to know, you would know already.”

Evie tipped her dark glasses down and eyed her fiancé. “If I don’t badger him, he’ll think I don’t care.”

Dylan laughed. God, he loved his sister so much. And, yes, he wanted to tell her his plans, but at the same time he truly wanted this to be kept under wraps until he knew if his ultimate plan would come into play and pan out.

“I did buy it,” he told Evie as he turned the steaks on the grill and glanced at his watch for the third time in as many minutes. “No, I don’t know what I’m going to do with it, so don’t ask.”

“You have something in mind or you wouldn’t have bought it to begin with,” Evie argued. “So, what, you’re opening a gym? A shoe store? A brothel?”

Dylan put his grilling tongs down and turned toward his sister. “You got me. It’s a brothel. After we eat I’m going to get some gold chains to complete my pimp look.”

Vin laughed while Evie narrowed her eyes. “You’re such a smartass.”

“What do you expect when you ask stupid questions?”

“I just wanted a straight answer without begging for it,” she muttered.

“It was a good price,” he defended. “Who knows? I may flip it after I fix it up, or I may turn it into my office. I really don’t know, but it had sat for sale for a while and the location was good. I offered them a cash price and they accepted. End of story.”