A Deep and Dark December (20 page)

He tracked the movement. “Did he hurt you?”

“No.” And that was the strangest part of all. There’d been no hurt between them. No affection either, apparently. Keith’s regard was equal to hers. They’d both been forcing the relationship. She knew why she’d stayed in a relationship that never should have begun. But why did he? Was it all just a cover up for him?

“What did you tell him?”

“Just that I knew about the affair…and the baby. I asked him if he was the father.”

“And?”

Flexing her fingers, she tried to smooth over the invisible imprint of Keith on her skin. The way he’d looked at her—wild, panicked—she’d never be able to blot out. “He was seriously freaked. And desperate to know who’d told me about their affair.”

“Desperate?”

“How I found out was more important to him than my knowing about it.” She snatched up her wine glass and stared into the ruby red liquid. “I expected more…” She made a wide gesture with her hands, sloshing her wine up the sides. “I don’t know.”

“Remorse?”

“Yeah.” She crossed her arms and took a sip of wine. “Some remorse would’ve been nice.”

He eased toward her. “Maybe a little groveling, too?”

“Groveling might have been a bit much.”

“Probably.” He captured her glass and took a sip before setting it on the counter at her hip. “But seeing him on his knees begging for your forgiveness…”

She pressed her lips together, quashing a smile.

“Ah, not too much after all,” he guessed.

She playfully smacked his arm. “Stop. I’m picturing it.”

Graham dropped to his knees, his hands clasped under his chin. “Please forgive me, Erin. I didn’t mean to fornicate.”

“Stop it.” Laughing, she tried to pull him up. “Don’t make fun of him.”

“It’s just that the freezers are so cold and she was so warm. And I’m surrounded by all those melons all day long. Please forgive me my trespasses.”

She bent over, giggling, trying to tug him up off the floor. “You have to stop.”

He allowed her to pull him to his feet. “I think that’s the first time I’ve ever seen you laugh like that.” He was so close, grinning down at her, his eyes creasing at the corners. “Did you know you have a dimple?” He touched her cheek with a finger. “Right there.”

She wrapped her hand around his finger and brought it down between them. “Stop pointing out my flaws.”

“You don’t have any flaws.”

Her smart-ass comeback melted on her tongue under the look in his eyes. Keith had never looked at her like that. Like a man before a buffet trying to decide which delicacy to sample first. Graham’s expression boasted of lingering touches and hot open-mouthed kisses that would leave her panting for more.

“Erin?” he whispered, close enough for her to see flecks of silver in his blue eyes.

“Hmm?”

“Do you think I could kiss you?”

Her gaze dropped to his mouth. She could smell the wine on his breath as it mixed with hers. “I know you can.”

“Should I though?”

“You ask stupid questions,” she murmured.

And then his mouth came down on hers. He tasted of everything that was wonderful and scary. Cradling her face, he deepened the kiss. She wrapped her arms around him and moved into him, wanting so much to be closer. He broke the kiss, trailing his lips across her jaw, his beard heightening her sensitivity. Fisting his shirt, she tilted her head back for better access.

He nipped her earlobe and licked the sting. “I want you.”

His declaration whispered across her senses, igniting little fires of awareness that threatened to burn out of control. She could easily lose herself in him, giving over to whatever was happening between them. She wanted to tell him how much she wanted him, too, but he was doing this thing with his mouth on her neck...

~*~

Graham couldn’t think. She filled up his senses, blotting out rational thought. He had his face buried in her neck, which smelled faintly Tropical, bringing with it images of beaches. And skin. Lots of bared skin under a hot sun. She moaned as he palmed her breast. Fuller than he expected. She eased onto the counter. He nestled his growing erection between her legs and she moaned again, ripping an answering groan from his throat. He wanted her naked. Right now.

“Oh, yes,” she gasped, pulling up her shirt as though she’d heard his thoughts.

Slipping a hand under her top, he got his first feel of her. Soft. He kneaded the flesh at her hip and imagined gripping her from behind, thrusting into her. Hard. She pulled his head back by the hair and kissed him as she writhed against him, grinding his hard-on until he thought he’d come right there in his pants. She broke the kiss and yanked her shirt over her head. His mouth dropped open. All that creamy skin. He ran a fingertip along the top of one bra cup. She shivered and wrapped her legs around him, bringing him up against the place he most wanted to be.

He was desperate for her. The feel of her against him. Skin on skin. With her legs locked at the ankles, she unhooked her bra and shot it over his head. He tugged his shirt off, barely registering the rip. And then she was against him. Her breasts smashed to his chest. He reached up and cupped her from the side, his thumbs stroking her nipples. Palms on the counter, she arched back. He trailed kisses down, down, down to suckle her gently. She bucked against him, increasing the maddening pressure on his groin. He had to be inside her, already had a fumbling hand on the button of her jeans.

“What’s… that?” she panted.

“Nothing,” he mumbled around her nipple.

“No… oh… ah… yes!” Then, “Graham?”

“Hmm?”

“I think… that’s my… oh, god…”

He lifted his head from her breast. Blinking, he tried to get a grasp on what she was trying to tell him. Then he heard it. He pulled his hand out of her pants and patted his pockets for his phone and then he remembered he’d left it in the car. “Not mine.”

She unhooked her ankles and pushed at him to back up. He watched her jump down from the counter, her breasts bouncing as she ran to her purse. She rummaged around until she found her prize. It stopped ringing.

She frowned at the screen display. “My dad.” She punched a couple of buttons and put the phone to her ear.

His gaze traveled from the crease between her brows to her naked torso. He wasn’t gentleman enough to look away. And he couldn’t summon up any guilt over it. She shoved a hand through her hair, lifting one breast. The one he’d been sucking on. Light red splotches dotted her skin where his beard had been. He liked that. He liked the flush in her cheeks and the way she looked bending over to pick up her bra and shirt. He tilted his head for a better look.

Clutching her clothes to her chest, she straightened. “What happened?”

His gaze snapped up to hers. Something in her tone…

“What does the doctor say?” That crease was back between her brows. “For how long?”

He moved to stand next to her.

“I’ll be right there.” She punched the phone off. “My aunt’s at the hospital. I should go.”

“What happened?”

She shoved her phone in the pocket of her jeans and began to dress. “She’s had a really bad headache all day. Barely came out of her room.” She struggled with the hook on her bra.

“Here, let me… there you go.”

“Bet you hardly ever help a woman
into
her bra,” she mumbled, missing his frown as she pulled her shirt over her head. Smoothing her hair back, she continued, “Mabel went to wake up my aunt for dinner only she couldn’t. Auntie wouldn’t wake up. Mabel called an ambulance.” She stood for a moment, looking around as though she couldn’t quite figure out what to do next.

“Do you want me to drive you?” he asked.

“To San Luis Obispo? That’s over an hour away.”

“I know how far it is.”

“Why?”

“Why what?”

“Why do you want to drive me?”

The way she looked at him made the space between his shoulder blades itch. He wasn’t sure what answer she was looking for, but he was pretty sure it would be the difference between him getting to see her breasts again or not.

“It’s a long way,” he said, wanting to spend more time with her.

“I know how far it is. I just told you.”

“It’s dark.”

“Never mind.”

He followed her as she wandered around, searching for something. “You shouldn’t be alone.”

“Ah, there they are.” She pulled her shoes out from under the coffee table and sat down on the couch to put them on. “I said never mind.”

“You don’t make it easy to be nice to you.”

“Put your shirt on, Graham.”

“I’ll put my shirt on and drive you to the hospital.”

“Whatever.”

He headed to the kitchen and found his shirt half hanging off one of the barstools. He pulled it on and noticed the top button was missing. “Damn.” When he returned to the living room she wasn’t there. “Erin?” He found her sitting on the edge of her bed, twisting a swatch of material. He eased down next to her.

“Auntie made me this.”

“It’s nice.” Whatever it was.

“After my mom…left.” She threaded the fabric back and forth between her hands. “Aunt Cerie was there. She moved in with my dad and me.” She turned to him, her eyes wide and worried. “What if something happens to her?”

He wanted to tell her that everything would be all right. That good things happened to good people. Her aunt would be fine. And every other bullshit platitude. But he’d be lying. He knew from his experience in L.A. that bad things happened in spite of good intentions. Things were only ever ‘all right’ in fits and bursts. And that sometimes people died. Good people. In the place of some asshole who had that and more coming to him.

Instead he put a hand over hers, stilling their frantic worrying of the fabric. “I want to take you to the hospital. Let me.”

She stared down at their joined hands. Her shoulders sagged as she let out a sigh ripe with relief. “Okay.”

~*~

They found Erin’s father, Donald, pacing the hall outside her aunt’s room. The fluorescent lights hollowed out Donald’s cheeks and darkened the circles under his eyes. His hair stood up in white tufts around his head, which he plucked at randomly as he shuffled back and forth, mumbling to himself. Graham barely knew the man, but as they approached he could see that Donald wasn’t well, probably hadn’t been for some time.

“Dad.” Erin rushed to her father.

Donald stopped his pacing and squinted at his daughter.

“Where’s Auntie? And where are your glasses?”

Donald put a hand up to his temple. “Glasses?”

Graham hung back, watching the exchange that seemed all too familiar.

Erin’s gaze wandered from the tips of her father’s hair to his slippered feet. “Where are your shoes and jacket? It’s freezing outside.”

Rubbing his bare arms, Donald’s brow creased. “Freezing.”

Graham stepped forward with his jacket. “Here.”

“Thank you.” Erin took the jacket and bundled her father into it. “Better?”

Donald smoothed his hair back from his face.

“Where’s Auntie? What do the doctors say?”

Donald blinked at Erin for a moment, then pointed to a door. Erin glanced back and forth between the door and her dad.

“I’ll stay with him,” Graham offered. “How about some coffee, Donald? I bet there’s a machine in the waiting room.” To Erin he said, “We’ll wait for you in there.”

“Thank you.” She turned to go see her aunt.

Graham clapped Donald on the back. “How about that coffee?”

Donald followed alongside Graham. They found a machine in the waiting area that dribbled out weak-looking dredge. It tasted worse than it looked, but Graham drank it anyway. He sat in companionable silence with Donald, each of them absorbed in their thoughts.

Erin had mentioned her father’s and aunt’s troubles with their abilities, but the condition Donald was in had an eerie familiarity that made Graham think of his mother. He cast a look at Donald who sat staring into his untouched coffee, pulling at a tuft of hair over his ear. Graham reached over and lowered the man’s hand. Donald looked at him with eyes the same color as Erin’s and in their depths he saw an emptiness that cast chills over his skin. Would this happen to Erin?

Graham got up and looked down the hall. He’d promised Erin he’d stay with Donald, but all he wanted to do was go out and do something, anything that would bring all of this to an end. And he wanted Erin so bad he could hardly breathe when she was near.

He liked her too. She challenged him in ways he’d never been tested. She was different around him, more direct. She stood toe to toe with him and gave as good as she got. She was so freakin’ beautiful, sometimes he had to blink twice just to make sure she was real. And someone or something was messing with her and her family.

Graham jammed his hands in his pockets and looked back at Donald. Maybe he’d know what was happening. He went to the man and sank back down in the chair next to him.