And Then He Kissed Me (19 page)

“You’re still running with your students?” he asked, searching her face.

“On Sunday mornings. Just to supplement their track workouts until the end of the season.”

“And you’re stopping by to see this girl, to help her?”

Audrey smiled slightly. “Why all the questions, Sherlock?”

“Just thinking it’s pretty amazing that you’re still involved, helping your students when you’re not even officially on the school’s payroll anymore.”

“I was good at my job. I guess it’s hard for me to just walk away from these kids, especially when they might need me. You know?”

His fists clenched, thinking of how giving Audrey was, even when she’d been hurt, been dismissed.

It was true of her school.

It was true of him.

“It’s incredible, how much you care,” he answered honestly. “If I can help, I will.”

“Thanks,” Audrey said, looking toward the house. An asparagus wreath hung on the front door. “I’ll just be a minute.”

He released her arm and kept a careful eye on her as she headed up the short sidewalk. He pushed down the thought clamoring inside his brain: the idea that he wanted to keep an eye on Audrey Tanner forever. If only he could.

*  *  *

Alexis answered the door wearing fuzzy pajama bottoms and an oversized White Pine High sweatshirt. Her long, dark hair was damp, presumably from a recent shower. In spite of her relaxed appearance, Alexis’s face was pinched with worry. Her hazel eyes were ringed with shadow. Her lips were tight, even as she tried to stretch them into a smile.

“Hey, Ms. Tanner. Who’s the hunk on the bike?”

“A friend,” Audrey said. “Can you talk for a few minutes? Is this a good time?” She knew she was being brusque, but they could address questions about Kieran on next Sunday’s run.

“Sure, we can chat now,” Alexis said, lacing her long fingers together nervously. Everything about the girl was long, Audrey realized—from her legs to her arms, even her neck. She made an exceptional athlete, and also a stunning one. Audrey could understand why Hunter Haglund was obsessed with her.

“What happened this morning,” Audrey began carefully, “was super scary, and I can only imagine how stressful this is for you. I want you to know that I’m here to help, but that if you feel threatened or if Hunter’s behavior is escalating, we need to let other people know. Especially if this isn’t the first time Hunter has followed you, or made you feel unsafe. Does that make sense?”

Alexis leaned against the white door frame as if she were exhausted. Behind her, a television murmured with voices and applause. “I guess. I mean, it’s not the first time he’s followed me, but the thing is, he’s never hurt me. You have to know that. He just says he wants me to be safe. At first he called a lot, and I thought it was sweet, how protective he was. But then he started calling and texting so much, and he’d get mad when I didn’t pick up. One time, he saw me talking in the hallway with Jeff Uster and I thought he was going to just lose it. Like,
bananas
crazy.”

“Are you afraid of him?” Audrey asked gently, even though she could see the answer clearly on the young girl’s face.

Alexis nodded. “Yeah. Now I am.”

“Then he’s hurting you. It might not be physical, but emotional hurt is still hurt. You shouldn’t have to live in fear, and what’s more, we need to stop him before it escalates. I’m not saying it will, but we should be sure.”

“All right,” she said after a moment. “So what should I do?”

Audrey took a breath. She’d counseled kids on a thousand things—first dates, bad grades, athletic scholarships—but this was the first time she’d had to talk to someone about a stalker. “First, you have to tell your mom. I know she doesn’t want you dating, and that it’s not going to be an easy conversation, but you have to tell her you’ve been seeing Hunter.”

The girl groaned, but Audrey pressed on. “How about your dad? Is he around and do you need to tell him, too?”

She shook her head. “They’re divorced. He lives up in Coon Rapids with his new wife. I don’t see him much.”

Audrey took the girl’s trembling hand in her own. “Okay, that’s fine. But you also need to tell your guidance counselor and probably Mr. Frace, just because you have him for English and track. He’s probably the teacher who sees you the most, right?”

“Yeah, probably.”

“First thing tomorrow at school, talk to them both. In the meantime, keep your cell charged at all times. And don’t hesitate, I mean even for a second, to call the police about Hunter. If he starts lurking around you or your house tonight, get them on the phone.”

Alexis blinked back tears. “Will he go to jail?”

Audrey squeezed the girl’s hand. “Whether he does or not isn’t your concern. Your only concern is being safe. And the police can help with that if need be. Now, when does your mom get home?”

“She finishes up her shift at the hospital in a few hours.”

“When she gets back, you guys need to talk. Tell her to call me if she has questions. I can vouch for what happened this morning. And if I need to, I can tell her what a good kid you are.”

“She’s just going to yell and get mad. She has stupid rules that don’t make any sense, and all she’s going to hear is that I broke them.”

Audrey smiled sympathetically. She didn’t have an overprotective parent, just Casey, and that was hard enough. “Just remember, your mom set those rules for you because she loves you and she wants the best for you.”

Alexis’s hazel eyes narrowed. “No, she sets those rules because at my age, she was knocked up. Her parents made her marry my stupid biological father, and she was miserable. And she keeps acting like I’m going to do the same thing, even though I’m not her.”

From the corner of her eye, Audrey saw Kieran shift, leaning more of his weight on the bike. She could feel his gaze on her, watching. For some reason, it made her feel safer, and somehow stronger. She returned her focus to Alexis, and gave the girl’s hand another squeeze.

“You, me, and your mom all want the same thing here—for you to have a bright future where scary boys aren’t making you feel frightened. We can all do that if we work together. You agree?”

Alexis nodded, but fear still shadowed her face. Audrey hoped that the girl’s school counselor would do a threat assessment and then take appropriate next steps based on the outcome—ideally calling Hunter’s parents, and getting their help disciplining Hunter. Audrey figured it would be hard for him to cruise around in his shiny new car scaring Alexis if they just took it away. If that didn’t work, she hoped the school would work with the police.

Audrey pulled out her cell. “Here,” she said, handing it to Alexis. “Put your number in there. I’m around if you need me, okay?”

Alexis keyed in the digits. “Thanks, Ms. Tanner. You’re awesome. I wish I could still see you at school. It sucks they fired, like, the
one
teacher who cares.”

“Lots of teachers care,” she replied. “Keep me posted after you talk to the school and your mom. Maybe text me?”

“Yeah. Totally.”

“Okay. Be safe.” She gave the girl a hug, hoping to reassure her.

When Alexis closed the door, Audrey exhaled deeply. She took a moment to ground herself—to remind herself she’d done right by her former student. She gazed from the tiny blades of new grass between the pieces of pavement at her feet to the wispy clouds fading into a jewel-blue sky above.

Hunter had scared them all, it was true, but at least Alexis had told her what was going on. And now, thanks to her prompting, Alexis would tell others, too. With any luck, and with the school’s help, Alexis would be free of Hunter shortly.

Audrey was encouraged by the thought. Things were on a better path than they had been that morning. And that was something to be thankful for. The shard of fear inside Alexis (and inside herself, if she was honest) would dull soon enough.

Audrey looked down the sidewalk and found Kieran watching her, his gaze steady, his frame tall and strong.

Her insides quaked at how his gaze never left her. His stare was unshakable and protective in a way that gave her a deep thrill—at least until she reminded herself that she was probably reading too much into him. Nothing about Kieran was unshakable or steadfast. He was probably just staring at her because she looked like a lumpy mess in all her riding clothes.

Even so, her heart pounded with every step she took down the sidewalk, until it was a drubbing mess by the time she was once again at his side. Never mind that for all the past hurt that was between them, today he was being downright gentlemanly—or at least his version of it. And never mind that a click was sounding in her brain, a noise like the tip of a branch against glass when the wind blew. Like the sound of something snapping into place.

No, never mind any of it, Audrey thought. She put her hand on the bike, but looked straight at Kieran. “I think it’s time for that ride,” she said.

Kieran’s wide mouth broke into a grin. “I’m looking forward to teaching you how to handle this bike.”

She thought he was going to make a joke—maybe a crack about what she would have between her legs the rest of the day—but instead he brushed a wisp of stray hair away from her face. “I’ll keep you safe, though. I promise.”

And it was the gentleness of his words, the sweet protection in them, that had her emotions flaming all over again. Her heart hammered a beat she swore she could hear over the rumble of the engine.

C
HAPTER
FIFTEEN

H
oly Saint Francis of Assisi
, Kieran thought as he steered the motorcycle toward the parking lot behind the Elks Club.
If Audrey shifts again, I am going to lose it.
The press of her body against his was unbearably hot. With every bump or turn, a different part of her connected with a different part of him. The little motions had exposed raw thoughts he knew he had to set aside.

He was here to give them a date. An afternoon of just being together, getting to know one another. Nothing physical.

Taking a deep breath, he concentrated on getting them to the little paved stretch that overlooked the Birch River. It would be the perfect location to teach Audrey the basics of riding a motorcycle. But as the pavement rolled underneath them, his mind was like a boomerang, returning again and again to wondering what being with her again would feel like.

He’d peel off all her layers of clothing, one by one, in an exquisitely painful march to bare flesh. He would kiss the rounded end of a shoulder, the tip of a finger, the back of one knee—random places because he could. Because he would take his time savoring her. He’d allow his hunger to build until she was stripped naked before him, her hair cascading past her neck and her freckled skin nearly glowing in the soft light. And then he’d place her on her back, lifting one of her long, strong legs and placing it on his shoulder. She would be open to him, her softness his for the taking, and he’d ease himself into her—

“Hey. The light’s green.”

Kieran jerked. Audrey was tapping his arm. Ahead of him, the traffic signal had turned, and cars were moving. Behind him, a horn blared. Shaking his head, he kicked the motorcycle into gear and let the spring wind scrub his mind.

Nothing could happen between them until Kieran came clean. He had to confess the past and tell Audrey the truth. He wanted their hearts and their minds and, hell, even their souls—his dark one and her lovely, light one—to be honest with each other, laid bare and free from the past.

He picked up speed, and the Harley’s rumble was suddenly like laughter. A deep, resonate chuckle at Kieran’s unrealistic goals.

He wanted too much. He knew it, and he understood it wasn’t fair to ask Audrey for anything. Why should she forgive him when he’d made such a calculating decision five years ago to choose money over her? And colluding with her sister on top of everything else was going to be a hard tale to tell.

No, as much as he wanted to, it wouldn’t be fair to give in to his current desire. He couldn’t—he wouldn’t—complicate things with sex before they’d had a chance to discuss why he’d left the first time.

They were riding over the Birch River now, the dark water sliding past the vibrant green of new leaves and grass along the shores. A cluster of geese rooted for bugs by the banks. Puffy yellow goslings waddled behind their parents, beaks opening and closing to demand food.

On the other side of the bridge they hit Main Street. Green banners flapped happily on light posts, heralding the arrival of the Asparagus Festival the following week. The fountain in front of the library splashed playfully in the afternoon light. A sign in front of the Rolling Pin bakery announced asparagus donuts for sale.

Kieran marveled at how picturesque the whole place was. It had been this way five years ago, too, when he’d arrived to find a backroom poker table where he could try to win back money for his mom. And then he’d met Audrey, who had cracked him open, enough so that the darkness inside of him had slipped out. Well,
some
of it, anyway.

But not enough so he stayed put and told her the truth.