Between Darkness and Daylight (17 page)

"Want to tell me the real deal?"

"There's no pulling the wool over your eyes, is there, ol' lady?"

"I'm trying to tell you now, young man."

Ransom laughed again then swallowed hard, bracing himself for and not looking forward to her anger and disappointment. "I'm going to tell you the truth Gramma, but I need you to be calm and not get upset or interrupt until I'm done. Cool?"

"Hmph. I don't like the way that sounds."

"I know, but could you promise me? Pretty, please?"

"Well, all right."

Ransom told her about the mugging, the meeting with Nova, and his punishment.

He heard his Gramma humming to the tune of her favorite blues song—"If You Don't Like My Peaches, Please Don't Shake My Tree"—

somewhere around his account of the trip to the precinct, the buzz rising on a crescendo of frustration as he got to the part about his Uncle Zane's arrival. He'd heard the song enough when he was little to recognize it and 116

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knew she was humming to keep from screaming at him for his

misbehaving. He had to give her props for letting him finish his pathetic tale.

She stayed silent for a long time after he finished, so silent it prompted him to say, "Gramma Addie? You still there?"

"Where is Zane?"

"Gramma, you promised not to say anything to—"

"I did no such thing! I said I'd be calm and I wouldn't interrupt and I didn't."

If you didn't count a chorus of "If You Don't Like My Peaches," she hadn't.

"You also promised you wouldn't get upse—"

"Lord Jesus, what is that man doing up there, with you running the streets like some common no-count heathen!"

"Gramma, please, it's not like that." Sheesh, he had to stop her before she started foaming at the mouth and ranting until her voice traveled out to the living room. As it was, he had to hold the receiver from his ear or he'd have suffered a busted eardrum and brain hemorrhage. "It wasn't Uncle Zane's fault, Gram."

"You tell me whose fault it was, then."

"It…it was my fault. All mine."

"Well, I'm glad to see someone taking responsibility for his own actions."

Ransom couldn't help but feel as if he'd just been snookered.

"I'm proud of you, Ran-man," she said, and it took the sting out of her playing him.

"Really?"

"Yes, really. Now go get your uncle so I can give him a piece of my mind."

"You're not going to tell him what we talked about…"

"I would if I could, but you still haven't told me about this thing you found out about…what was her name? Nova? You haven't told me what all that was about."

Ransom had almost forgotten why he'd called her in the first place.

"Well?"

"It's complicated, Gramma."

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"Hmph. Why don't you let me be the judge of that? I was a college professor in my day. I think I can grasp a few
complicated
concepts."

Now he'd gone and insulted her. He was really on a roll tonight.

"Okay, I found something in Nova's stuff. Something that's kind of incriminating…and not."

"And what were you doing sniffing around her
stuff
?"

Every time he opened his mouth, he dug a deeper hole with Gram. He just wasn't going to win with her tonight. "To be honest, I lifted it from her portfolio. It looked suspicious and I was curious."

"Go on." At least she wasn't humming.

"It's a sketch of Uncle Zane and it’s years old. But she'd never met him before the precinct, I'm almost sure of it. It just seems kind of weird that she’d know exactly what he looks like without ever having met him.

Weird and creepy. I mean especially with the things that have been going on lately."

"What things?"

"You know. The vandalism. The prank calls…" Ransom thought he might have gone too far. Gram was aware of the misdemeanor stuff and was worried like a mother should be, but he wasn’t sure she would handle what happened today with anything less than maternal hysteria.

"That boy does worry me, dealing with all those fool people out for revenge against a man just trying to do his job."

"Gram, I need advice."

"About the sketch?"

"I want to know what she's doing with a sketch of Uncle Zane in her belongings. For all we know, she could be one of the pranksters or…" He almost said stalker, but that would sound too threatening for Gram Addie, though it was probably true. "I just don't know what her motives are. She worries me."

"She should, seeing as how you tried to mug her."

"You're not going to let me forget that, are you?"

"It will follow you to your grave, as far as I'm concerned, Ran-man."

He chuckled, waiting for more.

"You want to know whether or not you should say something to her?

Or to Zane?"

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"Yeah. Problem is which one, if either." He held his breath as his Gram thought it over.

"If you have to mention it to anyone, mention it to her. Give her the benefit of the doubt and a chance to explain. Hear what she has to say and go from there. But whatever you do, eventually you’re going to have to tell your uncle Zane. It’s not right to keep information like this from him."

Man, this wasn’t going to be easy. Somehow he had thought Gramma would see things his way and agree that he shouldn’t tell Uncle Zane. But he should have known she would want him to do the difficult, “mature”

thing. Not that it was going to be any easier to confront Nova, especially after the rocky way their relationship had started. She’d just really think he was some kind of uncivilized hoodlum when he went to her with this.

Still, the thought of confronting her was far less frightening than the thought of telling his uncle about the picture, and Gram Addie's words just validated his feelings.

He started when a knock sounded on his door. Uncle Zane opened it two seconds later and popped in his head.

"You about ready for bed?"

"Sure. I was just talking to Gram Addie about our plans for Thanksgiving." If he could have winked at his Gram, he would have, but as it turned out, he didn't need to, since his Gramma Addie was a sharp ol'

lady.

"Don't worry, I won't tell him anything about our conversation," she assured Ran. "But remember what I told you," she finished before he handed the phone over to his uncle.

Yeah, he’d remember. He had no choice now.

* * * *

Zane looked at Nova standing in the middle of his guest bedroom, clad in his gray NYU T-shirt, and all he could think about was getting her out of it. “So, we’re all ready for beddy-bye now? Got all your calls made to the neighbors?”

Nova nodded. “Yo-Yo’s all taken care of for the night and tomorrow morning.”

“You’ve got great neighbors.”

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“Most of them probably used to be your sister’s neighbors.”

“Probably.”

She put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed. “You’ve suffered a lot of loss in the last few years, haven’t you?”

“No more than anyone else.” Was she trying to get him to talk about his sister or his wife? He wasn’t in the mood for either, too concerned with what had happened earlier. But maybe that’s why Nova was bringing up his past, to take his mind, and hers, off the present. “If you’re all set, then I think I’ll—”

“Wait. Don’t go.” She caught his biceps and held him. Not that it took all that much effort to keep him where he was, since he didn’t want to leave her.

He wondered if he would ever get used to the constant push-pull he felt with her. The wanting to touch her, hold her, make love to her weighed against the caution and suspicion that colored all of their encounters so far, at least from his perspective.

He wondered how Nova saw their little meetings so far.

Tilting his head, he stared at her. “I couldn’t go if I tried.”

“Don’t try. Stay with me.” She led him over to the full-sized bed and sat him down.

Zane looked at her as she stood in front of him and astride one knee.

He still wasn’t sure what to make of her, how she had gotten into his life and why she was here. He sensed Ransom’s attempted mugging had just been a vehicle, that he and Nova would have come together with or without his nephew’s doing. He felt like they had been together already…in another life.

Or in a dream.

There was that thought again; it wouldn’t let go.

He'd never believed in destiny and fate and, much to his very religious mother’s chagrin, didn’t consider himself all that spiritual. He'd gone to church as a kid because he had to, but the last time he had been inside a house of worship as an adult had been at his wife’s funeral.

He swallowed hard as he gazed up at Nova. He didn’t want to think about Sinny now, didn’t want to dwell on her death or the other bad things that had happened in his life. He wanted only to immerse himself in Nova’s essence. There was something so comforting and stable about 120

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having her there, enough to keep his mind off Mrs. Diaz’s attack, the trip to the precinct, the vandalism…

She palmed his face and moved closer as he slid his arms up around her waist and bent his head to nuzzle her cotton-covered vagina. Just a couple of thin layers of material separated him from the warmest, most sensual place he wanted to be. Needed to be. He wasn’t a one-night-stand kind of man, especially with Ransom in his life, but he wanted Nova enough that he was willing to take that risk, chance being with her just for tonight. He didn’t want to think what he would do if
she
was a one-nightstand kind of woman.

“Are you worried about Ransom?”

He sat up straight to look at her. “Should I be?”

“I just thought I’d ask. I wouldn’t want to traumatize him anymore than he’s been already today.”

“He should be sound asleep. And he’s a heavy sleeper, too.”

“You don’t say.” She stepped closer and rubbed her knee against his hard and still burgeoning cock.

Zane gasped and gripped her hips. “Actually, I was worried about me.”

“Don’t be afraid of me, Zane.”

“I’m not afraid of you.”

“I would never hurt you,” she whispered.

“Isn’t that supposed to be my line?”

“I already know you wouldn’t hurt me.”

“Why do you have so much faith in me?”

She shrugged, the sultry seductress before him momentarily reduced to a shy and speechless little girl.

He broke the stillness by pulling her down and maneuvering their bodies until she was beneath him.

She smiled up at him. “What now?”

“You mean you don’t know?”

She reached for his belt in response and quickly unbuckled it before he caught a wrist and stopped her.

“Before we get carried away with this, I don’t have anything.”

“Oh.”

He laughed at her pout. “You either?”

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“I didn’t exactly leave my house this morning prepared for a sleepover.”

“I can’t remember the last time I had that telltale round imprint in my wallet either.” He chuckled. “Aren’t we a pair?”

“Yeah. A pair of responsible adults with a kid in the house, but,” she reached for his pants again, quickly unfastening them before he could object, and slid her hand inside, “there are other ways…”

Zane hissed and bit his bottom lip when she glanced up at him, her dark eyes heated and bright as she bent her head over his cock. “I’ve wanted to do this since we met at the precinct. Does that make me a shameless hussy?”

“No.” He shook his head and cupped her face. “It makes me

remarkably lucky.” He closed his eyes as she wrapped her hot, full lips around the head of his penis and dipped her tongue into the slit. Because he was out of practice, his legs trembled. Zane tunneled his hands through her hair, fisting them against her scalp to steady himself.

Nova licked his cock from base to tip, then lowered her head and drew him into her mouth inch by torturous inch.

He gasped, trying to pull back, the pleasure so intense and sudden, he thought he might hurt her if he gave into it. But she held him in place, one hand pressed against an ass cheek and pulling him closer, the other reaching down between his legs to stroke his scrotum.

Delicious waves of cold heat rode Zane’s spine. He groaned and slowly pumped his hips as she took him deeper, the head of his cock bumping the back of her throat, and still she went further, her lips brushing the base of his cock as she boldly sucked.

“Nova…sweet Jesus, I can’t hold it,” he panted.

She sucked without pause, her grip on his ass tightening.

“I’m going to…Oh, God…” Zane bit back a curse as colors and

firelight exploded before his eyes; he shuddered in her embrace, balls tight and drawn close to his groin as he surged into her mouth in an endless, powerful jet that noodled his legs.

He slowly sank to his knees, cuddled his head in her lap and wrapped his arms around her waist.

Nova stroked his hair. “You needed that,” she whispered.

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Zane couldn’t tell her how much, hadn’t known he’d needed it until that moment.

He opened his eyes several moments later to see Nova grinning down at him.

She patted the bed beside her. “Come.”

“I thought I just did.” He smiled weakly.

She chuckled. “Sit beside me. Be with me.”

He wanted nothing more. Pulling up, he fastened his pants and sat beside her, a subject obeying his queen. Nova twined her fingers with his and guided him back against the bed, covered his chest with her breasts and cradled her face against his throat.

His pulse sped at the gentle contact and he slid a hand up to burrow in her soft hair.

“I know you can’t stay with me all night. But just lie with me for a while?”

He wanted to do more than just lie with her, but for now that would have to be enough.

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Chapter 11

Nova woke with the sun in her eyes, the light from outside seeping past the half-open, powder blue blinds. She wasn’t surprised to be in bed alone, even though she’d fallen asleep in Zane’s arms.