Bound to the Bachelor (9 page)

Lily just had that
thing
that drew men like bees to pollen. He didn’t have a name for it. Sex appeal was too crude and obvious. It was more than that, a sort of magnetic pull, and the amazing thing was she didn’t seem to be aware of it. Or, if she was, she didn’t seem to want to capitalize on it, the way some women did.

“You want another coffee?” he asked before the waitress disappeared.

“Thanks, but I’m pushing maximum density here already,” she said, patting her belly.

“You ready to hit the trails again?”

“If I say no will you think I’m a wimp?” she asked.

“It’s okay. Women don’t have the same stamina that men do,” he said, knowing it would provoke her.

As he’d predicted, she pushed her chair back and stood, challenge glinting in her eyes. “Okay, let’s go, hot shot.”

He hid his smile and settled the bill, and for the next two hours they swished their way down various mountain trails. It was only when he caught Lily massaging her thigh when she thought he wasn’t looking that he realized he’d pushed her too hard. She’d told him she hadn’t skied for years. He should have taken that into account when he structured the day’s activities.

“We should probably think about heading back to Marietta,” he said, trying to gauge if his guess was correct or not.

“You’re the boss,” she said with a little ‘it’s up to you’ shrug.

He was watching closely, however, and there was unmistakable relief in her brown eyes at the prospect of going home. Annoyed with himself, he insisted she sit by the fire in the foyer of the resort while he returned her ski gear to the hire place and packed his own into his SUV. She looked more than a little weary when he came to collect her, and he slowed his pace as they walked back to the car.

He kept conversation to a minimum as they headed down the mountain, and after half an hour Lily announced she might try a cat nap. He reached into the rear seat and wordlessly passed her the blanket he kept in the car.

She looked at it in bemusement. “Are you going to offer to tuck me in, too?”

“Only if you want me to drive into a tree.”

She unfolded the blanket and made herself comfortable, winding the seat back. After a few minutes, she spoke up.

“Thank you. For everything. I had a nice day.”

He glanced at her. Her eyes were closed, her face turned away from him.

“My pleasure,” he said, and was surprised to realize it was true.

She slept for most of the way home, only stirring when he slowed down to enter town.

“Are we home already?” she said, her voice husky from sleep.

“Just like magic.”

By the time he was pulling up in front of her apartment block, she’d folded the blanket and returned her seat to the upright position. It was nearly five, and the sun was low on the horizon as she turned to face him.

“Well, look at that. We survived a whole day together, and neither of us is limping or in need of psychological counseling.”

“We’ve still got a few minutes left.” His gaze dropped to her mouth. Her top lip was almost as full as the lower one. He couldn’t help wondering if it felt as soft as it looked.

“You want a limp? That can be arranged,” she said.

“How about psychological counseling?”

She shook her head slowly. “Sorry. I think it only works on people with normal levels of stubbornness.”

“So that rules you out, then.”

“Hell, yeah.”

They both smiled. Lily reached for the door handle.

“I promise to leave a favorable review of Bennett Private Ski Tours on Tripadvisor,” she said.

“I dare you.”

Her eyes shone with mischievous intent. “Don’t tempt me.”

The urge to lean across and press his mouth to hers was overwhelming. He’d been thinking about it all day, wondering what she tasted like. How she’d feel in his arms.

Instead, he glanced out the windshield and reminded himself of the discussion they’d had at lunchtime and what Andie would say if she found out he’d slept with her best friend.

“I’ll see you around, Beau,” Lily said.

He heard the sound of the door opening, and when he glanced across she was sliding out of the car, letting cold air into the warm interior.

“You will,” he said.

She shut the door and raised her hand in farewell. He raised his hand in turn and watched her make her way to the front entrance of the building. He was about to pull away from the curb when he noticed someone climbing out of a car parked three spots in front of where he was situated. He could tell from the build and the way the person walked that it was a man.

The man called out, and Lily glanced back over her shoulder. He couldn’t see her face from this distance, but after a small hesitation, she turned and waited for the man to catch up.

A friend, then. Someone who’d been waiting for her to get home. Maybe even her boyfriend. Andie hadn’t mentioned Lily was seeing someone, and Lily certainly hadn’t made any reference to a significant other during the day, but neither of those facts meant anything.

Just as well he hadn’t given in to the crazy impulse to kiss her.

He checked the road, then signaled and pulled out.

It wasn’t until he was turning out of Lily’s street that it hit him Lily hadn’t just stopped when she’d looked over her shoulder – she’d taken a step backward. As though she was afraid.

Beau frowned.

It probably doesn’t mean anything
.

It might not. Then again, it might. He drummed his hands on the steering wheel. Then, giving in to instinct, he performed a sweeping U-turn.

*

Lily had almost
gained the warmth of the foyer when someone called out.

“
Lily
.”

She didn’t immediately recognize the voice, but when she glanced over her shoulder she was terrified as she saw the tall, intimidating man bearing down on her.

Luther
.

Then reality kicked in and she realized it couldn’t possibly be Luther – this man was far too young, not to mention alive and breathing. She stood and blinked in surprise as her brain supplied the answer to the riddle.

“Darren,” she said as he stopped in front of her.

His resemblance to Luther was uncanny – he had the same broad forehead and deep-set, pale blue eyes. His hair was the also gingery-blonde, like Luther’s, but he was nowhere near as big throughout the body – even in cold weather gear, he appeared to be on the scrawny side of skinny.

Darren’s gaze was assessing as he took in her ski gear. “You haven’t changed.”

There was something in his tone that made her uneasy. It took her a second to recognize it as anger. But why would he be angry with her she didn’t know.

“What are you doing here? How did you find me?” she asked.

After fourteen years, she should probably have come up with something more welcoming, but this didn’t feel like a reunion.

“I got your address from the lawyer.” He flicked a glance at the apartment building over her shoulder. When he refocused on her she had to repress a shiver at the coldness she saw in his eyes. “They should never have sent that money to you.”

“You mean the bequest?” she said stupidly.

“That money is rightfully mine. You need to sign it back over to me,” Darren said.

“Wh-what?” She shook her head, sure she was misunderstanding him.

He took a step closer. “You heard me. I want the ten thousand back.”

She flinched away from the suppressed fury in his face. “I can’t give it to you. I’ve already donated it to someone else.”

“Then you’ll have to get it back.”

Despite her wariness, Lily felt the spark of anger. She hadn’t seen or heard from her stepbrother in fourteen years, and the first contact was about him shaking her down for money?

“I can’t. And you know what? It’s none of your business what I did with the money. Luther left it to me.”

Darren moved so fast she didn’t have a chance to do anything but give a yelp of fright as he lunged forward and seized her upper arm. His grip was punishing as he got right up in her face.

“Listen here, you dumb bitch. You’re going to give that money to me or I’m going to make you regret it for the rest of your life.”

Fear was a cold stab in her belly, seizing her muscles, stealing the breath from her lungs. For a horrible moment she was back in her bedroom again, Luther tearing at her clothes.

“I can’t. It’s gone.”

Darren shook her so hard her teeth clicked together. “I know all about you, Lily. How do you think the good people of this town would feel if they knew what a whore you really are?”

He meant the stripping, of course. A bubble of hysterical, inappropriate laughter swelled her throat. Darren had no idea that the “good people” of Marietta had already judged her for her past.

“Knock yourself out, buddy. Go nuts,” she said.

His slap caught her full on the cheek, snapping her head to the side, making her ears ring.

“Here’s what’s going to –”

Suddenly, the grip on her arm was gone. Lily staggered backward, her head still ringing, trying to make sense of what she was seeing – Darren on his back on the ground, a dark figure looming over him.

Beau.

Lily had never been more grateful to see anyone in her life. Beau’s eyes found hers, his expression tight and hard.

“Are you okay?”

Somehow she managed to force sound from her tight throat. “Yes.”

Beau leaned down and gathered a fistful of Darren’s jacket, dragging his torso off the ground in an impressive display of power.

“I don’t know who you are, but if I ever catch you laying a finger on Lily again, you’ll be eating food through a straw for the rest of your fucking life,” he said, his tone low and menacing and more than a little terrifying.

“Get off me. I’ll have you charged with assault.” Darren’s voice was high with fear as he kicked out at Beau, but Beau simply stepped aside, retaining his grip on the other man’s torso.

“Great idea. Lily, you want to call Toby Walton, get him or Deputy Dawson over here,” Beau said, not taking his eyes off Darren.

Lily pulled her phone from her pocket.

“Toby’s direct line is 555-2936,” Beau said.

“Let me go.” Darren thrashed around some more, and Beau released him, stepping back out range of his flailing legs.

“You attacked me,” Darren said, his face flushed as he scrambled to his feet. “I’ll sue you. I’ll have you charged with assault and I’ll sue you for damages.”

“You go right ahead and do that. I’m sure the court will love to hear about how I found you restraining and assaulting a woman,” Beau said.

Lily was standing a few feet away, but she could feel the coiled tension in his big body. She held her breath, worried that any second now, the two of them were going to be on the ground, pounding on each other. Not that she wouldn’t like to see Darren get a dose of what he’d dished out, but she didn’t want Beau to get hurt or bring down trouble on himself.

“Beau,” she said, reaching out to rest a hand on his arm to get his attention.

He glanced at her, and Darren took advantage of his distraction to make a run for his car. Beau started after him, but Lily caught his elbow.

“No, don’t!”

Beau threw her a disbelieving look as he shook her off.

“He’s my stepbrother,” she said, immediately feeling foolish for the knee-jerk impulse to protect Darren, even though he was a grown adult now. The man had just attacked her. He didn’t deserve her consideration.

The sound of a car door slamming ended the debate. Beau watched darkly as Darren pulled away from the curb with a squeal of tires, his car fishtailing on the icy road before he gained traction and tore up the street. Grim-faced, Beau noted the other man’s plate details, tapping them into his phone.

“Has he hit you before?” he asked, turning on her.

“Never. And I haven’t seen him for fourteen years.”

Her cheek felt hot where Darren had hit her. She lifted a hand to her face and realized it was trembling. Which was when she registered her whole body was shaking, an almost imperceptible vibration born of fear and too much adrenalin. The harshness left Beau’s face and he glanced toward her building.

“Let’s go inside.”

She let him herd her into the foyer, then into the elevator. She wrapped her arms around herself and tried to stop trembling. She was so busy trying to calm herself she started when the bell chimed as they reached her floor, and Beau threw her an assessing look.

“I’m fine,” she said before he could say anything.

“Right. Because getting assaulted is an everyday event for you. Come on.”

He took her elbow, walking her to her door. Her keys jangled as she let herself into her apartment.

She turned to Beau. “Thanks for –”

He brushed past her, striding into her apartment. He glanced around, getting his bearings, then headed straight into the kitchen. When he came back, he had a bag of frozen corn wrapped in a tea towel.

“Let me see.”

There was no arguing with his tone, and she let him catch her chin in his hand, lifting her face toward the light. His gaze ran over her, coolly assessing.