Eternal Hearts (19 page)

“I’ll keep that in mind.” She let out a long sigh as she clicked her seatbelt into place. “I know we kinda moved past it and all, but for what it’s worth…I really am sorry about what happened with Derek.”

He waved away her concern. “You don’t have to apologize for Derek, Toni. That’s just how he is. That’s the way he’s always been…and I’m pretty sure that’s the way he’ll always be. He can’t keep his hands to himself when a beautiful woman’s involved. And in my opinion – that’s exactly what he was dealing with.”

She gifted him with a shy smile then stared down at the floor as color stained her cheeks again. “Thanks for saying that.”

“You’re welcome.”

“So you really aren’t mad?”

“Not really. I suppose in a way it’s not entirely his fault. If I remember my history right, the Vikings weren’t exactly known for keeping their hands to themselves. I’m pretty sure stealing other men’s women is hardcoded into his DNA.”

She laughed, and it wasn’t until the melodic sound filled the air between them that Drake realized how much he enjoyed hearing it. “You make a good point. Is he really older than Christian though?”

He nodded. “By a couple thousand years if I’m not mistaken.”

“Are you sure? He doesn’t act like it at all.”

“No, he doesn’t, does he?”

She shook her head. “He acts so…human. And Christian comes off so stiff and stodgy.”

“That’s because Derek doesn’t have the weight of an entire city resting on his shoulders,” Drake said as he maneuvered out of the parking garage and onto the street. “He’s old enough to do whatever he damn well pleases and there aren’t many people who can tell him otherwise. Actually, I take that back. There are plenty of people who can tell him otherwise, there just aren’t many with the power to make it stick.”

“So how do you know him?”

“Who?
Christian or Derek?”

“Derek.”

“Oh, we met a few years back.”

“Are you friends?”

He shrugged. “I suppose you could call us friends. We work together here and there. But to be honest, if you don’t mind, I’ve kinda had my fill of Derek for the day.”

“Okay. Then…let’s talk about you.”

Drake shifted in his seat. Giving in to her request had the propensity to cause trouble for both of them. In part because there were some questions he couldn’t answer, mainly anything pertaining to his profession, and other questions she probably wouldn’t like the answer to. But at the same time, all out refusing to answer anything she asked might make her even more suspicious than she already was.

He cast a quick glance over her as he prepared to make a right turn, only to find her smiling at him rather expectantly. “All right, you win. What do you wanna know?”

“Hmmm…where to start?”
She pulled her seatbelt away from her chest and let it snap back into place. “Are you originally from Chicago?”

Relief washed over him in a warm wave. At least he didn’t have to dodge that question. “Yes, I was born and bred right here in Chi-Town.”

“Good.” The tone of her voice said she was rather pleased with his answer. “That means you can’t be too much older than me.”

“Wait a minute now. You didn’t ask how old I was.”

“I didn’t have to. If you were older than Chicago you would’ve never said you were born here. And I didn’t ask where you were born. I asked where you were originally from.”

“Wow. She’s beautiful
and
devious. If all of your questions have some hidden agenda attached to them, I might just have to rethink this whole ‘Learn More
About
Drake’ game. I’ve been burned by a pretty face before, and I still got the marks to prove it.”

“Someone hurt you because you answered a question?”

It wasn’t until she asked that Drake truly realized what he’d said, or how much he’d almost given away about himself. And now he had to decide between lying to her again, when he really didn’t have to, and telling her at least some version of the truth.

“You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to, Drake.”

He looked down to where her hand now rested on his forearm. A comforting gesture that was no doubt meant to prove that she meant what she’d said. He didn’t have to tell her anything, but it was her willingness to offer that option that made him want to. “I had a girlfriend a few years ago. She was always a good one for the whole ask a question but take a lot more from the answer than you meant to give. To be honest, it’s because of her that I’m not a big fan of the question games. I’d rather someone just flat-out ask me what they wanna know.”

Silence hung like a heavy curtain between them until she finally asked, “Did you love her?”

Drake straightened when the muscles in his shoulders tensed. He opened his mouth, intent on refusing to answer such a rude and nosey question…but then stopped. How could he chide her for doing the very thing he’d just asked her to do? Granted, he didn’t think his love life would be the target of her first direct fire question, but she certainly didn’t leave any room for confusion.

“I did love her,” he admitted. “But I was young, and she…well, she wasn’t. She got me to do a lot of things I’m not proud of. It took me a while to realize what was really going on though – and I guess you could say it didn’t end well.”

“I’m sorry she hurt you,” Toni sighed as she squeezed his arm. “And from now on, I promise any questions I ask will be straightforward. No hidden agendas, no games, and if you don’t wanna answer, all you have to do is tell me. I never want you to feel like you have to give me anything more than you want to.”

Drake took a deep breath and waited for instinct to tear her promise to shreds. He waited for the animal to lash out with yet another doomed prediction of what was to come if he dared believe her. But when he was greeted with nothing save the rumble of the engine and the sound of her steady breathing, he smiled. “Thanks. I really appreciate that.”

She squeezed his arm again, and then folded her hands in her lap before she turned to stare out the window. “You’re welcome.”

The remainder of the drive to Grey’s passed in silence. Exactly why, Drake didn’t know. But he couldn’t think of anything else to add to what had already been said, and with every turn that brought them closer to the coffeehouse, Toni seemed to grow a little more nervous. She crossed and uncrossed her legs. She fidgeted with the bottom of her t-shirt. She repeatedly smoothed the ends of her dark hair. Once, she even breathed against the passenger window and drew a small heart in the condensation left on the glass.

Drake turned at the corner just before the frontage of Grey’s, and then again into the lot behind the building. At first it looked like the lot was completely full, but he kicked his head back and let out an evil cackle as he beat a little roller skate of a sports car into the last open spot.

“Oh my God,” Toni gasped right before she burst out laughing. She unbuckled her seatbelt and pushed it back into place. “You almost took his bumper off.”

“I’ll have you know I only did it for you,” Drake said as he killed the engine.

She didn’t look convinced. “You almost smashed another car for me?”

“Yup.”
He motioned to her then pointed out at the sidewalk. “Now you can take all that crazy nervous energy you’ve been charging up for the last ten minutes and go use it to attack hug Clint, instead of sitting here while I try to find another parking spot. I mean it.” He leaned over and opened the door for her. “Go on. Get to it already – I’m sure he won’t mind.”

She stared at the back of the building. “But what if he does mind, Drake?” Her shoulders began to fall as her voice faltered. “What if he doesn’t wanna see me?”

“What if all he’s wanted for the last three years
is
to see you?”
He’d no more than finished the sentence when she slid from the car and headed for Grey’s. But this time, the closer she got to the building – the faster she moved.

Drake smiled as Toni disappeared around the corner. He’d never met a woman like her. She could be sweet and innocent one minute, upset and cussing the next, and then kissing him breathless a few seconds later.

He stepped out of the car, pressed the button to lock the doors, and then slowly walked up the sidewalk that Toni had just run down like an excited child. He stared up at the dark sky as he rubbed the spot on his arm where she’d touched him back in the car. Much to his dismay, he was really starting to like her…

She tugged at a part of him that no woman before her had. And she didn’t do it with manipulation, or through practiced seduction, or even by making dozens of promises he knew she couldn’t or wouldn’t keep. She was winning him over one unexpected moment at a time…just by being herself.

Don’t get attached to her. She’ll die because of you.
Unable to ignore the voice in his mind or its warnings, Drake blew out a long, heavy sigh. He eyed the three to four dozen people passing by on the streets, watching every single one as they neared the corner next to Grey’s.

He had hundreds of enemies across the globe. Some of whom he’d rightfully earned through completed contacts, and others who hated him for no reason other than what he was. But how or why he’d earned them really didn’t matter in the end, because they’d all pay top dollar to learn of his fondness for Toni…and would kill her for that very reason.

He splayed his fingers wide then fisted his hands. He knew better than to get attached to anyone. The few people he cared for, even if it was only in friendship, always seemed to bear the brunt of his ill placed existence in one way or another. And no matter how much he hoped things might be different for Toni, the simple fact was that nothing would change. If anything, the threats would only get worse. And he couldn’t even begin to guess at what he’d do if someone actually hurt her solely to get to him.

Drake rounded the front corner of Grey’s but stopped before he reached the doors. As much as the realization left him with a stinging sensation in the center of his chest, he knew caring for Toni could very well sentence her to death…

And this time – that wasn’t what he was hired to do.

Chapter 9

“Well, well, well. Look what the cat dragged in.”

The front door of Grey’s had barely closed behind her when Toni heard Clint’s deep, sultry voice drift across the room. Every muscle in her body tensed as she stared down at the black and white checkerboard floor, too scared to look up at his face.

She twisted her fingers together as an erratic shiver worked down her spine. If he was still angry with her she’d be able to see it glowing somewhere behind his dark green eyes. She’d know the minute she caught sight of his chiseled jaw, or the hard but always forgiving line of his mouth. She could read his face better than anyone else she knew, and the mere thought of seeing disappointment or disgust etched into any of his features made her heart ache.

“And here I thought you’d be happy to see us.”

Toni raised her head when she picked up the tight note of concern in Clint’s voice, and was greeted with the same scene she’d spent the last two weeks hoping for. Clint and Jacob both sat in the far corners of the opposing orange couches, where they always had. And if she didn’t know better she’d have sworn they hadn’t moved in three full years.

She tried to steady the torrent of emotions that whipped through her when Clint stood up and turned around, but she just couldn’t…especially not when his mouth stretched into the lazy smile she thought she might never see again.

“So are you gonna come over here and hug me or what?”

Without a shred of hesitation, Toni cleared the distance between them and folded herself into his waiting arms. She locked her hands behind his neck and buried her face in his strong shoulder. The thick scents of coffee, chocolate and tobacco clung to his shirt, filling her mind with a dozen memories she was almost afraid to let herself remember.