Forgotten (Shattered Sisters Book 2) (10 page)

Caro sank onto the sofa, her face obviously straining to hide her misery. Ash wasn't sure what to do, but he caught Joey's glance. She nodded her head toward the two girls stretched on the floor watching television. She looked worried about her sister and Ash knew she wanted some time alone with her.

"Hey, you two,” he said to the kids. “Isn't it getting close to bedtime?"

Two blond heads turned in his direction. "Not yet!"

"Can't we stay up? Mommy?"

Ash shook his head in mock disappointment. “Oh. All right then. I was gonna read you a story, but…”

They were on their feet in a flash, and Ash felt himself being tugged, one girl holding each of his hands, across the living room and through the open bedroom door at its far end. He’d be out of earshot, but still within sight of Joey and her sister. He glanced over his shoulder at Joey, caught her grateful smile and sent her an encouraging wink.

She was worried. Right now, it was about her sister, but it went deeper, Ash thought. She hadn't relaxed all night. And while it was obvious she was still lying to him, and to her sister as well, it was equally obvious that she hated every minute of it. And it did nothing to dampen the desire he felt for her every time he looked at her.

Joey went to the bedroom door and peered inside. Ash sat in a rocker, a girl on each knee, a book open on his lap.

"And as the princess gently kissed the frog, something magical happened. The spell was broken, and he turned into the handsome prince he truly was. Falling down on his knees, he took the princess's hand in his and told her how much he loved her. They were married in a great celebration, and of course they lived happily ever after."

He closed the book. "Well, how was that?"

Joey smiled, an unfamiliar warmth curling in the pit of her stomach. She'd been furious with him earlier, but she'd reasoned with herself until she thought she understood him. He believed she was his wife. He probably felt frustrated and hurt that she'd rejected his physical advances. His rotten attitude was no more than another result of all he was going through right now. She had to forgive him. "They're asleep," she whispered.

Ash glanced at the blond heads lolling upon either of his shoulders. Joey stepped forward and scooped Bethany from his lap. She carried her to the white four-poster and tucked her in. When she turned, Ash was installing Brittany in the bed's twin, on the other side of the room. Felix had already settled himself on the foot of her bed and looked dead to the world.

"You know, these two are just about the most precious things in my life."

"I'm not surprised," he said, his voice low. "They've charmed my socks off already."

She met his gaze across the room. "You're terrific with them."

"I love kids."

She went to the rocker and picked up the book. The process of forgiving him was suddenly complete. "
The Frog Prince
?"

Ash met her in the room's center. "Seemed appropriate," he said softly. "It's a fascinating theory, don't you think?" He took the book from her hands, set it aside. "I know I acted like a frog earlier. I didn't mean it."

"I know."

He slipped his arms around her waist, drawing her close. She stiffened, but he shook his head quickly. "One kiss, Joey. Not so much for a husband to ask from his wife, is it? Besides, how else will you know if there's a prince hidden under this frog skin?"

She moistened her lips. What she saw in his eyes made her blood warm, and she was assaulted once again by the attraction that wouldn't go away. She wanted to kiss him, not to convince him that they were truly man and wife, but to feel the touch of his mouth on hers, the pressure of his arms around her, the strength of his chest against hers. She nodded. "All right,” she said, glancing at the girls to be sure they were still sound asleep. “One kiss."

Ash smiled. Then his mouth covered hers. His arms around her waist tightened, drawing her body to his. She parted her lips, curious, eager, excited, all at once. It seemed as if he was tasting her, and liking what he found.

The flash flood of desire that rushed through her shocked Joey. Her arms curled tighter around his neck. Her body pressed harder against his, and her fingers threaded into his hair. This was good. Whatever this was, it was incredibly good. It was more than a kiss. It was a firestorm of feeling. And she thought he was losing himself in her as much as she was in him. She felt his heart hammering, heard his rapid breathing. All because of her. The feel of his hands at the base of her spine, their pressure holding her tight, was bliss. And then the sound of Caroline clearing her throat sent her to the opposite extreme. She stepped away guiltily, suppressing a shiver. The fire in Ash's eyes , though, still burned bright.

"Caro...I—I'm sorry. I...we just—"

"It's okay. I remember when it was like that. Go on home, you two."

Ash blinked, then turned, slipping a possessive arm around Joey's shoulders. "You sure you don't want us to stick around until Ted gets back?"

The pain that lanced her sister was obvious to Joey, and probably to Ash as well, but Caro only nodded sharply. "No, he's liable to be...late. As long as the girls are asleep, I guess I'll turn in myself. It's been a long day. Good night."

Joey sighed as her sister turned and walked away. Ash kept his arm around her while they walked together to the front door. He looked down at her and she held his gaze for a long moment before she had to look away. He wanted her. His eyes were telling her so in no uncertain terms. And dammit, she wanted him, too. But she couldn't let this thing with him develop into anything more than it was. She couldn't let herself begin to feel anything for him. God, she didn't ever want to suffer the way Caro was...the way their mother had.

He walked her to the car, opened the driver's door and stood aside. Joey shook her head and handed him the keys. "You mind driving, Ash? I'm too worried. I'd probably put us in a ditch."

He got in and she went around to the other side. "You want to talk about it?"

She frowned hard as he started the car. Strangely enough, she did. Why, for God's sake? What good would telling
him
do? "Caro thinks Ted's cheating on her." Joey shook her head and thumped her fist on the dash as the car backed out into the street. "Damn him. How can he do this to her?"

Ash shook his head. "Don't you think he deserves a trial before you string him up, Joey?"

"My sister wouldn't think it unless the evidence was pretty strong. She doesn't
want
to think it now, but it's getting harder not to."

"Why?"

She looked up at him, looked at the way the lights of other vehicles played over his face. His beard was coming in again, a darker shadow on his jaw. Her fingers itched to run over it. "There's money missing from their accounts, and he won't explain it. He has these murmured conversations on the phone and hangs up when she comes into the room. He's secretive. She knows he's keeping something from her. And that was the second emergency this week for Mrs. Peterson."

"So?"

"Mrs. Peterson's first name is a thirty-five year-old widow who'll take on anything wearing pants."

“And you know this because…?”

She scowled at him.

"Well, have you ever met the woman?"

She lifted her chin. "No. But Caro has—"

"And you don't think she might be a little biased?"

"My sister isn't like that." She felt his gaze on her, but didn't look back. "Why do men do it, Ash?"

"What? Cheat?"

She nodded, still not facing him.

"Not all men do it."

She released a clipped burst of air. "Right."

"Your stepfather did, though. And your birth father, too. And to you, that means all men must be the same.”

She looked up quickly, startled.

“Ted mentioned you had a problem with your dad. Dads. You've talked about your mother several times. You and your mother must be very close."

"We were." She swallowed the lump in her throat

"Damn," he muttered. "I'm sorry, Joey. I didn't know. Was it...recent?"

"Last year. Stroke." She drew a breath and willed herself to go on. “Dad, my stepdad, the one I thought of as my father my entire life, was with his mistress the night my mother died. He moved her into my mother's house two months later."

"And you can't forgive him?"

"I hate him."

He nodded. "Hating people takes a lot of energy, Joey."

"I'm used to hating him. I've had a lot of practice."

"Been doing it a while, hm?"

"Since the first time I saw him with someone else. I was twelve. The thing I never understood was why my mother put up with it. She had to know. God, if I could see it, I know she could. Why did she stay with him?"

"That's probably something only she could answer."

She nodded, but remained quiet.

"You know, growing up like that might make a lot of women wary. Maybe even a little quick to jump to conclusions."

She faced him as he turned her car into the long, graveled driveway and drove slowly over it. "You think that's what Caro is doing?"

He shrugged. "Could be. I got the feeling Ted was hiding something, but it didn't seem like it was an affair."

She frowned "What else could it be?"

"I don't know. Whatever it is, he'd be better off being honest with Caroline about it. The truth probably isn't as bad as what she's thinking."

Joey blinked, for the first time wondering if there could be another explanation for Ted's behavior.

"It's important, I think. Being honest," he went on. He steered the car onto the blacktop portion of the driveway and killed the headlights, then the motor.

She had to turn her head away. Even though he couldn't see her in the darkness of the car, she could feel his eyes on her. Obviously, he knew she'd been less than honest with him. She couldn't even deny it.

"You're right." Her voice was almost a croak. "But sometimes there are things that are more important." She thought of her beautiful nieces, growing up without their mother, of the beautiful man beside her lying still and cold in a grave.

"Okay, I'll concede that point." He was silent a moment. "Will you answer me one question?"

"If I can." She lifted her head.

She heard him move, and then the interior light came on. He looked at himself in the rearview mirror, rubbed his stubble-coated chin. "You see any signs of a prince emerging here?"

"Not a one." He looked crestfallen, and she laughed softly. "But you know, I'm beginning to think the frog isn't as bad as he pretends to be."

Ash slept in her bed again that night. It was an unspoken conclusion that he would. He still wasn't sure why she wanted him there, if she didn't want
him.
Of course, she
did
want him, she just wouldn't let it happen. So why share a bed?

It made it a lot harder to check on her brother in law’s recent internet browsing, but he managed it. After she was asleep, he looked at the image on his phone, and one by one, keyed in the URLs Ted had visited.

Dissociation and Dissociative Amnesia as a Criminal Defense.

Violent Crime and Mental Illness.

Dissociative Identity Disorders and Violence.

In-patient care for Violent Dissociative Disorder Patients.

He did a quick Google search and learned that Dissociative Disorder was the current term for what used to be called Multiple Personality Disorder.

Very interesting. He cleared his browsing history before he slept.

Sometime that night he had the dream again. He tried to wake up, but as always, he couldn't. He could only lie there, his heart racing, his skin beading with sweat, and live the damned thing over again. He should have been used to it by now.

But then it left him, all at once. Suddenly there was warmth in the cold, dark closet of his childhood. There was light. Someone was there with him, and it was all right.

In the morning, he almost choked. Joey was curled into his arms, her head nestled in the crook of his neck where her breaths bathed his skin. Her hair tickled his chin. Her legs twined with his, one lying over his thighs.

She'd worn an oversize football jersey to sleep in. It was hiked up to her waist. Her panties were brief, and they were too small a barrier. He was in hell. He'd died during the night and this was to be his eternal torment. He couldn't move without waking her. And if he woke her, and she felt the undeniable proof of where his mind had wandered, she'd probably be furious with him for the rest of the day. As if he had a choice in the matter.
He
wasn't the one twined around
her
like a jungle vine!