Love Thief (2 page)

Chapter Three

Charmaine sat with a manual open and her laptop in front of her. The words blurred before her eyes. She rubbed them and checked the time then the screen. What the hell? Two hours had passed, and she hadn’t done a damn thing. This was his fault. Why did she have to keep thinking about him, hearing his voice in her head? He was throwing her off her game. Not to mention the chortles in the corner and the blaring cartoons.

Maybe if she stretched her legs a bit and walked around, she could get her focus on point. Her apartment was more like a gigantic room. The building had been an old warehouse and was remodeled into studio apartments. Charmaine had loved it on sight and had lived here for four years. She didn’t want to move, but in all honesty, if she was going to have to raise Amaya, the little girl should have her own room.

Charmaine wandered over near the door, wondering if all the apartments in the building were big open spaces or did some vary. What about what’s his name’s? She mentally kicked herself because she knew damn well she remembered his name was Elliot. Talk about a pompous moniker, the bastard.

Chewing on her bottom lip, she stood at the door with her hand on the knob. Which direction did he live? Which place was his?

“Oh, who cares?” she growled, and Amaya looked up.

“Who cares about what?”

“Never mind. Watch your shows.” Charmaine told herself not to, but she opened the door. Just when she did, she found him standing there, hand raised to knock. Charmaine blinked. “Are you stalking us?”

He grinned. “Me? Maybe.”

She had expected him to say no.

“I thought I would stop by and tell you which apartment is mine, I mean should you need me.”

Charmaine folded her arms over her chest and pursed her lips. “You got bold after your accusation, didn’t you?”

“I was always bold, lovely lady. I just wasn’t getting anywhere. The fact that I got to see your face unobscured has given me new hope.”

He was unbelievable, but deep inside she acknowledged a tiny bit of amusement. She didn’t let it show on her face. As quick as she could, she took in his form. He wore khaki slacks and a short sleeved collared blue shirt. A nerd, she thought, cringing, but the arms sticking out from the sleeves were muscular and tanned with a smattering of fine hair on them.

“I’m sure I don’t need to know where you live.”

“Elliot.”

She hadn’t paused as if she didn’t recall his name.

He pointed to the right. “I’m next door, one down. You’re free to stop by any time.”

“Thanks, but I don’t like people dropping by unannounced. So if you’ll excuse me, I have to get back to my project.”

“What are you so busy with all the time?”

She didn’t answer.”

“I’m headed out to the quad. If you like, you can join me.”

Charmaine had another unwelcome flashback, this one generic. For some reason she thought of high school and the quadrangle outside of the cafeteria where the kids hung out. In the back of the warehouse, or rather in the middle of four buildings, there was a good size square like a mini-park with benches and trees. A few of the residents spent time out there, enjoying the breeze and sunshine. Charmaine had stepped out once and never gone back. Not because it wasn’t nice but because people tended to talk to her, and she had been distracted from work.

“Thanks,” she said to Elliot’s offer and made to shut the door. He at last gave up and waved as he walked away. She dropped into her spot in front of the couch and focused on the computer screen.

“Aunt Charmaine?”

She clenched her jaw. “Yes?”

“Can I have a sandwich?”

Charmaine swallowed a sigh and rose to open the refrigerator. She hadn’t done grocery shopping. They had eaten the last of the eggs that morning, and they had eaten a snack not an hour ago. Charmaine eyed Amaya’s slender figure. “I’ve got cereal.”

Amaya frowned at the box of plain oats. Charmaine had bought them because they came in a huge box, and she could snack sometimes when there was no milk. Her niece apparently wasn’t impressed.

Charmaine lifted the box down and handed it to Amaya. “Just give me an hour, and we’ll hit the grocery store,
please.”

Brown eyes rolled like she had been doing lately.

“And watch the eyes!”

Amaya opened the box and ate directly out of it then wandered over to the window. She climbed on a chair and gazed out. “Aunt Charmaine, can I go out there?”

Charmaine banged her head on the coffee table. “Go. If you take the elevator down to the first floor and turn right, then walk to the back, you’ll get to the door outside. Or you can take the stairs at the back of this floor. It’s closer.”

“You’re not going with me?”

Charmaine raised her head. “You can’t go by yourself?”

An odd look came into the little girl’s eyes, and she nodded. “Yes, I can. I’m almost grown up.”

The tiny figure that ran over to the bed and dug her shoes out from under it didn’t look very grown up to Charmaine, but she let her go. Besides, Charmaine could see outside easily enough. After Amaya left, Charmaine opened the window and looked out. Soon Amaya appeared and ran straight over to Elliot who sat on a bench with his head bent over a tablet. She blew out a breath. He had the nerve to criticize her and her electronics.

Amaya’s high-pitched voice echoed over the quad, and Elliot looked up at her and then behind her as if he expected Charmaine. Then he gazed up toward her window and caught her looking. She almost darted back, but stayed where she was. He said something she didn’t catch and frowned, shaking his head. What did that mean?

Charmaine stomped back to her work and tried to focus. Laughter and excited little screeches from Amaya kept drawing her attention, especially when they were followed by Elliot’s more sedate and deep voice. They were having a lot of fun apparently. She wandered over to the window and watched. He had set his tablet aside and chased after Amaya. When he tagged her, she chased him. Charmaine thought he let her catch him because that build looked liked it was made to move.

“Stop admiring his body and get back to work,” she whispered.

The two below seemed to choose another game. Charmaine checked the clock. An hour and a half had passed, and he wasn’t bored or busy? Maybe he was just trying to impress her. That was a lot of work to get her to go out with him. She had to give him props.

After a while, Charmaine closed the laptop. Her stomach started grumbling. She leaned out the window and called to the two below. Now Elliot sat on a bench chatting up a pretty white woman, and Amaya was splayed on the grass, picking blades and staring at the sky. Of course, he tossed Charmaine aside for another potential date.

When Charmaine called out, all three looked up at her. Elliot smiled. She glared at him and signaled to Amaya to come up. Then she promptly slammed the window closed. A short while later, the door opened, and Amaya bound in. Elliot was right behind her.

“What are you doing here again?” she demanded. “Did she turn you down?”

“She?” He smirked. “Oh, Karen, no. I didn’t ask her out. I came up here to talk to you.”

“Elliot, give me a break. I told you I’m not interested.”

“It’s not about that.”

“Oh.”

He shut the door and walked farther inside without an invitation. She cut him slack because he had entertained Amaya for a long time, even if she herself didn’t get much done during that time.

“What do you know about children?” he asked.

“Excuse me?”

“You said you have custody of her now.” He nodded his head toward Amaya.

“Yes, so? I’ve had her a couple days. We’re falling into a routine. It’ll take some time.” She was aware she had taken to defending herself and couldn’t stop. “My mom had her for the last few months, but she’s been sick a long time. She can’t handle Amaya.”

Elliot’s expression held sympathy, and where he had given off anger a second ago, it dissipated. “Have you been around other kids as an adult?”

She had no idea where this was going. “No, not really. I had the one sister, and we weren’t close. She had a teenage son, but he went to his dad when…it happened.”

Elliot glanced toward Amaya, who had sat on the bed to continue watching TV. “Hey, sweetheart, we did a lot of running around. Why don’t you go take a bath and change clothes?”

Amaya pouted, but she moved to obey. Charmaine glared at him. “Excuse you?”

He moved closer to Charmaine, and she backed up. “I have eight nieces and nephews, with a couple more on the way. I know and love kids, and one thing I know beyond a doubt is you don’t let girls her age go outside alone. While I realize I’m a nice guy,
you
don’t know that.”

Great, twice in one day he humiliated her. Charmaine was tempted to cuss him out and show him the door, but what he said made sense. She should have thought of that, and it seemed like the kind of thing even a person who had little experience with kids should know.

“Thanks,” she said.

He hesitated as if waiting for something. “What, no insult?”

She ground her teeth. “No, I’m not going to pretend. I don’t know what I’m doing with Amaya, but there’s no one else.”

“Her dad?”

She cleared her throat. “My sister didn’t say who he was.” She was being generous. Charmaine dropped onto the couch, and Elliot hovered. She gestured for him to join her, and he sat down. How odd that her wide-open apartment felt smaller with him in it. His scent too transformed her place and filled her nostrils. Charmaine dipped her head onto one palm and studied his handsome face. With a firm jaw, covered in a slight beard, a straight nose, and gentle, friendly eyes, he kept making her forget everything but him. No other man had tempted her so much in so short a time.

“I feel sorry for her,” Elliot said and pulled her from her happy bubble.

Charmaine clenched her hands. “I’m not that bad. I keep her fed and clothed, and I buy her whatever she wants.”

He squeezed her shoulder. “Easy. I wasn’t saying you’re a bad aunt. You’ve had her a short while. No one can fault you. It’s a learning process, but I’m beginning to see why she steals.”

Charmaine leaned toward him. “You are? Well tell me because I’m over it.”

“Heart ache.”

“What?”

“It’s Amaya’s way of dealing with her mother’s death. With love and support, I believe she’ll eventually stop it. You have to be patient with her.”

“You’re saying let her get away with stealing?”

“No, assure her it’s wrong and unacceptable, but show her love and help her every step of the way.”

“Are you a counselor?” Charmaine’s voice was dry because for real she wasn’t feeling too comfortable herself. Love and support? What did she know of those things? She had cut off her sister years ago and never made time for close friends.

“No, I’m not a counselor. I’m actually a grant writer.”

Charmaine nodded. “Mm, nerd.”

He grinned, not offended at all. The thought that she liked him passed through her head, but she tried to squash it.

“I work from home, but most of my clients are nonprofits, and some have counseling programs they need funding for.”

“Oh, so there was no reason for you to barrel into me early in the morning?” she teased.

“You remember me. I knew I’d left an impression.”

“You left an indentation in my skull.”

He chuckled. “Shall I kiss it better?”

Charmaine almost fainted. Now the bastard had her looking at his lips. She tried to recall the last time she had a boyfriend. Oh wait, she never had a boyfriend, just a lover or two, no commitments.

“I think I can survive without your kiss,” she told him.

“And yet every time I run into you, I feel like I won’t survive if I can’t get your number.”

“RIP.”

Elliot burst out laughing. He had a nice laugh that sent tingles all throughout her body. When he rose to walk over to the door, she had a sense of loss. “Think about what I said, Charmaine. For her?”

She swallowed the embarrassment. “I will. Definitely. Um, thanks for taking care of her.”

“My pleasure.”

Chapter Four

Elliot heard the banging, but he was so tired after having stayed up late to finish the job he had been working on. He had never missed a deadline, and he wasn’t going to start. That didn’t mean he didn’t know how to set his priorities though. Priorities like spending another hour before falling asleep thinking about Charmaine.

Damn, she was beautiful. Long shapely brown legs. He was definitely a leg man, especially when they extended beyond a nice round ass. She had no idea how long he had been trying to get her to talk to him or how many times he had carried on conversations with her in the mornings with her responses more like grunts than anything else. What could he have done, jerk her tablet out of her hand and demand she look at him?

He thought his chance had come when she plowed into him that one morning. Especially when Charmaine raised her sweet face and looked him in the face. He’d had the wind knocked out of him. Big brown eyes, full lovely lips, a cute short nose, she was achingly beautiful. Yet, her gaze had skimmed over him. She had shut him down, and she had walked away. Again.

Elliot wasn’t one to give up, and when fate had him stop Amaya, he didn’t know she belonged to Charmaine, until the object of his desire came barreling down the aisle like a mama bear. Short skirt, long legs, and up higher, fire in her eyes. She had so much potential—as a mother and a lover—but she didn’t know it. He intended to show her.

Elliot grinned in his sleep, hoping for a dream of Charmaine under him, but the incessant banging went on. At last, he came fully awake to realize someone knocked at his door. If he didn’t get it soon, the entire floor would awaken. Then he heard Charmaine calling to him with fear in her voice, and he jetted from the bed.

When he opened the door, she tumbled into his arms, and Elliot dragged her into a tight hold. “What is it, Charmaine? What’s wrong?”

“She’s hot, and she says her stomach hurts. Should I call an ambulance? I’m not sure who her doctor is or if she has one. I don’t want to call my mother. Maybe I should take her to the emergency room.”

“Easy. Calm down.” He knew right away, this was his fault. Charmaine was both panicking and overthinking everything because of his criticism of her the other day. “Let me come over there and check on her after I get my pants on.”

His words alerted her she clung to his bare chest, and she wrenched away. He missed her touch, but this wasn’t the time to be thinking of their attraction. Elliot pulled on slacks and a T-shirt and hurried barefoot to her apartment. Empty takeout containers littered the coffee table and a discarded tub of ice cream half empty and melted. The little beauty was a terrible housekeeper.

Elliot reached the bed, and just as Charmaine had said, Amaya was hot. Her entire body was covered in a sheen of sweat, and her nightgown clung to her. “Where’s your thermometer. Let’s get her temperature.”

“I don’t have one. I don’t really get sick.”

“Do you have Tylenol?”

She snapped her fingers. “That, I have.” When she disappeared into the bathroom and returned, he already knew she wouldn’t bring back the correct item.

“Sweetheart, she’s four. She can’t take that, and it’s not what I meant.” He raised Amaya into his arms. “Run cold water in the tub and plug it. We’ll try to get her cooled a little. Then I’ll go see if there’s a convenience store open and get children’s meds.”

Charmaine’s eyes were glazed. “I’ll go. Just tell me what to get.”

He shook his head. “No, she needs you to stay beside her in case she gets scared. Plus, we can’t afford to get the wrong thing.”

She ducked her head and pressed her lips tight together. Charmaine didn’t cry, but he saw a tremor in her hand when she moved. He knew she was afraid and unsure of herself. While he knew a little of her family’s story, at least the sister’s because Amaya had chattered with him some, he didn’t know much about Charmaine. All he knew was what he saw, a woman who was letting life pass her by and who kept everyone at bay. He didn’t believe for one second she wasn’t lonely in that little box with her goals and her sights set on something just past what was in front of her.

Soon they got Amaya a little cooler, and he tasked Charmaine with drying her off and getting her into another nightgown. Elliot stood to go to the store, but Charmaine grabbed his arm.

“Maybe you shouldn’t go yet.”

“She’s in pain, Charmaine. The medicine will help.”

“But…”

He stroked her cheek. “I promise, I won’t be long.”

She pulled her face away from his and lowered her gaze to the little girl. Elliot hurried to his apartment, put shoes on and grabbed his wallet and keys. Not too much later, he returned with the medicine and a thermometer. Rather than give Amaya the dosage himself, he showed Charmaine the directions and had her dole it out.

“I know about checking the directions,” she snapped, but she squinted at them, and he watched her sexy lips moving as she read them over and over. When she was sure, and her gaze flicked to him, he nodded. She gave the little girl the right dosage and tucked her more comfortably in bed.

Afterward, Elliot took her temperature. She had a fever, but he was confident it would come down. In about an hour, he would take it again. They sat side-by-side watching as Amaya drifted off to sleep. Elliot noted she wore one of Charmaine’s T-shirts and not another nightgown.

“What did you two eat tonight?” he asked, although he could guess.

“Chinese and ice cream. It was a special treat. I don’t usually eat out.”

He eyed her.

She glared. “What? I don’t. I try to save as much money as possible because…”

“Because what?” Curiosity got the better of him when it came to her. He expected her not to answer.

Looking remarkably like the little girl in front of them she twisted her hands together. “Because when I was coming up, there were so many times we didn’t have money for extras let alone three squares a day. I tend to eat what’s as cheap as possible and save all I can. I know it’s not good for Amaya, but I have to get used to not doing that. I wanted to treat her tonight.”

“Maybe it was too much. Did you tell her when to stop? Did she have other junk food today?” He tried not to sound like he was lecturing her, and he definitely wasn’t judging. Yet, Charmaine jumped on the defensive very easily.

“I’m stupid. I thought she would know when she had enough. I mean it’s her body.”

“With a child’s mind.” He brushed a hand over her hair. She’d worn it in a bun during the week, and strands were sticking up all over the place now that she had been in bed. He liked it out the way he had seen her wear it a few weeks ago. Either way, she was beautiful though. “You have to be the regulator.”

“Ugh, I’m a failure. They shouldn’t have put her with me. If I screw up bad—”

“You won’t. It’s a tummy ache and a fever. They both come with the territory when it comes to kids.”

“How do you know?” Now he saw the tremor again, and her brown eyes were wider than usual. She was trying not to cry. His heart stirred, and he tried drawing her into his arms, but she resisted. Charmaine wouldn’t give in to anyone caring for her that quickly.

“Remember, I told you. I have several nieces and nephews. I’m next to last in my parents’ brood of five, and my oldest sister lived at home for a year while I was still there, with her husband and oldest son.”

Charmaine drew back in horror. “Brady bunch!”

He grinned. “I love family.”

She turned away. “I do— But you live alone.”

“When I first moved in, it was excruciating. My parents kicked me out.”

Again, the distaste on her face. He was batting a thousand. “Failure to launch?”

“Sort of but not really. My business was growing, and like I said I love having family around me. Living alone bites, and since I have a big family there was always someone stopping in at my parents’ house. They felt I should get out on my own and find a woman to marry. Oddly, I’m thirty-three, and I still haven’t found anyone willing to have six kids with me.”

“You’ve bumped your head, boyfriend. Not in this day.”

“A man can hope.”

“A man can be delusional.”

He chuckled. Damn, she was sexy. Even her sarcastic wit teased him into liking her more. Maybe he was crazy because on the surface, Charmaine was the last woman he should be interested in. He could guess what she had been about to say earlier. She didn’t like family, and she probably resented at least a little being saddled with the responsibility of raising Amaya. Still, he saw that she loved the girl, even if Charmaine didn’t recognize it in herself.

“Why don’t you lay down and try to get some sleep?” he suggested.

She shook her head. “I can’t. I’m awake now, and I feel like she might need me again.”

He hid his smile and held out a hand. “Then come on. You can make me a cup of coffee, and we can get to know each other better.”

Her lip curled in doubt.

“You don’t have coffee?”

“Look, I’m not completely pathetic, sir. If this house doesn’t have anything else, it has coffee.”

“Many late nights?”

“Too many.”

While she made the coffee, he threw away the empty containers and emptied the trash.

“Leave that. I’ll get it later,” she told him.

He ignored her and did it anyway. Afterward, they settled on the couch, and Charmaine drew her knees to her chest while hugging her cup. He noticed her toes were bare of polish, small feminine feet.

Elliot picked up one of the manuals lying on the floor. “So you’re a programmer.”

“Not really. I mean I’m learning, but my brain feels like it’s challenged beyond everyone else’s. Plus, a lot of what I’ve done, I’ve taught myself. I must have watched hundreds of instructional videos. Sometimes I get on forums to ask questions, but it’s a slow uphill battle.”

“What is?”

“Creating my own app.” Her eyes glowed as she shared with him what she had in mind. He thought it was a lofty goal for a person just starting out in programming, but what did he know about the field? “I’m getting closer to the end, but I have to remind myself of all the little steps constantly. It’s like it won’t stick, but I’m never going to give up.”

“I bet you know a lot more than you think. Sounds cool.”

She grinned.

“Do you do something else to pay the bills?”

“Customer service rep in a call center.”

“You?”

She threw a small cushion at him. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Uh…”

“Don’t uh me. I can tell you think I’m not social enough to be good at my job.”

Elliot touched a hand to his chest. “I would never say such a thing.”

“No, you would think it.”

He grinned and moved closer to her. While he knew he would get the reaction that he did—her shuffling farther away until her hip bumped the arm of the couch—stubbornness would keep her from getting up entirely. Elliot shifted nearer.

“There’s so much you’re missing with your head down.”

“I’ll be thirty in a month. I’ve still got plenty of time.”

He thought her outlook was odd considering she had lost her sister a half year ago. Usually, people who lost someone close at a young age had their mortality brought into sharp focus. Then again, Charmaine liked to throw up shields. She might be lying about feeling she had plenty of time. To his surprise, she confirmed his guess with her next words.

“In a way, it doesn’t matter what I’m missing,” she said, a faraway look in her eyes. “I have my goal. I won’t let go, no matter what.
She
wasted so much.”

“She?”

“My sister, Stacia.” Charmaine turned to look in Amaya’s direction, but the little girl was sleeping now. “Stacia was wild. She slept with everything with a dick. Sorry, my language.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

“She partied nonstop, and she couldn’t keep a job for five minutes. But there was always another man who would help her out. Seriously, when I think about it, Amaya had to have had a crazier time living with her. But she was her mom, and I know Stacia loved her kids. I wasn’t close to any of them.”

“Why?” He should keep his mouth shut, but when she glanced at him with tears in her eyes, he was glad he asked. She sniffed.

“Do you know how she died? One of her lovers smothered her—by accident—during sex.”

He had no words.

“I hated her, Elliot. I blamed her for all the times we didn’t have anything because my mom had to keep getting her out of trouble. My mother lost jobs too because Stacia kept her up. Often in the middle of the night, someone would bang on the door looking for my sister because she had been with their boyfriend. When she died, I…”

He wrapped an arm about her shoulders and drew her to his side. “You felt guilty for your feelings toward her?”

She didn’t admit it. Her lips moved with silent words, and tears splashed onto the front of her T-shirt. She scrubbed at her face, and he said nothing, just let her get it out. He imagined she’d been holding in the guilt and never confessed it to anyone. Maybe she hadn’t cried at the funeral, or if she did, it didn’t resolve all of the pent up emotions.