Lucky Break (12 page)

He pushed the door open and pressed his hand to her back, guiding her inside. The cat sprang out the door, bolting past them for freedom.

Jason waited until she shut the door behind him and turned the lock before heading to his car, where Trouble perched on the hood. The cat's attention was small consolation to Jason, who had a long sleepless night ahead of him.

 

T
HE DOCTORS AND NURSES
thought Beth was unresponsive. Near catatonic. And she had been for almost a year. She had selective recall of those months. She'd heard her sister talking to her on sporadic visits in a childlike singsong voice.

Awareness had come to her slowly, over a
period of time. Slowly enough that she'd been able to think and plan. Thanks to Lauren, who liked to reassure Beth that everything was going to be okay and why, Beth had been able to plan accordingly. She wouldn't reveal her recovery until the time was right for
her,
leaving her able to observe everything around her closely and use things to her advantage.

Like Nurse Stupid, as Beth liked to call the woman. She was an easy target. She'd gotten lazy and kept her cell phone in the front pocket of the white labcoat she always wore. Beth knew this and filed the information away, just as she knew the woman called her boyfriend during her half-hour breaks twice a day. Beth knew this because she would sneak out of her bed and watch the staff's routine. It was the only fun she had in this godforsaken joint.

That and seeing her lover.

Another human being without many brains, but at least as a construction worker he had the muscles to compensate. It was Beth who had to figure out that on Tuesdays and Thursdays when the nurses had meetings, the guards were occupied playing poker outside her wing. The construction crew had been working here for the past six months and were allowed in and out during
daylight hours. Nobody paid them the least bit of attention anymore.

Picking her lover had been easy. Seducing him easier. And convincing him she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him easier still. The dumb sap. But he was able to come and go from this place at will.

He did her bidding. Like searching her grandmother's house for the hidden diamonds that her ancestors used when they invoked the infamous Corwin Curse.

When Lauren told Beth about her plan to sell the house, Beth had nearly burst a blood vessel in her brain. Playing comatose wasn't as difficult as it was boring. But as long as it kept her in minimum security with a chance of getting out one day, it was worth it. Thanks to her grandmother's trust in her, Beth knew about the diamonds stashed somewhere inside the house.

The Perkins family had founded the town, building their fortune in shipping. The diamonds had come from overseas, adding to their wealth. The jewels could be anywhere. Inside the walls, under floorboards, behind paintings. No one knew where. Because, according to Beth's beloved grandmother, an old diary entry foretold that removing the hidden diamonds would lift the
ancient curse. And no Perkins wanted to lose the power that came with it.

But now, with her do-gooder sister selling the house, Beth had no choice but to get her hands on those diamonds before they were gone forever. Her lover had already broken into the house before Lauren had moved in but hadn't found anything. Not that he could check everywhere but he'd done some strategic hacking into the plasterboard with no luck.

He needed prolonged access to the house before Beth's nest egg was gone forever.

L
AUREN WAITED
for Jason's car to pull out of the driveway before calling for Trouble to come back inside. As much as she hated to admit it, she liked knowing the cat slept on her bed at night. He snored, which somehow made her feel more secure.

When the furry feline didn't come running, she decided to try the back door off the kitchen and was shocked to find it already ajar. No way had she left the door open. Annoyed and frustrated, Lauren slammed it shut and tried to turn the lock, but it wouldn't budge.

Broken.

“Fine. It'll just have to wait until morning,” she muttered.

When Jason returned.

Which brought her to the real reason for her bad mood. She was upset with herself for letting his family bother her. For letting Jason's kiss breach defenses she shouldn't have to raise in the first
place. She was a grown woman and she ought to be capable of having sex without commitment or entangled emotions. That was what she wanted and needed in order to leave her heart intact.

She tossed and turned for the better part of the night, wishing she'd made him stay.

She woke up later than usual, exhausted and cranky, which led her to the conclusion that the man who'd caused the tossing and turning was also the solution. She'd just resume their sexual relationship as if that awful dinner at his father's house had never happened. Because clearly she'd feel worse and get less work done if she denied her desire for him.

She'd given Jason a key and could now hear hammering coming from the far end of the house. He and the three men in his crew, Nate, Connor and Ross, always began working farthest from the bedroom, giving her privacy until she joined them.

Since she couldn't do anything about her sexual needs right now, she would settle for coffee to begin her day.

She had taken two steps toward the kitchen when her cell phone rang; she pulled it from her pocket. A glance showed a restricted number.

A shiver raced through her as she hit the send button to take the call. “Hello?”

“Ms. Perkins? This is Dr. Shaw at the penitentiary. I'm your sister's doctor. I thought you should know there was an incident this morning.”

She gripped her cell phone tighter, nausea rising in her throat. “What kind of incident?”

“Your sister became unruly this morning. I don't know how else to explain it. She started to scream and yell and we had to sedate her in order to calm her down.” The doctor's tone was compassionate.

Lauren swallowed hard. “I don't understand. She's been completely nonresponsive. Staring ahead at nothing for almost a year. Do you know what caused the outburst?”

“No. I'm considering asking that she be sent to the hospital for tests, but that would take a court order, which would take some time.”

Lauren stared up at the ceiling and caught sight of a large, ugly crack. Another thing to add to the To Do list.

She refocused on her call. “I'll be there in a little over an hour,” she said.

At least a half day of work would be lost, but what choice did she have?

“I wouldn't suggest you come now. She's sedated and sleeping. There's nothing you can do for her at the moment.”

Lauren closed her eyes. “I see. Well, I'll call later to see how she's doing.”

“That's fine. As soon as I think it's helpful for you to visit, I'll let you know.”

Lauren nodded. “Thank you, Doctor.” She disconnected the call, feeling more agitated than before.

As much as caffeine wouldn't calm her nerves, she still needed to start her day with the comfort of routine, and that meant coffee.

Wearing an old button-down shirt and soft sweats, her feet bare, she walked into the kitchen and stopped short, frozen in place. Because sitting on the granite counter was a mouse. A light gray, beady-eyed mouse with a long tail.

She blinked.

It wriggled and moved its tail. An old memory of the rat-infested walls in her New York City apartment flashed through her mind. One of
those
rats had jumped from her nightstand onto her bed and raced over her legs.

Lauren let out a loud piercing scream and leaped onto the nearest chair, shaking. She continued to shriek, but the rodent didn't run away.

Jason burst through the kitchen entryway at a run, Nate, Connor and Ross right behind him. Jason caught sight of Lauren standing on a chair and skidded to a halt. “What's wrong?” he asked.

She glanced from him to the counter.

The now empty counter.

She pointed halfheartedly. “It's a mouse.” She continued to gesture wildly toward the spot where the animal had been.

He walked over and looked at the counter, then scoured the floor, finding nothing. “It's gone.” Walking back to her, he held out his hand. “Let me help you down.”

“You got this, boss?” Connor asked.

Lauren ignored him. In her mind, she still saw the moving tail and those beady eyes staring at her, and she shook from head to toe.

“You can all get back to work,” Jason said.

He lifted her from the chair and carried her into the den, shutting the door and locking it behind him. He headed over to the couch, settling into the cushion with her on his lap.

Unable to control the tremors racking her body, Lauren plastered herself to him, soaking up his strength and embracing his heat.

“What is it?” he asked, his voice gruff yet soothing. “Seeing a mouse has you this spooked?”

Now that the initial shock and fear had begun to subside, embarrassment flooded her.

As hard as it was for her to revisit the past, he deserved an explanation. “For a minute, it wasn't
the mouse I was seeing but a rat in New York. The first apartment I lived in was a hole in the wall above a restaurant. It was all I could afford and the rats used to run inside the walls. I could hear them at night.” She shuddered at the memory of the scurrying sounds behind the thin walls.

His palm settled on the center of her back, strong, warm and reassuring.

“Sounds awful.” Jason wished she hadn't had to go through that experience alone.

“That's not the worst part. One night I was in bed reading and I heard something. I looked up and there it was on the nightstand. Before I could blink, it ran near me and ended up in my bed.” The tremors began again and her entire body shook against him.

He slipped his hand beneath her shirt and ran it up and down her bare,
braless
back, gritting his teeth against the sensation of caressing her skin. “You're safe now.” But soothing her couldn't undo the past.

“The mouse was in the kitchen!” She burrowed her face into his neck. Her breath was hot and arousing, though her intent was anything but.

“I'll set some traps, okay?” He didn't know much about mouse traps, but they'd be easy enough to find.

Without lifting her head, she nodded, her fingers
holding on to his shirt in a death grip. “I can't see another one. It just does something to me.”

Her revulsion and fear hit him hard. “I can't promise, but I'll do the best I can.” He waited but she didn't release him. Didn't move her head from his neck.

He inhaled the fragrant scent of her hair, his body hardening.

He fought against the sensation and shifted, intending to get up and start working on the rodent problem. But she didn't budge.

So he slowly lowered his hand from her back, hoping she'd take the hint and move. Before the comfort he wanted to offer lost out to the desire she so effortlessly ignited. Again, she remained in place, her body aligned with his.

So he waited while her tension gradually eased. Her muscles relaxed and she looked up at him, gratitude in her green eyes.

But when she inched back on his lap, her bottom came into direct contact with his rock-hard erection. Her eyes opened wide in understanding and in an instant her pupils darkened and her cheeks flushed.

“If you want those traps set now, you'd better let me get up,” he said, his warning clear.

“You locked the door, right? There are still workmen around?” she asked.

He nodded.

“Then what if I still need more comfort?” She ran her tongue over her bottom lip, dampening the full flesh, seducing him with that simple gesture. She shifted her hips until her thighs bracketed his. “Besides, don't you want to know how I used to ignore the rats and finally fell asleep?”

She rotated her body seductively until she cupped him in his denim-covered sheath. Despite the thick barrier, he could swear he felt her heat.

“How?” he managed to ask.

A smile pulled at her lips, but there was no teasing. Just pure honesty as she said, “I'd think about you. It was the only time I'd let myself go back to the time we spent together.” She drew a deep breath. “During the day I was driven to succeed, but at night, when I was afraid, I dreamed about you.”

He ran his fingers through her hair, regret swamping him. “I wish I'd known.”

It shocked him how much he wished he could have taken care of her.

“You're here now.” She reached up and began unbuttoning her shirt, releasing one tantalizing button at a time. She wanted him, yes. But she was clearly using sex to feel better.

And he wasn't content to let her hide her
feelings or run from what had happened between them before dinner last night.

Reaching out, he stilled her movements. “Why are you doing this?” he asked.

“Isn't it obvious?” She wriggled her hips, but he clenched his teeth and held on to his self-control.

“Not when just last night you pushed me away.” He wanted nothing more than to rip open her shirt and bury his face between her breasts, suckle on one tight nipple before moving on to the next. But when he did, there would be no misunderstandings between them.

She met his gaze.
“You
went home.”

He shook his head. “Because you were playing hot and cold with me. You used that invitation to dinner and then my family's abominable behavior as an excuse to back away.”

She opened her mouth, then closed it again.

Obviously she couldn't argue.

“Your point?” she asked at last.

“No more running away. For as long as you're in town, you're mine.”

She released a lengthy breath. “I think I can live with that. As long as you promise me one thing?”

“What's that?”

“Don't leave me alone in this house with that mouse. I know from experience, where there's one
rodent there's bound to be more.” Her entire body trembled again.

“Nights, too?”

Her eyes darkened. “Nights, too.”

He nodded, silently thanking the run-down, abandoned house for supplying her with an excuse to ask him to stay.

The next few weeks belonged to them.

And what then, a little voice in his head asked. Her cell phone interrupted his thoughts.

She grabbed for it quickly, glancing at the number.

“Hello?” she asked, her voice tremulous.

He waited, confused by her anxiety.

“I see. And now?” She listened once more. “Just like she's been for the last year. I see. That's too bad. I was hoping that after this morning, maybe she'd come out of it.”

Her sister, Jason realized.

“I'll touch base tomorrow morning, Doctor. Thank you.” She disconnected the call, exhaled a long hard breath, then inhaled deeply.

For a brief second she appeared hurt and fragile. Then she turned to him and squared her shoulders. “Now where were we?” she asked seductively. But her tone was clearly forced.

He slid his hand from beneath her shirt and grasped her arms, pulling her away from him.
“What's going on? That was a serious call and you're obviously upset. So why pretend you aren't?”

“Because I don't expect you to feel sorry that my sister's having problems.”

“How about if I feel sorry that you're having problems?”

She shook her head. “Doesn't accomplish my goal.”

“Which is?” he asked warily, knowing he wouldn't like what he heard.

She sighed. “I'd like to keep my sister and her issues separate from us.” She gestured between them.

And thereby keep him at arm's length.

Jason suppressed the urge to throttle her. “Didn't we just agree you wouldn't do that anymore?”

She shrugged. “I just figured my sister was different.”

“You figured wrong.”

Tilting her head to one side, she studied him closely. “So you accept her and what she's done?”

Despite his best intentions, he fidgeted, knowing any answer to that loaded question would land him in Uncle Edward's boathouse.