No Turning Back (20 page)

“There’s no dysfunction quite like family dysfunction.”

“Exactly.” She crawled up his body and straddled his hips with her knees. The move brought their bodies together. The friction promised to take them off topic. “But I need you to know I never wanted to hurt any of you. I truly thought I could make an offer and buy you off. That you guys would be looking for a quick buck.”

Declan understood. From his past that would be a likely assumption. He hated the connection and how quickly people got there, but the jump wasn’t much of a jump. “Like Charlie.”

“Yes.” She brushed her fingers over Declan’s lips and slipped one inside. Those sexy gray eyes grew wide when he sucked on it. “But then I got to know you and I forgot about the revenge and everything got confused and twisted.”

He wanted to turn her over and skip the rest of the conversation, but he forced his mind to concentrate. “But you kept the whiteboard.”

“The information on there and in the boxes has been a part of my life for so long that I couldn’t figure out how to break the habit. When I was out of the house, my mind focused on you. I’d step back in my bedroom, and everything would slide and mix again.”

It all made sense, but he still had to know one thing. The answer shouldn’t matter, but he held his breath knowing it meant everything. “Where’s your head now? I mean, you were once, not that long ago, convinced I was a con man.”

“I think it was more that I believed you had to be, because of who you were. I read about your military career and thought it was some sort of setup you put together for when you got out and turned to your real life, the one that included cons. I didn’t have any evidence that was true, and believe me, I have a lot of information on your life, but my gut told me it had to be.”

“I hate that you had all of this stuff on me and that we didn’t get to know each other the usual way, in pieces and over time.”

“I know. I’m sorry.” She dropped a soft kiss on his mouth and pulled back before he could drag her in deeper. “But, for the record, I don’t think you’re anything like Charlie. It would have been easier if you had been. I could have written you off as a pretty boy and hugged my anger close. But you aren’t him. You are the anti-him.”

The words zipped through him. He’d been waiting, hoping. Living down his father’s reputation was a lifetime challenge. Knowing Leah trusted him made at least part of the struggle worth it.

He rubbed his hands up and down her bare back, loving the way her skin came alive under his touch and she started to fidget. Much more and that erection poking her would demand attention.

“You think I’m pretty?” he asked because the idea sounded ludicrous in his head. Battle worn and bruised, he was rough, not pretty.

“You most certainly are.” She tightened her knees against his sides. “Hot, handsome. Sexy.”

“All much better words than
pretty
. Besides, Beck is the pretty one.”

She closed one eye, as if she were pretending to weigh one brother against the other. “You may be right about that.”

Didn’t matter what she thought on that score. She didn’t need pretty. She needed strong and sure, a man who could keep up with her in the bedroom and out. But Declan also wanted her to feel safe. “I’m sorry I lost my cool with you. Years of training broke down when I saw everything. I didn’t expect to walk into that and it stung.”

If she was intimidated she didn’t show it. “Explain.”

“So many people come to me wanting something—revenge, repayment, an apology, recognition of the wrongs done. I know it’s stupid in light of how we met, but I wanted you to be clean from my past.”

She treated him to a little smile as her hand slipped lower, tickling the skin below his stomach. “That’s not possible.”

“I get that now.”

“There’s a sick part of me that’s happy you got all upset.” She leaned down and kissed a line across his collarbone.

Just like that his control slipped then stumbled in a dead sprawl. Fingers swept through her hair and pulled her close. “That is twisted. I almost hate to ask why.”

“I think it means you care.”

His body stilled. With as gentle a touch as possible, he cupped his hands over her cheeks and brought her head up to face him. Gaze locked on gaze. Words vibrated in his chest but he forced them out. “You weren’t sure about that?”

“You aren’t the easiest guy to read. Yeah, the sex is amazing, but I’m talking about something else. Something deeper and more important.” Her hands froze on his body and the muscles over her shoulders clenched, but nothing about her peaceful expression gave her away.

But he understood her now. She waited for him to say the wrong thing or brush her off like other people did. He vowed not to do that ever again. She needed to know he wouldn’t toss her aside like her father had.

“Do you honestly think I’d be with Marc Baron’s daughter if I didn’t care about her? You’re not easy, Leah, but you’re worth it.”

A slow smile spread across her mouth. “Well, that’s nice to hear.”

With his arms wrapped around her, Declan turned them until she lay on her back with him all over her. “Now let me show you.”

***

An hour later, after the internal fires had died down post-lovemaking and Leah drifted off into a deep sleep, Declan slipped out of the bed. Not bothering to get dressed, he took careful steps as he walked out of the bedroom and toward the kitchen. Floorboards creaked under his bare feet and he swore when he jammed his hip into a family room chair.

That would teach him not to turn on the light.

Shifting his way through the dark maze, he made his way to the kitchen. With a glass in hand and the refrigerator open, he saw a shadow in the dining room. He focused on his original task. After pouring a drink of water and flicking on the light under the sink to keep from injuring a body part he wanted to keep, he looked across into the dining room again and gave the boxes stacked against the far wall a quick once-over glance. Some were brown and some were white, but he didn’t know the difference.

The chill in the room registered against his bare skin. So did the need to crawl back into bed and curl up against Leah’s warm body. Drinking as fast as he could, he finished and dumped the glass into the sink and reached for the light.

Out of the corner of his eye, the mound of boxes caught his attention again. He gave them a double take . . . then triple. Maybe a fast review would answer some of his questions or provide needed information about Walker Reeves. Surely there was a folder in there related to that guy.

Declan glanced in the direction of the quiet bedroom, wondering if he should wake Leah up and ask permission. Then his gaze went back to the boxes. This wasn’t a betrayal and he was sure she wouldn’t mind, even though she never officially offered.

He repeated that phrase as he walked into the dining room and turned on the light.

Chapter Twenty

Leah paged through a glossy gossip magazine while Mallory finished up with the two customers at the cash register. They started out buying supplies and by the end of the discussion paid for pottery-painting classes. Mallory could sell bikinis in winter.

She shut the register drawer then flashed a big smile. “Since when do you read those?”

“You’re the one who has it.” Leah picked at the label. “Looks like a subscription, too.”

“It’s for the customers.” Mallory made the last word last about ten syllables.

“Uh-huh.”

After a quick glance around the room, Mallory jumped up, sitting on the counter with her back to the door. “We’re finally alone and since we’re asking questions, tell me about Declan.”

The shot came out of nowhere. Even though Leah had been expecting it, it still hit her like a body slam. “He’s about six feet with brown—”

Mallory banged her boots against the counter’s inside shelf. “The sex. Start talking. Feel free to describe what he looks like naked.”

“I don’t think so.”

She waved her hand and set her bracelets clanging. “Fine, skip that detail, but get to the sex.”

Leah let the words settle over the room before giving in. She made a show of it first. Folded the magazine pages. Smoothed it on her lap. Even took a second to cross her legs. By the time she finished her entire repertoire, Mallory wore a bug-eyed impatient glare.

“Suffice it to say he’s amazing.” As if that word were even accurate.

Being with Declan went so much deeper. The warmth of his voice and strength of his personality filled her with a satisfaction and happiness, a sense of true freedom and acceptance. With him she laughed and smiled. She went hours without thinking about revenge or worrying she would say the wrong thing and be cut off like her dad had a habit of doing to her.

Not all men dealt with women the same way. She wasn’t stupid or broken, so she’d known that deep down. But Declan showed what a true man was in simple things. The soft touch of his hand against her hair had the power to steal her breath. And when he trailed his mouth over her body, she felt cherished even as her skin caught on fire.

Mallory nodded. “No surprise there. He looked like a guy who would know what to do with a woman once he got her naked.”

“Sometimes we don’t even wait until I’m naked.” Just this morning he’d waited until she put on her skirt then pushed it up to her waist and stripped her panties right off. She was twenty minutes late for work but what he did with his tongue made the frown from the woman in reception who answered the office phones worth it.

Leah’s stomach did cartwheels thinking about the sexy scene now. Seeing him on his knees, his hand slipping between her thighs. It would take a long time before she could look at her front door the same way.

“About time you two got busy.”

“We’ve only been dating a short time.” Leah reminded herself of that almost hourly. There was no way her mind and body could have been so in tune to him this quickly.

Mallory clapped. “Oh, look at this. We’re using the d-word.”

Well, damn.
“It was a slip.”

“You can call it whatever you want since you love him.”

“Whoa.” Leah put up her hands to fend off the words.

Her mind did a bigger spin. Memories flooded through her, from their first meeting to the kiss goodbye this morning. It all spilled and turned until a shock of dizziness hit her. She grabbed onto the sides of the stool to stay upright.

“You’ve got that mushy girly look. It’s embarrassing, really, but since I adore you and think it’s about time you found a good man, mostly because you can then introduce me to a brother or friend, I think it’s pretty terrific.” Mallory leaned over, balancing her elbows on her knees and smiling like she’d discovered the best cupcake in the world. “Good for you.”

Leah was trying hard not to throw up. “Did you not hear me say ‘whoa’?”

“Oh, please.” Mallory snorted. “Do not waste your breath denying it. The sparkly eyes, the stupid grin whenever you mention his name—and you should see the way you light up when he’s nearby.”

No way.
Leah had barely accepted dating Declan and how much she enjoyed his company. The idea of loving him, of having her life and heart bound up in him, scared her witless. She wasn’t even positive he planned to stay in town that long.

The second after she had the thought, a pang of pain punched her chest. “It’s been two weeks.” The words sounded breathy even to her ears.

Mallory drummed her fingernails against her knee. “You keep harping on the timeline.”

“It matters.” It did, didn’t it? Intelligent women didn’t fall for guys six seconds after meeting them, or even a few weeks after sleeping with them.

“Not that I can tell.” Mallory hitched her thumb behind her, in the direction of the door. “If Mr. Perfect For Me walked through that door and I knew it, felt it to my bones, I would jump on him and ride him to Vegas.”

That vision formed all too easily in Leah’s head, and Mallory was not the one doing the riding. Stupid traitorous brain. “Man, I hope that happens for you soon so I can see it.”

“Look in the mirror. You might want to open your eyes while you’re there so you can see what I see.”

“There’s still so much between us . . . and my father.” That fast, the problems filled in, each one clicking in her mind. Leah dropped her head in her hands to make them stop. “Ugh.”

“Marry him and the house gets right back in your family. There, settled.” Mallory added a snap as if she thought her words needed emphasis.

Leah got the point without the punctuation. Accepting the idea proved much harder. Marriage, Declan . . . why didn’t she hate the idea?

Leah peeked up over her hands. “Are you crazy?”

“If so, I hope you catch even a small dose of it.” Mallory reached over, all signs of amusement disappeared as her bracelets jangled and her eyes took on a listen-to-me urgency. “It’s time to move on, and Declan is the perfect guy to drag along with you.”

Leah waited for her mind to rebel and her stomach heave. Neither happened. The truth was, when she looked into the future, she now saw Declan standing there. It was weird and sudden and totally unexpected, but it was true.

She searched for the words to define her fears, make Mallory see that everything was still so messed up and hard. The shadow at the shop’s door stopped her. No need to announce all of her personal business to the town.

She could . . . the visitor’s face came into focus. “What is he doing here?”

Mallory spun around as the bell above the door jingled. “Declan?”

“Walker Reeves.”

Mallory jumped down and straightened her sweater. “Sexiest name ever, by the way.”

“You really have lost your mind. The guy is a pain in the collective Hanover ass.”

Reeves walked down the main aisle, eating up feet with his long strides. His gaze never wavered. He stayed laser-focused on them and never bothered to check for other people in the store. He kept going until he stood across from them at the checkout counter.

“Ms. Baron. Ma’am.” No smile. No extra words. Just a curt greeting and nod of the head.

“Mallory Able and you can call her Leah.”

Like she wanted this guy being that familiar. “Thanks for that.”

Reeves settled his stance and linked his hands in front of him. His gaze wandered over Mallory and the stress around his mouth eased. It came back the second he looked at Leah. “I need to speak with you.”

That was easy. “No.”

His frown was instantaneous. “Excuse me?”

She’d seen this meeting coming, so she had her speech ready. Didn’t even bother to jump down from her stool. “This is about Callen and his brothers, and I am not interested.”

“It’s my understanding from Chief Darber you have information on the brothers. Items you’ve collected. For now, all I’m asking is for permission to review the same.”

The same?
Who talked like that? “My answer hasn’t changed in the last two seconds. Whatever vendetta you have, you’re on your own. I am not going to help you.”

Mallory leaned against the cash register. “Can you turn down an FBI guy?”

He cleared his throat. “Special Agent.”

Just what Leah needed, a guy with a gun and an ego problem. “You can call yourself a coffeemaker for all I care. The answer is no.”

He didn’t even twitch. “I could go through legal channels if I have to.”

“Have at it.” She actually had no idea if what he said was true. Time to call Beck and get his lawyer opinion.

“Why are you protecting them, you of all people?” The façade slipped just a little. The stance eased and he leaned forward.

The question in the voice suggested he never thought she’d turn him down. Made her wonder what kind of women he usually dealt with. After all, she’d been in the Hanover kitchen that first morning. Did he really not understand her relationship to them?

“They ruined your family,” he added.

Now he sounded like her dad. “Charlie did, not his sons.”

“I know you want to believe they’re different from their father.” Reeves stepped forward and put a hand on the counter. No ring. Not even a watch. The guy kept things simple. “And I’ll give you that maybe Beckett and Declan are, but not Callen. He’s knee-deep in his father’s activities. I can show you the surveillance tapes to prove it.”

A fissure of doubt cracked her confidence. There was still so much about Callen she didn’t know. Lost years she couldn’t fill in. Declan was rock solid, his reputation clean, but Callen’s background was not as clear.

But she would never let this guy know that. “I don’t believe you.”

Mallory tapped her nails against the side the register now. The clicking had Reeves staring at her. She stared right back. “If you have so much evidence, why not arrest him? Why do you need Leah?”

“I’m still collecting material.”

Last thing Leah wanted was Reeves turning his attention to Mallory. She’d had enough trouble in her life. She didn’t need an FBI agent sniffing around, special or not. “Collect somewhere else.”

He slowly returned his gaze to Leah. “You may feel different once you’re no longer sleeping with Declan Hanover. What happens when he moves on?”

Before he’d even finished the question, Mallory came around the counter and stood by his side. “That was too far. Now I have to tell you to leave.”

The agent frowned at Mallory. “And you are, again?”

She didn’t back down. It wasn’t her style. Mallory had learned the hard way to stand up for herself and what she wanted, and a badge didn’t stop her. “I’m the owner of this store and no matter how cute you are—”

“What?”

“—you don’t get to pull that crap. You keep your mind on your own dating and off my friend Leah’s, got that?” Mallory shoved a finger in his face.

Leah worried the guy would match that by pulling his weapon. “Uh, Mallory?”

The guy’s mouth twitched. On anyone else, Leah would have thought he was fighting off a smile.

“I’m here on business,” he said.

“Whatever you need to tell yourself.” Mallory switched direction and pointed at the door. As luck would have it, the bell chimed, and two ladies walked in lost in conversation about a movie. “Now, out. You can come back some other time flashing that badge, but not now. And if you even think of trying to pull the ‘do you know who I am’ stuff, I will kick your butt.”

This time he did smile. “What was your name again?”

Leah glanced back and forth between the two of them. Mallory and an FBI guy? It was hard to imagine a stranger combination.

“Why, are you going to report me or turn my name over to the IRS?” Mallory was almost on top of him now. If he reached out, he’d touch her and her body language suggested she might not hate that.

Leah was pretty certain she’d dropped into some sort of alternative-universe hole.

Reeves’ gaze roamed over Mallory’s face and kept traveling down. “I just like to know who I’m dealing with.”

“You’ll figure it out. Now, go.” Mallory shooed him out as her cheeks turned pink.

And damn if the guy didn’t obey. He walked to the door, his steps sure and shoulders back. He glanced back once and his gait faltered, then he stepped outside and was gone.

The confusion lingered long after he left. Leah stared at her best friend. “What just happened?”

“I showed Officer Hottie who was boss.” When Leah sputtered, Mallory kept talking. “What, you think you get to have all the fun with the new boys in town? Spread the riches.”

“He’s a jerk.”

Mallory laughed. “I do believe you once gave me the same speech about Declan.”

***

The day took forever to reach eight o’clock.

Declan wanted it over. It had started out so well, sex with a warm woman snuggled against him. It had gone steadily downhill ever since. He’d dragged his butt all over town for hours, gathering materials and lining up the few permits he needed for outside construction.

No fewer than five people got in his face to tell him about Leah having a meeting with Walker Reeves. The guy at the hardware store on the edge of town heard it from his wife. The guy at the gas station heard it from a customer. The owner of the lumberyard who was all too happy to take Declan’s money couldn’t remember where he heard the rumors. Then there were the two retired teachers who told him they never believed Charlie “did all those bad things.”

The last twosome scared Declan the most. Sweet but naïve and clueless.

Through pure luck he held onto his shaky temper and his steady refusal to believe the meeting was anything more than Reeves being a pain in the ass. Then the flirty waitress at the diner mentioned Leah having lunch with that new blond woman in town, Kristin something. The explosion shattered in his brain a second after that. His jaw hurt from clenching, and a headache thumped from the anger surging through his veins.

He’d wanted to rush over and demand an explanation but forced himself to wait. Even took up Beck’s habit of pacing. Much more of that and there would be a circular path of dead grass around the work shed.

Now it was judgment time.

Declan raised his fist to knock on her front door and it flew open. Light poured out behind her, casting her in shadows. The combination of the raincoat and spiky black heels had his brain cells zapping.