What Belongs to Her (Harlequin Superromance) (19 page)

John swallowed back the sting of tears and angrily swiped his hand over his face. No. He wouldn’t do this. He wouldn’t justify a moment of Kyle’s existence. Especially when it was Kyle’s actions that brought a pile of pain between him and Sasha.

She came around the corner, her frame rigid and strong as she jogged toward the car. He yanked on the door handle and got out of the car. He hurried toward her, and when she fell into his arms, he held her tight. She fit in the circle of his arms like a child. Her sobs were harsh and raw, racking her body.

“Shh, it’s all right,” he murmured against her hair. “I’ve got you. It’s all right.”

“She did it, John. She took Kyle’s money.”

His mind raced as he glared over her head toward the street from where she’d emerged. “Did she tell you what she told him?”

She pulled back from his arms, her fingers clinging tightly to his biceps. “She told him who hurt me.”

He frowned. “I thought you never told her what happened to you.”

“I didn’t. She guessed. She even guessed who was responsible.” She closed her eyes. “She said when I was a mother, I’d understand.”

“So why the hell didn’t she ask you about it?”

“She tried.” She opened her eyes. “I realize now the times she attempted to get me to open up about it. I can see what she tried to do. You have to understand how I shut down. I didn’t want anyone to know. I pushed her away and I held it all in. It was the only way I could get through it. I wanted to pretend it didn’t happen.”

The pain in her eyes tore at John’s heart, and he pulled her to him, kissing her forehead.

She shook her head. “She knew who he was.”

He glanced toward her mother’s street once more, his pulse thumping in his temple. “Did she confront him?”

“No.”

“I don’t believe this.”

“John, look at me.” She swiped the tears from her cheeks. “My family... We’ve never been close. Mum, Dad and Tanya wanted so much more than Templeton could ever give them.” She shook her head. “Whereas Granddad and I had everything we needed right here. I’ve never felt connected to my mum, not ever. This was a wall so thick neither of us stood a chance of breaking it down.”

His mind raced with thoughts of a mother who’d been there but in reality abandoned her daughter in no different way than Kyle had done to him. Revulsion crawled over his skin. “How in God’s name did this lead her to take money from Kyle years later? I don’t understand how anyone could do that.”

Her hand trembled as she pushed the hair back from her face. “About eight or nine years ago, she spoke to some friends who had girls the same age and younger than me. One of them told her she needed to move away from Templeton so her daughter could get over what happened to her at Funland one summer.” Her eyes shone with unshed tears. “The same summer it happened to me. Mum figured too many years had gone by for her or the police to have any chance of tracking him down.”

John clenched his jaw but said nothing.

She exhaled. “She was desperate to get me out of there, but with Dad gone, she didn’t have the money.”

“Then she discovered Kyle wanted Funland.”

She nodded. “She was confident if Kyle told Granddad what happened and that she suspected it was part of the reason I was obsessed with staying and making Funland good again, Granddad would want to get rid of it.”

“For whatever price he could get.”

“Exactly.”

John’s heart thundered. “My father used your pain and your mother’s fears to stick the knife in your grandfather. My God, the man is scum.”

Tears slipped over her cheeks. “I’m struggling to see the good in him, despite what Inspector Garrett or anyone else thinks.”

“What do you want to do now?” He curled his hands into fists and stuffed them deep into his pockets, fighting to get control of himself and not jump in the car and drive to Her Majesty’s prison right there and then.

She inhaled a long breath. “I don’t know. I need to think. To reconsider. I’m so mad at her. At Kyle...at
him.
The man who made all this happen.” She looked deep into his eyes, confusion and hurt storming in her gaze. “I really don’t know what to do.”

He cupped her elbow, pain scratching harshly at his heart as his mind whirled with violent intention. He stole his arm around her shoulders and gently steered her to his car. “Let’s get you home.”

She stood firm, her fingers clutching his forearm and her eyes wide with panic. “I don’t want to go home. I don’t want to be alone tonight.”

“You won’t be. You’re staying with me.”

Her gaze darted over his face. “What about the fair? With Freddy gone—”

“I’ll drop you at Kyle’s house. You can have a bath and try to relax. I’ll make sure everything is taken care of at the fair and come straight back as soon as I can.” He brushed the fallen hair from her eyes. “Let me take care of you, Sasha. Please.”

Her eyes locked with his. They stormed with apprehension, fear and doubt. “I can’t... I don’t know...”

He stepped closer and dipped his head to brush his lips across hers. “Please.”

She closed her eyes and nodded, her shoulders slumping. “I’d like that. I’d like that very much.”

Slipping his fingers into hers, John threw a final glance over his shoulder toward her mother’s street and led Sasha to his car.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

S
ASHA
LET
J
OHN
take her hurriedly packed bag from her fingers as she stood stock-still in the enormous lobby area of Kyle Jordon’s mansion. Hysterical laughter bubbled in her throat as she stared at the majestic, marbled opulence of it.

A huge ebony staircase lay ahead of her, leading to God only knew how many rooms on the second floor. She looked left and right toward the rooms on either side of her. Her strong and often troublesome curiosity battled with decorum as she resisted the need to explore them. Who would’ve ever believed she would one day be standing in Kyle’s Jordon’s hallway—her stomach knotted—and maybe even sleeping in his bed?

She glanced at John.

He stared down at her, his blue eyes intense as he studied her. “Are you okay?”

“Yes.”

A soft smile played at his lips. “This place feels less cold already. Just having you standing inside these four walls dispels the blandness of it.”

Heat pinched at her cheeks, and she dragged her gaze from his. “It’s not that bad.”

“Liar.”

She smiled and stared at the blank walls and complete lack of decor surrounding them. “Well, maybe it is.”

“Do you want a glass of wine? A cup of coffee? I can get you whatever you want.”

She met his eyes and her heart turned over. “How did this happen?”

He frowned. “What?”

“How did you manage to get me here? Like this? With you? And have me be so damn happy about it?” She grinned.

He dropped her bag and the bag of provisions they’d picked up from the store onto the floor. Smiling that soft, sexy smile of his, he closed the foot of space between them in one easy stride. He curled his fingertips into the front pockets of her jeans and tugged her forward in the way she was starting to love. Her breasts pressed deliciously against the broad expanse of his rock-hard chest.

“I want you to be happy.” His gaze wandered over her face before he dropped his lips to her neck. “I want you to be happy to be with me.”

She tilted her head to the side, giving him greater access to her sensitized skin as she smoothed her hands over his biceps and up to his shoulders. “Things like this don’t happen to me. I don’t let them. I don’t let men get too close...and if I do, it’s always by my rules and not theirs.”

“There are no rules. We’re on neutral ground.” He slowly pulled back, and his hungry gaze locked on hers. “If you want me to back off, I will. I want you to relax. I didn’t ask you here to do anything but relax.”

She smiled. “We’ll see how that goes, shall we?”

He brought his mouth to hers and kissed her, his tongue softly touching hers, and she leaned into him, her heart blending with the gathering strength of her need for this most unlikely man who had somehow come to matter so much more than she’d thought possible. No longer an adversary, John was her confidant, her savior and more than anything, her lover.

Could she really allow herself to trust him as much as her heart wanted her to? Could she let him take care of her? Make everything feel so good when really her world had taken a tumble into the very, very bad.

She opened her heavy lids when he gently eased back and lifted her bag from the floor. “I’ll put this upstairs. You go into the living room and get comfortable. I’ll be just a minute.” He waved toward the room on her left before moving to walk away. He stopped at the bottom stair. “Do you want me to run you a bath?”

She smiled. “Sounds perfect.”

He winked before bounding up the huge staircase two steps at a time and disappearing out of view. Pulling back her shoulders, Sasha walked slowly through the archway leading into Kyle’s living room. A gasp caught in her throat and she put her hand to her chest. Everything was pristine. Shades of cream and the palest beige made the room feel enormous. It was only the flashes of deep red from the cushions, vases and dried flower arrangements that broke the blank canvas.

It was clear Kyle had added nothing to his home since the day the interior decorator left. Not that it mattered. To Sasha, there was nothing worth seeing once you stepped into the room because it was impossible to avoid the breathtaking view through the floor-to-ceiling windows and centered patio doors covering the entire breadth of the far wall.

She slowly approached, her feet sinking into the plush cream carpet as she trailed her fingertips along the back of one of the enormous fabric sofas. She turned the key in the lock of the doors and suppressed a laugh as she flung them open and stepped outside.

“My God.” The words whispered from her lips as she walked across the flagstones toward the enormous hot tub, past a barbecue and luxurious sitting area.

She tried and failed to stop gawking as she wandered farther still. Strolling along a pier that stretched out over the shore and beyond to an enormous white yacht. She shook her head and planted her hands on her hips.

Seagulls dove and bobbed on the water’s surface. Soft white clouds scudded lazily across a perfect blue sky. The fading sun lingered in its downward descent as though not wanting to leave a place so pretty and peaceful. She drew in a long breath and took it all in because God only knew what tomorrow would bring.

Time ticked by and she let it. Suddenly, she wanted this moment to last forever, without having to deal with the things going wrong in her life. She didn’t regret telling John what happened to her, but she did regret putting the flash of anger in his beautiful blue eyes. Eyes that told her so much.

The yacht beside her clanked gently against the pier as a rush of water from a passing Jet Ski rippled its surface. She stared at the exterior of the boat.
Fiona Forever.
Her heart beat with sorrow. Was Fiona John’s mother?

A plank creaked a few feet behind her, and she spun around.

John strolled toward her, his face inscrutable behind the cover of his dark sunglasses. “Now you see what evil can pay for.”

She forced a laugh. “I can’t believe this place.”

He turned toward the yacht and stared at it for a moment before lifting his shoulders. “It reeks of criminality. I hate it. As soon as I leave here, this is the first place I’ll sell.”

Sasha’s stomach knotted, and she turned her back to him, preferring to watch the ripple of the ocean than acknowledge the ripple of regret that ebbed through her blood. “You could put your own stamp on it if you wanted to stay. This is a shell. It could be made into anything you want it to be.”

His hands came to rest on her shoulders, and when he rubbed his thumbs at the knot at the base of her neck, her knees trembled.

“I don’t think I could ever live here.” His breath whispered against her ear. “Not knowing this is where Kyle made his home...where he ruined so many people’s lives.”

“You’re not him, John. You’re your own person.”

“I know that, but I’ve also accepted there’s little hope of the people in Templeton not looking at me without thinking of him.”

“You don’t know that. You’ll just have to bide your time.” She turned, and his hands slipped to her waist. She smiled. “I look at you and I see so much more than Kyle.”

“I need to go.”

Her stomach knotted, and her heart stuck like a rock in her throat. “You’re really going to leave Templeton? Just like that?” She stepped back from his grip and crossed her arms across her stomach.

“What? No. I mean I need to go from here. Now.” He pulled one hand away from her stomach and lifted it to his lips. “Nothing is going to be simple about me leaving Templeton. Not anymore.”

“Oh.” His soft insinuation and her misinterpretation of his leaving town forever brought embarrassed heat to her face.

He smiled. “I’d better make sure everything is locked up at the fair. Kyle’s files are there and I’m sure they’re locked in my desk, but I want to make sure.” He wiggled his eyebrows. “Especially as I intend to take a long weekend.”

The glint in his eyes chased her insecurity away and she smiled. “A long weekend? What’s that?”

He winked. “You’ll see. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

Her breath escaped on a laugh. “Then I’ll see you soon.”

He smiled and kissed her knuckles again. “The bathroom is upstairs, third door along the corridor.”

“Thanks.” She glanced past him toward the house. “There’s nothing I want more than to wash some of this day off me.”

He kissed her gently. “Enjoy. I’ll see you later.”

Her smile trembled as he walked away and into the house. No matter how much she wanted to enjoy this moment, she was afraid of what it meant. He’d just said he couldn’t stay here, so what did that mean for them? She shouldn’t have let her desperation to have him near her, now and possibly forever, to show so openly through her words and reactions. He’d know how she needed him. Know he held her heart in the palm of his hand to use and abuse as he saw fit.

Nausea churned and whirled and no matter how much she told herself John wouldn’t do that, that he wasn’t there to hurt her, the feeling wouldn’t abate.
I have to go. This is too soon. I can’t need him this way.

She ran for the house and into the living room, yanking the patio doors closed behind her. She raced to the front door and stopped. Her hand trembled on the handle as her heart hammered.

She looked over her shoulder to the stairs.

To stay or go. Fight or flee.

Her feelings for John were terrifying and stripped her of her need to control and categorize every aspect of her life. Was that such a bad thing? Her hand slipped from the door. She could do this. She could see where her feelings took her. Didn’t John make her happier than anyone had in years?

Possibility tugged hard at her heart, and Sasha lifted her chin. She wouldn’t run. Nor would she hide. She never had before and she wasn’t about to start now.

She breathed deep and wandered toward the stairs. With her hand on the ebony banister, Sasha headed toward Kyle’s bathroom. She pushed open the door, and her heart melted.

My God, have I found the perfect man?

Fifteen minutes later, she lounged deeper into the mammoth tub and her tension drifted away, leaving her limbs weak. Sasha smiled. She felt like Cleopatra. John had filled the tub with the most delicious, jasmine-scented bubbles and lined its edges and every other available surface with flickering candles.

Never before had she indulged in such luxury, nor felt so cared for or romanced. Where had the bubble bath and candles come from? He must have bought them along with the wine and food when they stopped in the supermarket because there was no way someone as masculine and built as John would take a damn bubble bath.

She grinned.

Her mind should be filled with her conversation with her mother, the known truth that she’d dealt with Kyle and instigated a way for him to get the fair from Granddad. Yet, all Sasha wanted to do was linger a little longer in the enjoyment of being cared for by someone else, of letting someone behind the armor she’d erected years before. Finally a man had found a way inside her heart. Finally he’d come into her life and she already felt stronger and more capable with John than she did alone.

She couldn’t remember a time when she’d been happier...or more afraid her happiness could be snatched from her in a heartbeat.

Turning her thoughts from losing John before anything had really begun between them, she focused on her mother. Confusion and fear of what happened next reigned supreme. She couldn’t deny her mother had mistakenly done what she thought best for her youngest daughter. Her baby. Tears had streaked her mother’s cheeks earlier that afternoon as she implored Sasha to understand.

Sasha stared unseeingly ahead. Having never experienced abuse, how was her mother to truly understand that wherever a victim of abuse went, the memories followed?

The biggest saving grace was Tanya didn’t know what happened that summer, which meant from that moment on, only her mother, Leah, Kyle and now John would know what she went through. Maybe, finally, that chapter of her life could close.

A shrill ringing of her cell phone on a table beside the tub shot Sasha’s heart into her throat. She bolted upright and swiped at the tears she didn’t know she’d cried. With her hand trembling, she snatched up the phone and looked at the display. Leah. Sasha released her held breath and pressed the talk button. “Hey, you.”

“At last. Don’t you check your phone anymore?”

Sasha grimaced. “I know you’ve been calling, but I’ve been...”

“Avoiding me? Running from criminals? Going after Kyle with a shotgun? What?” Leah groaned. “I’ve been going out of my head today wondering why you aren’t picking up or calling me back.”

“I’m sorry.” Guilt she’d caused Leah distress pushed Sasha from her unexpected cocoon of comfort. She abruptly stood and stepped out of the bath. “Things have gone crazy.” She reached for one of John’s, or likely Kyle’s, huge white towels and wrapped it around herself, the phone balanced in the crook of her neck.

“Crazy how? I was hoping you had some good news by now. Better still, you’d be up for a bit of fun this weekend and we can talk things out over a cocktail or two at the Oceanside.”

Sasha slumped into an armchair in the corner of the enormous bathroom. An armchair that would fit nicely in her apartment it was so big, soft and comfy. “That sounds good, but I don’t think it will be happening anytime soon.”

“Why not?”

Because all I want to do is hide out here in my nemesis’s house and maybe get to know his son a little better....

Sasha grimaced. “Things aren’t so good right now.”

“Tell me.”

“I don’t even know how to do that.”

A couple of seconds ticked by before Leah sighed. “The beginning is as good a place as any. Come on, love. You can tell me anything. You know that.”

Sasha’s body dried where she sat. The next fifteen minutes passed as she took Leah from her conversation with John at Clover Point to her realization he carried equally as many family hang-ups as she did, to Freddy being a second, unexpected adversary, to...

“You had sex with him on the kitchen counter? Jesus, Sasha.” Leah emitted a high-pitched shriek. “I frigging love it. You go, girlfriend. You’ve got this. You’re in control so don’t worry about it. Mark my words, he’ll be handing you that fair on a plate.”