Читать книгу Wilder Days - Linda Winstead Jones - Страница 10

“Who the hell are you?”

Del was a little taken aback. This was Vic’s daughter? The teenage girl stood in the main room of a very nice condo on the beach, shooting daggers at him with her eyes. Vic’s pride and joy was dressed entirely in black, from her clunky tennis shoes to the baggy shorts to the oversize T-shirt. There were, at quick count, six earrings in one ear. Only one in the other. And her head…

“Noelle Eve Lowell,” Vic said, sounding horrified. “What have you done to your hair?”

The teenager took audacious eyes off of Del and laid them on her mother. “It rained yesterday. We didn’t have anything to do.” She touched a hand to her hair, which was a very unnatural shade of red and cut too short…on one side. On the other side, soft red strands brushed softly against one cheek.

“It rained,” Vic said, “and you just happened to have hair dye with you? And a pair of scissors, too, I see?”

“We brought them with us just in case.” Noelle shuffled one foot. “Michelle’s hair turned pink and I think I cut it too short on one side. Her mom is really not happy.” Her expression hardened. “Why are you here, Mother, and who is the thug?”

Thug?

“Please tell me you’re not going through a midlife crisis and actually sleeping with this guy.”

“Noelle!”

“And if you are, why did you feel the need to drive all the way down here to, what…introduce us? I really don’t need to be dragged into your midlife crisis, Mother.”

The three of them were alone in the classy, nicely furnished condo. The Severns, Noelle’s friend’s family, were down at the beach. Just as well.

“We’re taking a little vacation,” Del said calmly.

Noelle glared at him. “I’m already on vacation, moron. And I still don’t know who you are.”

He’d dealt with tough customers before, many of them tougher than Vic’s daughter. Maybe. “Del Wilder,” he said, stepping forward and offering his hand. “Your mother and I are old friends.”

Behind him, Vic continued to mutter about her daughter’s hair.

“Old friends. How nice.” Instead of extending her hand to shake Del’s, Noelle placed hands on hips and struck a defiant pose. “Why on earth do you want me along on your little vacation? I’m sure to cramp your style.”

Vic had decided that she didn’t want Noelle to know what had happened. Not yet, anyway. Del had to agree. It was sure to be traumatic for a fourteen-year-old to know that someone had just tried to blow up her mother.

“Family vacation,” Del grumbled.

“You’re not family.”

He ignored her. “Fishing, picnics, a cabin by the lake.” He hadn’t told Vic where they were going, but she’d know soon enough. The cabin he’d rented was close enough to Birmingham that he could make a run to the office, if he had to, far enough away from town that they wouldn’t have to worry about being spotted by anyone passing by. No one but Shock knew the location of the hideaway.

“I hate fishing.”

Del had a feeling he and Noelle could stand here all day and never agree on anything. If he told her the sky was blue, she’d come up with some kind of argument. He’d rather face the business end of a gun than deal with an obviously mixed-up fourteen-year-old.

Vic stepped forward, passing close to Del as she approached her daughter. “Pack your things and let’s go,” she said.

Noelle opened her mouth to argue, but Vic didn’t give her a chance.

“Now.”

Noelle sighed, but she turned around and disappeared into a bedroom to do as her mother asked.

Del crept up behind Vic and laid a hand on her shoulder. “She hates me.”

“She’ll get over it.”

He tried to think of something positive to say. The words stuck in his throat, until he finally said, “She’s a pretty girl.”

“Yes,” Vic said softly. “She is.” Beneath his hand, he felt Vic relax. “Don’t take anything she says too seriously. The past couple of years have been tough.”

Del’s thumb rocked against Vic’s shoulder, an easily offered comfort she didn’t brush away. “The divorce?”

Vic nodded. “At first, she didn’t really understand. I think she spent years waiting…waiting for Preston to come home. When she finally realized that he wasn’t coming home, she got angry. She’s still angry, but she’ll be okay.” Vic took a deep, stilling breath. “The tough-girl image is an act, mostly.”

Del nodded. “I understand.” Okay, it was a lie. He didn’t understand. But since he wouldn’t be around long, he didn’t need to, right?

He didn’t like the uncertainty that washed through him. What if he was around for a while? What if even after the Mayrons were caught and Vic was safe, he continued to see her?

Like she’d let him. Vic had made it clear that truce or no truce, he was not welcome in her life.

The spot Del had chosen as their hideout didn’t look like much, but Vic approached the cabin with the hope that the inside would be better.

It wasn’t.

“Oh, my God,” Noelle said as she stepped from the sagging front porch into the main room of the sprawling cabin. “This is a joke, right? We’re not actually going to sleep here.”

“Haven’t you ever heard of roughing it, kid?” Del asked with a wide smile on his face.

“This was all your idea, wasn’t it, Wilder?” Noelle asked, casting a narrow-eyed glance over her shoulder.

Del’s grin remained in place.

Noelle began to explore, very quickly discovering that there was no phone and no air-conditioning. She expressed overly exuberant delight upon finding indoor plumbing.

While Noelle disappeared down the hallway to choose the bedroom that would be her own, Vic faced Del.

“I’m sure we’ll be okay here,” she said, steeling herself to send Del away. “Thanks. When all’s clear, I guess you’ll let me know. Right?” Her heart caught in her throat as she looked up at him; her mouth went dry. He had to get out of here. What if one morning he looked at Noelle and just knew? Then what?

She didn’t like the way he looked at her, his smile fading, his eyes going dark. “Who said I was going anywhere?”

“You can’t…”

“I can,” he interrupted. “And I will.”

He took one step toward her. One step was all the room she had. With that simple move he robbed her of her safety zone, her personal space, the shield that kept him at a distance. This close she could feel his heat, see the stubble on his jaw. The faint, intriguing scent of his body drifted to her.

“You’re still angry,” he said softly.

“Of course I’m still…”

“I’m sorry,” he whispered, cupping her chin and forcing her to look him in the eye. “I should have told you what I do as soon as I had the chance. It’s just that when I realized what you thought, it hurt a little.”

“What else was I supposed to think?”

He nodded, once. “Fair enough.”

“You…you investigated me,” she said in an accusatory tone of voice.

“Yes, I did.”

“Why?”

Del hesitated. “I can’t assume anything, Vic. I need to find out why they went after you. There are other ways to get to me. I can’t figure out how they connected us. It’s been such a long time.” He moved a little bit closer.

“So investigating me was just…part of the job.”

“No.” His head dipped. “I wanted to know.”

“You wanted to know what?”

“Everything.” With every heartbeat he moved closer.

Vic licked her lips. “There’s not much to know. My life is…pretty dull. At least…”

Del kissed her. She’d known it was coming, had passed and ignored her chance to step out of the danger zone and away from this kiss that was going to complicate everything. Her life. His. Her heart.

She loved the way Del kissed, his lips gentle and firm, his body molding to hers and his arms wrapping around her. He gave everything he had to this kiss, the way he had always given everything of himself to whatever he did. The movement of his mouth over hers rocked her to her core, made her forget everything else.

His tongue swept over her bottom lip, and she couldn’t contain the catch in her throat that gave away her response. One caressing hand was in her hair, the other stayed firmly at her spine. Every now and then his fingers rocked, comforting and much too arousing.

There was comfort in a kiss. She had forgotten that. She had also forgotten what it was like to be swept away by physical sensation. To feel as if she were melting, as if her knees might buckle at any moment. Her lips parted more widely, as unconsciously she invited more. And more.

“This,” a cold voice called from too nearby, “is totally disgusting.”

The kiss ended abruptly and Del backed up a step just as Vic did. To his credit, he looked almost as shaken as she felt.

“Gross,” Noelle muttered. “Why on earth did you two kidnap me from a perfectly decent vacation to make me watch this disgusting display of lewd middle-aged behavior?”

Del recovered quickly. “You’re our chaperon, kiddo.”

“Don’t call me kiddo,” Noelle said coldly, her eyes pinned on Del. “We’re not going to bond or anything, so you might as well save your time and energy.”

“No kiddo, huh?”

“No kiddo.”

“How about I call you ladybug, instead?”

Noelle made a guttural noise that very clearly spoke of her distaste, before spinning around and heading for the kitchen.

Del smiled down at Vic. “I think she’s beginning to like me.”

Vic shook her head. “I’m sorry. She’s really not always so…awful.”

And no matter how much a kiss made her think otherwise, she knew Del would not be around long enough to get to see Noelle’s better side.

Going to bed early was preferable to watching the two lovebirds. How incredibly gross.

Noelle kicked back on the bed, her eyes on the ceiling, her headphones and the music in her ears drowning out any sounds that might drift through her closed door.

This was bad. Really bad. Yeah, her mom did date now and then, but never guys like Wilder. She spent more time with her friends than with guys, especially Wanda Freeman. Wanda had even fixed her best friend Vic up a few times, but that had always been a disaster. There were men from Grandpa’s company, dweebs like that stiff James Moss, or that guy who smiled all the time, Ryan what’s-his-name. She had never worried about those guys because they never kissed her mom like that, or went to a crappy shack in the woods on vacation or called her kiddo and Ladybug. She snorted. Wilder obviously thought if he played nice with the kid it would make a difference to the mother. Fat chance.

If only her Dad knew about Wilder, he’d do something. He’d come in and run that thug off and realize that the three of them belonged together again. It had been such a long time…she barely remembered what it was like to have a father and a mother. Her dad steered clear of her because her mother was always there, and that was obviously uncomfortable for him. It wasn’t his fault that he rarely came around, or that when he did he didn’t stay long. It wasn’t his fault that he never smiled anymore, or that he was always so anxious to leave.

Yeah, if he knew, he’d do something. Noelle smiled. Something drastic. How cool would that be?

He wanted her. More than was right, much more than he should. Hell, he wasn’t eighteen anymore. He didn’t lose control of his emotions or his libido.

But he wanted Vic so much it hurt.

She stepped onto the porch to join him. The screen door squealed, the planks on the porch squeaked as she stepped across them. He felt each sharp sound as if it fluttered through his body. This was not good.

“She’s asleep?” he asked.

Vic nodded as she sat in the rocking chair beside him. “Out like a light,” she whispered, as if her voice might disturb the night. And what a night it was. The moon was full and the air had taken on a comfortable cool hint as it washed across the nearby lake and through the trees. The air smelled clean and fresh, the moonlight lit the rustic front porch and the woods before them. And it lit Vic in a way that made her look even more beautiful than she usually did. That in itself was a miracle.

He could not afford to get sloppy and sentimental over a woman. He tried to tell himself that what he felt was just a residual of what they’d had long ago, the faint echo of what an eighteen-year-old had thought was love.

And still, he wanted her.

“How long will you be here?” Vic asked, her voice soft and easy.

“As long as it takes.”

“That’s not—”

“Necessary?” Del interrupted. “No, I guess it’s not. But what am I supposed to do, Vic?” Anger made his voice too caustic. “Leave you here?”

“I can take care of myself.”

“Not this time.”

Vic rocked, silent for a long moment. “Surely no one will find us out here. I’m sure Noelle and I will be fine on our own.”

Was she so anxious to get rid of him? Apparently so. “Let’s get one thing straight, Vic. I’m not leaving here until we have the Mayrons in custody. If I do have to leave, Shock will be here. No one else. I don’t trust anyone but Shock.” With you. He couldn’t say that. He couldn’t reveal that much of himself, to Vic or to anyone else.

Vic sighed, and he felt it. “If it was just me, I’d argue with you,” she said. “But I won’t take risks with Noelle. If there’s even a remote chance those people will find us here…” She turned her head and looked at him, square on for the first time since he’d kissed her. “I’ll do anything to keep Noelle safe,” she said. “Anything.”

He’d use that, if he had to. If she tried to kick him out again he’d appeal to her motherly devotion and protective instincts. “Good. Then we agree that I’m staying.”

Again Vic sighed, and then she nodded her head.

That taken care of, his mind took a more personal bent. While he was making sure Vic was safe, he had to get her out of his head. He wasn’t sure exactly how to do that. Concentrate on her faults and convince himself he was much better off without her? Remember the past and how much it had hurt?

Or sleep with her and get this obsession out of his system, once and for all?

More than once she’d tried to push him away, but she kissed as if she was interested. Very interested.

“Are you…seeing anybody?” he asked.

He felt her eyes on him but continued to stare out at the night. “No. Not at the moment.”

Del nodded. Good.

“You?” she asked.

“Not at the moment.”

He couldn’t tell if her soft hum was one of approval or not. Maybe. Maybe.

“I always figured you’d be married by now. Have a few kids,” she said.

So, she did think about him. “Nope. No time, I guess.”

“You really should. Noelle is the best part of my life.”

Del turned his head and looked at Vic, studied her moonlit profile. He wisely contained his first response— You’ve got to be kidding. “I’ll bet you’re a great mother.”

She smiled gently. “There was a time I thought maybe I was. The past couple of years I’ve had my doubts. I wonder if maybe Noelle wouldn’t be happier if I’d done something different.”

“We all rebel at that age, at least a little.”

“I guess,” she agreed in a low whisper. “Sometimes I wonder if I shouldn’t have forgiven Preston, for Noelle’s sake. Maybe I shouldn’t have—”

“No,” he interrupted, his voice sharp. “You deserve better than that, Vic. Much better.”

She laid her eyes on him and smiled, gentle and confident and…every bit as stirred up as he was.

He didn’t play games, not anymore. He didn’t dance around delicate issues because he was shy or discreet. He’d never had either of those attributes.

“Vic, where am I sleeping tonight?”

Even in the moonlight, it seemed her face went pale. “You can have the bed,” she said. “I’ll take the couch.”

Not exactly the response he’d been hoping for. There were two bedrooms. Noelle was sleeping in one. The other had a queen-size bed and its own personal bathroom. And then there was the sofa in the main room. “I’ll take the couch,” he said.

“It’s too short for you,” Vic protested.

“It folds out into a bed.”

“Oh.”

Yeah, he’d sleep on the couch tonight, and maybe even tomorrow night, but he had a feeling he wouldn’t be there long.

Vic tossed in the bed, unable to get comfortable. Her nightgown twisted around her legs, frustrating her even more. The mattress was too soft, then too hard. The air in the confining room was too hot, then not hot at all. But deep down she knew it wasn’t the bed or the temperature that kept her awake. It was Del.

Where am I sleeping tonight? Why had he asked her that question? It could have been taken more than one way, but there had been nothing innocent about the tone of his deep voice, nothing innocent about the look in his eye as he’d asked that loaded question.

She’d been tempted, momentarily, to answer With me. But she hadn’t and she wouldn’t.

For good reason. Del had lied to her, he’d almost gotten her killed, and he thought he could come riding in here on his white horse and take over. She didn’t need him to protect her. She didn’t need any man to protect her.

More than all that, there was the issue of Noelle. If Del knew she was his daughter he’d never be out of their lives. He’d bring danger with him, the threat from criminals like the ones who’d kidnapped and almost killed her.

And then there was the danger to her heart, and Noelle’s. Preston’s leaving had hurt Noelle and the poor girl was still suffering. She didn’t need another man coming into her life, becoming a part of it and then walking away. And that’s what Del would do, in the end. Walk away. Maybe she could survive the hurt to herself, but to put Noelle through that again? She couldn’t.

Del could never know Noelle was his daughter. And Vic couldn’t get involved with him and continue to lie. It was too hard. So no matter what she wanted, no matter how tempted she was…

Hot once again, she threw off her covers and sat up. She hadn’t been with or wanted a man in years. She was alone, and had been long before the divorce. Alone, but never lonely. She didn’t mind that there was no man in her life. All she needed was her painting and her daughter. Life was simple that way. Simple was good. But Del made her feel lonely, as if she was missing something important. Something beautiful.

On bare feet, Vic slipped out of her room and down the hallway. Passing Noelle’s door, she heard her daughter’s deep, even breathing. As she neared the main room, she heard Del’s deeper, decidedly masculine breaths.

Just a peek, that’s all she wanted.

She stopped at the entrance to the main room and leaned against the wall. Del was sprawled across the sofa bed, which was indeed too small for him. He filled it, his feet hanging off the end, his out-flung arms and legs taking up the length and breadth of the mattress.

And that hair… She had always loved his long hair. It was beautiful and it suited him. Wild. Unconventional. He was definitely not the kind of man her father had envisioned for her.

He was definitely not the kind of man she needed in her life now. If she let him get too close, he would only complicate matters. But, oh, as she watched him sleep she wished again that when he’d asked Where am I sleeping tonight? she’d answered With me.

With a shake of her head she turned and silently returned to her bed. Stupid, she chided silently as she walked away. If she knew one truth, it was that Del Wilder was not for her and never would be.