Dying for Love
He glanced at her jeans, enjoying the way they molded to her curves, and up to her fitted T-shirt. She filled out casual clothes very well. Very well. He’d like to find her ticklish spots.
His gaze returned to her face. Deep rose painted her cheekbones. The deepening shade of her green eyes reminded him of standing in her apartment, the soft curves of her body between the glass door and him. Their almost-kiss had fueled his fantasies all week.
Unfortunately, he still didn’t know how to handle the situation. Pursuing an employee seemed unethical. Not to mention putting him at risk of a major sexual-harassment lawsuit. Plus, he wasn’t great with personal relationships. Matt’s gaze shifted to Apollo again, jealous heat burning his belly. “The dog’s owner doesn’t mind you borrowing him?”
“No. She’s pushing eighty and is glad to have someone with a bit more energy to play with him.”
“What’s an old woman doing with a Great Dane?”
Her eyes narrowed and cooled. Well, shit. Grace’s fondness for the dog must extend to the owner.
“He’s very gentle and not at all demanding. I’m sure he’d be content to sit at home with her. He was doing exactly that before I moved in and he never appeared unhappy or neglected.”
“Sorry. Didn’t mean to imply anything bad about the dog or the lady.”
She nodded. In his experience, women pouted, whined and gave him the cold shoulder. They did not, ever, forgive after a simple apology.
Grace sat and patted the ground. “Pull up a section of grass.”
Only a fool would turn down an invitation to sit in the sunshine with a beautiful woman. He parked his butt.
“You look different than you do at work.” He bit off a groan. Freakin’ brilliant observation, Sherlock.
Grace laughed. “So do you.”
She was watching some kids play across the park, leaving him to admire her profile. Desire thickened his cock and tongue. He shifted, focusing beyond the physical to tamp down his arousal. Like her funny, quirky personality, the impish mischievousness he sometimes saw in her eyes and her unfailing honesty—even when it didn’t flatter her.
“So…” Matt searched for a conversational gambit to save his ass. “If you like dogs so much, why don’t you get one of your own?”
She shrugged. “I work a lot and live in a condo with no yard, none of which sounds like the ideal life for a dog.”
As much as he wanted to show up on her doorstep tomorrow with a puppy—and what the hell was that about?—her reasoning was sound. Since he couldn’t exactly buy her a house, he tossed about for another topic. Something that didn’t involve the sudden onset of a rapidly deteriorating mental state—his.
“Did you call the police?” He hadn’t seen her at work to ask. Not wanting to come off as stalkerish, he hadn’t sought her out either.
She nodded, wrinkling her nose. “Fat lot of good it did me.”
He frowned. “Why?”
“They brushed the whole thing off as some sort of prank. No damage done.” She glanced at him, then away again just as quickly. “Thank you for your help, though. It was sweet of you to be so concerned.”
Mouth pulled tight, he straightened. “The police did nothing?”
“They took a report, patted me on the head and left.” Grace plucked blades of grass, looking vulnerable as hell until she glanced up and grinned. “Just like I said they would.”
Despite the annoyance riding him hard over the police, he couldn’t resist her smile. “Yeah, yeah.”
“May I ask you a personal question?”
Matt froze, a dozen unpleasant scenarios running through his mind. “Sure.”
“The other day at work, you seemed off. What was wrong?”
Damn. Not as bad as he’d feared, but the last thing he wanted was to come across as a momma’s boy. Still, he couldn’t lie. Not to her. “My mom has breast cancer.”
“Oh, Matt.”
Her slender fingers brushed down his arm and settled on top of his hand. His work-roughened hands, thanks to time spent on job sites instead of sitting in the office. Her hands were baby-soft and pale. The contrast enhanced her femininity. Made him feel like a pheasant begging for the fair maiden. He grimaced. Yeah, he’d officially lost his mind.
“That’s awful. I lost my foster mom to breast cancer several years ago. They’re able to detect cancer so early, though. With treatment, your mom has excellent chances for recovery.”
He blinked away a sheen of moisture and cleared his throat. The depth of her sympathy disarmed him. “I’m sorry about your foster mom. I sincerely hope you’re right. My mom just remarried a few months ago. My stepdad will be devastated if anything happens to her.”
“So will you.”
“Yeah.”
Grace wove her fingers through his and squeezed. He didn’t want to think about his mom dying a slow, miserable death. Life pulsed and flowed around him, drawing him out of the gray pallor that clung to him every time he thought about his mom’s illness.
With a final squeeze, Grace released his hand. He immediately missed the contact. Apollo nudged his blocky head onto Grace’s lap. She stroked his head and envy clawed at Matt’s gut. Jealous of a dog. He’d better keep a close eye out for the men in white coats.
Grace’s gaze skimmed his heavy boots, worn blue jeans and black leather jacket over a T-shirt. He’d taken off his dark sunglasses and stuck the earpiece in the collar of his shirt. Her perusal sent his senses humming like a high-performance engine begging to be set loose.
“You aren’t exactly dressed for a day at the park.”
“I was riding through until I saw the dog on you.” He wasn’t about to admit he’d thought she was a teenage girl.
“You’re riding a bicycle dressed like that?”
He chuckled. “Not exactly.”
Matt pointed to his Harley parked at the curb. Her reaction didn’t disappoint. Those gorgeous eyes widened and her mouth formed a little “O” of surprise. He wanted to explore those lips, taste them and learn their texture. The little brush days ago hadn’t been nearly enough.
“Would you like a ride?”
Where had that come from?
Not that he regretted the invitation. The thought of her riding behind him on his bike had certain body parts growing out of proportion to the situation.
“I can’t.” Her lower lip jutted out in disappointment.
He barely managed to leash his primal urges. This wasn’t the time to introduce her to Caveman Duncan.
“I have to take Apollo home.” She grinned, impish and adorable. “Unless you’re hiding a doggy side car somewhere.”
“Uh, no.”
Her smile slipped a little and her gaze drifted back to his motorcycle.
“You like motorcycles?”
“Oh, yeah.”
The husky way she spoke had his body stomping with impatience at the gate. Damn. A glass of chipped ice would come in handy about now…to dump down the front of his pants. “How about I swing by your condo in an hour? We can go for a ride and grab dinner.”
“I would love that. Thank you.” She snagged Apollo’s leash off the grass and scrambled to her feet. “I’d better run if I’m going to be ready on time. See you soon.”
She waved and started across the expanse of grass. Matt stood rooted, mesmerized by the way her jeans cupped her swaying bottom. She turned and he jerked his gaze to her face, guilty as a horny teenager caught ogling a Playboy magazine.
“Do you remember where I live?”
He grinned.
“Right.” She rolled her eyes. “You have a photographic memory.”
With another jaunty wave, she spun on her heel. Putting his photographic memory to its best use in years, he memorized the way her hips rocked until she disappeared around a curve in the Greenbelt. Shaking off his hormone-induced stupor, Matt headed for his bike. He settled in the seat with a grimace.
Several hours of similar agony loomed in his future. With her wrapped around him like a second skin, riding behind him on the Harley, he didn’t have a prayer of controlling his body. He didn’t care. The pleasure of feeling her against him and the delight of her company would be worth it.
He straddled the bike, pulled his helmet on and gunned the engine. He had a few things to do before heading to Grace’s condo.
CHAPTER FIVE
Grace let herself into her condo, collapsed against the door then half a second later pushed upright and exited the condo again. She pounded her fist on Lisie’s door, chewing on the inside of her lip, gaze repeatedly skipping toward the stairs Matt would soon climb.
The door jerked inward by a rather irate-looking Lisie, her fist planted on her hip and dark eyes blazing. “Where’s da fire, sug?”
“I’m going out with my boss.”
“Ooooh!” Lisie rubbed her hands together, shrugged out of her paint smock and followed Grace back to her place. “Watcha gonna wear?”
“Clothes?” Grace rushed into her bedroom, unbuttoning her jeans and yanking off her T-shirt. They landed in her hamper as she passed into the en suite bathroom.
The cool tile underfoot and the sea-green-and-blue color scheme calmed her. She’d spent her first weekend painting and decorating the condo. All her years moving to different foster homes had taught her how to quickly make a space feel like home. She had more resources these days, but the goal stayed the same.
She shook her head over the way she’d bolted as soon as she’d rounded the corner and escaped the heat of Matt’s gaze. Good thing she stayed in shape, or she’d never have made it to her building. Apollo loped easily at her side for the entire three-quarter mile––show-off.
Not taking the time to visit with Mrs. Freeman when she dropped him off made her feel guilty. She’d promised to stop by tomorrow after church to make up for it.
Grace splashed water on her cheeks. The cold sting helped. Exertion, desire, and anticipation hummed through her body.
“How long since ya been on a date?”
Frowning, she turned. Lisie lounged against the bathroom doorframe, examining her lethally long, meticulously manicured fingernails. “Is it a date?”
One eyebrow arched. “You tell me, cher.”
She pictured Matt standing in the park. Arms crossed, jacket straining across his broad shoulders, legs spread and denim hugging thick muscles. His casual clothes revealed a physique she never would have suspected lurked within his polite business suits. From the unapologetically masculine black leather to the gleaming chrome Harley beast, there’d been nothing polite about him today. Heaven help her, she got damp just thinking about it.
“If it isn’t a date, someone should alert my hormones.”
Lisie grinned. “Dere ya go. Is a date.”
“Hmm…” It had to be politically incorrect to want to jump her boss, even if he’d indulged in a few carnal thoughts of his own. The strain on his poor zipper would have been obvious to a blind man. She deserved a medal for not staring.
Her shiver had nothing to do with cool tiles or chilly water. He was uber-delish, business savvy, street smart and had a wicked sense of humor. With the speed of a woman who’d worked in a beauty salon through college, she went from day-off to date-night in minutes. She amped up her makeup, brushed her hair, added a few curls, then spritzed with a yummy-smelling hairspray.
In her bedroom, she refreshed her deodorant and perfume. Then she hurried into the spacious walk-in closet. Her clothes lay scattered on the floor. The wood hangers dangled on the rod, empty. She blindly reached for the wall for support. Chills crawled over her skin. Not again.
Grace backed out and stared at her bedroom. Nothing looked out of place. Yet every scrap of clothing that had been hanging in her closet, organized by color and style with OCD precision, lay on the floor.
“Cher, wha’s wrong?”
Trembling, she waved at her closet. Lisie scrambled off the middle of her bed, where she’d made herself comfy. Grace rubbed her arms and approached her dresser. She stared at the drawers, afraid to open them. Fast, like a Band-Aid. She yanked open the first drawer. Then the next and the next and the next.
The drawers were undisturbed. Her socks were still tucked in place, alongside her neatly folded panties. Each drawer was just as it had been when she’d left that morning. Staying a good five feet back, just in case, she peeked under the big bed.
Nothing. It didn’t make any sense. Any more so than the incident on Tuesday.
“Saints above.” Lisie crossed herself. “Ya best pack a valise and come stay with me.”
Grace blinked. “A what?”
“A…suitcase, y’all call it.”
She shook her head and walked through the rest of her condo. Running away wasn’t an option. Her laptop sat in its usual place atop the pretty desk she’d picked up at an antique store several years ago. The flat-screen TV was untouched, as were her stereo and other components. Everything was fine. In its place, neat and orderly. The fan circled lazily overhead. Goose bumps broke out across her skin. Someone rapped on her front door and she jumped.
“Sweet baby cherubs.”
She pressed a hand to her galloping heart then whipped around in search of a weapon. Throw pillows, delicate hand-blown glass bowl, dainty lamp. Damnit. Why hadn’t she decorated with anything heavy? Or sharp and pointy? She grabbed her cordless handset and approached the door as another knock sounded.
Lisie wrapped an arm around her waist, patting her. “Calm down, sug. I don’t think da bad man would knock. Is likely da hotness ya call ‘boss.’”
“Grace?”
Holy crap. It was Matt. She glanced down at her bra and panties.
“Uh, just a sec.”
Grace raced for her room on less-than-steady feet. She couldn’t leave him standing outside while she dug through the pile of clothes, trying to find something to wear. Groaning, she snatched her robe off the bedpost and stuffed her trembling arms into the sleeves. Tying the sash with a sharp yank, she hurried out, ignored Lisie’s squeak of alarm, and yanked open her door.
Matt’s eyes widened and she glanced down. Greeting someone at her front door had been the last thing on her mind when she purchased the robe. Her face warmed. The burned-out velvet exposed as much as it covered.
Nothing left but to brazen it out, she smiled. No biggie. She greeted big, hunky men who just happened to pay her salary dressed like this all the time.
“I’m so sorry, Mr. Duncan. Come in, please. I’m not ready yet.”
Lisie snickered. Oh great, Grace. Nothing like stating the obvious.
“Please don’t apologize. I’ll be reliving this moment for days.” He strolled in, his woodsy cologne blanking her brain. “I prefer when you call me Matt. It might be kind of awkward if you call me Mr. Duncan all evening.”
That answered one question. “Sure.” She closed the door and indicated Lisie. “Meet my neighbor, Lisie. Can I get you a drink?”
“Nice to meet you, Lisie.”
“The pleasure is all mine, dawlin’.”
Matt didn’t seem to notice her BFF’s fawning. Instead, he stood stock still in the middle of her living room, staring at her legs. She yanked on the robe’s hem, but no amount of tugging lengthened the damn thing. His gaze crawled up her body.
A firm believer in equality, Grace returned the perusal. Once again, he had his sunglasses tucked into the neckline of his shirt. Never before had she found that sexy, but hey, times changed. From the look of it, he wore a black silk T-shirt under his leather jacket. He looked scrumptious in black.
Lisie cleared her throat. When she glanced at her, she fanned her face, eyes wide. If it wouldn’t have been obvious, Grace would have done the same.
“What do you have?”
“What?” She blinked and whipped her gaze back to Matt. Her female parts were begging to get up close and personal with his male parts, but she was fairly sure that wasn’t what he meant. Especially not in front of her friend. She wasn’t into that sort of thing.
His lips curved to reveal that tempting dimple. She didn’t know what she’d do if he gave her a real smile. Probably melt into a puddle of undersexed hormones at his feet.
“You offered me a drink?”
“Oh. Right. Um…soda, iced tea, wine and water.”
“A glass of ice water would be nice.” The intensity of his gaze ratcheted up a few notches. “It’s a bit warm in here.”
She swallowed and hurried into her kitchen. Lisie followed close on her heels.
“Damn, sug!” Lisie hissed, eyes bugging a bit as she ogled Matt. “You could’a warned me.”
Grace shrugged and stole glances at him over her shoulder as she grabbed a glass. He strolled over to the French doors that opened onto a nice-sized balcony overlooking the Boise River. Ice clinked loudly in the glass from the dispenser and he turned. Grace’s face heated and she lowered her gaze, but couldn’t resist sneaking another peek through her lashes.
“I’ll leave you to it, cher.” Lisie winked at her before heading to the front door. “Hope to see you again soon, dawlin’,” she called to Matt. He nodded his head and waved, smiling at her.
Looking oddly at home in Grace’s feminine room, he settled onto her couch. Except for his earlier visit, no men had been in her living room. In her condo, period. Not even a date in seven months. No wonder she was having a hormone overload. She wasn’t used to being aware of her sexuality, much less someone else’s.
Lifting a black boot to settle his ankle on his other knee, he rested a long arm on the back of the couch.
“Sorry I’m not ready.” She thought about the mess in her closet and her knees weakened. “I found… I don’t know what I found, actually. The clothes in my closet…” She bit the inside of her lip and walked into the living room. She didn’t want to get into this with him again. “Never mind. I’ll just be a few minutes.”
He accepted the glass of ice water, frowning. “What did you find?”
“Matt.” She sighed and surrendered to the inevitable. “The clothes in my closet are messed up.”
“Show me.” He rose.
Grace sighed again, but what difference did it make? She led him to the open closet door. He stood beside her, silent. She shivered. Clothes that had hung just so, neatly folded sweaters, her shoes—they were all scattered on the floor.
Matt wrapped an arm around her and pulled her snugly to his side. She hadn’t expected it or wanted it, but sharing the moment helped. Diluted the impact somehow. The warmth of his body and the hard muscles wrapped around her melted the insulating layer of shock.
She leaned against him, struggling to resist hiding her face in his shirt. Hiding from the fear that had every muscle clenched to the point of pain. From the sense of violation churning her stomach. Hiding from the thought of a stranger in her home. Again.
“You need to call the police. I know it seemed like a waste of time the first time, but you still need to file a report.” His gaze held her fast. “This is the second time. In case anything else happens, and I’m not saying anything else will, but if it does, this will be factored into the equation.”
Her head began to throb.
His eyebrow arched. “You didn’t get your locks re-keyed, did you?”
Shoulders drooping, she shook her head. The urge to rest her head against his broad shoulders was strong. She resisted.
Matt’s lips tightened, then he pressed a kiss to her forehead. “I’ll call a locksmith while you get dressed.”
She nodded, numb. He was taking this so seriously it made it hard to pass it off as some teenage prank. His arm tightened around her, then let go. The bedroom door shut behind him with a quiet click.
Grace allowed a moment to wallow, then straightened her shoulders and pulled on a pair of blue jeans. Reluctantly, she went into her closet and dug through the pile on the floor. Something was odd about some of the clothes.
The arm of a red sweater seemed too long, while a black skirt was oddly misshapen. She held them up and gasped. Hands trembling, she dug through the pile. About half of them were torn or ripped. Her lower lip quivered and she bit it, blinking back tears.
Sitting on her closet floor and having a good old-fashioned sob-fest sounded appealing, but her boss was waiting in the other room. They were moving into dating territory, and she didn’t want to start out with puffy eyes and a red nose. Not attractive. She yanked a lightweight cashmere sweater off the floor.
A jagged-edged piece of paper fluttered to the floor. Her breath caught. The white square lay on top of the tweed skirt she’d worn to work a few days ago. Innocuous. Apprehension coiled inside. Not another one.
With the same cautious respect she would show a boa constrictor, she picked it up. She took a breath. Squeezed her eyes shut and flipped the paper over. She opened one eye and peered at the paper.
Both eyes open, she sat back on her heels.
Think you’re something special, don’t you? A fancy job, big condo
and expensive clothes won’t change anything.
You’re nothing but trailer trash, slut.
Trailer trash?
A shudder trembled the paper in her fingers. On the edge of hysteria, she rubbed her forehead. Be rational. Deep breath. Her chest rose and fell on a deep inhalation. Okay, good. You’re life hasn’t been a bed of roses. You can cope without falling apart. It’s just words on a piece of paper. Yes, someone was in your home. Someone damaged your clothes. No biggie. Clothes are replaceable. The important thing is, whoever was here is gone. Right now, there’s a big, handsome man waiting in your living room. For you. Focus on that.
Grace straightened her shoulders, wiped a stray tear from her cheek and stood. She set the paper on her bed and pulled the intact cashmere sweater over her head. Her thoughts ran in circles as she tugged on socks and tennis shoes. Looping a strand of hair round her finger, she stared at the paper. What she wouldn’t give to crumple it into a ball and toss it. Instead, she grabbed the scrap and headed into the living room, resigned to the inevitable.
Matt glanced up from where he sat on her floral couch, her cordless phone and the phone book in hand. Her lips twitched. Like a physical caress, his gaze moved over her. Appreciation gleamed in the dark depths. His eyes narrowed on the paper in her hand.
“What’s that?”
“I found it on the floor mixed in with the clothes—most of which have been slashed.” She placed it face up on the coffee table. Matt leaned forward.
“Trailer trash?”
She settled on the couch beside him. “I’ve never even lived in a trailer.”
“I don’t like this, Grace. The note makes it more personal.”
She bit her lip, not wanting to mention the other note. The one she’d found in her car. A stress headache bloomed into life right behind her eyes. He picked up her cordless from the coffee table and handed it to her. “Call the police.”
“You know you’re incredibly bossy, right?”
“Hazard of being the boss, I guess.”
He leaned back against her pillows. He didn’t even appear offended. Relaxed and comfortable came to mind, despite the frown drawing his dark brows together and the tight set of his lips. Sprawled on her couch, he also looked entirely too sexy for her peace of mind.
His gaze dropped to the phone lying in her limp hand, then back up to her face, with a lift of his brow.
“Bossy,” but still she dialed. Bossy, yes. But right too. At least he provided a distraction from her fear.
CHAPTER SIX
Matt settled into the booth across from Grace. Sharing her side of the table held more appeal, but that would probably be pressing his luck. Besides, he’d been patient for six of the longest months of his life, admiring her intelligence, spirit, fire and beauty from afar. He could be patient a while longer.
Dusky rose spread across her cheeks. To his amusement, she avoided eye contact, perusing her menu with great interest. The past week had shown she wasn’t immune to him. Before that, she hadn’t revealed the slightest awareness of him as a man. He had started to worry.