Bound and Determined (3 page)

Thea pounced on Asia’s comment. “I
knew
it. You like him.”

Startled, Asia’s eyes shot to Thea. “I do
not
.”

“Oh yeah, you really do.”

Lexi jumped in. “Did I miss something?”

Thea laughed. “When you’ve known Asia as long as I have you can’t help but see the signs.”

Asia harrumphed. “You’re hallucinating again.”

“No, I’m not. Any other time you’d tell me every little detail about this guy just because you know
I’m
interested. The fact that you’re clamming up like this means that you’re attracted to him and you’re fighting it.”

Damn.
“There are times when it’s
really
annoying that you know me so well.”

Thea smirked, quite pleased with herself. “I know you better than you know yourself.”

“You probably do. But I still don’t want to talk about him.”

“You don’t want to talk about men, period. You can’t assume every guy you meet is the same kind of cheating shithead as Davis.” Thea reached for the pepper shaker.

Asia gestured roundly with her fork. “I know that, but it’s not like the jerks have ‘shithead supremo, avoid at all costs’ tattooed on their foreheads. There’s no way to tell the good guys from the bad.”

And that terrified Asia. Her instincts when it came to men sucked. She was convinced it was genetic. All the women in her family picked losers, as evidenced by the fact that she’d never known her father or grandfather.

Thea broke into her thoughts. “Well, no. You have to get to know them better. That’s why we have this little ritual called dating. You may have heard of it.” Thea laid the sarcasm on thick.

Asia ignored it. “But by the time you get to know them, it’s too late. You’re in too deep and you end up with your heart ripped to shreds.”

And she should know. Hers had been shattered when she found her fiancé screwing his secretary in their bed just three weeks before the wedding. The whole thing had been like some horrific cliché. She could still picture the unrepentant smirk on his face when instead of begging Asia for forgiveness, he’d invited her to join them. She only wished the vase she’d thrown at his head had actually hit him instead of smashing to smithereens against the headboard.

Lexi, who’d been quietly listening to their exchange, spoke up. “But if you don’t try again with someone new, the jerk wins. He’s still affecting your life, controlling you, even though he’s not around.”

Asia stilled. She’d never thought of it that way before. Still, was it worth risking your heart just to stick it to someone else?

“Lexi’s right. Are you really going to let what Davis did ruin the rest of your life?
Really?
”

Put like that it sounded almost dumb, except… “That’s not the way it is. That’s not what I’m doing. I’m just protecting myself from getting hurt again. That’s
my
choice.”

Thea snorted. “Are you listening to yourself here? By shutting down that part of your life you’re continuing to make Davis a huge part of it.”

“No, I’m not.”

Lexi interjected. “In point of fact, you are.”

Asia glared at the two of them. “You’re both traitors. And you’re ganging up on me. I was just robbed and tied up, the least you could do is baby me a bit.”

“For the robbery, you need babying. For the rest of it, you need a kick in the pants. Right now, the kicking part is winning. We’ll baby you afterwards. Ooh, a crispy one.” Thea stole an extra-crispy fry off Asia’s plate.

Asia didn’t even bat an eye. After twenty-five years, she was used to Thea pinching food off her plate. “Gee, thanks for the understanding.”

Lexi forked a couple of fries and dipped them into her ketchup. “Thea’s right. I didn’t know you before what happened with Davis, but I’ve often worried that you shut yourself off too much.”

Thea snorted. “That’s an understatement. Look, you’ve had your little wallow. Had plenty of time to lick your wounds and hide from the world. I think this interest you have in Marcus is healthy. It’s a sign that it’s time for you to move on.”

Lexi nodded. “She’s right.”

Asia heartily disagreed but didn’t comment.

Thea continued, “Even if you’re not ready for a relationship, after two years you
must
be ready for some down-and-dirty sex. And who better to give it to you than Forsythia Falls’ very own local playboy. You’d know exactly where you stand with him. By all accounts, he’s a nice guy but not the settling-down type, and he’s sure to have loads of experience. I’d say he’s perfect for the job.”

Lexi nodded again. “Thea’s right. I hear he has to fight the women off with a stick, so he must be awesome between the sheets. Well worth giving him a try.”

Electric-blue eyes and the memory of hard flesh under her fingers made her feel hot and cold and shivery all over. The man was seriously dangerous to her self-control. “I don’t think that’s such a good idea.”

“Why the hell not? You’ve complained about Marcus hitting on you for weeks so we know he’s interested. Hell, I wish he was interested in me. I’d ride him until my eyes crossed and I couldn’t walk anymore.”

For a split second indignation flared inside of Asia. And just as quickly vanished as she realized how stupid that was. Marcus wasn’t hers and Thea was welcome to him. “Be my guest.”

“Listen to me, Asia. If the opportunity presents itself, go for it. Have crazy monkey sex with the guy and then move on if that’s what you really want. At least you’ll be making some progress toward getting on with your life.”

Asia wanted to tell Thea to mind her own business but the words stalled in her throat. Because the truth was, no matter how much she hated to admit it, she was torn.

The wild and crazy part of her wanted to do just what Thea suggested—ride Marcus hard until she couldn’t see straight. She missed sex, but what if she couldn’t keep her heart out of it? Could she risk getting hurt like that again? The mousy wimp in her wasn’t willing to take that chance and that was the part that held her back. And so far, that was the part that was winning. Had been for the past two years.

And she didn’t see that changing anytime soon.

Chapter Four

“You’re certain you’re okay?”

Asia picked at a stubborn bit of gunk stuck to the bottom of the cubbyhole she was cleaning and tried hard not to feel exasperated at the oft-repeated question. She knew everyone was concerned for her, but it was hard not to think about the robbery when everyone kept bringing it up. And she really needed to stop thinking about the robbery. “Yes, Gram, I’m sure. Don’t worry about me.”

Peeking over the counter, which was currently covered with the emptied cubbyhole contents, she watched as her grandmother flitted from item to item in the store like some drunken hummingbird. An action Asia usually found comforting because it was typical for Gram, but right now her grandmother just looked troubled.

What made her constant motion singularly amazing was that her grandmother was sixty-five years old. But she neither looked, nor acted, anywhere near her age. Which was just one of the many things Asia loved about her.

“Don’t talk nonsense, child. Of course I’m going to worry about you.”

Asia frowned at Gram’s sharp tone and stood, stretching her legs in the process. “Well, try not to, okay. To tell you the truth, I’m just relieved we didn’t have much in the till.”

Waving away her concern, her grandmother
pshawed
the very idea. “I could care less about the money. It’s
you
I care about. I’m so glad Marcus was here to help you. Such a nice young man.”

Asia rolled her eyes at Gram’s obvious matchmaking. “Yes, but I wasn’t in any danger by then.”

“Still, you could have been stuck tied up for
hours
before someone found you.”

Asia shuddered at the mere thought of it. She couldn’t bear to think of what that would have been like. Thirty minutes had been a half hour too long. “Well, I wasn’t, so everything worked out fine. I just wish the thief hadn’t been wearing a mask so I could have identified him.”

Gram stared off in the distance, looking even more agitated. “Yes. A real shame.”

What was up with her today? “Is something wrong?”

“No, no. It’s just that I guess we’ll never find the thief. But that’s the way it goes sometimes. So many unsolved crimes these days.”

Huh? “Not in Forsythia Falls.”

Her grandmother’s pacing jerked to a sudden stop. “Really, Asia. That’s only because there’s almost never any crime here. Besides, it’s for the best that you can’t identify him.”

Asia blinked. “Why’s that?”

Her Gram stopped and finally let her worry show. “Because you might not be safe if he thought you could identify him. This way, he’ll leave you alone.”

At last, the reason why Gram was acting so strange. She rushed to reassure her. “You’re right. He won’t bother with me or the shop anymore. Especially since he got almost nothing. No reason for him to come back.”

Thank God for that.

She changed the subject since the topic bothered her grandmother. It bothered her too, but she wouldn’t let Gram know that. “So, what are your plans for tonight?”

Her grandmother’s periwinkle-blue skirt puffed out when she resumed traipsing about. Nothing kept her grandmother down. She had more life in her little finger than a lot of people half her age had in their whole body.

With relief, Asia saw the worry leave Gram’s face as the twinkle returned to her eyes. “Sam’s taking me to dinner and then we’re going over to Frank and Myrtle’s for canasta. And don’t forget, I won’t be here on Friday.” Her grandmother stopped moving and looked back at Asia. “Are you sure about this? I still think Sam and I should cancel our weekend at the bed and breakfast.”

Asia shook her head emphatically. No way was she going to be responsible for ruining Gram’s plans. It was the first anniversary of Sam and her grandmother’s first date. How many of those did you have at their age? Not many, she’d warrant. “I already told you. I want you to go.”

“But won’t you be nervous in the shop all by yourself?”

Asia strove to exude a confidence she didn’t feel, ignoring the nervous flutter in her stomach. She’d get over it. “I’ll be fine. Go, have fun. Enjoy your hot weekend.”

Gram scrutinized Asia and then relented with a wink. “We will.”

Asia grinned. “I can’t believe your social calendar is busier than mine.”

“Since you refuse to date, that’s your own fault.”

She’d stepped into that one. “You know I’m not interested in getting involved with anyone.”

Her grandmother snorted. “You’re scared is what you are. Ever since you broke up with Davis you’ve shunned men.”

Asia wanted to refute what she said but couldn’t. “That’s not because I’m afraid. It’s common sense. Men are only out for themselves.”

“Not all of them are cheaters like Davis.”

But they still couldn’t be trusted. “I know, but I don’t want to get involved with anyone else. I’m not ready.”

Her thoughts flew to Marcus and the way he made her feel with just a look, but she shoved him out of her head. She was just missing sex. That’s all it was.

Her grandmother stopped moving and faced her. “It’s been two years since you broke off the engagement. Someday you’re going to have to jump back into the dating pool.”

Not anytime soon. Maybe never.
How could she? She’d been
so
wrong about Davis. Could she ever again trust her instincts when it came to men?

She suddenly remembered Thea and Lexi’s suggestion to forget about relationships and just have some hot sex. It was tempting.
Really
tempting, but way too risky. “We’ll see.”

Her grandmother gave a great sigh and shook her head. Asia hoped it meant the end of the pointless topic they’d gone over too many times to count. Just in case it wasn’t, she dropped to her haunches behind the counter to discourage further conversation and went back to cleaning the cubbyholes.

The front door tinkled and she glanced over the top to see who had entered the store.

Damn
.

It was Marcus. She
so
wasn’t ready to see him again. She dropped down farther and prayed he hadn’t seen her.

A few seconds later his head appeared over the top of the counter. “Asia. How are you feeling today?”

Feeling stupid that he’d caught her hiding, she kept wiping out the cupboards with unnecessary gusto. “I’m good.”

He came around the counter and dropped to his haunches beside her. “You sure? I can still see the rope burns on your wrists.” Concern resonated in his voice, making her feel all soft and fluttery inside.

She would have worn long sleeves to hide the marks if it wasn’t so warm today. At least her white jeans hid the ones on her ankles.

She glanced down at her wrists when his fingers gently traced the already fading red marks, causing a secret thrill to race down her spine.

She shrugged, more to shake off the unwanted feeling than for his benefit. “Looks worse than it is.”

Their eyes caught and held. She held her breath as if in expectation of something. Of what, she wasn’t quite sure but her gut told her it meant trouble. She broke eye contact.

He stood and stepped back around the counter again.

“Marcus, how good to see you.”

Her grandmother’s voice cut in, enveloping him with welcome. Asia groaned to herself, knowing Gram would start in on the matchmaking again and there was no way to avoid it short of sneaking out the back way on her hands and knees. She eyed the door leading out back with more than a little longing but wasn’t willing to lower herself to that just yet.

Realizing she was still crouched down like an idiot, Asia stood in time to see Marcus enfolded in a bear hug. He smiled and hugged back. “You’re looking well, Astrid.”

Her grandmother primped. “Why thank you, dear boy. I do my best. You know, I can’t thank you enough for helping Asia yesterday.”

“There’s nothing to thank me for. I’m just glad I came when I did. Although I was surprised when you weren’t here.”

Asia frowned. Why would he be surprised by that? Asia often worked in the store alone.

Her Gram’s eyes shifted, making her look peculiarly guilty, but of what? “Something came up at the last minute. I’m sorry I missed our appointment.”