Face Value (17 page)

“I’m sorry,”
J.T. said, opening his arms to her. “I didn’t want you to find out
about it like that, but I was scared to death he might do the same
thing to you.”

Lauren stepped
into her father’s waiting arms, lying her head on his shoulder.
“I’m sorry I wasn’t willing to listen.” If she had, she wouldn’t
have made love to Tucker. She would have to try to obliterate those
memories from her mind.

J.T. chuckled.
“You’re as stubborn as your mama, but I love you both more than
life itself, darlin’.”

“And you’re not
stubborn, right?”

“Only when it
comes to protecting the people I care about.” He held her
shoulders, pulling her back to face him. “Honey, you’re gonna find
the right guy.”

Lauren thought
she already had, but Tucker was wrong for her for so many reasons.
She saw that finally. “Maybe.” It didn’t even seem to matter
anymore. Putting herself out there again left a bitter taste in her
mouth. She would just stick to her plan and focus on her
business.

“I know you
will. Don’t give up just because this loser shook your faith.”

Her father
making disparaging comments about Tucker still hurt, even though
she knew it shouldn’t. Her father was right. Any man who would do
that to a woman was a bully who didn’t deserve a single second of
her time. “I still have to work with him until this project is
finished.”

“Maybe I could
help you out with that? Run interference for you?”

Lauren managed
a smile as she patted her father’s cheek. “Thanks, but I can handle
it. Now that I know the truth about him, I’ll keep my distance. I
promise.”

***

Tucker had
tried to reach Lauren all day, but she wouldn’t pick up her phone
or return his texts. She’d obviously seen the pictures and deemed
him guilty without asking for an explanation. He tried to be angry
with her, but he couldn’t. Any woman would feel the same way.

He opened the
door of the salon where his ex-wife worked, steeling himself for
her hostility.

“What the hell
are you doing here?” she asked from her post behind the front
desk.

At least she
wasn’t with a client. She should have a few minutes to talk to him.
“Can I have a word with you?”

“No.”

He sighed,
raking a hand through his hair. “Amanda, please. This is
important.”

She scowled at
him before turning her attention to her co-workers. All eyes were
fixed on Tucker. “Fine, but I only have a few minutes. I’d rather
not talk in here.”

“My truck is
parked right out front.”

“Lead the
way.”

Once they were
inside the truck, Amanda said, “I heard Lauren spent the day with
you and the kids. Mason has even been making noise about her going
to his hockey game this weekend. What the hell is that all
about?”

“Actually,
that’s what I wanted to talk to you about.” He eased his seat back
and shifted to face her. “Lauren is-”

“Way out of
your league.”

“So I’ve
heard.” He couldn’t even argue the fact. His ex-wife was probably
right, but that didn’t stop him from wanting her. He hadn’t
understood how much he wanted Lauren until he realized J.T.’s stunt
likely cost him his only chance with her.

Amanda tapped
the face of her watch. “I haven’t got much time. Whatever it is,
spit it out.”

“I care about
Lauren. A lot.” He knew that was the last thing his ex-wife wanted
to hear, but honesty was the only hope he had of making her see
reason.

“You haven’t
known her very long.”

“Sometimes it
doesn’t take all that long to know someone is special.” He smiled
at her, and he realized it was the first genuine smile they’d
shared in years. “I took one look at you and knew I would marry you
one day.” It was true. Amanda had saved him from the hell that was
his life back then and gave him reason to get out of bed in the
morning.

“You’re just
saying that.” She dipped her head to hide her smile.

“No, I loved
you.” He loved the innocent girl she’d been when they met, and he
loved the woman who had given him the two best things that had ever
happened to him: his children.

“I loved you
too, Tucker.” She looked him in the eye. “Where the hell did we go
wrong?”

“We were two
kids from really messed up families. We thought we could save each
other.”

“Yeah, but
instead we managed to mess each other up even more.”

Tucker reached
for her hand. It was the first time he’d touched her in years. “No
matter what happened, we’re still raising two really great kids
together.”

“That’s true.”
She smiled as she looked at their joined hands. “So this thing with
Lauren, is it serious?”

“I think I’d
like it to be.” He’d decided that sometime between the time Lauren
left last night and the moment J.T. lowered the boom on him.

“Wow, I never
thought I’d see the day a woman would reel you back in,
Tucker.”

“I never
thought I’d meet someone like Lauren.”

Amanda nodded.
“She’s a great girl, no doubt about it.”

“The trouble
is, she thinks I’m some kind of monster.”

“Why would she
think that?”

Tucker squeezed
her hand before releasing it and turning back to the steering
wheel. He wrapped his hands around the cool leather, needing
something to anchor him. His life was spinning out of control, and
he didn’t know how to stop it. “She saw the pictures of you after
the attack.”

Amanda gasped,
her hand flying to her chest. “Oh my God! How did she see
those?”

“It turns out
her uncle is the chief of police. He showed them to her.”

“Oh no.” She
placed a hand on his forearm. “I’m sorry, Tucker. I still feel
guilty about what I did to you.”

“It’s
forgotten.” He couldn’t co-parent with her and hold her responsible
for ruining his life. True, she had brought the animal who’d almost
stolen his daughter’s innocence into their lives, but Tucker made
the decision to assault him. He couldn’t pin that one on
Amanda.

“How did Lauren
react when she saw the pictures?”

“I don’t know.
She won’t take my calls. I imagine she was floored.”

Amanda covered
her face with her hands. “God, I hate thinking about that.”

“I’m sorry,”
Tucker said, cupping her shoulder. “I didn’t come here to stir up a
lot of bad memories, but I was hoping you could set the record
straight with Lauren. You’re probably the only person she’d
believe.”

Amanda shot
Tucker a side-long glance. “Is this woman going to be my kids’
stepmother? Is that how serious this is?”

“I can’t answer
that.” When Lauren had asked him about marriage less than
twenty-four hours ago, the answer had been a resounding no.
Everything changed when they made love. He was facing the prospect
of losing her, and a commitment might be the only way he could keep
her.

“But you’re
thinking about it?”

“I’m thinking
I’d like a chance with her. I wanna see where this might go.”

“Does she know
everything?”

Tucker’s gut
twisted when he thought about all of the things Lauren still didn’t
know. Thinking about how she would react to that news terrified
him. “No, she doesn’t. She knows how I landed in jail though.”

Amanda
shuddered. “You told her about Rex? God, I can only imagine what
she must think of me, bringing a man like that into our children’s
lives.”

“You didn’t
know what he was capable of.”

“No, but if I
had…”

“I know you
would never do anything to hurt those kids, Amanda. You don’t even
have to say it.”

She glanced at
the front door of the salon. “There’s my next client. I should
go.”

“Will you talk
to Lauren?”

“I guess it’s
the least I can do.”

Ignoring Tucker’s
repeated attempts to contact her exhausted Lauren. Almost a week
had passed since she saw the pictures, and he’d texted, called, and
stopped by the site and her condo repeatedly.

She checked in
with Will, the foreman on the site, every day, but she tried to
visit when she was sure Tucker wouldn’t be there. She didn’t feel
she had the strength to face him yet.

Rob looked up
from staining the wood banister when she walked in. “Hey,
gorgeous.”

He still made
her uneasy. The way he leered at her when he thought she wasn’t
looking… “Is Will here?”

“No, he had to
leave early. There was a problem on another job.”

“Oh.” She knew
Tucker had to rearrange his schedule to accommodate her job, which
meant pulling men from other sites. She could hardly complain that
they’d all left a little early on a Friday afternoon, especially
since they were planning to work through the weekend. “No one else
is here?”

“Just me.” His
eyes traveled slowly over her body. “And you.”

Her first
instinct was to make an excuse and leave, but she wouldn’t be
intimidated by one of the laborers. “I’m anxious to see what you
guys did today,” she said, forcing a smile. “Will said the bathroom
fixtures were due to arrive. Did they?”

“See for
yourself,” he said, gesturing toward the main floor bathroom.

The hallway
behind the staircase was narrow, which meant she would have to slip
past him. “Maybe I’ll check it out later. Did we make any progress
upstairs today?”

He smirked. “Do
I make you nervous, pretty lady?”

“No.” She
squared her shoulders and stepped further into the foyer. She
wouldn’t let him see her sweat. “I work with guys like you all the
time. Nothing I haven’t seen or heard before.”

He sneered.
“I’m willing to bet I could show you a thing or two you haven’t
seen before.”

Lauren couldn’t
believe he was stupid enough to proposition her after Tucker’s
warning.

“So you and the
boss man still goin’ at it?”

“There’s
nothing between me and Tucker.” Except for the dull ache in her
chest when she thought about him.

“Good to know.”
He set the sander down and propped a booted foot on the step. “So,
you and me should hook up.”

Just the
thought made bile rise in her throat. “I don’t think so.” She
walked past him, intent on carrying on with her inspection of the
house, and he reached out to grab her wrist.

“Why not?” His
dark eyes hardened, making him look sinister. “I’m not good enough
for you?”

“Take your hand
off me,” she said, slowly looking at the calloused hand coiled
around her wrist.

“You like bein’
in control, don’t you?” he said, moving in to brush his body
against hers. “That ain’t gonna fly with me, baby. We do things my
way.”

The scent of
coffee and perspiration filled her nostrils, making her want to
gag. “Get out. I want you off this job now.”

“I don’t care
what you want.” He stepped forward, forcing her to back up against
the wall or risk having her toes crushed under his steel-toed
boots. “I told you… we’re doin’ this my way.”

For the first
time in her life, Lauren felt physically threatened. She was used
to warding off advances, but she’d always felt she could hold her
own. This felt different. Something in his eyes told her not to set
him off.

His free hand
skimmed her cheek before running a fingertip down her neck. “So
goddamn sexy,” he muttered, wrapping his hand around her throat
with enough force to make her squirm. “It didn’t have to be this
way. If you’d agreed to go out with me, we could have made friends
first.”

Lauren panicked
when she couldn’t swallow. He held her tight, restricting her
airflow.

A quick tear
and the buttons of her blouse bounced off the raw wood floor… and
she couldn’t even scream. She could barely breathe.

He brushed his
lips across hers, licking her mouth.

Lauren squeezed
her eyes shut, praying she wouldn’t pass out.

“Have you ever
played this little game before?” he asked, running a hand over her
bare abdomen before moving up to cup her lace-clad breast. He
pulled the barrier down, pinching her nipple hard. She felt a tear
slide down her cheek. “It’s hot. Trust me. Erotic
asphyxiation.”

Knowing she was
running out of time, Lauren raised her knee hard. The impact sent
him reeling, but not long enough for her to get away.

“Bitch!” He
caught the side of her face with the back of his hand. “You wanna
do this the hard way?”

Lauren tasted
blood from her split lip, but she knew she couldn’t cower. She had
to fight or die trying. He grabbed her leg and she tried to kick
him, but he upended her. She landed flat on her back, cracking her
head on the floor. He came down on top of her, and she knew she was
helpless. Her only thought was that she hoped to make it out
alive.

“You son of a
bitch!” The door crashing against the drywall was the only sound
they heard before Tucker grabbed Rob by the hair and pulled him off
Lauren.

She gasped as
she backed into the wall.

Watching Tucker
pummel Rob was terrifying. He looked possessed. Every punch echoed
with a sickening thud, each seeming louder than the last. Fists
flew, blood splattered, and the crunch of breaking bones and grunts
filled the air.

“Tucker… stop!”
Lauren rasped. She was afraid to get between them. The blank look
in Tucker’s eyes told her he may not be able to stop, no matter
what barrier was between him and the man he was thrashing. “Tucker,
your kids! You can’t go back to jail. Your kids need you!”

That snapped
him out of his violent stupor. Tucker threw Rob through the front
door. “If I ever see you within a hundred feet of her again, I’ll
kill you with my bare hands!”

“I think he
needs an ambulance,” Lauren whispered, looking at the bloody,
battered mess lying in the fetal position on the front porch.