Man Shy (12 page)

“
You need a dress for the rehearsal dinner.
”

“
But it
’
s so expensive!
”

Brody stroked the soft fabric with his fingertips.
“
It matches your eyes,
”
he said. She glanced up quickly. The expression on his face set her blood pounding thickly through her veins. She watched his big brown hand stroke the fabric again and felt as if he were stroking her. His hand was broad, with heavy knuckles and a light dusting of black hair, yet his fingers moved across the silky material with a gentle touch. A lover
’
s touch. Her nipples tightened, and she shivered despite the fact that she was experiencing her own little tropical heat wave.

“
Call it an early birthday present,
”
Kyle suggested.

“
What?
”
Mallory was having trouble staying focused on the conversation.
“
Oh, the dress. Right. It
’
s beautiful, but you shouldn
’
t have.
”

Kyle looked from her to Brody, then back again. His lips twitched.
“
Think of me as your fairy godfather,
”
he said. His eyes twinkled.

Brody walked Mallory to her door. She clutched the big dress box to her chest as if it were a shield and he were a dragon.

“
Mallory?
”

“
Hmm?
”
Her glasses had slipped down to the end of her nose and he nudged them back up where they belonged. Her eyes grew large and her lips parted on a nearly inaudible sigh.

Brody slipped the box from her unresisting hands, set it down on the deck, and leaned in closer to kiss her good night. Just a peck was all he intended to give her, but the taste of her mouth under his, the smell of her perfume, the feel of her body soft and warm and close to his all combined to change his mind. What started as a sweet little peck became something altogether more dangerous.

Mallory was fun, sweet, and intelligent. He enjoyed her company and valued their growing friendship, but in that instant Brody realized he didn
’
t just like her, he wanted her too.

The question was, did she want him? Sometimes he thought the answer was yes. Yesterday, for example, he
’
d caught a fleeting expression on her face when she stood by his bed. And tonight at Kyle
’
s, he
’
d surprised that look again. It was an expression he
’
d be hard put to describe. Not lust. Nothing so crude. More like awareness. Or an awakening sensuality.

But other times, too many other times, she looked at him as if she were afraid of him.

Not now, though. Now she was softness and warmth and the sweet seduction of this endless kiss.

He backed her into the door, one hand cradling the nape of her neck. Slanting his mouth across hers, he deepened the kiss while he slid his other hand up under her coat to cup her breast.

She stiffened and jerked away with a strangled cry. The next thing he knew he was flat on his back, sucking air and wondering what the hell just happened.

“
Sorry,
”
Mallory said, embarrassment clogging her throat.
“
Are you okay?
”
Dammit, she
’
d overreacted again. Just like she always did.

Propping himself on his elbows, Brody shot her an owlish look.
“
What was that? Karate? Kung fu?
”

“
Basic self-defense, a little move I learned from Hootie, my aerobics instructor.
”
She smiled apologetically.
“
Sorry,
”
she repeated.

“
No, it was my fault.
”
He stood up and brushed himself off.
“
Apparently I pressed the wrong buttons.
”

“
Something like that.
”
Mortified, she couldn
’
t bring herself to look at him.

He touched her lightly on the shoulder.
“
Want to talk about it?
”

“
What? My career as the body-slamming self-defense queen of Brunswick?
”
Her attempt at laughter sounded pretty sick.

“
No.
”
He tilted her chin up so their gazes met.
“
The reason you learned to defend yourself in the first place.
”
His eyes were soft and understanding. Mallory felt her own fill with tears.

She jerked away so he wouldn
’
t see, and he took a step back.
Probably thinks I
’
m going to dump him again
.
“
I don
’
t want to talk about it.
”

“
Maybe you should, though. What happened, Mallory?
”

“
Happened?
”
Startled, she flicked her gaze back up to his.
“
What makes you think anything happened?
”

His gaze held hers.
“
Am I wrong?
”

“
Let
’
s just say I have a problem and leave it at that.
”

He brushed a tear from her cheek.
“
And what if I don
’
t want to leave it at that?
”

The quick anger, never far from the surface, spurted up. He thought he understood her. But he was wrong.

Dammit, she didn
’
t want his insight or his pity, either. She flailed out to shove him away, but he caught her hand and tucked it between his.

“
Let go!
”

“
Not until you talk to me.
”

“
Don
’
t you get it, Hunter? This topic is not open for discussion. I can
’
t talk about it. I
won
’
t
talk about it.
”

“
Fine. Just listen then. Remember I told you that you reminded me of someone?
”

She nodded.

A muscle twitched near the corner of his mouth.
“
Well, that someone was my sister, Jenna.
”

“
Was?
”
Her heart skipped a beat and her anger seeped away.

“
She drove her car off a cliff two weeks before she was supposed to graduate from high school.
”

“
I
’
m sorry.
”

“
Jenna didn
’
t talk to anyone, either, but six months after she died I found a password-protected file on her computer that held all her secrets.
”
He stared across the street toward the Yano house.

“
What secrets?
”
she asked.

“
Jenna
’
d been dating a man named Ryan Lucas on the sly. Lucas had a rotten
—
and well-deserved
—
reputation. Jenna knew I hated the sonuvabitch, but convinced herself it was because I didn
’
t
‘
understand
’
him. After all, with his dad in prison and his mother dead, he was bound to have a few rough edges. Rough edges
c”
Brody
’
s voice was hoarse with suppressed emotion.

“
On their second date he drove out to the boonies and put the moves on her,
”
he continued.
“
She said stop. He didn
’
t.
”

“
Date rape,
”
Mallory whispered.

“
Yeah, only Lucas convinced Jenna it was her fault, said she
’
d pushed him past the point of no return. Hell, she didn
’
t have any experience, didn
’
t know any better than to believe him.

“
She didn
’
t tell a soul, not then and not two months later when she found out she was pregnant. When Lucas learned he was about to become a daddy, he skipped town
c
and Jenna took a shortcut to eternity.
”

Pain knotted in her chest.
“
I don
’
t know what to say.
”

Brody squeezed her hand tightly.
“
I couldn
’
t help Jenna, but maybe I can help you.
”

“
Brody
c”
She shook her head.
“
I know you mean well, but I can
’
t talk about this.
”
Her voice shook.
“
Please understand.
”

He released her hand, stooped to retrieve the dress box, and handed it to her.
“
If you change your mind, I
’
ll be around.
”
One corner of his mouth quirked up in a crooked little half smile that put a knot in her chest and a lump in her throat.

Brody didn
’
t talk to Mallory for the next three days, but she was never far from his thoughts. On Tuesday he stopped off at the diner for lunch. His heart did a drumroll when he caught sight of her familiar blonde head in the back booth. He made an unnecessary trip to the men
’
s room just so he
’
d have an excuse to stop and say hi on the way past. He even had the first syllable of her name out before he realized the blonde was a stranger, ten years older than Mallory and fifteen pounds heavier.

By Thursday he was taking his stress out on his co-workers. Regan Armstrong and Cesar Rios gave as good as they got, but Annie Graves, one of the day-shift dispatchers, was another story. He hated like hell to see her cower away every time he got within ten feet of her. Made him feel like a bully.

This is stupid, he told himself. You
’
re acting like a lovesick pup. Call her. You owe it to yourself. Hell, he owed it to everyone at city hall.

But call her and say what?
I really want to take our relationship a step farther, so let
’
s get this problem of yours out in the open?
Not hardly. He didn
’
t want to scare her.

So how about,
I think I
’
m beginning to care for you and it tears me up to see you so unhappy?
Better, though the caring part still might trip her alarm.

No, what he needed was a legitimate reason to get in touch. Or even a phony, trumped-up reason. Like
c
police business.

Sitting at his desk, surrounded by paperwork, Brody smiled for the first time since Monday night.

“
You look like something the cat dragged in.
”
April Scott bulldozed her way past Mallory into the living room.

“
Hello, Mother. Nice to see you too. I
’
m fine. A little hungover, but basically all right. Thanks for asking.
”

“
Sarcasm doesn
’
t become you.
”
April made herself at home on one end of the love seat.

Settling in for the interrogation, Mallory thought grimly. Probably has a set of thumbscrews and a portable rack in her purse.
“
To what do I owe the pleasure?
”

“
If the mountain won
’
t come to Muhammad
c”
April shrugged.
“
How are you? We haven
’
t seen much of you lately.
”

Mallory forced a smile.
“
I
’
ve been busy.
”
Depilling her sweaters. Alphabetizing her spice rack.
“
I keep meaning to drop by, but time gets away from me.
”
Last night she
’
d been invited to her parents
’
house for dinner again. Instead, she
’
d ended up at Kyle
’
s, drinking wine coolers like they were soda pop and bawling her way through
Thelma and Louise
.

“
I called here four times last night. No answer.
”
April
’
s eyebrows drew together in a frown.
“
What were you doing all evening?
”

“
Not what you
’
re thinking.
”

“
What I
’
m thinking is my daughter may be in trouble.
”

“
I
’
m fine, Mother.
”

“
Fine? Excuse me? By your own admission you
’
re hungover, and, Mallory, normally you don
’
t even drink. I think your new boyfriend is a bad influence. Lindsey doesn
’
t trust him and neither does Evan.
”

“
Lindsey and Evan don
’
t know what they
’
re talking about.
”

April lifted an eyebrow.
“
I understand you spent the night at his house on Saturday.
”

“
Good grief! How many times do I have to go over this? It was perfectly innocent. Brody
’
d had a bump on the head. I just hung around to make sure he didn
’
t slip into a coma. Fortunately, his injury wasn
’
t as serious as we thought.
”

April shook her head.
“
Sounds to me like he
’
s taking advantage of you. How long have you known him?
”

“
Awhile.
”

“
Oh, very precise,
”
her mother snapped.
“
Is that awhile seven months or awhile seven hours?
”

Closer to seven days, but she wasn
’
t about to let that slip. Mallory shrugged.
“
Just awhile. I don
’
t know for sure. I gave up keeping a diary when I was eleven.
”

Her mother had gestapo eyes, ice blue.
Ve haf vays of making you talk
. Mallory shifted her gaze to April
’
s handbag. All right. Reality check here. It was a big sucker, first cousin to a suitcase, but probably not big enough to conceal an iron maiden, though maybe a rubber hose
c
.

“
So how did you meet him? Where is he from? Why have you been so secretive about him?
”
Her mother rattled off questions in her best machine-gun style.

Mallory sat up straight, ticking off the answers on her fingers.
“
Kyle Brewster introduced us. Brody
’
s from Pendleton, but he lives here now. And I didn
’
t talk about him because I didn
’
t think it was any of your business. I
am
a grown woman, Mother.
”

April muttered something under her breath.

Mallory hated when she did that.
“
If you have something to say, spit it out.
”

Her mother
’
s expression was sour.
“
I said, you don
’
t act like it.
”

Silently, Mallory counted to ten. Why couldn
’
t she and her mother have a normal conversation? Their communication seemed to be limited to social chitchat or arguments. Nothing in between.
“
Perhaps if you treated me like an adult
c”

“
Well, maybe I would if you didn
’
t pout like a spoiled brat. You
’
ve had your nose out of joint for the past four months.
”

“
Well, pardon me for being human, Mother. When the guy you
’
ve dated for the last eleven years suddenly pops the question to your younger sister, it tends to color your outlook.
”

“
So I noticed. Green with envy.
”
Suddenly April
’
s face softened. She reached for Mallory
’
s hands.
“
Admit it, Mallory. You were never in love with Evan. He was just a habit.
”