Shayla's Story (The Mathews/Clemmins Family Series) (7 page)

“I’ve always wanted
to travel here. I just never made the time. Tommy’s only had this place a few
years.” She didn’t want to admit or explain that Mat wouldn’t come with her. He
was afraid he’d be bored.

“How long have you
worked for Tom?”

“I started working
for him right out of high school, part-time until I finished college.”

“Did you grow up in
California?” he asked, his tone permeated with intrigue as if it would be the
first of dozens of questions he needed to ask.

“No, I grew up in
Kentucky.” She smiled, but a bit of sadness forged its way into her voice.
“Tommy took me in when I showed up on his doorstep.”

“You just showed
up?” John’s eyes flickered warily. “His brother is your father, right?”

A chill skittered up
her spine from the tenderness in his tone, tugging at her insides. She never
spoke of her father. Emotions she put to rest years ago flooded over her
unexpectedly. She sniffed back the burning sting pricking her nose, threatening
to turn to tears. Shayla bowed her head with a slight nod. “My father isn’t
anything like Tommy. The two of them haven’t gotten along in years. He’s not a
nice man.”

She sensed concern
rising in his silence.

“Define not nice.”
The uneasiness collecting in the vibrations of his voice closed like a fist
around her heart, pulling her to him.

“He’s an alcoholic,”
she admitted, raising her gaze to meet his. She couldn’t explain the comfort
and security she felt merely standing next to him. There was just something
about John that made her trust him. She continued without a second thought.
“And abusive.”

His face stiffened.
A sea of anger brewed in his eyes. They held a thousand questions in just one
look. “Was he abusive to you?”

“My mother took the
brunt of it.” Shayla found herself unable to stop the train wreck of a story
spilling from her lips. “I guess I’ve never really forgiven her for staying
with him. Or for not sticking up for me.”

“Parents are
supposed to protect their children.” The muscles in his neck tensed. A
murderous grumble resonated deep in his chest, rising above the crashing surf
in the dark distance. “Your family should be the people you can trust the most.
Not the ones who give you nightmares.”

John protected his
family. He defended his mother against one of the most famous men in the world
without giving her uncle’s notoriety a second thought.

“Not everyone is as
protective as you.” She managed a smile while brushing the dampness from her
face.

“Your uncle is. He
talks about you like you’re his own daughter.” A curious frown puckered between
his brows. “Did you run away?”

Shayla shook her
head. “When I was sixteen, Tommy came back to Kentucky for my grandma’s
funeral. We talked a lot and I confided in him. I remember thinking, how can he
be so nice and my father be so awful? He told me if I ever needed
anything
I could come to him. I don’t
know what went down between them the day of my grandma’s funeral. Tommy would
never say, but I suspect he threatened my father.” She added quietly, “I think
it almost killed him to leave me there.”

Hostility hung on
him, as he tenderly brushed the slick of wetness from her jaw with the back of
his finger. “What happened?”

“After I graduated,
things had gotten really bad one night. He started drinking early in the
morning, and by late afternoon, the screaming and yelling had hit full tilt. I
locked myself in my room when he started waving a gun around.” Her mind sifted
through the ugly memory. “I could hear him beating up my mom, and before I
realized what I was doing, I cracked him over the head with a frying pan.”

“You hit him with a
frying pan?” he asked with wide eyes.

“It kind of plays
through my memory like a cartoon.” She cringed, turning her finger in a circle
near her temple. “I shoved all I could fit into a backpack, taped a goodbye
note to his bottle of vodka, and stepped right over the top of him as I was
leaving. I would have asked my mother to come with me, but I knew she would
never leave him.”

“You walked out the
door and never went back?”

“It wouldn’t
surprise me if Tommy has been paying my father off to stay away from me. I’m
thankful if he does.” Shayla released a shaky sigh of relief. She’d never
confided in Mat this way. She found it too shameful to share her story with
him, and he never bothered to dig deeper into her life. She almost got the
feeling Mat knew exactly how she had been raised, but never wanted to pry or
expose the sad truth of it. Or maybe he knew it would hurt his mother’s
campaign.

“That takes a lot of
courage.” John stared at her with a prideful glow.

A rewarding smile
replaced her tears. “I caught a train and showed up at the gate outside my
uncle’s house, but he wasn’t home. I waited for hours in the pouring rain. I
was soaked to the bone and freezing cold. I finally decided to climb the gate.”
She spread her arms high and wide. “Have you seen his place in Malibu? It’s
like Fort Knox.”

His mood lightened
when she smiled. John shook his head, enthralled in her story. “No, not yet.
What happened? Did security show up? Throw you jail?”

“Worse! I was half
way over the wall and the old lady next door pointed a shotgun at my butt!”

They both laughed.
Her stiff shoulders loosened as she calmed down.

He cocked his
pretend shotgun, taking aim at her ass. “Nice neighbor.”

“Oh, my God, wait
till you see her! She’s about five feet tall with white hair pulled back in a
bun and ornery as the day is long.”

“Note to self: never
jump Tom’s wall.” John pointed his finger, mocking her accent. “I think I just
heard a bit of Kentucky in there somewhere.”

“There you two are!”
JC waved frantically from half way down the corridor. “Come on, it’s time to
go! The Jacuzzi is calling!”

John waved from the
shadows. “We’re coming!” Glancing down at Shayla with a hopeful grin, he asked,
“Jacuzzi?”

“I’m in.” They
passed by the tables and she stopped, giving the seam of his shirt a quick
yank. “Thanks for listening. I never talk about my father. Most people don’t
know anything about my past.”

“Oh, we’re just
getting started.” Sexual tension streamed along in a constant undercurrent.

Perspiration
gathered at her nape as her gaze locked on the pulse throbbing at the base of
his neck, slamming her with a brand of desire she’d never encountered. “We
are?”

 
“Oh yeah. I want to hear the end of the
story. Obviously your ass is still fully intact.” He leaned back taking in the
view of her derriere. “I want to hear more about the gun-toting granny who
lives next door.”

“Okay.” Shayla
didn’t understand why this man put such a spell on her, but she was certain
she’d tell him anything.

“The thermometer
reads one hundred and two degrees,” Tracy affirmed as Shayla poked her toe into
the hot water.

Shayla sighed,
easing the rest of her body into the rolling bubbles. “This feels incredible.”

“It’s heavenly.”
Tracy’s head tilted back over the edge of the Jacuzzi. “Do you think Tom would
let us stay here for vacation?”

 
“I’m sure he would.”

She opened one eye.
“As long as you don’t bring friends over. Tommy’s very protective of his
privacy. We’ll have to go over a few things, a lot of things, before you get
back home. We should all enjoy the moment, because it’s gonna be insane when
this hits the media.”

Tracy sat tall,
concern etched across her face. “How insane?”

“Envision a pack of
wolves hunting a very cleaver rabbit.”
 
She warned. “Full on crazy!”

“I’m up for crazy!”
JC interjected, sashaying toward the Jacuzzi with a bottle of wine and four
clear plastic cups.

“Does Mom know
you’re drinking wine?” Tracy’s question rang with authority.

“I’m of age in
Europe,” JC snickered. She passed a glass of wine to each of them, descending
into the steam next to her sister. “Besides, Mom and Tom already went to bed.”

 
Shayla scooted lower in her seat,
allowing the jets to work magic on her sore neck.

“So!” JC wiggled her
brows, lifting her cup to cheers them. “How crazy is crazy? Are they going to
be on the cover of every magazine? Entertainment TV? Our local news?”

“Yes.” The pounding
jet hit a tight muscle, causing Shayla to wince. “Not to mention complaints
made by the millions of women who will be crying into their morning cup of
coffee.”

 
Tracy’s expression bounced between uneasy
worry and sheer panic.

“It’s okay, the
other millions will be saying,
Finally!
It’s about time!
”

JC giggled
dismissively.

“Life will be
completely different from now on, absolutely wonderful in some ways and a
complete pain in the ass in others. The paparazzi are like predators. It’s easy
to get caught up in the bright shiny lights and friendly faces, but make no
mistake”—Shayla looked her in the eye, needing her to understand the
gravity of the situation—“these people are not nice. Every single eye
roll and swear word is bound to get caught on tape and God forbid you give the
finger to the paparazzi.”

“I don’t know if my
mom is ready for this.” Concern deepened in Tracy’s blue eyes.

“I’m not trying to
scare you. Tommy will keep her safe,” Shayla assured. “I just want you to
understand the magnitude of the situation. He has a lot of pull and everyone
owes him favors, including the paparazzi. I’m sure he’ll call in every one of
them owed to him. Plus he has bodyguards most of the time.”

Both the girls’ eyes
widened.

“
We
might need a bodyguard?” Tracy’s
finger wafted between her and her sister.

“You won’t even know
they are there. He wants to keep this as painless as possible, but safety will
be his number one concern. In this business you have to take what’s thrown at
you, deal with it as it comes and keep your wits about you.”

Tracy clutched to
her cup. “What the hell does that mean?”

“That means we won’t
know the extent of the storm until we’re in the middle of the hurricane.”
Shayla crossed her arms over her chest, allowing the pulsing hot water to beat
against the knot hidden behind her blade. “You didn’t like my uncle dating your
mom at first. Why?”

Stunned by Shayla’s
candor, the girls faced one another.

JC shrugged,
pointing at her sister. “Hey, I had no problem with him. Tracy and John are the
ones who didn’t like him.”

“Are you talking
about me?” John’s rich voice sent jitters down her back. His rugged frame
silhouetted by the moon hanging in the dark sky, he poured a glass of wine for
himself offering to top off the girls.

“Yeah.” Without
hesitation, JC chimed in, “Explain why didn’t you like Tom when you first met
him?”

His face sobered in
the shadows, tilting his head from side to side. John stepped into the Jacuzzi
slowly sinking down beside Shayla, one row of rippled muscle at a time. “Let’s
just say his reputation precedes him.”

“Your perception of
Tommy came from the media. Most of what you read isn’t true or is at least
highly embellished,” Shayla clarified. “The paparazzi are toxic and they’re not
concerned about how much truth there is to a story, as long as it sells.
Unfortunately, you’re not going to like everything you read or hear, but you
have to learn to ignore it instead of reacting to the lies.”

She heeded the
direct warning to John and JC.

John and Tracy
glanced at each other, worry gathering on their faces.

“He wants to keep
everything wrapped up in a perfect package with nice tight bow, but in reality,
their wedding will be one of the biggest stories of the year. But…he is very
good at damage control. Genius by Hollywood’s standards. ”

A weighted hush fell
over them, soaking in the life change they hadn’t fully considered.

“Wow.” Even JC
seemed robbed of words…for a minute. “Speaking of weddings, why do you wear an
engagement ring on the wrong hand?”

“JC,” Tracy snapped,
nipping a warning to her little sister.

“What?” JC shrugged
innocently. “Oh, come on. We’re gonna be family tomorrow. It’s not like I’m the
only one that’s curious.” She teased sarcastically. “Inquiring minds want to
know.”

John lifted her hand
to inspect the rock on her finger.

Shayla’s stare
targeted John.

“Hey, don’t pin this
on me.” John lifted one shoulder with a nod of admittance. “I am curious
though.”

His reaction
captured his sisters’ attention. JC shot Tracy an
I told you so
nod.

A powerful rush of
emotions made her throat ache with discomfiture. She stumbled through her
explanation. “I’m not engaged. He…Mat proposed over Thanksgiving.”

John remained quiet
and relinquished her hand into the effervescent bubbles.

Shayla got the
distinct feeling he was patiently waiting, waiting for JC to fill in the gaps.

Right on queue JC
snickered, “And? Why the ring if you’re not engaged?”

“I didn’t have an
answer.”

“So, you’re wearing
the ring on the right hand while you consider the proposal?” Her forwardness
bordered on brash, yet she spun it with a sincere innocence.

Shayla’s stomach twisted
from the tension gathering between her and John. He’d been eyeing her ring from
the moment they met. She could tell he wanted to ask about it back at the wall,
and oddly enough, she had the unfaltering urge to explain, but was interrupted
by his sister.
 
“Basically.”

“How long have you
been dating?”

“Almost two years.”

“Two years?” JC
slapped the water and jumped to her feet in the center of the Jacuzzi, throwing
her hands to the heavens. “This is why I only date.”

Shayla startled at
her exuberance.

“Boyfriends are too
hard to get rid of and the business of breaking up is awful. Having a boyfriend
is like having an uncommitted commitment.”

“Here we go, another
round of JC’s dating philosophy.” John drowned his mockery in his glass of
wine.

“Come again? What do
you mean?” Shayla hung on JC’s every word, her spry youthful spirit filled with
ripened wisdom.

“If you’re committed
to a boyfriend then you’re not dating, right?”

“Right,” Shayla
agreed.

“If you’ve been
dating for over a year and you’re still not sure if he’s the one, then you,
chica, are burning daylight!”

“It’s really not
that simple.”

John added, “Yeah,
lil sister, it’s not that easy when politics are involved.”

Even though his tone
was pleasant, the words sliced through the water, jabbing at Shayla’s heart. He
stared straight at her, watching carefully to see if his words stung.

They did.

JC continued.
“Actually, it is that simple. Boyfriends who aren’t right for you are like
having a huge piece of luggage strapped to your back. Life is too damn short.
Cut the relationship ripcord and date.”

“Don’t listen to
her.” Tracy shot her sister a warning. “She’s anti-marriage.”

“I am not
anti-marriage. I simply think dating makes more sense. Breaking up is
exhausting and sucks the life out of you. Typically it’s the same routine. You
try to break up, he convinces you to give it another shot. You’re simply
prolonging the inevitable.”

Stunned by her
absoluteness, Shayla blinked. The reality of her statement seeped into her
pores with the steam floating at the surface. She glanced at Tracy for input.

Tracy interjected,
“I think people come into our lives for a reason, a season or a lifetime. Maybe
he’s more of a reason than a lifetime, you know, but it’s possible you’re
supposed to grow from the relationship. But JC’s right about the ripcord, life
is too short.”

“If you’re not sold
on him yet, how much longer are you willing to wait? Time is rushing by! Mr.
Right could be next to you at any given moment.”

Shayla’s gaze
drifted to the man at her right. Their eyes met with such force, it licked
through her body like a hot flame.

“How come he’s not
here for the wedding?”

Her prolonged
silence filled the cool evening air with curiosity. “I didn’t tell him. Mat
thinks I’m working.”

JC’s brow raised to a
point. Her mouth opened, forming a big O fish mouth. “You can’t trust him
enough to bring him to the wedding?”

Tracy shot a soft
elbow to her sister’s ribs, giving her a quick shake of the head.

JC twisted her
finger in a locking motion in front of her lips. “Chicka-lock. I won’t say
another word.”

Colored with shame,
Shayla felt even more foolish watching a light of understanding flash across
John’s eyes as blatant as the moon’s shimmering stripe etching across the
surface of the sea. “I couldn’t risk telling anyone about the wedding. It’s not
like he would tell anyone on purpose, but if he accidentally let it slip
out—”

“You don’t need to
explain,” John said.

The conversation
swirled on around her as Shayla sank deeper in her thoughts. She couldn’t ignore
the choice she needed to make when she returned to California. Her answer to
Mat leaned further and further to denial, yet she wasn’t certain. She was
certain, however, of the sensual awareness she felt for the man sitting beside
her. The tenderness in his voice and smile made her dizzy. Shayla wanted to
know everything about him, and Lord knows she wanted to reach out and touch
every inch of him. Guilt mixed with longing. Her heart thrashed wildly inside
her chest the closer she crept to John.

By the time the
girls said goodnight and retreated inside, she and John sat so close their
thighs brushed. The sensual scent of him drifted across the water and ignited
her senses. Her body ached painfully, the desire building like a storm, nearly
unbearable.

Neither spoke,
seeming unsure of what to say. The sultry air eddied around them like dense
fog.

“Don’t let my little
sister’s dating philosophy or twenty questions upset you.” He splashed his face
with hot water and scrubbed his fingers through his dark hair. Irritability
cloaked him like the sudsy bubbles. “I’m sure you have your reasons for
waiting.”

“How did you—”

“I asked Tom.”

“Oh.” She nodded.
The fact he inquired about her sent a rush of delight through her. “JC’s right,
you know. She just has the courage to say it like it is.”

He lifted a dark
brow, looking amused and encouraged. “Believe me, it’s a blessing and a curse.”

“I just expected it
to be so different,” she confided, unable to stop the words from spilling out
of her mouth. It was dangerous to be so close to him, to open up and share her
feelings about Mat and his proposal. She felt safe with John. She could tell
him anything, and he wouldn’t judge her. “I thought if a person had the right
qualities and a kind character, everything would fall into place.”

He pumped his fist,
squirting water into the air, ciphering her words. “I guess I believe more in
Fate than a check list. My parents always taught us that everything in life
happens for a reason.”

Sorrow lingered
speaking of his parents. “One of my father’s favorite quotes was
Life isn’t measured by the number of breaths
we take, but by the moments that take our breath away
. He just refused to
waste a day.”

“Destiny.” She
nodded absently, closing her eyes and sinking lower onto the jet.

John reached around
her shoulder, pulling her through the water so the back of her thighs rested
against his knees. She stiffened in surprise, attempting to plant her feet on
the bottom of the Jacuzzi, but buoyancy made her float onto the edge of his
lap. His strong fingers manipulated the sore muscles on her neck and shoulder.