To Win Her Trust (28 page)

Unfortunately, pride was quickly overrun by alarm. The reality of her progress in reclaiming the natural pluck that had survived nightmares slashed at his gut like his mother’s favorite serrated knife slicing through bread. Did his sunshine realize she’d conquered the ability to ward off the attacks on her own? That she no longer needed him?

“Do you love her, Son?” His father’s quiet voice shattered his dark musings and he blinked.

Did he? He’d never before told a woman he loved her, but from the day they’d met, the idea of love at first sight had haunted him. The words had been on the tip of his tongue as he and CC made love by the banks of the stream, but had the unexpected and gut-deep need to admit such feelings been a natural byproduct of the sexual haze that fogged his mind or the honest cry of his heart?

The fact that he’d had to bite back the words pointed toward love, but how could a man who’d always been content playing the field take one look at a woman and never again care to explore what or who was beyond the next corner? Did he have what it took to pull off that kind of commitment, that kind of love?

He lifted his head and met the steady gaze of the man who raised him, a man who’d known the love of his life when he found her. “How do you know, Dad? How do you know a woman is the right one?”

“Knowing for sure is impossible, because life doesn’t come with guarantees. Isn’t that right, Maryanne?” Loving contentment softened the smile his father turned on his wife of thirty-four years.

Tuck’s mother smiled, and his father winked and turned back.

“But if you look down the road into the future and can’t imagine living your days without her there to share the joys and sorrows, you’d be a fool to let her go.”

A fist of denial slammed into his chest at the thought of walking away from CC, but the decision might not be his. Sure, things had changed between them since they’d made their pact, and she melted into his arms whenever he reached for her, but she’d been adamant their relationship was only temporary. Nothing she’d said since indicated that had changed.

“I may not have a choice.”

His father’s brows crashed together above disbelieving eyes. “I’ve never known you to walk away from something you wanted. If she’s the one, then grab hold of her and don’t let go.”

He sighed. “It’s complicated.”

A dismissive scoff flared the older man’s nostrils. “Then un-complicate it.”

“Easier said than done.” Tuck swallowed the remainder of his beer.

“That’s enough, boys.” His mother tapped the spoon to the edge of the pot. “The girls are on their way back up from the beach.”

Tuck turned to look. Sure enough, Walter sprinted toward the deck stairs with CC and Jessi following.

His mother wiped her hands on the towel tucked at her waist and took the seat next to his. “Before they get here, I’ll just say this.”

He grinned. Of course she’d have one last thing to say. She always did.

She rolled her eyes. “It’s the complications in life that make it fun.”

A crash and a low grunt had all three of their heads spinning toward the door. The screen hung from its hinges at an odd angle. Beyond the mangled door, the Rottweiler staggered and shook his head.

Tuck and his father burst out laughing.

His mother grinned and crossed her arms. “I rest my case.”

Chapter 23

After two blissful nights spent curled against Tuck’s side in his Beacon Street condo overlooking Boston Common, they hit the road for Manhattan early Monday morning. CC sighed, recalling their adventure to the Chasms yesterday, which had turned out to be a group event. The moment he mentioned their plans, his family had invited themselves along, and she’d gotten to experience a Tucker family breakfast cookout in the woods. Whether it was the warm and teasing company, or she’d actually put her terror of the forest behind her, she wasn’t sure, but she didn’t have a moment of unease as they explored the trails and caves of one of Tuck’s favorite childhood playgrounds.

With the weekend behind them, Tuck was scheduled for a four PM photo shoot his agent had set up. That worked for CC. She desperately needed some time to think. Though she’d enjoyed herself more than expected, the time spent with Tuck’s family left her unsettled.

She waved good-bye from her front door and went inside as he drove off. Ignoring the blinking light on her answering machine, she trudged upstairs to her bedroom. Walter pounced onto the bed as she dropped her bag to the floor. She flopped down beside him and ran her fingers over his thick neck.

“Well, what do you think?”

I think I may have busted my snout on that screen door.

She grinned and rolled onto her back. God, what a disaster. She’d been so embarrassed she wanted to sink into the floor until Tuck’s mother explained they were on their sixth screen since moving in. His father suggested they start buying them in bulk. Tuck found the entire situation hilarious, as did the rest of the family.

What would it be like to be a permanent part of that group of looney, loving people and not just a temporary, though welcome, interloper?

She tossed a wrist over her eyes. “Dangerous thinking, CC.”

“What is?”

She dropped her arm to her side and stared at Kris in the doorway. “I didn’t know you were home.”

Her cousin strolled into the room. “Obviously. Move over, mutt.” She shoved Walter aside and stretched out on her side, facing CC. “I assume you’re talking to yourself over the test stud.”

She winced. “Not a good sign, huh?”

Head propped in her palm, Kris shrugged. “Depends.”

“On?”

“On whether or not I need to give you more condoms.”

She laughed. Despite living together, they didn’t see each other every day, thanks to Kris’s busy work and social schedule. And with the chaos after the Yankees game, then leaving for Boston, they hadn’t had a chance to talk. It would have driven her cousin crazy not knowing what happened the other night.

“Actually, I still have the ones you gave me.”

A low groan rumbled in Kris’s chest.

“Tuck had his own stash. Who knew?” She giggled and tried to dodge the punch to her arm but failed.

“You’re such a bitch!” Kris sprang up and sat with her shoulders slouched, her legs crossed beneath her. “Details. Don’t leave me hanging.”

She rolled off the bed to her feet and scooped up her bag. “I don’t kiss and tell.”

“You don’t have to. It’s written all over your face.”

Crap, that wasn’t good. Hoping to head off the line of questioning, she changed the subject. “Did Mom get to the airport okay?”

Sly to her ways, her cousin smirked. “I delivered her there personally. She’s at home, safe and sound in the world of plastic surgeons and out-of-work actors. One of her kooky friends invited her to a crystal cleansing ceremony last night, whatever that means. She was all excited. Now spill it. How’d the weekend go?”

Clutching the bag to her chest, she fought off the sudden urge to cry. “It was wonderful.”

“Then why the long face?”

“I screwed up, Kris.” She spun and stalked to her dresser. Slipping the bag to the top, she began unpacking.

“Screwed up how?”

CC turned in time to see her cousin’s eyes nearly bulge from their sockets.

“Oh, shit. I thought you said Tuck had his own condoms.”

“He did and we used them. Quite a few, in fact.”

Kris’s bangs ruffled with her released breath. “Don’t scare me like that.” Her shoulders sagged with relief. “If you haven’t had unprotected sex, what’s the problem?”

She slid her eyes shut and slumped back against the dresser. “I’m in love with him.”

“Well, duh.”

Her eyes popped open. “What’s that supposed to mean? This is exactly what I was trying to avoid. Some best friend you are. Instead of tossing me a bag of sex supplies, you should have talked me out of going.”

“Like I could have. Face it, kiddo, you were toast long before you talked yourself into that booty call.”

She crossed to the bed and fell forward, flat on her face. With her mouth mashed into the comforter, her voice was muffled. “God, I’m such an idiot. How could I have let this happen?”

“You don’t
let
love happen. It either does or doesn’t. You don’t have a say in it.”

She turned her head to glare. “What are you all of a sudden? The Love Guru?”

A smirk. “I read it in a fortune cookie last week.”

Squeezing her eyes shut, she groaned.

A gentle hand rubbed her back. “What about him? Does he feel the same?”

“I have no idea. I mean, guys don’t normally take a woman to meet their family if they don’t have feelings, right? But this is Tuck we’re talking about. He has a reputation for changing women more often than most men change their underwear.” Kris snickered and CC shook her head. “I just don’t know.”

“Have you tried asking him?”

She rolled up onto her elbows. “Are you insane? I couldn’t.”

“Why not? It can’t be any worse than going over to his place and asking him to pop your cherry.”

“I did not!” A coughing laugh gurgled up and out.

Kris shrugged a slender shoulder. “When a virgin shows up at a guy’s apartment in the middle of the night with a bag of condoms, it amounts to the same thing.”

Okay, that was probably true. She pushed herself up until she was sitting. What did it matter, anyway? He’d be leaving for training camp at the end of the week, and that would be that.

“We made a bargain, Kris. Three weeks and we both walk away. In a week, our deal will come to an end.”

“You keep telling yourself that, kiddo.” A serene smile settled on Kris’s lips as she stood and walked to the door. She paused and looked back. “And when that doesn’t work, renegotiate.”

* * * *

CC gripped the pen and formed his name in big block letters. TUCK. She resisted the juvenile urge to draw a sappy heart beside his name and sat back, staring at the notepad as if it were a snake about to strike. All in all, she should be satisfied. Her birthday promise expired on Sunday, the day before Tuck started training camp, and the list of fears she’d overcome far outweighed those she hadn’t. Unfortunately, the remaining items were biggies. Looking at them gave her heartburn and that last one made her want to throw up.

She slashed her pen across the paper, scratching out one of the three. Though she trusted Tuck, she simply couldn’t do as he suggested. She couldn’t open herself up to Curt again. Whatever was behind his sudden interest, he’d just have to be disappointed. She’d made too much progress, worked too hard at breaking through her self-imposed barriers, to watch her fragile sense of freedom crumble away over a man who’d cared more for his career than he ever did his child.

She glared at the last two items and gnawed on her lip. Maybe it was a massive psychological rationalization, but the need to clear the list and proclaim herself healed, before the deadline of her agreement with Tuck came to an end, burned like a bonfire in her belly. Regardless of her feelings for him, his belief in her and his dogged, sometimes bullying assistance in her quest, were gifts she couldn’t repay. The least she could do was see the job through.

With their time together rapidly coming to an end, and his departure for training camp looming, telling him she loved him was the more urgent of the two, but her heart cringed at the prospect. As terrifying as agreeing to the Arts Council show was, it didn’t come anywhere close to the thought of baring her soul to a man who’d made it clear from the beginning permanence wasn’t in his vocabulary.

Ronald’s request she enter
Yearning
into the Art Council’s show rankled her since
she’d
insisted from the beginning she wasn’t interested, but after everything else she’d accomplished, cowering from the challenge smacked of cowardice. She’d never be truly free unless she tackled this last hurtle, and though Tuck didn’t know it, this one she’d face solely for him.

Her palms broke out in a sweat, and she glared at her cell phone. Geez. She’d survived being filmed with her tongue stuck down Tuck’s throat in front of millions of people. How bad could a few dozen art snobs be?

Before she could chicken out, she picked up the phone. Ronald answered on the second ring.

“CC, I was planning to call you in the morning.”

She wiped a sweaty palm on the thigh of her jeans. “I guess I saved you the trouble then.”

He hesitated when she didn’t continue. “Have you made a decision?”

Eyes squeezed shut, she plunged ahead. “I’ll do your show.”

The heavy breath he released sounded in her ear. “Oh, CC. Thank you. You won’t be sorry.”

“I’d better not be, and before you get all worked up, I have a few conditions.”

“Like?”

“First, I remain anonymous. No names. I’ll show up and give the council their hour, but in any introductions made, I want to be introduced as
Yearning’s
creator.”

“CC—”

“Yes, I know. It’s stupid, but I have my reasons.”

He sighed. “I’ll do what I can.”

“You’ll do exactly what I’m asking for or I’ll walk. How do you think that’ll look on the agency’s resume?”

“Okay.” An edge of frustration colored his reply, but it was the best he was going to get. “And two?”

She fought to keep her voice from trembling. She was wrong. Agreeing to throw herself into the public eye, for any reason, sent her heartbeat into convulsions. “You said you’d be there for me. I expect you to honor that promise. As far as I’m concerned, this is
your
show, not mine. I’ll shake hands. I’ll even make small talk if I have to, but I expect you to control the situation. I’m not interested in getting caught up in a circus.”

Chapter 24

CC hefted the small wooden box from the closet and crossed to her workbench, where Tuck leaned his ass against the edge with one booted foot crossed over the other.

He propped his hands on the bench beside his hips. “What are you doing?”