Tease Me Read online

  “No,” he said immediately. “I know I did the right thing.”

  “Couldn’t you have scaled back or something? Done the job on a more moderate level?”

  “Not the way it was, no. We started about sixteen years ago, right after college. Pete and I went to school together, and to make money we moonlighted as bouncers at the campus club. Being business majors …” He broke off and grinned. “Something you might know a little about.”

  “Somehow I think the similarity begins and ends right there, but go on.”

  “Anyway, we had other local clubs asking us to work part-time, so we came up with the idea of starting a bouncer business. One thing led to another and …” He shrugged. “It sort of took on a life of its own. We both took some extra courses in security training along with some martial arts-related training, and after graduation we decided to go into business full-time. We poured our hearts and souls into it, but we loved every minute of it. It took off amazingly quickly, and before we knew it, we were getting calls to provide bodyguard service for some local politicians and other business bigwigs. After a couple of years, Pete had developed some contacts overseas through one of our German clients, and we eventually opened a branch office in Europe. It sort of mushroomed after that.”

  Lainey had propped her chin on one hand, her gaze rapt on his.

  He smiled sheepishly. “And now I’ll shut up.”

  She didn’t move other than to speak. “Don’t. I think it’s interesting. I bet you have some amazing stories.”

  “One or two.”

  “I’d enjoy hearing them sometime.”

  Tucker’s smile faltered. Her expression was completely sincere and totally without guile. Did she have any idea how badly he wanted to share a whole lot more than his past exploits? “Anytime,” he said, striving to sound casual.

  They both saw the approaching waiter. She sat up and folded her hands in her lap. “Whenever you’re back in town,” she added quickly, then turned to their server with a smile and gave her drink order, effectively ending the conversation.

  So much for new hopes. Tucker ordered an iced tea through almost gritted teeth. When the waiter left them, he blindly shifted his attention to his menu.

  Before he could decide how best to proceed, the waiter returned, and they spent several minutes making their dinner decisions. When they were alone again, Lainey solved the problem by speaking first.

  “So I guess this isn’t the vacation you planned, huh?”

  If you only knew. “Not exactly. Which is why I usually fly Lillian to meet me. I have a slightly greater chance of controlling the situation that way.”

  Lainey’s eyes lit up, and she tapped her forehead. “Duh. I just realized you’re the ‘family’ she visits on her annual exotic vacations. Her ladies drool over them, you know. I think it’s sweet that you do that for her.”

  “Self-protection. Strictly self-protection.”

  Lainey chuckled. “I’m not sure even an international crew of bodyguards could provide ample protection from Lillian if she has her mind set on something. You’re lucky you only ended up as a masseur.”

  He watched, totally enthralled by the way her cheeks pinkened.

  “Your eyes are doing that gleam thing again,” she said. “I don’t even want to know what you’re thinking this time.”

  No, you don’t, Lainey, he silently agreed. Because if I told you I was thinking how much fun it will be to tell our grandchildren we met at a massage parlor, you’d run and never look back.

  He let her off the hook. “Well, I think I solved that particular employment problem before you arrived.”

  “You found yourself a replacement Lillian will approve of? How did you achieve that minor miracle?”

  “The Fairmont has a wonderful masseur named Stephan. He’s a giant of a Swede with the hands of an angel. I asked him if he knew of anyone who might fit the bill at Lillian’s, and he said he was only working here part-time and might be interested in doing it himself.” Tucker grinned. “At least I’m pretty sure that’s what he meant. He understands English but speaks next to none. If his appearance doesn’t give Lillian’s ladies heart attacks, I think he’ll be a big hit. ‘Big’ being the key word here. Lillian met him a few days ago when she was here looking for me. Let’s just say I think she’ll approve.”

  Lainey was laughing hard at this point and finally raised her hand. “Stop. The visual alone is killing me.” She took a sip of water, then caught his eye and giggled again. “Oh, Tucker, if I didn’t know Lillian, I’d say you should be ashamed of yourself. But you just know she’ll love the idea.”

  “I’m counting on it. I bruise easily.”

  She took another sip, then leaned back. “You know, I was really nervous about tonight. I’m not anymore. Thank you for that, Tucker.” Her smile faded, but her eyes stayed soft and unwary. Tucker wished like hell he could keep them that way. But as much as he wished this was a purely social occasion, it wasn’t.

  “Nothing to thank me for.”

  “Not true, but I won’t argue the point. I guess we should talk about the reason we’re really here.”

  Tucker judiciously decided not to respond to that remark.

  “I had hoped to talk to Minerva this afternoon, but she was gone when I got back. Did you find out anything about Damian or Greensleigh?” she asked.

  He watched her run a finger around the edge of her glass, his stomach clenching as her finger rubbed past the spot where she’d left a light lipstick mark on the glass. He pulled his gaze to hers and reluctantly focused on business. He’d deal with the pleasure part later.

  “I made a few calls to some of my former clients, one of whom is involved in international investments. He had some interesting information.”

  “On Damian? Somehow I never thought of Damian as being savvy enough for the international market.” She gestured to the quiet development sprawling along the coastline. “This is more his speed.”

  “Well, it seems he’s worked in Mexico and the Caribbean, or at least he’s sold shares in a development supposedly taking place there.”

  “You lost me.”

  “You’re right when you say senior villages are Damian’s speed. In fact, they are his specialty, at least they seem to be from the little bit I learned. My client was working on a resort venture in Barbados that was linking with another resort planned for the west coast of Mexico. During his dealings in obtaining investors, he heard a rumor that someone purporting to be part of his investment team was selling shares in a supposed planned senior village that would be part of these resorts.”

  “Supposed village? Meaning he was using the resort investment portfolio to get unsuspecting seniors to invest in a bogus senior vacation-type village, saying it was going to be part of the resort.”

  “You catch on quick.”

  She pushed her glass away. “I wish I didn’t. I assume this person was Damian.”

  “Can’t say for sure. He split before the authorities could track him down. But from what my client learned, it sure sounds like him.”

  “So what does that mean? Do we go to the police?” She waved a hand. “On second thought,” she said dryly, “Roscoe Tumble might not be a real asset here.”

  “Hey, don’t sell old Tumbleweed short.”

  “You know Roscoe?”

  “Let’s just say I’ve intervened on Lillian’s behalf in some … ah, interactions she’s had with the city government and the sheriff’s department.”

  Lainey laughed. “I don’t think I want to know.”

  “You’re right,” Tucker said, smiling. “But Lillian made me promise not to involve the sheriff because she doesn’t want to chance embarrassing Minerva in such a public way.”

  Lainey leaned forward. “I think that’s sweet of her, but maybe a little shortsighted. Minerva will be hurt a whole lot worse if Damian scams her and the other two ladies out of their retirement funds.”

  Tucker sighed. “I explained the same thing to her, b
ut she was adamant.” He raised his hand to stall her response. “If there doesn’t seem to be another more discreet way to handle things, then we’ll call Roscoe. I won’t let Minerva or her friends get hurt, Lainey.”

  She held his gaze for a moment. “Thank you,” she said quietly. She fussed with the rim of her water glass again, then looked at him. “And thank you for all you’re doing to help Lillian help Minerva. I know you probably want to get back to wherever it is you’re from—”

  “Seattle.”

  Her eyes widened. “Seattle?”

  He smiled. “What’s wrong with Seattle?”

  “I don’t know. Nothing. I guess it is coastal and lets you hop around the world and all, but … I guess I just didn’t picture you … I don’t know …”

  “How do you picture me, Lainey?”

  She toyed with the stem on her glass, straightened her flatware, then turned her attention to the gulf as the last sliver of sun dipped below the horizon.

  “Lainey?”

  She finally looked at him. “I try not to picture you at all.”

  “Why is that?” he asked, proud of his even voice, though his heart felt as if all the lifeblood was pumping out of it.

  She folded her hands in her lap but held his gaze. “Because wherever or however I might think of you, the reality is, it can’t include you being here, so why bother?”

  “I am here.”

  “For now.”

  “For now is all I have. I sold my business on a lightning-fast decision. I had no big plans, no new career in mind, but I did it because my gut and my heart told me that if I didn’t want to end up like Pete, if I wanted a life that included something more than a job, it was jump now or go down with my ship. I still have no plans. I came here to see Lillian and to spend some time letting the sun soak into my skin while I figure out what the hell I want to do with the rest of my life.”

  She folded her arms, her posture seemingly relaxed, but the jut of her jaw was telling another story. “What the hell do you want to do, Tucker?”

  He held her gaze and told her the truth. “I want friends who aren’t also my clients. I want a job that ends at some finite point each day. I want a place to live that is a home and not just a mailing address.” He paused and cleared his suddenly tight throat. “I want a family. I want balance.” He forced himself to finish despite the fear and wariness growing steadily in her eyes with each word he spoke. “And I want you. It’s backwards and not planned or even sensible given where I’m at in my life, but none of that seems to matter. I want you, Lainey.”

  The waiter chose that monumental moment to appear, wielding a huge tray filled by their dinner entrées, which shielded him from Lainey’s reaction. Tucker gave serious thought to tossing the guy over the balcony but managed to restrain the urge at the last moment. The young man apparently sensed the tension and quickly dispensed their meals and beat a hasty retreat.

  Lainey’s attention was focused exclusively on her shrimp scallopini. Tucker moved his mahimahi around on his plate and debated which approach to take. His head was telling him to demand an honest response, but his heart was busy building a nice high wall to hide behind and was perfectly content to let the discussion pass without further comment.

  He watched from the corner of his eye as she sipped her wine, then gave up trying to eat and stared openly at her.

  “It’s very good,” she said, not looking up. “How is yours?”

  He couldn’t do this, couldn’t pretend he hadn’t laid his heart on the table. He’d taken the biggest risk of his life by selling his business. What was the point of it if he wasn’t willing to pursue the very thing he’d sold it to have?

  “I couldn’t say. I seem to have more important things on my mind at the moment. I sort of thought you might have something else you’d like to discuss.” He watched her spear another piece of shrimp. He thought he might scream in frustration, or at least throw her shrimp over the gold-plated handrail, but before he exploded, she placed her loaded fork on the plate and looked up at him.

  “So much for the just-friends idea, huh?” Her attempted smile faded quickly. “I don’t know what to say to you, Tucker.”

  “I’m thoroughly enjoying our friendship, Lainey. But I can’t seem to stop wanting more. I don’t want to stop.”

  “And then what?” she asked. She lifted her hand. “Don’t answer that. Tucker …” She broke off on a sigh.

  “Do you want me, Lainey?”

  She jerked her gaze to his; even in the waning light he could see the heat lighting her cheeks.

  “Do you want me?” he repeated.

  “It’s not about what I want.”

  “Then what the hell is it about? And don’t give me this stuff about impulses and bad choices in men. You’re an intelligent, caring woman who can make her own decisions.”

  Her eyes flashed as she pressed one balled-up hand on the table. “And what if I decide not to choose you? What if I decide that I don’t want to wait around while you find yourself on the off chance that I’ll be part of that grand plan? And here’s a stunning thought: What if I don’t have to tell you why I made that choice? What if I told you that it’s none of your business why I do what I do?”

  “What if you just decide to tell me the truth?”

  She threw her napkin on the table and scooted from her seat. “What if I decide to tell you to go to hell?”

  He snagged her arm as she tried to pass him. “Don’t leave.”

  She glared down at him. “Don’t order me around.”

  He let go and she stomped off. Swearing, he tossed some bills on the table between their plates of uneaten food and took off after her.

  He caught up to her as she sailed out of the revolving doors.

  “Grab me again and I’ll scream,” she warned him.

  He held his hands palms up. “Do you need a ride?”

  She looked at him as if he’d lost his mind, then turned away and started up the street, away from the shoreline toward the center of town.

  He fell into place beside her, wondering how she managed to keep such a fast pace in heels. “We still need to talk about Damian.”

  “We don’t need to talk about anything. I’ll take care of Damian. Minerva is my aunt and my concern.”

  “Why are you running, Lainey?”

  “To get away from you?” she said sarcastically.

  “I mean figuratively. What are you so afraid of? What is it that you think will happen if you’re honest with me about how you feel?”

  She stopped abruptly and faced him, hands planted on her hips. “Why is it that if a woman doesn’t fall all over a guy because he’s deigned to admit he wants her, it means she’s running from something? Did it ever occur to you that maybe I just don’t want you back?”

  “No.”

  Her eyes popped wide and her mouth opened and shut like a fish’s. If he hadn’t felt as if the rest of his life was on the line, he might have laughed. As it was a hint of a smile teased his tightly pressed lips. Her eyes narrowed dangerously.

  “Why, you pompous, conceited—”

  “You want me back, Lainey.”

  “Egotistical, self-centered, bullying—”

  “You want me bad. You told me so. You’ve wanted me ever since you laid eyes on my—what did you call it? My tight butt?—so don’t get all holier-than-thou on me because I’m being honest. You’re running, Lainey. Flat-out, dead-run, hightailing it.”

  Her expression faltered and her arms crept across her stomach, where she folded them like a protective shield.

  “And if all I wanted was you on your back for a quick fling before I flew off to ‘find myself,’ then I gotta tell you, you’re too much work.” He raised his hand when her mouth dropped open again. “But that’s not all I want. And because it’s not all I want, I’m busting my chops doing anything I can to keep you from walking away from me. And I’ll continue to bust them until you tell me why it is you won’t give me—us—a chance.” He realiz
ed he was shouting and made a conscious effort to lower his voice. He stepped closer and was heartened when she didn’t move away or, worse, slug him. She was looking sort of lost and shell-shocked at the moment, and he couldn’t stand there and yell at her any longer.

  “Lainey,” he said softly. She looked down at her feet, then at some vague point past his shoulder. He reached out and stroked her cheek, then her chin. She didn’t step away, so he did it again, pushing a stray curl from her face. “Instead of running away from me, why don’t you try running to me? I’m right here. And as long as you’re here, I’m not going anywhere.” He gently but firmly turned her face to his. “I don’t want to fight you. I want to make love to you. With you.”

  She stilled. “You don’t even know me, Tucker. Not really.”

  He stepped closer. “I know enough.”

  “No, you don’t. You don’t know what’s inside me, inside my head and my heart.”

  He closed the remaining distance between them. “Then why don’t you tell me so I do know?” Her eyes were eloquent pools of restrained need, filled with confusion and pain. His heart had become a tight ball of fear and anxiety, but he slowly allowed it to expand. “Why don’t you tell me about your bad decisions so that I know how to make you understand I’m not one of them?” He lowered his mouth closer to hers, dying inside from the almost desperate need to taste her.

  “I can’t make another rash mistake, Tucker,” she whispered. “I won’t survive it.”

  He paused and pulled back enough to look into her eyes. “I’m not a mistake, Lainey, rash or otherwise. If you can’t trust me, trust this.” He fitted his mouth to hers, gently but not tentatively. He explored with soft kisses, easing her lips apart. At the first touch of her tongue, his body tightened to the point of sublime pain. His pulse sang and his heart pounded furiously inside his chest. Her response wasn’t bold or wanton or remotely rash. It was sweet and gentle.… It was Lainey.

  He pulled her into his arms. She opened her mouth to him, met his increasing urgency with a matching need of her own. “I do know you,” he whispered against her lips.