Страница 30 из 68
"Finally, our neighbor Mrs. Geleski comes over to the house. She'd been getting into bed for the night and heard somebody breathing next to her-the poor woman just about had a coronary. She looks over and sees John crammed down in the space between her bed and the wall. He was sawing logs, peaceful as could be."
"Good grief," Audie said.
"So that was John. And one day when I was seventeen, I was supposed to be on John duty when Timmy and I started fighting over a girl-Mary Beth Horan. We were busy beating the crap out of each other and John got hit by a car, right in front of me, killed instantly."
Audie stopped breathing. She watched him hang his head. "Oh, Qui
"Timmy and I had been at each other's throats since elementary school." Qui
"So that day he was telling me all this crap about what he did to Mary Beth-I was wild about her-and I completely forgot about John. He rode his bike right out into the middle of Artesian Avenue and got hit."
Qui
The devastation in Qui
"I wanted you to understand why I don't like Timothy Burke."
"I understand," she said softly.
"And that's not all." Qui
"Recently, I was with a woman named Laura. She and I were together for almost three years."
"I know," Audie said.
He looked surprised.
"Sta
He closed his eyes for a moment and sighed. "What else did he tell you?"
"That he thought you were eventually going to marry her, but she left you and moved to Miami. That's all he told me."
Qui
"In fact, Laura got very pissed when I said I wasn't ready to settle down with her. So she started seeing Timmy Burke on the side, for several months at least. I don't know all the details. I don't want to know them. But the juicy part is she knew all about my history with Timmy when she did it-kind of the ultimate kick in the nuts."
"Good God. When was this?"
Qui
Audie stared at him and felt her face go hot. Then she hissed in disgust. "April? I was seeing Tim then."
He nodded a little and smiled grimly. "Small world, huh?"
"Wow." She felt sick to her stomach. "But we never… uh…" Audie shook her head. "Look. We weren't-you know-involved. He took me to di
"He told me the other day that he was in love with you."
Audie's eyes went wide. "Oh, hell."
"He told me you went down on him in the car."
"What!?" She jolted to her feet in the narrow space between them, and Qui
"Audie. Sit down." He pulled her next to him on the table. She was shaking with anger.
"I'm sorry, but I thought you should know what he was saying."
"My God. The guy is absolute scum."
"I didn't believe him, though."
She stared at him openmouthed. "Well, thanks a million."
"He also said you were 'coming around' and that you two were getting back together."
"Like hell!" She tried to stand up again, but Qui
"So that's the story with Timmy Burke."
"God, Qui
She placed her hand againstQui
Though his eyes were shadowed by old grief, it did nothing to dull the power there, the intensity, and Audie felt herself shiver in his gaze.
"Just say that from now on you'll tell me anything that might pertain to your case-about Timmy or anyone else-OK?"
She nodded, allowing herself to see things through Qui
"I refuse to let anything happen to you, Audie."
She nodded again, helpless in his stare and burning up because she was touching him, because the backs of her thighs were pressed down into the hard muscle of his legs.
"Even if it's not Burke, it's somebody. But I'll keep you safe."
The hell he would. Audie was perfectly aware that she'd never be safe around Stacey Qui
Maybe safety was highly overrated.
She dipped her mouth to his because she just couldn't fight it anymore, and his response was serious and sure and Audie felt him moan deep in his chest as his hands cupped her bottom and he pulled her tighter.
Audie devoured him. She grabbed on to his shoulders and kissed the man like the world was coming to an end and this was the last kiss she'd ever be able to give him, her last chance to convince Qui
Her tongue slid into his warm, wet mouth, and she brought her teeth down on his lips and he tasted like hot wine and hot man. She could feel him begin to smile under her kisses, and she felt his hand slide over the contours of her hips.
Then his hands were up the back of her tank top and his touch seared her skin, and suddenly she sensed that she was moving up and coming to rest on the couch, Qui
"Oh, God, woman," he whispered. "Do you have any idea how sexy you are?"
"Medium sexy?" she mumbled.
"Wrong. Very, very wrong."
Qui
"I have a confession to make," Audie whispered between hard breaths, her head lolling to the side.
"Confessions cleanse the soul."
"This is not a clean confession."
"Those are the best kind."
"You are the sexiest man I've ever known in my entire life, Stacey Qui
"You're a pushy little Protestant thing, aren't you?" He reached behind him and pulled her hands from his ass and pushed them over her head, pi
"Do you like to play rough, Audie?" He laughed when her eyes flashed wide beneath him, and he thought it was time he let the tip of his tongue take that long, hot slide up her throat
When he did, all she could do was gasp.
Qui
He brushed his palm over one fabulous, golden, round breast, then the other, enjoying how her toffee-pink nipples peaked with the barest friction.