Part 14 (1/2)
She leaned forward to brush a kiss over his curls, then gave in to adesperate need and nuzzled her face against his, drawing in the scent of himbefore she drew back to smile down at him.
He stiffened, but the surly expression refused to take over. Somethingsettled inside her, and she realized that finally, miraculously, a part of herheart was back where it belonged.
”Sleep tight, my darling,” she said, her voice thick. ”Daddy and I love youvery much.”
She was practically walking on air when she returned to the bedroom.
Grady had switched off the lamp while she'd been with Jimmy, and the part ofher room that was beyond the reach of the night light's dim glow was thickwith darkness.
He was lying on his back atop the bright orange sleeping bag on the floor,his bare feet crossed at the ankles, his hands behind his head. His face was.e.xpressionless, his mouth set in a grim line.
”Oh, Grady, he let me kiss him good-night!” she exclaimed when he glanced herway. ”And Ismelled him.”
His brows drew together in the jagged furrows that never quite disappeared,even when he grinned.
”You want to run that by me again?” he said, his voice dust dry.
Hugging herself, she did a little pirouette which caused the hated gown toflare around her ankles. He shot her a grumpy look, and she laughedself-consciously.
”It's a mom thing. Nature's way of making sure we can recognize our own babyin the midst of a herd.”
One side of his mouth moved. ”Thatis helpful, especially in downtownLafayette.”
She was so happy she actually giggled.
”It wasn't that funny,Ria .”
Like Jimmy's, his eyes were half-closed, but even in the limited light, shenoted that the expression glinting between the outrageously long golden lasheswas anything but drowsy. His heavily padded shoulders, too, radiated tension,and his face was shadowed, his jaw like unyielding granite. His hair was evenmore tousled than usual, as though plowed repeatedly with angry hands. It wasalso damp, she realized belatedly.
”I thought you'd already taken a shower,” she muttered as she slipped intothe sheets that were now cool against her skin.
”Go to sleep, Victoria.”
It was then, at that precise moment, that she realized the air in the roompulsed with something infinitely more dangerous than the dark.
”Grady, are you angry about something?”
”If I am, it's my problem.”
How could a voice so utterly flattened of all inflection seethe? She pulledthe sheet higher and adjusted her pillow before glaring at him.
”Fine, be that way. Shut me out.”
His snort was pure masculine disgust. ”Seems to me you're the one slammingdoors around here.”
”Don't be silly,” she said crisply while giving her pillow another thump.”You're here, aren't you? In my house. In mybedroom, for Pete's sake.”
”Wrecking my back on the frigging floor.”
”That has nothing to do with doors!”
”Yeah, right.” His deep voice dripped sarcasm.Ria hated sarcasm, and he knewit. She frowned, then realized the high collar of the gown was constrictingher throat. Stupid thing, she thought, freeing the top two b.u.t.tons.
”Grady, I don't want-”
”Exactly!” The word was a bullet, hard and deadly. ”You don't want me in yourbed. You don't want me to love you. Okay. Fine. Your call, your choice.” Hedrew up one leg, then shot her a look that seemed designed to strip the fleshfrom her bones. ”If there's something else you want, tell me now because I'd like to get some sleep.”
”Nothing more, thank you,” she said with great dignity-and civility.
”You're welcome. Now, can we get some sleep?”
”Yes-provided you stop dumping your bad mood on my head.”
”Don't push it,Ria .”
His voice was deadly quiet. No reason at all to think he was hurt. And yet she was sure it was hurt she heard. Desperate aching hurt.
Shaken, she sneaked a peek in his direction. Though his eyes were open, hedidn't notice because he was staring at the ceiling. So she let her gazelinger on that unyielding profile.
His was a face with hard planes, aggressive angles and a wide, beautifullyshaped mouth that had once skimmed hers with the delicacy of a b.u.t.terfly'swing. She felt a heat that had nothing to do with the weather steal over heruntil her skin was overheated and itchy.
She was also, she realized in a sudden burst of total honesty, deeply shaken.In all the years they'd had together, the good ones and especially the silent,edgy ones, she'd never thought of Grady as vulnerable.
Not in the way that she was vulnerable, needing rea.s.surance and the securityof a love that didn't crack under strain. Needing the freedom to falter andfail and make mistakes without being judged-and rejected.
She'd been wrong. Terribly wrong.
The sudden lump in her throat made it difficult to breathe.
”Excuse me,” she muttered, scooting out of bed again. She was out of the roomand down the hall before she heard the ripe curse of a man pushed to thelimit.
Still flat on his back Grady plowed both hands through his hair, then let hisfingers trail down his cheeks.
She wasn't crying, d.a.m.n it!Rianever cried.
Well, not often, he corrected when the memory of the last time, she'd brokendown reared up to clip him a good one, right in the conscience. He closed hiseyes, battled the need to check on her.
His ex-wife had told him that she didn't need him pus.h.i.+ng himself into herproblems. Into her life. The woman ran a nonprofit business with the skill ofa Fortune 500 CEO. Last year she'd been Lafayette's Woman of the Year. Noreason to think she couldn't handle this. Except he wasn't exactly surewhatthis was.
”h.e.l.l!”
A quick look-see wouldn't hurt, he told himself as he stalked down the hall.He found her in the kitchen, bent over the stove. He heard the hiss of the gasburner, smelled melting chocolate.
His face turned to fire. All the time he'd been working his gut into a hottwist, picturing her huddled in a heap, sobbing her eyes out, she'dbeencooking.
Score another one for the dumbest of the Hardin boys. He was already turningaround when he heard the funny little half hiccup she made when she was upsetand trying not to show it.
This time it was his belly that burned.