She was looking at him. Trying to read him. He wasn’t lying though.

  “Were you upset over it?”

  “I was. But I was sixteen and didn’t want to let anyone know that I was. We hadn’t said we loved each other though I cared a great deal for you. I knew a bit about your home life. Not a lot. You never said much.”

  She let out a sigh. “No. There wasn’t much to say. You knew my father was raising us and everything you just said was the truth back then.”

  “Was there more to the reason we broke up? I know everyone always said I changed directions with the wind. I did. I still do at times. I was hurt and don’t know what happened other than what I saw. I just assumed you wanted the break. I figured if you wanted to get back together, you’d let me know. You never did.”

  She ran her hands through her hair, pulled her ponytail out and then fixed it. “It was all those things, but then it was more. Looking back, it was stupid, but again we were kids.”

  He waited a second and then said, “Don’t tell me someone was giving you a hard time about dating me. Or not being good enough.”

  “Yeah,” she said. “Nothing more than I always dealt with in life. You were this nice kid and you didn’t need to be dragged down by dating me.”

  “What the hell nonsense is that? There was no dragging down.”

  How had they gone from saying they loved each other to this?

  “I know that now,” she said. “And don’t get upset. It’s as you said—we were sixteen. And when a few weeks went by and you didn’t even talk to me again, I just told myself it was for the best. That I did us both a favor.”

  “No,” he said. “You didn’t. I can’t profess to say we would have never broken up. No one knows that. I just know that you broke up with me and I let you go. That is how I see it.”

  “You let me go?” she asked.

  “Yeah,” he said. “Back then I moved on like I did so much in my life, but I always regretted not asking you why. Or finding out more. But time went by and...here we are. I want the truth now.”

  “It’s what I told you. Nothing more. I promise.”

  “I want to be annoyed, but I can’t. We were kids. We both did stupid shit in our lives as kids, but now we are in a different spot. One I don’t want to get out of.”

  “Me neither,” she said. “So I’m going to tell you to take me to bed. I’m hot and tired and sweaty so I guess I should say I need a shower first.”

  “We can take a shower together,” he said. It seemed she didn’t want to talk about this anymore. He should push more, but he was content with the answers he’d gotten.

  “We haven’t done that yet,” she said.

  He grabbed her hand and pulled her up the stairs. They were both shedding their clothes on the way and by the time they got to her room, they were stepping out of their undergarments and he was turning the shower on.

  This room needed some work too, but it wasn’t horrible. The shower was nice and big and would hold them both. The tub with all the jets had seen better days, but he’d told himself he wasn’t going to bring it up.

  Together they’d been working on her hall bathroom upstairs in the past two weeks. She’d brought it up and he was thrilled.

  “I need a condom,” he said, turning when she went to grab his hand and pull him into the shower.

  “Nope,” she said. “Not unless you want to. I’m on birth control.”

  “That works for me,” he said, joining her.

  He adjusted the water so that it was cooler than normal and felt wonderful on his overheated skin.

  They could make their own heat and steam anyway.

  Her arms went around his neck, he walked a few steps to the back of the shower and had the water hitting him on the back now, her up against the cool tiles.

  He pushed her wet ponytail away from her face and had it behind her. His hair was plastered to him too.

  It didn’t seem to matter when they were like this and naked though.

  “How do you want to do this?” she asked.

  “Hop up and put your legs around my waist. I’ve got you. I promise.”

  “I trust you,” she said.

  In his eyes that was more important than her words of love.

  His mouth sought hers savagely, his dick probing around until it found her opening, then slid in.

  She let out a moan; he did the same.

  He was bucking up into her, her hips pushing against his.

  He had one hand on the shower wall to steady himself, the other on her hip. He was trying to be aware of his strength and not leave a mark on her.

  He didn’t care she laughed it off the last time. He felt like shit for days and knew he would even more now.

  Their tongues were dueling with each other, their hips moving back and forth and his feet started to slip.

  This wasn’t as steady as he thought it was going to be.

  “We need to slow down,” he said.

  “No,” she said. “I need you to get me there right now. I can’t wait any longer.”

  It was like she knew all the buttons to push and when.

  His hand went down her back, over her ass and between her legs. He was only lightly touching around as he couldn’t get to the front of her.

  It didn’t seem to matter where his hand went because she started to chant out his name, her legs tightening even more on him as he felt her start to come and pulse around his dick.

  He put both his hands on the wall to brace himself, pushed her firmly against it and started thrusting up into her again and again until he had nothing else left to give and emptied everything out of his tank.

  Her legs slid down his slowly, he steadied her the best he could and gave her another kiss on the top of her head. “Are you okay?”

  “That was wonderful,” she said, sighing. “Now help me get this rubber band out of my hair so I can wash up.”

  She turned her back to him and the best he could do was pull it out and then winced when some of her hair went with it. She was only laughing.

  “Sorry,” he said. “I tried not to do that.”

  “It’s less than I would have pulled out.”

  She stepped in front of him. Grabbing the shampoo, she started to lather her hair, rinsed it, and then put the conditioner in it and moved back for him to clean up.

  Then she got under the spray and rinsed her body off with her hair. He’d gotten out by then and was drying off.

  “Here,” he said, handing her a towel.

  “Thanks,” she said. “That was fun. Two shower heads would be more fun.” He opened his mouth and she held her hand up. “It was a thought not a request. Don’t even say it.”

  His shoulders dropped. “Yes, it would be fun and easier,” was all he said.

  When they were back in her room and finding clothes, he decided maybe he should tell her about his conversation with Ruby. Here they’d said they loved each other and she was pushing him to find another house. He wanted her to know he wasn’t holding off because of her.

  “That wasn’t so hard to say, was it?” she said, moving to him to poke him in the belly once she had her shirt over her head. She was reaching for underwear and shorts now.

  “Can we go downstairs and talk?” he asked. “I’d like to sit outside if you don’t think we’ll get heated up again.”

  “I’m cooled off and the AC is on if we need it. Everything okay?”

  “Yes,” he said. “Just wanted to let you know I might have a lead on a house.”

  “That’s great,” she said, following him down the sweeping staircase. He’d never grow old of coming down this or seeing Liz do it either.

  If he thought of his kids coming down it, he was holding that close to his chest for now.

  “Yeah,” he said. “Ruby pulled me aside. Someone went to talk to her. They want to list their house. They said it needs some work and weren’t sure if they should do that before or let it go. She gave them the pros and cons of both and then she sought me out. I talked to the couple and am going to look at the house tomorrow.”

  “So that means it’s in Paradise Place?” she asked, grinning at him.

  “Yes. Around the block. Older obviously since it’s around the block. This is one of the oldest sections of the development.”

  “That’s great,” she said. “I hope it works out.”

  “You do?” he asked.

  “Yep. Then you’ll be within walking distance and we’d probably see more of each other and not less like you’re worried about. You’re going to live there right...if you buy it?”

  “Yeah,” he said. “I’ll live in it. Do you want to go with me to look at it tomorrow?”

  “Why?” she asked. “It’s your flip.”

  “So?” he said. “It’s going to be my house for the time being. I don’t know. I just thought you could keep me company. Maybe I can use you as sweat labor.”

  She ran and jumped in his arms. “Yes,” she said.

  Guess he was learning the right way to approach things after all.

  23

  Safe Thing

  Six weeks later, at the end of September, Liz was called to the nurse’s station.

  “Yes,” she said.

  “There is someone here to see you,” another nurse said. “The waiting room just called back.”

  “What?” she asked. She looked at her watch. It was midnight. No one would come to see her or ask for her in the waiting room unless it was a former patient. Very few remembered the name of the nurse that worked with them when they were there.

  “I don’t know what to tell you. They said the guy has been up there for thirty minutes just waiting and when they finally got to him, he said he wasn’t hurt or sick but wanted to talk to you.”

  “I don’t have time for this,” she said. “Did they get his name?”

  “Not that I know of.”

  Liz picked the phone up and called the check-in desk, but it went unanswered. Not surprised. They were as busy as she was.

  She ran to her locker quickly to grab her phone out of her purse. She never had it on her and anyone that would be looking for her would know that.

  She pulled it out and didn’t see any missed calls or texts, then went back to work. She’d get upfront when she could, but she wasn’t on break and if it was that important the person would have given his name.

  It was almost an hour later when she finally could walk away. She’d wanted to go earlier, but when she was coming back from checking her phone, an ambulance came in and she had to deal with that first.

  When she walked out through the doors leading to the desk checking people in, she said, “I’m Liz Carter. There was someone asking for me?”

  She didn’t know who this woman was working the desk. She didn’t think they knew most of the nurses either. It was a revolving door half the time of employees out front and in the ER.

  “Not me,” the woman at the first desk said. “Check with one of the others.”

  She moved to the two others and then was told the guy was sitting in the waiting room.

  “He’s not sick or hurt and he’s in the waiting room?”

  “Not that waiting room,” the woman said. “There is another one outside the ER entrance.”

  She wasn’t aware of that and had to be pointed in that direction. This was taking longer than she’d hoped and she needed to get back to her patients.

  But if it was a patient, she’d still be doing her job.

  She was two steps from the door when it opened and she came face to face with Tanner.

  She took a few steps back. “What are you doing here?”

  “I wouldn’t have had to come here and sit around for hours surrounded by sick people if you answered your damn phone.”

  Liz moved back again. “I’m not talking to you. I need to get back to work. You’re blocked on my phone and that is why I haven’t gotten any messages.”

  She didn’t know why he was here and didn’t want to deal with this. In her eyes, there was nothing they had to say to each other.

  It’d been well over a year on top of it.

  “We need to talk,” he said, moving toward her.

  “No,” she said. “I’ll call security. Leave now.” She turned and moved quickly behind the desks and left him standing there seething.

  She went back to her shift and tried to put it from her mind.

  In the back of her head, she didn’t think he’d hurt her, but she didn’t want to be stupid either.

  He said he’d been trying to call her. She didn’t think she was that hard to find. He found her. Why not call her place of employment and leave a message?

  The fact he came here really bothered her.

  She clocked out and pulled her phone out. It was seven in the morning and she could just call security to walk her to her car and explain what was going on.

  She would walk out with coworkers too, but she didn’t want to put anyone in danger.

  She thought of the one person she could call and not feel bad about it.

  The person that she trusted even more than her father.

  She called Christian.

  “Hi,” he said. “You’re calling early. What’s going on? Having car trouble?”

  “No,” she said. “I know you’re probably getting ready for work and all.”

  “I’m set. Just having coffee. What’s going on? You don’t sound good. Are you sick?”

  “Tanner showed up here at work last night.”

  “What?!”

  “Yeah. I went back to work and I was safe. But now that it’s time to leave...”

  “I’m on the way. Don’t leave the ER until I get there. I mean it.”

  “I won’t,” she said.

  She ran her hands through her hair. It’d take twenty minutes, easily, for him to get here and park and come in. It’s not like there was parking right by the door. Unless he actually parked right by the door where people did to unload.

  She let out a giggle knowing he’d do just that.

  Liz was right twenty minutes later when he said he was waiting for her inside the entrance.

  She went back through the doors she had last night, looked around and didn’t see Tanner, but did see Christian and went right to him.

  “I don’t see him. Just walk me to my car.”

  “Nope,” he said. “I’ll drive you to it, then I’m going to make sure you’re in it and follow you home.”

  She nodded, got in his truck right out front and told him where to go for her car.

  They were home within thirty minutes and she was trying to calm her heart down.

  She was safe. She knew she was.

  “I don’t know what is going on,” she said. “I mean I got called to the desk that there was someone who wanted to talk to me.” She told him how that went down and when she found Tanner.

  “He didn’t say what he wanted?”

  “I didn’t give him a chance,” she said. “I started to back up. He was pissed I kept him waiting. Then said if I answered my phone he wouldn’t have had to come here. But I blocked him. I had no idea he was trying to reach me. Once we signed the divorce papers, in my mind that was it.”

  “But it’s not,” he said.

  “Obviously. I looked around and didn’t see him when I left. He’s not the type to stay there all night waiting for me. He must know I don’t live at my father’s. He knew the address of my dad’s. I mean he could have found it somewhere or looked it up if he didn’t remember. He’d been there before. My father would have said something if Tanner went there.”

  “He probably thinks your father knows about what happened in your marriage and didn’t want to face him.”

  “I don’t know that Tanner ever thinks he’s done anything wrong,” she said, shaking her head. “I wish there was a way I could find him. I mean on my terms. I don’t like knowing that he’s just sitting around here waiting for me.”

  “I’m not leaving you alone. There is a public record of you buying your house,” Christian said. “He could easily know where you live.”

  “I thought of that. If he was going to search. He might not think I could buy a place myself. I wouldn’t put it past him.”

  “But he found where you worked,” he said.

  “Could just be a good guess. I worked there before I moved.”

  “Let me make a few calls and see if we can find out a way to see where he is,” he said. “Remember, we know a lot of people in law enforcement.”

  “Isn’t that illegal without probable cause or something?”

  “No clue, but we’ll find out. Why don’t you go take a shower and change? I know you want to. Then get some sleep. I’m not leaving you alone. I’ll stay here.”

  “I don’t want to stay here if he can find out where I live. Can we go back to your place? He won’t know about that.”

  Christian had closed on his house two weeks ago. He was now living around the corner and it had been nice to be within walking distance.

  They’d finished up her hall bath together so it wasn’t half done and he could focus on his flip.

  She thought life was going just great until now.

  She was walking out of the bathroom when Christian came in. “I just talked to Dylan. That was the easiest since Zoe works for us.”

  “What did Dylan say?”

  “He said he’ll see what he can find out and get back to me. He was going to talk to Nathan too. I didn’t ask what he was going to do. Just explained that your ex was in town, and what happened. And that you were trying to find out where he was staying so that you could be on top of it.”

  “You had to tell him more,” she said. “I know it.”

  He waited a second. “I told him there was some domestic violence.”

  She took a deep breath. “I don’t want anyone to know that.”

  “You can trust them,” he said. “You can. Ryan’s wife, Shannon, had a stalker that followed her here from Seattle. The guy broke into her house in the middle of the night and Ryan caught him and beat the shit out of him and tied him up, then called Josh and Nathan. Or one of them. They both showed up. Not many know the situation because they wouldn’t say anything.”