His Most Scandalous Secret

“I dropped my pen.” It was a stupid thing to say—as if she couldn’t pick up a fallen pen from the floor. His hesitation asked a question into the void, but he crouched and retrieved the pen, then passed it to her.

Her hand brushed his. Her gaze flew to meet his. Nothing, nothing like this had ever happened to her. Someone must have switched on a spotlight inside her body. Heat and light filled her. Burned her. Perspiration pulled her clothes closer to her skin. Her throat tightened.

He removed his hand but stayed crouched beside her.

“Don’t be afraid of me.” His voice soothed. Calmed. Tempted.

Tempted?

What happened? She’d been in control, completely in control. She knew who he was. What kind of man he was—now and before. She was not afraid of him. Surely just his touch couldn’t—

“Can I get you something? A glass of water?”

The phone rang, a reprieve for her as he leaned across his desk to answer it, although he watched her the whole time. She gripped the pen and finished completing the forms.

When he hung up, she passed him the papers and stood, tugging her purse strap over her shoulder.

“Can you start tomorrow?” he asked.

She made herself answer. “Yes, I can.”

“Chandra said you were willing to take the late shift with the two- and three-year-olds.”

“That’s right. Yours is one of the few day care centers I know of that stays open until eight at night. I’m not really a morning person, so it works out great for me.”

He glanced at her paperwork. “Your address has changed since you first applied.”

“I found a new apartment nearby. I’m moving in today.” Small, but hers. All hers, for the first time in her life. Independence, hard-won and appreciated. Tonight was her first night on her own.

“People still look out for each other along that block.” He paused. “Are you sure you’re all right, Tessa? Maybe I should take you home.”

“I’m fine. Really. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

He scanned her face once more. “Don’t be surprised if the boys here give you a wide berth for a while and the girls start hanging around, offering to help in the day care area when they’re not even signed up to work. Your legend will precede you. You might even consider teaching a self-defense class before the summer’s up.”

“One isn’t already offered?”

“It’s offered, but a new slant is always good, particularly because you’re a woman and you’re not a cop. Be extra alert when you leave here, Tessa. You humiliated the boy—Stone Man is what he’s called, by the way—and I don’t know whether he’ll avoid you now because of it or find some way to get even.”

“I’m always careful, but thanks for the advice.” She smiled her farewell and left.

He moved to watch her from his window. After a few seconds he could see her make her way down the stairs, using the handrail this time, taking a step at a time. She didn’t wait for a bus, but headed the opposite direction, toward where her new apartment was located.

He should have insisted on taking her home. He didn’t know Stone Man except by reputation. He’d never come to the Center, not even for events open to the public. Chase would check out the kid’s record, see how much of a threat he posed.

Long after Tessa disappeared from sight, Chase stayed at the window. Something had triggered a change in her. A delayed reaction to the confrontation with the teenager? Or was it himself? His friend Ariel told him once that he was the meanest-looking man she’d ever seen.

Except to shave and comb his hair once a day, he didn’t look in the mirror. He needed no reminders of who he was. What simmered inside him all the time was reminder enough, and kept him focused on his purpose. People did sometimes cast wary glances his way on the street. He always figured it was from natural caution, not because he appeared threatening.

Had Tessa been afraid of him?

She disturbed him, as well. Her softness teased him with promises he tried not to visualize. But even now he could smell her perfume and picture the womanly shape of her. A lot of power was packed into that body, some in physical strength, more in temptation.

He’d win this battle, though. Just as he’d won every other battle of temptation he’d fought.

As she unlocked her door, Tessa sighed, glad to be home. The walk from the Center to her apartment was barely five blocks, but she’d been constantly on alert. She wondered what the teenager’s real name was and why he’d been dubbed Stone Man. He couldn’t have been more than fifteen. So young to be living such an old life.

Her journey had also been reconnaissance, as she memorized her surroundings and checked out escape paths, getting to know the route from home to work. After the emotional scene with her family this morning—her last day living under their roof—and her bewildering response to Chase Ryan, she needed time alone.

And if she’d shut her door just two seconds sooner, she would have found sanctuary. Instead, her across-the-hall neighbor opened his door.

“Hi, Tess.”

She did not like being called Tess. She’d told him so yesterday when he’d shortened her name upon introduction. Obviously, he either didn’t listen or didn’t care. Or maybe because he used a shortened version of his own name, he did so with others. Not wanting to alienate a neighbor, though, she managed a smile for the thirty-something man who’d helped her father carry her sofa bed up the stairs.

“Hello, Norm.”

“Get settled in okay?”

“Yes, thanks. I still have some boxes to unpack, though, so if you’ll excuse me.”

From behind him, a young woman slipped out of his apartment, planting a kiss on his lips as she passed by. “See you later, honey.” She gave Tessa the once-over before sending a distinctly He’s mine admonition with her eyes, silent and direct. “I’m Marcy. I live downstairs in 1B.”

Relieved that Norm was involved with someone, Tessa offered her hand. “Tessa Rose.”

Marcy must have believed the Message received answer in Tessa’s return gaze and abrupt handshake, because she visibly relaxed. She nodded, then hurried down the stairs.

“Your girlfriend?” she asked Norm, who hadn’t shut his door yet.

“Yep.” He tucked his hands in his back pockets. “Anything you need help with?”

“Everything’s fine, but thank you for asking. Bye.” She retreated before he could reply. Resting against her closed door, she surveyed her domain. Small was hardly the word for it. One medium-size room, a utilitarian bathroom, a one-person kitchen with counter bar and one surprisingly roomy walk-in closet with enough space for her meager belongings.

It was hers, though, from the sofa bed where she would sit and sleep to the four place settings of dinnerware she had yet to unpack. Twenty-nine years old and finally living on her own. No more accounting for where she was every second of the day. No more listening to her mother worry aloud about the potential dangers facing them everywhere. No more seeing her father age day by day.

No more enduring her brother sitting in his wheelchair by the front window, watching the world go by, venturing out once a month or so, otherwise living in a television world.

He hadn’t said anything when she announced she’d found her own apartment and was moving out, but she figured he was glad to have her gone. Her pleas to do something for himself always fell on deaf ears. He hadn’t done anything to improve his life for years. And she’d taken all the whining she could bear about his bad luck.

She pushed away from the door, stripped down to her underwear right there in the middle of the room and tugged on a T-shirt and cutoffs so that she could finish putting her home in order. She felt a little wicked going braless, even though she knew no one would catch her at it, but she draped her bra over the doorknob, anyway. If someone did come, she could always put it on fast.

The phone rang just as she started scrubbing the bathtub. Peeling off her rubber gloves as she went, she hurried into the living room.

Breathless, she picked it up on the fourth ring. “Hello?”

“This is Chase Ryan.”

Tessa sank onto the couch. “Hi.”