Chapter FOUR
AUSTIN HEARD THE expletive and leaned a bit closer.
“Leah? It’s me, Austin,” he said, even though he’d seen the peephole go dark and knew she’d peered out.
“I’m not home.” It was little more than a murmur, but the words still traveled through the cheap-ass apartment door.
“You know I can hear you, right?”
“Shit!” Her voice carried again, and he grinned trying to imagine her expression when flustered. Did her soft brown eyes get a little darker? Did those pouty lips get a little poutier?
“I come bearing gifts,” he said, his mind envisioning her mouth.
“I don’t want any gifts.” Her tone sounded extra-defiant. “I don’t like gifts.”
“Why wouldn’t you like gifts?” He leaned his hip against the door frame, genuinely curious. Every woman he’d dated loved gifts. At the beginning of every relationship, he always brought them gifts.
When she didn’t answer, he replied, “They really aren’t gifts. They’re… replacements. For the groceries I turned into roadkill. Please open the door.”
She opened the door, but not enough to be an invitation to come inside. “You didn’t have to do that.”
“Yes, I did,” he said. How else are you going to trust me enough to tell me what I need to know? The thought brought tension in his shoulders. Or was the tension from feeling the punch of attraction again?
She’d changed out of her wine-soaked clothes. She wore a light blue T-shirt and a pair of gray sweats. Both fit her very well and showcased a body that was all curves.
“I was careful to get all the same items.” He held out the bag in his hand.
She stepped out a few inches, eyeing the bags. Her hair hung loose and locks of it kept shifting over her breasts.
“My frozen mushroom pizza?” Hunger flashed in her eyes. Her tongue dipped out and swiped across her bottom lip.
“Got it.” His gaze stayed glued to her mouth when she leaned forward and glanced inside the bag.
She looked up and smiled. “Wow. You must have felt really bad.”
“Because I got your mushroom pizza?”
“No”—she pointed inside the bag—“because you bought me tampons.” Her dimples deepened in her cheeks. “Never met a man who’d do that.”
“There’s always a first time. And a last.” Damn she was pretty. And in a refreshing way. Not made up, or artificial. Half the women he dated used clothes and makeup as a mask. This petite little feminine package before him wore no mask; there was nothing counterfeit or artificial about her.
She rolled her eyes. “You really didn’t have to do this. I didn’t blame you.”
He didn’t blame her, either. The realization hit. He’d thought he’d instantly dislike her. He thought every time he looked at her, he would think of the scumbag who’d framed him and cheated him out of sixteen months of his life.
But, nope. Right now he knew that she couldn’t help who her brother was, any more than he could help who his mother was. Or his father for that matter.
But that didn’t change anything.
If she knew where DeLuna was, he intended to find out. Just because he didn’t hold a grudge against her didn’t mean he didn’t hold one against her brother.
“The only thing I gave you an upgrade on was the wine.” He set the bag on the floor and pulled out the bottle of Cabernet from the other.
Temptation flashed in her eyes.
He couldn’t help wondering what else tempted her. “I have a couple of glasses in my apartment.”
She jerked her eyes up. The longing and humor vanished.
Glancing at the bag at his feet, she said, “I tell you what. I’ll take everything but the wine.”
“No. I mean…” He wasn’t accustomed to being turned down. “You sharing the wine with me wasn’t a condition. I just thought… since we’re neighbors…” He motioned to the door to his left.
“You live… there?” Her expression looked as if she’d just sniffed sour milk.
“Don’t worry, I’m a good neighbor. No loud music, no wild parties.” And as soon as I get the info I need, I’ll never bother you again. His gut tightened. “I’m just new in town and thought…”
“I’m not interested in…” She paused.
“Conversation?” he finished for her. “Because that’s all I was asking for.”
She bit down on the edge of her bottom lip and studied him. “Gay?”
“What?” he asked, certain he’d misunderstood.
“Are you gay?”
“No! Hell, no. Not even a little bit. I meant… I wasn’t looking… I just wanted…”
She leaned closer. “Keep your eye out for the woman who lives in two-oh-six and the one in two hundred. Both blondes, they have guys come and go all the time, so I know they are open to”—she shrugged—“ conversation.”
“You’re difficult,” he said, not even meaning to state it out loud.
“And you’re pushy,” she said, pursing her lips into a tight bow.
He frowned. “Because I asked you to share a glass of wine with me?”
“No. Because I refused your offer and you can’t accept it.”
“I can accept it.” He just didn’t like it.
“Good. Then enjoy the wine.” She nodded at the bottle and reached for the other bag.
“No,” he said, getting more agitated, “the wine stays with the pizza.” He leaned down and snatched up the other bag before she did, and placed the bottle inside. Then he handed both bags off to her. “Take it.”
She did but didn’t look happy. “See, you’re pushy.”
“And you’re still difficult,” he answered back. But then he spotted the grin flashing in her eyes and couldn’t stop himself from laughing. The sound of her laugh followed his and had her dimples winking at him. He got the oddest desire to touch her cheek. Since when had he enjoyed arguing with a woman?
“Okay,” she said, her smile still on her lips. “I’ll be the bigger person and say thank you.”
He quirked another brow at her. “But you still won’t share it?”
“Nope.” She didn’t even hesitate. “But I’m still the bigger person.”
Not by a long shot, he almost said, remembering how small she’d felt in his arms. Warm. Soft. Almost fragile. “How tall are you?”
She rolled her eyes. “I meant ‘bigger’ hypothetically. I’m five-two and a half.”
“With or without shoes?” He laughed again. But the laugh was cut short when not one, but two, yellow-eyed creatures appeared at the door. One was black, and one was orange. Their presence had the air he’d just inhaled hitching in his chest. Then the black one hissed.
He forced himself to step, not jump, back. He should have been better at hiding his fear since Tyler occasionally brought his wife’s cat to the office. And maybe Austin was better, but his skin still crawled, and the two-inch scar under his arm that he’d carried since he was four started to itch.
“You have two cats?”
“No,” she said. “Four. Two are just semi-feral.”
“Four,” he said. “I thought that was illegal.”
She made a cute face. “No. Well, I mean the apartment manager thinks I have two. But that’s our secret.” She studied him. “You don’t like cats?”
His gaze shifted from the devilish-looking creatures to her soft brown eyes. “What’s not to like?” It came out sounding sincere, but only because he started thinking about her.
“You have one?” she asked.
“Yes, I mean, no. I just lost one, not too long ago.” See, he could wing it.
“Sorry. That’s hard. I’m a vet. Purrfect Pets. I specialize in felines.” Her empathy-filled eyes widened. “Are you open to adopting? I have one I’m trying to place in a good home.”
Oh, shit. “No, I…” Absolutely no more winging it.
“Too soon?” she asked.
“Yeah.” He jumped at that answer.
“You know sometimes it can help.”
“That’s not the case,” he said quickly.
She nodded and looked at the wine in the bag and then she met his gaze. Temptation filled her eyes. And just like that, he knew. She was reconsidering. They were going to share the wine.
“Maybe it wouldn’t be a bad thing…” A phone rang. She looked back inside, then up at him. The spark of promise in her eyes vanished.
“I should… take this. It’s probably my brother. Thanks again.”
Austin’s gut tightened as she closed the door.
Which brother?
He stood there, even moved in to see if he could hear. The cheap-ass door was just thick enough to prevent eavesdropping from across the room.
Frowning, he swung back to his apartment.
Looked like he was going with plan B.
“Luis?” Leah dropped the groceries on the table and snatched up the phone without checking the number. Her gaze shot back to her front door, and her heart raced at how close she’d come to agreeing to share the wine with her new hot neighbor. Which, no doubt, would have been a colossal mistake.
“Luis?” she repeated.
“Sorry, it’s me, Evelyn.”
“Oh,” Leah said. Where the hell was Luis? Was something wrong?
“You okay?” her office manager asked.
“Fine.”
“You don’t sound fine. It’s that half brother of yours, isn’t it? He’s bad news, right?”
Leah hadn’t done a lot of talking about Rafael. As a matter of fact, Evelyn and Sara had sort of been giving her the stink eye, because she out-and-out told them “no questions.” She had her reasons, too. Talking about Rafael would lead her to talking about her dad, and some things were best forgotten.
She remembered telling Austin, I don’t want any gifts, I don’t like gifts. She’d seen the gifts her father had brought her mother. Hell, Leah had even gotten a few gifts from him. Something pretty wrapped up in a neat little bow to make up for the fact that they were his dirty little secret.
They weren’t even good enough to get his name. Little did he know, Leah would have traded those presents any day of the week for a real father who loved her. And while in his own way he might’ve loved their mom, he’d proven how little he loved her and Luis when their mom died in a car accident and he disappeared.
“Is this brother causing you trouble?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“You didn’t have to say it. You’ve been off your game ever since he called this morning. That, and the fact that you’ve never even mentioned that you have a half brother, tells me he’s trouble.”
“Yeah, well, he’s not worth mentioning.”
“Well, if he causes you any problems, let me know. I’ve got four six-foot-plus strapping men—a hubby and three sons—who’d be happy to teach a guy a lesson.”
“I don’t think it’ll come to that.” Her mind ran with Evelyn’s six-foot-plus comment and landed right back to her new neighbor. “So you just called to check on me?”
“No, I forgot to tell you that I’m going to be late tomorrow. It’s my morning to get my boobs smashed.”
“Your morning to get what?” Leah asked.
“Boobs smashed. You know, mammogram. They have you strip down, tape BBs to your nipples, then have you stand there willingly while they put them in a large vise and smoosh the hell out of them.”
“Sounds like fun.” Leah covered her boobs protectively with her free arm.
“It is. I always ask the technician if I can wear the BBs home to entice my hubby.”
Leah chuckled. “You’re crazy.”
“You need a little crazy in your life,” Evelyn said. “How long has it been since you enjoyed yourself?”
Tonight verbally sparring and flirting with Austin Brookshire. “Maybe I’ll see about getting a mammogram.” But for now, at least she had her pizza and wine. Phone caught between her ear and shoulder, she picked up the bag and went into the kitchen and started putting away the groceries.
“Oh, guess who I ran into today at the grocery store?” Evelyn asked.
“George Clooney?” Leah put the eggs in the fridge.
Evelyn chuckled. “I wish. It was Eric Taylor. He asked how things were going and said again for you to call him if you changed your mind.”
Leah closed her eyes. At times she was tempted to call Eric and take him up on his offer. But Purrfect Pets had been her dream, and letting him buy into the business and turn it into a traditional vet office would change things. Eric, who had sold his clinic back in Austin, had moved back home to Heartbroke. He was working part-time with the only other vet in town, and he wasn’t too happy and thought they would make good partners. And they probably would. Deep down she knew if things didn’t pick up, she might have to accept his offer. But she’d cross that bridge when she was pushed on it. Or would it be too late then?
“What did you tell him?” Leah pulled the box of tampons from the box and smiled in spite of the dire conversation. She still couldn’t believe he’d bought them.
“That I’d pass on the message,” Evelyn answered.
“And do you have an opinion on the issue?” Leah sat the tampons on the counter. With Evelyn being the office manager, she knew Leah’s financial woes.
“It would make your life easier,” Evelyn said. “But we’re still hanging on.”
Her phone beeped. “Hey, I got another call. I should take it. Just come in tomorrow when you’re done.” She clicked off.
“Luis?” She spoke her brother’s name, hoping she was right.
“Is something wrong?” Luis’s voice should have calmed her, but instead her anger at him for trying to contact Rafael rose to the surface.
“I’ve called you like five times,” Leah said.
“I know,” Luis said. “But I’m out of town and have been with friends all day.”
“Out of town?” Leah asked. “Where are you?”
“In San Antonio. Helping a friend move.”
“San Antonio? Why didn’t you tell me you were going out of town? What about school?”
“Uh, I thought I did tell you. Or maybe I just thought about telling you and realized that you’d get your head up your ass about it, so I decided to spare you the trouble.”
She rolled her eyes. “School comes first.”
“I know. And I’m sorry for the wisecrack, it’s just I wish you’d let up sometimes. I’m not sixteen anymore. If I miss a couple of days this semester to be a good Samaritan, it’s not going to hurt my grades.”
“A couple?” she asked.
“We’re here for a few days. Give me a break. I never skip classes.”
“There’s a girl involved, isn’t there?”
“Could be,” Luis said.
She sighed and reminded herself that Luis’s grades weren’t falling. And just because she had hideous luck with men didn’t mean her brother had bad luck with women.
“You should have told me you were leaving.” Closing her eyes, she remembered her real beef with her brother. “And what is this about you asking around for Rafael?”
“What? I wasn’t… Oh, wait. I ran into that old friend of his on Sixth Street. The one he brought to Christmas that one year, the one you didn’t like? I think he went by Cruz? I swear he looked up to something. Made me nervous.”
Chills, bad chills, ran up her spine remembering Juan Cruz. She’d been eighteen, and he’d been horny and hadn’t wanted to take no for an answer. If her aunt hadn’t come home and overheard the fight, Leah wasn’t sure what would have happened. And if Juan hadn’t run like hell after her aunt noticed her ripped dress, there’d be one less bad guy in the world.
Say what you want about her aunt, stubborn as a pissed-off mule, but she’d been a strong woman, and Leah and Luis had been lucky she took them in.
“Next time you see that jerk, just walk the other way.”
Luis paused. “What happened? Did Rafael call you? He give you trouble?”
She heard the concern in Luis’s voice. Even though Luis was six years younger, and griped about her playing the big-sister role, Leah wasn’t the only one overprotective. Of course, they had to be when all they had was each other.
“Yeah, he called. He said you were trying to get in touch with him.”
“I wasn’t trying to get in touch with him. I never said that. I ran into the guy. He was acting weird. I joked about him watching out for cops. Told him to tell Rafael hello. I didn’t even mean it; I was looking for an exit line and didn’t want to seem rude.”
“Well, next time you have my permission to be rude to anyone associated with Rafael.” Especially if it’s the guy who tried to rape me.
“What did he say?” Luis asked.
She spotted the wine and opened a drawer to find the wine opener. “He wanted to know how to get in touch with you.”
“He didn’t call me,” Luis said.
“That could be because I didn’t give him your number.” She pulled out the wine opener, positioned her phone between her shoulder and ear, and peeled off the foil. Pausing, she gave the label another glance. It looked expensive. Just how much of an upgrade had her new neighbor given her? A few dollars? Five? More? She frowned. It was beginning to feel like a gift. She probably should return it to him tomorrow.
“You should have given it to him,” Luis said. “You shouldn’t have to deal with him.”
Leah would rather deal with him than let Rafael anywhere near her baby brother. When Luis was sixteen, Rafael nearly pulled him into a life of crime. Their aunt had just died and they were living on a shoestring. He’d been tempted by the cash he could earn for simply delivering a package.
Thank God she’d discovered what he was up to and put a stop to it before Luis had done the job. Of course, Rafael hadn’t been happy when Leah delivered that package back to him and told him in front of his friends that if he tried to get her brother involved in his dirty business again, she’d take the delivery straight to the police.
Of course, her little stunt hadn’t gone unpunished.
She pushed the thought from her mind now and focused back on Luis. “I handled it.” She gave the wine another glance. She’d buy Austin another bottle of the same stuff and return it to him later. Right now, she really needed a glass.
Luis moaned. “Once again, Sis, I’m not sixteen anymore.”
“I know.” She screwed the wine opener top into the cork. “You’re a whole twenty-one and a little bit smarter. But you will forever be my baby brother, so just get used to it.”
“Has anyone ever told you that you’re difficult?”
She tugged the cork out. “Yeah, as a matter of fact they have. Just this afternoon.”
“And I bet you didn’t believe ’em,” he said in a smart-ass tone.
“Of course not.” She set the wine down and grabbed a glass.
Luis chuckled. “You aren’t just difficult, you are a pain in the ass, but I still love you.”
“I know.” Leah poured the wine. Picking up the glass, she sniffed the Cab. The scent of blackberry and dark chocolate filled her nose. It smelled wonderful. It smelled expensive. “I love you, too,” she said. “And from now on, please tell me when you leave town.”
“I’ll try to remember that,” he said. “And you promise me that if Rafael calls again, you’ll give him my number and let me handle him.”
“Now, why would I make a promise I couldn’t keep?” Socks, her black and white cat, jumped up on the counter and rubbed his head against her arm.
“See, you’re difficult,” he moaned.
“I love you. Call me when you get home.” She hung up, set the phone down, gave Socks a stroke behind the ear, and took a sip of the wine. The taste danced on her tongue. “Heaven,” she muttered. So this was what girls with better bank accounts drank? Someday… someday she was gonna be able to afford good wine and wear expensive shoes.
Hell, maybe someday she’d be at an emotional place where she could date again, too. A place where she’d forget about all the men who’d let her down and the power they wielded over her when she loved them.