Debra Webb - In His Touch Box Set (Here To Stay, Up Close, Tempting Trace, Basic Instincts) (26 page)

“So you went back inside.”

“Yeah.” He wouldn’t tell her about the fear that had nearly paralyzed him. The fear that he wouldn’t be able to find the children... the fear that if he did they’d be dead already or he wouldn’t be able to get them out. The fear of dying himself.

“I finally found them hiding in a hall closet.” He shook his head, barely restraining the tears of joy even now. “Between the roar of the fire and the sirens, they couldn’t hear me calling for them. Two were only toddlers and one of the older ones couldn’t walk.” Matthew moistened his lips. “Deciding which ones to carry out first was the hardest thing I’d ever done.”

Abby blinked. “What did you do?”

“I grabbed up the two toddlers, then knelt and ordered the child who couldn’t walk to climb on my back and hang on.” He scrubbed a hand over his face and continued, “I turned the kids over to Roger and Tom, who already had their hands full with Miss Corine and Luke. Then I went back inside.

“Before I could get the other three to safety, the middle portion of the staircase collapsed. I had to find another way out. Fast. Belvidere’s fire truck had arrived and help was out there. I just needed to figure out a way to connect with them. Everything on the east end of the house was fully involved by then. I was sharing my oxygen with the kids, but we were running out of time and options. We made our way through the smoke to the room farthest from the flames and escaped through a window. The fireman who had just arrived had already headed to that end of the house with a ladder.”

“Did you once ask yourself why you were risking your life?”

“No,” Matthew answered without hesitation.

“Were you afraid?”

He wanted to say no to that as well, but he’d be lying. “Yes,” he murmured. “I didn’t want those kids to die... and I didn’t want to die either.”

She touched him, those soft fingertips traced the line of his jaw. “You didn’t die and neither did the children,” she whispered. She blinked, seemed to realize what she’d done and started to draw her hand back.

He grabbed her hand and tugged it to his mouth. Gently, he kissed her palm. The little catch in her breathing sent a barb of desire twisting through him. “That’s right, everybody made it,” he finished. He watched the startled expression form on her sweet face as his lips brushed a sensitive place on the inside of her wrist.

“And that... that makes you the hero of the moment,” she said on a tiny gasp.

Matthew pressed her hand against his chest, pulling her closer. “No. That makes me a guy doing what he had to do.”

“And you
always
do what you have to do,” Abby said astutely, as if he were an open book and she’d just read him from cover to cover.

“Always,” he murmured, mesmerized by the absolute perfection of her cherry red lips. He had never seen a more inviting mouth. “And right now I have to kiss you.”

Abby’s lips parted, whether in protest or acceptance he didn’t know, but he took her mouth just the same. The sweet tang of lemonade and the lust-arousing warmth of her filled him. Her lips were so soft that the thought of kissing her the way he longed to scared the hell out of him. He wanted to crush her against him and ravage her mouth with the passion pounding inside him. But he held back for fear of startling her with the intensity of the kind of need he hadn’t felt in years.

Her fingers splayed over his chest, trailed up his throat and then traced his jaw. Matthew threaded his fingers into all those silky curls and deepened the kiss. Her answering moan set him on fire. His heart stumbled in his chest when she opened wider, inviting him inside her luscious mouth. Desire arrowed straight to his loins and all sense of self-control shattered.

Matthew leaned her against the window and thrust his tongue deep inside her waiting mouth. Her arms went instantly around his neck, drawing him closer, urging him to take her the way he longed to. Her breasts flattened beneath his chest and the decision was made right then and there.

Matthew wanted to make love to Abby.

Right now.

With Jenny and her family, his father and other relatives—including the righteous reverend—right downstairs. He didn’t care. He wanted her... wanted her bad.

Right now.

Somehow his hand found her soft inner thigh and Matthew groaned loudly into her mouth. “Christ, I want you,” he mumbled against her lips.

Abby tugged his mouth back to hers. “Don’t talk,” she murmured as she took control of the kiss.

“Matthew!” The door burst open. “Dinner’s—”

He snapped his gaze toward the intrusion, as did Abby.

His sister.

Damn.

“Ready,” Jenny finished, astonishment written all over her face.

Startled, Abby bolted from his arms. “Thank you,” she said shakily.

Matthew took a little longer to compose himself and get to his feet. Some things just couldn’t be rushed. Like the raging arousal a few minutes alone with Abby Wade had left him with. Another minute or so and Jenny would have walked in on...

Matthew almost groaned out loud. What the hell was wrong with him? Jenny’s kids could be anywhere in the house. He passed a hand over his face and exhaled his frustration.

He watched in self-disgust as Abby gathered her purse and tape recorder and disappeared with his well-meaning sister.

Jenny was already suspicious where he and Abby were concerned. How on earth would he explain this to her?

Better yet, how on earth was he ever going to keep his hands off Abby?

~*~

How humiliating
.

Abby had done a bang-up job so far of redeeming herself in Jenny’s eyes. She cringed at being caught making out with Matthew. Had Jenny not interrupted... God, Abby didn’t even want to consider the possibility.

She scanned the faces around the long dining table. What would these people think if they knew? Her eyes widened in horror. What if they did know? When the reverend eyed her suspiciously, Abby had to suppress the urge to touch her forehead and see if the word “fornicator” had somehow formed there.

How had this happened to her?

She had never behaved with such a lack of professionalism in her entire adult life. Hell, she hadn’t even acted that way as a child. Dalton Wade had reared his only offspring to have impeccable manners, classic taste, and absolute discipline.
Wanton
definitely wasn’t a word that could be applied to her.

Until now.

Her father would be appalled at her behavior. Dear God, she was practically throwing herself at a man she’d met only forty-eight hours ago. And on assignment, no less. Abby shuddered inwardly. She had likely corroborated every deplorable thing these fine small town folks had heard about big city women.

“Abby.”

She jolted back to the present. All eyes were on her. Had she spoken those thoughts aloud? Why not? Her humiliation was complete now. What would one more faux pas matter?

“I thought maybe after dinner you’d like to take a tour of the offices of the
Sentinel
,” Jenny suggested.

Relieved, Abby smiled. “That would be very nice.”

Maybe if she gave Jenny that interview she wanted so badly she’d forget all about that little scene in Matthew’s old bedroom.

But the concerned look in Jenny’s eyes gave Abby the uneasy feeling that it was going to take more than an interview to undo the damage.

~*~

Abby listened with avid interest as Jenny told her of all the plans she had for her small newspaper. Watching the woman’s animation as she spoke, it didn’t take long to realize that Jenny truly loved the business of writing, of keeping people informed, just as Abby did.

Although the building that housed the
Salem Sentinel
was old and small, and its equipment somewhat antiquated, the operation was run efficiently enough to support the paper’s small circulation.

Jenny had a particularly keen business sense. She intended to update, and to give her only competitor, the
County Chronicle
, a run for its money. Judging from the woman’s clear determination, Abby had no doubt that she would do just that.

“What I really need is a partner,” Jenny concluded as they reached the end of their tour.

Abby frowned, puzzled. “A partner?”

Jenny nodded. “If the expansion goes as planned I’ll need someone to help me run this place.” She sighed as she led the way back to her car. “I have responsibilities at home. The twins will be starting school this fall and I want an active part in their education.” She paused before getting behind the wheel, shooting Abby a look across the top of the car. “And I have a husband. He needs a chunk of my time, too.”

Abby murmured polite agreement as she slid into the passenger seat and buckled her seat belt. Jenny had just summed up the exact reasons why Abby did not want a husband.

Or kids.

She liked things organized and predictable. There was nothing more unorganized or unpredictable than children. Or husbands, for that matter, she added.

No doubt about it, Abby was happy just as she was—no strings, no unnecessary emotional entanglements, no commitments.

When Jenny braked to a stop in Matthew’s drive, she turned to Abby, concern marring her features once more. “There’s something you should know about Matt.”

Surprised, Abby’s hand stilled on the door handle. “What’s that?” Perhaps Jenny planned to offer some tidbit in hopes of reminding Abby of her promised interview. Abby had every intention of participating in the story Jenny planned, so bribery wasn’t necessary. If they hadn’t gotten so caught up in discussing Jenny’s plans, Abby would have gladly done it today.

“I don’t want you to take this the wrong way or anything,” Jenny said softly. “Matt’s looking for a lifetime commitment. He’s not the kind of man to take anything lightly.” She hesitated, fidgeting with her nails, feigning interest in her manicure for a time before she spoke again. “I really like you, Abby.” She lifted her uncertain gaze back to Abby’s. “But I don’t want you to break my brother’s heart.”

Chapter Five

After Jenny’s warning, Abby hadn’t known exactly how to handle the Matthew situation. But she was duty-bound to finish her interview, and that meant spending more time in his company.

As she was doing now.

“Turn the what?” Abby stared at Matthew as if he’d spoken a foreign language—one she hadn’t learned at one of the posh private boarding schools her father had shipped her off to while he had done his globe-trotting.

Matthew patted the handle of a steel rod sticking out of a hole on the ground. Well, it wasn’t exactly a hole, Abby thought. It was kind of like the manholes in the city, but much smaller and certainly shallower. The covers were similar, though.

“This is a meter key. This,” he pointed into the hole, “is a water meter.”

Abby stared into the hole. “Okay,” she said slowly, drawing the word out.

“I’ve turned the water off. When I give you the word, turn the key clockwise to turn the water back on.”

Frowning, Abby studied his obviously impatient expression. “Why did you turn the water off?”

One hand braced on his hip, Matthew pushed the bill of his cap higher on his forehead. “It doesn’t matter why I turned it off, just turn it on when I say so.”

She shrugged. “Sure. I can do that.” She wasn’t an idiot. The final glance Matthew gave her as he walked back toward the house proclaimed his belief otherwise. “Men,” she muttered. “They think they know everything.”

Was it
her
fault that he’d dropped the load he’d been carrying to his truck this morning on his foot?

Nooooo.

Was it her fault that he’d spilled his coffee all over the place at the Mini-Market?

Nooooo.

The man was obviously a klutz. But somehow he held her responsible for his bad morning. You could always count on a man to blame the closest woman.

Huffing her frustration, Abby tapped her foot against the thick grass. It was probably just as well that he stayed in there—and she stayed out here. After the heated moment they shared yesterday in his old room, she wasn’t sure they needed to spend any more time than necessary alone together. And there wasn’t anyone at home inside the house.

She was definitely better off out here—away from Mr. Klutz. Last night after Jenny had dropped her off, Abby had gone straight to her room and worked on her story. She hadn’t wanted to see Matthew Stone. She hadn’t wanted to talk to him. She hadn’t even wanted to think about him.

But she had.

All night long she had thought about how the man could kiss.

Jenny’s warning echoed through Abby’s head. Why would Jenny feel it necessary to issue such a warning to her? Abby was only going to be here for a few more days. Surely Jenny didn’t think... Yes, Abby acknowledged ruefully as she recalled the way she and Matthew had been lip-locked when his sister walked in, she likely did think just that.

Jenny probably thought that Matthew and Abby were headed toward an affair.

Abby groaned.

She didn’t have casual affairs, especially not with assignments. She never, ever got personally involved. And she wasn’t going to now.

Yeah, right.

Wasn’t she doing a grand job so far?

Abby forced her thoughts back to her present predicament, standing in the middle of a stranger’s front yard guarding a...a meter key. Salem wasn’t so bad for a small town, she supposed. Modest ranch style homes lined the streets running parallel to this one. Cornfields spread as far as the eye could see beyond the immaculately maintained houses and lawns.

She scanned the neighborhood again. No kids out playing in the yards, she noticed. Probably too early. Since it was summer there wasn’t any school. Kids liked to sleep late in the summer, that much she knew. Not that she’d ever gotten to do so herself. A former Marine, Dalton Wade didn’t tolerate slackers.

Dogs
.

The four-letter word crept into her consciousness like a thief to steal her courage. Abby swallowed. Where there were kids, there were bound to be dogs.

“Okay, Abby, you’re overreacting. You haven’t heard the first bark or even seen a dog yet,” she assured herself. “Besides, you’re a lot bigger now than when you were five.”