Falling for a Stranger (25 page)

"He wanted to show me his world," Ria replied. "The lights were just coming on in the city, and it was amazing. The view was incredible and Drew decided to add a little excitement by flying us under the Golden Gate Bridge."

"Was it scary?"

"It was exhilarating," Ria said, remembering the breathless feeling she'd experienced when they'd taken off. "I loved it. I can see why Drew likes to fly."

"And then you went out on his boat," Megan added. "Which is obviously your idea of the perfect date."

She smiled. "You know me too well."

"I think Drew does, too. Was it romantic?"

"To use one of your favorite words; it was awesome. Drew put together a really nice picnic, crab salad, fresh fruit, baked bread, wine. It was a beautiful night, lots of stars." Her voice drifted away, her heart aching at the memory of the night they'd shared, and the realization that it might have been their last night together.

"Did you kiss him?"

She stiffened at the question. "Megan. I'm not going to talk to you about that."

"Why not? It's just you and me. You would have told Mom, wouldn't you?"

"Because your mom was my sister, and you're my niece, not to mention the fact that you're sixteen."

Megan rolled her eyes. "I know about sex."

"Do you?" she asked tentatively. "Was this knowledge acquired last night?"

"No. No way. We were in a hotel room with five other people," Megan said. "We just made out a little. I'm not going to have my first time be like that."

Ria felt a wave of relief that not only had Megan not had sex last night; apparently she hadn't had it at all. "That's a good decision."

"I am capable of making them," Megan retorted.

She smiled. "You sound just like your mother. Kate had a tremendously strong will."

"Do you really think I take after her?"

"I see it more and more each day."

"Maybe being strong-willed is a family trait, because you're pretty tough, too." Megan cleared her throat. "So, you're probably going to be angry, but I have a confession to make."

Her stomach tightened. "What's that?"

"I got Drew's number off your cell phone a few days ago, and I called him this afternoon."

"Why would you call Drew?" she asked warily.

"I'm having trouble with my essay, and I have some questions."

"All right," she said slowly, sure there was more to come. "And…"

"And he's coming over for dinner," Megan said with a bright smile. "Isn't that great? He'll be able to answer my questions in person."

"You should have asked me first."

"I'm just getting a little help for school. Is it that big of a deal? You seemed like you were getting along really well this morning," she said with a gleam in her eyes.

"It's not a big deal," she said. "But I don't like you sneaking around. We have to be honest with each other, Megan. It's important."

Megan's expression grew serious. "I know. I shouldn't have looked through your phone. I'm sorry. But I think you like Drew, and I'm afraid you're going to push him away."

"If I do, that's my decision, Megan." As she finished speaking, the buzzer went off. "I guess that's him."

"He said he'd bring pizza," Megan said with a bright smile.

"Great." She got up from the bed and moved into the living room. She buzzed Drew in and then went to the door, her heart speeding up with each step. She was irritated with Megan for playing matchmaker, but deep down she was happy to see Drew again.

She opened the door as he came down the hall. A smile spread across his face when he saw her.

"Hi," he said, stopping right in front of her.

"Hi," she echoed, her stomach taking its usual nosedive.

He was holding two large pizza boxes in his hands, but he still managed to lean forward and snag a kiss off the corner of her lips. "I figured I better get that in before our chaperone joins us."

"Our chaperone is trying to be a little matchmaker."

"I know. Are you angry that she called me?"

"I should be, but I'm not. We need to talk, but it will have to be later."

"I agree."

She stepped back to let him into the apartment.

"I got four different combinations," Drew said as he set the pizza down on the table and opened the boxes. "A mix of vegetarian and meat, I wasn't sure what you liked."

"I like everything," Megan said, as she joined them at the table.

"Ria?"

She heard him call her name, but she was having trouble focusing on his question. She was too caught up in just how sexy he looked in jeans and a t-shirt with a shadow of beard along his jawline.

"Ria?" he said again.

"Oh, I like everything," she said, and she wasn't talking about the pizza.

From the intimate look he sent her, she had a feeling he could see right into her head.

"I'm going to eat in my room," Megan announced.

"You're supposed to be talking to Drew," Ria protested.

"I'll come out when you guys are done eating," Megan said. She entered the bedroom and made a point of shutting the door.

"Alone at last," Drew said with a grin. "What kind of pizza would you like?"

"Vegetarian." She grabbed plates out of the cupboard, then sat down across from him. "What did you do today?"

"I fixed my grandfather's car. Then I cleaned up their kitchen, and I watched my grandmother have a mental breakdown after reading a newspaper article." He set down his pizza and sighed. "She's really losing it."

"I'm sorry." She could see the pain in his eyes.

"It's hard to watch."

"That's the part your grandmother hates the most," Ria said.

"I know. But it's worse on my grandfather." He drew in a breath and let it out. "How was your day?"

"Better than yours." She met his gaze. "I spent most of it thinking about you."

Desire flared in his eyes. "Same here."

A long minute of shared intimacy passed between them. She wanted to talk to Drew, really talk to him, and then she wanted to kiss him, and touch him, and take off all his clothes and lose herself in his arms.

"Ria, don't look at me like that."

"I'm sorry. I don't know what is wrong with me."

"I know what's wrong with me, and that's you. We need to talk, Ria."

"Right now I'm thinking more about getting your clothes off," she said, the words slipping out before she could stop them.

He sucked in a quick breath. "Don't tell me that."

"You said you liked it when I was direct."

"I'd like it more if we were alone."

"Right." She needed to get a grip. Her niece was in the next room. "You need to speak to Megan. She's the reason you came over."

He smiled. "A small part of the reason. If she hadn't called me, I would have called you or showed up announced. But one way or the other, I was going to see you tonight. And just for the record, I've been thinking about getting your clothes off, too."

Drew paused as Megan's door opened.

Her niece took a tentative step into the room, giving them both a wary look. "Is this a good time?" she asked. "Am I interrupting anything?"

"No," Ria said, waving her into the room. "You should talk to Drew about the report, so you can get it done. Nothing like leaving it til the last minute."

"I had a lot to do this weekend," Megan said defensively. "And it was so nasty of Ms. Hobbs to make us turn in a paper right after the prom."

"She gave you plenty of time to do it," Ria said.

Megan made a face at her and then said, "I'll get my computer."

Drew smiled. "You sounded just like a mom, Ria."

She shook her head in bewilderment. "Sometimes I can't believe the words that come out of my mouth. It's like I'm channeling my mother. I never did a report early in my life. So why am I expecting Megan to do so?"

"Because you're pushing her to do the right thing. It's what parents do."

"When I was sailing around the world, I couldn't imagine myself as a parent. I wasn't sure kids were in my future."

"Really?" He raised an eyebrow. "You're great with Megan."

"Well, she's almost grown, but a baby…" She shook her head. "I could mess a kid up good."

"I don't think so. You're a natural at mothering. You have good instincts, Ria. You should listen to them."

"Except when they tell me I should get you out of my life as quickly as possible?" she challenged.

"Except then," he agreed.

"Okay," Megan said, returning to the room. "I just have a few questions."

"You can have my seat," Ria said. "I'll put the rest of this pizza away. You should take some home when you leave, Drew. Otherwise, Megan and I will be eating it for breakfast for days."

As she cleaned up, she only half-listened to Megan and Drew. Her mind drifted as she thought about what it would be like to share this kind of scene every night. To have a man in her life, a man who cared about her and about Megan—a man who could make her laugh, and make her crazy, and make her life a little bit brighter. She could see Drew in that role. He'd already insinuated himself into every aspect of her life, and now that he was in, she didn't know how to get him out. Worse, she didn't want to get him out.

But she couldn't live in her imagination. This was the real world. And the real world held danger. Getting complacent would be a huge mistake.

"I think I've got enough," Megan said a short while later. "I better start typing. Thanks Drew. You're awesome."

"No problem. Just make sure your paper is awesome, too."

"I will."

As Megan left the room, Drew stood up. "What do you think about taking a walk, Ria?"

She hesitated. "It's late."

"It's not late. It's seven-thirty," he said dryly.

"All right, but a quick walk." She went into the bedroom. "Drew and I are going to take a walk. I won't be gone long. I'll have my phone if you need me."

Megan smiled and gave her a thumbs up. "Have fun."

* * *

Drew took Ria's hand as they walked out of her apartment building. For a split second, she resisted, then her fingers curled around his. And it felt exactly right to have her hand in his. He tightened his grip on her, wanting to keep her close for as long as possible.

"I can't remember the last time I held someone's hand," she murmured as they walked down the shadowy street.

"It's nice," he said, realizing how much he liked having her at his side.

"It is," she agreed.

"Are you cold?"

"No, I'm good."

They walked for a few blocks without speaking and then Drew steered her toward a bench at the edge of a small park. He let go of her hand as they sat down, and he was surprised at how quickly he missed the contact of her skin against his. But they needed to talk.

"I went to see my sister and her fiancé today, Emma and Max," he said.

Even in the shadowy moonlight, he could see Ria tense.

"As I mentioned before, Max is a homicide detective with the SFPD. I asked him to find out whatever he could about Enrique Valdez. Specifically, I want to know if he's accused of any crimes, if there are any warrants for his arrest, and if there are, how close anyone is to catching him." He could see the anger brewing in her eyes. "I didn't tell them anything about you, Ria."

"Oh, come on, Drew. I met Emma the other night. She knows you're spending time with me, even if she doesn't know my story. Suddenly you show up at her door with questions about a drug smuggler? If she's as smart as you say she is, I'm pretty sure she already knows your questions have something to do with me."

"You're right," he admitted. "But she doesn’t know the details."

"Well, that's great."

"I would trust Emma with my life."

"You're not trusting her with your life; you're trusting her with mine and with Megan's," Ria said.

"Max will be discreet," he argued. "He's not going to mention my name or yours."

"But he's going to be your brother-in-law, which connects him to you, which connects him to me. I have to be careful of every link, Drew. I have to watch my trail, and since you and I ran into each other again, my trail is covered with clues."

He heard the frustration in her voice. "I know you're worried, Ria, but I'm trying to help you. You haven't had time to think about going on the offensive. And I understand that. But you can't hide out forever. You need a long-term solution."

"This isn't a game, Drew. There isn't offense and defense; there's just staying alive, and you're making it harder."

"No," he said with an emphatic shake of his head. "If you think I'm your main problem, think again. Your biggest problem is in your apartment. Megan is a talker, and she has a boyfriend, and she's going to want to tell him things. And what about her friends, her phone, her text messages? She has a computer. She goes on the Internet. You have no idea what kind of trail she's leaving."

"Stop," she said, putting up her hand. "I hear what you're saying, but I make sure that Megan is careful."

"You can't watch her every minute, and she thinks she's safe now. You've made her believe that, and that's good, because you want her to be happy and not grow up paranoid and stressed out. But she's not safe, and someday, she's going to slip, and she's going to tell someone something. If we can find a way to get Enrique Valdez into prison, you and Megan will really be safe," Drew said.

"Enrique has a long reach and a big organization. Prison won't change that."

"At the very least, you should be able to get legal custody of Megan."

"After I'm thrown in jail for kidnapping her?" she asked sarcastically. "I'm the one who's going to end up in prison, Drew, not Enrique."

"I won't let that happen."

"Megan may think you're a superhero, but I know better." She got to her feet. "I'm going home."

"Wait." He grabbed her arm, pulling back down on the bench.

"What? Is there more? Who else did you talk to about me?"

"No one, but we're not done discussing this."

"I'm done."

He ignored her statement. "Why does Enrique want Megan?"

"What do you mean?"

"Is he after her money? Did she witness something that he wants to protect? What was his motivation for hiding her out on the island? He must have taken her away from her home, her friends, the other members of the family. Why?"