INK: Fine Lines (Book 1) (26 page)

We all stand, shaking hands and making small talk. Glass turns away from them and approaches me. He has a look on his face as though he smells something bad. Leaning in close to me he says in a low tone, “Ms. Baynes, you may think we’re done, but mark my words I’m going to nail you for this.” He holds out his hand and speaks in a normal tone, “Thank you for your cooperation. Take care.”

I pull him closer, our hands still locked in a handshake, my gaze steely with promise. “Thanks for all you’ve done. Perhaps in appreciation you’ll find yourself the star in my next comic.”

Glass staggers two steps back with his mouth hanging open when in unison DA Preston and Detective Glass’s phones begin to chirp. They check their phones and DA Preston announces they have to go. Bob stands and offers to see them out.

“Miss Baynes, thank you again for your assistance. I’m glad we were able to clear things up. I’m sure your dad will be happy too. Maybe he’ll return my phone calls now. I’d like to hit the back nine with him again soon.” DA Preston still seems tense, but at least he’s trying to extend an olive branch. I hadn’t thought of what all of this must have done to him and my dad’s friendship. They’ve been golf and fishing buddies for years.

After they leave Eli hurries in, stopping when he sees the court reporter. He dismisses her presence and comes straight to me, pleading, with his eyes bluer than the ocean in the distance over his shoulder, “Shay, I have to go, but I want to talk to you. I will call you later. Please pick up.”

I’m so riled up over Glass’s vendetta I can barely process the softness in his tone. “I suppose you want to talk about Taffy? No thanks.” Her name oozes out of my mouth.

“Yeah I want to tell you that she’s-” Eli is cut off by his phone ringing again. He looks at the number and shakes his head in frustration.

“I have to go, please just give me five minutes, I’m sure once you hear me out you’ll see Taffy’s not a problem anymore, just read the note. I’ll call you,” he says, walking through the door, aggravation and remorse clouding his expression.

I shake my head in frustration. He knows I didn’t read the note. Whatever, Eli can do what or 
who
 he wants. It’s none of my business. He broke it off with me and I have no claims on him. It doesn’t mean that it doesn’t hurt like hell. Aiden appears at my side. “You okay?”

I nod, still lost in thought, trying desperately not to picture Eli motor-boating in Taffy’s cleavage. “Yeah, I just...it’s that…never mind.”

“Shay, you should go easy on him. Hear him out. All of this was because of him.” Jason holds up the paperwork that represents my freedom. “I’m certain he hasn’t slept in days; he found things our researchers may have never found. He put his ass on the line for you. He’s been put on review and will likely lose his job.”

“I’m sure he did a lot and I’m very thankful to you and everyone that’s been helping me. I really am.” I want to recapture that feeling of elation when Jason first told me about this being over, but Eli sucked it out the room when he entered. Now hearing that he could lose his job makes everything so much worse. “There’s something personal that I don’t think I’ll be able to get past.”

Jason looks at Aiden, considering his words. There’s slight hint of apprehension in his gaze as he just lays it out for everyone to hear. “Eli loves you. He’s a good guy. You should at least hear him out.”

Aiden stiffens and interlaces our hands together. “Well, there are some things she may not be willing to get over.”

“I’m hoping she has the good sense to get over all of it.” Jason challenges Aiden.

“Jason, that whole situation is dead and buried.” I dismiss his advice, as painful as it is. “Is there anything else I need to do or can I go home?” I need to get out of here, the tension is strangling me. Although I’m quite impressed with the way that Jason just threw his dick on the table like that and had no problem throwing Aiden under the Eli Express.

“There are a couple of things that you need to understand. If there is new evidence that can connect you with the murders, Glass is coming after you with a vengeance.” Jason raises a brow.

“Yeah, I know. He as much as said so.” I recall our little exchange. What an asshole.

“I wouldn’t be running any red lights or speeding in any residential zones,” Jason warns. “You should also conduct yourself as though someone is always watching. I think Glass will likely have a tail on you and be monitoring your movements.”

“Goading him isn’t helping either.” Aiden gives my hand a rattle while giving me a disapproving look. I guess he saw our tête-à-tête.

“I know; there’s just something that happens when he’s around me. I kind of lose my cool.” I bat my eyelashes, as if that will put their fears to rest. The look on Jason’s face says that he is saving the best news for last. “Is there anything else?”

“Yes, and this you aren’t going to like, but if you really think about it, I know you’ll see the logic in it. Lay off that comic for a while. We are still working on an injunction against the new covers as well as delaying the release of the next issues until things die down a bit.”

I close my eyes in defeat. I can already smell copious amounts of ramen in my future. “Jason, that’s like someone telling you that you can’t go to the courthouse to try cases.”

“I understand. It’ll only be a few months, until we are sure this all over.” He comes and puts a hand on my shoulder. He gives me a fatherly look and for the first time I notice the crow’s feet spreading out from his eyes and graying hair at his temples. “You’re at the finish line here. Take some down time and enjoy it.”

I’m so torn. I know it’s for the better, but I really don’t want to face Raphael with this tidbit of news. He’s going to have a conniption fit and fire me on the spot. Hey, painting portraits of the babies of the backwoods at the flea market isn’t so bad, right? Who am I kidding, it’s the worst. I have to do something. I don’t want to release issue six; I’ll redo it. I’ll do what they need me to for now, but this isn’t over. Not by a long shot. I don’t even like ramen.

Aiden

Leaving the parking deck, I turn toward the beach. “I thought you might like to celebrate with a walk on the beach.” My hand firmly entwines with her delicate digits. With all of the stress of the world having melted away she looks relaxed.

“I’d like that.” Her luscious red lips erupt into a smile that lights up her face. The thought of tugging at her full lips with my teeth consumes me. My jeans cinch up slightly with my dick coming to life at the prospect of making her mine again. She gazes forward, watching the ocean draw closer.

Before I can pull into a parking space she’s already unlaced her boots, ready to jump out when the truck finally comes to a rest. She runs, not walks, straight for the soft sand, letting it half-bury her feet. She looks so beautiful with the wind blowing through her hair, it’s perfect seeing her like this without a care in the world. She’s spinning on the sand and her skirt is whipping across her legs like a flag declaring her freedom. Dark strands of wild hair slide across her face unapologetically. It’s like when we were in high school.

I can’t help myself; I run to her and lift her two feet off the ground, swinging her around for a victory spin. This feels so right, holding her, feeling her warm skin against mine. I bury my nose in her hair and breathe in her scent. Gardenias and lilacs—she’s intoxicating. I survive on holding her, smelling her, just being near her. I don’t know how I could have ever lived being far away from her.

Her soft body presses against me and a pleasant hum resonates through my being. I whisper in her ear, “I told you I would see this through, and I want to see every day through with you for the rest of our lives.”

I put her gently back on the ground, pulling back slightly to look at her in hopes that she returns the sentiment. Her long dark hair is wild just like her, and the red streaks create the illusion of her being on fire. She is, she’s on fire with beauty and life. Her pale blue eyes look at me lovingly. That’s the look I’ve been missing, that look that says everything a man could want to hear. I stare into her, seeing my whole world and future in her until neither of us can stand the distance a second longer. My lips crash over hers with a heat that rivals solar flares. Her kisses are delicate and careful, considerate. My hands find the silky skin under her sweater. My entire body ticks to life. I grind the growing bulge in my pants against her and an electricity courses through us, the passion running wild, sweeping us deeper into one another.

We are brought crashing back to reality by the sound of someone clearing their throat. We both look in the direction of the sound to see a woman holding her hands over her child’s eyes, shooting us a look that could kill. We look at each other. Shay’s pale cheeks fill with color; I can only laugh.

“Sorry.” Shay mouths wiping my moisture from her lips, trying hard to suppress the rampant giggle fighting to escape. She’s a beautiful work of art.

I tug at her hand and we walk further down the beach, laughing. Once we are a safe distance from the duo I fall backwards into the sand pulling her on top of me. She rests her hand on my heart. I hitch a few rogue strands of hair behind her ear to no avail as the wind lashes them back across her face. “Unruly, just like you.” I study her with adoration. “I love you Shay. My heart won’t beat unless you are in it.”

She leans down and kisses me. The longing and desperation riding on her lips makes me yearn for her, makes me want this with her forever. Her guard is down and I will cherish that. I’m never going to leave her again. I’m here, for good, whether she’ll have me or not. I can feel the gears turning in her mind; she thinks I’m already making my exit plan, but she’s wrong. I have to prove it to her, starting now. “You just can’t turn it off can you?”

Her lids close heavily and she shakes her head. Releasing a long sigh, a sad smile spreads across her face, but her eyes don’t light up. They are drowning in doubt and caution.

I slide her to the side, leaning up on one elbow. “Shay, why don’t we take things slow. Whatever pace feels right to you. I’m not going anywhere. I’m here with you. It’s where I want to be. There is nothing that could pull me away from you now.”

She looks at me from under her lashes, thinking a moment too long for my comfort, I put my finger over her lips “Shh. I said slow. Why don’t we try dating, we haven’t done that in a long time. We can see where it goes.”

She’s taking a moment to consider it; at least she didn’t just shoot me down right away. She’s looking deep into my eyes and I’m captivated by her gaze. I’m lucky to have her even if it is only for this moment. Her lips are inviting me to devour them. Her teeth glide along her bottom lip. She’s such a tease. She finally gives me an answer by slipping her hand behind my neck and pulling me to her in a series of kisses that get us thrown off the beach.

Shay

We round the corner, passing the dilapidated gate to my neighborhood, Sunset Heights. It was supposed to be the premier retirement community in the county. Situated just two miles as the crow flies from the ocean, across the street from the river and minutes from downtown Palm Harbor, the location was prime. The master-planned community was to boast five thousand homes built exclusively for those fifty-five and up. That is, until the real estate bubble burst, forcing the developer into bankruptcy.

Now the community has no maintenance crew, no home owner’s association, and eighty or so cookie-cutter ranch homes sparsely dotting the vast expanse of empty home sites on huge plots of land sold off to the home owners by creditors to recoup their losses. I own one such home, a small two-bedroom, one bath, low-maintenance ranch home that sits on four acres of land. A graduation gift from my uncle when he decided he would trade in isolation for shuffleboard at Holiday Park.

As Aiden starts to turn onto my street, I put my hand on his arm, shaking my head in disapproval. “Can you go the other way? I don’t want to drive by Gary and Alice’s.”

He fails at a smile and nods, taking the second left that brings us the long way to my house.

“You get the groceries and I’ll get the suitcases,” Aiden bargains with me.

“Sure thing.” I get out of the truck and go to the back, pulling up the cover that reveals our groceries tethered with bungee ties in the bed. The air is heavy with the smell of rain. The sky has a dual personality. Above my house there’s a beautiful pink glow from the sunset, not one cloud over us. Looking east toward the ocean I can see the storm rolling in slowly, pregnant with rain.

“Hey, do you think we’ll have time to grill out?” I draw Aiden’s attention to the looming clouds.

“Oh yeah, we’ve got some time,” he answers confidently, surveying the skies, then dips into me with a quick kiss.

As soon as I breach the threshold of the house I notice the stale quality to the air. I open the windows to circulate out my absence. Aiden is already on the covered porch, firing up the gas grill.

Quietly I walk up behind him and rest my head in the divot on his back, releasing a heavy sigh. He reaches for my hand and draws it around across his chest to his heart. It feels good like this, I feel so at ease. Aiden looks straight ahead and takes in a breath to speak. “This is how I want things to be.”

“I know,” I say quietly. “Part of me wants this too.”

He turns around, not releasing my hand, keeping it resting over his heart. “Shay, there are no words for how I feel about you, none that will do. ‘I love you’ feels so small in comparison.” His golden eyes penetrate me to the depths of my heart. I study his gorgeous features. His silky brown hair tied back, his handsome jawline, the way his lips demand that I nibble them. I smile and reach up, scratching the close-cut beard on his chin. My laugh is carried out on a sigh.