clothes.”
“Nope.”
“Tessa…where’s your left shoe?”
“Oh. I forgot to go back for it.” Her apartment consisted of the “great” room—kitchen, living room and dining room all in one—and a small bedroom and bathroom. Since she favored bright colors, the placewas full of them, from the blue-and-green couch she sat on to the sunshine-yellow kitchen table and matching chairs she’d painted herself, to the plants she had thriving in every corner. On the walls were Rafe’s photographs—some abstract, some of their family, some of the places he’d traveled to far and wide. She sank deeper into the couch, kicked off her one shoe and put her feet up. “I’m starving.”
Carolyn was still staring at her. Slowly she came to the couch, hunkered down near Tessa and took her hand. “Honey, you’re scaring me.”
“I know how you feel about cooking, but I swear I’ll be your best friend if you could whip me up some toast and an egg or something. Even PB and J would be great.”
Carolyn didn’t budge. “Are you hurt?”
“Do I look hurt?”
“Your dress has a tear—” She fingered a rip at the seam over Tessa’s collarbone. Then her eyes went hot, and she reached out and touched Tessa’s throat. Her extremely bruised throat. “Oh my God. Baby, you’re—”
“It’s okay.”
“I’m calling the police.”
Tessa caught her hand and brought it up to her cheek, turning her face into it. “I’m okay.”
With her other hand, Carolyn stroked Tessa’s hair off her face. “Are you sure? What happened? Tell me everything.”
“This is the worst of it,” she said of the bruises. “I promise.”
“So you weren’t—”
“No one touched me.” Well, no one that she hadn’t wanted to.
“Spill, damn it. Tell me right now or I’m calling Rafe.”
Their brother was the oldest of the three of them and even more protective than Carolyn. When his sisters had first started dating, it’d nearly killed him. Eventually, he’d gotten used to it, but only by pretending they were still virgins.
If Rafe thought she’d been hurt, nothing would stop him from exacting revenge. “I was supposed to watch Eddie’s house this weekend.”
“Yes,” her sister said impatiently. “The boss’s house in the La Canada hills with all its riches and finery. What happened, Tessa?”
“When I let myself in, I interrupted a burglary in progress.”
Carolyn’s mouth fell open. “Oh my God.”
“Before I could get out of the house, one of them grabbed me and locked me in a room so he could finish what he’d started, which was stealing from Eddie.”
Carolyn wrapped her arms around Tessa. “He grabbed you?”
“Luckily, all he wanted was me out of his way. Eddie’s son had also been shoved into this room, so I wasn’t alone.”
“Eddie has a son? Is he okay?”
“He’s not a little kid, he’s…all grown up.” Really grown up.
“So the two of you were together, locked in a room? All night long?”
She tried not to squirm because Carolyn could read a squirm at thirty miles. “Yes.”
“Tell me he’s a nice guy, Tessa.”
Her sister looked so distraught, so worried, she managed a smile. And though “nice” wasn’t quite the word she would have used to describe Reilly Ledger, she said, “He’s a very nice guy.”
Her sister studied her for a long moment. “You must have been terrified.”
How to explain that with Reilly her terror had taken a back seat to other things, such as a lust she was embarrassed about now.
“How did you get out?”
Good. A question she could answer. “We waited for dawn, then crawled up through an attic access. Eddie’s son beat the crap out of the bad guys and called the cops.”
Carolyn’s eyes were huge. “Does Eddie’s son have a name?”
“Reilly.”
“And he was good to you.”
“Very,” she said simply.
“Well, then.” Carolyn squeezed Tessa again. “I want to hug him, too.”
“He’s not really the huggable type.” She
“Nope.”
“Tessa…where’s your left shoe?”
“Oh. I forgot to go back for it.” Her apartment consisted of the “great” room—kitchen, living room and dining room all in one—and a small bedroom and bathroom. Since she favored bright colors, the placewas full of them, from the blue-and-green couch she sat on to the sunshine-yellow kitchen table and matching chairs she’d painted herself, to the plants she had thriving in every corner. On the walls were Rafe’s photographs—some abstract, some of their family, some of the places he’d traveled to far and wide. She sank deeper into the couch, kicked off her one shoe and put her feet up. “I’m starving.”
Carolyn was still staring at her. Slowly she came to the couch, hunkered down near Tessa and took her hand. “Honey, you’re scaring me.”
“I know how you feel about cooking, but I swear I’ll be your best friend if you could whip me up some toast and an egg or something. Even PB and J would be great.”
Carolyn didn’t budge. “Are you hurt?”
“Do I look hurt?”
“Your dress has a tear—” She fingered a rip at the seam over Tessa’s collarbone. Then her eyes went hot, and she reached out and touched Tessa’s throat. Her extremely bruised throat. “Oh my God. Baby, you’re—”
“It’s okay.”
“I’m calling the police.”
Tessa caught her hand and brought it up to her cheek, turning her face into it. “I’m okay.”
With her other hand, Carolyn stroked Tessa’s hair off her face. “Are you sure? What happened? Tell me everything.”
“This is the worst of it,” she said of the bruises. “I promise.”
“So you weren’t—”
“No one touched me.” Well, no one that she hadn’t wanted to.
“Spill, damn it. Tell me right now or I’m calling Rafe.”
Their brother was the oldest of the three of them and even more protective than Carolyn. When his sisters had first started dating, it’d nearly killed him. Eventually, he’d gotten used to it, but only by pretending they were still virgins.
If Rafe thought she’d been hurt, nothing would stop him from exacting revenge. “I was supposed to watch Eddie’s house this weekend.”
“Yes,” her sister said impatiently. “The boss’s house in the La Canada hills with all its riches and finery. What happened, Tessa?”
“When I let myself in, I interrupted a burglary in progress.”
Carolyn’s mouth fell open. “Oh my God.”
“Before I could get out of the house, one of them grabbed me and locked me in a room so he could finish what he’d started, which was stealing from Eddie.”
Carolyn wrapped her arms around Tessa. “He grabbed you?”
“Luckily, all he wanted was me out of his way. Eddie’s son had also been shoved into this room, so I wasn’t alone.”
“Eddie has a son? Is he okay?”
“He’s not a little kid, he’s…all grown up.” Really grown up.
“So the two of you were together, locked in a room? All night long?”
She tried not to squirm because Carolyn could read a squirm at thirty miles. “Yes.”
“Tell me he’s a nice guy, Tessa.”
Her sister looked so distraught, so worried, she managed a smile. And though “nice” wasn’t quite the word she would have used to describe Reilly Ledger, she said, “He’s a very nice guy.”
Her sister studied her for a long moment. “You must have been terrified.”
How to explain that with Reilly her terror had taken a back seat to other things, such as a lust she was embarrassed about now.
“How did you get out?”
Good. A question she could answer. “We waited for dawn, then crawled up through an attic access. Eddie’s son beat the crap out of the bad guys and called the cops.”
Carolyn’s eyes were huge. “Does Eddie’s son have a name?”
“Reilly.”
“And he was good to you.”
“Very,” she said simply.
“Well, then.” Carolyn squeezed Tessa again. “I want to hug him, too.”
“He’s not really the huggable type.” She
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