A Seacat's Love (Oceanan Trilogy Book 1) (18 page)

Rick had pondered Leonora’s behavior for the following two weeks. He had rattled his brains for answers. Was she genuinely jealous, or was it an act? Did she mean her apology, or was it to keep him from abandoning them? He wished he could ask her, but he knew it was best not to. He must keep to his promise, or he would make another wrong choice and live to regret it.

Rick brought his thoughts back to the present as the car rolled to a complete stop. He looked at the beach house through the windshield. He shook his head and stepped out of the car.
We actually made it
. He took a few minutes to walk around the property line to make sure the enemy was nowhere close by. Satisfied, he went to the back of the car and opened the trunk.

Tigif and Leonora strolled around the grounds, viewing the one family house from all sides. Rick eyed their approach from behind the raised hood. It seemed the Victorian architecture of the house impressed them. He wondered why it mattered to him if she liked it.

“This is truly a remarkable home you have,” admitted Leonora.

Rick felt relieved. He reached for the grocery bags inside the trunk.

“You must make a lot of money in the spy business,” added Tigif.

Rick detected annoyance in the cat’s tone, but chose to ignore it. “Not really. There are things like inheritances, life insurance,
and investments here on Earth. Not to mention, I know how to stretch the dollar bill.”

“I understand about investing. I do plenty of that back home. But who died and left you an inheritance?”

Rick pulled out a bag from the trunk. He paused to look at her. “You know how to invest?”

“Of course. My brother taught me when I was a kitten.”

Rick stared at her. Mary was never able to grasp the fundamentals of investing in stocks. It was a different language to her. One she refused to learn. And this woman had learned it when she was a child. Was there anything she could not do?

“So who left you the inheritance?” she repeated.

Rick mentally shook his head. He reached for the rest of the bags. “My parents left me the inheritance.” He closed the trunk and climbed the front steps.

“So your parents are dead, huh? I bet you also collected on their life insurance policy. How convenient,” Tigif coldly remarked.

Rick stopped in his tracks. He faced the tiger with his most deadly glare. What kept him from striking the cat was Leonora. She had punched Tigif hard on his right shoulder blade.

“If you do not have anything nice to say, do not say anything at all!”

She was defending him again. Rick saw the fire in her eyes when she apologized on behalf of the cat. She was genuinely angry. His soul’s loneliness increased. His heart’s longing intensified. He hurried into the house.

Why is she doing this to me? Can’t she see it’s wrong? I can’t make another mistake. I can’t get personally involved
. He entered the large kitchen and placed the six bags on the center island. He stared at the granite countertop and thought of Leonora’s reaction to Rebecca’s scent on his body.
Were you really jealous? Do you actually care about me?

“Rick?”

He heard Leonora calling for him. She made his name sound like a soothing melody.
Leonora
. He closed his eyes. He had to be strong.
You’re safe here. All we have to do is contact your people. They’ll
retrieve you, and you will be safe. That’s all that matters
, he reminded himself.
And then I’ll never see you again
. A fierce pain sliced his heart. His hands clenched into fists.

Leonora entered the kitchen. “There you are.”

Rick opened his eyes and watched her walk up to him. His heart started to pound.

“Are you all right?” She caressed his forehead and cheek. She searched his eyes. “Is something bothering you?”

The skin touched by her small hand burned. Her proximity to him intoxicated him. Rick felt his body responding. How could anyone have this much control over him? How could he say good-bye to those eyes? Those lips? He felt his heart spasm at the thought.

“I’ll show you to your room,” was all he could say.

A short while later, Rick was back in the kitchen putting the groceries away. He assigned Leonora the guestroom nearest the master bedroom. His bedroom. He pulled a can of beans out of the plastic bag.
Why the bloody hell did I give her that room? I can’t risk having her near me
. Tigif and their hotel discussion entered his head.
I know why. If I can’t have her, neither can he. At least while they’re in my house
.

Rick hesitated putting the can on the pantry shelf. An image of Tigif and Leonora in an intimate embrace flashed in his head. He had not thought of them being together for the last two weeks. Tigif had not made a move on her since the hotel. But once they left Earth, that would all change. There would be no reason for them not to be together. Nor would there be an obstacle to keep Leonora from finding someone else to be with, if not Tigif.

Jealousy reared its ugly head, and Rick’s grip on the can tightened. A dark cloud gathered over him. Despite his vow to stay away, despite Leonora’s insulting words, Rick wanted her for himself. The thought of another man touching her made him hunger for blood. The reason made his lonely heart bleed.

Rick had placed his life and career on the line for her. He had spent money to clothe and feed her. He had jeopardized the life of a friend to make her better. He had brought her to his secret
safe house to keep her safe. Unwillingly, Rick had emotionally set claim to her.

If only fate would be kind and allow him the happiness he desperately wanted. Rick would eagerly take Leonora to his room and share with her all the passion he kept bottled up inside his empty shell. Sadly, he had chosen the life of a spy. The dangers he faced daily were too great for a wife and family—a choice he has made and must live with.

Leonora quietly entered the kitchen. She saw Rick by the pantry with a fixed snarl on his face. For the past two weeks, he had been upset about something. Could he still be angry about her accusations of him trying to kill her? She had already apologized for that misunderstanding at the cabin. There had to be something else wrong.

“Why do you not tell me what is bothering you?”

Rick’s head whipped in her direction. The gleam in his eyes made her gasp. “I am sorry.”

“What the bloody hell do you want from me?”

Her hand rose to her heart. “I wanted…to help.”

Rick remained quiet. His glare turned colder, more menacing. His sudden emotional change toward her deeply hurt Leonora. Her eyes watered. It frightened her to think she cared for a male who hated her with such intensity.

“I am sorry. For whatever I did…for whatever I said to hurt you…I sincerely apologize.”

Rick stared into her eyes.

“If there is anything I can do to make it up to you, please tell me.” She inched closer to him. “Do not hate me, please. Do not look at me as if you wished I did not exist.”

The shine in his eyes changed from expressing extreme hatred to sinfully painful. “Stay the bloody hell away from me!” Rick threw the can into the pantry and stormed past her, out of the kitchen, and out of the house.

“Rick!” Leonora chased after him. “Rick!” She ran to the back deck. “Rick!” She watched him jump from the deck onto the beach and hurry away from the house.

“What was that all about?”

Leonora heard the feminine voice. “Nothing,” she answered without thought to who stood behind her. Her focus was on Rick’s shrinking image.

The intense pain she saw in Rick’s eyes concerned her.
What did I do to hurt you so? What can I do to make it go away and never return?
her soul asked.
I would do anything to have you smile at me
. She prayed Rick’s behavior did not mean the end of something she felt was destined to be.

“That was a lot of yelling for nothing,” intruded the female into her thoughts.

Leonora faced the annoying person behind her. She was about to say it was not the appropriate time to be asking her questions, when her sights landed on a beautiful, sun-kissed, half-naked, dark-haired, green-eyed female. Leonora’s heart faltered. She felt the blood drain from her face, and her body turned frigidly cold and numb.

“Are you all right?” the woman asked. “You look like you’ve just seen your worst nightmare come to life.”

Tears welled up in Leonora’s eyes.

Leonora remained in her room all evening. It was well after midnight. Tigif and the female named Carol Ann were sure to be in their rooms by now. She decided it was safe to exit for a glass of water.

Carol Ann had tried to pry out of Leonora information about the aliens and what sort of relationship they had with Rick. Neither asking nor answering any questions, Leonora had feigned a dizzy spell and allowed Tigif to carry her to her room.

She tiptoed across the tiled floors, down the short hallway that led to the kitchen. Her eyes easily adjusted to the darkness, facilitating her progress. She heard someone entering through the glass sliding doors from the beach entrance. Leonora hid in the shadows behind a potted palm tree. Tugging one large leaf down, she saw it was Rick.

She needed to speak to him. She was about to make herself known when she noticed he headed to a closed door. His bedroom perhaps. She decided to wait until Rick was inside, then she could speak to him privately.

All the things she wanted to say to him, all the ways she had practiced in saying them vanished the instant Carol Ann exited the room Rick headed for.

“Carol Ann.”

“Rick, I’ve missed you.” Carol Ann threw herself into his arms. Rick lifted her and gave her a big bear hug.

Pain, anger, and bitterness seized a hold of Leonora’s heart. The sight of Carol Ann in Rick’s arms caused her nails to extend into sharp talons. She did not want Carol Ann anywhere near Rick, especially when the woman seemed unable to find something decent to wear.

At first, Leonora thought Carol Ann was the one responsible for the love bite on Rick’s neck and the lipstick on his shirt. Then she remembered that the two scents were not the same. What could it mean? She refused to believe Rick was that sort of male.

“I’ve missed you, too, sweetheart.” Rick tenderly kissed both her cheeks and embraced her again. “More than you will ever know.”

Leonora emitted a low growl. What did this woman dressed in a silky lingerie mean to Rick?

“Darling, what’s wrong?”

Leonora stopped growling. Her mouth dropped open.
Darling. Sweetheart. It cannot be true! There has to be a logical explanation behind all this. Perhaps she is only a friend—the friend who gave him the medicine
. She refused to give up hope. She had sensed it from the beginning. Rick was her soul mate. She will not give him up without concrete evidence.

“Everything,” Rick answered. His hands had not moved from Carol Ann’s waist. “We need to be alone.”

“Come inside.”

No!
Leonora watched the horried scene of another female taking Rick by the hand and leading him to her bedroom. Tears sprung
into her eyes. She gasped for breath.
How could I have been so stupid?
She released the leaf.
How could I have not known?
She sunk to the ground.
A male as beautiful as Rick had to have a mate somewhere
. Her tears fell.
How could I have been so naive, so blind, so…
innocent?

The click that signaled the door being closed echoed in the large house. What remained were the soft sobs of a young kitten with a broken heart and shattered dreams.

Entering Carol Ann’s bedroom, Rick went to her bed and sat down. His sights landed on the wood floor and stayed. He waited for her to lock the door and sit beside him.

“So tell me, Rick, what’s wrong? What’s happened since the last time you’ve been home?” Her tone was gentle and caring.

Rick appeared to have not heard her. He continued to stare at the floor. Carol Ann waited for a few minutes. When he did nothing but stare downward, she placed her hand on his shoulder. “That’s okay. Take your time.” She smoothed back his thick, shoulder-length hair. “Just say it, if you can’t find the right words. You know I would understand.”