Faded Cotton (Erotic Romance) (6 page)

When they stopped outside Laurel was nearly
catatonic.

“Hey pretty girl, let’s get out of here and
get you some air. What do you say?” Jahn was in front of her, hands
on his knees looking up at her red eyes.

“Huh—okay.” Her reply was dull, void of
emotion or expression. “Take Addy my keys.”

Jahn picked her up, carried her, placed her
in the passenger side of his pickup, and ran back to the restaurant
giving Addy the truck keys before he took Laurel home—the long
way—she remembered.

He drove and talked about farming, his
future, his dreams, country music, cattle, horses, even dogs.
Finally, with a note about his best roping horse, she broke her
silence and a conversation began that lasted for hours.

She told him what Addy had said about Jake
and that he hadn’t met her like he said he was going to. Not
wanting to dwell on it, she moved on to talk about graduation,
college, and Siddy Creek. When they talked about the farm, and his
family’s farm, the discussion went on and on.

Walking her up to the house, he finally
deposited her at home long after the stars had come out to twinkle
brightly. He walked her to the door, “Hey, if you need somebody to
talk to tomorrow or the day after—or whatever—I’ll come get you and
we can get out of town for a while.” Jahn would have gone to the
moon and back for her, at that point. He had figured this was his
chance, and he was going to take it. He hugged her and kissed her
forehead before turning to go.

The two became inseparable. When the time
came, they joked about being each other’s “rebound sex”, but the
joke faded away and they couldn’t get enough of each other.

“I want to be the one who gives you good
memories,” he told her one night in the loft of the big red barn,
kissing her softly.

With that, she had melted into him and he
took her as only he could. They got tangled up every chance they
had after that—in his truck, down by the creek, in the pasture on a
blanket, in a horse stall, almost anywhere. Jahn knew early on and
they were married that fall, baby bump and all. Only when she
looked at her son in a certain way, would she think of Jake.

__________________________

Why now? She had spent nearly twenty years
with a man she loved dearly and the last several struggling on her
own. Now? Now he wants to be a hero.
Asshole.
Why then, when
everything else felt wrong, did having Jake’s arms around her feel
right?

Laurel felt like she was in the middle of a
tornado that was not slowing down. She picked at her nail polish, a
habit that only showed up when she had too much to juggle. She
walked out the back door of the study and down to the beach, in the
direction Jake had gone. She didn’t find him.

Returning to her room, she noticed more
guards, everywhere, including outside her bedroom door. She felt
like a prisoner, despite her posh surroundings. The bedroom was
beautiful. Jahn would have liked it, even if he had hated the plane
ride.

The bed and armoire could have been
Hemmingway’s; the view would have inspired him. The sunset had been
extraordinary. Brilliant hues of red, orange, and blue, leveled
against the ocean horizon. The full-glass doors were open to afford
Laurel access to the same ocean breeze that softly swayed the
island’s palms in a gentle dance.

The bedroom floor was an earthy travertine.
The bathroom was bathed in granite that mirrored the colors of the
island landscape, aqua blues, deep greens, black, sand, and amber.
The sitting area was comfortable, with rustic combinations of
leather and wood. Running a hand over the polished teak bar top,
Laurel soaked in the exotic elegance of her surroundings. Maybe
being stuck here with Jake wouldn’t be so bad.

She poured a drink from the well stocked
wet-bar. Whiskey straight seemed like a good choice—earthy. She
needed grounding.

A hot shower and sleep had beckoned her.
Laurel couldn’t think straight and she knew sleep deprivation was
taking its toll. She was toweling her damp hair when she heard
voices in the hall outside her room. There was a sharp rap at the
door.

She slid the door open to the end of the
brass safety latch, “Yes?”

“Laurel, I need to talk to you.” Jake’s tone
was firm.

“Can’t it wait, Jake?”

“No. Now,” he persisted.

“Fine.” She knew he’d come in, anyway, if he
really wanted to. She opened the door just enough for him to slide
in and then locked it, thinking to herself that it was a false
sense of security with the full-glass doors open behind her.

She sliced the air between them coolly. “What
do you want?”

“I need you to know I did this for you. I
need you to be okay with being here. You have to know I would never
do anything to hurt you or put you in danger.” He ran his hand over
his closely shaved head watching her reaction.

She shook her head. How could this man still
tug at her heart so easily?

“Sweetheart, what happened between us was a
long time ago. I’m sorry for the way I handled things. I was a
kid.”

“Don’t you ever call me that! You walked away
from me. I’m
not
your sweetheart,” Laurel choked out.

“I was under incredible pressure from my
father. I couldn’t give you a life at that point. I couldn’t do
that to you, to our...to our son.”

__________________________

“You gonna quit trying to run off to
nowhere?” Adam McClain asked his captive as he escorted her into
her room.

“I’m a police captain for one of the largest
cities in the United States,” she fumed. “You really think they
aren’t going to miss me?” Jen Delaney had just about enough of Adam
MacClain’s overbearing shadowing.

Adam chuckled, “This is a SEAL operation,
baby. You could be gone a year and they wouldn’t miss you.”

“Right, SEAL op—got it,” she said mockingly.
She strained against the handcuffs again.

“Hey, you’re surrounded by guards, in a
heavily armed compound, in the middle of the ocean. This will all
be over soon enough. Can I get you to enjoy the vacation so I can
leave off the cuffs?”

“Whatever. Undo me. Please?”

Ever since she’d been put in his charge, he
thought he might enjoy her undo—ing.
Please?
He was finally
getting somewhere. He grinned behind her back and removed the heavy
steel handcuffs. She rubbed her wrists where the cuffs had dug
marks.

“I’m sorry about those. I just have to keep
you here and out of harm’s way. The details are above your, ummm,
pay grade.” He ribbed her and it backfired.

Jen gave him an unlady-like snort. “Hah, I’m
quite sure I make more than you do!”

“Damn woman, I was just trying to be funny.
You always talk to men this way? Maybe that’s why you’re single!”
He fired back.

As soon as the words were out, he wanted to
reel them back in. Damn. She had a way of pushing his buttons.

“You’re an ass,” she said flatly. Then
quietly, “How did you know?” The “single” statement had cut her.
Her parents and her friends were always pushing her to slow down,
get married, and have kids.

“Power of observation. No ring mark. Pretty
good indicator,” he lifted her left hand gingerly for a second
look. “Truce, okay?” He pleaded with her; head cocked, flashing a
handsome sideways grin.

“Won’t work on me, buddy,” she spat.

He threw up his hands and turned to walk out.
“Suit yourself, baby.”

“I’m not your baby,” she spat.

“We’ll see about that,” he said quietly,
smirking as he walked out the door.

__________________________

The colors of the night blended in shades of
silver, gray, black, and indigo. Laurel was staring out the door,
down the path to the water, now glistening in the moonlight. Jake
caught her as her knees buckled, and he moved her slowly to the
bed. She sat at the edge, motionless, the thick terry robe barely
covering her thighs. She didn’t care; he’d seen it all before, even
if it had been a much younger version.

The words barely came, “You knew.”

“Yes, damn it, I knew and I was scared
shitless. Scared of losing you, of you hating me forever because I
couldn’t make a good life for us. My sister had overheard the
argument I had with my father. By the time I got to town to see
you, her mouth had run wild. Everyone had already heard I was going
to marry Sue. Shit travels fast. I tried a hundred times to walk in
that door. I couldn’t do it after I saw you with him. I had nothing
to offer you. I watched you walk out the door with
him
!” His
voice was hard, strained. He paced in front of her.

“Jahn.”

“Yes, Jahn. I knew he could take care of you.” He
stopped and stared at her hard.

“So you let us live a lie to cover your ass?” She
looked at him weakly, tired.

“No—no damn it! Laurel it’s what I thought would
work. I didn’t want to see you struggle. I had nothing to offer
you, or at least that was what I thought. No one ever saw in me
what you did.” He rubbed his face with his hands in
frustration.

“Jahn and I were always confused as brothers in
school. Same height, build, similar face, just different hair and
eyes. I knew he had a thing for you. I thought no one would figure
it out. Seeing you together, I figured it would all work out, and
you would be happy. He had a future. I was a punk, a bad-boy, and
was good for nothing, according to a lot of people. I knew he could
take care of you. His parents had money. I had nothing. I couldn’t
handle watching him with you. I went to college and joined the
Navy.”

“But you married her. HER!” Laurel struggled, choking
back her anguish. “You didn’t give me a choice! You just walked
away from everything we had. I loved you!”

“She wouldn’t go away after the rumor started. We had
dated a few times. You were with Jahn. It just happened. I was a
kid for Christ’s sake!”

“You knew and you did nothing. That amazes me, Jake.
Jahn knew right off and didn’t walk away. He just wanted to take
care of me, he said. Nobody asked any questions. We were crazy
about each other. You and I were over, that’s all I knew.” Her pain
was evident, her arms wrapped around herself in a self-protective
hug.

“You have no excuses to make, Laurel. This is all on
me. I know you loved him and he loved you. That’s why I never
interfered.” He took a deep breath and continued.

“When I found out you were pregnant for sure, I went
crazy. I was crushed. He was living in
my
dream,
our
dream. I focused on school and the Navy and life went on.” Jake
choked back heavy emotion.

“You knew. As far as I knew, my secret was kept
perfectly. How did you know Adam was yours?” Laurel stared at Jake
bewildered, eyes welling with tears once more.

Jake let out a protracted sigh and chuckled quietly.
“Laurel have you forgotten?” He half grinned and drew a breath,
“Have you forgotten that I knew every inch of that lovely body of
yours? We didn’t spend much time apart that spring. I remembered
the condom that broke and how we laughed about it, that it would be
a happy accident. I was excited beyond belief when I figured you’d
missed. But—I wanted the surprise to be yours to tell when you were
ready.”

Laurel grabbed at the bed trying to keep the room
from spinning.

“Grandma Maralee was the only one that knew, or ever
said they knew. She never told a soul. Jahn was a good daddy. Adam
was always
his
. You can’t take that away from him.”

Hot tears fell in big drops on her chest.

“I know. I made sure things were always okay. I saw
you when you didn’t see me. Jahn was a good man, Laurel. He took
good care of you. I know that. For what it’s worth, I’m sorry. So
sorry. There hasn’t been a day in my life that I didn’t think about
you. Not a day when I didn’t wonder about my son, our son. I wanted
the two of you to have a future, please understand.” He pleaded
with her. “I will never attempt to take Jahn’s place. I know the
two of you loved each other. I watched you—in the creek, the hay
field, the back pasture. He always loved you. Always a hug and a
kiss. It made me sick with jealousy. Look, I’m not him. I know
that. But I will always love you. I always have. I always will. I’m
only asking you to let me take care of you. I can do that now.
Please Laurel, I owe you that much.” He’d said his piece. The rest
was up to her.

After a long silence, she nodded. The emotional
rollercoaster ride needed to end. She was completely drained, and
the prospect of letting someone else run the show for a while was
inviting.

She slumped as if a weight had been lifted from her
straining shoulders. The fight was gone from her. She stared
emotionless at the floor. Jake realized she’d had enough, and rose
to pull the covers back for her. He patted for her to crawl in. She
swiveled, and ducked under, sinking into the fresh linens. Laurel
pulled the coverlet up tight around her in an attempt to shut the
world out. With no resistance left, she accepted the kiss Jake
planted softly on her forehead, and she fell into a deep, restful
sleep.

Jake closed and latched the full-glass bulletproof
doors. He looked back at her as he pulled his tie loose and walked
toward the door removing his cuff links. He stopped, released his
grasp from the hall door handle, turned, and took a place on the
sofa in the suite’s sitting room, grabbed a pillow, and covered his
shoulders with his jacket.

The next morning found Jake LeGrande sitting
in the dark of the island’s central command.
Business first.
Then, he was going to see if he could get Laurel to talk to him and
enjoy herself a little.

The satellite images of the island and other
areas constantly refreshed on the screens on the wall in real time.
Relayed sonar images consistently checked the ocean for intruders,
radar images checked for air traffic and weather. Blue, red, green
and yellow lights shown everywhere like Christmas lights. State of
the art surveillance included face and voice recognition software.
From his vantage point, Jake could easily see Laurel and Jen moving
toward the beach.