Hot and Irresistible (12 page)

“You’re looking for the necklace, too?”

“Wondering mostly. You know I was a suspect from the get-go in the morgue murders and the missing necklace. This thing with Jimmy makes it look as if I know where the necklace is or I’m getting close and I did Jimmy in so he wouldn’t tell.” He took a long drink and was quiet for a moment. “Sometime I just go looking at the morgue, wondering what happened to my baby girl.” Ray patted Beau on the back. “Good thing I got you, boy. Least I got myself one kid to boss around. See much of your mama lately?”

“Not if I can help it. She’s gotten worse, if that’s possible. My life would have been a total screwup if you hadn’t fought for custody.”

“Hell, I needed someone to help me run the Cove, didn’t I?” Ray laughed. “You don’t worry about a thing, Beau. We’re doing okay here. Everything’s going to be fine. This will all smooth over.”

“A dead body takes a lot of smoothing.”

“I’ve been through worse.” Ray slid off his stool. “I’m tired as a tombstone. I’ll head back to the Magnolia House, you take your time here. Maybe pay BrieAnn a call, if you got a mind to.”

“I think she’s done with me.”

“I saw the way she looked at you on that dock. She may have stood up for Bebe, but her eyes were all on you. She’s got it bad. Go talk to her, figure out how to make you two work. She’s a nice girl, Beau. Her parents, especially her mama, are stuck up, but she’s a fine one.”

“I love you, Dad,” Beau said in a quiet voice without looking up. “You’ve been the only dad I’ve ever known.” He looked at Ray now. “The only person who gave a damn about me, ever. And not just because you raised me when I was a kid but when I got home from Afghanistan and my leg and through rehab and—”

“Yeah, me too, son.” Ray patted his back. “Me, too. You made it, I made it, we’ve been good for each other all along and we’re going to be fine. Now go sweet-talk your girl and don’t go worrying about me. I’m a tough old bird.”

Ray left and Beau finished his beer, wondering if they would be okay. Dead bodies, gambling, old murders, McCabe, and now Bebe. If enough shit hit the wall, something was sure to stick sooner or later.

He paid the tab, then went outside, the breeze kicking up, a hint of rain in the air. He headed down River Street to the Donzi to make sure none of the mooring had pulled loose and the bumpers were still in place keeping her from rubbing on the dock if it stormed. Next to Beau the river flowed with a chop as a huge freighter from Hong Kong motored quietly upstream on her way to the deep ports.

Yellow crime scene tape stretched across the Donzi, flapping in the gusts. The boat bobbed, but the lines held.

“Nice boat,” came a voice beside him. Beau turned and faced BrieAnn’s dad. “Evening, Judge Montgomery. I think we’re in for a spring rain. Out taking a walk before it hits?”

“Out to find you, and I’m not here for pleasantries. I’m here to tell you to stay the hell away from BrieAnn, permanently.” His voice was hard, his face chiseled. He had on a full suit as if going to court. “I won’t have my daughter associating with criminals and that’s what you and your dad are, common crooks. BrieAnn won’t give any other man a chance as long as you’re in the picture, so I want you gone for good. I’ve looked the other way on what Ray does out there on the Cove because he gives back to the town and he keeps lowlife out of Savannah.”

“The reason you don’t come down on Ray is that you want to get reelected. Turning on my dad is political suicide and you know it. My dad’s a great guy. Ask anyone.”

“I’m not asking, I’m telling you this and you best pay attention real good. If you don’t stay away from BrieAnn, I’ll give that Donovan McCabe fellow the warrant he wants. That’s all he needs to bust the gambling house out there and Ray will go to jail for a very long time and I don’t give a tinker’s damn about my reelection. Do we understand each other?”

“I understand that you’re a rotten stinking politician willing to sell out his position for his own benefit. You don’t uphold the law, you sell it. That’s extortion and you sicken me.”

Even in the dark Beau could tell the judge’s eyes were cold and menacing. “I’ll do whatever I damn well need to do to protect my daughter. She’s too good for you and I’ll not stand by and watch you ruin her reputation and her life. Rest assured, I’m not bluffing. This is not an idle threat. If I even hear of you with BrieAnn, I’ll ruin Ray Cleveland and the only way you’ll see your father is behind bars.”

Anger ate at Beau as the judge walked off. Beau’s gut tightened. He started after the judge, wanting nothing more than to beat the living crap out of him. How could that no-good asshole threaten Ray like that? How could he sell out his judicial standing in the community? He was nothing but a corrupt politician. He was also a father who loved his daughter.

Beau stopped in his tracks, the judge retreating into the night. Judge Montgomery had a sterling reputation…until tonight. And he was willing to trade on that for BrieAnn. Beau hated the judge, but on some level he did understand, even if he didn’t agree. Family was everything; Ray taught him that.

How could Beau give up BrieAnn? He took kissing lessons for her. She kidnapped him. They could make it work, if they had the time. Then again, he couldn’t sell out Ray. Beau sat at the base of the Waving Girl statue. What the hell was he going to do? The judge wasn’t kidding about the warrant, but Beau couldn’t just quit seeing Brie cold turkey. But if he did talk to her what could he say?
I can’t see you anymore because your dad’s going to have my dad thrown in jail?

Then BrieAnn would hate her dad and Ray would still go to prison.

The best thing to do was nothing. Let BrieAnn go. He wouldn’t call her or return her calls. Their relationship that never really got off the ground would eventually die away…at least for her. She’d forget about him; lord knows there were tons of guys in town to take his place. The judge was right about one thing—Beau wasn’t good enough for BrieAnn. He’d always known that and then she suddenly got interested in him and everything changed. With enough time it would change back again.

Wind kicked up another notch and the moon hid behind gathering clouds. Beau took the steep steps that led off the riverfront, then crossed the iron walkway where cotton growers once drove their horse-drawn wagons underneath and brokers stood on top and shouted their bids. He headed for Bay, then Broughton, and Magnolia House. Cutting down the alley, he decided to go in the back entrance because he wasn’t in the mood to answer a ton of questions on murder from anyone he’d meet up with in the lobby if he went in the front door. He was nearly to the rear entrance when he looked up and caught sight of the light in Brie’s bedroom across the stone wall that separated her place from the hotel.

His heart thudded and he went a little crazy because suddenly he was tearing back down the alley in a full run, the first fat drops of the storm smacking his head. He hoisted himself over her back porch and knocked on the screen door. “Brie,” he whispered. He knocked again, because if she didn’t come quick, he’d lose his nerve and leave.

The inside light came on and Brie scampered out onto the screened-in porch. Turning on that light, she opened the door. “Beau?” She dried her face with the lapel of her fluffy white terry robe. A butterfly clip held her hair up, little damp strands curling around her face. “I just got out of the shower and I’m all wet and what are you doing here? We had a big old fight, remember? I don’t think we’re talking to each other right now…are we?”

He reached in and flipped off the porch light. “I should go. This is not one of my better ideas.”

He backed up and she grabbed his shirt and pulled him to her, her mouth devouring his in a kiss that singed his eyebrows and made his legs wobble. They may not be talking, but they sure were doing something. Then her hand cupped his stiff erection and he nearly flipped right back over the railing.

“Oh, baby,” she panted. “This…” she added pressure to his dick “…is a very good idea. I love this idea.” She undid his belt and unzipped his fly faster than he ever did. “You came here because you want what I want and we’re doing this here and now, Beau Cleveland. I’m tired to death of waiting around. I’m in pain, real female pain. I need sex.”

She kissed him again, making him hard as the porch post. “And I can tell you’re all frustrated just like I am. In fact, you have a very big frustration going on.” Grinning, she ground her pelvis against him. “And I’m aiming to get rid of it for you the best way I know how. Me and sex.”

Except they were in full view of anyone coming down the alley and was that a car approaching? Damnation! Stay or go? Could he leave Brie in a robe already falling off her shoulders, exposing the most delectable skin in Savannah? He scooped her into his arms and dove for the wicker chaise longue as the car passed. Thank heavens for the row of azaleas in front of the porch keeping them hidden. Truth be told, he should probably thank Brie’s gardener.

“Well, honey,” Brie said on a giggle as she lay back against the pillows. “I have to say, that’s more like it.” Her eyes danced as lightning flashed across the sky. The scent of flowers and warm earth drifted in as Brie’s robe parted a bit more, now exposing her lush breasts.

“Lord have mercy, woman, I’ve never seen a more beautiful picture than you like this.”

“And don’t you dare say we shouldn’t be here, because I’m not believing one word. You’re the one who knocked on my door and tossed me onto this piece of furniture.”

He wasn’t going to think about the judge or later. He was going to concentrate on now. He stood, then tugged off his shirt, his shoes, then started on his pants except then he couldn’t, it was if his fingers wouldn’t budge.

“Beau? What’s wrong. Why did you stop there? Honey, I want to see more. I want to see all of you, my big glorious stud of a man.” She held out her arms. “Make love to me, Beau. Let me make love to you. Tell me what you’re thinking right this minute and we’ll fix it and move on from there and we’ll be perfect together.”

“I…I’m not so perfect.”

“Drop those pants, sweet stuff, and I’ll let you know. Felt pretty damn perfect a few seconds ago.”

His chest hurt; his lungs wouldn’t work. She sat up, concern replacing hunger. “Beau, what is it? Tell me, please tell me. If there’s something you don’t like about me, something I can make right, I will, I swear it. I want us to be together, honey.”

She wrapped her arms around his hips and held him tight, gazing up at him, her eyes now pleading. “I’m not letting you go, Beau. Not this time. You have to tell me. I’m not the only girl you’ve been with, I know that for sure. So, what’s wrong with me?”

“You’re special. You matter to me more than any woman I’ve ever been with and…and I’m pretty much a mess, Brie.”

“You’re magnificent. Just look at yourself all big and strong and male.”

“But you’re not looking at all of me. There’s more, the not so good part.” He could see it all over again, didn’t even have to close his eyes.

“What, honey, what? You can tell me anything. Sit down here beside me and we’ll make it better.”

He rubbed his leg and then he was telling her, the words spilling out all at once. “There was this place, a checkpoint, outside Khost. We were inspecting cars for bombs before they went into the city.” It was right there before him as if he never left Afghanistan, as if no time had passed at all. The blazing sun overhead, the sand in his clothes rubbing his skin, the weight of his boots on his feet, the pressure of his helmet on his head, the M4 clutched in his hands. “A car, dirty, white, drove up and stopped and then it…” He could feel the blast, the percussion throwing him as if he were no more than a stick. He jerked back as if hit all over again. “The heat, fire, so much fire, Brie. The screams. My scream,” he added in a low murmur.

He couldn’t move, as if he were frozen to the spot, and suddenly BrieAnn was kneeling in front of him, tears streaming down her incredibly lovely face as she looked up at him. He swiped a tear with his thumb. “Oh, sweetheart, don’t cry. Please don’t cry.”

“I’m not crying, Beau, I’m not, I promise I’m not.” She kissed his eyes and nose and chin; he could feel her wet cheeks against his, her wet lips kissing his. “I’m so sorry, Beau.” Her ragged voice nearly broke his heart. “I’m sorry for you, for all of you over there.”

“I’m okay, now, but—”

“I don’t care about the but. You’re here with me, that’s all that matters.” She embraced his neck tight. “I do love you. I want you to know that.”

“You’re so perfect and the scars are…ugly. I look like a road map, Brie.”

“A map that made you better. A map that brought you home here to me so we could be together now.”

Then her face slowly scrunched up and her lips formed a sweet little pout. She sniffed and swiped away the rest of the tears with the back of her hand. “You truly think I’m that shallow, that you being injured would turn me off, repulse me in some way? Just because I know fashion and have excellent taste and can recite the book on Southern manners, that’s all there is to me?”

She poked him in the chest and looked indignant as hell. “How can you suggest such a thing, Beau Cleveland?”

“Well I—”

“Steel Magnolia is not simply the title of some book about Southern gals facing tough things.” She kissed him full on the mouth, sucking his breath away. “It’s for real.
I’m
for real. I’m stronger than I look, and don’t you go and forget it ever again. I’m not some piece of Southern fluff. I’m tough. I don’t run. I’m here and I’m not going away ever.”