It Happens in Threes Page 2

“Great! Hello, Cat.” He bent, giving her a brief kiss on the cheek. Heat streaked from the cheek on her face to the other cheek.

  Cat. Her dad called her Sweet Cheeks or Bony Butt, but Michael had always called her Cat. On their first date he told her that her catlike eyes, with their colors of amber and green, fascinated him.

  Damn! She had forgotten he loved this place, and her parents had given him a key. Despite the fact Michael dated and dumped their daughter, her parents still treated him like the son they never had. He was welcome at their home, anytime.

  Michael stood close. Too close. He hadn’t given her enough room to breathe, let alone an inch to move. She watched him. His gaze traveled down from her face to the area where the towel knotted. Nervous and vulnerable, Ruby tugged it tighter holding it with both hands.

  She took a step back from his nearness, and almost fell into the pool. Luckily, or unluckily, Michael snatched her around the waist. Powerful, quick arms, and large hands splayed against her back pinning her against the hard expanse of his chest.

  “You just got out. Did you want to go back in?”

  The wave of heat between them sizzled and her pulse raced. She didn’t move, didn’t speak. The towel didn’t succeed in giving her the protection she desired.

  She shook her head, needing time to recover from the sensations he had caused from that one touch.

  “Now is not the time, Michael. I’ll go throw on some clothes and be right back.” Ruby gave him a friendly shove and stepped past him.

  “Don’t change on my account.”

  She wanted to punch his smirk. She was changing on account of him, and he knew it. Grabbing her clothes from the pool deck, Ruby rushed toward the house.

  A few minutes later Ruby appeared, towel dried, hair in a banana clip, and fully dressed. Pouring himself a glass of wine, he offered her a refill, which she accepted, then kissed him on the cheek. That sweet, warm touch of her lips sent tingling sensations elsewhere. He hadn’t seen her in two years and no matter how long it had been she could still make his toes curl.

  He helped himself to the late night snack. “Great dip.”

  “Thanks. It’s nice to see you, Michael.”

  He raised an eyebrow at her polite words. “It’s good to see you too. Why are you down here? I thought you’d be up north working at that high-tech job, and planning a wedding.”

  He thought he saw a flash of pain in her eyes, but it was gone in an instant before he could tell for certain.

  “I needed some time away. Too much commotion so I opted for a vacation. Mom and Dad said I could use the place for a while.”

  Ruby didn’t take vacations, and he knew it. There was more to it than that.

  “And you?”

  “Just returned from six weeks in the Middle East and I almost always come here after an operation for some ‘R and R’.” Well, that was partially true, Michael thought, as he rubbed at his healing neck wound.

  “Where’d you get the scar?”

  He halted his movement, shrugged. “A casualty of the job.”

  “I didn’t ask why you have it. I asked how you got it.” She eyed him with intense golden eyes, making him anxious.

  “Ask another question,” he suggested.

  “Okay,” she replied. “How long are you going to be staying?”

  “I don’t have another assignment yet, so I don’t know. How long are you visiting?”

  She shrugged lightly. “Open-ended ticket. I took the master suite. I hope you don’t mind, but you’ll have the guest room.”

  “I don’t mind. Besides, I’ve learned to sleep anywhere.” It was true. He could sleep anywhere. He’d slept in dingy motels, extravagant hotels, and even bivvy sacks in a desert, depending on where he was and for what reason.

  “What were you doing in the Middle East?”

  “If I told you, I’d have to kill you.” He waggled his eyebrows.

  “Ugh! Quit being a smartass.”

  “You like my smart ass.” He saw her lips curve to one side. “Anyway, I gathered some intelligence.” About his vanishing partner.

  “Sounds interesting. Hope you learned what you needed.”

  If he had, he wouldn’t be in Florida. “Not as interesting as our first phone conversation in high school. Remember? We spent three hours finding out all about each other, followed by months of up-close and in-person investigation.” He successfully changed the subject.

  “Thus, creating the link between our lives,” Ruby mumbled.

  “Is that a problem?” He eyed her over the rim of his wineglass.

  “No. I just don’t understand how you have this uncanny knack for appearing in my life when I least expect it.”

  Michael remembered one of those times. Ruby was in college and he in the Air Force stationed in Annapolis. He hadn’t told her he was going dancing in Georgetown with some friends when he literally ran into her coming from the little girl’s room.

  Ruby had been shocked and he thrilled. They hugged for a good ten minutes before he grabbed a table and made her stay with him for the next three hours talking, abandoning their friends. After that, he’d seen her every couple of weeks until his transfer to a base in Texas.

  “Michael?”

  “Mmm? Oh, sorry. I think it has something to do with being each other’s first love.” He leered at her when she sputtered her wine. “Okay, maybe it’s just an amazing sexual attraction that’s never been properly explored.” Ruby’s eyes widened. He watched as different emotions ran across her very transparent face. Shock, interest, and...regret?

  “Maybe.” She smiled charmingly, but insincerely. “I guess we’ll never know. Been there, done that.”

  “Since sex is most commonly compared to baseball, you know, first base kiss, second base feel her up and so on. Shouldn’t it be three strikes and you’re out?”

  She rolled her eyes and bit her lip in an unsuccessful effort to fend off a grin.

  For the next couple of hours, Michael and Ruby talked non-stop. Catching up on what he’d been doing, reminiscing about good old days while dancing around their attraction.

  Yawning, Ruby stood. “I think I’ll turn in.”

  As she got to her feet, Michael noticed the tired lines about her eyes.

  “Yeah, you look a little worn out.” He knew the remark would goad her, but he couldn’t resist.

  “What does that mean?”

  Hands on her hips, she stood with one leg a little further out than the other, making her stance slightly uneven. It was Ruby’s irritated posture and on her it looked cute.

  “I don’t look bad.”

  “I didn’t say you looked bad. I said you looked tired.” Michael raised himself out of the chair, walked over to her, and deposited a kiss on her forehead. “Get some sleep. We’ll catch up some more in the morning.”

  When Ruby turned to leave, he pulled her back. “Give me my hug.”

  Slipping her arms around his waist, she obliged the hug. He felt her warmth and breathed in her familiar scent. The smell seemed to reach out and permeate his senses. “Goodnight.”

  Released from his hold, she strolled toward the French doors leading to the master suite.

  “Goodnight. And Cat…” Ruby swiveled back to him. “You look real good, with or without clothes.”

  Sitting down, Michael drained his glass of wine in one long swallow, and then emptied the rest of the bottle in a matter of seconds.

  Damn she looks good. Every last inch of her, right down to the skinny gold toe ring. Why did the woman get to him? Why the hell was she down here, alone?

  Frustrated, and without answers, Michael changed into swim trunks to get in a few laps. Physical exertion would help work out some of the kinks from his trip as well as the strain his body suffered from the awareness of Ruby.

  * * * *

  Ruby removed her white, oversized, V-neck ‘Purple Moose Saloon’ T-shirt from the dresser, and pulled it over her head. Her favorite, Michael had given it to her many years ag
o on one of their weekend excursions together. Why hadn’t she gone to bed with him on those trips?

  Shaking her head in amazement, Ruby sighed. Trying to clear thoughts of Michael, she turned her mind to the T-shirt. Tattered and threadbare, it left little to the imagination. Tonight, she wished for a pair of footie pajamas that covered her from neck to toes. She wanted as much material between her and the man in the pool as possible.

  She didn’t quite make it to the bed. She stood at the glass-paned doors, peeking through the sheers as Michael skimmed the water. He glided beneath the surface of the lit pool moving toward the far end, took a breath, twisted, and shot back in the opposite direction.

  Awestruck, she gaped at his arms and legs, corded with steely muscles and fantastic washboard abdominals. As he sent ripples through the water, Ruby felt waves of old feelings resurface.

  When Michael stepped out of the pool, her focus fixed on his broad shoulders and the dusting of curly hair across his chest that dipped into a V down to the top of his trunks. Water glistened on his skin.

  Not realizing she had been holding it, Ruby let out a breath. She moved to the bed, jumped in, and pulled the covers up to her head. The pool lights went out.

  “I guess I know what number three is…”

  Thoughts of Michael invaded her mind as she tossed and turned. Sleep evaded her as she reflected on other times he mysteriously appeared in her life.

  One of the times took place after he’d broken up with her in high school. He showed up at the same party, walked in on her necking with one of his teammates, and his jealousy sent him into oblivion. He picked her up, threw her over his shoulder, like the proverbial caveman, and drove her home. She had passed out from the overindulgence of alcohol, woke up the next morning tucked in her own bed, pissed as hell.

  Ruby was one of the few people who could ruffle the usually cool, controlled, and even-tempered Michael. The memory tugged a smile from her lips. She liked that power.

  * * * *

  Michael grabbed his bag still parked at the front door, checked the deadbolt, and made sure the house was locked up tight. In the guest room, he unpacked his leather tote, and hung up his swim trunks to dry.

  Before crawling beneath the sheets, he turned on the ceiling fan, desperate for a cool breeze. Damn woman! Why’d she have to be naked in the pool?

  His thoughts were of how the lightning illuminated Ruby, the way her nipples were tight little pebbles in response to the coolness of the water, and how they became more constricted when he handed her the towel. He appreciated the manner in which her body reacted to him. Even if she didn’t.

  Her legs had been the first things he noticed when he’d seen her on the soccer field fifteen years ago. They had only improved. A dull ache in his groin grew.

  FOUR

  Michael felt like death warmed over. He hadn’t fallen asleep until two or three in the morning. Now he found himself awake, lying in bed with his arms crossed behind his head, staring at the brilliant white moon shining like a high beam flashlight into his room. Only a little after five, and up before the sun and the birds. Much too early for a man on vacation. Much too early for someone who had gotten very little sleep.

  A fitful night tossing and turning, he couldn’t get his mind to stop contemplating the past six months and his missing team member. Alex disappeared without a trace.

  In between assignments, Michael had poured all his spare time into locating him. Apparently, he didn’t want to be found. And Alex had the training and know-how to stay invisible. Just like Michael did.

  Michael’s supervisor had forced this current ‘R and R’ on him, claimed he was obsessed, and needed the respite to get his mind clear and back in the game. Before it was too late.

  It was extremely dangerous, for all involved, but especially for Michael, if he was distracted. One slip, one wrong move, one misjudgment, could cost him his life. And almost did.

  His heart racing, his hands clenched into tight fists as sweat beaded on his forehead. Was his body reacting to thoughts of Alex’s disappearance? Almost losing his life? Or of his favorite blonde sleeping in the bedroom at the other end of the house?

  Ruby had been right. It seemed whenever he needed something more than work in his life, she was there. Not that he’d complain. The woman was easy on the eyes. Who was he kidding? Ruby was sexy as hell and he would gladly get burned by the flames.

  Her honesty and outspokenness made anyone think what they saw was what they got. But she was a paradox. Ruby could write computer programs and make the most sinful sweets and desserts. A woman prone to analyzing, she was unpredictable, and that unpredictability made life exciting.

  Groaning to himself, he threw back the covers, swung his feet to the floor. He needed to clear his mind of Ruby. He needed a cold shower.

  Throwing on a pair of denim cutoffs and a much worn navy blue golf shirt, Michael padded barefoot down the cool tiled hall to the kitchen, and checked on the provisions for breakfast.

  Staring at the inside of the refrigerator, he was impressed. Ruby had been to the market and stocked up. He should have known. She was the most organized woman. Noting the lack of sausage, Michael decided to skip the food and start a pot of coffee brewing.

  Just as he poured himself a cup, Ruby appeared in the doorway, hair tousled. He wondered if she had a restless night for the same reason he did.

  “Is that coffee I smell?”

  “Chocolate raspberry, your favorite.” He poured a cup and handed it to her.

  Ruby sat at the glass kitchen table in an oversized swivel chair, her knees pulled up to her chest, and nightshirt over her legs. He watched as she closed her catlike eyes, soaked in the aroma of the coffee, and sipped.

  “Mmm. You’re a Prince for making it.”

  “I believe you’re right. I am a Prince.”

  She eyed him over the lip of her coffee mug. “Smartass.” She raised her cup in a salute. “Thank you.”

  Too bad you have to kiss a lot of frogs to get to the Prince. Her ex-fiancé would qualify more as a horny toad than a frog, Ruby thought scornfully.

  She had never been able to categorize Michael. Too ambiguous. On occasion he’d been a Prince, a frog, and a horny toad. She speculated which personality he was on this vacation. So far he leaned toward the Prince, but give him time, she thought, after all, he just arrived.

  “What’re your plans while you’re here?”

  With his own cup of coffee, Michael joined her at the table. Easing himself into the chair, he shrugged. “Not much for today.” Leaning back, he took a long sip of the hot liquid.

  To her, he appeared content, yet somehow a nervous energy radiated from him. It wasn’t anything she could put her finger on, just an impression.

  “I have to make a few phone calls, make reservations for golf, and after that who knows. What about you? You’re welcome to join me on the course.”

  She laughed. “I think I’ll leave that up to you. The most I’ve managed in that sport is the driving range.” She loved whacking at the little balls and seeing how far she could send them flying. A great stress reliever.

  “Okay, you can be my caddy.”

  “Hah! You wish. I think I’ll chill out here, but thanks.”

  “Invitation remains open in case you change your mind.”

  “I’ll remember that. If you’ll excuse me, I don’t have much of an appetite. I’m going to skip breakfast and get cleaned up.” She rinsed her emptied coffee mug, leaving it in the sink. “It must be the exhaustion from the trip.”

  He nodded.

  His instincts told him that wasn’t the real reason she skipped breakfast, but he wasn’t ready to push yet. He had the impression Ruby couldn’t take his prodding. She looked as if all her emotions were on the surface of her skin, one little prick and she’d fracture.

  * * * *

  With Michael shopping and out of her hair, Ruby needed to keep her hands, and mind busy. She retrieved the gardening tools from the garage and
headed out the front door. Basket in hand, she started toward the flowerbeds with a springy bounce in her step, only to have her spring sprung when she laid eyes on the rainbow of death.

  Startled, she stopped cold in her tracks. “Oh shit!”

  Unconsciously, her fingers loosened on the basket and it slipped from her grasp. Ruby dropped to her knees, surveyed the flowerbed. Her hands trembled as she ran them across the fallen petals strewn around, the remains of the stems still sitting in the dirt as if they were whole.

  Picking up a handful of smooth, colorful petals, she wanted to wail with anguish.

  “Why? Why would somebody do this?”

  Two years ago she and her mother had painstakingly planted each and every pink and purple miniature rose instead of hiring a gardener. Now, they were pretty fertilizer.

  Frantic, not able to bear the sight, Ruby started to get up then sank back down. She stuck her hands into the dirt and started to dig. Heart pounding, she wondered who would commit such an act? She froze, her fingers still in the soil.

  When she saw the hacked up flowers only one name came to mind, Thomas. Squinting, she scanned the area, searching for signs of him. He wasn’t there. Whipping her head from side to side, she looked around for a note. She saw nothing and no one.

  “It couldn’t be him. It’s impossible. I’m overreacting.” She shook her head, refused to consider the possibility her ex-fiancé committed such a deed. “It had to be kids.” She forced herself to believe that theory. Just kids.

  Hurriedly she dug deep, submerging her fingers in the rich dark soil, pulling the stems and roots from their home. Ruby had to get rid of the casualties before Michael showed up. His curiosity would make him ask questions she wasn’t yet ready to answer.

  In the humid heat, perspiration dripped salty streams from her forehead into her eyes. Swiping one hand across a damp brow, Ruby tried to brush away the sweat as well as all errant thoughts.

  Frowning to herself, she was determined not to jump to conclusions. Thomas didn’t know where she was. He couldn’t. She’d slipped away under the cover of darkness. Unless he had watched her house twenty-four hours a day, no way he could know she’d left town on a plane.