Captured at Nightfall (Capture My Heart Love Story) (14 page)

She looked back at him, communicating,
“I can’t give it to you. You know that.”

It was a conversation they’d been having a lot more recently, now that
he was graduated with a real job and looking to settle down.

Allie
’s teeth set into her bottom lip and she changed the subject, “So, how’s mom doing tonight?”

The tight lines around
Adam’s mouth and eyes relaxed and he was suddenly his sunny self again. “Good, but tired. I think the doctors really put her through the ringer. Usually wipes everyone out when the docs see ‘em,” he reassured, “she’s zonked out, probably for the night.”

Allie
could have laughed at the light bulb that suddenly blazed to life over Adam’s head. “Hey,” he said, excitement filling his words, “how ‘bout you go check in on her and then let me take you out for some fish and chips—the real good ones; full of grease.”

“What about work?” She didn’t want him slacking when he’d just gotten back.

“Nah, don’t sweat it. I’d finished my shift when I saw you, so I’m free all night.” He grabbed her by the head and pulled her into him. “Been forever, Allie-girl. We got a ton of catching up to do.”

***

By the time they finished dinner, Allie’s sides were in stitches. Man, Adam could make her laugh. She’d needed this after the last few weeks of her gloomed-out misery. Adam steered her over to his truck, and with a flourish of twenty-first century chivalry, opened her door. “Your carriage, my lady.”

Giggling,
Allie climbed up inside, but not before she jabbed an elbow into the side of his ribs.

Adam
doubled over, feigning much more than he felt. “Damn, Allie. Watch it with those things. They’re frickin’
sharp
! Maybe if you ate more you wouldn’t be such a string bean, eh?”

“Has
nothin’ to do with that.” Allie flexed one puny bicep at him. “You just can’t handle the gun show.”

Hands out in a defensive posture, he backed away and slammed the truck’s door shut. “Take it easy, Rambo. I don’t want any trouble.”

He was still laughing as he made his way around the truck, but Allie felt like a bucket of cold water had been dumped over her good mood and she was suddenly missing her own real-life Rambo way too much.

“What’s wrong
?”

She
jerked her head around when the sound of Adam’s voice made her jump. They’d already pulled onto the roadway and were entering the freeway.

“What?” she muttered, sounding
sullen.

“Looks like your favorite puppy just kicked the bucket.” He cocked a thick, black brow.

“Oh. It’s nothing.” She shook the gloom away. Wasn’t fair to Adam to let Matthew ruin their fun night.

“It’s the cast, huh? You’re lost without it.”

She rolled her eyes. “Oh, yeah. You got me.” Of course she’d filled him in on everything that had happened at the UMMA—except for Matthew, that was. She didn’t really know how to breach that one. Mostly she didn’t want to see Adam’s crushed expression when he found out she was actually dating someone—kind of . . . maybe . . .
damn it
. She glowered down at her fingers.

“I sure would have liked to have seen that sight”—
Adam went on, oblivious to Allie’s inner-dialogue—“Lucky for you it was just a boot. Casts are a bitch. Itchy as hell, too.”

“It was awful!”
Allie agreed, remembering how glad she was every night to take the thing off. She’d been even gladder when she’d retired it to the back of her closet last week.

Chocolate eyes met hers—“I’ll bet”—and
Allie knew he wasn’t talking about her leg anymore, but the men who’d tried to rape her.

She reached out to reassure him, letting her fingers settle over the warm skin of his forearm. “I’m fine now,
Adam . . . promise.”

“If I’d been there I’d have killed those guys.
Fuckers
,” he added.

“
Adam!”

“Sorry.” He winced. “Slip of the tongue.”

Adam hardly ever used the “F” word around her and it was always funny to make him squirm when she caught him using it.

He turned back to her once he’d pulled onto her street. The truck’s headlights washed the front of her house with a yellow haze as
Adam pulled into the driveway. “Seriously, Allie. I’m glad you’re alright.” His eyes were communicating far more than Allie was comfortable with.

Awkward silence again.

Damn Adam and his never ending pursuit toward matrimony.

She cleared her throat. “Glad to see you finally wised up and got a truck. The
Neon was on its last leg.”

Adam
rolled his eyes. “You know, you say that every time you ride with me. I traded the Neon in like six months ago. Let it go already, will ya?”

“It was like watching the clowns pile out of the clown car ea
ch time you got in or out of that thing,” she quipped.

“
Ouch
. Harsh much? The Neon couldn’t help being small.” He turned to her and grinned, teeth a white contrast inside his brown face. “You of all people should understand that.”

“
Ass
!” She glared back at him. “Maybe you’re just a freak of nature; ever think of that?”

“No way.”
Adam ran a hand down his chest, fondling one peck. “Problem is, this much sexiness would never fit in a smaller package.”

They were both in stitches again as
Adam walked Allie up to her door. When he turned to her, though, his face was serious.

Ahh
, crap,
Allie cringed. Not again.

His eyes were so open, so filled with hope. It broke
her heart. “I was promoted when I got back yesterday. Lots more money. Stability. I’m probably going to buy a house soon.”

“Good for you,
Adam. You totally deserve it.” And she could honestly feel happy for him.

He grabbed hold of her hands and his thumb started to circle her knuckles. “You should change your mind,
Allie. Give us a chance. We’d be good for each other. We’ve been best friends our whole lives.” He paused and his eyes hardened with determination. “I
know
you. You
know
me.” His gaze was boring into hers, willing her to change her mind. She shut her eyes, unable to stand that look. Oh how, she hated hurting him.

“I can’t
Adam—”

He cut her off when his mouth suddenly covered hers.

This was so wrong.

Panic shot through her
as she stiffened. “I said
no!
”
He’d
never
tried to kiss her before.

His lips roamed over hers, urging her to open for him. When she tried to push away he only pulled her closer. “Please,
Allie.
Please
,” his voice was hoarse. Desperate.

She turned her head, feeling sick and angry now. Damn him. Why’d he have to ruin everything? “No.
Stop it
.” She shoved hard away from his chest, surprised when he flew to the ground about five feet away.

She finally registered what had
happened when a pair of mossy green eyes flashed, icy cold and full of menace, toward her in the dark.

“Matthew
, stop!” Allie leapt off the front porch and chased after the two.

Matthew
was all coiled muscles and towered over Adam’s prone body, radiating murder.  A flower of blood spackled Adam’s face and his nose was sitting at a wrong angle, swelling by the second.

Pulling himself onto his elbows
Adam’s words gurgled through his busted nose, “What the hell? Allie, who is—?”

Matthew
’s elbow cocked back and Adam was suddenly on his back again, gasping like a fish on land.

“Stay.
Down.” Matthew’s words a low snarl between clenched teeth.

Allie
rushed to Matthew and grabbed onto his arm, hoping to hell he didn’t try to hit Adam again while she was still attached. “Matthew, stop it!
Please
!”

The look
Matthew gave her could have seared through an entire forest, but she forced herself to meet his eye. Even if she couldn’t stop the cringe that wilted her shoulders and dampened her grip on his arm.

“What the
fuck
, Allie. I can’t leave you for more than a few seconds without you getting yourself into trouble.”

“Don’t you fucking talk to her like
that.” Adam had gotten to his feet somehow, hand covering his side while anger frosted his eyes to obsidian chips.

“Shut up,
Adam,” Allie lashed, afraid Matthew would lay him on his ass again.

She turned wary eyes on
Matthew. “It wasn’t a few seconds, Matthew. It was two weeks!”

Matthew
’s hand curled around the back of Allie’s neck and instant flames burst to life and licked up the lining of her belly. Fear or arousal; she had no idea which. Matthew’s pull on her was all-consuming. “I told you I’d be gone for a while.” His tone coaxed her to be rational.

When she looked back into his face a lump settled in her throat.
Damn it, he’d hurt her feelings!
“You could have at least called.”

Adam
took a step toward Allie. “Who is this asshole?” His lips were tight with the unsaid accusation.
Shit
, she should have come clean when they’d been alone. Her teeth chewed at her lip.
Crap
. “This is Matthew. He’s my”—she looked at the hard wall of muscle and contained rage and sighed—“well, I don’t know what he is. We’re dating . . . kind of.”

The pain that stretched across
Adam’s face made it look like he’d just taken another shot to the gut. Beneath furrowed brows his eyes darted between Allie and Matthew, assessing their relationship and probably guessing at the seriousness of it. He took another step toward her. “You’ve got a boyfriend?”

Shit again.
Boyfriend
? She’d never had a boyfriend before and Adam knew that.

Before she could explain,
Matthew’s fingers dug into her upper arm and jerked her behind him. “Yeah, she does, so back the fuck up.”

Allie
shook herself free of Matthew and stepped around him. Adam was bristling for a fight—knuckles standing out against clenching hands—and Allie
really
didn’t want him hurt any more than he’d already been. As it was, he looked a mess: blood trickling from both corners of his purple nose.

When
she started to reach out for Adam, Matthew hit her with a withering glare that curled her toes right up in her shoes.

Geeze
, hostile situation or what!

She decided pissing
Matthew off was the worse of two evils and backed up to his side, faking contrition. She chewed her lip some more. “Look, Adam, you should probably go.”

Adam
’s mouth tightened. His chest rose and he glared daggers at Matthew.

Allie
snorted. She’d been so worried about Adam getting his ass beat that she’d forgotten she was mad at him. “Just go.”
What the
hell
had he been thinking?

The corners of his eyes tightened, showing his hurt.

Well, he could just get over it.

“I’ll call you later
,” he muttered sullenly before climbing into his truck and driving off.

As she watched the red of his taillights get swallowed by the darkness,
Allie wrapped her arms around herself and released the breath she’d been holding.

When she felt brave enough, she peeked up at
Matthew.

Oh, man
.

He was
pissed
.

A five o’clock shadow covered the
twitching muscles in his jaw, but the death look he pinned her with stoked her own anger to volcanic levels.

Seriously
! After the way this night just ended, and
he
had the nerve to be mad at
her
?

She raised her chin. “I don’t know why you’re so angry, but I’ve had my fill of
fun
for the night. I’m going inside. Alone,” she added, in case he had any plans for B and E later. She spun on her heel, planning a dramatic exit, stage left, when Matthew jerked her against his chest. His arms wrapped around her waist and he crushed her against him.

Damn it all. He was a dirty fighter. How could she stay properly furious when her insides were turning to Jell-O?

He stood there for a minute with her squashed against him, probably counting to ten or something. When he pulled back, his fingers clamped onto her shoulders while his eyes narrowed to deep green slivers. “Damn it, Allie. I am so mad at you right now, I can hardly speak.”