Second Chance (13 page)

“Keeley. Are you okay?”

“What? Oh yes … sorry.” Her throat worked convulsively. “I … um … I wanted to thank you again … for last night.”

Damned if he wanted her gratitude. “There’s nothing to thank me for, Keeley. What happened was …” Hell, what happened was indescribable.

A small tilt of her mouth told him she might feel the same way, but all she said was “Since everyone is up early, Eden and Jordan are making breakfast and wanted to know if you’d like to join us.”

“I’ll be down in about five minutes.”

Her face once more showed that flash of compassion before she closed the door. Why had she looked so …? Cole looked down, just now realizing all he had on was a towel. Wouldn’t be a big deal except for one thing. He’d had his back to her when she came in, and she’d seen the scars. Last night it had been dark, and though they’d shared an incredible intimacy, they’d actually touched each other very little. She hadn’t felt his back … hadn’t touched the scars.

After seeing them, it was a wonder she hadn’t run away screaming. It’d taken him months to be able to look at his back without all the memories slamming into him. Now the scars were just part of him. They were what they were—evidence that even if he found himself questioning God’s existence, he would never question the existence of hell. That he’d seen firsthand.

Keeley leaned against the wall outside Cole’s bedroom and took a shuddering breath. Dear God, what had happened to him? Who could have done that? And how painful it must have been. You didn’t get scars like that without enduring severe agony. Had he been in some kind of accident? Could a car wreck create the mass of thick welts and what looked like hundreds of long, thin scars?

What kind of horrific event had Cole been through? And how strong of a man was he to have survived?

How could she have not noticed them last night? Of course, the fact that she’d been concentrating on other areas of her body experiencing mind-numbing pleasure might have something to do with it. Now she regretted not knowing, not feeling. The man who’d made love to her so passionately last night was extraordinary in many ways. Keeley wanted to know them all.

“You okay, Keeley?”

She turned to see Eden standing at the top of the stairs, a frown of concern furrowing her brow.

Keeley pushed away from the wall and nodded. “I told Cole breakfast is ready. He said he’d be down in a moment.”

“Good. Let’s go on down before Jordan’s omelets get cold.”

She followed behind Eden, her mind still focused on the incredibly giving, sexy, and mysterious man upstairs.

Apparently she hadn’t convinced Eden that she was okay, since as soon as they entered the kitchen, she turned to Keeley and said, “Are you sure you’re okay? You’re awfully quiet.”

“How long have you known Cole?” She inwardly winced. So much for subtle questioning.

Jordan answered, “I’ve only known him since I’ve worked for LCR, which is around two years.”

Eden nodded. “I’ve known him about four years or so.”

“He seems very … controlled.” Except for that one glorious, incredible moment when he’d exploded and they experienced ecstasy together. Keeley crossed her arms over her chest, hoping no one could see how her nipples peaked in arousal as her body responded to that memory.

When both Eden and Jordan shot her an odd glance, Keeley worried she’d given her thoughts away.

“Cole’s had some experiences that might have hardened him a bit … but he’s an excellent operative,” Eden said.

Relieved that they’d apparently not read her mind, she quickly said, “Oh, I’m sure he is.” The last thing she wanted was for them to think she didn’t like Cole or didn’t want him here. He’d made it more than clear that getting her girls back was his number one priority.

“He’s also one of the best interrogators LCR has,” Jordan added.

Keeley hid a grimace. Cole might be an expert at interrogation, but it was clear she wasn’t. “I just wondered—”

“If you have questions about me, ask me.”

Heat bloomed in her cheeks. Keeley whirled around and faced the tall, dark man standing at the door. Black brows arched over those amazing eyes; his head was slightly cocked as if in a challenge.

“I was just trying to—” Hell, what could she say?
I want to know more about you because you’re the most interesting, gorgeous, sexiest man I’ve ever met in my entire life
. Uh, no.

Cole let her off the hook with “Totally understandable” as he came toward her. “Ask away.”

Her heartbeat tripled as she watched him. For such a tall, muscular man, his movements were silent, graceful. Keeley swallowed hard and lifted her chin. He’d invited the questions; she wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity just because her face was blood-red from embarrassment. “Where are you from? Neither Eden or Jordan have an accent, but you have a drawl.”

His lips quirked slightly and Keeley focused on that beautiful masculine mouth. Last night he’d kissed her with that mouth. Kissed her? No, more like devoured her … and she’d loved every moment of it.

“I grew up in Oklahoma. Lived most of my adult life in Texas.”

“What part of Texas?”

“Here and there.”

He was being deliberately vague. She should have expected that. By necessity, LCR was a secretive organization. Asking personal questions of their operatives would probably always garner ambiguous answers.

Eden broke into the tense silence. “Why don’t we all sit down and have breakfast.”

Keeley headed to the kitchen table. About to pull out a chair to sit down, she was a little disconcerted to have it pulled out for her. Muttering “Thank you,” she sat down abruptly.

Cole dropped into a chair across from Keeley, her wary expression bothering him. True, he needed to keep a certain distance between them, but her obvious uncertainty around him caused a slight sting he couldn’t deny. Was it the scars? Admittedly, they were hideous and
would probably disgust most people. He was past the point of being embarrassed by them, but there was no doubt they had disturbed her.

He told himself it didn’t matter. He wished he believed it. The thought of her being frightened or disgusted by him bothered him more than he would have liked to admit.

Refocusing once more, Cole took a swallow of coffee and shot a glance at her. “I’m headed over to see Elizabeth Fairchild today.”

“Elizabeth agreed to see you?”

He shrugged. “Didn’t ask. Figured I’d drop in.”

Her lips twitched as if she were struggling not to smile.

“Something wrong with that?”

She shook her head. “It’s just that Elizabeth is very big on protocol and proper etiquette. Not calling prior to visiting is an insult to her.”

Insulting the woman sounded damn good to him. “It’s not a social visit.” He watched her closely as he said, “I want you to go with me.”

“Why?”

“I want to see her hostility up close.”

“Because you think she’s behind all this?”

“Maybe.” Cole didn’t see the need to explain that he intended on learning as much as he could about the woman so he could stop the harassment. He had a feeling Keeley wouldn’t appreciate his interference.

“Dropping in on Elizabeth, without having an appointment, to ask her questions?” She smiled. “Yes, I’d be happy to join you.”

Cole was glad to see that Keeley didn’t mind stirring up her former mother-in-law’s ire. So why the hell did she let her get away with so much?

Elizabeth might well refuse to see him. Not that he had any problem busting the door open and making her
talk to him. If he could do it peaceably, he would. The last thing he needed was to get arrested. The woman apparently controlled the local law just like she controlled everything else in this town. At her word, they’d lock Cole up and he’d waste valuable time he didn’t have. The one meeting he’d had with the sheriff had convinced him the man would do whatever the hell Elizabeth Fairchild wanted.

Taking Keeley along might help … or hurt. Either way, he wanted to see that animosity firsthand. Eden had told him Keeley hadn’t been out of the house in days. Maybe some sunshine would help.

Cole checked his watch. “Can you be ready to go in about half an hour?”

“Yes, but it might be a little early for Elizabeth. It’s only just now six-thirty.”

“You got a problem with that?”

Another smile, bigger this time, curved her full lips. “Not at all.”

   Elizabeth stood on the landing as she listened to Patrick, her butler, argue with some stranger about seeing her. The man had no appointment. Hadn’t had the decency to call and arrange a meeting. And he was here at the ungodly hour of seven o’clock in the morning. Some people could be so uncouth. She’d watched from an upstairs window as he drove up, and she’d seen Keeley get out of the car with him. That slut’s presence only reinforced her reluctance to meet with him. How like Keeley to be so common.

“I’m sure if you’ll explain to Mrs. Fairchild that this concerns her grandchildren, she’ll be more than happy to make an exception.”

At those words, she stiffened. Grandchildren? More like the slut’s children.

“As I have tried to explain to you, sir, Mrs. Fairchild isn’t even here.”

“Then we’ll come in and wait or you can tell me where she is and we’ll go see her there.”

Really. This man had the gall. How dare he!

“I’m afraid I can’t do that, sir.”

“Why not?”

“Because … well, because it wouldn’t be proper.”

Her hand tightened on the banister. Patrick wasn’t used to anyone being so forceful. Having someone ignore propriety and insist on seeing Elizabeth was unprecedented. The Fairchild name held far more power than that of any other South Carolinian family. And Elizabeth wielded that power with a strong and punishing hand.

The deep voice growled, “Since I’m not really too much into proper, I guess we’ll just come on in until she gets back.”

Of all the nerve
. Huffing with displeasure, Elizabeth descended. She would get rid of this obnoxious man and his whorish companion on her own.

Keeley had stood beside Cole in wide-eyed awe as he argued with Patrick, a man who’d been the Fairchild butler for years. Not that Cole had needed to argue that much. With his height and intimidating scowl, a lesser man might have cried just looking at him. Patrick had done his best to scowl back, but it had done little good. Cole Mathison would not be deterred.

She told herself she was too old for hero worship, but she couldn’t deny that her feelings for Cole were nearing that state. Having him on her side was becoming increasingly important to her.

“Let them in, Patrick.”

The familiar autocratic voice of Elizabeth Fairchild caused Keeley to stiffen. No one could make her skin crawl quite like this woman.

His eyes showing more than a hint of desperation and fear, Patrick swallowed hard and backed away.

Cole gave a polite nod and went through the door; Keeley followed behind him. It had been years since she had been inside the mansion, and she braced herself for the unpleasantness that was sure to follow. She’d only been inside a handful of times when she and Stephen were married. Not once had she felt welcome.

“Mrs. Fairchild, thank you for seeing us. I apologize for the intrusion.”

Keeley jerked to attention at the charm exuding from the man beside her. Gone was the austere, grim-faced stranger demanding to see the lady of the house. In his place was a handsome Southern charmer. Had his Texas drawl gotten just a bit thicker?

She watched Elizabeth’s expression change. Even to Keeley’s jaded eyes, her former mother-in-law was a beautiful woman. She had to give her that. Thick blond hair just brushed her shoulders and glowed golden in the early-morning sunlight. Elizabeth’s delicate, feminine features were in direct contrast to the mean-spirited person Keeley knew her to be. And though she knew the woman had to be fifty or older, she could easily pass for thirty-five, even younger. Of course, with the Fairchild money at her disposal, the best spas and plastic surgeons were only an airplane flight away.

What caught Keeley’s attention today were Elizabeth’s eyes. They literally lit up when she looked at Cole. Good heavens, the woman was eyeing him as if she’d just found a three-carat diamond at the bottom of her cereal box.

Elizabeth gave a tinkling little laugh. “No apology is necessary, Mr….?”

“Mathison. Cole Mathison. But please, call me Cole.”

“How do you do, Cole?” She held out her hand and Keeley watched as he took her hand and held it. Maybe a little longer than was necessary?

“Feel free to call me Elizabeth.” Turning to Patrick, she said, “Bring us some coffee and perhaps a plate of Marvella’s delicious scones.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Patrick looked relieved to be escaping without a lecture. As Elizabeth linked her arm in Cole’s and led him to the sitting room, Keeley remained by the front door and grimly wondered if she was just supposed to stand in the foyer and wait. The woman had yet to even acknowledge her presence. She refused to follow like a puppy and would just damn well stand here.

Elizabeth stopped at the entrance to the parlor. Turning ever so slightly, her tone imperious and condescending as always, she said, “You might as well come, too.”

Resisting the temptation to tell her to go to hell, Keeley bit the inside of her check and walked into the room behind Elizabeth and Cole. She stalked over to a chair and sat down. Damned if she’d wait to be told to sit, too.

Elizabeth seated herself in the middle of an overstuffed antique sofa and patted it as if wanting to share it with Cole. Instead of obliging her, he sat in another sofa across from her. Her thin brows arched a bit; no doubt she was surprised someone had actually refused her. Apparently willing to overlook his refusal, she gave him a bright, inviting smile. “Tell me about yourself, Cole.”

“Be glad to, Elizabeth. But first, I’d like to ask you a few questions. If that’s okay.”

“But of course.”

Keeley swallowed a snort. Cole glanced at her as if he knew what she was thinking, and she saw his eyes for the first time since they’d arrived. There was amusement in them. He was enjoying playing Elizabeth and knew exactly why he was being treated so nicely.