The Sound of Consequence (Puget Sound ~ Alive With Love Book 1) (29 page)

“You’ve got a great guy here to take care of you. Your mother will come around at some point and see that. Maybe sometime you can bring him back to Maine for a visit so that we can get to know him better.”

“Thanks, Dad.” Stacie wrapped her arms around him and hugged him again.

“I’m proud of you, honey.”

Those words meant so much to Stacie. Moving to Seattle and giving up her teaching career was a huge change. Even though she couldn’t remember what had propelled her to do it, she knew it was the right decision. She was going to be happy in this new life.

Stacie’s father left the room as Jenny came rushing in. “I just saw Greg storm out of the hospital. Your mother is in a frenzy out in the waiting room. What happened?” she asked, slightly out of breath.

Stacie’s response was interrupted by an orderly coming in with breakfast.

The omelet was fantastic, especially considering she was eating hospital food. Between bites, she told Jenny and Owen what seemed like a long, sordid story.

“Greg’s delusional,” she admitted. “He thinks I’m going to go running back to him, like I’m just trying to get some wild affair out of my system.”

“If you even think about going back to him, I’ll personally kick your ass.”

Stacie smiled at Owen before she turned to Jenny. “You won’t need to. It’s never going to happen.”

Stacie deliberately evaded talking about out her suspicion of Greg hitting her. She had no proof and she feared if Owen knew, he’d hunt Greg down and really hurt him. As much as Stacie thought Greg might deserve it, she didn’t want to be the cause of that kind of violence. There had been enough in her life lately, between the accident that killed Audrey and the after-effects that had Stacie’s head all bandaged. It was all done though. She was putting the whole ordeal behind her. No more Greg. No more unhappiness.

~~~

Stacie was discharged from the hospital on Wednesday, under the condition that someone stay with her twenty-four/seven for the next few days. Jenny brought her home and Owen planned to leave work early to relieve Jenny so she could go back to work. The two had been taking shifts at the hospital, so Stacie wasn’t ever alone.

The doctor’s directive said that Stacie wasn’t to overexert herself, walking was fine but no strenuous exercise, and that she’d be tired for a couple of weeks and needed to get plenty of rest. If she displayed any symptoms, headache, nausea, dizziness, loss of consciousness, she needed to return to the hospital immediately.

Then there was the psych referral. A therapist had visited Stacie in the hospital and recommended once a week sessions to be sure that she didn’t experience any additional post-traumatic stress, especially with the temporary memory loss. Her memory still hadn’t come back.

Dr. Kam had assured her because of the severity of the swelling and the duration of the surgery, it just might take a little longer for her memories to return. He thought that going back to her home and familiar surroundings would help.

Despite the memory loss, she enjoyed getting to know Owen. He was sexy and smart and she could see why she had fallen in love with him. The hospital didn’t offer them much privacy and she was anxious to see how their relationship would grow outside the hospital. Mostly, she was interested in getting his clothes off.

When she and Jenny got to the condo, Jenny pointed out Owen’s place, then showed Stacie her bedroom and informed her that she was on her own for the rest of the tour. Leaving Stacie in the hall next to her bedroom door, Jenny went into the living room and powered her laptop on. “Girlfriend, I’m here if you need anything, but I’ve got to get some work done. You going to be all right without me hovering over you?” Jenny flashed a sarcastic smile.

Stacie laughed. “I’m actually pretty tired. I think I’ll lie down for a while.”

Stacie stepped in to her bedroom and looked around. Her gaze paused at a sketch on the easel near the end of her bed. She picked up the drawing to study it. Although she couldn’t remember doing the drawing, she recognized her technique, so she had to have done it. She took the drawing out to Jenny, just to confirm. “Did I draw this?”

Jenny chuckled. “Owen didn’t tell you about it?”

Stacie shook her head.

“He took you to Gasworks Park and gave you a sketchpad and colored pencils as a gift. And that cedar box. You spent the afternoon drawing and produced that sexy masterpiece.”

“Wow,” Stacie said, gawking at the half-naked image. Was he really cut like that?

“That’s one way to sum it up,” Jenny said, turning back to her work.

Stacie returned the drawing to the easel and climbed under the blankets on her bed. She spent a long time looking at the drawing, then looking around the room at her things. She kept saying
remember
over and over in her head. Before long, she had fallen asleep.

A couple of hours later, she woke up to a tingle at the back of her neck. Owen. He was there, in the condo somewhere. He had planned to relieve Jenny sometime in the afternoon so that Jenny could go back to work.

Stacie looked at the drawing again, and memory replaced familiarity. She remembered standing in the park, the sun setting behind her. She remembered the bright orange color reflecting off the Cascade Mountains. And she remembered how she commanded Owen to first unbutton his shirt and then his pants, and how he had readily complied, moving his hands slowly, deliberately.

Then the memory of that night flooded her mind. She remembered slowly re-buttoning his pants and shirt. She remembered Alki Beach.

Stacie stayed in bed for another hour, remembering all of their meetings, the rides on the ferry, the confrontation with Greg, seeing Owen’s sister leave his condo. It was such a relief to have her memories back. Then she remembered that he was there in the condo.

They were alone.

Stacie went into the bathroom and stripped. She spritzed body spray all over herself and put on a sheer robe with satin and lace trim. After applying a little lip gloss, she ran a brush through her hair. She was going to pull it back in a clip, but then remembered how Owen liked her hair down, pulled over one shoulder.

She found Owen sitting on the couch reading a book. A look of surprise crossed his face when he saw her.

“Baby,” he said in that sexy Cajun drawl that she loved.

Stacie locked eyes with him and moved as if she was stalking prey. She straddled him on the couch and kissed him. She felt him grow hard even through the thickness of his jeans.

“Baby,” he said again, breaking their kiss. “What are you doing?”

“I’m doing what I’ve wanted to do since you kissed me in the hospital,” Stacie said, moving in to kiss him again.

“Stacie,” Owen pulled away once again. “Do you really think this is a good idea?”

“I think it’s a great idea,” Stacie said, brushing her lips against his as she spoke. She traced her tongue along the line of his lips and unbuttoned his shirt.

“Baby, don’t get me wrong. I really want you. But…” Owen trailed off as Stacie’s mouth covered his lips in a passionate kiss.

“No buts.”

Owen pulled back again and caught Stacie’s hands in his, stopping her momentum in getting his shirt off. “Stacie, baby, this is serious. I think we should give it a few more days for your memory to return. I’d love to make new memories with you, but the doctor also said you shouldn’t overexert yourself.”

“My memory,” Stacie said quietly, trailing off a little bit. “Yeah, I suppose it’s probably a good idea to wait until my memory comes back. It’d probably help if I knew that you don’t wear anything under your button flies.” She ran a finger along the hard ridge bulging under his jeans.

“You probably want me to remember how you like it when I do this.” She traced her tongue along the hard line of his jaw. Then she leaned back and pulled her hair over to one shoulder, knowing how crazy that made Owen.

Stacie caressed his lips with the tips of her fingers. “Or maybe how you lose control when I call out your name when I’m having an orgasm. Or that we’ve never made love in my bed and that is long overdue.” She locked eyes with him again and couldn’t keep herself from smiling.

“You remember?”

Stacie nodded. “Everything,” she said. “I also remember that we are just as good slow as we are fast. So maybe we can just take it slow tonight. You know, following the doctor’s orders.”

Owen wrangled himself off the couch, pushing with one arm, holding Stacie tightly with the other. Stacie wrapped her legs around his waist as he carried her to the bedroom. He set her down gently on the bed and untied the strap on her robe, easing it open before he stepped back and slowly removed his clothes.

When he was completely naked, standing there in all his masculine glory, Stacie had to force her gaze up to his eyes. “There’s something else I remember.”

“What’s that, baby?”

“I love you.”

Owen moved onto her, his lips warm and soft, his body hot and hard. His lips brushed hers as he slid inside her. “I love you too, baby.”

~

Continue reading for an excerpt from The Sound of Betrayal,
the second story in the
Puget Sound ~ Alive With Lov
e
series.

“You have toilet paper stuck to your shoe.”

Jenny Carter stopped dead in her tracks just outside the ladies room, terrified to face the voice behind her. It was possible her mind was playing tricks on her. After all, Ty Sullivan had chosen to stay in Boston two years ago. There was no way he’d be in Seattle now.

The rest of Jenny’s body registered what had to be true. Her toes had only ever curled for one man and now she wished she hadn’t chosen to break in the new shoes she’d purchased while on vacation last week. Clenching her sweaty fists, Jenny took three deep breaths to calm her racing heart. Then she turned on the narrow heels.

Ty Sullivan stood just feet away in the corridor at Bay City Publishers and smiled. It wasn’t smug or sinister. No, he had the audacity to curve his lips in that affectionate way that had led her to believe she was the only woman in his world.

As if…

Her body moved forward like a moth to a flame, and he dropped to one knee. She’d seen him in this position before, the memory causing her thumb to caress the now-naked ring finger.

Jenny’s heart ignored that reality, instead leaping and skipping and practically singing in praise. Her body warmed as Ty’s eyes surveyed from head to toe until he focused on her feet.

She looked down, caught up in the moment as if she were Cinderella and Ty were Prince Charming and they were about to start their happily ever after.

Again.

Then she saw the toilet paper wrapped around the toe of her red patent leather pumps. In a frenzy, her mind reeled her back to the present, reminding her Ty Sullivan was no Prince Charming and his shoe fetish was no fairy tale.

“What the hell are you doing here?” she spat as he lifted her foot and removed the offending tissue.

Ty paused and looked up, confusion narrowing his blue eyes. “You’re kidding, right?”

“About what?” she squealed, annoyed that she couldn’t control the octave of her voice or the impulsive reactions. She’d kick him in the head if she could, but he still held one foot in the air, leaving her off balance physically as well as emotionally.

He searched her eyes; looking for what, she hadn’t a clue. Ty chuckled and focused his attention back on her foot. He placed it gently back on the floor and dropped the tissue while he caressed her ankle.

The touch reached regions dormant for years. Heat surged from low in her belly and caused her thighs to clench and her heart to thumpity thump thump. Her nipples even tingled.

Damn her traitorous body.

“Are you going to tell me what you’re doing in Seattle?” she asked, forcing the schooled professionalism she prided herself on.

Ty stood, invading her space with his body heat. The fever continued to shake her and Jenny continued to fight it. Slow deep breaths and the mastered skill of counting to ten tamed her unruly reactions. There was no way in hell she would allow memory or instincts or whatever it was wreaking havoc with her body to thrust her into his arms and kiss him until her knees gave out.

“I think I’ll let you figure it out,” he said, brushing a rogue hair from her cheek. She hoped her dark skin hid the flush left in the wake of his touch. “See you around, Carter.”

His firm ass looked perfect in dark slacks as he walked away with a damn spring in his step. A spring! In his damn step!

Jenny wanted to follow, chase the man down, grab him by the white collar of his pressed shirt and demand he tell her why he was in Seattle. Fortunately, shock kept her feet firmly planted exactly where they needed to be.

Hell no, not where they needed to be. Jenny lurched forward, careful her shoes didn’t slip on the polished tile floor. When she reached the front lobby of her office building, Ty Sullivan was nowhere to be seen. Jenny wasn’t sure whether to run out onto the street or monitor the elevator to see what floor it landed on.

“Hey Jen. Did you hear the good news?” Mia Gee sang as she entered the building.

Jenny wanted to ignore Mia and pursue the elusive man who shouldn’t even be in Seattle, but Mia’s curiosity rivaled that of a cat’s and it was something Jenny would not feed with her own personal drama.

“Mia, I just walked in from two weeks of vacation. I haven’t even logged on to my computer.” Plus, she was still trying to wrap her head around Ty Sullivan being in Seattle.

“Oh, right,” Mia stepped toward the elevator and pushed the button. “So, how was your staycation? What’d you do? Meet any hot guys? Have a hot fling?”

If Jenny wasn’t still in shock from seeing Ty, she might laugh at Mia’s inquisition, but not even fifty questions could distract from the mystery of Ty Sullivan suddenly appearing in Seattle.

“Vacation was great,” Jenny said, not wanting to be rude and ignore her friend and colleague. “No hot guys, no hot fling.”

“Well, that’s boring with a capital B,” Mia groaned as the elevator dinged its arrival. “You obviously went shopping though. I’ve never seen that outfit before.”

Jenny had a closet full of outfits that no one had ever seen. She’d grown accustomed to retail therapy, but often experienced buyers’ remorse and couldn’t bring herself to wear the frivolous purchases right away. Her black linen pants and red silk blouse, along with the red shoes, were a non-guilt ridden purchase. “I did a little shopping. Wait until you see the gold lamé shirt I bought.”

Once they were traveling up to the seventh floor which accommodated much of the staff of Bay City Publisher’s communications department, including Jenny’s office, Jenny got back on task. “So what’s the news?”

“Well, I figured since you’re from Boston, you’d have insider info. I can’t believe you don’t know.”

Jenny had been living in Seattle for two years, so she wasn’t sure how being from Boston would give her an inside edge on anything. However, she suspected whatever bomb Mia was about to drop had something to do with Ty. “What’s the news?” she prompted again.

“They filled the marketing manager vacancy with a hottie from Boston. Maybe you know him. Ty Sullivan?”

Time slowed and warped, Mia’s friendly smile and bright eyes shifting to a look of sheer concern.

“Why are you so pale? Do you know him?”

Pale? Since the nausea hit her like a tsunami drowning a small Pacific island, Jenny shouldn’t have been surprised to hear she was pale, but given the dark skin of her half African-American, half Chinese heritage, pale wasn’t good.

“They filled the vacancy with Ty Sullivan?”

“Yeah. The memo came out last week, I think.”

“I need to check e-mail.” Jenny swallowed the bile in her throat and hoped to hell she didn’t hurl before she got off the damn elevator. Seeing Ty Sullivan in Seattle was a shock. Him moving here and working at Bay City’s Seattle office, was completely unacceptable.

When they finally landed on her floor, Jenny nearly sprinted to her office and tried to close the door.

“What’s going on?” Mia pushed through the door and followed Jenny across the large office.

After reaching her desk and grabbing the trash can, Jenny delivered her breakfast straight into the receptacle…via her esophagus.

As she sat bent over the metal container, struggling to catch her breath and prevent the rest of her stomach’s contents from making a re-appearance, she silently recited the seven P’s of marketing, hoping some of the mundane knowledge of her job would wipe away the shock of Mia’s news and seeing Ty in the lobby.

“Geez, you alright? Sounds like you’re coughing up Mount Rainier.” Mia stopped on the other side of the trash can. Jenny peered over the receptacle, noticing for the first time Mia was sporting red Chucks and black fishnet stockings. Only someone as petite and cute as Mia could pull off the parochial school meets porn star outfit. Jenny almost laughed when she realized Mia’s long black hair was pulled into two pony tails.

“I think I have food poisoning,” Jenny lied as she lifted her face out of the makeshift barf bag.

Mia stood there, hands on hips and gum smacking loudly, sizing Jenny up. “You sure it’s only food poisoning? With the new hottie starting tomorrow, I don’t want to catch something and miss out on a first meeting. He might be the one, you know.”

Jenny nearly fell out of the chair as she lurched forward and took another turn at filling the trash can.

“Maybe you should go home,” Mia suggested, taking up position behind Jenny and pulling her long hair out of firing range.

“It’ll pass,” Jenny choked out. Since it wasn’t food poisoning, all she needed to do was avoid any talk of the new
hottie
.

When her stomach stopped roiling, she leaned back in the chair. Mia massaged her shoulders, but the firm caress did nothing to relieve the tension.

The nausea and vomiting were a good sign. When she’d been face to face with Ty, she’d thought her body was responding with arousal. Now it was clear it had actually been on a slow road to complete revulsion. That was exactly the kind of reaction Ty Sullivan deserved.

“So,” Mia sang, “Do you know the new guy? Is he single?”

Jenny launched out of the chair and went to the window, leaning against the cool glass that easily penetrated her linen business suit. Her body absorbed the chill, cooling the fever that had been induced by the unexpected meeting. Gripping the sill, she took another deep breath and let it out slowly, all the while strategizing how to avoid acknowledging Mia’s question. “I’ve been in Seattle for two years. I don’t know every person in Boston.”

“It’s a simple yes or no question, Jen. You don’t have to get all huffy.”

“I’m just back from vacation and you bombard me in the lobby before I even have time to log in. I have a lot of catching up to do. Imagine what two weeks away did to my in-box.”

“Seriously?” Mia huffed, her hands returning to her hips. “You’re kicking me out for e-mail?”

Hardly, but the news Mia dropped like a nuclear bomb needed to be investigated. Surely Mia had it wrong, but Jenny wasn’t willing to feed her friend’s curiosity. Jenny wrapped her arms around her waist, hugging her stomach as though she might hurl again. “This could be a bug. I really can’t be sure and wouldn’t want you to catch it.”

Mia took a few steps back. “K, k, good point. When you’re feeling better, let’s do lunch.” She looked like a little kid as she practically skipped out of the office.

Jenny turned and pressed her forehead against the window, taking in the limited view of the Seattle skyline. Focusing on the blue sky she could just barely see from her seventh floor office, she took another deep breath, but couldn’t forget Mia’s words. They practically called out to her from across the room, taunting and teasing with the news that still shocked her to the core.

Maybe she was being punked. That’d explain the craziness of Mia’s news. But then, no one in Seattle knew about her history with Ty. 

Not ready to face the reality of Mia’s news, Jenny tied up the bag in her trash can and grabbed her purse. First order of business, hit the break room and drop breakfast down the trash chute. Second order of business, brush her teeth.

Jenny wasn’t prone to vomiting, but shock was a funny thing. She’d experienced its ferocity once before, the night she left Boston two years ago.

Since dwelling on the past was a big no-no in Jenny’s book, she focused on the tasks at hand. After two weeks of vacation, and with the quarterly all-hands meeting scheduled for tomorrow, she had a lot of catching up to do in a short amount of time. If there was one thing that could keep her focused, it was her job. After all, that’s why she’d moved to Seattle. The promotion to marketing manager two years ago was just a stepping stone. The bigger goal, marketing director, was narrowed in her sites now, the current director only months from retirement.

With fresh breath (thank goodness she carried a toothbrush and toothpaste in her purse), Jenny mentally charted a to-do list on the way back to her office.

“Jenny,” a deep voice sang as she wove through the maze of cubicles.

“Bill, hi.” Jenny stopped, a genuine smile relaxing her face as she greeted her boss.

“Welcome back. How was vacation?”

“Oh, it was awesome. Just what I needed.” Jenny had never taken two straight weeks off work. She’d taken days here and there, but never such a long stretch. It had been invigorating.

“Go anyplace interesting?”

“No, this was more of a staycation. Did some hiking, but spent a lot of time at the beach. I think I read twelve novels.” Even though Jenny worked for a book publisher, reading for pleasure wasn’t something she typically had time for. Most of her reading was done to become familiar with the authors she worked with. Other reading was completely career-oriented and even though she found a lot of pleasure in learning and increasing her knowledge about marketing and management, she didn’t consider that reading for pleasure.

“Twelve? You’re not looking to be an editor are you?” Bill nodded toward Jenny’s office and stepped off, so Jenny followed suit. The office was buzzing with activity as they made their way through the maze of cubicles.

“Not a bad skill to have when you direct the marketing department.” Jenny chuckled and winked, hoping Bill had news about her promotion.