Unsafe Haven (12 page)

Replete from an excellent dinner, Kendall sat on the sofa next to Denn and enjoyed the pop and hiss of banked embers in the fireplace. Since early summer evenings in Alaska could be nippy, he’d set kindling and a single log alight, enough to take the chill off. A reddish glow illuminated the room and one lamp in the corner had been left on. She spotted some streaks on the low coffee table in front of the sofa. Denn must have swiped it with a dust cloth, perhaps minutes before she arrived. She found the gesture reassuring and sweet.

In the kitchen, Luna sang off-tune as she finished washing the dishes. Never had one teenage girl whined and complained so much about kitchen clean-up, but Kendall had a feeling Luna did it for her amusement. A few times Kendall caught a mischievous wink amongst all the frowns and protests Luna aimed at Denn.

Kendall leaned her head against the sofa cushion and didn’t bother to question why she felt at ease in this house. Each sidelong glance at Denn caused her pulse to spike and his nearness alone should have alarmed her, but she’d worked hard these past few weeks to get over the knee-jerk reaction. She still had nerves, but now they were more of the anticipatory kind.

“Warm enough?” He spoke in her ear. As she’d sat lost in her thoughts, he’d moved a lot closer, and now pressed against her all along one side. Wherever he touched, tingles grew.

She managed a weak nod in his direction. “The fire’s nice. I’m glad you thought of it.”

“I didn’t. Think of it, that is. Luna told me this morning romance and fires go hand in hand. I’m hoping she meant a fireplace and not your friendly neighborhood pyromaniac.” He nuzzled her ear and her tingles formed goosebumps.

“Romance?” She gulped.

Just then the house phone shrilled, making her jump and emit a faint giggle at how easily he could rattle her.

Luna yelled, “I’ll get it!”

Denn resumed nuzzling Kendall’s ear. His fingers trailed up and down her arm, the callused tips stimulating nerve endings she’d forgotten she had. She suppressed a whimper that wanted to escape her throat.

Luna rushed in and thrust the phone at Denn. “It’s Jo. Tessie’s visiting and they want me over for game night. Can I go, please?”

He took the phone and brought it to his ear. “You’re a crazed woman, Purna. What, you don’t have enough insanity in your house already, you have to toss my simpleton sister in with the pack?” He dodged Luna’s fist and smirked at her outraged face.

He listened for a few seconds, chuffed out a laugh, and gave Luna the narrowed stare of parenthood, which made Kendall want to giggle aloud. How many times had her parents worn such a mock forbidding expression, just to tease? Her heart clutched in bittersweet memory.

“Okay, here’s the deal.” Denn pulled the phone from his ear and turned to Luna. “You take your meds and your kit with you. You test at nine. Not nine-ten, not nine-thirty. You leave Jo’s cookie jar alone and Frank brings you home at eleven. Don’t go crazy with the dance game. I don’t want you ralphing your dinner all over Jo’s carpet.”

“Jeez, I puked only once, and I’d been playing
Twister
, not dancing.”

“Well, let’s not take any chances, okay? Now, leave my presence, Minion.” He waved her off, his nose in the air like royalty. With a shout of glee, Luna ran from the room. Denn spoke briefly with Jo and then laid the phone on a nearby end table.

“How often does she get sick from activity right after a meal?” Kendall asked.

“Not so much anymore, probably because she now uses her head once in a while instead of stuffing herself with everything in sight.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Sometimes her insulin upsets her stomach. Jo’s very careful with Luna, so I never have to worry when she’s over there. Plus, her friend Tessie is two years older and one of the most sensible teenagers I’ve ever seen. Luna worships Tessie, so she’ll be all right. I just get a kick out of riding her ass.”

“Yes, I noticed. You’re a rotten guy.”

“Don’t I know it.” He threw Kendall a snide smile.

Ten minutes later, Luna was on her way. Frank Purna had picked her up and would also bring her home. Kendall enjoyed meeting Jo’s soft-spoken husband, who had a sweet smile and a calm, placid manner. She stood in the open doorway with Denn and waved Luna off. Only after Denn closed the door did she realize how homey and domestic her actions had been.
Almost as if I live here, too.

Denn pulled her back into the living room, and at first she held onto her calm easily enough. He resettled her on the sofa, but this time his arm encircled her shoulders. An occasional crackle from the embers in the fireplace interrupted the silence in the room. He stared into the low flames as if mesmerized. The nerves she’d conquered earlier in the evening came back to niggle at her, but not anything she couldn’t handle. Kendall made herself relax against him even as the more practical side of her brain warned her to enjoy this closeness with a lot of caution.

She knew he had questions, and she’d learned enough about him to understand his need for answers. A good cop wanted all the pieces of a puzzle, and Denn was a good cop. She didn’t blame him. But she wasn’t ready, either.

As if he read her mind and sensed her insecurities, he turned to face her and gripped her shoulders lightly. His lips formed a smile but his eyes held the kind of intensity that caused her to flush all over. Strong fingers stroked her skin, left bare by the sleeveless blouse she wore. Warm breath preceded the kiss he placed at one corner of her mouth. Reassured by his gentle advance, she raised a hand to cup his cheek. He leaned in to catch her lips in a kiss as soft as a breeze. No pressure, no demand. Just a persuasion she couldn’t resist.

So she didn’t.

The give and take of his mouth charmed her even as it seduced. She’d never been kissed with such generosity and yet swept into something promising to upend her world and leave her teetering. All this from a simple press of mouth on mouth. Then he parted her lips with one smooth movement of his and the kiss became something else. Something wild.

Heat, sudden and shocking, when his tongue slid alongside hers. Need, new and unfamiliar, as she met his demand with a moan forming in her throat. Desire took over and left her weak. She curled her arms around his neck, wove her fingers into his hair, and held on tightly. He shuddered against her and tugged her closer, until their bodies clung. The rapid beat of his heart should have scared her, but it only served to reassure. This passionate man was also caring, giving. He wouldn’t hurt her.

Long seconds later he released her with a lingering nibble to her bottom lip. His amber eyes glowed when she stared into them. He brushed a curl from her cheek and his fingers held a tremor.

“Is this okay?” His low voice beguiled her, velvet over gravel.

“I—” She paused, blinking hard to keep him in focus, and strove to bring her emotions under control. “I’m not sure.” She took an uneven breath. “It’s been a long time.”

“Since you’ve been kissed? Let someone get close to you? Let someone care about you?” His index finger traced her cheek and then ran along the curl of her ear.

She offered a hesitant nod. “All of the above.”

“Want to tell me why?”

The question caught her by surprise even though she’d been expecting it. She chewed her bottom lip, unsure of how much she should reveal.

Finally she met his eyes with as much calm as she could muster. “I want to tell you. It’s hard to talk about. When I talk about it, I relive it.” She couldn’t repress the shiver that rushed through her. He had to have felt it under his hands, against his palms, still clasping her arms.

He rubbed them gently. “Hello, goosebumps. I know you’re not cold, so I’d say you need to get this out of your system and share it with someone who’s a good listener. Who can help.” He smiled crookedly. “Me.”

“I don’t know—”

“Tell you what. You don’t have to look at me at all. It’ll be easier.” He arranged her until she sat cuddled against him, an easy spooning that didn’t threaten her nerves. He tucked her head under his chin and whispered, “Close your eyes and tell me. It’s safe, here. You know it is.”

“Yes.”

Safe. She could trust him, which felt the nicest of all.

Kendall relaxed fully in his embrace and placed a hand over his arm as it tightened reassuringly around her waist. Her voice held a low rasp. “I was engaged before I came to Alaska. When I lived in Oregon. I broke it off and moved across the state to get away from him.” She faltered, coughed, hesitated, then plowed ahead. “I spent a lot of money on a new identity. When I found out my hiding place was in danger of discovery, I moved here. And I’d do it again in a heartbeat, even if what I did proved to be illegal.”

Her hand clenched into a fist and her voice shook anew. “I’d do it all again.”

“Tell me.” Denn stroked her with light touches. Kendall tensed up again and he cursed the asshole who’d affected her so completely she couldn’t find any real level of peace.

She sighed, a shuddery release of tension. “I grew up in Portland and my parents had money. They were members of Waverly and they played golf every weekend. My father met Roy during one of those weekend rounds.” She shivered when she spoke Roy’s name. “I was a change-of-life baby. My parents were in their forties when they had me and they were always overprotective. Not to mention they spoiled me rotten.” She expelled a chuckle when he gave her an encouraging squeeze.

“Okay, I’m getting an image of this gorgeous little girl with bouncy brown curls and the biggest, brightest brown eyes in the entire world. Right?”

“Wrong.” She turned her face toward him. “Blond hair. Blue eyes.”

“Blue? Oh, I see.” He inspected her eyes closely, unable to see even a trace of blue. “Those must be high-quality contact lenses. Part of the new identity you mentioned, right?”

“Exactly. But the new hair color was trickier than the eyes.” She tugged at a few of the sunny brown curls. “I dyed it brown to match my contacts, and I wore hair extensions for months, to hide as much curl as I could. I finally took out the extensions the day before I left for Alaska. The brown dye didn’t cover all of the blond very well, so I gave up fighting it and started getting it streaked with light brown. It works amazingly well.”

“You’re avoiding,” he commented softly.

“I know. I’m sorry. It’s harder than I thought it would be.” She paused and drew in a deep breath. “My parents often had dinner with Roy. He was handsome, charming, very well dressed. He came from the kind of wealth most people dream of. And he was an only child, like me. His father was dead and his mother worshipped the ground Roy walked on. By the time I finally met him, my parents thought he walked on water, too.”

“How old were you?”

“Fifteen. He saw me at a Waverly holiday party and asked my parents for an introduction. They were thrilled Roy wanted to get to know me.”

He frowned. “Thrilled, and they let him date you? At your age? Jesus—”

“It wasn’t like that for them,” she protested. “And it wasn’t dating, either. Roy was about fifteen years older than me. Back then, he treated me like a beloved niece and my parents thought nothing of it. Neither did I. He befriended me, gave me advice about college, listened to me ramble on about school and my friends and cheerleading. It was like having an extra dad hanging around.”

“Still . . .” He couldn’t believe a family could have been so naïve. With just a few quick anecdotes about this bastard Roy, Denn could see the man’s hidden agenda as clear as glass. And if he didn’t control the urge to smash the nearest object he could reach into millions of jagged-edged pieces, Kendall would stop confiding in him.

“I’m sorry. I’m trying to get a clear picture.” He attempted to placate and didn’t realize he’d been frantically stroking her arm until she shrugged a shoulder.

“You wouldn’t be the first to react this way. Roy knew all the right things to say to my folks, and to me. He ingratiated himself into our lives. I called him ‘Uncle Roy,’ for God’s sake. He spent the holidays with us, came over several times a week. For three years, I viewed him as a part of my family, always there. Always kind, helpful, caring.”

She rubbed at her forehead as if to stave off a brewing headache. “Then my parents died, and everything changed. I was eighteen, preparing to enter college. I’d been accepted to UCLA. I was so excited to be striking out on my own. I had to talk my parents into letting me attend school out of state. I’d been so sheltered and they worried about the tiniest things where I was concerned. But they finally said yes.” Her breath hitched, the beginning of a sob.

He snuggled her closer. “What happened?”

Once again she faced him and the devastation in her eyes broke his heart. “Two weeks before I needed to leave, there was a car accident. A truck hit them, head-on. One of those big eighteen-wheelers. The driver smashed my parents’ car to pieces and then drove away. The police never found him.” Tears welled in her eyes and rolled down her cheeks. She whispered, “They died on impact.”

“Oh, sweetheart.” He cradled her wet face on his shoulder and held her tightly as she shook with sobs. What the hell could he say to make her feel any better? He knew damned well what losing both your parents felt like: as if a vital part of your body had just been amputated.

She fell silent as her crying eased, resting against him limply, her cheek pressed to his neck. He rocked her in his arms and waited for the rest of the story, hoping she’d purge it all out.

Only to reel in shock when she raised her ravaged face to his. “They never found the trucker. Case closed, just another hit and run. But he wasn’t the only one who killed my parents.”

“Kendall—”

“It’s true, Denn. I can’t prove it, but I know Roy murdered them. To get to me. To punish them because they were letting me go away and he knew I’d meet boys at college and fall in love and he’d lose me, forever. So he found a way to have them killed without getting his own hands dirty. It took a while for me to figure it all out. By the time I did, I was already engaged to him.”

Now her eyes blazed with pure hate. Her body trembled, but Denn knew rage caused those shudders. She held his horrified gaze as she ground out, “He killed my only family—and then took possession of me.”