Until We Touch (16 page)

“Is that nice?” she asked softly. “Do you like the attention?”

The rumble continued.

“I think I’d like being a cat,” Larissa continued. “People to pet you and take care of you. And it’s different in the cat world. Humans have to earn your trust, right? Like you and me. You were interested in living here, but cautious. Over time, I won you over. It’s not like you were begging me to take you in and then I didn’t love you back. Trust me, that sucks.”

She paused mentally, if not with the petting, to consider that maybe she was anthropomorphizing the situation a little bit more than she should have. Dyna was a cat. She didn’t fall in love—at least not romantically. She bonded with the person who took care of her. Larissa, on the other hand, had bonded where she wasn’t welcome and was now suffering the consequences.

Someone knocked on her door. She looked over her shoulder before scrambling to her feet. She was pretty sure she knew who would be there. Someone from Score. Odds were on Taryn or Jack. She knew who her heart wanted her visitor to be.

She drew in a breath, then turned the knob. Jack stood on the small landing. He looked at her with a steady gaze.

“We have to talk,” he told her.

A few weeks ago she would have teased him about turning into a woman, saying something like that. He would have teased her back. Things had been easy. Before, she thought sadly. Before she’d realized she’d fallen in love with him.

Ignorance really was bliss, she admitted to herself as she stepped back to allow him in. Right now she was battling an uncomfortable combination of hurt, humiliation and, the real kicker—happiness to bask in his presence. How ridiculous was that?

Jack stepped into her small apartment. He bent down and scooped Dyna up in his arms. The long-haired feline relaxed completely and continued to purr.

“Hey, gorgeous,” he said as he rubbed the side of her face. Dyna snuggled closer.

Larissa had to admit that the sight of a big tough guy holding a fluffy cat was pretty hard to resist. Not that she was interested in resisting all that much. Which was part of the problem. Her lack of willpower.

Jack set Dyna on the sofa and then drew in a breath. “I’m sorry about the masseuse,” he said. “That was wrong on a lot of different levels. I shouldn’t have called her at all, but having called, I should have gone to see her somewhere else. I violated your personal space. I apologize for that.”

She nodded, knowing he wasn’t responsible for all the blame.

“I changed the rules,” she admitted, not quite meeting his gaze.

“You did and you scared the hell out of me.”

That made her look at him. “How do you figure?”

“Larissa, you’re important to me. You and I are close and I like that. I like everything about our relationship. I trust you and there aren’t a whole lot of people I can say that about. What we have...” He paused. “I saw Percy in town today.”

“Okay, and that’s relevant how?”

“He was with a girl. Her name is Melissa and they’re seeing each other.”

“Percy has a girlfriend? Why didn’t I know about this? Who is she and do I approve?”

Jack smiled gently. “Not my point. When I freaked out, he told me not to worry. That he wasn’t, ah, sleeping with her. She was too important for that. Now, I used to be an eighteen-year-old guy so I know exactly how much sex matters. What I think he meant is hooking up is easy. Relationships are a whole other thing. That’s what I mean about you. I don’t want to date you because my romantic relationships always end badly. If we don’t go down that path, we can stay together forever.”

Maybe, but the way things were, she was stuck being in love with him. “What if I want more?”

“I can’t give you that.”

“You mean you don’t want to.”

“Isn’t it the same thing?” he asked.

“Not really. I just wish you were interested in me in that way.” She wanted to ask if he could try a little harder, but that seemed too much like begging. And a girl either had to have Dyna’s looks or a little pride.

He closed the space between them and took her hands in his. “We’re a great team. Look at all we get done. Your causes, my causes. We laugh a lot. Isn’t that better than being in love with me?”

She pulled her hands free. “I don’t like this any more than you do. It’s humiliating to think you don’t want me or think of me as other than a friend. Why can’t you be begging me for something I don’t want to give?”

“I’ll beg for things to go back the way they were before, if that helps.”

She crossed her arms over her chest. “I just want to be a part of something. I want...” She paused as yet another uncomfortable truth rose to the surface. “I want what my sisters have. A conventional, normal marriage with a couple of kids and a great husband.”

A muscle twitched in Jack’s jaw, but what he said was, “I want that for you, too.”

“With another guy?”

“Unless you’re playing for the other team these days. If so, I know a really cute girl who might be your type.”

“Ha ha.” She sighed. “I’m so boring.”

“You’re not. You’re lovely.”

“I’m nearly thirty, single and desperately in love with a man who has no interest in me. The only thing that would make me more of a cliché was if you were married. Honestly, how did this happen?”

He shrugged. “You couldn’t help yourself, Larissa. You never had a chance. I mean, come on. It’s me.”

Which was both funny and completely the truth, she thought as she smiled at him. “You’re not all that.”

“I would agree with you, except for this situation between us. It kind of proves my point.”

“You’re so annoying.”

He held out his arms.

She hesitated for a second, then stepped into his embrace. It wasn’t like the one from a few nights ago. There was no erection, no kissing. Just the familiar feel of Jack’s arms around her.

“Friends?” he asked.

She nodded. “I wonder if Kenny would like to go out with me.”

“Aren’t you the funny one? Want to go get dinner?”

“Sure. I’m going to order the most expensive item on the menu.”

“That’s my girl.”

* * *

O
RDER
WAS
RESTORED
to the Score family, at least on the surface. Larissa was grateful to have something close to normal in her relationship with Jack. They hung out together, she gave him massages—without him getting aroused—and together she and Percy teased him mercilessly about his somewhat pathetic attempt to have the birds-and-bees talk with a streetwise teen.

But in her quiet moments, when she was alone, she wondered how she was supposed to move on with her life. How was she supposed to fall out of love with Jack and in love with someone else? Score sucked up all her time. While she hung out with her friends a lot, she rarely saw any man who didn’t work at Score, and the ones she did were engaged or married to her friends. While it seemed Fool’s Gold had a few good men around, she wasn’t meeting them. If only she’d been more excited about cowboy Zane.

Larissa confirmed Jack’s foursome for the Pro-am, answered a couple of emails from previous recipients of Jack’s largess on the transplant front and was about to start on putting away the clean linens that had been delivered when her cell phone rang.

“Hello?”

“Larissa? It’s Dan. We have an emergency. Remember the lady in Stockton with the chiweenies? We finally got in and it’s as we feared. We have a hoarding situation. It seems like she started out with the best of intentions and then it all got out of hand. We’re heading down within the hour.”

Larissa closed the linen cabinet and walked into the hallway. “What do you need?”

“Help with the dogs. We’re going to take the rescue van with us. That should hold most of the dogs. Two other people are bringing SUVs so we have enough cargo space. What we need is help walking, feeding and watering the dogs. It’s only going to be a day or so. We’ll meet in north Sacramento tomorrow morning at seven and then drive down. Her place is east of Modesto by about thirty miles. We’ll collect the dogs and drive them back here. Once they’re evaluated, we’ll get them into foster homes. We’re going to need help with that, too.”

She nodded. “I can be there at seven, no problem. As for fostering, just tell me how many dogs we’re talking about and I’ll find temporary homes.” She’d had great luck a couple of months ago with placing cats.

“You’re a lifesaver.”

Nothing that dramatic, she thought, but it was nice to be needed.

* * *

T
HE
NEXT
MORNING
, Larissa was on the road by six, heading to Sacramento. She met up with the small caravan that would make its way down to Modesto to rescue forty chiweenies and they started south. She was a little tired from not having slept that well, but she must not have been the only one who was lagging a little. Halfway to their destination, they all pulled into a Starbucks for a pick-me-up.

“It’s always the same,” one of the women was saying as Larissa joined the group. “Somebody thinks he or she can start breeding dogs, with absolutely no experience, of course. They get overwhelmed and suddenly they have fifty animals running around.”

“Are they charging her with something?” a man asked.

Dan shook his head. “No. She’s surrendering all the animals voluntarily, so she won’t be charged. The court will insist she not have more than two pets at any given time. If she has more, she can be charged with contempt.”

“If you ask me they should stick her in a too-small cage for a few months,” another woman said, her expression fierce. “Then we’ll see how she likes it.”

Larissa understood someone being overwhelmed. She just wished the woman in question had asked for help sooner.

The small caravan got back on the road. Larissa was the last car in the group. Radio reception wasn’t great but she managed to find an oldies station. The songs made her think of Kenny, who loved that kind of music. He would be in heaven.

Twenty miles from Stockton, her car started to make a strange knocking sound. She made it through Stockton and down to Modesto where everyone turned east onto a very narrow two-lane road. According to what she’d been told, they still had about twenty-five miles to go. She glanced down at her temperature gauge and saw the needle all the way in the red band. Seconds later steam or smoke or something equally upsetting started to pour from the hood of her car. She pulled over as best she could on the tiny road and watched the caravan drive away. Before she could turn off the engine, it stopped on its own and everything was ominously silent.

She couldn’t believe it. Really? This had to happen now? Not when she was driving in Fool’s Gold where she knew she could easily get her car fixed? She thought she was done messing up when she tried to help. After the whole incident with the snake and Angel, she’d vowed to be more careful with the type of creatures she got involved with. She was helping with chiweenies, for heaven’s sake. How could they hurt anyone? And her reward was a car breakdown?

But that was all distraction and she knew it. If her car wasn’t working right it was because she hadn’t bothered to keep up with servicing.

Her cell rang. She answered it.

“Hey, you okay?” Dan asked.

“I’m having car trouble,” she said. “Just go on without me. I’ll get back to Fool’s Gold somehow.”

“Will do. You still up for taking in dogs to foster? They won’t be ready for about two days.”

“No problem. Call when they are. I can place about eight with no problem.” There were plenty of people in town who had helped with her last cat rescue. She suspected they would be willing to foster cute chiweenies. She also thought Shelby might enjoy a temporary pet to make her feel at home. And Jack’s house was huge, so he could take several, especially with Percy to help her with the care.

Dan said he would be in touch and hung up. Larissa sat alone in the quiet of the Modesto wilderness and knew there was only one way out of her predicament.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

J
ACK
LOOKED
OVER
the weekly report that listed ad buys for various clients. Mostly he left this sort of thing to Taryn, but there were a couple of accounts that he monitored more closely. Mostly because the connection with Score was personal. Each of them had brought in clients who were also friends. It was part of how they did business—making sure the personal touch never went away.

He made a few notes on the report, then wrote a couple of emails to update the clients in question. Just as he pushed Send, his cell rang.

He glanced at the screen and saw Larissa’s picture. Taryn had mentioned something about Larissa not coming in today because of an animal rescue. He hadn’t stayed to hear any of the details. There was no reason. Whatever she was doing would manifest itself later, most likely in his living room.

Now he took the call as a nibble of worry took up residence in his gut.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

On the other end of the phone there was a second of silence. “I want to say nothing,” Larissa said quietly.

“But?”

“My car died. I’m east of Modesto with a group that’s rescuing chiweenies. A lady was breeding them and the situation got out of control and now she’s going to surrender them. I was one of the volunteers who would walk the dogs on the trip back.”

“They’re not being driven?”

“Of course they’re being driven. But it’s several hours. They’re going to need a chance to go to the bathroom.” She sighed. “It wasn’t supposed to be like this,” she said softly. “I’m trying to do a good thing.”

“You are doing a good thing. The weak link is your car. It’s what? Thirty years old?”

“Fifteen and I guess it needs servicing.”

“If you’d let me buy you a new car,” he began, only to realize that wasn’t the point. At least not now. Larissa needed him. “Is your location finder on your phone turned on?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Good. I’ll be there within the hour.”

“Not even the way you drive. Jack, you don’t have to come get me. I just wanted you to call a tow truck.”

“Not happening. I’ll be there in person.” He wrote down the route she’d taken that morning and told her to stay with her car. “Lock the doors.”

“I’m perfectly safe,” she assured him.

“Lock your doors.”

“I promise.”

He hung up and headed out the door.

* * *

“S
HE
SHOULD
BE
right around here,” the helicopter pilot said, pointing to the ground.

Jack nodded. He glanced at his cell phone and saw the blinking red dot that was Larissa was nearly under them. He looked through the trees and saw her aging import pulled off the side of a two-lane road. The knot of worry that had been growing since he got her call finally eased. He was here. Whatever was wrong, he would fix it.

The helicopter set down on a dirt road only a few yards away from her car. Jack pulled off his headset and climbed out as the dust swirled around the whirling blades.

Larissa got out of her car and shook her head. He knew what she was thinking. He couldn’t take a car like a normal person? Sure, he could have, but then the trip would have been much longer. She needed to be rescued and he was the man to do it.

They walked toward each other. She had on jeans and T-shirt under a hoodie. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail and she wasn’t wearing any makeup. But when her gaze met his, he felt the pull all the way down to his soul. Whatever they were going through now, this was Larissa and she would always be a part of him. As much as she needed him, he needed her more.

He held open his arms and she ran to him. When he drew her against him, he knew that he was done fighting the inevitable. How could he resist a woman who wanted to rescue chiweenies—whatever the hell they were? A woman who claimed to love him and wanted to use sex to get over him?

Hunger burned inside of him. Hunger and need and desire, but they were all second to what he really ached for. He didn’t have an itch to be scratched. He had a bad feeling that if he gave in to what they both wanted, the trouble to follow would be cataclysmic. Yet there was an inevitability in the moment. He could run but he couldn’t hide. So maybe it was time to stop running.

She buried her face in his chest and trembled slightly. When she finally raised her head, he saw tears in her eyes. “Everything I touch turns to crap,” she murmured.

“That’s not true.”

“It is. I just wanted to help walk some dogs.”

“They’re still going to be rescued and if I know you, you’ll be arranging for a dozen or so to be fostered in Fool’s Gold.” Possibly half that number in his house, but so what? “You care, Larissa. That’s rare. Treasure your compassion. I do.”

“I just feel stupid. I do this to myself. I’m so busy running from crisis to crisis, I don’t take care of the important things like getting my car serviced. What if I’d been the only one going to get those dogs?”

“I would have brought a bigger helicopter.”

He hoped she would smile, but she didn’t. She stepped back. “I’m serious, Jack. Look at me. I’m twenty-eight years old and you’re still rescuing me. How can I save the world if I can’t keep my car running?”

“I don’t agree they’re related problems.”

“They’re symbolic.” She shook her head. “Sorry. I’ll beat myself up later. Thank you for rescuing me. I really appreciate it. Now what happens? We can’t leave my car here.”

He pointed and she turned. A woman was collecting a big tool box from inside the helicopter.

“That’s Donna. She’s going to get your car running and then drive it back to Fool’s Gold.”

“What if it can’t be fixed?”

“She’ll call for a tow truck.” Jack put his arm around her. “Come on. Let’s get your stuff and we’ll get out of here.”

“We can’t just leave that woman alone with my car.”

“She’ll be fine.” Jack wasn’t going to mention the outrageous sum he’d offered to get Donna to go with him. That would only make Larissa feel worse.

Larissa got her purse and cell phone, then explained what had happened with her car. Donna grinned. “No problem. I’ll have her running like new.”

Jack doubted that, but at least functional would be good. Larissa thanked the other woman, then followed Jack to the helicopter.

“I’ve never been in one of these before.”

He grinned. “Then it’s about time you were.”

* * *

L
ARISSA
HAD
FLOWN
lots of times, so she was expecting the slow ramp-up to takeoff speed. The helicopter wasn’t like that. The sound of the engine got louder and louder as, she would guess, the blades whirled faster and faster. But there was no warning it was time. One second they were safely on land, the next they were airborne and climbing higher.

She and Jack were sitting side by side in the bird’s rear seats. They both had on headsets so they could hear each other and the pilot. Before they’d taken off, Jack had made several phone calls. Larissa hoped none of them were to tell everyone at Score how stupid she’d been. But as soon as the thought formed, she pushed it away. Jack wouldn’t do that to her. The only one beating up on her was herself.

She watched out the window as the ground disappeared below, then they were moving fast through the sky. She tried to calculate how far they were from Fool’s Gold. She’d had the trip to just north of Sacramento to join the group, then they’d all gone south maybe eighty or ninety miles. But the helicopter could fly straight. She would guess their trip would last about an hour.

Forty minutes later she looked out the window to find they weren’t anywhere near Fool’s Gold. Out in front of them was the Pacific Ocean. And up ahead...

“San Francisco?” she asked, speaking into the microphone.

Jack nodded.

She wanted to ask why but knew the pilot could hear everything they said. She waited until they were on the ground, which came only a few minutes later. They didn’t land at the international airport, but instead settled on a tarmac very near the center of the city.

When they stepped out, she saw a limo was waiting for them. She turned to Jack. “I don’t get it. What are we doing here?”

He stared at her. “I’m going to help you get over me.”

She felt her mouth drop open and consciously closed it. “You’re here to sleep with me?”

He raised one shoulder. “There’s more to it than that. We’re going to stay the night here. Whatever happens is up to you.”

She had more questions, but realized she didn’t actually want to know. The city beckoned and the man next to her was irresistible and she was in love with him. A night away was exactly what she wanted. Why would she want to spoil the mood with a bunch of questions?

Anticipation bubbled inside of her. Whatever the outcome, this was going to be a great day.

She followed him to the limo. The driver stepped out and opened the rear door.

“Fisherman’s Wharf,” Jack said before sliding in next to her.

“I already talked to Percy,” he said. “He’s going to feed Dyna tonight and spend some time with her. Taryn knows you won’t be back until tomorrow.”

“What did she say when you told her where we were going to be?”

He took her hand and laced his fingers with hers. “She said I was going to get into more trouble than I could handle.”

“Did you believe her?”

“Sure. Taryn’s never wrong.”

Larissa laughed.

They drove into the city and the driver dropped them off at the wharf. She and Jack walked around for a couple of hours before getting lunch in a waterfront restaurant. After they’d eaten, he excused himself to make a few more calls. Larissa sat at the table, content to stare out the window and enjoy the warm sunny day in the beautiful city.

Tomorrow she would return to her regularly scheduled life. Tomorrow she would have to face the consequences of what she’d done today. But that was okay—the price would be worth it. She loved Jack—of course she wanted to spend time with him.

He returned to the table and paid the bill, then they walked out of the restaurant and he hailed a cab.

“Where are we going?” she asked.

“To the hotel.”

Already? Her toes curled in her athletic shoes.

“The Ritz,” Jack told the driver.

The Ritz? As in the Ritz-Carlton? “I’m not dressed for a fancy hotel,” she said, aware that while she’d brushed her teeth that morning, she hadn’t showered. And that her jeans were a little frayed at the hems and her T-shirt had seen better days. She’d been planning to rescue dogs, not go to the Ritz.

“Don’t worry,” he said and took her hand in his.

Good advice she couldn’t follow. Not only did she look as if she didn’t belong, they weren’t checking in with luggage. That couldn’t be good.

“I’m going to need a toothbrush,” she told him. “And shampoo. And something to wear tonight.”

“Not to worry. It’s all taken care of.”

They pulled up in front of the magnificent hotel. An elegantly dressed middle-aged woman was waiting and smiled at Larissa. “Ms. Owens?” she asked.

Larissa nodded.

“I’m Francine. If you’ll come with me, please?”

Larissa looked at Jack. “What are you doing?”

“You’re going to have to go with her to find out.” He leaned in and lightly kissed her. “You’ll like it. I promise.”

She wasn’t sure but decided to go along with whatever had been planned. She was in the Ritz-Carlton. It wasn’t as if anything bad could happen here.

Francine led her through the luxury hotel to the spa. Once she was there, she was checked in for an afternoon of relaxation and pampering, according to the very perky attendant. There would be a facial followed by a manicure and pedicure. After that she would get her hair done.

“It sounds wonderful,” Larissa said, grateful Jack hadn’t booked her for a massage. There were only a few people she trusted to do that.

She spent the next couple of hours relaxing in a treatment chair while her face was steamed and wrapped and smothered in various concoctions. Later she had a wonderful manicure and pedicure. By the time she was led into the salon, she was feeling relaxed and pampered.

José, a charming young man with a big smile, played with her hair for a few minutes before declaring the color “perfection” and the length “a disaster.”

“How much do you want to cut off?” she asked warily.

“Trust me,” he said.

“That so isn’t going to happen.”

“It’s hair. It will grow back.” He fingered the ends. “Maybe a few inches. It will still be long, but you’ll have layers and style.”

She’d never been much for style, she thought humorously. Taryn had enough for all her friends. Still, it would be nice to be glamorous for once.

“Okay, do what you think is best, but not short.”

José nodded. “You’ll see.”

He whipped up a mysterious brew and gave her a few highlights. When her hair was wet, he went to work with a razor. Strands went flying. When he was done with the cut, he used a big round brush to blow out her hair, then put in a few hot rollers. During the entire session, she wasn’t allowed to see herself in the mirror.

After José, a woman came over and applied makeup. Larissa listened carefully as she gave advice. The last time she’d tried to conquer the smoky eye, Sam had asked if she’d gotten in an accident.

When the makeup artist was done, José reappeared. He pulled out curlers, teased, finger-combed then applied enough hair spray to turn her into a plastic doll. At last he spun the chair so she was facing the mirror.

She almost didn’t recognize herself. She was still a blue-eyed blonde, but instead of looking like the fresh-faced girl next door, she’d been transformed into a sexy, elegant stranger.

Her hair tumbled in big soft curls that shifted every time she moved. José had given her long bangs that softened her features and made her eyes look huge. Or maybe it was the expertly applied makeup that made her eyes so large. She couldn’t decide. Either way, she loved it.

“Wow,” she said. “Just wow.”

José patted her shoulder. “You’re a swan now. A beautiful swan.”