Forbidden Secrets Read online

  “Nothing.”

  Yeah, he had to lie.

  He wasn’t proud of it either.

  Only, it wasn’t appropriate to tell her the truth. At that moment, he was thinking about her riding him in that chair. He could see her gorgeous red hair whipping around them, hear her breathy gasps of pleasure, and feel his balls tighten before release.

  Shit!

  He really needed to cool down.

  And fast.

  “Okay,” she stated. Lennox had never had a difficult time attracting men. They flocked to her all the time. Granted, she’d shove them away because they didn’t interest her, but this one man…

  He was making her work for it.

  “Tell me about Ivy,” she said.

  “Why?”

  Lennox glanced over at him.

  His face was contorted into a mask of irritation, and she didn’t know what she did now.

  “I don’t want to talk about her.”

  It was childish, but he was desperately trying to rein in his need. It wasn’t easy keeping his hands to himself. This woman was making his life damn hard.

  He wanted her in the worst way.

  “You really hate me, don’t you?” she asked.

  He didn’t speak.

  He wanted to be honest. Hart wanted to stand up, yank her out of that pricy lounge chair, and bury his body in hers.

  Only he couldn’t.

  When he didn’t answer, she wanted to weep. “I’ll take that as a yes. I don’t know what I did to you, but I’m sorry, Everhart. I’m really sorry.”

  He didn’t mean to be an asshole.

  He simply couldn’t function around her. Being rude was his only way of defending himself. If she hated him, she’d leave the space between them. Already, that wall was crumbling for him, and Everhart was desperate to keep it intact. If he actually admitted he liked her, he was destined to get hurt.

  “Don’t take it personally,” he muttered. “It’s the job.”

  “I see.”

  That stung.

  Here was her proof. She’d been right. The only reason he’d been nice to her earlier was because she was part of the job.

  Hart heard it in her voice.

  Still…

  He didn’t think she did get it. The woman tripped him up. He thought she was some rich bitch, but she turned out to be sweet, kind, and gentle. That was bad enough, but toss in the way she was broken inside.

  Hart wanted to protect her.

  He wanted to wrap himself around her and keep her safe. The only other person he felt that for was his daughter.

  If he admitted he had feelings, he was screwed. Then he’d do things he shouldn’t.

  It was one big circle.

  “I guess I’ll swim,” she said, trying to hold back the tears. No matter what she did, he stared at her as if she was nothing. Here was the story of her life. There was no doubt in her mind that he would be glad to escape her.

  Hell!

  She didn’t doubt he’d burn the painting the second it arrived at his home. She was giving up. There was no way to get through to him. Sometimes, you had to know when to quit.

  This was her wakeup call.

  “Good idea,” he stated as he brushed her off.

  Hart felt horrible as she walked away. He was an asshole. He didn’t know how to deal with this situation. When she dove into the pool, he watched her swim laps.

  There was no doubt how she kept in shape.

  She was like a fish in the water.

  When she surfaced not far away, he could see the misery in her face. Before he could shout to her, she went back under.

  Hart knew he had to fix this.

  She didn’t do anything wrong, and she’d become his whipping boy for his past traumas.

  Heading toward the side of the pool, he didn’t see her. She had gone under, but hadn’t come up. That worried him.

  “Lennox?” he shouted, scanning the water.

  Moving toward the deep section, he saw a shadow at the bottom of the pool.

  That didn’t seem right. There was a burst of bubbles surfacing as if she was struggling.

  Hart dropped his phone and kicked off his shoes. He didn’t hesitate to dive into the water. As he broke the surface, he could see her at the bottom. She wasn’t caught in the drain, but instead floating in the water.

  As he reached her, she looked panicked.

  He felt the same when he tugged on her body, and she wouldn’t budge.

  There was no doubt in his mind they weren’t alone.

  The water was getting icy cold.

  Ghosts!

  Damn it.

  She was starting to give up and not struggle. Hart knew she needed air, and fast. Bringing her mouth to his, he sealed them together. He gave her the breath in his body.

  When he broke free, he swam to the surface to get more air. Back down he went, trying to breathe for Lennox.

  It wasn’t working.

  When he reached her the last time, she was done. He could see it in her eyes. She’d accepted her fate.

  He wanted to shout for her to fight.

  He wouldn’t give up.

  ‘Thank you for trying,’ she mouthed as her last words. Her eyes closed and she was gone.

  He tugged at her body and still, she wouldn’t break free from the invisible bonds.

  He kicked to the surface.

  “Trey!” he shouted when his head cleared the water. “Help me!”

  “Salt. The. Water. I. Will. Do. What. I. Can.”

  He reached for his pocket as he dove back under the water. When her reached her, he wanted to be sick.

  Lennox’s hair floated around her like some sick red cloud. It reminded him of blood.

  Her eyes were now open, and they were the color of the water. They were also dead and lifeless.

  Hart wasn’t giving up.

  He couldn’t.

  He tore open the salt packet beneath the surface and scattered it into the water.

  Immediately, she began sinking.

  He grabbed Lennox around the waist and pushed up to the surface to get her some air. Once breaking the water, he shoved her to the concrete and pulled himself from the water.

  “Find Tori,” he muttered toward his phone as he began trying to save Lennox. “Tell her hurry!”

  “Breathe. For. Her. She. Hasn’t. Crossed. Yet!”

  He took that as his sign.

  Hart’s mouth sealed over hers and he shoved air into her body. He could see, from his peripheral, that her chest was moving up and down.

  Still she wasn’t waking up.

  “Please, Lennox!” he whispered, compressing her chest. “You can’t do this to me.”

  He felt horrible.

  This was his doing.

  Hart kept picturing her last words to him. He’d been a dick and she’d gone into that pool because of him.

  If she was gone, it was on him.

  “If you wake up, I’ll be honest. I’ll stop being a douchebag,” he begged, taking another deep breath.

  He forced it into her body, willing her to live.

  “I’ll give you a chance. Come on, sweetheart. Fight. You can’t let them win.”

  He took two more breaths. The last one, his lips lingered. He wanted her to feel love once before she crossed.

  Hart was so damn sorry.

  “Please forgive me, Lennox.”

  Then, like a miracle he didn’t deserve, she began sputtering. Hart turned her to her side so she could purge all the chlorine water from her body. It was only then that Hart could focus again.

  Shit!

  They’d come close.

  It had been so damn close that she’d nearly died in his arms.

  This had to end.

  He couldn’t live with this on his shoulders.

  Lennox began softly crying as she curled into the fetal position on the concrete. Her body was wracked with sobs.

  Hart felt horrible.

  He touched her arm.r />
  “Please don’t touch me,” she whispered, trying to move away from him.

  He pulled his hand back.

  The damage was done.

  He’d wanted that wall to stay intact, and it seemed that he’d gotten his wish.

  Lennox hated him.

  And he hated himself.

  Chapter Eleven

  Friday Afternoon

  When Tori had gotten the message from Bethany in her head, she was panicked. What the hell was going on at the house? Trey had told her that Evangeline was going to be down for the count for a while.

  This was barely four hours.

  There was no way she could recoup from burning out that fast. This was bad.

  Really, really bad—for them.

  As the arrived at the Estate, they ran from the SUV and into the house. A maid was waiting for them downstairs.

  “Miss Easton is in the West wing with your employee.”

  Tori didn’t hesitate.

  She raced up the stairs with Julian right behind her. When they reached that particular wing, they found Hart sitting outside the door.

  He looked like hell.

  “What happened?” Tori asked.

  He purged it all.

  “We were outside. I pissed her off, she went into the pool, and the spirit trapped her down there. I couldn’t get her free. Finally, Trey told me to salt the water. By then, she was already gone.”

  Tori crouched down. “Is she dead?” she asked.

  He shook his head. “CPR saved her, but she won’t talk to me. She hates me. I can’t blame her. I nearly cost Lennox her life. You need to send me back to the office. You have Beau and Nyx coming. I can’t help here. I’m going to get her killed.”

  Tori saw a mess coming, but she wasn’t letting her employee run. “Hart.” She took his hand in hers. “You didn’t do this. Evangeline did.”

  He closed his eyes and rested his head against the wall. “I need to go home.”

  They knew if they let him leave, he’d never come back out in the field. They had dangerous jobs thanks to the dead, and he couldn’t run.

  They couldn’t let him.

  “No.”

  “Please.”

  Julian shook his head. He knew what would happen. This man would take Ivy and quit. Hart was so twisted up inside that it would sound like a good idea.

  It wasn’t.

  They could see it.

  “Hart.”

  He opened his silvery eyes and stared into Tori’s smoky blue ones. “You have to let me go.”

  She patted his cheek. “If you can’t stay, we understand, but I wish you’d reconsider.”

  He placed his hand over hers. “I can’t be here, Tori. I just can’t be here.”

  His chest was so tight that he really believed he was going to suffocate. The stress was there, but so was the fear. He’d nearly cost someone their life.

  How did he handle that?

  Tori stood. “I’ll check on Lennox,” she said, heading into the room. She gave him the look before closing the door.

  Julian got it.

  He was on clean up duty.

  And it was going to require one hell of a miracle.

  Tori saw her in bed.

  She was bundled up beneath the blankets with every cross, crucifix, and bag of salt in the place. It would have been pretty comical had the situation not been terrifying.

  “What do you want?” she asked, not even looking over to see who it was.

  “I just wanted to see if you’re okay,” Tori offered as she stopped where she was.

  Lennox glanced over. “I’m sorry, Tori. I thought it was Mr. Personality.”

  Tori got it.

  She was pissed at Hart. She just didn’t know why. The man had jumped in to save her.

  “Can I stay?” Tori asked.

  Lennox sat up. “I’d like that. I’m afraid to be alone. I want to leave, but I don’t know where to go. I don’t think I’m safe anywhere anymore.”

  Tori hopped up onto the bed and got comfortable. “What’s up with the crucifixes?” she asked.

  “I was hoping Jesus would scare the dead away.”

  Tori laughed.

  “Won’t that work?” she asked, clutching one in her hand just in case.

  “No.”

  “Why not?”

  She shrugged. “Bethany told me there’s no God. Then again, she was an angry spirit at the time, so maybe it wasn’t literal.”

  “Great. My life is getting worse and worse. I’m being stalked, hunted by a ghost, and now there’s no God. This sucks.”

  She tossed the crucifix off the bed.

  Tori began laughing harder.

  “I’m sorry, but that’s funny.”

  Lennox started laughing too. Then the laughter became tears. She couldn’t help herself. She was hurt, scared, and frustrated.

  “Want to talk about it?” Tori asked, handing her a tissue. “I bet this was scary. You realize Hart tried to save you. He would have kept fighting.”

  She didn’t speak.

  “Are you more angry he saved you or that you two are having issues?”

  She nailed it on the head.

  “Both.”

  Tori took her hand in hers. “Talk to me, Lennox. You need a friend, and I’m here for you.”

  “I was free. I was so upset when I got into that pool, that when he couldn’t save me, I thought…‘you’re finally free’. Then he saved me.”

  Tori wasn’t buying it. There was more.

  She could feel it.

  “How about you tell me the rest? I don’t think that’s all that’s bouncing around in your head.”

  “Why does he hate me?” she asked. “I didn’t do anything to him. From day one, he’s snarled, snapped, and been rotten to me. I’m trying so hard.”

  “Why are you trying? Why do you care?” Tori asked. She had a sneaking suspicion that Hart wasn’t the only one who was tied up in knots.

  She looked like she was too.

  “I don’t know.”

  More lies.

  “I think you’re attracted to him, and you’re confused. Hart is an enigma. You’re not going to have an easy time figuring him out. No one ever does.”

  Well, except her.

  Hart had shared everything with her. It was part of their bond.

  “I don’t understand why he loathes me like he does. I’m really a good person, Tori. I swear I am. I know my family is jacked up, but I don’t hurt people—not intentionally.”

  Tori believed her.

  She’d realized something. Had Lennox been a bitch, she wouldn’t care about any of this. It was clear. She had a thing for hers and Julian’s employee.

  “I need to tell you about him. Then you’ll understand a little better.”

  Tori was going to break the friend code, and she knew it. Her and Elizabeth had the girlfriend code, but they’d had to expand it to include the men in their lives. As the circle grew, so did the need to change the rules of the heart.

  She only hoped Hart wouldn’t hate her forever. Tori was taking Julian’s advice not to be jealous. She was doing this for him.

  “What’s there to tell? He’s a dick and he hates me. I figured that out on my own.”

  “This goes back four years ago.”

  Lennox listened.

  “He had a one night stand with a woman. She raked him over the coals.”

  “We’ve all had bad dates. I have a list so long I can wallpaper my damn house.”

  “She was wealthy, much like you. This woman slept with him, stole his shit, and did something really bad. On top of all of that, he really believes she slipped him something in his drink. He felt violated, and as a cop, that was a huge thing.”

  “What? That’s horrible.”

  “It is, but that’s not the worst part. I know that’s hard to believe, but this woman broke him.”

  “What did she do?”

  “She got pregnant and then quietly, her family tried to p
ut Ivy up for adoption. Fate intervened. One of his cop buddies—his wife was with the state agency. She recognized the story—her husband had told her about it—and she brought Ivy to him.”

  “Oh, that’s bad.”

  “Here’s this cop, who was humiliated in front of his entire force and given the date rape drug, and to add salt to the wound, he now had a woman standing on his doorstep with his child. His whole life was flipped upside down. That one night of sex screwed him up.”

  “I can see that.”

  “Hart had to dedicate his life to his daughter. He’d made her with a woman who fucked him over, and he’d created her path. He felt responsible and angry at the world for his mistake.”

  “But why me?”

  Tori pointed around. “You’re rich, beautiful, and you remind him of that one moment of weakness.”

  She got it.

  “I can’t have kids. I was fixed, I don’t use people because I’ve been on that side of it, and I wouldn’t hurt Hart. I happen to like him—more than I clearly should.”

  Tori owed her husband for this one. He’d been right. There was something there between them. They simply needed a little push in the right direction.

  “You know that, and I know that, but he doesn’t. He’s all twisted up. I can tell you that he’s really nice to every woman he meets. He opens doors, he’s pleasant, and he’s a gentleman.”

  “Then why the hell is he trying to make me cry all the time?” she asked.

  Tori smiled. “Think about it.”

  She did. “I don’t get it.”

  “You’re the first woman in four years that he genuinely likes. Let’s face it. Men…they aren’t the smartest when it comes to the opposite sex. Julian once had his twin tail me because he thought I was cheating. He then accused me without the whole story. He had to eat crow. It was very satisfying.”

  She laughed through the tears.

  “He doesn’t get it, Lennox. He’s a man. All he sees is a beautiful woman that brings something alive in him, and he’s freaked out. Will it repeat? Will he be hurt?”

  “I wouldn’t do that to him.”

  She was aware.

  “He’s leaving. He’s asked to be sent back. Right now, he’s likely packing his things. Hart is so freaking stubborn. You can’t talk him out of things.”

  She wiped at her eyes.

  “He blames himself. You nearly died.”