Flo hadn’t cared. The kids, Hunter and Lilly, needed her and in her heart, Flo knew she’d be making their lives better by taking them in. No matter that Lilly’s situation wasn’t on the books so to speak, her life had been happier with the Bensons than when she’d lived with her uncle.
Taking the money didn’t seem like such an evil thing.
Until Lilly had disappeared. Then Flo lived with guilt over not having watched the kids carefully enough that night. Over not having protected Lilly. Still, the money had changed hands and because Dumont was afraid Flo would reveal his scheme, he hadn’t demanded she pay him back.
But he had had Hunter taken away. Afraid that if she reported him to the authorities he’d do the same with her own son, Flo had learned to live with what she’d done.
She’d used the money on Ty after that, for better clothes, a better education. When Ty had discovered her secret, his anger had been a scary thing. He’d sold the car she’d bought him and dropped out of college. For a while, Flo had been afraid of losing her only child, but Ty had come around because they were family and they loved and supported each other. They always had and always would.
Still, Flo knew her son had been punishing himself all these years for his mother’s choices. With Lilly’s return, Flo hoped that would change and he’d find the happiness he’d been denying himself. The happiness he deserved.
Seven
L acey needed a warm bath to soothe the body parts she’d hit on her dive to the ground. Still shaken, she drove slowly back to Ty’s place after the mall security guard, who’d arrived shortly after the incident, had taken their statement. She dropped Ty’s extra set of keys into a dish on the hall shelf, propped her shopping bags against the wall and headed straight for the bathroom. Not five minutes later, the tub was filled with soapy bubbles she’d picked up in the mall.
She climbed into the warm tub, eased into the bubbles, and laid her head against the back of the cold porcelain, letting the tension ease away. No sooner had she shut her eyes than she heard the slam of the front door and Ty’s voice call out to her.
“In here!” she yelled back. She assumed he’d talk from outside the door but just in case, she glanced down, satisfied the bubbles covered her, barely but enough.
Without a knock or warning, Ty flung the bathroom door open wide. “I heard what happened at the mall,” he said, talking fast.
“It was one of those freak accidents.” She remained motionless, knowing if she lifted an arm to cover herself, she’d risk shifting the bubbles even more.
“But you’re okay?”
She nodded. “I appreciate your concern but I’m fine. Exhausted and maybe a little sore, but fine.”
He stood in the doorway and stared, his gaze drifting up her body, his eyes darkening as if just realizing that he’d walked in on her in the tub. Nude.
Of course she was very aware of their situation. Her body might be barely covered but she felt completely bared to his gaze just the same. Her br**sts grew heavy, her ni**les tightening into hardened peaks and between her thighs, a delicious tingling began and grew the longer his heated gaze lingered.
She swallowed hard. “Ty?”
“Yeah?” he asked in a roughened voice.
“Now that you know I’m okay…..”
“Yeah. I’m out of here.” He took a step back. Then another, slamming the door shut behind him.
Her heart racing in her chest, awareness and desire awakened, Lacey drew a deep breath and dunked her entire head beneath the bubbled water.
TY LEANED against the bathroom door and breathed in deeply but nothing calmed his racing heart. Lilly was naked on the other side of that door, with nothing but bubbles covering her body.
He’d caught teasing glimpses of bare flesh, enough to make his mouth water and his groin tighten with need. He didn’t know how much more temptation he could take, with them both living under the same roof.
His cell phone rang and he gratefully snapped it open. “Yeah.”
“It’s Hunter.”
“What’s up?” Ty asked.
“There’s a case that I’ve been working on that suddenly had the court date moved up. Which means I’m going to be busy round the clock for the next few weeks. I hate to tell Lilly I can’t figure out her situation right now, but there’s no way I can do it myself.”
Ty ran a hand through his hair. “Is the fact that your case was suddenly moved up on the calendar legit?” Or had Dumont decided to somehow pull strings and get Hunter too busy to work on Lilly’s behalf.
“There are date changes all the time. It’s part of the process. But the changes are usually adjournments or postponements,” Hunter muttered. “Still I’m one step ahead of you. I’ve already asked Anna Marie about it and she said the info rmation came into her office today via routine channels.”
Ty scowled. He wasn’t so sure. Could old Anna Marie be bought, he wondered. With her family credentials in town, he doubted it. Still it couldn’t hurt to dig a little and digging was what he did best.
Legitimately moved up or not, Hunter had his hands full with this case, so Ty opted not to aggravate him more by questioning Anna Marie’s reliability.
“Don’t sweat it,” Ty said. “I’ll let Lilly know, but I’m sure she’ll say there’s no rush anyway.”
“Well, I can give you a heads-up on something you can take care of without me. Lilly’s parents filed the original trust fund and will documents with the law firm of Dunne and Dunne in Albany
. Paul Dunne is the trustee.”
Ty frowned. “Isn’t he Anna Marie’s brother?”
“Yeah. Are you thinking there’s a connection?”
“I don’t know what I’m thinking,” Ty muttered.
“You sound like hell. What’s going on over there?” Hunter asked.
Ty walked out of Lilly’s earshot and into his bedroom, shutting the door. “I can’t take it.” He lowered himself onto the bed. “I can’t live under the same roof with her another minute or I’m going to do something I’ll regret.”
Hunter burst out laughing. “That’s what’s bothering you?”
“Glad you find sexual frustration amusing.”
“Before Lilly’s return, you were getting a steady diet from Gloria, so I’d say there’s more going on than frustration. Maybe you need to explore the possibilities,” Hunter suggested.