Susan Mallery - Under Her Skin

She’d said that her other lovers had found her wanting, but he didn’t believe it. She was erotic and beautiful, with a mind and wit that was just as arousing. He could talk to her for hours. He enjoyed making her laugh and how she teased him. She saw beyond what he’d become to the poor boy who still lurked inside. And still she wanted him.

She wrapped the towel around herself. “Are you just here to gawk?” she asked.

“Mostly, but I also have news.”

“Which is?”

“Ann Paul is gone.”

Lexi frowned. “What do you mean?”

“She’s moved. She turned in the keys to her apartment, packed up her things and left.”

Her eyes widened. “Oh my God. Did he kill her?”

Cruz held in a laugh. “No. She’s alive and living in Phoenix. She’s also dropped the lawsuit. Apparently you had some effect on her.”

“You mean my threats worked.” She didn’t sound happy.

“You didn’t threaten her. You told her the truth.”

“I frightened an already scared woman. That doesn’t make me proud of myself.”

“She was helping Garth hurt your business.”

“He used her. He didn’t care about her at all. She was a means to an end. And I played along with him. I hate that. I should have handled it another way.”

“You’re in this to win.”

“At what cost?” she asked. “He’s ruthless and I don’t know why he’s fighting this battle. I can’t let him win, but I don’t want to play by his rules.”

“Make your own.”

“That’s not always an option.”

Her long blond hair dripped down her back. He reached for another towel and wrapped it around her shoulders.

“She’s gone,” he said. “She’ll be better off without him.”

“I know, it’s just…” She looked at him. “Why is he doing this?”

“I don’t know, but we’ll find out.”

“I hope so.”

He pulled her close.

She drew back. “I’ll get you all wet.”

“I don’t mind.”

He thought she’d fight him, but she relaxed into his arms. He held her against him, liking the way he felt protective. He wanted to take care of her, be there for her. There was something about her that touched him.

He knew this wasn’t real. That at the end of six months, they would part. Which was fine. This was a moment, nothing more. Nothing significant. She didn’t matter to him. Not in any way he had to worry about.

“HE SCARED ME,” Lexi admitted over lunch in Skye’s office at the foundation.

She’d offered to host the meeting but Izzy and Skye refused to come to the spa, claiming her health food was going to kill them.

“He was so cold. It was that old cliché of the guy being like a shark. He’s not warm-blooded.”

“Every guy is warm-blooded,” Izzy said before taking a bite of her burger. “He just needs the right woman,” she mumbled.

“We’re not talking about sex,” Skye said.

“That’s because you’re not getting any,” Izzy told her.

Lexi rolled her eyes. “Izzy, this is serious. Garth is a big threat. He’s angry and he wants us ruined. He’s already proven he has many Terminator-like qualities. He’ll keep going until he destroys us all. I wish I knew why.”

“You think his mother is the key?” Skye asked.

“That’s very Freud of you,” Izzy said.

“You’re in a mood,” Lexi said, wishing Izzy would be serious. “We have a lot to get through. This is important stuff. Garth is powerful and ruthless. He’s going to do his best to take us all down.”

“Ignore her,” Skye said. “Izzy, behave.”

“You’re not the boss of me.”

“That’s mature,” Skye snapped.

Lexi stood. “Stop it, both of you. Don’t you get it? He’s not going to stop until he gets what he wants. We all have a lot to lose. Garth has attacked us where it hurts. My business, Skye’s foundation. We have to be united on this. We have to figure out a plan.”

Izzy dropped her chin to her chest. “Fine. I’ll be serious. I just think you’re making too big a deal out of all this. He’s just one guy.”

“He’s one angry guy who wants revenge. I think the key is Kathy. We need to find out what happened to her. How she was hurt or changed or whatever it was. I want to say Jed’s involved, but how?”

“Could he have hit her with his car or something?” Skye asked. “Somehow been responsible for her condition?”

“Did you see any scars on her?” Izzy asked.

“No. There aren’t any signs of surgery that I could see. She said she had a scar on her head, so I’m thinking brain trauma. But what are the odds of him sleeping with her years ago, getting her pregnant, abandoning her, then later causing an accident that left her mentally challenged?”

“What if she came to the house to ask for more money?” Skye asked. “What if he hit her or pushed her and she hit her head?”

“Garth would have gone to the police in a hot minute,” Lexi said. Which was different than saying Jed would never do anything like that. The truth was-he would.

“So we don’t know what happened. I guess we can try to find out,” Skye said. “In the meantime, my foundation has been cleared, so that’s good. There’s more clean-up, but the investigation is winding down.”

Lexi knew that should be good news, yet she had a strong sense of trepidation. “My lawsuit vanished, as well. The woman in question has dropped it and moved to Arizona.”

“That’s great,” Izzy said. “Maybe Garth isn’t really a threat.”

Lexi knew that he was. “He’s too competent to screw up. There’s something else going on. He wouldn’t fail. So what is this? The beginning of a war? An attempt to lull us into a false sense of security?”

“You’re determined to find something wrong,” Izzy said. “Maybe he’s changed his mind.”

Lexi didn’t think it was that simple. “I think he’s toying with us and the real campaign is only starting. I think he has plans that are going to terrify us.”

“You’re so dramatic,” Izzy said. “I’m supposed to be dramatic, not you.”

“I talked to him. He’s got a plan, a goal and a very real chip on his shoulder.”

“Should we talk to Dana?” Skye asked. “Find out if we should get the police involved?”

As much as Lexi would like to pass this off to someone else, she didn’t think there was much chance of a rescue. “What has he done that’s illegal? We can’t prove he was behind the fake lawsuit, which leaves him investigating your foundation and accusing some of Jed’s executives of insider trading. Not exactly polite, but not crossing the line.”

“He doped Jed’s horses,” Izzy reminded her. “That’s illegal.”

“We can’t prove it was him.” Skye looked at Lexi. “You’re thinking it’s too soon. We don’t have enough. That the police aren’t going to pay attention. They’re going to think we’re hysterical women.”

Not exactly how she would have phrased it, but close enough. Lexi nodded. “I’m not sure letting everyone know Garth is Jed’s son is smart. I don’t know how long Garth has been planning this but I know it’s longer than we’ve been reacting to it. I say we take it slow.”

“How much does Dana know?” Skye asked.

“She doesn’t know about Jed and Garth.” Dana was a close friend, but Lexi wasn’t ready to share that kind of information.

“We might need her advice,” Skye said.

“I know.”

“She’ll be pissed if you don’t tell soon.” Izzy reached for a French fry. “People get very annoyed when you keep things from them.”

“Dana will understand,” Lexi said.

“You are so overestimating her,” Izzy told her. “But it’s your funeral. And to prove my point about people not having a sense of humor when they don’t know things, I have something to share.”