An Unexpected Partnership
Autorzy
Teresa Southwick
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15,9K
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16
Chapter One
Tess Morrow needed to cry.
Grief had been trapped in her chest all day, and the pressure to let it go grew more painful by the second. She’d been strong during her grandfather’s memorial service here at The Pub. All Patrick Morrow’s friends had shared their stories of him, the funny, generous, kind man who’d raised her, and she hadn’t shed a tear. People offered condolences and she gracefully thanked them. But if one more person said “I’m sorry for your loss,” the composure that was making her face hurt would shatter. If the stragglers didn’t leave pretty soon, she couldn’t guarantee they wouldn’t see her ugly, wet, snotty cry.
She both yearned and dreaded to be alone when it happened. Still, the sooner she sped up them up, the sooner she could mourn privately.
She walked over to the booth by the front window and smiled at the three men and one woman there. They were here to pay their respects. “Can I get you anything? Another beer? Glass of wine?”
All four shook their heads. They were older, longtime friends of her grandfather. Silver-haired John Alexander gave her a sympathetic look. “How are you holding up, honey?”
“Okay,” she lied. “I learned how to be strong from him.”
“That was Pat,” he agreed. “Strongest person I ever knew.”
The older woman sitting beside him touched his arm and gave the other two men a look. “We need to go. It’s been a long day for Tess.”
The others murmured their agreement and slid out of the booth. Every one of them asked if she needed anything and then hugged her. Made sure she knew to call if they could help her at all. Finally, blessedly, she closed and locked the door behind them. She lowered the shades on the big glass windows looking out on the nearly empty parking lot. Finally she was alone.
“Tess?”
She whirled around, heart pounding. “Dear God, Leo. You scared the crap out of me.”
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to.”
“What are you doing here?” She blew out a long breath.
“I came to pay my respects to Pat,” he said. “He was my friend.”
“I meant still. What are you still doing here?”
“Just wanted to stick around. Make sure you’re okay.” He shrugged one broad shoulder.
Leo “The Wall” Wallace used to play professional ice hockey up until two years ago when an ankle injury ended his career. That sucked for him, but prevented female heartbreak in every major city with an NHL team.
He was a really big man, not just tall, but muscular, too. He had dirty-blond hair that insisted on curling and blue eyes that normally sparkled with mischief and flirtation. Right now they were somber and a little sad. Her grandfather had had a soft spot in his heart for this man. Tess’s heart? Not so soft for him.
“Where did you come from?” Her pulse was finally slowing to normal.
“My favorite booth.”
She glanced at it in a far, shadowy corner that Pat had called the penalty box. In honor of Leo and his time spent in one during his hockey career.
“Well, I didn’t see you.” That was only half a lie. She’d ignored him, or tried to. He was a reminder of problems—personal and otherwise.
In the last year or so, bar revenue had declined. They were losing business to trendier establishments, and six months ago her grandfather had approached Leo about investing in The Pub. He’d introduced her and suggested lending Leo’s celebrity name and a bit of capital to modernize and shake things up. She’d assured Pat that the two of them together could come up with a plan to make the place profitable again. But he was sick. Losing the man who’d taken her in when she was six years old hadn’t been part of that plan.
Tears stung her eyes but she managed, just barely, to hold them back. “I’m fine.”
He moved closer, stopping right in front of her. The man was like a mountain. Hence his nickname, “The Wall.”
“Are you really?”
“I have to be.” She looked up and met his gaze, trying to pretend her heart wasn’t pounding too hard, and if it was, that it had nothing whatsoever to do with him standing so near. “Okay, thanks for coming. You can go now.”
She turned her back on him and resolutely walked to the door and opened it. “Goodbye, Leo.”
He hesitated a moment, then nodded and joined her at the exit. “Good night. I know how much you’ll miss him. I’m very sorry for your loss.”
His voice was so gentle, soft and sincere, yet somehow it popped the bubble of strength around her. She just couldn’t keep it up any longer. Moisture blurred her eyes, and big, fat tears rolled down her face. Then the sobbing started, deep, wrenching cries that broke loose from inside her. She covered her face with her hands. If there was anyone she didn’t want to see her like this, it was Leo Wallace.
“Tess?”
She couldn’t answer, not even to tell him to go away and leave her alone. A moment later she heard the door close and the dead bolt click. Then she felt strong arms come around her and she was folded against his body. He made shushing noises, patted her back and mumbled nonsense about everything being okay.
Tess would never be sure when the closeness stopped being about comfort and turned into awareness. There was a reason women were drawn to him and right this moment Tess didn’t have the reserves of strength to pretend she was different. No matter how ill-advised it might be.
The good news was that she had stopped crying. The bad was that she looked at him and their gazes locked, and suddenly it was hard to breathe. One moment they were staring at each other, the next he was kissing her. And she was kissing him back!
She opened her mouth and he didn’t hesitate to accept the invitation. Their tongues dueled and breathing escalated. He threaded his fingers into her hair as their bodies strained even closer. She could feel that he wanted her and she wanted him, too.
“Leo...” There was no mistaking the pleading in her voice.
“Are you sure?” His eyes darkened with intensity as he searched her gaze. “Maybe this isn’t—”
“Don’t say it.”
Right this second she didn’t feel sad or lonely and holding on to that bubble of painlessness was vital. For as long as it lasted, she wanted passion to cancel out the grief. She didn’t want to think about anything but this. She tugged him closer to the booth and her butt bumped up against the table. Leo lifted her onto it but there was still a question in his eyes.
“Yes,” was the single word she said.
That was all he wanted to hear. As she leaned back onto the table, he slid the hem of her black dress up and hooked his fingers in the waistband of her panties. Quickly he slipped them down her thighs, over her knees, letting them fall down her legs until she kicked them off.
And then he was inside of her, filling her completely. There was no room for thinking; all she could do was feel and take what he offered. He moved slowly, thrusting in and out until she wrapped her legs around his hips to draw him in deeper. One more push and the knot of tension in her belly dissolved as pleasure roared through her. When her shuddering stopped, he thrust one more time and then went still, groaning with the power of his own release.
Tess lay there with her eyes closed. She could feel Leo standing between her legs, palms flat on the table. The only sound in the room was their mingled breathing slowly returning to normal. She didn’t want to move. She didn’t want to talk. She just wanted to hold on to the haze of pleasure and forgetfulness he’d given her.
“Tess?”
And the glow was gone. She opened her eyes and let him take her hands to help her sit up. He smoothed her dress over her thighs and bent to pick up her panties from the wooden floor.
He held them out. “I don’t know what to say.”
It was the first time she’d ever seen him less than cocky and self-assured. That was a surprise. “Just don’t say you’re sorry.”
“Should I be?”
“No.”
“Are you?” he asked. “Sorry about it?”
“It never happened.” She so didn’t want to talk about this. “You were never here. I don’t want to hear about it. We will never speak of this again. And I don’t want to ever hear anyone else talk about it. Is that clear?”
“With women nothing is ever clear,” he said.
“Then let me point out that I’m not crying anymore.” A vision of what she must look like flashed through her mind because she had ugly-cried. Snot and tears and sobs, oh my. “I’m sorry you had to see that.”
“At least you weren’t alone.”
“It would have been so much better if I was.” Oh, dear God, what had she done?
“So you do regret it.” His mouth pulled tight for a moment.
“No. It never happened.”
“Or do you regret that it was me?”
She didn’t want to hurt his feelings. Although he didn’t seem to extend that courtesy to the plethora of women he took up with and threw away like used tissues. Still, he’d been considerate enough to pay his respects to her grandfather. Pat had always told her to be nice to Leo. He’s not a bad guy. Tess could pull it together just this once. After all, there was nothing like hot, unexpected sex to take your mind off grief.
“Leo, it’s just that you and I are like oil and water.”
“A minute ago we mixed just fine,” he said, the cockiness back in all its glory.
“Nothing happened,” she reminded him. But heat crept into her cheeks and if there was a God in heaven, Leo couldn’t see it in the dim light. Suddenly she was exhausted and her eyes felt puffy and sore from crying. “If it’s all the same to you, I’d like to be alone.”
“Whatever you want.” For a second it looked as if he would say more, but then didn’t. He straightened his clothes and went to the front door, steps away. After opening it he said, “See you, Tess.”
“When hell freezes over,” she whispered, locking the dead bolt behind him.
Six weeks later Leo was surprised when Tess called and asked him to stop by the bar. Where “it” had never happened. He was on his way there now and very curious about what was on her mind. After the night of Pat’s funeral, he’d avoided The Pub, respecting Tess’s wishes. But he missed the place, missed the older man who’d been more like a father to him than his own.
She wouldn’t talk about whatever it was on the phone but he figured she wanted to discuss investing in her business. Not long before he died, Pat had told him it was in trouble and the best hope of saving it for Tess was to take on a partner. He’d heard what she said when he left after the memorial and figured hell must have frozen over. Her call came out of the blue and the only reason she would speak to him was finances.
He pulled his car into the nearly empty lot outside The Pub. The only other vehicle was a small, fuel-efficient one that had a few years on it. Probably Tess’s. Anticipation hummed through him and adrenaline started to flow. Not unlike the way he used to feel before a hockey game.
After parking, he turned off the car and exited. “Let’s see what the lady has to say.”
He walked to the door, where the Closed sign was displayed. Peeking inside, he saw Tess behind the old-fashioned wooden bar with a brass foot rail. She was wiping everything down.
Leo would have to be a moron to miss the fact that she didn’t like him very much. Other than his ex-wife, who was a lying bitch, Tess was the only woman who’d given him the cold shoulder. Maybe he couldn’t get her off his mind because she was a challenge. Without hockey to consume his competitive nature, he was channeling it to her.
That was as good an explanation as any because she wasn’t his type. She was pretty enough, but not the kind of woman who gave men whiplash turning to stare. But there was something fresh and appealing about her brown hair and eyes, something friendly and inviting. For everyone but him. Until that night he’d never made a move on her. Why waste time on a woman who showed no sign of ever warming up when an abundance of ladies lined up to be photographed on his arm?
Except she did warm up to him that night. She could pretend it never happened, but he had the scorch marks to prove her wrong.
Time to get his head on straight and talk business. He tried the door and found it was unlocked. Tess looked up but her expression didn’t signal that she was happy to see him.
“Hey,” he said, closing the door behind him.
“Leo.” She stopped wiping the bar and watched him walk over and sit on one of the stools in front of her.
He could almost feel the tension radiating from her. Maybe he could put her at ease. “I want you to know that I respect what you said that night—”
She held up a hand to stop him. “Don’t.”
“Understood.” He met her gaze. “So, why did you ask me to come over and talk?”
“It’s about The Pub—” Her lips trembled for a moment as grief slid into her eyes. She blew out a breath and continued, “I’m aware that Granddad came to you with a proposition to invest.”
“That’s right. I talked with him a lot when I suddenly couldn’t play hockey anymore. About what I was going to do.” That had been a personal low. He was dealing with an injury that forced him to retire prematurely from the sport that defined him at the same time his wife admitted she’d been cheating with a former lover. She announced she was leaving and taking their child with her. Leo had spent a lot of time at The Pub, drinking and spilling his guts to Patrick. “Your grandfather told me I needed an act two and I had a good head for business. He was right about both.”
“He told me you bought the local ice rink and it was finally turning a profit.”
“Yes. Among other ventures.” All of them had been going down when he took over. Now every one of them was prospering.
“Before I make my pitch, you should know that The Pub was doing fine until Granddad got sick. The medical bills after he was diagnosed were substantial. Even then things were okay. But recently—”
“So you’re letting me know you’re a good manager.”
“Yes. And the good news is that there’s been an uptick in business.”
“Yet you’re approaching me, I assume for help, even though you fought Pat tooth and nail when he suggested I put up money and lend my name to improve declining revenue.” At her surprised look he added, “Yeah, he told me you weren’t in favor of partnering with me. So why now, Tess?”
“I had to let a full-time employee go and cut hours for others. That’s enough to keep the doors open but not to grow.” She didn’t exactly answer the question of what had changed.
“Okay.”
“This place has been my home since I was six and came to live with Granddad. I grew up here. Did my homework in the office in the back. Swept floors because I wanted to help. Did inventory. But there’s a lot of debt from his cancer treatment and medical bills. I want his legacy to go on. I just don’t want to see it turned into a sports freak show.”
He winced at the dig to his former profession but sympathized with the sentiment. Or maybe the sheen of unshed tears in her eyes and the fierce pride on her face made him go soft.
“So, tell me what you’re proposing.”
She outlined the high points: an infusion of capital to update the place, a percentage of the business and a few other things. She finished up with, “If that’s acceptable, I’ll take you on as a silent partner.”
What she outlined was agreeable to him and at this point in the negotiations it was probably best not to tell her “silent partner” was never going to happen. The thing was he really wanted to buy in. The place was conveniently located and had a lot of potential. Leo also wanted to preserve Pat’s life’s work.
“Do you have any objection to using my lawyer to draw up a contract?” he asked.
“No.”
“Okay, then. I’ll get in touch with her first thing in the morning.”
“Figures your attorney would be a her.”
“I didn’t hire Annabel because of her gender. She’s a damn good lawyer.” And beautiful, too. But it was strictly business and a line he wouldn’t cross even if there was an attraction between them.
“If you say so.”
Tess was starting to get under his skin, and not in a good way. “Clearly you have a low opinion of me. Why is that?”
“The parade of women through your life for one thing. That speaks to being shallow, self-centered and commitment resistant.”
Any guy would run in the face of commitment if he’d been through what Leo had. A guy would have to be an idiot to go through that again. Hockey had given him highs and lows—sanctuary from a lousy home situation, a college education and more than one Stanley Cup championship. The game was physically aggressive and injuries left marks. But they were nothing compared to what losing his career and family at the same time had done to him.
It was best to change the subject and get back to business. “You said The Pub was doing all right until recently. What changed?”
She suddenly looked nervous. “I probably should have led with this, but I wanted to get business details wrapped up first. Although if you have a problem with the fact that I didn’t tell you this up front, feel free to change your mind about investing. You don’t have to help if you don’t want to.”
He’d promised Pat he would look after Tess whether she wanted him to or not. There was no way to know what was going through Pat’s mind when he made Leo swear, but a vow was a vow. If she was trying to scare him away, it wasn’t going to work. “You’re not making any sense.”
“I know. I just want to make it clear that I’ll figure out some other way. I could have worked eighteen hours a day with little pay before and it would have been all right. But things have changed. Now I have to—”
“Tess.” That stopped her babbling but not the tension and nerves still making her twist her fingers together. “What’s going on?”
She blew out a breath and stood a little straighter, as if bracing herself. “You know that thing we’re not talking about that never happened?”
“For the record you can pretend we didn’t have sex on that table over there. You can semantics the hell out of it, but that won’t change anything. The fact is that we did it. You can bury your head in the sand but that leaves your backside exposed.”
“You’re not wrong about that.” She looked everywhere but at him.
This was really starting to get on his nerves. “What’s going on, Tess? Just spit it out.”
“I’m pregnant.”
He blinked at her and couldn’t wrap his mind around the words. “I’m sorry. What?”
“I’m going to have a baby.”
Bingo. That was the scariest thing she could have said to him. He couldn’t believe it. No way this was happening to him. Not again. He wasn’t getting sucked in for a second time by a woman who was lying about having his baby. Leo stood up and walked out of the bar.
