Love in Electric Blue (Westlake Enterprises) (3 page)

The truth had nearly killed him. How could she be alive? He needed to talk to Jurek again. But more, he needed to talk to
her
.

Why here and why now? J.D. stared unseeingly at his car.

Her pale, flawless skin had felt like silk when he’d touched her, and her hair burned like a dark flame around delicate features. Her small frame had blossomed into a womanly fullness. Still slim, her body now boasted a woman’s hips and perfectly formed breasts he’d been helpless to ignore. And her eyes. Her eyes had been his favorite part of her. He’d once sworn he could see the sun and the stars in those clear, blue depths. But today they’d been shadowed with pain and regret. With grief.

Fuck that. It was
too late
for regrets.

He turned his back on the memory of her sadness and entered the car. Without thinking about it, he put his finger against the ignition and started it—just a tiny jolt of energy. Once again, he reveled in that electrical connection with all things. He readied to leave, needing to take a breather from the mess in that building, when he saw a small figure hurtle out the door into the garage.

He watched grimly as Remy jumped into a blue Jeep and shot out of the lot.

Without thinking it through, he followed her, making sure to keep back so she wouldn’t know he trailed her. He frowned when they arrived at a deserted section of the waterfront, where Remy parked and got out. He pulled behind some large water oaks and waited, watching.

She ran toward the water, looking neither left nor right.

He froze as he realized what the repercussions her electrically charged body mixed with the ocean would have—a long and painful death should she discharge her energy while submerged. He grabbed the door handle, intending to stop her.

But Remy seemed to recover herself at the same time and looked around wildly at the jumble of cars heaped in the center of the deserted, rundown lot. She flung her hands at the cars, and he watched as blue lightning snaked into the fiery pyramid of metal flesh, now smoking and sparking. The blaze roared for a few seconds, then vanished back into smoke.

Remy collapsed to the ground, sobbing uncontrollably.

He swallowed around a lump in his throat. Despite their troubled past, he felt the urge to run to her, to tell her that everything would be all right. In her agony he saw himself, his inability to control his power without damaging everything around him. Until she’d helped him. She’d shown him how to harness the power and use it for something positive.

And then she’d tried to kill him.

So he didn’t go to her, and he had no idea of what tomorrow might bring. He only knew that her pain tore at him until he felt his own cheeks wet with tears. Hating her for that, with an ache burning in his gut, he nonetheless waited until she scrubbed her cheeks and returned to her vehicle.

Then he followed her to a group of apartments, where she quickly disappeared.

He made a mental note of the apartment complex’s address, grudgingly admiring her for not parking below her apartment, and for the wary way she entered her place after unlocking her door…with an open palm.

She shut the door behind her. Shut the door on him.

He forced himself to ignore any wayward empathy. This time
she
would pay.

Elizabeth Remington Sinclair—Remy
Davis
—didn’t have an innocent bone in her body. Fate had dealt him a bad hand the first time around, but he vowed not to fold this time until he held the queen.

Chapter Three

Remy sighed and sought balance and tranquility in the quiet of early morning. She tried to block out all the ugliness from yesterday and looked for something good that she could once again believe in. As she searched inside herself, focusing with that inner eye she could never describe but just knew was there, she found herself hopelessly entranced by her own glow. The bright blue current surged and retreated, gentling her thrumming heart and chaotic thoughts as calmer, loving memories rose to the surface.

An image of Joshua’s blue eyes returned, and she basked in the love and comfort she’d felt so long ago. Nothing else mattered but the once-familiar feeling of being cherished and protected. She let the peace flow through her. A whisper of his hand caressed her cheek and the promise of forever sang from his deep voice and melted her resistance to everything but the scent and feel of him. Once so close, so very precious to her, he—

The pounding on a door interrupted her reverie, and she straightened with grim acceptance, ignoring her paper-thin walls. After taking a trip to the bathroom, she returned to bed and forced herself to accept she could never go back to the way things were. Time to make some new memories.
This
was her reality. A cracked ceiling, mismatched furniture, ratty bedsheets. Not dreams of love and happily-ever-after, no matter how good they felt.

Still, for a moment, she’d felt content. Perhaps seeing Joshua had been more beneficial than she’d thought. Yesterday she’d cried so hard her head hurt. Though their altercation had been a nightmare, in retrospect, seeing him had brought her an emotional catharsis. This morning she felt clear-headed for the first time in years.

She had a new sense of purpose. Her resolution to take charge of her life strengthened. Hiding away from her uncle forever made no sense, not if she wanted to have anything resembling a life. Joshua had moved on. He looked healthy, and from what she’d overheard Cole and the others mention about
J.D. Morgan
, he was a well-liked, happy guy.

Why shouldn’t she have a measure of satisfaction with her own life? She could do it. She
would
do it, just as soon as she figured out how to handle her next, and hopefully last, confrontation with her uncle.

Someone pounded on the door again. Her door? She winced. If she didn’t hurry and answer it, she’d hear from her neighbors. It had to be Cole checking up on her, because she couldn’t see Max stooping to something so rude as banging on her door like it was a drum. Hastily shooting out of bed, she threw on a robe and tightened the belt.

“Hold on,” she yelled and had her hand on the lock. She glanced out the peephole and froze, not knowing what to do.

Joshua.

“Open the door,” he said loudly enough to be heard.

Breathe. Think. Deal.
She took a deep breath, let it out, and opened the door, not sure what to expect. But she couldn’t avoid him any longer. How could she not have known J.D. was her Joshua? She’d known Jurek was near, especially since he and Max were rivals. But she hadn’t wanted to get close, so she’d kept herself small, unobtrusive, and rarely saw anyone outside of work. Maybe some part of her had realized it was him but she hadn’t wanted the confrontation? She couldn’t say.

Her heart wrenched at the sight of his handsome face—older, but so dear. He stood still, his hands in his pockets and his gaze on her face unwavering.

“May I come in?” he asked in a quiet voice.

So no plans to fry her to a crisp today. Good to know. “Um, sure.” She stepped back and strengthened her voice. “Please, come in.”

He walked into the middle of her living room and stopped, his back to her. He appeared uncomfortable, tense. Just the way she felt. He looked around her room in silence. A plain and barely decorated room with creamy walls. Furniture that, while not new, was of decent quality. Half of it clashed, but she had always been one to treasure quality over appearance, which had made her initial attraction to Joshua so surprising. But she’d looked beyond his handsome face into his wounded eyes, and she’d known a kindred spirit.

That’s the past. Let it go, damn it. Deal with the now, Remy.

She cleared her throat and tightened the belt on her robe, determined to ignore the fact that her hair probably stood on end and she hadn’t yet brushed her teeth.

“Joshua, can I get you something to drink? Coffee or tea maybe?”

He turned to face her and answered politely, “Coffee would be fine. And the name’s J.D. now.”

Remy flushed. “I’m sorry—J.D. Give me a minute.” She walked into the kitchen and took her time preparing the coffee, giving herself a chance to think. She glanced over her shoulder and found him sitting on the couch, studying a magazine.

Ironically, she’d only purchased the magazine because the cover had reminded her of the dream house she and Joshua—
J.D.
—had once talked about having. A silly thing to hold on to for years, yet she’d never been able to make herself get rid of it. She hoped he didn’t remember the discussion. How embarrassing to have him know how much she still loved him, when he could barely stand the sight of her.

She reached for two cups, concentrating on the now. She had no more room to think about what might have been, not if she wanted to get her uncle out of her life for good.

After pouring the coffee and adding cream and sugar, she set the cups on a tray and carried it with her. She tried but couldn’t stop herself from staring at him. She didn’t know what to make of this man. A far cry from the energetic boy of her youth and the out-of-control man from yesterday, this J.D. sat quietly in her house, his manner distant and subdued.

She set the tray down on her scarred coffee table, full of nervous energy. God, she felt like an idiot. “Here you go.” She placed a cup on the table in front of him, then grabbed the other for herself. She sat in a chair next to the couch and sipped her coffee, waiting for him to speak. Clearly he had an agenda or he wouldn’t be here today.

J.D. picked up his own cup, then set it back down and stared into her eyes. She thought she saw remorse, and maybe a hint of something else she couldn’t name.

“Remy—” he cleared his throat, “—I just… I didn’t mean to strike out at you yesterday. I did, but I didn’t. It was such a shock seeing you and…there’s a lot of history between us that’s not real pleasant.” His eyes burned, currents of anger and surprising need tangling with hers before he got himself back under control. “Sorry.” His cheeks pinked. “The surprise in seeing you, that’s no excuse for my actions. I’ve never hurt a woman in my entire life—well, before yesterday. You’ll never know how sorry I am that I hurt you.”

Remy stared at him in shock. After all that he believed she’d done to him in the past, he apologized to
her
? “An apology’s not necessary.”

He waved away her refusal. A familiar mocking glint in his eye reminded her of the boy she’d known. And
that
Joshua felt much more comfortable than the quiet J. D.

“Great, now that that’s out of the way,” he muttered, took a sip of his coffee and sighed with pleasure. That he still took it with cream and sugar reassured her in some small way. “Perfect. Thanks.”

Her heart raced, but she forced herself not to show how much his approval—even for such a small thing—mattered.

“The reason Jurek and I went to Max yesterday is why I’m here. We’d intended to get some IT assistance from Max’s guy.” He snorted. “At least I feel better knowing the person undermining me for months was you. You’re the only one I know who can get around my security. To think someone else had been spying on us didn’t sit well.”

She flushed. “Well, when our firms worked the Glass case, it kind of opened a door for us. You guys have a lot of friends in high places we don’t, so a little insight helped. Not like I stole trade secrets or anything.” She’d helped Max to know his competitor better, was all. “I had no idea that was you. I mean, that you and Joshua were the same person.”

“I figured that out yesterday.” He grinned. “Don’t worry about tapping into our resources. I’d have done the same.”

That he didn’t blame her for the trespass reassured her they might be able to get along after all.
Remember, this is new. Take it slow, one step at a time. Maybe he understands now—maybe he can forgive you.

“So this new case we’re on,” J.D. barreled on. “We wanted Max’s thoughts on it, as well as your help. It involves both Westlake and Buchanan Investigations.”

J.D. paused and watched her without blinking. She waited on the edge of her seat, intrigued to know what held such importance that Jurek had come to Max for help. Jurek Westlake ran a successful securities and investigations firm. He did work for the government, was on a first-name basis with senators and prominent cabinet members, and pretty much did as he pleased. So why come to Max?

J.D. explained, “A client of ours gave us some info that leads us to believe your uncle, Benjamin Carter, is still alive.”

He watched Remy for her reaction. When she didn’t appear startled by the news, he wanted to swear. “So you’ve known all along?”

She licked her lips, her nervous tell, and he had to force himself to ignore the heat that shot through his belly. He focused on the case, determined to handle his definite, though unwanted, attraction for her later.

“Yes, I knew,” she said quietly, sounding sad again.

He felt a start of surprise that she’d answered him honestly. “Did you help him escape?” Hearing that Carter remained alive had thrown him back into that dark place it had taken him years to climb out of. From what he remembered, the lab had burned to the ground with everyone still in it. Yet Remy knew her uncle lived?

Though she seemed much more guarded than she’d ever been with him, he had no trouble reading the fear, hesitation and stubbornness she didn’t voice.