Welcoming the Bad Boy: A Hero's Welcome Novel (23 page)

Even though it was late—Louise had allowed him to stay in his mother’s room past visiting hours—he got behind the wheel and headed to do just that, because Val was the only one who would understand how much tonight had meant to him. And she was the only one he wanted to see right now.

Val startled awake at a knock on her front door. She was on the couch and the girls had left an hour ago.

The knock on her door pounded again. Single women should never answer the door after nine, her father had always said. Ignoring his advice, as she usually did, she walked to the door and glanced through the peephole.

She returned from her tiptoes to flat feet and placed a hand over her heart.
No.
No, no, no.
She couldn’t handle seeing Griffin right now. Not after figuring out that she was in love with him. She needed time to think about what she was going to do. To catch her breath. To…

The knock pounded again.

“Val, it’s me. Open up. I have to tell you something. Val?”

She shook her head and the swimming feeling that alcohol sometimes gave her made her sway on her feet.

“Val”—he lowered his voice—“I know you’re standing right behind the door. I heard the floor squeak under your feet. You should really fix that loose board.”

She looked down at her feet on the old, wood floor of her apartment and sighed. She was being silly. Nothing had changed between them. Not really, she told herself. “Hold on. Just a second.” She sucked in a breath and opened the door.

Griffin was standing there, smiling that smile that made her knees wobble. It was no wonder she’d submitted to his charms this summer. It was as if he’d walked straight off the page of one of her romance novels and into her arms.

“You’ve been drinking, haven’t you?” he asked.

“A little. But not alone. Kat and Julie were here earlier.” She was talking quickly. “They’re gone now, though.”

And I love you.

He stepped inside and closed the door behind him. “Good. Because I want you all to myself.” His lips brushed against hers and she melted against him. The soft stubble on his cheeks aroused her senses. So did the spot of cologne he wore on the side of his neck. She wanted to bury her head there and breathe him in.

I love you, Griffin.

She shook her head and pulled away.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, his eyes darkening.

“Nothing. It’s just, you know, I have margarita breath. I don’t want to scare you away.”

“You couldn’t if you tried.” He moved toward her and anchored his hands on her waist, pulling her to him. “Val, something wonderful happened tonight. My mother remembered me.”

Val’s mouth fell open. “What? Helen remembered you? Griffin, that’s amazing! What happened?”

“Well, her clarity was brief and then she forgot who I was again. But, Val, she said my name. She said she loved me and then she forgave me.” He locked his gaze on hers. “And you’re the only person I wanted to share this with.” He kissed her again.

“Griffin,” she breathed, loving the kiss and him. She bunched his shirt in her hands, clinging to him because after she’d promised herself she’d let go at the end of the summer, she didn’t want to anymore. She wanted to hold on tight, forever.

“I like the taste of margaritas on your mouth,” he said. His tongue tangled with hers as he deepened the kiss. Val’s hands clutched his body needily, pulling him flush against her. He was a big, strong Marine, though. If he didn’t want to move, he wouldn’t. She gasped as she felt the hard swell at the front of his jeans.

“Fine,” she breathed. “You win.” She slammed a playful hand against his chest.

A look of confusion swept over his dark features. “Win what?”

“I’ll give you half the roses in my vase to do with what you please.”

Heat scorched his brown eyes. Then he walked to the vase, grabbed six of the roses, and pulled her into the bedroom to undo her with another sexual fantasy.

Griffin awoke to the first scattering of morning light. He was in Val’s bed. And there were rose petals stuck to his cheek.

Val snuggled against him, warm and naked.

He smoothed a hand down her silky body, loving the way she felt beside him. “Val. Hey.”

“Hmmm?” She smiled dreamily, but her eyes were closed.

“So beautiful,” he whispered, slipping his arm out from underneath her.

“Where are you going?” Her eyes cracked open, focusing in on him.

“I need to go check on Trooper.”

“Oh. Right.” She blinked, seeming to realize where she was and what had led her to this point in time with him.

He pulled a petal from her hair. “Last night was fun. Your turn to come up with the next fantasy.”

“Eventually we’ll run out.”

Griffin kissed her cheek. “Then we’ll have to start all over.”

Her expression turned serious. “You make this sound like a long-term thing.”

He looked at her as he pulled on his jeans and T-shirt. “I like spending time with you. I don’t want things to end between us today.” Or tomorrow even. He wanted to ride this out and see what happened, but he wasn’t sure that Val felt the same way. “Is that okay with you?”

She looked down at the covers draped over her body. “I like spending time with you, too. Every moment with you is wonderful.”

“Good.” He leaned forward and kissed her.

“I’ll walk you to the door,” she said, starting to get up.

“No, you stay here and go back to sleep. Enjoy your summer vacation while you still can.”

She ran a hand through her own hair. “Right. Two weeks until I report back to my desk. Will I see you later?” she asked.

“Do you want to see me later?”

She tilted her head. “Of course I do.”

“Then you’ll see me. I need to stop by and see Mom first. Maybe when I come, I’ll bring Trooper to visit with”—he cleared his throat—“that puppy you’re taking care of.”

Val laughed. The sound stirred desire and need inside him. “Are you ever going to say Sweet Cheeks’s name?”

He shook his head. “That’s a negative.” He kissed her again. “See you later.” Then he headed out the front door and got on his bike, noticing a blue Oldsmobile parked on the roadside between Val’s and her neighbor’s mailboxes. There was an older man inside, sitting upright, and watching Val’s door.

Griffin donned his helmet, pretty sure he knew exactly who the man was even though he’d never officially met him. Preacher Hunt visited the residents of the nursing home often. He’d visited Griffin’s mother a few times, too. Right now, the good preacher was planning on visiting Val, and he’d seen Griffin exiting her front door at sunrise.
Damn.
His gut instinct was to stay and protect her, but Preacher Hunt was her father. Val would probably prefer to deal with this on her own.

So, against his protective nature, Griffin turned out of her driveway and sped home to take care of Trooper.

Val stirred under the covers and groaned as the doorbell rang. Griffin must’ve left something inside. She pulled on an oversized T-shirt and shuffled down the hall toward the door, pulling it open and expecting to see the man who’d sexed her socks off last night.

Instead, her father frowned at her. He stepped past her, entering her apartment and heading to the couch with Sweet Cheeks nipping at his heels.

“I’ll wait for you to get dressed,” her father said with a stern tone to his voice.

Val looked down at her scantily clothed body, shut the front door, and nodded. “Okay. I’ll be back in just a minute.”

Dread knotted her stomach as she headed to her bedroom. She found her jeans and knit blouse from last night and pulled it over her head. Then she ran a brush through her tousled bedhead.

Had her father seen Griffin leaving a few minutes ago? Val glanced at the clock. It was seven
A.M
. A man leaving at this hour meant he’d most likely spent the night. No denying that if her father asked. Besides, she was thirty years old, her own woman. Who cared what her father thought?

Who am I kidding? I care.

“Can I get you some coffee, Dad?” she asked, putting on a happy face and walking back into the kitchen.

“That would be great,” he said, sitting upright on her sofa. The relaxed composure he’d achieved at dinner the other night was gone.

Val busied herself starting the pot. “So what brings you here so early in the morning?” she asked.

“I had business in town,” he said, clasping his hands in his lap.

Val joined him in the living room as she waited for the coffee to brew. “Early business,” she said, wanting to keep the subject off her. It was none of her father’s business who was leaving her home in the morning.

Her father looked up. “I was at Seaside Harbor nursing home.”

A prickle of knowing slithered up her spine. “Oh.” Sweet Cheeks jumped in her lap as she sat, and her hand immediately went to smoothing the dog’s silky coat. She didn’t want to ask. Suddenly she preferred to talk to her father about screwing Griffin all night long. Going to the nursing home during off-hours meant something was wrong. “Who…?” She swallowed, unable to finish the question.

“Alma Edwards died early this morning,” he said matter-of-factly.

Val’s hand froze along Sweet Cheeks’s back. She swallowed and her lips pressed together tightly. “Oh, no.” Tears burned behind her eyes. Alma was dead.

“I thought you should know. I know she was in that book club of yours.”

Val nodded. Alma was more than just a member of her book club, though. Alma was her friend. “Thank you, Dad. I thought a lot of Alma.”

“I assume since you’re still on vacation that you’ll help the family with the funeral planning or whatever they need.”

“Of course I will.” A tear slipped down her cheek. Her father had always hated when she cried, so she got up to go pour their cups of coffee, working hard to press down her emotions, which were suddenly overtaking her. She hadn’t expected Alma to pass so soon. They hadn’t even finished reading the book club pick together.

“Here you go.” She handed her father a mug of coffee. “Just the way you like it. Cream and a spoonful of sugar.”

“Thank you.” He took it and sipped quietly. “I saw your visitor leave,” he said after a moment.

Val clutched her mug. Since hearing the news about Alma, she’d briefly forgotten about her visitor. “Oh.”

“If I saw you, other members of the church could have seen you as well. How do you think that projects on the church, Val?”

She shrugged. “I doubt anyone else saw, Dad.”

“That’s not the point. You have a responsibility as my daughter.”

Val narrowed her eyes. “Is that all you’re worried about? Your reputation? Not about my welfare or how I feel?” She shook her head, fighting back her tears. “I don’t know why I’m surprised.”

“Val, you know I care about you. That man who left your home this morning didn’t look like the kind of man you should be having a relationship with. The fact that he stayed over proves that.”

“You’d rather I had kicked him out of my bed after the sex but before we fell asleep?” Val snapped.

Her father’s lips pursed. “I would rather he hadn’t been in your bed at all. A respectable man doesn’t take advantage of women.”

“Well, I’m used to disappointing you, so why stop now, Dad?” Val’s eyes burned above her mug of coffee as she took another sip. She should have spiked the coffee while she had a chance.

“Val”—her father lowered his voice and set his mug down—“all I’m trying to say is—”

“No, Dad. I don’t want to hear what you’re trying to say. I haven’t been able to put a sincere smile on your face since I was nine years old and Mom died. I can’t keep trying.” She stood. “I’m tired. I’m going back to bed, which you probably also disapprove of. I am so damn tired of trying to win your approval.”

“Valerie.”

She marched to her front door and opened it.

He hesitated, then nodded. “I know when I’m being asked to leave,” he said.

Val lifted her chin. “Thank you for letting me know about Alma. I’ll go over to Seaside Harbor later and see the staff. Then I’ll call Alma’s family and pay my respects.”

“Good.” Her father walked out onto the porch and left without another word or glance in her direction.

Val sucked in a breath and blew it out. She was tired of trying to help the situation between her and her father. Tired of trying to be someone she wasn’t. She wasn’t perfect—far from it. But she was a good person. She had friends who loved her. Alma had been one of those friends.

She headed back to her bedroom, plopped down in her bed, and waited to start the day over again. Sweet Cheeks hopped into the bed beside her. Val didn’t have the heart to tell the little puppy that her owner wasn’t coming back. Sweet Cheeks was an orphan now.

Val closed her eyes as tears streamed uncontrollably. “Don’t worry, Sweet Cheeks. We’ll be okay. I promise.” Sweet Cheeks wasn’t the only orphan. Val felt like she’d lost a parent today, too. The look in her father’s eyes as he’d left her home this morning haunted her. Griffin was wrong; there was no hope of repairing that relationship.

Jaws tilted his head and looked at Griffin through the closed gate of his cage. His tail thumped the ground. Today’s training had gone almost perfectly, as usual—with the exception of the one slipup that Jaws always had. One slipup was too many.

Griffin tossed Jaws a treat, then headed inside the main building to collect his things and go home. When he thought of home, however, Val was the first thing to come to mind. He couldn’t wait to see her tonight.

“Hey, Griffin?”

Griffin turned toward Charlie Myer’s office. He approached the doorway. “Hey, Charlie. What’s up?”

Charlie turned from his desk. “Not much. Just checking on how things were going with you. Anything new?”

“Quiet days since the shooting at the commissary,” Griffin said. “I must be getting old because I actually like the quiet days now.”

Charlie chuckled. “It happens to the best of us. How’s Jaws doing?”

“Good,” Griffin lied, reliving Jaws’s premature attack on Troy the other day. “Fantastic.”

Charlie studied him. “I’ve watched you training pretty hard with him. Jaws has completed his advanced training, so why are you drilling him? Something we need to talk about?”

Griffin hesitated. “He’s still a little trigger-happy.”

Charlie’s brow dipped as he leaned back in his chair. “How bad?”

Griffin shrugged a shoulder. It was the difference between reacting a few seconds too early and right on time.

“I don’t want a loose cannon on my K-9 team,” Charlie said.

“And neither do I. That’s why I’m working him.”

Charlie rocked softly in his desk chair. “Is he improving?”

Griffin wanted to say yes, but he wasn’t sure that was true. He was determined to make it the truth, though. “I’ve got this, Charlie. Trust me.”

Charlie didn’t say anything for a long moment. “I want daily updates on his behavior. I want to know everything, and I mean everything.” He narrowed his eyes. “Do you read me?”

Griffin’s jaw clenched. Not because he was angry, but because he knew what would happen if he didn’t have good news to report back to Charlie.

“You heading out to see your mother?” Charlie asked then.

“First stop on my list.” And then he planned on seeing Val.

“All right, Griffin. See you tomorrow. And don’t forget. Daily reports.”

Griffin nodded. “Yes, sir.” He collected his windbreaker from the back of his desk chair. There was a light sprinkle in the air right now and he didn’t want to get wet. He headed to his motorcycle in the parking lot and followed the strictly enforced base speed limit. When he was off the military base, he pressed the gas. He was still a rule breaker at heart; still liked to push the envelope sometimes, but not as much as he had in his younger days.

And the sooner he got off this base, the sooner he saw Val.

The rain was falling harder as he pulled into the nursing home’s parking lot and headed in.

“Hey, Griffin,” Louise said, waving a hand. “She had another good day. Val came and had lunch with her and she ate almost all of her food.”

“That’s good.” Griffin glanced down the hall toward his mother’s room.

“The book club had to postpone their meeting earlier, so Val told them she’d read with them tonight. They’re all pretty upset about Alma’s passing.”

Griffin nodded, a little ache thumping in his heart as well. “Of course.”

Louise pointed down the hallway. “Val went that way. I don’t think they’ve started in the community room just yet.”

Griffin’s heart revved like a Harley ready to tear up the highway. “Thank you. Maybe I’ll sit in with the group tonight. I’m a fan of that author myself.” He winked at Louise and kept walking, faster now. He couldn’t wait to see his two favorite women.

Val had been sitting in Alma’s empty room for the last fifteen minutes. Some of Alma’s things were still on the walls and the bedside dresser. Including her copy of the Sophie Evans book that the book club had been reading. They’d almost finished. There was only one more chapter to read, but Alma would never know how the story ended. The happily-ever-after was Val’s favorite part of any romance, and Alma had been robbed of that.

Val blew a breath up toward her eyes. Alma wouldn’t want her to cry. She’d want Val to go to the book club and finish reading “the damn book.” Shaking her head, Val laughed softly to herself. So that’s what she was going to do, and hopefully Alma would be listening somewhere, wherever she was.

Val stood on shaky legs and glanced around the room one last time. On the nightstand was a framed picture of Sweet Cheeks. There was a hairbrush with Alma’s silvery hair still attached. A notepad and a pen. All normal things that broke Val’s heart.

Not going to cry. Not right now.

“Bye, Alma. I hope you enjoy the ending,” she said. Then she walked out of the room and headed toward the community room. The group hadn’t been able to meet at their usual mid-day time. Some computer skills guy had been volunteering his time to teach them how to use the new computers that had been donated last week. So Val had promised to come back that night. The group had waited long enough to hear how the story ended, and after losing Alma this week, they needed to spend time together, laughing and enjoying themselves. Val had even packed some chocolates and sparkling grape juice.

She could hear the room alive with voices as she approached. There seemed to be more noise than she was used to. She stopped in the doorway and looked around. The computers had attracted quite a lot of residents to the room tonight.

“Val!” Marge from the group waved her over to their little corner. “Val! Over here!” Marge had a laptop balanced on her thighs.

Val headed over. “Hey, guys!” Her feet slowed as she noticed Griffin sitting beside his mother. “Hey,” she said, lowering her voice. Her heart fluttered a little in her chest.

In love with him. It was true. She was one hundred percent head over heels in love with him.

“Hey,” he said, winking at her.

“Hey.” She pulled her lower lip into her mouth as she sat in the empty chair left open for her. “Are you joining us tonight?” she asked Griffin.

He lifted a shoulder. “I’m interested in hearing the book’s ending, too.”

A little breath caught in her chest. Her heart beat a little more forcefully. Griffin had asked her what she would give up when school started again.

Not him.

Marge cleared her throat beside Val.

Val glanced over. “So, Marge, what are you doing with that computer?”

“Well, we all had lessons on navigating the Web today,” Marge said, beaming.

“I know. I think that’s great. Did you learn a lot?”

“Oh, my, yes.” Marge nodded. “I learned how to do a Google search. Do you know how to do a Google search? Because if you don’t, I can teach you, sweetie.”

Val laughed, sharing a look with Griffin. “I think I can do one on my own. But thank you,” she said.

Griffin grinned.

There was a steady force of attraction between them, making Val wish there was no one else in the room. A few feet of separation didn’t feel natural anymore. She wanted to be where Griffin was, all the time.

“So we all thought we’d surprise you, since you do so much for us,” Marge continued.

Val tore her gaze from Griffin’s dark chocolate eyes. “Surprise me?”

“Mm-hmm.” Marge tapped her fingers along the laptop’s keyboard. “Oh, our instructor made us do his searches. He didn’t want us doing any searches for explicit material,” she continued. “So we had to wait for him to leave to do a search on romance authors.”

Val tried not to look at Griffin again as she waited.
How should I tell him I love him? Does he feel the same? Should I wait for him to say so first?

She was so consumed with her own thoughts that she barely heard a word that Marge was saying.

“Aha! Here we go. I think I just found exactly what I’m looking for.”

“What’s that?” Val asked, looking at the older woman again.

Marge turned the laptop around for everyone in the group to see. She pressed the enter key. “This.”

It took a second for Val to realize what was happening. Her face. Her voice.

Her YouTube video.

“Hi, I’m Sophie Evans,” she heard herself say on the computer screen. “I love interacting with readers, and today I thought I’d answer a few reader questions so we can get to know each other better.”

Val swallowed and glanced around at all the confused faces in the group, ending with Griffin’s. His dark eyebrows were tilted as he watched the screen.

“What is this, Val?” he asked, flicking his gaze to her and back to the computer.

“I…I…” She stumbled over her words. She’d wanted to tell everyone. She was tired of keeping this part of her life hidden. Maybe this was a good thing, she thought, looking at the computer again. This was the interview she’d done a few days ago, just before Griffin had walked in on her with a bouquet of roses.

Roses that he’d sprinkled over the bed before making love to her later that night.

She swallowed again.

Everyone was silent, letting the computer do all the talking. The video she’d made had been brief. She’d only answered a handful of questions.

“Have I ever been in love?” she read in the video. “Am I dating anyone seriously?”

Val’s heart sped up. Oh, God. She’d forgotten about that question. She looked back at Griffin, who was looking at her. There was so much to read in his expression. Confusion. Hurt. Wonder.

“No,” she said in the video. “I’ve never been in love. I am dating someone right now, but it’s just for fun. Nothing serious,” she said with a smile on her face.

Val looked at Griffin again, but he was looking down now. She hadn’t realized she was in love then, though. She’d been in denial.

Helen pointed at the computer screen. “That’s not you!” she shouted, holding her memory book in her hand. “Your name isn’t Sophie. That’s not you…! What’s going on?” She turned to Griffin, shaking her head. “What’s going on?”

“It’s okay, Mom.” Griffin reached for Helen’s hand.

She pulled back, growing more agitated. “I’m not your mom. Who are you?” she cried. “What’s going on?” she asked again. Her hands were shaking as she pulled them to her face.

Val got up and moved toward her. “Helen, you’re okay. I promise.”

“That’s not you!”

Val was shaking, too. She’d upset Helen, and apparently Griffin, too, because he wouldn’t look at her anymore.

“I’ll take her to her room,” he said, helping Helen stand.

“I’ll help you.” Val tried to grab Helen’s other arm, but Griffin stopped her.

“No. You stay. I got this.” There was a hardness in his voice.

Was he mad at her?

Val stood frozen in the middle of the group of women, watching Griffin escort his mother away, feeling like she was watching things unravel in slow motion.

Marge cleared her throat behind Val.

Turning, Val faced the rest of the group. “I’m sorry,” she said, not knowing what else to say.

“No, I’m sorry,” Marge said. “We were just trying to surprise you with something fun. We didn’t know.”

No one knew. Val had thought that was for the best, but now she wondered. Maybe she’d just been scared of opening herself up. Scared that people would judge her, or laugh.

Or leave, she thought, thinking of Griffin. He’d just left and she suspected it had more to do with her than with his mother’s condition. Otherwise, he would come back.

Her gaze flicked to the empty doorway. He wasn’t coming back. Was it because she’d said she wasn’t in love? Because there’d never been any profession of anything other than fun from him, either.

“It’s okay, Marge. You didn’t do anything wrong,” Val said, going back to her chair. And neither had she. So why did she suddenly feel like a criminal?

“So it’s true,” Gretchen Carter asked, smiling excitedly. “You’re the one who wrote this book?”

Val nodded. “Yes. Sophie Evans is my pen name.”

“So then do you mind signing our books for us?” Marge asked.

Val looked at the doorway again. No Griffin. She forced a smile despite the break in her heart. “Of course I will.”

Griffin grabbed a beer from his fridge and sat down on his couch. He ran a hand over his hair, taking it all in. This was great for Val; she was a celebrity in her own right. But it didn’t keep him from feeling like he’d been lied to somehow. He’d been teaching her about living out her fantasies, and she wrote fantasies for thousands of women across the world. Had she been laughing at him behind his back this whole time? Had she been using him for more material?

He suddenly felt like that kid, home on break from his freshman year of college, discovering that he’d been adopted. Reality was shifting, rearranging, and everything he thought he knew was wrong.

He’d watched the video at least a dozen times since he’d gotten home, warring with himself over why he was so upset about it. He pushed play and drank his beer.

Val, Sophie, whoever she was, read the next question:
Have I ever been in love?

He watched as she stared at the index card in her hand for a long moment, then looked up into the camera and shook her head.
“No. I’ve never been in love. I am dating someone right now, but it’s just for fun. Nothing serious.”

Well, damn. Because this wasn’t just fun to him. He was serious about how he felt about Val.

He swallowed back his disappointment and beer. Val made this video a few days ago. He recognized the outfit. It was the same one she’d worn when he’d walked in on her the other day. The day he’d brought her roses and they’d made love for over an hour. The day he could have sworn he was falling in love with her, and that she was falling in love with him, too.

Bullshit.

He felt like a fool, just like he had when he’d discovered he was adopted.

The doorbell rang across the room; he had a sinking feeling he knew exactly who it was. He walked over and opened the door, feeling his jaw and chest tighten.

Val studied him as she stood on the other side of the threshold. “Griffin, I want to explain.”

“Explain what? That you’re not who you said you were? That you’ve been lying to everyone around you, including me?”