Divorced, Desperate, and Delicious

Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen 

Lacy’s heart fell, landing somewhere around her bladder, and she had to pee, too. “It would only take a minute to make some tea. Did you know how healthy tea is? I read . . . ” Oh jeepers, this man had pure evil stamped all over him and she was offering to make him tea. Please let him leave.

He started moving again toward the entryway, and she offered a thanks Heavenward.

“If you see or hear anything, you call me,” he said, his tone about as friendly as a pet rock.

“Oh, I will. I’ll call you first thing.” Right when Hell freezes your evil gray eyes shut. When the door closed behind him, Lacy’s knees almost buckled. She dropped Fabio and walked into the living room, sank onto the sofa, and pressed her palms against her closed eyes. When the phone rang, she nearly jumped out of her skin.

“Hi, Lacy. It’s Eric.” The loudspeaker played the message. “I noticed you were due to pick up your flea spray, and I thought maybe I’d drop it off. We could do dinner. I know this great Italian place. And to make myself clear, yes, I’m asking you out on a date. I know you’ve turned me down only a million times, but I’m told persistence pays off. Anyway, call me.”

Lacy ignored Eric and, practicing breathing exercises, she tried to get her heart to return to a normal rhythm. Visions of Zeke Duncan’s cold, hard eyes filled her mind, then her thoughts turned on a dime and mentally yanked her back into her bedroom, with Chase spreading her thighs and . . .

Oh, Cracker Jacks, she’d just had the best sexual experience of her entire life and it hadn’t included everything. Only one little problem existed. Chase seemed pretty sure they were just in the first inning of this game—and he was quite certain he was next up to bat.

What really scared her was she wasn’t altogether sure he was wrong. If sex with no sex could be that exceptional, just how good could it be if she actually let him get to the plate? Well, she had already seen him in the batting cage, and he’d had formidable power and accuracy. The thoughts brought flashbacks of pleasure, and her lower belly tightened.

Then another thought exploded in her head. That short fleeting moment when the idea of Chase Kelly leaving had taken her breath. As if she cared for him . . . as if . . .

No! She didn’t care for him. Couldn’t care for him.

* * *

Zeke dropped his head against the steering wheel and gritted his teeth. Headache. Damn, his head hurt and all that chattering . . . He started his car, but before he pulled out of the drive, he took out his little notepad and wrote down the address. The lady came across as a total bimbo, should have been blond, but the suspicion prickling in his gut hadn’t completely gone away. He’d come back later.

As he pulled away, he punched in the hospital number and asked for the ICU. “Yes, this is Officer Duncan. Just wanted a report on Stokes.”

“He’s the same,” the nurse said. “His vitals are good, but he hasn’t come to yet. Doctor came in earlier and assured Mrs. Stokes that this really isn’t unexpected.”

“Thanks.” Zeke tossed out the politeness, hoping his frustration didn’t color his voice. “Oh, one other thing. Is someone else there from the precinct?”

“Someone’s been here the whole time. Would you like me to give you the number to the line in the waiting room?”

“No,” Zeke said, and hit the button. It was time he found out what the crap those guys were doing.