Ruthless Read online

  Chapter Three

  Marisa fidgeted with the neckline of her turtleneck, trying to conceal the bruise left behind after her impetuous midnight encounter with Luc last night. He had almost convinced her it would be worth the sacrifice to be with him. Then the reality of what that would mean settled over her, and she had to admit to herself that she would never be satisfied with casual dinner dates and meaningless sex for the rest of her life. She needed more. She needed a man who couldn’t live without her. A man like Tim.

  She smiled at her dinner companion, trying to focus on the conversation. Tim was talking about the never-ending chore of mending fences and the menial day-to-day chores of life on a ranch. But she knew he loved his life, in spite of his good-natured rumblings. He was a simple man with simple needs. He wanted a woman who understood what it meant to be a rancher’s wife, the highs and lows of being a slave to mother nature. He wanted a big family with lots of kids, just like his family: boisterous, affectionate, and fun-loving. She wanted those things too.

  She loved her job as Trey’s stylist, the glamour and excitement, but her favorite place in the world was still her parents’ ranch, riding her beloved horse, Indigo.

  “Hey, you okay?” he asked, reaching across the table to hold her hand. “You’ve been kind of quiet tonight.”

  She glanced at the menu in front of her, not that she needed to be reminded of their options. She and Tim frequented his favorite steakhouse every Saturday night. He was a creature of habit. Solid and dependable, a man who could be counted on to be there when a friend or a neighbor was in trouble. She loved that about him, but he was so predictable she was afraid she may be bored to tears within their first year of marriage. Tim had no desire to venture outside of his little corner of the world. He was content with what he had. She wished she could say the same.

  “I’m fine, just a little tired I guess. I stayed at the hospital pretty late last night.” She intended to tell Tim about her time with Luc. He deserved to know, but she would wait until later, when they were alone. Not that she expected him to make a scene. Tim wasn’t the kind of a man who would make a public spectacle of himself. That was Luc’s forte. His temper often outweighed common sense, and what others thought was of little consequence to him.

  “How are mama and baby doing?”

  “Great, I stopped by to see them earlier. It looks like Sierra will be able to come home tomorrow, but they’ll probably need to keep Alisa a little longer since she was seven weeks early.”

  “Alisa? That’s a pretty name.”

  She grinned. “They combined Alexis for Lexi and my name. Isn’t that sweet?”

  He squeezed her hand and smiled. “Aren’t you just the proud auntie?”

  She felt an unexpected wave of emotion wash over her. She blinked back the tears. “I know I’m being silly; I’m just so happy for them.”

  He stroked her cheek. “So am I, honey.” He held her hands between both of his. “Can I assume you’re going to be little Alisa’s godmother?”

  Marisa looked for the waiter, hoping he would choose this moment to interrupt. She knew this was the perfect opportunity to tell Tim about what happened last night; she might as well get it over with. “As a matter of fact, they were planning to ask Luc and me to do the honors, but he declined.”

  Tim tensed up and withdrew his hands, clasping them on the table in front of him. “Why would he do that?”

  “That’s what I wanted to know, so I went to see him when I left the hospital last night.” She held her breath, waiting for him to respond.

  He stared at her in disbelief. “You went to his house in the middle of the night? You couldn’t have just picked up the phone?”

  “I was furious with him. I wasn’t thinking clearly.” She adjusted her turtleneck, thinking this would be an inopportune time for Tim to spot the mark Luc left on her neck.

  He sighed. “Did something happen between you two last night?”

  She was expecting the question, but she wasn’t sure how to respond. Something had happened, but what didn’t happen seemed more relevant. “We didn’t sleep together, if that’s what you’re asking me.”

  She tried not to sound defensive. She and Tim had never defined their relationship, and in spite of what Luc believed, they weren’t sleeping together.

  He scowled. “But something did happen, I can tell.”

  The waiter appeared, asking if they would have their usual.

  Tim gave a curt nod and thrust the menus at him. He waited for him to leave. “Tell me what happened last night.”

  She didn’t expect him to be so angry. Tim was usually so mild mannered. “I, we...”

  “Just spit it out.”

  “I won’t say nothing happened, but it wasn’t...” She reached across the table to cover his big, calloused hands with hers. She didn’t want to hurt him by giving him explicit details, but she didn’t want him to fill in the blanks and imagine the worst case scenario either. “Suffice it to say, it’s over with Luc.”

  He looked at their joined hands before looking up at her. “You sure about that? ‘Cause I need to know if you’re not.”

  She squeezed his hands and smiled to reassure him. “I’m sure. Seeing him last night was actually a good thing. It gave me closure, and I needed that.”

  He shook his head. “Well, okay then. I don’t want to talk about the past anymore. I want to talk about the future.”

  The waiter appeared with a silver bucket containing a bottle of their finest champagne. “Sir, the champagne you ordered. Shall I pour it now?”

  Tim glanced at Marisa. “No, give us a few more minutes, Sam.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Marisa felt a lump rising in her throat. Fear, apprehension, she couldn’t define it. She just knew she wasn’t feeling anticipation or excitement about what lie ahead. Tim was a good man. He loved her, but she couldn’t say the same about him; at least, not yet.

  He captured her hand and brought it to his lips. “I don’t think I’ve made a secret of my feelings for you, Marisa.”

  She swallowed and shook her head. Tim had always worn his heart on his sleeve where she was concerned.

  “You’re the only woman I’ve ever loved. Since I was a teenager, I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you.”

  She smiled, not trusting herself to speak. She tried to force the image of Luc out of her head. She imagined it was Luc saying these words, him presenting her with a promise of forever.

  “I know you’ve been through a rough time this past year. I didn’t wanna rush into anything. I wanted you to be sure about us before I asked you.”

  She knew she should say something, stop him from taking this any further, but she couldn’t force the words past her lips.

  “I know I can give you everything you want, Marisa. A house full of babies, a husband who worships you, a beautiful home, and the promise that I’ll be there for you, through the good times and the bad. I would never leave you, honey.”

  Those words sealed the deal for her. She knew Tim meant every word he said. She also knew she would never hear those promises from Luc, no matter how many years she wasted wishing.

  She stroked his beard-roughened cheek and felt a pang of guilt. He was such a good man. Honest, hard-working, and compassionate. He deserved a woman who loved him as much as he loved her. “Tim, I do love you, but...”

  He shook his head. “I know you don’t feel the same way about me as I do about you, Marisa. You never have; I get that. But I think that could change in time, don’t you?”

  She wanted to believe that it could. She found it hard to imagine feeling for any man the way she felt about Luc, but she couldn’t waste any more of her life hoping to change him. That chapter of her life was ending and a new chapter was beginning, unless she chose to close the book on it. “I think in time our relationship could grow and evolve, Tim. I’d like to try.”

  He grinned. “That’s all I’m asking, honey. We can have a long engagement, if tha
t’s what you want?” He pulled a small, black velvet box out of the pocket of his jacket. “I already spoke to your mama and daddy, and they said if this is what you want, we have their blessing.” He opened the box to reveal a stunning pear-shaped solitaire.

  Marisa pierced her trembling lip with her teeth. “It’s beautiful, Tim. But...”

  He held her left hand in his, gripping her ring finger. “Don’t say no; please just wear the ring. We don’t have to make a formal announcement until you’re ready.” He slipped the ring on her finger. “Okay?”

  She looked at the ring before taking in the hopeful expression on the face of the man sitting across the table. She couldn’t do to him what Luc had done to her. She couldn’t break his heart. “Okay,” she whispered.

  Luc awoke to pounding on his front door. He must have forgotten to close the wrought iron gates at the end of his drive again. Maybe he was subconsciously hoping Marisa would pay him another visit.

  He’d wasted his evening on a date. The finest restaurant in the city, a gorgeous and willing red-head on his arm, and he’d spent the night thinking about Marisa, replaying last night in his head. He’d hoped getting out of the house would help take his mind off her, but as usual, spending time with another woman only served to remind him that he’d already lost the only woman who could ever make him happy.

  The telephone rang, short, intermittent rings, indicating his unwanted guest was using any means to get his attention. “Relax,” he mumbled, cursing when he stubbed his toe on the edge of a console table. He threw the heavy door open, letting it bounce against the doorstop. He glared at his visitor. “What the hell do you want?”

  Tim barged through the open door. “We need to get a few things straight, Spencer.”

  Luc counted backwards from ten, trying to control his rising temper. He wasn’t exaggerating when he told Josh he despised this man. “Get the hell outta my house before I call the cops.”

  “I heard what happened last night.”

  Luc closed the door, wrestling with the urge to start a fight that would leave one or both of them battered and bloody. This had been building for a long time, and he had a feeling things were going to come to a head tonight.

  “I want you to stay the hell away from Marisa. You’ve already hurt her enough.”

  Luc glared at the other man, fisting his hands at his sides. “Who the hell are you to tell me to stay away from her?”

  “I’m her fiancé.”

  Luc felt the blood rush to his head as his temples began throbbing. “What the hell are you talking about?” He needed to sit down, but he refused to give his adversary the satisfaction of knowing he’d hit his mark.

  “Marisa and I got engaged tonight.”

  Luc gripped the closet door handle, needing something solid to hold. “You’re lying.”

  “Am I? I think the ring on her finger will back up my claim.”

  Luc sucked air into his lungs. This couldn’t be happening. Marisa had been in his arms, professing her love for him just last night. They’d agreed it was time to move on, but he didn’t expect it to happen overnight. How could she do this to him, to them?

  “This is the only time I’m gonna tell you, man. Marisa is mine, got it?”

  Marisa would never be his, not as long as there was breath in his body. Luc opened the door. “You said what you came here to say; now get out of my house.”

  Tim stopped in front of him, both men crowding the doorway. “Just remember what I said, ‘cause if I have to repeat myself, things are gonna get ugly.”

  Luc watched him walk down the steps and jump into his pickup truck before slamming the door. He pounded his fist into the unforgiving wood until his knuckles were bloody and bruised, barely feeling the pain. He stalked through the house to his bedroom, grabbing the shirt he’d discarded before climbing into bed. He thrust his arms through the holes as he glanced at the picture on his bedside table. It was a picture of him and Marisa on a trip to St. Lucia. She looked gorgeous in a turquoise bikini. Her skin was bronzed and her long, dark hair was blowing in the ocean breeze. She had both arms around him, looking content just to be with him.

  He was such an idiot. Why did he let her go? He should have known a woman like Marisa wouldn’t remain alone for long. During their relationship, no shortage of men had been eager to take his place, but Marisa claimed she wanted him and only him. “Don’t do this, baby,” he whispered, sliding his fingertip over her face. “I need you.”

  He grabbed his wallet, car keys, and cell phone off the dresser, ignoring the beeping sound that indicated he had a text message. Business could wait; this couldn’t. He made his way through the house under the shadow of darkness, pausing only to grab a jacket and thrust his feet into a pair of boots before activating the alarm and slamming the door behind him. His hand shook as he fit the key into the lock.

  “Shit,” he whispered when he dropped the key ring on the ground at his feet. “Get it together, Spencer,” he reprimanded, punching the button to unlock his Escalade. He slid into the driver’s seat and clenched the wheel, taking a few deep breaths before he pushed the button to activate the engine.

  He closed his eyes and leaned his head against the headrest. He had to calm down. If he went to see her in a fit of anger, she would tell him to go to hell. He had to think this through. He had to reason with her, make her realize that marrying a man she didn’t love would only lead to disappointment years from now, and he didn’t want that for her. God, was he really going to play the concerned friend card? That was pathetic. In truth, he had no idea what he was going to say. He just knew he had to see her face, hold her in his arms, and make her promise she wouldn’t go through with her plan to marry another man. Then what? He had no idea. He couldn’t think that far into the future.

  The drive to her downtown condo didn’t take more than twenty minutes, but it felt like hours as he had to wait for every red light in his path to turn green. He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel and planned his speech in his head. Marisa was a reasonable woman. She was acting on impulse because she was angry with him. Once she had a chance to think about it, she would admit that rushing into a marriage with a man she didn’t love was doomed to failure. Unless she did love him. In that case, Luc was screwed.

  He finally pulled into the parking lot of her building, glancing up to the windows of her tenth floor apartment. The place was dark, which probably meant she’d gone to bed. That could work to his advantage. Her defenses would be lowered. She’d be vulnerable. He hated thinking like a predator, but this situation put him at a definite disadvantage, and he had to use every trick in his arsenal to win her over.

  Their break-up had been so sudden that she hadn’t had time to ask him to return the key to her apartment and he hadn’t offered. He secretly hoped he’d have reason to use it again. Just not like this.

  He had no doubt she would refuse to let him in, but he was getting in to see her, with or without her consent.

  He glanced around the visitor’s lot as he pulled into a parking spot. The cowboy’s truck wasn’t there, not that it would have stopped him. Nothing that Neanderthal could say or do would keep him away from Marisa. He passed through the glass doors and picked up the phone in the lobby. He punched in her number. When she didn’t answer, he passed his access card over the sensor and waited for the doors to open. Thankfully, the lobby was quiet. The security guard must have stepped out to do his rounds. The guy was a wanna-be cop who harbored not-so-secret fantasies about having a relationship with Marisa. He no doubt knew their status and would tell Luc to hit the road with the threat of calling the real cops. A man in uniform wouldn’t be enough to stand in his way tonight.

  He punched the button on the elevator repeatedly until it finally arrived to take him up to the tenth floor. After walking down the hall quickly, he knocked on the door with enough force to wake her from a deep sleep. He knew Marisa was difficult to rouse. Only one thing would revive her in the middle of the night, and that was his p
lan B if she didn’t answer the door in the next ten seconds.

  He held his breath as he waited. When he didn’t hear any movement on the other side of the door, he slipped his key in the lock and turned the handle gently. He closed the door quietly and stood on the other side. A thought struck him. What if the cowboy parked in the underground parking garage? What if he was in her bed right now, making love to her? Luc’s stomach recoiled at the thought of standing by and listening to another man give her pleasure. He stood and listened; when he heard nothing, he called out to her.

  “Marisa, it’s Luc. You here, baby?”

  He waited for her to respond. When she didn’t, he headed down the hall to the master bedroom. He had come to know this apartment almost as well as his own home while they were together. It was downtown, closer to all the hotspots they frequented, so they would often crash at her place instead of his after a night on the town. The bedroom door was ajar, so he knocked softly before slipping inside.

  Her bed hadn’t been slept in. His mind raced, trying to figure out where she might be.

  He pulled his Blackberry out of his pocket and texted Trey, praying he was up with the baby. Thankfully, Trey had been speaking to his parents earlier and they mentioned Marisa was spending the night at their house. He consulted his watch. It was almost midnight. Her parents wouldn’t appreciate the late night intrusion, but this couldn’t wait.

  The drive out to the Turner ranch was a long one. It gave Luc a lot of time to think about his actions. He was chasing his ex-girlfriend down in the middle of the night to try and talk her out of marrying another man. He was, without question, losing his tenuous grip on control. He was afraid that if she pushed him away tonight, he might snap. He might fall to his knees and beg her to marry him, have his babies, bring him out of his misery. But that would hurt her even more in the end because those were promises he could never keep.

  He pulled the SUV into the winding drive and put it in park before making his way up the drive. He reached into the storage compartment between the seats and pulled his wallet out. He took the credit cards out and tossed them on the seat. He finally found what he was looking for. He hadn’t allowed himself to look at the picture in a long time. But tonight he needed a reminder of why he couldn’t be the man Marisa needed him to be. Pretending that he could be a decent father and husband was getting too tempting. Sometimes he needed to remind himself that he was still the same irresponsible son of a bitch he’d been fifteen years ago. He stared at the picture and thought back to the last night he’d seen Nikki, the last night he’d held her in his arms. It seemed like a lifetime ago.