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The Last Scar

 

 

 

Four

 

Nick pulled his beastly, white Suburban into an extravagant residential area. And Chelsea neared a state of panic. The short denim skirt, plain white tank top, and white canvas tennis shoes she wore were obviously not appropriate. Habitually, the nail of her index finger pushed at her well-cared for cuticles. "Boy, I, uh, hope I'm dressed okay."

"Darlin', you're dressed perfectly. Trust me."

Her anxiety level jumped three floors. He'd changed into bright orange shorts and a purple T-shirt, but still wore the red shoes. What in the world did he know about dressing?

Chelsea scolded herself. Nick seemed like a genuinely nice guy who didn't deserve such harsh criticism.

After carrying up the contents of her back seat, he'd stayed while she disinfected cabinets and drawers and stored her precious few belongings. They drank beer and he told her comical stories of his recent travels. He had a sharp sense of humor and tended to physically demonstrate things he spoke of. She'd enjoyed his company, and laughed hard enough to cry more than once.

Nick parked behind a long line of flashy sport cars and costly SUV's. "Well, I guess we walk from here.Ó

She didn't give him the opportunity to help her out of the truck because she didn't want him to think they were on an actual date. She certainly wasn't interested in an involvement beyond friendship.

In a comfortable silence, they walked past four incredible homes set on awe-inspiring lots.

"This is it!" He sent her his charmingly slanted smile.

She knew he was excited about this party because he'd been out of the state, even out of the country, for almost six months performing on-sight inspections for the oil company that employed him. Now, he was anxious to see old friends and familiar faces.

When they neared the meticulously manicured lawn, top forty music drifted over the warm evening. People milled everywhere; in the long driveway, by the double front doors, and along the wrought iron fence that separated the front yard from the back.

Lifting her chin in hopes of finding some confidence, she followed him through the gate and into the back yard, where even more people gathered.

Wow. Her first social engagement in nearly two years was a doozy. Long tables piled high with finger foods filled the middle of the yard. A row of blue, portable toilets lined the far side of the fence. A bar, complete with bartenders in sleeveless tuxedos, graced the rear fence.

It was to the bar they went.

"No," Chelsea said, raising her voice over the noise of the crowd and the vibrating music. "This really isn't a very big deal."

He tipped his head back for a loud laugh. "Not to the rich and famous!"

She remembered her appearance and quickly inspected some of the other women there. She saw everything from denim shorts to flirty summer dresses.

"I told you, darlin', you're dressed perfectly."

She turned back to Nick and took the beer he offered. "Thanks. So, who owns this house? Who's party is this?"

Nick steered her away from the bar with a gentle hand on her arm. "You ever hear of Susan Johnston?"

Her eyes widened. "The model? Wow. How do you know her?"

"I don't actually. A friend of mine is, uh, kinda dating her." He scanned the back yard, then pointed at the rear of the house. "There. That's the guy I'm looking for." He headed that direction.

Chelsea scoured the partygoers anxiously, wondering if she'd see anyone rich and famous. She was actually having fun. Actually glad she'd come. Because she had her head turned, she didn't know Nick stopped, until she bumped into him.

"Chelsea McGovern, meet one of my two best friends, Kevin Slader. Kevin, this is Chelsea."

She swung her head around and made a weird little gasp noise because the man in front of Nick was the most physically striking man she'd ever seen.

He was tall, compared to her five foot, two inch frame, anyway. Probably just over six feet. Broad shoulders, long legs. Black hair that looked like he let it dry however it wanted to and only used his fingers to comb it, dark sunglasses. His nose was on the long side, his lips just full enough to be sensuous. He wore cargo shorts and a plain, white T-shirt. Hard muscles contoured his upper arms, while corded strength and dark hair decorated his forearms.

As far as she could tell, Kevin Slader was physically perfect.

He pulled his hands from the pockets of his tan shorts.

Chelsea scrambled to gather enough composure to form the verbal greeting she would need to deliver in a few seconds. She barely stifled another gasp when she realized that, for the first time in a very, very long time, she was physically attracted to someone.

 

With his habitual casualness, Kevin leaned against the glass topped table on the patio and surveyed the partygoers. "There he is." He nudged his older brother with his elbow.

Ryan followed the direction of Kevin's nod. "Now, wait a damn minute! I talked to him earlier and he said he was coming solo. You know who he corralled?"

"No, I'm sure I'd remember if I'd seen her before."

"Yeah, no kidding. If she looks as good comin' as she does goin', Nick's one lucky dog."

Kevin, watching the feminine swing of the short denim skirt beside Nick, agreed. They made an odd couple. He guessed she wasn't over five foot, three. Next to Nick's six foot-two inch frame, she could have passed for a young girl walking with her father, except for the natural swing of her hips. That was something only women possessed.

At the bar, Nick's companion turned toward the house.

Kevin's eyebrows arched in accordance with his male appreciation.

"Nick's a lucky dog all right. Well, I'm after food. Want anything?"

He shook his head, his gaze still on the mystery woman. "I'm good, thanks."

Across the expanse of the yard, at the bar, Nick handed his new friend a beer. She smiled up at him. Her hair was pulled back from her face and fell in a thick mass of waves to her narrow shoulders. The slanting evening sun danced across it. Glowed within it.

Kevin plucked his sunglasses from the table, slid them on, then pulled a long drink from his beer as Nick and the woman moved toward him. He shoved his hands into his pockets and wondered why his palms were damp. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been even a little nervous, let alone so damn unsettled his hands had actually sweat.

Nick stopped in front of him, a huge grin controlling his always friendly face. "Chelsea McGovern, meet one of my two best friends, Kevin Slader. Kevin, this is Chelsea."

She swung toward him, then made a funny little sound.

Feeling out of sorts and awkward, Kevin freed his hands and stood up from his relaxed position. He wiped a damp palm down the leg of his shorts, hoping it wasn't too obvious an action, then extended his hand. He felt oddly compelled to look behind her sleek, dark sunglasses and discover what color her eyes were. "How you doin', Chelsea?"

She put her hand in his.

Her slim fingers were free of jewelry, her nails long, bare, and pretty.

"Nice to meet you, Kevin."

Her soft voice suited her smallness and unusual delicateness. "Yeah, it's, uh, nice to meet you, too." He pulled a canvas chair away from the table and gestured at it with a still sweaty hand. Damn it! What the hell was wrong with him?

She smiled up at him as she sat down. "Thank you."

She had flat-out sexy lips--kissable lips--and stunningly white teeth. Kevin wiped at the perspiration on his forehead, apparently caused by the beauty of her smile. Tearing his gaze away from her, he grinned at Nick. "Damn, it's good to see you, pal!"

Nick laughed heartily and embraced him the same way. "I never thought I'd get back home, man. Never!"

"Why haven't you seen one of your two best friends since you got back?"

"He got in late two nights ago." Kevin pulled another chair away from the table and slid it across the smooth concrete to Nick. "Then he slept for damn near thirty-six hours, the bum."

Negligently, Nick dropped into the chair beside Chelsea and shot her a wink. "I was tired. Jet lag, you know?" He grinned at Kevin and jerked his thumb in her direction. "She woke me up, moving into the apartment next to mine, going up and down and up and down the stairs."

"You let her?" Kevin was amazed Nick hadn't helped a woman; especially one who looked like Chelsea McGovern. "Why didn't you help?"

"I did! After I figured out what was going on."

"He wouldn't let me move anything else," she confirmed with a nod. "And did the rest by himself."

"You should have called me." Hell-shit! He wished he'd been afforded the opportunity to assist the pretty Ms. McGovern, and run interference on the charm that oozed from Nick in the presence of all females. "I would have helped, too."

Nick shrugged. "It was just a few boxes, no big deal." He scowled at Chelsea. "When are the rest of your things going to get here?"

"Oh, well." Chelsea looked around, shifted in her chair a little. "That's all there is. You moved everything in today."

"No way! You don't have dishes, towels, bedding."

Kevin wondered why the hell Nick didn't notice how uncomfortable Chelsea was. Wanting to save her from more discomfort, he stepped in. "You look through her things?"

"What?" Nick laughed. "No. But, like I said, it was just a few boxes. I hung around while she unpacked." He turned back to Chelsea. "What's the deal?"

"Well, uh, I didn't really want to have to drive a trailer all the way out here. I was given a certain amount of money to relocate and I decided to buy new things when I got here." She shrugged one tiny shoulder.

Ryan's return couldn't have come at a better time. Kevin caught his eye, then jerked his head at Nick. "Look what the stray cat drug out of the swamp and brought us."

Nick jumped to his feet, then jumped on Ryan and gave him a hard hug.

"Damn, man, it's good to see what there is of you!"

"I'm glad to see you, too, even though you're still a half-pint smart-ass!" Laughing, Nick fell back into his chair. "Chelsea, this is my other best friend, Ryan Slader. He's also Kevin's older, yet obviously not bigger, brother."

Ryan's pressed shorts and crisp plaid shirt draped him with authority. However, the smile he gave Chelsea was his warmest. "It's a pleasure," he said as he shook her hand. "But, I have to ask what you're doing with this guy." He jerked his head at Nick. "He's a bum."

Chelsea laughed.

Her laughter caused Kevin to smile.

"Sit down, Ryan. And use your mouth to eat, instead of talk." Nick winked at Chelsea. "It's not true--that I'm a bum, I mean."

She laughed again.

Kevin decided her eyes were blue. Or maybe a light green.

 

Brown. Kevin Slader's eyes were probably a dark, chocolate brown.

Chelsea concentrated on the bottle of beer she held and worried about the way she had to force herself to look away from Kevin. She hoped Nick hadn't noticed her fascination with his best friend. The idea that Kevin might have noticed how often she looked at him caused her breath to stall in a mound of anxiety centered in her chest.

The excitement and turmoil boiling within her made her realize she wasn't ready to be attracted to someone. Not at all ready.

"So, Chelsea, what do you do?"

She focused on Ryan, who looked nothing like his brother. While Kevin was tall, Ryan was closer to her height, and bony. Kevin had dark hair and eyes she assumed were also dark. Ryan had reddish-blond hair and bright blue eyes. His eyebrows were too thick for his narrow face, but he was still attractive. He was also personable enough that she already liked him.

"Tuesday I start with Lancaster and Jacobson. I'm heading-up a new program." She laughed softly, embarrassed by the confession she was about to make. "Although that may sound impressive, there's only one person involved in this program--including me."

"Still, it's an excellent opportunity." Nick's mouth split into his crooked, happy smile. "Tell them about it, darlin'."

She sent a doubtful glance at Ryan, then Kevin. Both men looked genuinely interested to hear her story. And she realized they shared the same mouth, genetically speaking.

She crossed her legs, left over right, in order to hide the one scar her clothes and hair didn't cover. "Well, I'm going to install and customize computer software so L and J's clients can download their accounting information directly to the appropriate regional accounting office. It will save mailing time, eliminate the possibility of sending incomplete information, and all the data the firm gets will be in the same format, which will streamline the accounting process. I'll also be responsible for training the client's staff on how to use the software."

Kevin pushed his long fingers through his hair. "So, you'll travel from office to office?"

His deep voice warmed her blood. That sensation made her wonder what was wrong with him. Based on her experiences, she wouldn't be attracted to him unless he had a whole series of deep emotional problems.

"Uh, right," she said in answer. "L and J have clients from here to New York. Next month, I'm going to Indianapolis, then Seattle. I'll work here, at the home office, for the first month in order to get acquainted with their procedures and systems."

She stood up, compelled to escape Kevin's powerful presence. To her delight, all three men stood up, too--which she found endearingly old-fashioned. "Can I bring anyone something from the bar?" Three hands shot into the air and made her laugh.

"Do you mind?" Nick asked.

"Not even a little bit." Chelsea walked away, carrying the attention of six decidedly male eyes with her.

 

Nick settled into his chair, crossed his thin arms over his narrow chest, and looked back and forth between his friends. "What do ya' think?"

"She's a doll, but I still don't understand why the hell she's with you."

"Obviously, she has exquisite taste!" Nick considered Kevin for a moment, then grinned again. "Kevy, what do you think of my new friend?"

He lifted one shoulder. "I agree with Ryan." Involuntarily, he sought Chelsea out as she crossed the lawn. Damn, he liked her skirt. And its swing. He forced himself to concentrate on Nick. "The bigger question is; what do you think of her?"

"She's beautiful, intelligent, fun as hell to talk to. And, she lives right next door. How convenient is that?" He laughed, then leaned forward and planted knobby elbows on equally knobby knees. "So, where, and exactly how, is Susan? I need some details about this relationship, man. You're dating the latest fantasy of at least half the male population. You've out done yourself this time, son. I'm dying for some insight."

Kevin scanned the surrounding area. "I haven't seen her for awhile." His attention landed on Chelsea again. While standing in line at one of the restrooms, she'd gained the attention of a stocky man in the line next to her. Scowling, he dangled his empty bottle of beer between his widespread knees. Halfheartedly, he listened to Ryan and Nick's lively conversation about his involvement with Susan as he watched Chelsea and the man who was so obviously interested in her.

Nick let out a soft whistle. "I'll be damned. There's Susan. Kevin, my friend, you're a lucky, lucky man. She's a real life Goddess. And filthy with money, too. You got it made, pal."

He grunted an acknowledgment as Chelsea disappeared behind one of the plastic, blue doors.

"I'm dying to meet her." Nick sprung to his feet. "Introduce me, Kevy."

"I'll do it," Ryan said. "I want to meet the little brunette she's talking to."

"Little?" Nick laughed. "Hell, that little brunette's a whole head taller than you, stumpy."

"At least I'm not so damn skinny I don't even cast a shadow!" Ryan snapped, walking toward Susan and the attractive woman beside her.

Kevin chuckled at their friendly banter, which had raged steadily for nearly twenty years.

Then, he concentrated on the spot he'd last seen Chelsea.

She reappeared a few moments later. The stocky man who'd eyed her before, and had been waiting on her, fell into step beside her as she headed for the bar.

Reflexively, Kevin crossed the lawn. He didn't know what he was going to do, but felt certain he should run some kind of interference.

He stopped beside Chelsea in line at the bar. She looked up at him. Her beautiful mouth formed a little circle of surprise, which not only caught his attention, but ignited his sexual imagination, too. "How you doin'?"

"Hey!"

Calmly, Kevin turned to the shorter, more muscular man who had stood beside Chelsea until he stepped between them. "What?"

"I was talking to that little gal and now you're in my way."

"Sorry, pal, but the lady isn't available."

"Why didn't she tell me that? I mean, if she didn't want to talk to me, she'd have told me to get lost. But she's been very agreeable." He took a step closer as his hands curled into huge fists that bulged with obvious, brute strength. "She's been so agreeable, in fact, that I want you to get the hell out of my way. Now."

"She's just being polite." Kevin ignored the aggressiveness in the man's voice--the tone intended to call him out to fight. Fighting was something he avoided if at all possible. Probably because he wasn't very good at it, he didn't like fighting. At all. "She didn't want to hurt your feelings."

The shorter man hesitated, then scowled at him. "Your girlfriend?"

"No, she's here with a friend of mine."

"That true?" He leaned to the side to look around Kevin, at Chelsea.

She nodded. "Sorry."

"Not half as sorry as l am." He nodded at Kevin. "I had to try."

"Sure." Kevin watched the other man saunter away before looking at Chelsea. Automatically, he grinned. "How you doin' now?"

"Better! Thank you for the intervention, although I could have handled him myself."

"I'm sure you could have." He had no doubt she'd done more than a fair amount of dealing with men whose interest in her was not reciprocated.

"But you came to my rescue anyway." She giggled. "How gallant."

Kevin chuckled and thought she was charming.

"Why did you come to my rescue?"

Now, that was a damn good question. He could have pointed the situation out to Nick and let him handle it. But for some reason, he hadn't. Chelsea smiled up at him, looking sweeter than anyone he'd ever seen. He slid his hands into the safety of his pockets so he'd remember to keep them off her. "Maybe I was coming to see what was keeping you with the beer."

She laughed.

"Then again, maybe I just didn't like the looks of that guy."

"Well, whatever the reason, thank you. I'm relieved I didn't have to handle him because it might have turned into an embarrassing situation."

He arched one eyebrow. "Would you have become disagreeable?"

"Yes, I think it might have actually come to that."

"I can't even image you and disagreeable at the same party."

She beamed at him, then moved forward with the line.

Again, Kevin noticed, and appreciated, how pretty her teeth were. He also wondered about the taste of her lips. "So, where are you from?"

"What makes you think I'm not from around here?"

"Your accent, mostly."

"I didn't realize I had an accent until Nick mentioned it. He said it isn't bad, but I don't want to talk differently than everyone else."

"For once, Nick's right--it's certainly not a bad accent."

With a scowl causing a shallow dimple over the middle of her sunglasses, she scanned the line of people beside them. "Uh, I'm from Des Moines."

"I see." The way she bristled and turned her attention away from him made it obvious that implying he liked her accent had disturbed her. Was she offended because he was flirting with her while she was on a date? Probably. And, even though she was on a date, with his best friend, he was flirting with her. Harshly, he told himself to stop flirting--something he seemed to do naturally, maybe even compulsively. "So, you just moved here? I mean to LA?"

"Yes." She faced him again. "You said it was my accent mostly. What else made you think I'm not from here?"

"You don't seem like the average LA girl. Which," he added quickly, and despite his intention not to flirt with her, "Isn't a bad thing either."

Someone ahead of them stumbled and crashed into Chelsea's back. The collision propelled her into Kevin. His arms locked around her in an instinctive attempt to keep her from falling to the ground.

Her dainty hands landed on his chest. And stayed. Slowly, she tilted her face up to his.

As he looked down at her, he was extremely aware of the slender length of her neck and the way her lips parted as if inviting him to kiss her.

"Uh, excuse me."

"You okay?"

She stepped away from him and scowled at the ground between her feet. "Fine. Sorry about that."

"Don't be." Kevin looked over her head to see who had bumped into her and discovered a cluster of young, rowdy men in front of them. "We better move out of the way." As if it were a completely natural thing for him to do, he wrapped his hand around her elbow and drew her to another line of people waiting for drinks. He grinned down at her, hoping to ease the hum of tension their physical contact had created. "You seem to have a knack for getting into trouble."

Chelsea hesitated, then laughed.

The musical sound of her laughter told Kevin that he was in serious damn trouble.

 

"Well!" Nick's tone of voice was stern, although humor sparkled in his eyes. "Where in the blue blazes have you two been for so long?" With a wink, he took the beer Chelsea offered him. "Thanks, darlin'."

Kevin sat down as he handed a bottle of beer to Ryan. "You better keep an eye on her, Nick. She seems to attract trouble."

Nick glanced at Chelsea, his eyes narrowed with question, then concentrated on Kevin. "Tell me." Absently, he ran the tip of his index finger up and down the dimple in his chin.

"I saved you from having to fight some guy with a twenty-three inch neck over her, then she nearly got trampled at the bar."

Nick swung toward her. "Big-neck was trying to pick you up?"

She shook her head, very aware of the fact that Kevin watched her with an amused, sexy little grin decorating his pretty face. She was also very aware of his magnetism. There was something sensual about Kevin Slader; something powerful, almost hypnotizing. While they'd stood in line at the bar discussing the ugliness of recent terrorist acts committed overseas, the raw sexuality Kevin possessed had radiated from him and managed to unsettle every part of her.

"Uh, no," she stammered in Nick's direction. "No, he just wanted to talk."

He threw his head back with a hearty laugh. "Darlin', either you're very naive, or very polite. Don't you know that guys only talk to girls they don't know for one reason?"

She glanced at Kevin before focusing on Nick. "What reason is that?"

"To pick them up, of course!"

Sweetly, innocently, she smiled. "So in the parking lot today, when we met, you didn't really want to help me move? You weren't being neighborly, or gentlemanly? You were just trying to pick me up?"

Kevin and Ryan roared with laughter and elbowed each other as if they were young boys.

"Look," Ryan gasped between laughs, pointing at Nick. "He actually managed to shove both of those size thirteen feet into his mouth at the same time!"

Nick shook his head violently. "What I meant was; guys at parties only talk to girls they don't know for one reason."

"Kevin!"

Chelsea turned toward the angelic voice, as her three companions did, and saw the glamorous Susan Johnston gliding toward them with her beautiful, famous smile gracing her perfectly painted tips. Susan's stunning beauty caused her to flinch with something very similar to pain.

Then she realized, with the odd sensation of her blood freezing, that Kevin was the friend of Nick's who was dating Susan.

What a fool she'd been to get excited over a man who looked like Kevin. Of course he was used to being with women much prettier, not to mention more sophisticated, than she was.

Chelsea felt awkward, misplaced. She wished she'd stayed in for the evening--alone and sheltered and free of the turmoil now raging inside her.

Susan landed on Kevin's lap in the same way a feather drifts to the ground. Her bare, perfectly sculpted arms encircled his neck as she plastered her lips to his.

Nick offered his hand to Chelsea and leaned close to whisper, "Let's go mingle."

Grateful to escape the embarrassment of such a sultry kiss, she took his hand.

As she walked away from the patio, sandwiched between Nick and Ryan, she couldn't help wondering what it would be like to kiss Kevin's seemingly firm lips. And, she couldn't help but envy the drop-dead gorgeous Susan Johnston.