Forged in Stone Read online

  I marveled at the live oaks as I drove down the narrow streets. I loved Charleston, but there were some things about urban life I’d probably never get used to. The house came into view. It was gorgeous. Three floors and right near the battery. It was so close to the water that you could nearly taste it, and you got an amazing view from the upper balconies. I had no trouble understanding why it was a stop on the historical tours, even if it did get annoying when people parked out front to take pictures.

  I pulled around to the side of the house and parked in the small drive. When I got out, I did what I always did, I checked over my shoulder before walking up the wraparound porch. Living alone in a city wasn’t good for an already paranoid person.

  I unlocked the door and quickly locked it behind me. I glanced at the large kitchen. It was tastefully done, but I was surprised the owners hadn’t updated it. Then again there was something charming about the old countertops. Granite might have taken away from the overall feel of the place.

  The thought of a late night snack appealed, but a glass of wine sounded even better. I filled a tumbler two-thirds full with some left over Cab Sav. Although I was broke, there were certain luxuries I indulged in. I walked down the hall to the living room. At least there was a big screen TV to keep me company.

  3

  Ainsley

  A glass of wine and a hot shower worked wonders. The alcohol relaxed me while the warm water washed away all thoughts of Brad and the fact that my one and only friend in Charleston had betrayed me. I knew she probably meant well in that crazy way of hers, but to set me up like that—with a guy like Brad? She should have known how upset that would make me.

  The water started to turn cool, and I rinsed off my hair one last time before stepping out. I wrapped up in my favorite pink towel and tossed my dirty clothes in the hamper.

  I reluctantly opened the door to the bathroom, dreading the burst of cold that would hit me as soon as I stepped out of the steam filled room. Luckily my room was only a few steps away.

  The heat had blown my door closed again, so I used one hand to pull it open. I stepped into the dark room and felt around for the light switch.

  I turned it on and started to scream. There was a very shirtless guy lying on my bed.

  I was frozen, unable to do or say anything. The guy sat up and rubbed his eyes.

  I stopped screaming¸ but my muscles still didn’t work. I just stood there staring at the insanely attractive guy lying on my bed like it was his own. His dirty blond hair was messy, but it was his chest and abs my eyes kept going to. Leave it me to focus on the fact that the guy was in impeccable shape.

  For his part, he stared at me too. His eyes raked over me.

  I tried to come up with something to say, but like my body, my mouth seemed to have stopped functioning.

  He blinked his eyes a few times. “Uh, hello. What are you doing here?”

  His words snapped me out of my silence. “What am I doing here? What are you doing here?” Then a thought occurred to me. “Wait. Grace is behind this too, isn’t she? You were the fall back if things didn’t work with Brad. What did she tell you? Guaranteed sex if you came in here?”

  “Wait. Back up.” He held up his hands as if in defense. “I am not here for sex… not that it didn’t cross my mind seeing you there in well, that little thing, but I am only here to sleep.”

  Little thing? I glanced down at my towel. I was nearly naked in front of the sexiest man I’d ever seen. In another context that would have been great, but sexy or not, I had no idea what he was doing in my bedroom. “So you’re not a friend of Grace’s?” I picked up the largest book I could find on the bookshelf.

  “Never heard of her.”

  “Then get out!” I held out the book like a weapon.

  He moved to the side of the bed closest to me. “Hold on there. You still have not told me why you are in this house. I have every right to be here.”

  “Every right?” I lowered my book as a humiliating thought hit me. “Oh my god. Are you the owner’s son or something? I heard they have one.”

  His face relaxed. “Not their son, but I am a good friend of the Calloways.”

  “A good enough friend that you’re staying here?” I watched him carefully. He knew the owner’s name, and so far he was keeping his distance. Part of me still wanted to run, but that would only make this more of an embarrassing story when he relayed it to the owners. “They never told me to expect you. Clearly I wouldn’t be wearing this.” I gestured to my towel. Normally I’d have been mortified by my appearance, but I wasn’t. I was strangely comfortable around the stranger, and that alone should have had me bolting for the door.

  “I have no problem with it. None at all.” He smiled sheepishly. “By the way, my name is James.”

  I took a deep breath. No matter who he was, I couldn’t stay in my towel. I was cold, and his looks were getting longer and longer. “I’m getting dressed. Would you please give me my room?”

  “Your room? You are staying in Charlotte’s room?”

  “Charlotte? Is that the daughter?”

  “How do you know the Calloways?” he asked. “I told you my connection, what is yours?”

  “I’m house sitting for them while they’re away.”

  “While they are away?” He wrinkled his brow. “No one told me there was a house sitter here.”

  “Yeah… I agreed to stay for a year.”

  “Do you pay rent?”

  “No, I just watch the place.” I tightened my hold on the towel.

  “You were not watching it very well tonight.”

  “Wait, when did you get in here?” I hadn’t thought about that. Had he been here the whole time?

  He glanced at the clock. “A few hours ago.”

  “Maybe I was still out. I would have heard the door.”

  “I didn’t use the front door.”

  My eyes went immediately to the balcony door. “You broke in?” I started backing away. That changed everything. If he’d had a key… well, maybe then the owners had okayed the visit. “I thought you were their friend.”

  “I am.”

  “I don’t believe you.” I cursed myself for leaving my cell all the way downstairs.

  “It is true.”

  “Get out!” I backed into the hallway, heading for the bathroom. I could lock myself in there.

  “Wait. I am who I say I am.” He jumped off the bed. “I can prove it.”

  “Then do it, or I call the police.” I struggled to keep my voice level. I didn’t particularly want to deal with the police, but I wasn’t going to just take the word of a guy who’d broken in.

  He kept his distance. “Do you know where Charlotte’s stuff is? She used to have pictures on her wall.”

  “There are some boxes way up in the back of the closet.” I should have run for the bathroom, but I didn’t. I stupidly waited.

  He pulled down a cardboard box and rifled through it. “Here you go.” He held out a photo collage.

  I accepted it while holding onto my towel tightly with the other hand and stuffing the book under my arm.

  A quick sweep of the pictures had me staring at a younger version of the same guy. I glanced from the teenager to the man in front of me. He had filled out in all the right ways. “Ok, so you do know them.”

  He grabbed his shirts and boots and walked into the hallway careful to keep his distance from me. “I will wait downstairs.”

  “Okay…” I ran into the room and locked the door, still holding on to the collage. I glanced down at the pictures again. He was in even more of the photos than I thought.

  I studied his smile. That was one trait that hadn’t changed.

  I pulled on my Harrison University hoodie over a long sleeve t-shirt and my favorite pair of jeans. I brushed out my wet hair. I refused to make any more effort than that. The guy was an intruder, not a potential date.

  I walked downstairs slowly, still not sure what to do. Clearly I couldn’t let the guy stay,
but the thought of him leaving and my never seeing him again bothered me way more than it should have.

  I stepped into the kitchen in time to watch him staring into the nearly empty freezer. “I need to go shopping.”

  He turned. “Yes, you do.”

  “I wasn’t expecting company.” I felt more confident now that I was dressed. We were on more equal ground, although his lack of a shirt was making it hard on me. I had to fight to keep my eyes on his face.

  “What about Brad? Was that the name?” He smirked.

  I groaned. “Don’t remind me.” Despite the situation, thinking about the awkward meeting with Brad sounded worse.

  “Not the world’s best boyfriend?”

  I shook my head. “Oh, he’s not a boyfriend. Just some guy my friend tried to set me up with on a blind date.” For some reason it was important to me that James knew Brad wasn’t my boyfriend. I was beyond pathetic. A guy broke into my house, and I was worried that he knew I was available. But he was a friend of the owner. This wasn’t completely random. I held onto that fact as though it changed anything.

  “It did not go well?” He hopped up on to the kitchen counter.

  “Long story, but he’s not my type.”

  “And you assumed your friend had planted a man in your bed?” He raised an eyebrow.

  “Well, she tricked me into the blind date. It was supposed to be a girls’ night. And it was the only explanation I could come up with that didn’t terrify me when I saw you.” Why was I telling him so much? First I couldn’t talk, and now I couldn’t shut up.

  “You mean it was easier to accept than me being a psycho killer waiting to kill you?”

  “You’re not, right? You didn’t fake those pictures to put me at ease?” I was mostly joking.

  “If I was, would I really admit it?”

  “I should have just rented a place.” I leaned on the kitchen table. “It would have been simpler. My mom thought I was crazy for doing this, and I guess she was right.”

  “Finding a free place to live is not crazy. Especially not one with views of the water.”

  “It was to her. She wanted me to come home.”

  “Where is home?” He watched me closely.

  “North Carolina. Chapel Hill.” The words slipped out of my mouth on their own accord. I covered my face with my hand.

  He laughed. “What? You afraid I will stalk you? If I was going to hurt you, would I simply be sitting here right now? And if you were worried, why not call the authorities? Your phone is right there.” He pointed at where my phone lay on the kitchen table.

  “I’d rather not spend the night filling out police reports.”

  “Good, then back to our conversation.” He grinned. “I have been to Chapel Hill.”

  “Oh yeah? Know someone who went to Carolina or something?” Him knowing my hometown shouldn’t have put me at ease, but for some reason it did. I was getting far too relaxed.

  “The Calloway’s son, Kevin, played basketball for them.”

  “What?” He’d definitely peaked my interest. “Wait. When?”

  “Eight years ago.”

  “Kevin Calloway? The name sounds vaguely familiar.” I raked through my extensive knowledge of the Tar Heels.

  “Yeah, he only played one year...”

  “Was he injured or did he jump to the NBA?” Both were frustrating as a fan of the team.

  “He, uh, left school.”

  “Oh, ok. Well, hope you enjoyed your visit to Chapel Hill.” There was more to the Calloway son’s story than James was saying. Maybe he’d gotten expelled or something.

  He smiled again. His smile was deadly. It made my whole body warm. “I did.”

  “You grew up here then? With the Calloways?” I took a seat at the table.

  He sat down next to me. “I did some high school here.”

  I picked up his t-shirt where it lay on the chair on my other side. “You must be cold.”

  “Cold?” He accepted the t-shirt. “Is that the excuse you are going to use?”

  “What do you mean?” I crossed my arms again.

  “My being without a shirt bothers you.”

  “No, why would it?” I could feel blood rushing to my face. Evidently my ogling hadn’t gone unnoticed.

  “You are used to sitting around with strange guys who are not wearing shirts?”

  “You’re supposed to be convincing me you’re safe. Calling yourself strange doesn’t help your case.”

  “Why would I be convincing you I was safe?” He moved to put on the shirt.

  I couldn’t help but watch as he pulled down the shirt agonizingly slow. “Because you broke into my house in the middle of the night.”

  “It is not really the middle of the night. Besides, this is not your house, and I did not break anything.”

  “It is for the time being, and you know exactly what I mean about breaking in.”

  “What if I wanted to stay here too?”

  “Stay here?” I coughed. “No way.”

  “Why not? You are not paying rent.”

  Anger started to rise in me. Just because I wasn’t paying didn’t mean it wasn’t my home for the time being. “Because for all I know the Calloways hate you.”

  “They do not hate me. Charlotte and I are close friends.”

  “You’re not staying here anyway. I’m not interested in a roommate.”

  “Maybe I should take my shirt off again. You liked me better that way.” He winked.

  Embarrassment mixed with the anger. “Do you want me to kick you out?”

  “Were you not about to do that anyway?”

  My mouth fell open. “I didn’t necessarily mean tonight.”

  “So you do have a soft spot for me.” He arched an eyebrow.

  “Tell me why you’re here.”

  “I came back into town, drank too much, and I did not want to go all the way home.” He shrugged.

  “You drank too much? Lovely. But where’s home?”

  “I do not have one locally yet.”

  “Then what did you mean by you didn’t want to go all the way home?” Getting any information from him was like pulling teeth.

  “I meant I did not have the energy to find a new place.”

  I glared at him. “Stop lying. No one searches for a new place to stay late at night when they are drunk.”

  “I am telling the truth. I just got back into town, and I am drunk. Or I was. I feel better now.”

  “And you really don’t have anywhere to go?” I knew what that felt like. Well, kind of. I had always known I could go back to my mom’s house. Only I didn’t want to. I knew it would be the beginning of the end for me.

  “No. I sold my house years ago.”

  “Your house?” How old was this guy anyway? He only looked like he was in his mid-twenties.

  “Yeah, my parents died.”

  “Oh my, I’m so sorry.” I put a hand to my chest. There I went upsetting him.

  “Don’t be sorry. My mom died forever ago, and my dad deserved what happened to him.”

  “Oh.” I leaned back and away for him. “Well, it’s really late, and I need to get some sleep.”

  “Big plans for tomorrow?”

  I stood up. “Work.”

  “Exciting.” He made no move to stand.

  “Not quite, but it pays the bills.”

  “What bills do you need to pay? You live rent free.”

  I gasped. Was he really going there again? I was so sick of guys being jerks. “Ok, I have had enough.”

  “Enough what?”

  “Grab your shoes and whatever else you have and get out of here.”

  “Now you want to kick me out?”

  “Yes. Right now.”

  “I have every much a right to be here as you.”

  “Nope.” I shook my head. “I’m house sitting. You broke in. I should have kicked you out to start with, but well, I have a weakness for a nice set of abs that seems to get me in trouble more often than n
ot. Not happening tonight.” I walked over to the door and held it open for him. “Out.”

  “Having second thoughts about Brad?”

  I walked back to the table. “Go.”

  “Why should I?”

  “Do you want me to call the police?” I grabbed my phone.

  “I was only kidding. Why are you so sensitive about the bills thing?”

  “That is none of your business.”

  “You will make the house cold if you keep the door open.”

  “If you’d leave I could close the door and keep the house warm.”

  “But then I’d be cold.”

  “Too bad.” I picked up his boots and tossed them on the porch. “Good bye, James.”

  “You remembered my name.”

  “Go.”

  “But you never told me your name.”

  “And I’m not going to.”

  “The Calloways will tell me.” He finally walked to the door. “Wonderful meeting you, see you soon.” He walked out and closed the door behind him.

  I opened the door again and slammed it. I could hear his loud laughter from the other side.

  4

  James

  I stared at the closed front door for a full minute. Had she really opened the door just to slam it on me? I smiled. The girl was something else. She was beautiful. There was no question about that. It would be days before I could possibly get the image of those sparkling blue eyes out of my head—or those long legs. But it was more than physical beauty that had me transfixed. There was that laugh, and the way she talked. And the way she kicked me out. She was the first girl I had met in ages who neither fell at my feet nor recoiled from me. I liked it. I liked her. Too bad she refused to give me her name.

  After accepting that she had no plans to open the door again, I reluctantly walked away from the porch. I looped around to the back of the house and headed straight for the gate.

  I dug out the iridescent crystal key that was my only way back home. Losing that key would mean staying in Charleston way longer than planned, which was a thought I l could tolerate now much more than I could have an hour before. I glanced over my shoulder one last time. Why was it so impossible to shake thoughts of the girl from my mind?