Love Thief Read online

  She snapped her fingers. “That, I have.” When she disappeared into the bathroom and returned, he already knew she wouldn’t bring back the correct item.

  “Sweetheart, she’s four. She can’t take that, and it’s not what I meant.” He raised Amaya into his arms. “Run cold water in the tub and plug it. We’ll try to get her cooled a little. Then I’ll go see if there’s a convenience store open and get children’s meds.”

  Charmaine’s eyes were glazed. “I’ll go. Just tell me what to get.”

  He shook his head. “No, she needs you to stay beside her in case she gets scared. Plus, we can’t afford to get the wrong thing.”

  She ducked her head and pressed her lips tight together. Charmaine didn’t cry, but he saw a tremor in her hand when she moved. He knew she was afraid and unsure of herself. While he knew a little of her family’s story, at least the sister’s because Amaya had chattered with him some, he didn’t know much about Charmaine. All he knew was what he saw, a woman who was letting life pass her by and who kept everyone at bay. He didn’t believe for one second she wasn’t lonely in that little box with her goals and her sights set on something just past what was in front of her.

  Soon they got Amaya a little cooler, and he tasked Charmaine with drying her off and getting her into another nightgown. Elliot stood to go to the store, but Charmaine grabbed his arm.

  “Maybe you shouldn’t go yet.”

  “She’s in pain, Charmaine. The medicine will help.”

  “But…”

  He stroked her cheek. “I promise, I won’t be long.”

  She pulled her face away from his and lowered her gaze to the little girl. Elliot hurried to his apartment, put shoes on and grabbed his wallet and keys. Not too much later, he returned with the medicine and a thermometer. Rather than give Amaya the dosage himself, he showed Charmaine the directions and had her dole it out.

  “I know about checking the directions,” she snapped, but she squinted at them, and he watched her sexy lips moving as she read them over and over. When she was sure, and her gaze flicked to him, he nodded. She gave the little girl the right dosage and tucked her more comfortably in bed.

  Afterward, Elliot took her temperature. She had a fever, but he was confident it would come down. In about an hour, he would take it again. They sat side-by-side watching as Amaya drifted off to sleep. Elliot noted she wore one of Charmaine’s T-shirts and not another nightgown.

  “What did you two eat tonight?” he asked, although he could guess.

  “Chinese and ice cream. It was a special treat. I don’t usually eat out.”

  He eyed her.

  She glared. “What? I don’t. I try to save as much money as possible because…”

  “Because what?” Curiosity got the better of him when it came to her. He expected her not to answer.

  Looking remarkably like the little girl in front of them she twisted her hands together. “Because when I was coming up, there were so many times we didn’t have money for extras let alone three squares a day. I tend to eat what’s as cheap as possible and save all I can. I know it’s not good for Amaya, but I have to get used to not doing that. I wanted to treat her tonight.”

  “Maybe it was too much. Did you tell her when to stop? Did she have other junk food today?” He tried not to sound like he was lecturing her, and he definitely wasn’t judging. Yet, Charmaine jumped on the defensive very easily.

  “I’m stupid. I thought she would know when she had enough. I mean it’s her body.”

  “With a child’s mind.” He brushed a hand over her hair. She’d worn it in a bun during the week, and strands were sticking up all over the place now that she had been in bed. He liked it out the way he had seen her wear it a few weeks ago. Either way, she was beautiful though. “You have to be the regulator.”

  “Ugh, I’m a failure. They shouldn’t have put her with me. If I screw up bad—”

  “You won’t. It’s a tummy ache and a fever. They both come with the territory when it comes to kids.”

  “How do you know?” Now he saw the tremor again, and her brown eyes were wider than usual. She was trying not to cry. His heart stirred, and he tried drawing her into his arms, but she resisted. Charmaine wouldn’t give in to anyone caring for her that quickly.

  “Remember, I told you. I have several nieces and nephews. I’m next to last in my parents’ brood of five, and my oldest sister lived at home for a year while I was still there, with her husband and oldest son.”

  Charmaine drew back in horror. “Brady bunch!”

  He grinned. “I love family.”

  She turned away. “I do— But you live alone.”

  “When I first moved in, it was excruciating. My parents kicked me out.”

  Again, the distaste on her face. He was batting a thousand. “Failure to launch?”

  “Sort of but not really. My business was growing, and like I said I love having family around me. Living alone bites, and since I have a big family there was always someone stopping in at my parents’ house. They felt I should get out on my own and find a woman to marry. Oddly, I’m thirty-three, and I still haven’t found anyone willing to have six kids with me.”

  “You’ve bumped your head, boyfriend. Not in this day.”

  “A man can hope.”

  “A man can be delusional.”

  He chuckled. Damn, she was sexy. Even her sarcastic wit teased him into liking her more. Maybe he was crazy because on the surface, Charmaine was the last woman he should be interested in. He could guess what she had been about to say earlier. She didn’t like family, and she probably resented at least a little being saddled with the responsibility of raising Amaya. Still, he saw that she loved the girl, even if Charmaine didn’t recognize it in herself.

  “Why don’t you lay down and try to get some sleep?” he suggested.

  She shook her head. “I can’t. I’m awake now, and I feel like she might need me again.”

  He hid his smile and held out a hand. “Then come on. You can make me a cup of coffee, and we can get to know each other better.”

  Her lip curled in doubt.

  “You don’t have coffee?”

  “Look, I’m not completely pathetic, sir. If this house doesn’t have anything else, it has coffee.”

  “Many late nights?”

  “Too many.”

  While she made the coffee, he threw away the empty containers and emptied the trash.

  “Leave that. I’ll get it later,” she told him.

  He ignored her and did it anyway. Afterward, they settled on the couch, and Charmaine drew her knees to her chest while hugging her cup. He noticed her toes were bare of polish, small feminine feet.

  Elliot picked up one of the manuals lying on the floor. “So you’re a programmer.”

  “Not really. I mean I’m learning, but my brain feels like it’s challenged beyond everyone else’s. Plus, a lot of what I’ve done, I’ve taught myself. I must have watched hundreds of instructional videos. Sometimes I get on forums to ask questions, but it’s a slow uphill battle.”

  “What is?”

  “Creating my own app.” Her eyes glowed as she shared with him what she had in mind. He thought it was a lofty goal for a person just starting out in programming, but what did he know about the field? “I’m getting closer to the end, but I have to remind myself of all the little steps constantly. It’s like it won’t stick, but I’m never going to give up.”

  “I bet you know a lot more than you think. Sounds cool.”

  She grinned.

  “Do you do something else to pay the bills?”

  “Customer service rep in a call center.”

  “You?”

  She threw a small cushion at him. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “Uh…”

  “Don’t uh me. I can tell you think I’m not social enough to be good at my job.”

  Elliot touched a hand to his chest. “I would never say such a thing.”

  “No, you
would think it.”

  He grinned and moved closer to her. While he knew he would get the reaction that he did—her shuffling farther away until her hip bumped the arm of the couch—stubbornness would keep her from getting up entirely. Elliot shifted nearer.

  “There’s so much you’re missing with your head down.”

  “I’ll be thirty in a month. I’ve still got plenty of time.”

  He thought her outlook was odd considering she had lost her sister a half year ago. Usually, people who lost someone close at a young age had their mortality brought into sharp focus. Then again, Charmaine liked to throw up shields. She might be lying about feeling she had plenty of time. To his surprise, she confirmed his guess with her next words.

  “In a way, it doesn’t matter what I’m missing,” she said, a faraway look in her eyes. “I have my goal. I won’t let go, no matter what. She wasted so much.”

  “She?”

  “My sister, Stacia.” Charmaine turned to look in Amaya’s direction, but the little girl was sleeping now. “Stacia was wild. She slept with everything with a dick. Sorry, my language.”

  “Don’t worry about it.”

  “She partied nonstop, and she couldn’t keep a job for five minutes. But there was always another man who would help her out. Seriously, when I think about it, Amaya had to have had a crazier time living with her. But she was her mom, and I know Stacia loved her kids. I wasn’t close to any of them.”

  “Why?” He should keep his mouth shut, but when she glanced at him with tears in her eyes, he was glad he asked. She sniffed.

  “Do you know how she died? One of her lovers smothered her—by accident—during sex.”

  He had no words.

  “I hated her, Elliot. I blamed her for all the times we didn’t have anything because my mom had to keep getting her out of trouble. My mother lost jobs too because Stacia kept her up. Often in the middle of the night, someone would bang on the door looking for my sister because she had been with their boyfriend. When she died, I…”

  He wrapped an arm about her shoulders and drew her to his side. “You felt guilty for your feelings toward her?”

  She didn’t admit it. Her lips moved with silent words, and tears splashed onto the front of her T-shirt. She scrubbed at her face, and he said nothing, just let her get it out. He imagined she’d been holding in the guilt and never confessed it to anyone. Maybe she hadn’t cried at the funeral, or if she did, it didn’t resolve all of the pent up emotions.

  “Let go, Charmaine.”

  “No way. That’s not me.” She sniffed and hiccupped a few times. The tears lessened, and she set her cup down to hide her face. Elliot kissed the back of her head, and she popped up to stare at him. He grinned, sure she was wondering if she imagined the kiss. When he didn’t clear up the matter one way or another, she calmed down some. “I do everything I can to protect myself, and I know it’s not the best reaction to what I went through. Common sense tells me that, but I can’t change who I am. I won’t.”

  He nodded, but his attention had wandered to her lips. Sitting so close, she smelled of strawberry shower gel. The soft skin at her nape brushed against his arm, and he wanted to nose there, exploring her further. Some of his desire must have shown in his face because she started fidgeting and lowered her lashes.

  Elliot found a new fascination. Charmaine’s lashes were long and dark, contrasting in an interesting way against her cocoa brown skin. He examined her high cheekbones and had an urge to run a finger along them until he met those plump lips. Surely, he wouldn’t be taking advantage of her weakness if he got the tiniest of tastes, would he?

  “I-I think we’re okay now,” she whispered.

  Elliot might have taken the hint if she moved away from him. She stayed where she was, her gaze on her knees, lips slightly parted. Before he could think it through and change his mind, he reached out and grasped her chin in a gentle touch. He turned her head toward him and leaned in closer. She gasped, but it was too late. His lips brushed hers, and he was transported to heaven.

  Charmaine’s feet slipped off the couch, and she raised her hands to push at his chest. She gave him only a cursory shove but then arched into him. How could he resist such an invitation? Elliot swept her onto his lap, angled her head a little more, and devoured her mouth. He parted her lips and dove in with his tongue, eager to taste all of her mouth. She moaned, and his shaft hardened in his pants. She almost sent him over the edge when she wiggled on his lap. Then it became clear the movement was panic and not aimed to take his lust higher.

  “Stop,” she mumbled, and Elliot released her. She climbed off his lap. He bit down on a moan and shoved at his hard-on when he got a glimpse of her ass cheeks in white lacy panties. Self-conscious, she tugged on the long T-shirt she wore. Too bad she recalled that it was all she wore. He’d been enjoying the sight of her legs.

  “I’m sorry, Charmaine,” he said and stood to move away lest he grab her again. “On second thought, I’m not sorry. I’ve wanted to kiss you for a long time. Now it’s done.”

  She snorted. “Oh, now it’s done, huh? You’re cured? The curiosity is gone?”

  He faced her. She appeared a bit annoyed but nothing more. He had the feeling she wasn’t regretting the kiss either. “Not curiosity. I knew you would taste good.”

  Again the lashes lowered. He almost flew across to the couch to reclaim her mouth.

  “Go out with me. I’ll pay,” he offered.

  “You think it’s about money?”

  “No, I wanted to clear that little bit up.”

  She smiled and shook her head. “You’re the most straight-forward man I’ve ever met. No man in his right mind would tell a woman he wants to go out with that he wants a lot of kids.”

  “Ah, but it makes me look like a family man, and all women want to think a man has potential to go permanent.”

  Her lips curled in derision. “You forgot you’re talking to me.”

  “Oh, yeah.” He scratched his chin. “Okay, I’ll just use you for your body then.”

  This time she burst out laughing. “You’re too much.”

  “I’ll be a beta for your app?”

  “That’s a good idea, but you’re sounding desperate. Let’s talk later. I’m getting sleepy.”

  Elliot bet she didn’t notice she had agreed to see him again. He didn’t point it out. Rather he said good night and then paused at the door. “Let me give you my number in case there’s another emergency.”

  She hesitated. “You’re right. Thank you so much for coming over. I mean it. I don’t know what I would have done. You can guarantee though, I’m going to start reading up on raising kids.”

  “That sounds forward-thinking.”

  “You think I’m making sure I don’t have to call you again.”

  He didn’t deny it. “Good night, Charmaine.”

  “Good night.”

  Chapter Five

  Charmaine’s phone dinged, and she read the display.

  “A new movie is out. Amaya will love it. Let me take you two.”

  She rolled her eyes. Just because she had broken down and called him a couple days ago to ask a question, he had her number and thought to use it. She typed back her usual answer, and went back to work.

  “Aunt Charmaine, I’m bored.”

  Were they both plotting on her? Impossible. Amaya didn’t have a cell phone, and she hadn’t played with Elliot lately. At least she was all better after that scare the other night. “Give me a few minutes, Amaya.”

  “That’s what you said a million years ago.”

  “A million?” Charmaine typed in another line of code. “Why aren’t you grown up then…or dust.”

  “Dust? Why would I be dust?”

  “Give me a minute, Amaya.”

  “Can I go over Elliot’s house?”

  That brought Charmaine’s head up. “Since when have you gone to his apartment? He’s not a little kid for you to play with, Amaya.”

  “But he
’s funny, and I like him. The only little kid here is that fat boy downstairs, and he eats boogers.”

  “Ew.” Charmaine shivered in disgust. “Don’t call him ‘that fat boy.’ It’s mean.”

  She actually sounded like a parent and was proud of herself. Then she forgot about everything when an error popped up on the screen. Groaning, she ran back through the steps she had just taken. Nothing seemed to have caused it. Pouring over her manuals, she couldn’t get to the bottom of things and dug deeper. She wouldn’t give up.

  When her eyes began to ache, Charmaine rubbed them. She realized the room was dimmer. More time had passed than she noticed. When she stood, she almost fell down again because both her feet were asleep. Amaya’s little squeal sounded muffled, and Charmaine went to see what she was up to. Amaya was crouched down on the floor holding Charmaine’s cell phone in her hand.

  “What are you doing?” she demanded.

  Wide round eyes blinked up at her. “Playing a game.”

  Charmaine gestured. “Hand it over.”

  She took the phone and noticed the game, an app she hadn’t had on her phone before. After she exited out of it, a message popped up under Elliot’s name. She noted there were several she had missed.

  “I found a game Amaya might like.”

  “Are you there?”

  “Yes.” This one was from her. She never answered because she didn’t realize she got the message.

  “Sending link. Click it.”

  Charmaine assumed the rest was history. Amaya and not her had downloaded the game from Elliot. Her chest ached, and she wasn’t sure what to do. This was Elliot’s fault. She dialed his number, and he answered on the second ring.

  “Hey, is this Amaya or Charmaine?”

  “Get your ass to my apartment right now!”

  “I have my answer.” A few seconds later, he knocked on the door, and she wrenched it open and dragged him into the apartment. She slammed the door behind him and faced him with her hands on her hips.

  Amaya stood beside her, head bowed and chewing on one of her ponytails. She ought to be feel guilty, but the bastard in front of Charmaine should feel worse.

  “You’ve got three seconds to explain to me why I shouldn’t call the police on your ass.”