What Mother Doesn't Know Read online

  What Mother Doesn’t Know

  By

  Nikki Worrell

  Copyright

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Copyright © 2014 by Nikki Worrell

  All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever.

  Also by Nikki Worrell

  Stories For Amanda October 2013

  The Enforcer (NHL Scorpions Book #1) May 2013

  Goalie Interference (NHL Scorpions Book #2) November 2013

  Prologue

  6 months ago

  Gabby almost made it past the living room doorway when she felt hands on her. “Get off of me!” She pushed with all her might against her mother’s latest ‘friend,’ slapping his hands away from her body. Her mother and her buddy were, as usual, drunk or high—sometimes both. If Gabby had known Sophia was having company, she would have stayed at work longer.

  “Aw, come on, baby. Let me touch those sweet tits of yours.” He quickly reached out and used his left arm as a band around her waist, pinning Gabby’s arms to her sides, using his right to grab at her.

  Struggling against his death grip on her, Gabby managed to get out, “Mother. A little help here?” She’d given up months and months ago on her mother ever being a parental figure again, but she thought that maybe, just maybe, Sophia would step in to help her get away from the man with the grabby hands. Stealing a glance over at her mother as she continued to struggle, Gabby realized Sophia was long past helping anyone. She was roasted and toasted, her eyes unfocused, vacant windows.

  “Oh, just leave the little brat alone, Phil,” Sophia slurred from her prone position on the couch, then rolled over and fell fast asleep. That had been her way of parenting for the past couple of years. It was Sophia’s way of recapturing her youth. New friends, which lead to new activities, which now always included heavy drinking or other substance abuse.

  “Just you and me now, sweetheart.” Phil released her breast and promptly slapped her face. “Quit squirming. You’re making me think you don’t want me.”

  Gabby picked up her right leg as high as she could and slammed her heel down on top of Phil’s foot. “I don’t! Let me go!” She could feel her heart racing, as she started to panic. Even strung out, he was too strong for her.

  “Jesus. Looks like I’m going to have to teach you a lesson.” He swiftly let Gabby go, but only to grasp her top and tear it open, exposing her breasts.

  While he continued grabbing at her breasts, Gabby raked his cheeks with her fingernails, allowing her to break away from him as he covered his face. She wasn’t quite quick enough to get completely away, and he lunged for her, grabbing her ankle on his way down. “You want to play rough, bitch? Fine, we’ll do it your way.” He jerked her leg out from under her, taking satisfaction in the way her head hit the floor with an emphatic crack.

  Phil crawled up her body, taking care to protect himself from the little hellcat. Gabby’s struggles only adding to his excitement. Being pinned beneath him, with nowhere to go and no one to help her, she lost all of her fight. Mentally surrendering, shutting her senses down to try to prepare her for what she knew was to come, she didn’t hear the front door slam shut.

  “What the hell are you doing? Get off her!” Her stepfather was home, but Gabby was too far gone to feel the relief that should have come over her.

  Before she could register the fact that she was going to be okay, Phil was ripped off her. As soon as she felt the weight lifted from her, she momentarily snapped back into action and scrambled backward, putting as much room between her and the ensuing fight as she could. Not that it was much of a fight. Not only was Rick a rugged construction worker—in the best shape of his life—he was sober. Phil could hardly keep himself in an upright position when Rick grabbed him to haul him out the front door.

  In mere seconds, Phil was out the door, and Rick was kneeling next to Gabby. Seeing her shirt ripped open rocked him. “Sweetheart, are you okay?” He leaned over and, with shaking hands, pulled her shirt closed.

  Gabby flinched at his touch and pushed him away.

  Rick tried to comfort her, whispering, “Shhh, it’s only me. It’s okay, he’s gone.”

  “Oh, Rick!” Gabby launched herself at him and hung on for dear life. “He was going to rape me.” She lost any composure she may have had left and burrowed closer to him, taking comfort in the warmth of his arms and the simple sound of his heartbeat.

  “I’m sorry, Gabby. I’m so sorry. I’ll never leave you alone here again.” Rick rocked with her and kissed her forehead, telling her everything would be all right. He had to figure out other living arrangements. He hated his wife but loved his stepdaughter, and couldn’t see leaving Sophia until Gabby was well away from there. Leaving Gabby in that kind of environment just wasn’t an option.

  “I want to go get a shower. I need to get clean.” Gabby’s eyes had a faraway look to them. Rick thought she might be in shock. “I’m dirty, Rick. I need to get clean.” She gripped the front of his shirt like he was her lifeline.

  Rick gently placed his hands over hers and loosened her grip, his heart weakening at the haunted look on her face. “Okay, sweetheart. Let me help you up.”

  On a normal day, Gabby was a fun-loving, carefree girl, but tough at the same time. He had never seen her so frightened and defeated—vulnerable. He wanted to erase that look on her face forever.

  He leaned in to give her a peck on the cheek, but she turned toward him, and he found her lips instead. What should have been an innocent, comforting kiss sent shivers down his spine, shocking him. He broke away, chalking the unsettling feeling up to rage and simple nerves over the disturbing encounter with Phil. “Oops, sorry.” Oh, shit.

  The bright white of her blouse made her naturally light complexion look paler still. Afraid she might be in shock, Rick placed a steadying arm around her shoulders as she rose to her feet. He caught a glimpse of her breasts where her sweater was torn open and immediately felt that shiver again. Disgusted with himself, he looked away and led her up the stairs to her bedroom.

  “Go get your shower, sweetheart.” Rick pulled away to allow Gabby to enter her bathroom, but instead she clung to him.

  “No. Please don’t go, Rick. Stay with me.”

  “I can’t shower with you, Gabby. I’ll wait right here.”

  Gabby pointed at her four-poster bed. “You’ll wait here?”

  He found himself nodding his head at her frightened look. “I’ll wait right here.” Portraying a casual air he didn’t feel, he took a seat on her bed to await her return.

  “Thank you.”

  ***

  After at least fifteen minutes had gone by, Rick heard the door from Gabby’s bathroom open. Her pink robe wasn’t tied tightly enough, and left a gaping hole. He could see the swell of her breasts, and even got a peek of a soft pink nipple. Good God.

  As he cleared his throat, he slowly raised his hands to straighten her robe. “Feeling better?”

  “Yes. I’m sorry about that. I’m fine now, thanks.”

  “There’s nothing to be sorry about, sweetheart. I’m going to go lock up. Why don’t you get into bed and try to get some sleep?”

  “I doubt I’ll sleep much tonight. Rick, will you stay with me?”

  “Stay with you, Gabby?”

  “Would you sleep in here with me?”

  “Uh, I don’t think that’s a good idea. You’re not a kid anymore. It wouldn’t be right.” He’d only been with her and Sophia for five years, but s
he’d grown up a lot in that time.

  “Oh, okay.” Gabby’s lip trembled, but to her credit, she lifted her shoulders and held her head up high. “Thanks again, Rick. You really saved me tonight.”

  As he turned toward the door to leave her room, he saw one errant tear run down her face. She tried to hide it by turning away from him, but he saw it just the same.

  “Oh, Gabby. Okay, honey. I’ll stay with you tonight. Let me just go lock up and make sure your mother’s still among the living.”

  “Forget her. After tonight, she’s dead to me.”

  Rick sadly nodded his head and walked out of the room. On his way back, he made a detour and changed into sweats and a t-shirt.

  Gabby was waiting for him in bed, and he couldn’t help but notice that a few more tears had made their journey over her cheeks.

  “Aw, sweetie. Come here.” Rick climbed into bed behind her and gathered her in his arms. He brushed her hair as he murmured soothing words in her ear. “Close your eyes, Gabby. Think of something nice, something beautiful. You’re safe. I’ve got you, and I’m not going to leave you.”

  Four hours later, Rick was seriously regretting ever agreeing to stay with Gabby. She must have been having some kind of erotic dream, because she was pushing herself back into him, making the sexiest little sounds. Almost involuntarily, he moved against her, pushing himself closer. She ground her ass against him and pulled his hand up to her breast.

  His conscience getting the upper hand, he gently pulled away from her. “Gabby,” he whispered.

  Still asleep, she said, “Oh, yes, Rick.” The sheets slipped down as she rubbed herself against him.

  Christ. “Gabby, wake up, you’re dreaming.”

  Gabby woke with a start. “What? Huh?” She pushed away from him when she felt his hard cock behind her. She sat up, her eyes questioning as she looked at him. “Rick?”

  “Go back to sleep. It’s almost morning. I’m going to go sleep on the couch, okay?” He had one problem, though. Thanks to the sweatpants he was wearing, he couldn’t get up without it being blatantly obvious that he was aroused. “Lie back down. I’ll stay until you fall asleep again.”

  The events of that night changed Rick. It changed the way he thought about not only Gabby, but himself, too. He knew, just from that one fateful night, his feelings for Gabby had evolved, and they would never be anything less. They would continue to grow until she either loved him back or he left her forever. But deep in his heart, he knew a relationship with her would be wrong. Forbidden. So why did the sound of that make him so excited?

  Chapter 1

  Present Day

  Gabriella Tuttle was sitting at her desk in the corporate office of Jameson Construction, when the low rumble coming from her stomach signaled that lunchtime was near. Late as usual that morning, she hadn’t packed anything to eat. As she was mentally running through the food contents of her purse—granola bar, gum, mints—Rick Jameson walked in.

  “Hey, Gabs. Want to grab some lunch?”

  Gabby peered over the blue half-wall of her cubical, amused, as always, to see how many women had whipped out mirrors to check hair and makeup the moment Rick stepped onto the floor. Her stepfather invariably attracted women everywhere he went, much to his chagrin.

  “Sounds good. I was just thinking about lunch.”

  She reached over to grab her purse out of the bottom drawer of her desk, but it was wedged in tight. That particular drawer neither opened nor shut all the way, but she could usually finagle her purse in and out. She continued to tug at it, finally giving up after one last vicious pull proved ineffective.

  Rick leaned over her and tried to jimmy the drawer open with no more success than Gabby. “You’d think the owner of a construction company could figure out how to open a desk drawer.”

  “Yeah.” Gabby gave him a wink. “He must be a real moron.”

  Still trying to open the drawer, he replied, “Watch it, or I won’t leave you the company when I die.”

  Tired of watching Rick fight with her purse, which was obviously not going to be freed at that particular moment, she grabbed his hand. “Let’s just go get some lunch. You can have someone fix it when we get back. But you’ll have to buy. It’s kind of convenient that my wallet’s stuck in there, huh?” She smiled up at him, but he didn’t smile back.

  He looked at her hand lying on top of his and slowly closed his eyes as if savoring the feeling. When he opened them, he gave her a smile, but it looked forced.

  “Rick? You okay?”

  He had been rubbing his thumb along hers without even realizing it. Reaching his hand up, he cupped her cheek.

  “Yeah, Gabby, I’m fine. Let’s go.” He stood up abruptly and led the way out of the office, winding his way around desks, ignoring the fawning women as they passed.

  ***

  Sitting in the cab of Rick’s truck, Gabby couldn’t shake the strange feeling that had come over her after the desk encounter. Something felt off—like they’d shared an intimate moment. That was crazy, though, wasn’t it? Even though it was impossible not to notice how insanely hot he was, they were relatives for God’s sake. Sort of.

  It was Rick’s sandy blond hair that made her think about him as a man and not a father figure. She couldn’t help it. She’d always thought he was hot. The way it curled around his ears and over his collar when he was too busy to keep it trimmed was so charming. Sometimes her hands itched to brush that one wavy lock out of his eyes when he was leaning over a table reading blue prints. And he had the warmest brown eyes she’d ever seen. The fine wrinkles around them let the world know that he loved to laugh and did it often. His fabulously fit body was something she tried really hard not to think about. After all, he was married to her mother. He had the body of … well … a construction worker. He was all hard lines and taut muscles that rippled when he moved. The way his jeans fit snugly around his hips and ass made smart girls stupid. Quite simply put, he was the kind of man women fantasized about.

  Gabby knew she had to stop thinking about him like that, but it was next to impossible. “Have you heard from Mother today?” She didn’t really want the answer, but the silence was deafening, and she knew that the subject of her mother would distract her inappropriate thoughts.

  A soft sigh escaped him before he answered. “Yeah. She called me about an hour ago. Apparently she’s having some people over and needs money for ‘cocktails.’”

  “That’s just great. I hope she can keep them out of my room this time.” Gabby leaned her forehead against the window and fell quiet. The last time her mother had her friends over, they’d just about trashed her room looking for money. Not to mention, they were obviously rifling through her underwear drawer. After they left, she had spent the night washing everything she thought they might have touched. And she refused to think about the time that Rick had to save her from that scumbag Phil.

  Rick reached across the seat and took her hand. “I’ll tell you what. How about after lunch, I run back to the house and put a stronger lock on your door?”

  Gabby squeezed his hand, getting that unsettling feeling again. Instead of releasing him, she put their joined hands on her thigh just to gauge his reaction. “Thanks, Rick. I don’t know why you keep giving her money. She could go out and get a job, you know.”

  Rick took a quick peek at their hands and removed his with a sad smile. She might have imagined it, but Gabby swore he lightly caressed her as he took his hand away, leaving delicious tingles behind.

  “It’s easier this way. I don’t know what exactly I’m going to do with her, but it’s nicer to keep her quiet, isn’t it?” Not waiting for her to answer, he continued. “Why don’t you take off from work early today, get what you need, and stay at Noelle’s house tonight? I’ll make sure your room is off-limits.”

  Gabby’s frown and shake of her head conveyed her annoyance. “This is such bullshit, Rick. I’ll never understand why you stay with her.”

  Without looking over at her,
he told her why. “For you, Gabby. I stay for you.”

  The emotion in his voice was powerful. He spoke quietly, reverently—like she was as important to him as taking his next breath.

  With wide eyes and her voice at least an octave higher, Gabby said, “Me? You stay for me?” She couldn’t help the shock she felt and tried to soften her reaction by demurely placing her hands in her lap and lowering her eyes. If she were being honest with herself, she did feel a slight thrill deep inside at the sincerity of his words.

  Rick still wouldn’t meet her eyes, and his agitation was apparent. His knuckles were white where they gripped the steering wheel, and his voice was gruff as he answered her question. “Yes, Gabby, for you.”

  “But, why? Believe me … I learned my lesson after that last time. I can take care of myself. I’m not your responsibility.”

  “I don’t care. I can’t stand to think of your mother’s fucked up friends getting their filthy hands on you again. I can’t stand the thought of any other man touching you.”

  “Any other man? Rick, what exactly are you saying?” That little thrill she felt before suddenly sprang to life.

  He glanced nervously at her, eyes wide. It was obvious he hadn’t intended to say so much—or with so much feeling. “Nothing. I just don’t like you being there alone with those people.”

  “Well, I won’t be there much longer anyway. As soon as Marcy’s done with her semester abroad, we’re getting an apartment together.” Her best friend was spending a year in Italy to study fashion design.

  “That’s still six months away, Gab, and I’m not going to leave you alone there.”

  “Okay, then. Good. I don’t really want you to leave me alone.” Gabby gave him a shy smile. She wanted to continue their conversation to see if what she thought she was beginning to feel was one-sided. She’d noticed lately that she was thinking of him less and less as a father figure and more like a man—and she wondered if those feelings were real.

  Even though there was a significant age difference between them, it wasn’t terribly off-putting to her. His thirty-seven to her nineteen—soon to be twenty—didn’t hamper their connection. They’d been through a lot of rough times together, and the relationship they now had transcended any age difference.