Fade to Black Read online

  Fade to Black

  Morgan Kearns

  Copyright©MorganKearns2009

  Fade to Black

  Morgan Kearns

  Kate Callahan had seen Rich Spencer hundreds of times over the last two years. But never before had she seen him as anything more than the man with a camera on his shoulder. The competition.

  But today, she finally saw him. Really saw him.

  Light brown hair that looked as though he’d just stepped out of a windstorm. He had a toned physique, under his cream sweater and loose-fitting jeans. And his eyes….

  Kate swallowed hard.

  His eyes were the color of the Caribbean Ocean sparkling in the bright sun. She shook her head, trying to rid her mind of the sudden urge to skinny-dip in the salty water.

  The tropical waters focused on Kate’s face for only a moment before roaming slowly over her body as though she stood before him without a stitch on. His lips pulled at the corners, forming a sexy, knowing smile.

  Acknowledgments

  As I began this adventure, there were many people who rooted for the story, and me. To them, I say thank you! All the fans of this story, this is for you! It was truly a labor of love; complete with tears.

  A huge thanks to Trish, Kim, Katie, and Debbie!

  To Marva, Thank you! You are beautiful!! I can’t wait to meet you in person and flash you my gorgeous ‘sexy smirk’!

  To Terri, I couldn’t have done it without you!! Thanks for your brutal honesty, for not pulling punches. You’re one in a million!

  To my children, thank you for letting mommy write.

  And last, but not least, thank you to my beloved husband. Without your encouragement and understanding, none of this would be possible. I love you!

  Disclaimer: Fade to Black is a work of fiction. The characters and events are the product of the author’s imagination and are used fictitiously. Any similarities to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

  I dedicate this novel to Rich, Kate, and Jesse.

  Thank you for sharing your story with me,

  for giving me the honor of telling your tale.

  I hope I did it justice!

  Part One

  A New Beginning

  Chapter One

  Was it possible to be completely content and nervous as hell all at the same time?

  Kate rubbed at her stomach with little hope of calming the butterflies that were waging war on her digestive system. She inhaled a deep breath and let the soothing scent of her lover fill her lungs. Lifting her head from his chest to check the clock, she wondered if ten more minutes would really put her that far behind.

  Leaning up on an elbow, she moved a dark lock of hair from Jesse’s tanned forehead to admire his masculine features. Her finger traced the strong contour of his jaw before coming to rest on his plump lip. She could stay like this forever, but really needed to act responsibly.

  “Jesse.” She wiggled back and forth, trying to shake him awake. His soft snores continued. “Jesse, honey, it’s time to get up.” Her fingertips tickled their way up his sides and he shifted under her touch.

  “Hmm?” came the groggy reply.

  Tipping her head, she pressed her lips to his square chin. “I’m getting in the shower, but you need to get up. You have to get to the shop. You said last night that you had a full schedule today—and you have to finish that fancy Ferrari before noon.” His arms tightened around her, pulling her closer to him, and Kate could feel his hard contours pressing against her through her pajamas.

  “Can’t we just call in sick?” he asked in a hoarse, morning whisper. His normal bass voice was made even deeper by the lack of use. Teeth grazed the sensitive skin just above her collar bone and an involuntary gasp made her reaction obvious.

  There were few things Kate loved more than snuggling with the man who held her heart, but…. Be responsible, she reminded herself. “Jesse.” She slapped playfully at him. “I can’t call in sick on my first day.”

  “Damn.” He sighed before kissing her in an attempt to change her mind. “Are you sure?”

  Kate laughed lightly. “Yes, I’m sure.” She placed her hand on his tan, sculpted chest and pushed him back until he lay flat on the mattress. Then, tucking her knees under her, she inched her way up his body, leaving a trail of kisses.

  Now it was his turn to gasp.

  Finally at his lips, she whispered, “I’d love to spend all day in your very capable hands…”

  “But…,” he anticipated her next word.

  “But, I have to get ready for work.” She started to crawl out of bed. “And so do you.”

  His arms wrapped around her like a steel trap. “I love you, KC.”

  “I love you, too.” Their lips met and his tongue swept along her bottom lip, a slow, deliberate effort to frustrate her self-control. “Jesse,” she warned as she fought the smile that tugged hard on the corners of her mouth.

  “Oh, fine,” he groaned. “One more kiss. That’s the price to unlock my arms.” He tightened his hold and rocked her back and forth.

  Through the soft cotton of her pajama top, Kate was very aware of the warm skin of his chest. His fingers lightly moved over her back, and the simple strokes calmed her better than Calgon ever could. “I don’t know, that’s a pretty stiff fine,” she teased before gladly paying it.

  He released his hold and cleared his throat. “So, did you know that I’m an environmentalist?” Jesse’s question came from nowhere, said in all seriousness.

  “Since when?” Kate asked over her shoulder as she crossed the bedroom toward the bathroom.

  “Oh, come on, Kate, conserving water is important in the desert. How ‘bout we shower together?” He climbed out of bed and started toward her.

  Kate laughed, shaking her head. “Jesse Vasquez, if you get in the shower with me, I’ll get very little showering done.”

  A dark eyebrow raised, a mischievous grin lifted his lip while his brown eyes twinkled. “Exactly.”

  “Don’t you come near this door,” she warned, her finger accentuating the demand.

  He looked down at his toned body, and Kate couldn’t help but take in every sculpted inch. “Come on, KC, I’m in desperate need of…”

  She shook her head again, amused yet determined. “Jesse, I can’t. I’ll make it up to you tonight,” she said through the crack in the door, “I promise.”

  The truth was that Kate now needed a cold shower after Jesse’s attempts at seduction— Damn! That boy has talent! –but she forced the knob toward the scalding temperature she loved. She leaned under the spray and quickly soaped, sudded, and rinsed her body and hair. Without the distraction of Jesse’s persuasions, Kate was left with the how’s and why’s of where she was going today.

  KHB.

  Her first day on the new job. She stepped out onto the bathmat and wrapped a towel around her as a lump formed in her throat that she tried to stomp down with incessant swallowing and a glass of water. Not that either worked.

  After towel drying her hair, Kate bent her head over to blow some body into the auburn locks. The air was warm against her scalp and goose bumps covered her skin. She flipped her head up and the curls fluttered to rest just above her shoulders. A few strategic pulls of the straightening iron and it was sleek with only a slight curl at the ends.

  In the mirror, her green eyes twinkled, widened as the mascara wand extended brown lashes into black ones. She blinked to make sure all the lashes were covered. She smiled, loving the new brand of mascara. With lips puckered, neutral lip gloss added a subtle shine, and a few swipes of blush along her cheekbones were the finishing touch. Kate slipped an ivory cami over her head, slid the matching lace thong into place, and walked back into the bedroom.

  Jesse, who was bac
k on the bed, fell against the pillows in a dramatic display. “Oh, come on, Kate, are you trying to cause me pain?” he asked, practically panting.

  She smiled at his awareness and winked as she added salt to his already bleeding wound. “You know, I’m not wearing a bra.”

  Jesse jumped out of the bed, flew across the room, and jerked her into a bone-crushing hug. His lips roamed over her exposed skin with an almost frantic intensity. “Please,” he whined, “I’m good to go. There’ll be no need for foreplay.” His persistence was a huge ego booster, but Kate knew that if she let this go on, she would definitely be late—and that wouldn’t look good on her first day.

  She gave him a quick chaste kiss and pulled out of his embrace. “Later, Jesse. I have to get ready for work.”

  He followed her into the closet and pulled out a turtleneck sweater and a pair of his XXL blue sweatpants. “Here, this is the perfect outfit for your first day. Sophisticated and…”

  “Ridiculously frumpy—not to mention that it covers everything?” she scoffed.

  “Yes.” He nodded, looked guilty, and then stuffed the clothes back into place on the shelf. “I don’t want those perverted newshounds drooling over my woman.”

  “Your woman, huh?” She hated when he got jealous and possessive.

  He paused and Kate wasn’t sure if another fight was on the tip of his tongue. “I love you and I couldn’t bear losing you.”

  Jesse was a confident guy, normally. It was his insecurities when it came to her innocent relationships with other men that made the hair on the back of Kate’s neck stand on end. She brushed the irritation aside, not wanting to add pissed to her emotional buffet, and stepped into his arms. Her fingers ran over his muscles lying just beneath the skin. “You don’t have any reason to be jealous.”

  “I know it’s stupid,” he said as he kissed her hair. “You haven’t even stepped foot inside the building, and I’m already antsy as hell.”

  Kate wrapped her arms around Jesse’s waist and kissed his bare chest. “You have nothing to worry about. You already have me. I’m not going anywhere.” It was as though she’d said those same words a thousand times over the years and she wondered if he would ever believe her.

  “It’s not you I’m worried about.” He raked his fingers through his hair. “Damn, I wish I had a ring on that finger of yours.” He lifted her left hand and pressed the ring finger to his lips. “Someday. Soon.”

  She melted into his embrace, enjoying this side of him much more. “I don’t need a ring to know that I’m yours, Jesse. I love you.”

  “I know.” He tilted her chin up, his brown eyes full of concern. “I just can’t help but feel like this new job of yours is going to change our lives forever.”

  “You worry too much.” Kate kissed his chest again and slapped at his bare butt, a loud smack resonated around them. “Why don’t you get some clothes on?”

  “Shut that damn thing off!” Shea Spencer shrieked at her husband. Driving her elbow into his back to brace herself, she slammed her fist into the snooze button of his alarm clock. “It’s 6:30 in the frickin’ morning. Why are you getting up so damned early?” Her French-tipped fingers rubbed at her permanently made-up eyes, then flipped long blonde extensions over her shoulder before huffing back against the pillows.

  “Just go back to sleep,” Rich responded, using his elbows to lift his body off the mattress. Nasty, red scratches that he felt before were now visible, streaking from pecs to abs.

  “It’s her, isn’t it? How can you be going to your lover after what we did last night?” Her accusatory tone made his blood boil.

  His hands clenched into fists, frustration overwhelming him. “What we did last night? What we did last night?” He could already feel the sting of the deep grooves running all the way down his torso, which added fuel to the inferno festering in his gut. “That was nothing more than getting off, and you know it.”

  “Go to hell, Rich.”

  “I’ll meet you there,” he retorted with a snarl.

  Her response was to snort then she yanked the covers up over her head as if to hide from the world.

  What he’d tried to convince himself was a great marriage, filled with love, was nothing more than an ongoing war with the occasional screw. Rich wanted a happily ever after, always had. He’d thought what they had was true love. Then, one day, Shea came home, having quit her job, and turned into someone he didn’t even recognize—or want to.

  Rich glared at the childish lump of a woman, whose beauty was truly only skin deep, before climbing out of bed. He was just grateful that she’d shut her mouth and wasn’t pressing him anymore about his alleged infidelity. Being unfaithful was something that wasn’t an option to Rich. He believed in marrying forever, remaining with the one you’d promised to love. Every day that went by, though, his resolve weakened. Damn the vows that made it impossible to stray from the evil woman who had replaced his wife.

  Spending the night in Shea’s bed last night was a mistake. He’d only intended to wait until she was asleep before he made his retreat, but his body betrayed him and sleep overtook him. Celibacy was going to have to be his new way of life. He couldn’t trust himself to flee her bed. He was just grateful that last night her insane side had been mostly dormant.

  In the shower, the water did exactly what Rich expected—it stung like a bitch. Shampoo bubbles moved along the trail of water and burned when they reached the deep, raw marks. Shea had dug her nails into his skin and torn through the flesh, trying to mark him. Rich wasn’t stupid, he knew that she was leaving evidence for the lover he didn’t have.

  He stepped out onto the fluffy white bathmat and used a towel to wipe off the water. He gingerly patted his chest with the towel before wrapping it around his hips and stepping in front of the mirror. Hair the color of caramel stuck out in every wild direction and Rich ran a brush through the unmanageable strands. After brushing his teeth, applying some deodorant—and Neosporin—he opened the door.

  “Who is she, you sonofabitch?” Shea screamed as his cell phone flew across the bedroom at him.

  He ducked to the side and it slammed against the wall. The back popped off and the battery slid under the dresser. “What the hell is your problem?”

  “She is my problem.”

  “She who, Shea? There is nobody else.” Not that Rich hadn’t wondered what it would be like to live with a wife that actually loved him. “Look, I’m going to work.” He reached into the dresser, pulled out a pair of jeans, grabbed a shirt from the closet and retreated to the guest bathroom to get dressed.

  Two steps short of the safety of the hall, he remembered the phone and turned to retrieve the pieces. It was a good thing he’d invested in the military model after the last time Shea had chucked the little electronic device into a wall. Doing so had saved him from having to pay the ridiculous deductible more than once.

  Rich flipped on the light in the bathroom and carefully flicked the lock into place before sifting through his clothes. “Damn,” he muttered. “Commando in jeans isn’t comfortable.”

  Well, this is it, Kate thought as she stood outside the five-story building that housed KHB-Salt Lake and would be her new home away from home. Her hands ran down the front of her steel gray slacks, smoothing away any fresh wrinkles. With the matching jacket pulled tight around her, she grabbed her heavy coat and threw her laptop bag over her shoulder.

  Nervous energy bubbled in her every cell. She’d heard that this was one of the best stations in Utah, but now that she was here, she couldn’t help but second guess her decision to leave the comfortable for the frightening unknown. A frigid autumn breeze kicked up and blew a lock of hair into Kate’s face. She tucked it behind her ear, wishing like hell she’d taken the time to actually speak with the people she’d be meeting, for all intents and purposes, for the first time today.

  She walked through the foyer, one foot in front of the other, until she stood in front of the reception desk.

  “May I help yo
u?” the receptionist asked, her reading glasses perched on the end of her nose.

  “Yes, Kate Callahan to see Dale Morris,” Kate said with a smile.

  “Of course. Just take a seat and I’ll let him know you’re here.” She motioned toward the open room Kate had just walked through.

  “Thank you.” Kate was much too nervous to actually sit. So instead, she resorted to perusing the lobby. The warm burgundy and gold hues were welcoming, and the low sounds coming from the television, of course tuned to Channel 17, eased some of her tension. Faces of their main anchor people smiled back from pictures that adorned the walls.

  “Kate.”

  She turned. “Dale.” She extended her hand toward the man that was the same age as her father, but with more honey blond hair than distinguished gray.

  He took Kate’s hand in his strong grip and shook it gently. “We’re so glad to have you as part of the News17 family.”

  “Thank you. I’m glad to be here.” And she was.

  The news business wasn’t new to Kate. She was good at it, and could eat, breathe, and sleep breaking news. Unfortunately, the glass ceiling was alive and well in some newsrooms, and she prayed that this one was just as she had heard—shattered. Ambition ate at her. She wanted the anchor chair. To be the face on all the billboards. Maybe even end up in New York.

  “Come with me and I’ll introduce you around.” He motioned to the receptionist. “This is Lydia. Lydia, this is Kate Callahan, our newest reporter.”

  Her gray curls bounced with her nods as the phone began to ring. “Nice to meet you, Kate,” she said before turning to answer the incoming call, “Thank you for calling News17, your extended family, how may I direct your call?”

  Kate followed Dale through another set of glass double doors where he called, “Jordan.”

  Smack dab in the middle of the newsroom was the assignment desk—the hub of every news organization. Three men looked up and Kate couldn’t begin to guess begin to guess which one was named Jordan. The red-haired man, who sat behind the desk, waved as he talked away on the phone. The other two stood with their arms resting on the top of the chest high assignment desk. They were waiting for their next task—or shooting the bull.