All Through the Night (Liar's Web) (21 page)

She cocked her head to the side, trying to figure out what was going on with Jake. “Not really. I'm actually wide awake.”

“
Need anything before I head to bed?”

Need anything? Did she need to send him an engraved invitation? Was he blind to the fact that she was burning up with desire for him? Or was he toying with her just to see if she wanted him? Okay, if he wanted bold, she could be bold.

“
The only thing I need is you.” Whoosh. Her stomach began doing flip-flops. She'd really gone out on a limb by saying those words. So far she'd been the only one who'd voice her true feelings. She'd told him she loved him. Although he'd told her she was in his heart, he still hadn't said those three little words. Now once again, she was out there on her own, putting it all on the table.

Jake shot her a look filled with pure lust. He wasn't even trying to hide it, although she sensed he'd been holding back a little. Back there in the bathroom she'd been convinced they were about to throw down and make love right there on the tiled floor. She'd been naked, aroused, and available. But he hadn't made love to her, even though she could've spotted his rock-hard arousal from a mile away. She didn't understand what was going on with him.

He took a step backward, his gaze darting from her to the bed. “Darcel…” Words seemed to elude him as he searched for something to say.

“
Are you feeling all right?” she asked with a frown. A sinking feeling hit her hard in the gut. Jake didn't want her. He was trying to be polite, to let her down easy so she wouldn't be hurt. Maybe when he'd told her what they shared was different from anything he'd ever experienced, he'd been referring to the fact that he'd played the role of her guardian angel. In addition to bonding over matters of life and death, they'd made love several times. She would bet her last dollar Jake hadn't made love to any other of his star witnesses. Made love? Hmmm. Maybe for him it hadn't been making love. Didn't you have to be in love to make love?

“
I'm so embarrassed. Oh, I get it now. Geez, you must think I'm an idiot.” Darcel pulled the covers over her head to hide her mortification. She knew it was a childish move, but she couldn't help herself. She didn't even want to look Jake in the eye, to see the pity in his face when he let her down easy. Oh, God. The humiliation was unlike any she'd ever experienced. She wished there was a way she could just disappear.

She felt him tugging on the covers, and she fought him every inch of the way, determined to salvage the little dignity she still had left. “C'mon, Darcel,” she heard Jake say before the covers were completely yanked off of her. Jake stood there with the covers in his hands, a sexy grin plastered on his handsome face.

“
It's not funny!” Darcel said in a raised voice. “I have no idea what you're smiling about.”

Jake covered his smirk with his hand, then surrendered to a full out chuckle.

Darcel grabbed her pillow and began swatting him with it, all the while shouting, “Stop laughing at me!”

Finally, tears of frustration made their way to her eyes, and she dropped the pillow so she could brush them away before Jake noticed. As soon as she flicked the first tear away, he was at her side, brushing her cheeks and looking at her with tenderness and concern.

“
Hey, what's all this? Did I do something?” he asked.

“
You don't want me!” Once the words slipped from her lips, she realized the irony. Not being wanted was a common theme in her life. Going all the way back to her birth parents who had rejected her in the most permanent way. She'd always wondered why her birth family hadn't wanted her.

For some reason or other, they'd considered her dispensable, a throwaway. With her adoptive parents she'd always agonized over whether they'd wanted her as much as they did their own biological child. Was it possible to love an adopted child and a biological child with the same intensity? And now, with Jake, she was in tears because he didn't want her.

He grasped her chin in his hand and leaned toward her, kissing away the tears one by one. “I want you! I've always wanted you. Last year, last week, last night…you drive me crazy with wanting you. If this world were mine, you and I would be making love every minute of every day. Believe that.”

She scowled at him. “Then why are you tucking me into bed with my PJs on…instead of taking my clothes off?”

The beginnings of a smile tugged at the corners of his lips as he heard her words. “I'd like nothing better than to take off every item of clothing you're wearing.”

“
What are you waiting for then? An engraved invitation?”

“
I saw your face when I told you about my friends-with-benefits relationship with Grace. You looked shocked. Disappointed. And if I read you correctly, worried. I'm guessing you're concerned about the fact that my relationships were based on sex rather than substance.”

“
I wasn't trying to judge you.”

“
I know that. Darlin, I'm always going to want you in my bed. You're the sexiest, most desirable woman on the planet. I love making love to you.” He reached out and stroked the curve of her neck, his fingers moving over her skin in a light caress. “But I don't want you to think that's all I want for us.”

She felt her heart cracking wide open upon hearing his words. “It's not?”

“
No, it's not. I want much, much more.” He lowered his head to her neck, his lips roaming across her skin, placing searing kisses on her flesh. “More than I ever thought I'd want with anyone.”

Happiness filled her heart, making her feel as light as air. Jake's words—a declaration of sorts—erased her doubts, leaving a joyful, peaceful feeling in their wake.

“
Tonight is our last night together. I'm going home tomorrow,” she said, her voice sounding mournful to her own ears.

He caressed her lips with his thumb, his eyes intense as he gazed into hers. “No, baby. It's not our last night together. We're just getting started.”

As Jake laid her down on the bed, he didn't resist as she pulled him down next to her. She wrapped her arms around him, nuzzling his neck with her cheek and nose. As she began to unbutton his shirt and place playful kisses on his chest, he let out a moan that sounded a lot like surrender.

* * * *

“
Shouldn't you be on bed rest?” The moment Jake had laid eyes on Bo, he'd known his deputy should still be at Trinity Hospital eating slimy Jello and getting sponge baths from curvaceous nurses. Although it didn't surprise him to see Bo back at work so soon after the attack, he wasn't so sure it was a good idea.

He was looking a little rough around the edges, with dark shadows under his eyes and a huge bandage on the back of his head. Not that he'd do things any differently himself, Jake grudgingly admitted. Bo was a lot like him, particularly in the area of work ethic.

Bo smiled weakly as he handed the manila file to Jake. He winced slightly as he turned to the side, his features more drawn than usual. “I'm good, Sheriff. The ribs are still a little tender, but I'm good.”

“
When you're fully recuperated, we need to go over a few procedural points.” Jake stared down at his deputy. “Donuts. Really, Bo…donuts?”

Bo nervously fidgeted with his collar, the color in his wan face rising under his boss's scrutiny. “Don't blame Ella. The donuts were my idea. She didn't ditch me on that stakeout. Truth be told, I wanted to get rid of her.”

Jake raised a questioning eyebrow, surprised at what he'd just heard. He let out a low whistle that sounded like a boiling kettle. “That's a pretty cold thing to say about your partner.”

“
C'mon, Sheriff. You know what she's like. Bossy. Opinionated. She always takes charge, no matter what. She's like a bull in a china closet. Sometimes I want to be the one calling the shots. There's no give and take with Ella. She's got a bigger pair of balls than most of the male deputies, myself included.”

Jake winced. “Ouch. That's pretty harsh, Bo. She's a good deputy. She knows her stuff and she's someone you want to have your back in a crisis.

Bo let out a mournful groan. “I know she's a good deputy, but she gets on my last good nerve. All those goo-goo eyes and stares…I feel like she's constantly watching me. I feel like a piece of filet mignon she can't wait to bite into.”

Jake let out a hearty laugh at the thought of Ella taking a big bite out of Bo. “So I guess it's safe to say you and Ella aren't in love or anything?”

Bo hooted with laughter. “In love? With Ella the ball buster? Seriously, Jake, can you picture me trying to get romantic with her? She'd be barking out directions, telling me where to put my hands, how to kiss her, how fast, how deep—”

A sharp intake of breath caught them both off guard, and as they turned their heads toward the door, Ella was suddenly standing at the threshold. Her face was drained of its normal robust color, and sported a stunned expression. She held two cups of coffee in hands that were trembling. For a moment she did nothing more than stand there, her eyes full of accusation and disgust. Then she marched stiffly over to Jake's desk, depositing the coffee mugs on the edge with a clatter.

Bo jumped to his feet, apologies tumbling out of his mouth. “Ella, I'm sorry about what you heard. I was just joking—”

Ella showed him the palm of her hand, not even sparing him a glance. “Save it for someone who cares.” She turned toward Jake, her demeanor poised and polished as she addressed him.

“
Sheriff, I'd like you to assign me another partner, effective immediately. Under the circumstances, I don't think it would be fair to make Deputy Scott work with a bossy, opinionated ball buster. I imagine it must be really scary constantly wondering if your partner is going to take a bite out of you. Considering the fact that my partner deliberately ditched me on a stakeout because he couldn't stand my very presence—”

“
It's not like that!” Bo protested. “You're taking this all wrong.”

“
Don't tell me what it's like,” Ella snarled. “I heard every word you said. Truthfully, I'm just ashamed I thought you were someone I could love.”

With one last scathing look at Bo, Ella left the office, slamming the door behind her in a fierce display of outrage. Jake turned toward Bo, who looked as if he'd been run over by a Mack truck and left for dead. His face had turned a lighter shade of pale, if that were even possible. His blue eyes resembled glassy marbles, and a stunned expression had taken over his features.

“
I can't believe she heard us.” Bo ran his hands nervously through his blond head of hair.

“
Us? Seems you were doing most of the talking.” Jake said reached for his mug and took a swig of the lukewarm coffee. “If you remember correctly, I was trying to tell you what a great deputy she is and how lucky you are to have her as your partner.”

Bo bent over in his chair, looking as if he were about to get sick. “Are you really assigning me another partner? Don't you think that’s kind of drastic? Like you said, she's a pretty solid partner, all things considered.”

“
I have to consider what she wants.” Jake steepled his fingers in front of him. “Given the circumstances, I think it might be for the best. In case you didn't notice, she's pretty steamed. And I'm guessing she feels pretty humiliated.”

Bo let out a moan. “I feel sick about this. Never in a million years did I want it to go down this way.”

Jake fixed his steely gaze on his deputy. “Fix it, Bo. I can't have two of my deputies at odds like this. Apologize. Make nice. Try to be sensitive to her feelings. She's a good deputy and an even better woman.”

He didn't mean for his words to sound like a reproach, but he wanted Bo to understand the gravity of what he'd done. Aside from the fact that Ella had romantic feelings for Bo, she was also his partner. By trash-talking her behind her back, he'd crossed a sacred line in the sand.

Law enforcement partners worked together as a cohesive unit in dangerous and stressful situations. Over time, they became family, bonding like glue over shared experiences and camaraderie. They not only had to trust each other—there had to be respect as well. There was no way in hell Ella trusted or respected Bo at the moment, not after the earful she'd just received.

As Bo slunk out of his office with his head held low, Jake let out a snort of disgust. He'd seen this train wreck coming from a mile away. This was exactly why he discouraged deputies from catching feelings for other deputies. It was messy and unpredictable. And sooner or later, someone was going to their feelings hurt.

Who are you to talk
?
 
a little voice inside his head whispered. He'd caught major feelings for his star witness, a woman he'd been protecting from a killer. Despite his best intentions, he'd fallen madly, passionately in love with the last woman he ever thought he'd love. Life was messy. And love was very unpredictable. Although he didn't consider himself a sentimental person, a pang went through him as he remembered the hurt and pain reflected on Ella's face when she'd walked into his office. By the time she'd stormed out…well, she'd done her damndest to hide it, but he could tell from her shattered expression she was broken.