Damaged (6 page)

“Who’s we
?” he asked.

Her forehead furrowed in confusion. “What?”

Seth blinked slowly, which did funny things to her belly and…other parts. “You said ‘we are moving’…who’s ‘we’?”

Ugh. She had said that
. The man didn’t miss anything. How was she going to get out of this one?
Think, Monica
. Waving her hand around, she attempted what she hoped was a believable farce. “Oh. Me and my cat.”

Seth’s expression was droll.
“You don’t have a cat. And you don’t have a boyfriend. What are you so desperately trying to hide, Monica?”

Monica opened her mouth to speak, but closed it again. She didn’t know what to say, or how to explain things. He didn’t have to wait long for an answer though.

She watched in horror as Jack emerged from his bedroom, his long black hair a tousled mess around his sleepy face. Squinting against the light, he stopped in the middle of the living room before his gaze finally settled on the man at the counter. Jack’s eyes narrowed and Monica nearly groaned aloud. Nothing that came out of his mouth was going to be helpful to her situation at this point. “Who the hell is this loser? And what’s up with your face, Monica?”

Nope. Not
helpful at all
.

Chapter Six

Well, that wasn’t what he’d been expecting. Seth turned on his stool to come face to face with a lanky teenage boy whose eyes were staring daggers at him. “And who might you be?” he asked.

Monica was flustered, that much was obvious as she stepped between the two of them. “Oh my God, Jack, can you not be a jerk right now? Please?” she pleaded.
“Just go back to bed.”

Jack’s eyes flickered from Monica to Seth and back. “You’ve never
brought a boyfriend home before. Did he do that?” he drawled, gesturing to her cheek.

“Whoa! No, he’s not my boyfriend
, and no, I…ran into a door,” Monica rambled, shaking her head. Her face was flushed red as she turned and gestured to him. “Jack, this is Seth. Seth, this is Jack…my little brother, who was just on his way back to bed. Right,
Jack
?” There was no missing the way she emphasized the kid’s name. Just observing him for a short time, Seth could already tell Jack was a handful. Probably putting Monica through the wringer daily. The question now was why was a twenty-four year old woman raising her younger brother? It was possible that their parents had died in an accident, but why wouldn’t another relative step up to take them in?

“He’s al
l right,” Seth interjected, pinning Jack with a stern look. “He’s just looking out for his big sister. It’s a tough job being the man of the house. Right, bud?”

Jack hesitated, swallowing nervously before nodding. “Yeah.”

Monica was stressed. He could see it in the way she stood, the way she kept biting at her fingernails. “Great, now that we’ve all been introduced, Jack can go back to bed.”

“What the heck is going on out here?” The voice came from behind Jack as a young woman emerged from the other bedroom. She looked very much like a younger version of Monica. The same sleek black hair hung loose around the girl
’s face, nearly to her waist.
This just keeps getting more and more interesting
.

Monica’s head fell back
, looking defeated, making Seth chuckle. As much as she hated the whole situation, he was glad to finally make some headway into the story of her life.

The girl stopped next to her brother and gasped. “Monica! What happened to your face?”

“I’m fine, Sarah. It’s no big deal,” she deflected once again. “You two need to go back to bed. Please.”

“Who’s that?” Sarah
asked, pointing at Seth, completely ignoring her older sister’s orders.

Monica looked like she was at the end of her rope, and the fact that he had an amused smirk on his face probably wasn’t helping. “Sarah, this is Seth. Seth this is Sarah, my little sister,” she sighed, letting her arms dangle at her sides helplessly. “Now
everybody knows everyone, and you can go back to bed. Please. For the love of all that is holy…just go back to bed.”

Sarah’s lips began to quirk into a smile. “Is he your boyfriend?”

Monica groaned and planted her face firmly in the palm of her hand. “No.”

“Why not? He’s
actually kinda cute,” Sarah said, her smile now a full-blown grin.

Seth bit back a chuckle at Sarah’s comment, and gave her a playful wink. “Thanks,
doll.” Monica wasn’t nearly as amused. The glare she shot her little sister was full of promised revenge.

Scrubbing her hands down her face, Monica blew out a breath. “Great. Now that this has gotten completely out of control, it’s nearly three in the morning and I’d really like to take a shower and go to bed. If you’re all satisfied with your introductions, I’m going to go crawl in a hole and die now.”

Jack rolled his eyes and started for his room. “Drama queen.”

Sarah followed suit, making her way to the other bedroom. “Good night, lovebirds,” she warbled over her shoulder
in a sing-song tone.

When both doors shut, leaving them alone once again, Seth watched as Monica turned slowly to face him
, shaking her head. “Oh my god, I’m so sorry about that,” she apologized. “They tend to get out of hand. Thank you for being a good sport while under fire. We’re not used to having company.”

Seth shrugged. “
It’s normal. How old are they?”

“Seventeen
, and no, I’m not going to explain the how and why of it all, okay? Just let it be,” she said softly as she made her way to the front door. Pulling it open, she refused to make eye contact. “It’s been a long day, and I need to get some rest, so…” She let the statement hang. He knew what she was saying.

Sliding from the stool, he crossed the room, stopping only inches away from her. He stood silently
, breathing in her sweet scent, until she finally pulled her gaze to his. There was a grain of vulnerability in her eyes that made him ache to protect her. “I can get you out of here, Monica. You can come stay with me.”

Monica scoffed and looked away. “
You’re crazy. You don’t even know me.”

“I know enough about you to know you’re a good person who
just needs some support, Monica. You can’t live here and raise two teens with no job. My place is big; it’s just me living there. Plus, it’s safe.” Seth glanced to the hallway to emphasize what he meant, and there was no doubt that Monica got what he was saying loud and clear. Her heartbeat picked up, making it visible in her throat. God, he hoped she said yes. He wanted to help her, but there was a part of him that was very aware of what would happen if she did. She would end up in his bed, and just the thought of that had him hard as hell.

“I don’
t have any money to help you with the bills,” she whispered quietly, still avoiding eye contact.

Seth shook hi
s head and tilted her chin up with his fingertips to make her look at him. Her full, tempting lips had his guts tied in knots. “I don’t expect you to. The point is to help you get back on your feet. When you’re stable and you’ve got some money saved up, you’ll be able to get a place of your own. Please consider it.”

Monica swallowed. He could see the indecision in her eyes. She wanted to take him up on his offer, but pride had her on a short leash. Standing there looking down at her, Seth held his breath waiting for her response. It felt like forever before her finally lips parted to speak. “
I don’t know, Seth. This is just…weird, and you don’t want to deal with two teenagers,” she sighed.

Seth’s brows lowered thoughtfully. “
It’s not weird. What do you have to lose, anyway? If after a while you decide it’s not working, then you can go. No questions asked.”

“Can I think about it? I mean, it’s not just me, I have to discuss it with Sarah and Jack.”
Seth watched as Monica bit her sumptuous bottom lip between her teeth, and his control snapped.

Before she could react, Seth cupp
ed her face and lowered his mouth to hers, pressing their lips together for a brief moment. Electric heat sizzled where they made contact, pulling a low growl from Seth’s throat. He wanted more. He needed more. He wanted to taste her, to drink from her passion. She melted into him, letting a soft gasp escape her lips as she clutched his t-shirt in her hands. It was slow, sensual…he didn’t rush. Seth wanted to savor every second of the connection, fighting the arousal that pumped through his veins.

The urge to bury his hands in her hair
to deepen the kiss rode him hard, and before he knew it, he was pulling the elastic band that was holding the captive locks free. The silken tendrils flowed over his hands in lush waves. The kiss intensified as he licked at the seam of her lips, needing more of her, but Monica jerked away suddenly, her eyes wide. The realization of what he had just done sank in, making him feel like the lowest life form on earth as he took a step back. She’d just been assaulted not more than an hour ago, and here he was coming onto her like a letch.

“
God, Monica, I’m so sorry,” he started, not quite sure what else to say. He was an asshole.

Her face was a mix of fear and curiosity, but the fear won out. “I, um…I think you should go now,” she whispered, her face flushed.

Yeah, he’d definitely overstayed his welcome. There wasn’t a chance in hell she’d take him up on his offer now, so it was best to cut his losses. “Right. Look, if you need me, here’s my cell number,” he said, pressing his business card into her hand. “Anything at all, don’t hesitate to call.”

Monica nodded, looking less than comfortable to be in his presence any longer. And why
would she? What kind of a dick rescues a woman from a rapist, only to force intimacy on her himself? Running a hand over his head, Seth didn’t wait for a response. He left without a second thought. His brain was fucked, and he was embarrassed at his lack of self-control.

* * * * *

Two days later, Seth lay in bed with an arm draped over his eyes to block out the irritating rays of the sun streaming through his window. Thoughts of Monica had kept him up for most of the night. Well, that and the hard-on that refused to go away no matter how many times he rubbed one out. She was getting under his skin like no woman ever had before. With a sleepy groan, he rolled to his side and picked up his phone as he slid his legs over the edge of the bed. He needed food, sex and a shower, in no particular order.

The
sex option wasn’t happening any time soon, so he made his way to the kitchen, scratching his bare chest along the way. His boxers rode low on his hips, still tented at the front from his unruly cock. This was going to be a serious problem if he couldn’t get his shit under control by the time he was due at the station. But every time he remembered her scent, her taste, the response was immediate. He had hated leaving her in that dump of a building knowing the element that lived mere doors away. The thought of what would have happened to her if he hadn’t followed her made him sick. Now that he knew where she lived, finding her would be easier. Even if she didn’t accept his offer to move in, he could still protect her without her knowing. And then there was the issue of keeping her out of jail if she continued to pickpocket at night.

Seth shook his head and hissed as he pulled his breakfast from the toaster. Shit
, he had already managed to burn a couple pieces of toast while lost in his thoughts of Monica. At this rate he’d burn his house down. He needed to get his head straight.

After
scarfing his meal and washing it down with orange juice, Seth dressed in his police uniform and grabbed his keys. He was going to be early, but he needed to get out of the house. If he sat alone for a second longer, he would probably skip work and go to find Monica instead. Neither of which would be a good idea.

Walking into the st
ation was overwhelming. The ringing of phones and the yelling of the occasional displeased arrestee usually managed to get on his nerves right away, and today was no exception. Already running ragged, Seth bypassed everyone and headed to his office. There was no desire to speak to anyone—especially anyone with questions about his case.

Taking a seat at his desk, his attention was pulled to the door as Evan strolled in with a smirk on his face.
“We’ve got our suspect in custody, my man. It’s time for questioning. You wanna be good cop or bad cop this time?” He looked way too pleased with himself.

Seth’s body went cold. They had her in custody?

“Who arrested the kid?” he asked in a bored tone, careful to not use ‘her’ to describe the suspect.

Evan turned to leave, but not before tossing him a grin over his shoulder. “I did.”

Fuck
. If he walked in there, and she acted even a little bit like she knew him, he was in deep shit. “I’ll be right there, man.” It was all he could say at the moment. He needed to get his brain back in cop mode before he could face her, because he knew once he did, police work would be the last thing on his mind. Now he just needed to get her out of this mess.

Making his way to the interrogation room, Seth ran a hand down his weary face. He had promised to take care of her, and she’d been arrested. He failed. Evan was already in the room when he entered
. Grinding his back teeth together, Seth’s eyes landed on the figure at the table. The black sweatshirt made his stomach drop.
Just get it over with
. Taking a deep breath, he slid into the chair across the table from their suspect.

“I’m
Officer Jackson. We’ve been tracking you for a while now, and we’ve got a few questions for you. I need you to remove the hood, please,” he ordered, holding his breath for the inevitable.

Seth watched as her hands went to the hood before sliding it off slowly. When it fell back, Seth came face to face
…with a young man with blond hair. It wasn’t her.
Thank fuck
.

Breathing a sigh of relief, he motioned for Evan to sit as well, and started the questioning. His focus was elsewhere, though
. It was on the raven-haired beauty who was fast becoming a part of his life. The scare of thinking she’d been arrested was palpable, leaving him reeling with uncertainty. He needed to keep her safe, no matter what the odds were.