Fool for Love (Believe #2) (39 page)

“Dad, you need to call the mayor, have this fucker arrested.” Garrett sits down, far from relaxed.

“Language!” Sophia snaps at him from my other side.

He looks annoyed at her, but then tilts his head.

“My apologies,” he mutters.

I put a hand on his knee and squeeze it.

“Son, you know I would if Suzy had any witnesses to what the detective did.”

Robert gives me an apologetic look.

“I’m sorry, but the fact is that you were alone, Suzy, and that makes it very difficult to prove.”

“Then at least call the Captain of his department,” Garrett seethes, his voice vibrating with anger. His dad nods.

“I will call him, plant seeds of doubt about Detective Easton in his head,” he says as he narrows his eyes. “And I’ll do some digging, see if this is the first time he’s molested a woman. I doubt it is.”

“Thank you, Robert.”

I blow my nose one last time, quite embarrassed by my breakdown, but relieved that these strangers believe me. Rufus leaves his pillow and comes towards me. I pat his silky fur when he puts his head on my knees.

“I’ll do my best to see to it that he won’t have a badge to hide behind for much longer,” he states. The sincerity in his voice makes me feel more reassured.

“It’s not enough,” Garrett mutters beside him. I look at him, alarmed by the tone of his voice.

“It will have to be,” Robert states before he stands up. “Sophia and I will start preparing dinner now. Please join us in the kitchen when you feel up to it.”

I look up at him and am taken aback when he smiles warmly at me.

Wow. Now I know who Garrett takes after.

“We will,” Garrett murmurs from beside me.

Sophia pats my hand and smiles at me.

“Don’t worry,
cara
,” she says as she stands up. “Robert will fix this.” With a soft smile, she walks to her husband. Hand in hand, they leave the drawing room, giving us some privacy. Rufus’s ears perk up, and he trots after them.

I blow out my cheeks, and inhale deeply a couple of times, trying to get myself back together. On the third inhale, I hold my breath for a couple of seconds and then let it go before I sag back in the couch.

“Well…that went well,” I mutter.

Garrett turns in his seat.

“I don’t want you to worry about a thing, Suzy.” He takes my hand in his and I smile faintly back into his serious eyes.

“I’ll try not to.”

“And we’ll buy a pepper spray tomorrow morning,” he continues, causing me to roll my eyes at him.

“Fine, fine.” I wave a hand at him, dismissing his words, but he grabs it with his other hand.

“This is serious, waif.”

I lean closer towards him.

“I
know
that. But for now, let it go, please. We’re supposed to have fun tonight with your parents, remember? This is a family dinner, not a funeral. So
you
need to relax, sit back, eat, drink, be merry, and all that jazz.”

His lips twitch and the harsh look in his eyes softens as he shakes his head at me.

“You’re something else, Suzy-Q,” he murmurs.

I grin at him.

“I’m just me, a cool, calm and collected Danish girl – not an overly dramatic American girl who doesn’t know when to let things lie.”

He laughs fully now, and I stand up, pulling on his hands.

“Come on, old man,” I tease him, wiping the smile off his face immediately. I nibble on my lip, wondering if that was taking it a bit too far, when he puts his hands on my hips and digs his fingers in. My breathing speeds up when his head descends and I lick my lips when his eyes linger for a couple of seconds.

“You like that I have some years on you, waif. You like that I’m a man who knows what he wants – who doesn’t fumble in the dark; one who knows how to pleasure you and fulfil your needs.”

The low rumble of his voice, the one he always slips into when he’s turned on, sets my skin on fire. I suddenly wish that we were home.

Safe.

Away from prying eyes and ears.

In our own little bubble where the real world can’t touch us.

I lean up on my toes when his hands move to palm my arse; and when I feel his hard cock digging into the softness of my belly, fire erupts in my core.

“I don’t like it,” I whisper, resting my hands on his shoulders. “I love it.”

His eyes heat up, transforming the brown to almost black, and I wish we could come up with some excuse to leave, however impolite that might be.

“As do I,” he murmurs before he slams his mouth down on mine, one hand coming up to hold my head in place.

Gone is the gentleness that he’s shown me since we came here.

The ferocious wolf is back in full force, ready to take all I have to give.

And he can have it all. I’m more than willing to give him everything.

“Oh, dear, I’m sorry.”

Sophia’s laughing voice breaks our kiss, and I land hard on my feet. I peek at her, cheeks flaming, as she stands rooted in the doorway.

“Please, take your time,” she trills, clearly amused. I giggle as I watch her retreating back, one hand covering her eyes.

Garrett’s breathing hard, and I smile mischievously and loosen my hold around him. He doesn’t release me, and I look questioningly at him when his hand, still on my arse, doesn’t cease its sensual assault.

“I think it’s time for another lesson tonight,” he whispers. “If you’re willing, that is?”

My pulse speeds up with the implication of his words.

“Yes,” I whisper back before I wet my lips. “Sir.”

He growls once, eyes flaring with lust, but then a shadow settles in them, clouding his hunger for me.

He breathes deeply.

“I know that…” He stops, looking as if he’s searching for the right words, and I melt into his embrace.

“What happened to you today, waif,” he continues on a deep sigh. “I wish it hadn’t happened, or that I could erase it from your memory. Are you absolutely sure –”

I silence his words with yet another toe-curling kiss.

“I’m alright, I promise,” I whisper when we come up for air again. “I want you to help me wipe away today’s events. To obliterate how he made me feel – hopeless and alone.”

I lift my hand to let it rest on his cheek, caressing the softness of his beard. My heart flutters when his eyes never waver from mine, and his head leans into my hand. It feels as if he wants to be as close to me as possible.

“Whenever I’m with you, I feel safe, Garrett. Worshipped. As if I’m all you see. I feel
everything
. So, yes, I’m sure that I can take whatever you have in mind for me.”

His stare bores into me, and I try to tell him with my eyes that I’m not lying.

With one last squeeze on my arse and a quick peck on my lips, he steps back and lets me go. I look down at the impressive bulge in his jeans, and in a risky move, I reach out a hand, giving it a quick, firm rub.

He gasps, and I wink at him.

“I can’t wait,” I murmur and then back away from him.

His intense stare bores a hole in my back as I turn to walk away, and my smile widens even though he can’t see me.

Garrett – O.

Suzy – 1.

“Don’t forget that I’m the Dom here,” Garrett’s low voice stops me in my tracks, and I look back at him. He has a hand down his pants, no doubt rearranging his hard-on, and my lips part from how hot he looks right now.

“You’d best prepare yourself, waif.”

I smile quickly at him and then move to the door that will lead me to the kitchen.

A delicious shiver courses through me when I think about what he might have in store for me, and I have to work hard on focusing on where I am.

Garrett’s parents.

Dinner.

This is going to be a long night.

Y
ET, DESPITE MY IMPATIENCE
to get Garrett all to myself, it doesn’t feel as if the night drags away. Quite the opposite, in fact.

Sophia and Robert do what they can to take my mind off things, regaling me with tales from when Garrett was a child. I laugh more tonight than I have done in a long time, and while a small part of me is sad from not having the same relationship with my own parents while I grew up, I try to shake it off.

To let it go.

After dinner – a wonderful tasty dish that reminds me of Hawaiian pizza, only with pasta – Sophia stands and begins to clear the table.

I dab my lips with my napkin and go to help her. When she sees me gathering the plates and forks, she protests.

“Sweetie, you don’t have to do that. You’re our guest.”

I shake my head.

“But I want to. You and Robert made such a lovely dinner; helping you clear the table is the least I can do.”

She gives me a small smile.

“Well, in that case, I won’t say ‘no’. Thank you.”

We walk back and forth a couple of times, and I smile quickly at Garrett when he reaches a hand out to give mine a squeeze.

I’m loading the dishwasher when Sophia stops beside me, and a comfortable silence settles between us as we go about clearing everything. That is, until Sophia sighs beside me, causing me to turn around to look at her. Her gaze is focused on the window facing the streets, and the sadness in her eyes gives me pause.

“Are you alright?” I ask her. When her head turns to mine, I shift a bit on my feet. “I realise we don’t know each other that well, but…”

A soft smile grazes her lips.

“I hope that’ll change, Suzy.”

“Me, too.”

She turns to face me fully, a thoughtful look in her eyes.

“I don’t wish to pry, but do you plan on staying in New York? To make a life here instead of going home?”

Sighing, I lean a hip on the counter.

“I don’t know yet. I mean, I’d like to, but like I told you earlier, it depends on so many things, I guess.”

“On Garrett?”

Her blunt question takes me by surprise, and I swallow hard as I nod.

“He’s the main reason, yes. I mean, I don’t know if we have a future together, but even if we don’t, I have to admit that I’ve thought about staying here for some time now. If it’s possible, that is.”

Sophia chuckles, and warmth settles within when the sadness in her eyes fades slowly.

“New York’s pulled you in, hasn’t she?”

Laughing, I look down briefly at my fidgeting hands, and I will myself to relax.