Intimate Danger (Empire Blue) (29 page)

“
I think I should go.” She turned, clutched the sheet tighter and searched for her clothes. Pressure built in her chest, her heart breaking like shattered glass.
Keep it together. You had damn well better keep yourself together.

“Charlie, goddamnit, stop.”
He pushed a hand through his hair and rounded the bed, grabbing her arm. “Help me understand. Please, help me put it together in my head. I don’t get it. Why would you risk it all for me?”

She stared at his chest, watched it rise and fall. His gaze was like a touch to her face, boring into her skin.

“How else can I explain it? I think you get it. I beat myself up over the same decision. It’s why I wouldn’t answer your question that night, why I refused to say the words. Admitting who you were—or whom I thought at that moment—would have put a halt to everything we had. I didn’t want it to end. It may have been selfish of me, but I wanted you.” She looked up, met eyes lined with pain. “I wanted you then as much as I do now. While somewhere in the back of my mind I pleaded for it not to be true, for me to be wrong, I pushed away my oath, and took the risk selfishly.”

Trent crushed her to his chest, wrapping his arms around her body. H
e ducked his head and warm lips brushed the shell of her ear. He whispered, voice raw and harsh. “You stupid, stupid, adorable, beautiful girl. What would you have done if I was the suspect? You could have been hurt. I am so damn angry with you right now, that you would have set yourself at risk, but so ridiculously happy to know you felt that way.”

He pulled back and
kissed her so sweetly, she swooned.

“Charlie, I’m an extremely private person. I don’t like to let anyone in on my business. I only told Echols and the
chief because I had to. My private life is mine and it’s something I hold dear.”

“It’s okay. I don’t want you to feel as if—”

“Shut up,” he interrupted. The words harsh, but his tone brutally loving. “I don’t feel as if I
have
to tell you anything. I want to. I care for you, Charlese. You may drive me insane at times, make me want to lock myself up in an institution, but at the same time, you make me crave things, give me the desire to want more, to have a connection with one person who truly gets me. I want to confide in you. I want to feel as if I could tell you anything and be able to do the same for you.

She stared at him, unable to find words for a response.

“My mother is sick. She’s been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. It’s a long and disgusting story, but she suffered at the hand of my abusive stepfather for years until I started to suspect something was wrong. I intervened, but it was too late. Her body and mind had already suffered too much damage at his hand.”

Tears threatened again
. “Trent, that’s horrible.”

“I brought her back to the city, set her
up in a home, thinking they could help her get on with her life, and help her manage things. However, the disease had progressed too much, and there weren’t enough nurses to keep an eye on her.

“She,” he paused and thinned his lips, “escaped is the only word I can think of, from the home on more than one occasion. The night you saw that mark on my face was when I had to go searching for her. I found her in Central Park, at the location my father proposed to her. She fought back when I tried to take her home
. She didn’t even remember who I was. Thought her son was some stranger.”

His voice
grew rough, and the dam of her tears boiled, tipped over and spilled along her cheeks. He didn’t look at her, though. He stared over her head as if he was seeing things of the past.

“She attacked me and I had to hold her down until help arrived. I took her back, but the next time she left, she
got hit by a truck and sent to the hospital. That’s where I was when I got the call about Echols.”

He looked at her now. Eyes bore the pain of a man who had seen too much ugliness in the world, alone, even though people surrounded him.

“I’m so sorry.”

“It’s not your fault, sweetheart. It’s a part of life. But she is my focus
. I need to make it up to her and take care of her when I couldn’t do it so many years ago.”

She nodded, understanding the need for family. Life was too short, people left before you had a chance.

“I get it. I think it’s important, too.”

He wrapped
her tight and kissed her again. This kiss was a pitcher of feelings, all tumbling out, a fierce possession and intent lined with every caress of his tongue. She met his mouth touch for touch, tangling and exploring, discovering and possessing every bit as much as he did. While the kiss was a turbulent ride of emotion, peace stole over, giving her hope things would be okay. Not just for her, but for them both.

When he pulled back,
his breathing was harsh and body hard, ready and pulsing against hers. She moaned, wanting him all over again, a deep ache between her legs that only he could fill.
How could she want him so much?
“Trent,” she breathed, “tell me you want me right now.”

He groaned, frustration lacing the sound. “Ahhh, sweetheart. I have to go. Damn if I don’t want to finish this
, though.” Squeezing her shoulders, he stepped back and released her. A hand scrubbed his face, and he ran his gaze in a languorous path down to her toes and up again.

“We will finish this. That you can be sure of.”

With those words, he snatched his shirt off the back of a chair. She watched, mesmerized in his movements, as he grabbed his badge and service weapon, then walked out of the room without another word. She just stood there, a hallow hole cutting its way through her chest.

“He’ll be back. He said as much,” she murmured
aloud, needing to hear the words one more time…

But, why did it feel as if he was walking out forever?

Chapter Twenty-One

One week later, Charlie moved to the back wall of her living room, a six-foot wide and eight-foot tall window and looked out. Fall colors dotted the trees along her property, speckles of reds, oranges, pinks, browns, and greens. It reminded her of a child’s artwork, displaying a vivid design of colors merging into Mother Nature’s flawless canvas.

The large windows captured not only the beautiful sight but also heavyset clouds, tinged
in gray, indicating a change of season. Wind blew, leaves rustled, and critters scampered trying to find food to hide away for the months of winter ahead. The hot, sunny summer days were fading away.

She stared ahead
, but couldn’t concentrate on the beauty outside. Instead, a dark, handsome federal agent held her mind captive. With each thought, her heart clenched painfully, and she rubbed at the phantom feeling, still staring outside, unseeing

Seven
long days without a call from Trent. Each time her phone rang, hope sparked. She hated the letdown that followed when the one she wanted to talk to wasn’t on the other end.

The same applied to email, although it was a moot point. Trent would call, wouldn’t bother with virtual contact, but still, when the display showed unopened mail, her heart galloped like the hooves of a racehorse.

Tears stung her eyes, and the mood tore at her chest. She mused over their last conversation and thought on how she could have prevented him from leaving as he had. Did he regret things happening? Did he feel the same for her as she did him? Or worse, was the entire thing just some game he played while she had his attention?

She frowned and tu
rned away from the uncertainty of her thoughts, her hand still rubbing the area above her heart. Cereal and Killer wound their way around her feet, soft fur brushing her bare legs. She reached down and scratched their heads, hating how pathetic she felt.

It seemed each time she texted Trent, he was not only evasive in his
responses, but sometimes hours would go by before she would get an answer. And while she knew she should let him go, push on and move forward, she was helpless to say goodbye.

A loud knock sounded on her front door. Her heart sprinted forth in an erratic rhythm. Everyone knew she was
on leave, and most had avoided her the past few weeks. Between her mood swings and one-worded answers, she wasn’t the best of company.

Tugging the house robe around her body, she tucked the ends beneath one another and kept her arms wrapped around her waist. She crossed the great room, through the dining room, and grabbed the knob and whipped open the front door.

Dwayne stood on the front porch, and her hope sank like a rock. She tried like hell not to let the disappointment show. She needed to get a grip, pick up on a clue. Trent would not be coming back. If he cared, wouldn’t he be reaching out to her?

She must not have been doing such a good job at schooling her features because Dwayne chuckled.

“Happy to see you, too, Charlie.”

She
stuck her tongue out at him and rolled her eyes. “You should know by now I’m really not in the mood for company.”

Ignoring her
blatant dismissal, he lifted an arm, set it above on the frame of the door, and leaned forward. “You need to amend that statement. You haven’t been in a good mood at all. And it’s been going on for about a week.” He paused and gave her a pointed look. “Since a certain someone left town a week ago. Hmmm…” He dropped his arm, leaned his shoulder against the frame and crossed his arms. “I wonder if the two are correlated.”

Charlie
scowled. “Doesn’t take a detective to figure out your mouth is going to get you in trouble one day. Nice of you to stop by, D, it’s been what, a few days since you moved out?”

He didn’t say anything and just continued to stare at her.

She was sick and tired of being looked at like she was some kind of experiment. “You know what? Forget it, I’m busy.”

She palmed the door and moved to shut it, but
he stepped forward and stopped it with his foot. “Charlie, seriously. I need to talk to you. This isn’t healthy.”

“You think I need you to remind me? Do you think I don’t know th
is?”

She tossed her hands in the air and stepped away when he refused to move. She turned and crossed through the house again, hearing him moving behind her.

She flopped down unceremoniously on the couch. He stepped in the room, but she refused to meet his gaze, couldn’t. The tears she kept at bay caused her to blink in haste, the sting behind her lids unbearable.
Damn, pushy fool.

Several seconds passed, and then he sighed. She looked up, found him watching her
and removing his jacket before tossing it aside. He sat on the couch and grabbed her wrist, tugged. She went, realizing he would not let her get away and she really didn’t know if she wanted to. She needed the comfort, even though it was another’s touch she craved.

Pull
ing her across his lap, he pressed her head to his shoulder, set the other hand on her thigh and held her in silence. The support was the final straw, and the tears she’d held in flowed. Quiet sobs shook her chest, but he tugged her closer, whispered words she didn’t hear.

After what seemed like a lifetime, Charlie lifted her head and pulled away from his shoulder. She flinched when she saw his light blue shirt stained with tears. “Hell, I’m sorry, D.”

He palmed her cheek and tipped her face to his. Thumbs brushed away the wetness and he studied her carefully. “We’re friends. There’s no need to apologize. I’m just worried about whether you are okay or not. As much as I tease you, as silly as I’ve said this all is, you are one of my closest friends. Someone I care for.”

She
sniffed and tilted her face into his touch. Her chest still hurt like hell, her heart breaking. Could she be okay? Would she get through this loss after suffering so much through her life? She had to think so, things couldn’t possibly get any worse.

She
stared into the deep green gaze of Dwayne’s and knew the answer. She’d have to be okay. Life went on. It didn’t stop for anyone, for anything. Death, destruction, and pain filled the world, yet the planet still rotated.

She would get through this because of the support she had right here.

“Look,” he said, “you just got rid of me, got me back in my own place, and now you’re feeling lonely with Rossi gone. Anyone could understand that. However, I swear the next time I see him I’m going to beat his ass.”

He rose from the couch
and held out his hand. She slipped hers into his warm touch and handed him his coat as he led her to the front door. “I like that laugh of yours, Charlie.” He opened the door and stepped out, turned and tugged her into his arms. “Don’t lose it. Remember where it is and bring it out to see us more often.” He leaned down, brushed his lips against hers chastely.

“
Goodnight, Charlie.”

As he turned to go, they both froze
when a newcomer became visible.

Trent Rossi stood at the bottom of her steps, a duffel bag in one hand and a murderous expression on his face.

****

It took every ounce of Trent’s willpower not turn around and walk back to his car, drive to the city, and leave all of this drama behind.
He had finally gotten everything situated, the case, his apartment, and his mother with good round-the-clock care, so he could come here and tell Charlie how much he’d come to love her.

And here she was, on the front porch kissing Dwayne goodbye. Okay, okay, so Dwayne had kissed her, but still
.

Trent
couldn’t move away. Despite every indicator she had already moved on, letting go of her wasn’t an option.

He sat the duffel bag at his feet and switched his g
aze between Charlie and Dwayne. Dwayne lifted his hands, palms facing out and stepped forward. He stopped when he reached Trent, but didn’t meet his eyes, just stared ahead. Trent mimicked the pose, only he stared at Charlie on the porch, hair disheveled and wild, reminding him of the nights they spent together. He gnashed his teeth together in order to keep from slamming a fist into Dwayne’s face. She looked thoroughly fucked.

“She’s experienced more loss than you could ever possibly imagine, Rossi.”

“You here to provide a little
comfort
?”

Dwayne cursed beneath his breath. Trent’s gaze stayed on Charlie. She bit her lip,
looking between the two of them. The white robe gaped at the top, giving him a glimpse of the light pink camisole beneath. His pulse thundered in his neck.

Dwayne shifted. “Dude, of course you’d think that, right? I don’t have to explain anything, but I will educate you on something before I take off.” The male turned to him then, and Trent twisted his head to stare into hard green eyes.

“You hurt her, you use her in any way other than what she’s worthy of, and I will track you down. You don’t deserve her. Hell, neither of us do, but remember, I’ll always be her friend. I’ll always be in her life. You fuck it up, and I’ll be the first to help her say goodbye.”

Without waiting for a response, Dwayne turned and stalked down the walkway, slid into a silver cruiser, and pulled away. Trent turned
and stared at the browning grass and tried to rein his emotions under control. He hated to admit Dwayne was right, but the man was. He tried to clear the haze from his vision. His chest felt like it was splitting in two. He lifted his head, found Charlie standing before him, studying his face. She didn’t say a word, refused to give an excuse, but held out her hand, silently waiting—for him.

He slipped
his hand into hers. The relief in her eyes was tangible, and she gave a brief smile before turning to walk into her house.

He followed and stepped inside, kick
ing the door shut. Dropping his bag, it was still in the air as he took her in his arms and pressed her to the wall. Trent’s mouth came down on hers in a show of brutal possession. He didn’t know why he did it, but his only thought was how much he wanted her to smell of him, feel from him, see…him. Her unbound breasts, covered by thin cotton, pressed against his chest. He felt every curve of those mounds and gave a silent shout of satisfaction as her nipples hardened into perky peaks against his body.

He tangled
one hand in her hair and tugged, forcing the angle so he could conquer. His kiss dove deep, claiming possession and marking every bit of her mouth, trying to push inside even more. He didn’t want to give her a chance to think…he only wanted her to remember how she could feel…with him.

He hadn’t planned on
getting intimate with her again so soon, and cursed himself for falling into her spell again. Every time he was around her, his willpower seemed to go away, fall into the abyss like a melting ice cap into the sea.

She whimpered
and clutched at his shoulders, and the kneading of her small hands drove his hunger higher, the insane need to be inside her extreme.

He wrapped one arm around her waist, lifted and turned toward the kitchen. She followed the unspoken command, and
her legs wrapped around his hips. A groan rumbled inside his chest. Their mouths tangled and clashed, desire a potent, living and breathing thing. He stumbled blindly, torn between concentrating on where he was going, and the distraction to his common sense.

She was surprising
ly light in his arms, especially with how strong he’d seen she could be. With one hand around his neck, the other dropped between their bodies and tugged on his belt.

Unable to focus, he spun her into the wall. A picture some feet away fell from its fastening and tumbled to the floor with a loud crash.
He slapped a hand against the white plaster, trying to clutch for some solid ground in the sea of lust. With knees pressed into the wood, he held their bodies up from the sheer driving force of need alone.

H
is feet planted wide in order to hold her weight to him, he tore at her robe with his free hand, gave a harsh growl of approval once he got it free. Squeezing his eyes shut, he dropped his head to her neck as his hands went searching. He found only panties beneath. Damn it, he knew he should go, but he couldn’t. A quick snap of the band at her hip, and her underwear fell away. His hips shifted, slammed forward and then—blessed heaven—he sank deep inside.

Charlie gasped and cried out.
He sank his teeth into the crook of her neck, wrapped both palms around her hips, and pounded into her with sure, hard strokes. Sweet, warm honey gripped his cock like a tight fist. He clutched for reason, prayed for the sense to stop the madness.

With n
o control over his body, sanity failed. Instead, his hips drove in and out, her erotic moans adding fuel to his inferno. He hissed as her shouts of passion grew in crescendo. Her body tightened and she sang her release, harsh sobs filling the air.

“Goddamnit, Charlie. What
do you do to me?”

She tried to turn her face toward him, but he held in place, pressing his head to hers, cheek to cheek. Unable to take from her mouth, something in his chest broke at the impending loss. He wrapped his hands under her ass, shifted upward and on the next thrust, fell in deeper. They both groaned. He tried to shield her body from the slamming against the wall, felt the pain wash over his hands with each thrust, and was hopeless to stop.