Till Justice Is Served (15 page)

"Thanks," he mumbled around a mouthful of food.

She stared at him. Her smile softened her gaze and heated his skin. "What?" he asked.

"I'd forgotten how gorgeous you are. No wonder you let your hair grow out and stop shaving. Otherwise, you'd never convince anyone that you're a thug."

Her announcement had been so matter-of-fact and unexpected that Rafe was stumped for a response. Silence was the best way to end a one-sided conversation, so he kept his mouth shut. He took another big bite and chewed slowly. The idea that she was a little prejudiced in his favor made him happy.

Rafe finished eating first. He rinsed the dishes then loaded them in the dishwasher. He felt Erin's presence behind him. He turned and took the plate from her hand. Her tongue slid across her bottom lip as if searching for any errant pieces of food. Or was she thinking about kissing him? Before she could decide, he made up her mind by cupping her cheek with his hand. He started with her sexy mole, placing little pecks there, before covering her mouth with his.

She moaned softly, leaned into him, and swiped her tongue across his. A small earthquake ripped through Rafe. Nothing had ever felt so right. His free hand slid around her waist, and he crushed her tight against his chest, pressing her breasts against him.

Her hands slid under his shirt. Supple fingers kneaded his back, stroked across his skin, and made it difficult to think. He left her soft lips to work his way to her neck and behind her ear.

She shivered.

He whispered, "You have no idea how often I've threatened to do that."

A sexy smile lifted the corners of her mouth. "What took you so long?"

Rafe dropped his hands to her waist. "I'm here now." He dragged her even closer, molding her body into his. Desire had blinded him to anything except her nearness. He forced himself to take a deep breath. "Still too much too soon?"

She glanced down. While she couldn't see how he strained against his zipper, she'd definitively felt his erection pressing against her. "It's not enough."

He lifted her away from the counter, and her legs locked around him. He turned and sat her on the edge. He grabbed the edge of her T-shirt and pulled it over her head. Leaning back, he let his eyes devour her. Her chest rose and fell rapidly. Jesus, her creamy, soft skin begged to be stroked.

"You are incredible." He lowered his head and ran his tongue along the flesh at the top of her lacy bra.

"Rafe?" Her tone was breathy.

"Little busy here," he joked, sucking her nipple into his mouth through the material.

"I'm a big girl."

That got his attention. "Huh?"

"I want your word that I'm not going to get the 'I'm not ready for a permanent relationship' speech. You're leaving as soon as you can. I get it."

Her gaze was steady, and the smile on her face appeared to be sincere. She was right. He should make sure she understood this was sex and not permanent. At that thought, his erection deflated faster than if he'd jumped naked into the lake in winter. "You get it?"

She nodded. "It's no big deal."

"Excuse me?" Now why had that sent a ping of hurt to his pride? "You said earlier you hadn't been kissed in a year. Now you want me to believe you have two- or three-week flings. Can't have it both ways. Which is it?"

Her eyes broke contact with his. "All right. No flings but I'm okay with this being temporary."

"Listen, tough guy." He decided to get everything on the table. "I've never wanted anybody as much as I do you. You've always hit my hot buttons. Even when we were too young to know where all those buttons were or exactly what they meant, you stirred my blood." Her gaze returned and met his. "An assignment will be waiting on me when I get back to work. Where to? Who knows? There isn't room in my life for a perm—"

"You're not telling me anything I don't already know." She slid off the counter into the narrow space between them. "We'd better go."

Rafe placed a hand on either side of her hips. Grasping the counter top, he effectively trapped her. "I remember a young, innocent girl. One who's grown into a beautiful, desirable woman. Don't get pissed because I don't want to hurt you."

"I wasn't innocent." Again, she averted her gaze, but not before he saw the suffering in her eyes. "I'd been through more at that age than you can imagine."

"I didn't know. I swear." The pain in her eyes and the fire in her tone slammed into Rafe. She'd been through a lot more than being homeless. That somebody had hurt her sent anger rushing through his system. He cupped her cheek. "I hope you'll trust me enough to tell me." Her eyebrows dipped. "Someday."

"Thank you."

"Whatever happened, it won't change my desire to make love to you."

The tension around her eyes relaxed. The corners of her mouth twitched. "Good to know."

He kissed the mole above her lip, caught her by the hand, and then walked her to the car. Damn, he'd wanted to carry her to bed. Wanted to see, touch, and taste every part of her soft skin. But she'd stopped them twice. Hell, maybe she was just too smart to hook up with someone like him. Either way, the next move had to be hers. 

The drive to the YMCA took them past areas of town Rafe hadn't seen in years. The elementary school playground was full of kids. "See those monkey bars? Nick and I used to race to see who could get there first. Even then we were competitive."

"And you always won?"

"Hardly ever," Rafe said. "Nick was a good athlete and student. He pushed me to try harder, get stronger, and be smarter. I tried, but he was usually a step faster and a little brainier. All that changed when he started experimenting with drugs. After he became addicted, he lost interest in sports and school."

"I've read that losing your twin is like having a part of yourself missing." Erin's tone was sincere, without sounding like pity, and Rafe appreciated that. "I can't imagine how much his death hurt you."

"I took it hard. At first, I was filled with anger at him. It took a long time for me to forgive him, but I'll never forgive the drugs."

"Which is why you're dedicated to your job."

"If you're trying to make up for telling me my hair needs to be cut, it's not working," he joked, figuring he'd already spilled too much personal shit to her. Nick wasn't a subject Rafe liked to discuss. Why he'd brought him up to Erin was a mystery, except she was so damn easy to talk to.

He parked his car in the lot across from the YMCA and walked across the street with her, stopping at the entrance. "I'll catch up with you in a few."

The sunlight bounced off her face as she graced him with a big grin. "You're going to the barbershop."

"Don't start thinking it's because of you," he teased, and her eyes sparkled in the light. "I'd been planning on getting a haircut. I just hadn't had time."

She'd never know how close he'd come to kissing her again.

****

Erin couldn't wipe the smile off her face as she entered the Y and walked to the office. The sound of squeaking tennis shoes and a whistle blowing filled her with joy. It was like waking up from a nightmare. Her step was lively as she walked around the corner to the basketball court. The girls were in a huddle, listening to the school principal. One of the players spotted her and called out her name. The entire group looked up, squealed, and ran to her, all talking at once.

Erin's heart was so full she was sure it would explode. Smiling teenage faces crowded around her, everyone patting and hugging her. Tears filled Erin's eyes. She swallowed and tried to sound serious. "Why aren't you ladies in school?"

"Teacher in-service day," Gayle, one of the seniors, said.

"I seem to have lost track of time," Erin said.

"You're back, right?" one of the girls asked. The rest of the team echoed the question.

"We'll see. I'm here to speak with the director about it." Movement caught Erin's attention, and she glanced up to see Principal Mueller waiting to speak with her. "When did the principal take over?"

"Just for today," Gayle whispered. "Principal Mueller said he could sneak off easier than Coach Evans, which was fine with us. We were glad he couldn't make it today."

"I wasn't aware he coached basketball." Erin had a bad feeling considering every girl standing around her was frowning.

"He doesn't," Gayle answered. "We're all ready to quit rather than have him yell and trash-talk us..."

Sensing Gayle had stopped talking for a reason, Erin turned to find the principal had walked closer.

"Ms. Brady," he said. "It's good to see you."

"You, too. This is my lucky day," she said. "After I spoke with Dom, you were going to be my next stop."

"You girls divide up and scrimmage for a minute." Principal Mueller shooed the team back to the court. "Last time I saw Dom, he was in his office. I'll walk with you."

The principal seemed overly pleased to see her, which she tried to ignore since he tended to be a flirt. No matter, Erin edged away from him. She took a deep breath and thought through what she wanted to say before speaking. "I appreciate you and Coach Evans filling in. The girls are important to me, and I look forward to getting back to coaching here and my counseling work at school."

"It's a matter of formality. The district police contacted me this morning. They've already filed their report. Your reinstatement should come soon."

"Great news. I'm ready. My normally quiet life was perfect without all the notoriety." Erin knocked on the office door, expecting the principal to move on. Instead, he stood a little too close. His fingers wrapped around her arm, causing her to jump. Could he be the one who'd left the last message at her house? Had he killed Penny and Sara?

"You're an asset to the school, and I'm glad the trouble is over. I'd better get back to the girls."

Before she could speak, he released her arm and jogged back to the basketball court. Erin felt like a fool. Was she going to view every male she knew as if he were a suspect?

"Looking for me?"

"Dom?" She whirled to find him strolling down the hall. "As a matter of fact, I was."

"I hate sitting in an office. Walk with me. We can talk while I check on the water aerobics class."

"Perfect." Erin fell in step with him. "I'm hoping you've heard that I'm no longer a suspect in the murders."

"It was on the news, and Principal Mueller stopped by my office this morning. I hated to ask you not to come back until this mess was cleared up, but my primary concern will always be the kids."

"I expected nothing less. But I'd like to come back. The girls need me."

"Excuse me just a second." He walked to the edge of the pool and spoke with the instructor.

Erin didn't recognize the new woman. She wore her dark hair pulled up in a knot, and her flashing brown eyes brightened as Dom dropped to one knee and chatted with her. From where Erin stood, it appeared to be a rather friendly conversation. Dom was all smiles as the young woman spoke.

Erin gave herself a mental shake. She'd done it again. Overanalyzing was going to get her nowhere. Besides, Dom's private life was none of her business.

Dom returned, smiling from ear to ear. Had he been flirting? Here at work?

"She's lovely." Erin hoped that would open a line of dialogue.

"Indeed. She's new." He restarted their walk. "As to your job as coach, based on what I've heard, I support you coming back. The girls have complained that Terry Evans pushes too hard."

Erin stopped in her tracks. Shocked to think her life might be getting back to normal, she felt lightheaded. "How's today sound?"

"Go for it. The girls will be thrilled." With a nod, Dom strode around the corner.

She breathed a sigh of relief on the way back to the basketball court. She interrupted practice again to extract a promise from the principal to call off Coach Evans. Her heart soared when the players cheered at her return.

"Why are you ladies standing around?" Erin dug out her whistle, which she'd tucked away in her bag just in case she was reinstated, and joined the team, hanging the lanyard around her neck. It was like being hugged by an old friend. "I need ten free throws from each of you. Run a lap for each one you miss."

Every player grinned from ear to ear. The chorus of "Yes, Coach" was a welcome sound. The girls ran drills and sprints and worked on defense without one complaint.

Grace McCain, one of the newer players on the team, jogged over to Erin. "I'm glad you're back."

"Thank you," Erin said, knowing how hard it must have been for the teenager to initiate contact. "It feels good to be back."

The girl shifted from one foot to the other. Her gaze seemed locked on her shoelaces. "I...I..."

Erin's heart melted. "I'm okay, Grace. If you need to talk, I'll make time for you."

The teenager lifted her head and smiled. "Thanks, Coach."

"You better get back to the drills."

"Oh," Grace said, her gaze shifting to something behind Erin. "Don't look now, but there's a stranger watching you."

Icy fingers crawled up Erin's spine. "Where is he?"

"Sitting in the stands."

"Maybe he's a college scout." Erin tried to sound convincing, hoping she was right.

"If he is, I'll play on his team." Grace's eyes sparkled. "He's hot."

Feeling a little foolish for being paranoid, Erin knew without looking who was in the stands. "He's a friend."

"Guys who look like that aren't 'friends."'

Erin gave in to curiosity and glanced over her shoulder. The man smiled, nodded, and then removed his Western hat. Without breaking eye contact, he walked toward them.

"Who is he?" Grace asked.

"I was wrong. I have no idea." Erin had expected to see Rafe, but this man was a stranger. "Now go back to the team and let me find out what he wants." Erin didn't wait for a response. She joined the stranger where he'd stopped at the edge of the court.

Grace had been right about his looks. His sandy-colored hair was neatly trimmed, a white shirt covered his broad shoulders, and black jeans fit snugly across his trim hips. With a face structured like Matthew McConaughey's, he could've been a stand-in for the star. By the time her gaze got to his Western boots, she'd solved the riddle.