Witness (4 page)

CHAPTER SEVEN

O
NE
W
EEK
L
ATER
, Bailey padded into the kitchen in search of her pain meds and something that might help her sleep. She found the pill bottle with her Oxy, but couldn’t quite maneuver the childproof cap. “Crap.”

“Bailey?” Brock whispered.

She squeaked in fright and faced him, drawing in a quick breath at the sight of his bare chest. She got less than a second of a glance as he pulled on a T-shirt and obstructed her view, but it was enough to make her want more.

“Sorry, did I wake you?” she asked.

He shook his head. “I was looking over some notes when I heard your door open. Are you in pain?”

She handed him the pill bottle. “A little, but I can’t get this open.”

He smiled and popped the cap, tipping a pill into her hand before closing the bottle again.

She dropped it in her mouth and took a swig of water. “Thanks.”

“You okay?”

Bailey shrugged. “Honestly? I don’t know. I can’t sleep, but I don’t know if it’s because I’m freaked or in pain…or maybe both.”

Brock crossed his arms over his chest and studied her. “You know nothing’s going to happen to you, right?”

Bailey bit her lip. “Not really, no. I mean, I know you’re a highly skilled, badass and all, but that doesn’t mean when these people are caught and the trial is over that they can’t get to me some other way.”

“I’m not gonna let anyone touch you.”

“I know you believe that, but what happens if it takes forever to find them? I mean, you didn’t sign up to watch me indefinitely. Plus, am I going to be stuck inside all the time? I might go a little crazy if that’s the case, and you might go crazy babysitting me twenty-four, seven.”

Brock chuckled. “Take a breath, babe.”

“These are the things that go through my mind at one a.m. in the morning when I can’t sleep.”

He smiled. “Well, why don’t we talk then?”

“But…” She cocked her head. “You’re a guy.”

“Glad you noticed.”

“What I mean by that is that you are a man and in my experience, limited though it might be, men don’t typically like to talk.”

“I’ve got three sisters, Bailey, which means, I learned pretty quickly that women sometimes need to process verbally. If they don’t, all hell will break loose.”

She bit her lip. “You have three sisters?”

He nodded. “Two older, one younger.”

“Are you the only boy?”

“Yep.”

“Wow.”

“Sure. We can go with ‘wow,’” he said with a shrug. “I had a love/hate thing going with the fact I was the only boy, mostly because since I have a natural tendency to protect, I got in a few fights defending their honor, but now they have families of their own and I wouldn’t change anything.”

“Hence the nieces.”

“Exactly. Three of them.”

“Wow.” Bailey followed him to the sofa and sat facing him, her back against the armrest and her legs crossed in front of her. “I always wanted an older brother.”

“Just a brother?”

“Yes. I hated being an only child, but I also knew that if I’d had a sister, there would be competition. Ali’s the first woman I’ve met who doesn’t manipulate. Again, I’m not the expert, but there’s nothing worse than trusting someone and finding out they had it in for you all along.”

“Did that happen a lot?”

Bailey shook her head. “No. Once. But I learned from it. I’m really picky. My mom says I’ll never find a man with my long list of demands.” She blushed, having said too much. “Ignore me. Oxy makes my lips loose apparently.”

Brock chuckled. “Your secrets are safe with me, Bailey. You can say anything…no judgment and I’ll never repeat it.”

“I appreciate that.” She frowned. “Any word on the kids?”

“Yes. Our guy was able to get the pictures off your phone.”

“Seriously?”

He nodded. “That was really smart thinking Bailey. It gets us closer, faster.”

“I’m glad.”

“So, what other kinds of things do you think about in the middle of the night?”

“I don’t know.” She sipped her water. “Questions like, what are your parents like?”

“The deep ones.” He grinned. “Ah, Mom and Dad are still together. Thirty-eight years of marriage later.”

“Well, that’s awesome.”

“Yeah, it is. Mostly because they still really love each other. Mom’s a teacher, Dad’s an accountant. Middle class all the way. But, man, they adore life.”

“I wonder what that looks like,” she mused.

“Are yours divorced?”

“No, but they should be,” Bailey admitted.

“How so?”

“They’re miserable. Mom drinks a lot…and I mean, a
lot
. Dad’s at the club more nights than he is home. I get it, though. I love my dad. He and I are really close, but my mom, well, she’s part of the reason I live…ah,
lived
, with Ali. I needed to get out Vermont, not just to experience somewhere other than the rich, white, east coast, but to get away from her.”

“I’m sorry, Bailey.”

She shook her head. “Don’t be sorry. I’m smart enough to know that that’s her hang up. Here, no one knows me as anything other than Bailey Harper, English lit major. I don’t tell them my dad’s a retired senator and for the most part, they don’t ask. Dad married himself a younger woman. Mom’s twenty years his junior, and she most definitely married for money…and he has scads of it.”

“Scads, huh?”

She giggled. “Oh, my god, Brock. Scads. Seriously, even my mother couldn’t spend it and she makes it her life’s mission to buy whatever the hell she wants. They both come from old money and quite frankly, it disgusts me. They pay for my apartment, which is huge, and they pay for my education, which is even bigger, and I try not to take any of that for granted, but if I have to hear one more time that they were going to marry me off to Josiah Warren, I will scream. I want to work for a living. My mother finds that thought disgusting.”

“Josiah Warren?”

“Yeah, of the
Warrens
of South Hampton,” she said in a snooty mock-British accent.

“Oh, forgive me. I didn’t realize,” he retorted with a chuckle.

“Which is why I live here. No one knows, or
cares
, who the hell the Warrens of South Hampton are. You have no idea how awesome that is.”

“Must be tough, being rich and all.”

Bailey frowned. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Rich little girls with mommy issues,” he grumbled.

She bit back tears and rose to her feet. “Well, I’m really sorry. Next time I have a choice in the parents I’m born to, I’ll be sure to take your objections into consideration.” She turned on her heel and started towards her room.

Brock was up and standing in front of her faster than she could have imagined, especially, because she didn’t hear him move. He grasped her arms. “Bailey, I’m sorry. That was a total dick move.”

She stared at her feet. “Don’t worry about it.”

“Hey,” he said, and lifted her chin. “Seriously. I’m sorry. I guess I just didn’t expect you to be so grounded.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

His head dropped back and he stared at the ceiling before looking at her again. “I know about your family.”

“You do?”

“Yeah, babe, I do. We did a full background check on you.”

“So then, what was all that crap about me telling you everything and there’d be no judgment?” she challenged. “Sounds to me like you’ve already made your mind up about me, and I don’t really like what you’ve decided.” She pulled out of his grasp. “And quit calling me ‘babe.’”

He settled his hands on top of his head and took a deep breath. “I’m totally fucking this up.”

“What?”

“You, this. Us.”

“Us?” She raised her hands and shook her head. Her heart was slamming against her chest, sure she’d heard him incorrectly. “I hadn’t realized there was an ‘us.’”

“Me neither,” he grumbled.

“Well, you sound really happy about whatever it is you think you’ve ‘fucked up,’ so if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to sleep now.”

“Wait.” He slid his hand to the back of her neck and smiled. “I’m being a class A jerk, Bailey, and I’m sorry about that. I guess I just didn’t expect you, or the feelings that came along with that, and I’m processing the hell out of all of this the absolute wrong way.”

“I don’t know if class A is totally correct…class D maybe.”

Brock threw his head back and laughed. A deep laugh that came from his belly and Bailey couldn’t help but smile. She lost her smile when he focused back on her, his eyes growing dark and he stroked her cheek as he stared at her. “You’re gorgeous. You know that?”

Bailey shrugged. She’d heard this before.

“But that’s not the best part about you.”

“It’s not?” This was news.

He shook his head. “You are stronger than any person I’ve ever met and you have this innate ability to see the good in people, but when you see the bad, you don’t bullshit yourself into ignoring it. You put your life on the line for two kids you’ve never met and you’re genuinely nice to people, including me, despite the fact I’m being a class D dickhead.”

She bit back a smile. “Well, you’re not being one right now.”

Brock ran his thumb over her bottom lip and then leaned down and kissed her. Bailey gasped, which gave him access to more of her. His tongue slipped inside and she tried not to groan in ecstasy. Good god the man could kiss.

She pushed at his shoulders, good sense warring with her libido. “Is this why you’ve been wound up tight over the past week or so?”

He stroked her cheek. “Have I?”

She nodded and he leaned down to kiss her again. She pushed at his shoulders, although with a little less vigor than before. “I…I don’t think this is a great idea.”

“I get it,” he said. “But when this mess is over, this is something I want to figure out.”

“But I’m a
job
.”

“You’re not a job, Bailey. I mean you are, but you’re not. Haven’t you figured that out yet?”

She laid her hands on his chest. “I don’t know what to think. In case you haven’t guessed, I’m not really all that experienced with men…especially considering, you’re only the third I’ve kissed. Oh, my god, I can’t believe I just said that. It’s the Oxy…obviously.”

It wasn’t. It was no filter Bailey and her inherent ability to spout things from her mouth, but he didn’t need to know that.

“Seriously? Only three?”

She nodded.

“That’s a surprise.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. You can kiss, baby.”

“I can?” she asked.

“Yeah. Makes it hard not to carry you into the bedroom and do more.”

“Well,
that
I definitely haven’t done.”

“You’re shittin’ me.”

“No? Why?” She frowned. “Do I look like I have?”

He chuckled. “No.”

“Why are you laughing?” she challenged. “Are you telling me I look like a slut, Brock?”

“God, no!”

She grinned. “Gotcha.”

“Damn it, Bailey.” He stroked her cheek again. “That’s not what I’m saying.”

“I know,” she whispered.

“But seriously? You’re really still a virgin?”

She felt heat creep up her neck. “Yep. Last one in my class from what I understand.”

“Does that bother you?”

“No.” She stared up at him, his eyes searching, but no judgment. “It’s kind of been my choice I guess. I watched my friends sleep with guys because they wanted something from them, but the saddest ones looked for their self-worth through sex. Ali certainly did, and she was
gorgeous
. She was a model for freak’s sake. That always sat wrong with me. I want sex to be with someone I love. Especially, the first time and since I’ve never been in love, I’ve never had sex.”

“Brock, you’re not answering your cell phone, over.” Dallas’s voice came over the radio and he sounded more irritated than worried.

“Damn it,” Brock said, grabbing his radio from the side table. “It’s charging,” he lied. “Problem? Over.”

“Is Baby Bird asleep?”

Baby Bird
? Bailey mouthed with what she hoped was a horrified expression.

Brock grinned. “Yeah. Baby Bird’s in the nest.”

Bailey rolled her eyes and headed back into her assigned bedroom. She had a lot to think about and, with this recent development of a mutual attraction between her and Brock, she was pretty sure she was into something she didn’t think she’d be able to get of anytime soon.

A knock at her door pulled her from her thoughts. “Come in.”

“Hey,” Brock said, and pushed open the door, but didn’t come in. “You okay?”

“Other than being referred to as ‘Baby Bird,’ yeah, I’m good.”