Respect

by Jay Crownover

  She gave me a crooked smile, one that was startlingly similar to Karsen’s, and whispered back, “Honey, the drawl goes with the whole Taylor Swift thing. Drives the guys nuts and I can charge an arm and a leg. I’m from San Diego, originally. I can do this.”

  Without any prompting from me, she leaned up on her toes and pressed a kiss to my cheek. The one with the scar. She was good, really good. That was a move only the real Karsen had ever been brave enough to pull off. It would also go a long way to solidify she was who she claimed to be in Troy’s eyes.

  Pulling back, she took a step next to me and cocked her head at the door. Immediately, we were both blinded by a flood light flickering on. She threw up a hand to cover her face and let out a squeal of surprise.

  “You need to open the door. I came all this way, missed my sister’s wedding to be here. Stop playing around and let me in.” She put her hands on her hips and watched the door. I kind of wished she didn’t need the sunglasses to perpetuate the ruse. I was curious if her go-to-hell face was as fierce as my Karsen’s. It was a smart way to play it. The real Karsen would have been irritated.

  Another laugh full of hysteria and insanity echoed through the building. “I can’t believe you picked me. I knew you would. I knew it every time I watched you that you loved me the way I loved you. I knew you could see me.”

  “I haven’t figured out the door yet. Want me to cut the power?” Stark’s voice jolted me from the silent showdown with the immovable object in front of me.

  I shook my head in the negative. I wanted to save the ace up my sleeve for when it would do the most good.

  “I’m not letting her come in the room alone, Troy. You have to know that.” I swiveled my head, trying to locate the camera. “You can’t have her. She’s mine.”

  A deranged howl ripped through the speakers, and I heard a thump like he kicked something over.

  “No, she loves me. Don’t you, Karsen? You liked having me watch you, protect you. I was always there for you, not like him. He’s too old for you, too ugly. We are perfect together. I watched for hours and hours. I have so much footage of you doing simple, everyday things, but when you do them, they are so special.” The words rose in volume and it didn’t take a genius to figure out he was spiraling out of control. My skin crawled as he admitted to having cameras planted in Karsen’s personal space. He’d been watching her every minute of the day. When real Karsen heard about the absolute invasion of her privacy, she was going to lose her mind. This kid was lucky it was me he was dealing with instead of her. I was starting to realize she had a wicked thirst for vengeance.

  “I just want my friend back. Open the door so we can talk. I’ll keep the big guy out here while we talk, okay? But you have to let me in.” The girl was convincing. I almost believed she was full of wholesome sincerity. I owed Benny a new expensive ass watch for tracking her down and getting her on board.

  “Oh, we’re going to do so much more than talk. I’ve been waiting so long for you, baby.” The woman next to me flinched but held her ground.

  Slowly, the metal door started to creak and slide open. The sound was grating and put my teeth on edge. I exchanged a look with the woman next to me, when the hollow voice filling the space around us ordered her to step forward.

  She faltered but moved in the direction she’d been commanded. I put a hand on her shoulder to hold her still.

  “Stark. Now.” The woman’s head whipped around as I seemingly spoke to no one, and the voice overhead shrieked in fury when he heard me say the other computer guru’s name.

  “No!” The door started to slide shut, but before it could move an inch, the entire building went dark.

  The fake Taylor screamed and latched onto my arm. I could hear more screaming from inside the room, and the sound of Troy’s actual voice filtered out through the open doorway as he swore and screamed. A gunshot went off.

  I tucked the woman safely behind me and ordered, “Don’t move. Benny will be back for you shortly. He’ll get you out of here. You did great. Tell him to double what he’s paying you.”

  She nodded numbly and slunk back against the far wall as another gun shot rang out.

  Once she was tucked safely away, I pulled the night-vision goggles Benny had supplied over my eyes and started into the pitch-black room. The kid was firing randomly, shooting in every direction. I flinched when a bullet whizzed particularly close to the chair Ari was tied to. I heard a furious snarl travel through the dark and realized things were about to move really fast. I needed to get the gun out of Troy’s hand and equally as important, get Benny home in time for dinner.

  The kid didn't see me coming. He couldn’t. Without the night vision, I couldn’t see my hand two inches in front of my face.

  I went in low, trying to stay out of the line of fire. A bullet hit one of the lights hanging overhead and a shower of glass rained down, peppering the floor with sharp shards. I caught him around the waist, taking him to the ground, swearing as the glass ripped my clothes and sliced into my legs.

  I grabbed Troy’s wrists and bashed them on the ground until he released the weapon. He screamed and thrashed around underneath me. It was like trying to keep an eel contained.

  I got a knee in the balls and took an elbow to the chin, but as soon as I managed to get my forearm across the guy’s windpipe, he stopped moving . . . and breathing . . . but I wasn’t going to feel bad about that.

  “Stark! Lights!”

  There was a distinctive hum of fluorescent lights firing back up and the room was once again illuminated. I ripped off the goggles and looked over to where the pretty roommate had been tied to the chair.

  She was no longer held captive. Instead, she was in the arms of a burly, dark-haired man wearing SWAT gear and looking at the man struggling to get air into his lungs like he was ready to drop him from the top of the building. I didn’t normally involve the cops in anything I did, but in this instance, it was necessary. Ari’s older brother deserved to be here, and Dominic Voss was how I was going to make sure this kid stayed the hell away from Karsen forever.

  I put more pressure on the choke hold, leaning forward until my nose was practically touching the stalker’s.

  “The entirety of Denver’s SWAT team is outside this building, waiting to take you in. What kind of idiot kidnaps a cop’s kid sister? Not to mention you knocked her around, so he already wants your balls in a jar on his shelf.”

  The kid choked and gagged under my arm. His eyes were watering and snot was rolling steadily out of his nose. He looked crazed and feral.

  “When I left the Point, I was ready to cut you into tiny pieces and send them to the farthest corners of the states, Braveheart-style. I imagined you begging, pleading, crying for me to let you go. I imagined you watching my girl, creeping on her, invading her privacy, touching her things, and I realized death wasn’t enough. Sometimes death can be a blessing. You don’t have to worry about anything or anyone coming after you when you’re in a grave. You don’t have to worry about watching your back and staying safe when you’re six-feet under. No, making you bleed was too easy. So, I contacted the cop. He wasn’t thrilled he had to work with me, but when I promised to hand you over on my way out of town, he couldn’t tell me no.”

  I could hear people moving around behind me in the room. I could hear Ari babbling and sobbing alternately. The sound of squawking police radios threatened to pull my concentration from my prey, but I wasn’t done yet.

  “Dying is a breeze and you’ll wish for death once you find out what life behind bars is like. That cop is going to make sure you get put away and the guy whose system you hacked into is going to make sure you end up in the worst of the worst cellblock. You’re gonna end up in a Supermax with guys who will eat you for breakfast and no one will even know you’re there.” I pushed off his neck, pointing at my face as I climbed to my feet. “If you’re lucky, you’ll end up with a souvenir like this. Every single day you’ll be reminded of what you did, what they did to you, an
d why you’re there. You’ll think of me, and you’ll remember I’m the reason you’re there.” I smirked at him. “You’ll have nothing but time on your hands to think of all the ways I’m keeping Karsen happy. Welcome to hell, kid.”

  He howled in outrage and made a move as if he was going to lunge at me, but the dark-haired cop was there in a flash. He had a knee on the guy’s neck and put his face to the ground with enough force I was sure the stalker was going to be missing teeth when he was pulled to his feet. His hands were zip-tied together and he was handed off to a waiting officer. I grinned as he was jerked around like a rag doll. None of these guys were happy one of their own was involved in this mess.

  The cop considered me thoughtfully for a second. “Is it too much to ask that you come in and make a formal statement?”

  I shook my head. “Got my girl waiting for me. I need to disappear.” I wasn’t about to let them run my prints or dig into who I really was. And I really did want to get back to Karsen.

  He stared at me for a minute, obviously debating if he was going to let me walk away with no questions asked. Eventually, his sister called for him and he heaved a deep sigh. “Thank you. I owe you one.”

  I laughed and rubbed my fingers over my scar. “You don’t want to owe a man like me, Voss. Let Karsen stay in Ari’s life. Don’t try and dissuade the friendship, regardless of what you hear or think you know about our lives. Let Ari keep the illusion Karsen is nothing more than a normal girl, and we’ll consider it even.” He was dying to ask questions, and I knew he wasn’t going to like the answers.

  He nodded and turned toward his sister. “Keep her safe.”

  The warning was clear, but totally unnecessary. Keeping Karsen safe was my sole reason for existing. I’d finally found my purpose in life. It wasn’t to be a man admired and feared, it was to be the man loved and respected by her, and her alone. It was also my job to love and respect her, unlike any other.

  After all, when you loved something, you set it free . . .

  Karsen

  When it returned. . . . it was always meant to be yours.

  I felt the covers lift and the mattress sink under his weight. I hadn’t heard the door to the hotel room open, he hadn’t bothered to turn on the lights, regardless, I knew it was him. I had no idea what time it was. After watching Booker take Troy down and turn Ari over to her brother, I went back to the reception and did my best to pretend I wasn’t simply going through the motions of celebrating the happy couple. I’d had a moment of total freak out and loss of control when those lights went out and all I could see was the muzzle flash from the gun going off. Not knowing what was happening or who was getting shot made me lose my ever-loving mind. I would have snapped Noe’s laptop in half if she hadn’t wrestled it away from me. She also ordered me to breathe and reminded me my man was a badass, and there was no way he was not going to save my best friend from that psycho or let me watch him die. It took a minute for her words to sink in, but eventually I managed to get control of my spiraling emotions. I knew I was supposed to be there for my sister, but I wanted Booker back. I didn’t feel like myself with him gone and out of contact.

  Warm hands slid across my skin and I was pulled back against a hard, bare chest as I felt a kiss land on the top of my head. I snuggled into the welcome embrace and obediently parted my legs as Booker moved to press one of his between them. I went to bed without putting anything on, hoping he would return sooner rather than later. My skin tingled when I realized his big body was entirely naked behind me. With his skin touching mine, I finally felt like I could draw in a full breath and my concentration was back to being laser sharp and totally focused . . . on him.

  “Do you think Ari will ever forgive me? Aside from you, she’s the best friend I’ve ever had. I brought Troy into her life, even if it wasn’t directly. I’m the reason she ended up in the middle of all this.” I wouldn’t blame her if she never wanted to see me again, but it would hurt having her walk away. There weren’t a ton of people I relied on and trusted. Ari was at the top of the list.

  Booker pulled me closer and I felt the rigid line of his erection nestled between my ass cheeks. I wiggled against the velvet and steel pole, sighing as his hands skimmed the fullness of my breasts and wandered over the flat plane of my stomach.

  “She was a victim, the same way you were. I think when she has some time to heal and to come to grips with what happened, she’ll come around. That brother of hers seems like good people. He’ll take care of her and make sure she gets herself back on track. Be patient with her. That’s all you can do.” His lips danced up the side of my neck and his index fingers dipped teasingly into my belly button. I shifted in reaction, my body wilting in pliant submission under his tender ministrations.

  “That was pretty slick, calling Dom in for back up. I wasn’t expecting it.” Not at all. It was my turn to almost fall off the bed while I was watching Booker’s endgame play out. Never in a million years did I picture him going to the police, even if the police had a personal investment this time around.

  He bit the curve of my jaw and soothed the slight sting left behind with a flick of his tongue. “The more time I spend around you, the easier it is to recognize the right thing to do. It might take me a minute to get there, but I’m finding my way because of you.”

  I sighed as his fingers trailed over my lower abdomen, disappearing into the hollow between my legs. He sighed in satisfaction when his fingers encountered warm, wet flesh. The silky arousal started gathering the second he laid down behind me.

  “Whether you do the right thing or the wrong thing, you know I’ll stand beside you either way, right?” I arched into his touch as his fingers delved into the soft folds eagerly awaiting his attention.

  “I know that. I also know you’re less likely to get hurt if I choose to do the right thing, instead of falling back on the wrong one like I always have. I can make better choices if it means keeping you safe and being the man you deserve.” He hummed in appreciation as my body fluttered and pulsed under his fingertips.

  I let out a quiet moan and pressed harder into his embrace. “Just remember, I fell in love with the man known for doing the wrong thing. He might need to make an appearance every now and then. Our lives are never going to be easy, Booker. Right and wrong isn’t so cut and dry in our world.”

  His whole body stiffened at my offhanded declaration of love. His hands tightened where they were holding me, and I literally felt his heart skip several beats.

  “Don’t worry, puppy. That guy is never very far from the surface.” His lips touched the sensitive shell of my ear and his tongue traced the outer edge. “And, he fell in love with you a long time ago.”

  My reaction was the opposite of his. I felt everything inside me go soft and pliable. His love made everything feel warm and liquid. It wrapped around me securely and offered an unbreakable wall of protection against everything that wanted to tear us apart.

  His thick fingers pressed inside of me as his hips rocked his cock up and down in the snug valley behind me. He whispered how much he missed me, how good it felt to have me in his arms. He told me over and over again that he loved me, and how he would never let me go. His raspy words spun a delicate web of promises around us and pulled me deeper into the haze of arousal surrounding us. It was getting hard to think straight, but before I let him overwhelm me with passion and pleasure, I had one more thing I wanted to say to him.

  “I wanted to claw out that knock-off Taylor’s eyes when she kissed you on the cheek. I think I’m going to be more of a rabid dog than a puppy when it comes to you. I don’t want anyone else to touch you. It turns me into a jealous bitch.” I cocked my head so I could touch my mouth to his. I met his gaze, letting him see the possessive truth in my eyes. “Mine.” I kissed him again to drive the point home.

  His chuckle was sweet against my lips, and his stubble was rough where it brushed across my cheeks and chin. His fingers started to plunge in and out of my soaked opening, and his thumb fo
und my clit as he started to rub slow circles over my distended collection of nerves.

  “You don’t have to worry. I don’t want anyone else touching me either. It was necessary yesterday; that’s the only reason I let it happen.” He kissed his way down my neck, stopping to sink a bite in the curve where my neck and shoulder met. “Turnabout is only fair, Karsen. I get to claim you as mine. If anyone puts their hands on you, I won’t be jealous, I’ll be lethal. Keep that in mind.”

  His threat shouldn’t be a turn on, but it was. Everything about him was. Including those parts of him that would always be dangerous and hazardous to others . . . but never to me.

  Apparently, the conversation was over because his mouth busied itself with kissing across my shoulders as his hands took full control of my body. The one between my legs started up a steady rhythm, sliding in and out of my wetness with a slick sound that rang in my ears. His other hand found the swell of my breast and palmed the fullness. My nipple poked the center of his hand, begging for some kind of friction and attention. He rolled the sensitive tip around and around with his palm, making me shiver in response and having my body silently begging for more.

  He complied. Fingers scissoring and stroking with more pressure, as his thumb continued to torture my clit. I bucked back against him, grinding my hips into the hard shaft rocking against me.

  Wordlessly, he understood his fingers were not enough. The empty ache only he could fill was starting to make my movements desperate and my body impatient. All it took was a shift of his hips and a hand under my knee to tug one of my legs up, so he could slide inside for that hollow void to drop away. The press of his body into mine immediately centered something inside of me that was always untethered and lost when we were apart. I was anchored by this man. Held steady and sure. When I was with him this way, I felt as invincible and unbreakable as I always believed him to be.

  With him behind me, and both of us on our sides, he couldn't sink as deep or move as forcibly as he typically did. This resulted in lovemaking which was slow, deliberate, and endlessly tender. I felt every drag and pull of his cock inside of me. I could count his heart beats against my back. I could feel the slight tremor in his fingers as he continued to touch me, continued to amp up the anticipation, and my growing impatience.