The Closer I Get to You (Cochran/Deveraux Series Book 8)

by Melanie Schuster

  “That’s good. No one as beautiful as she is should have to wear a scar,” he said quietly. He was holding both her hands and staring into her eyes like she was the most precious thing in the world to him. She could see the warm blue color she loved returning. The doctor left, saying he would get her into a room because they wanted to keep her for observation. Now Paris was alone with Titus and she steeled herself for the harsh words she deserved. She squared her shoulders and began to speak.

  “Titus, it’s my fault, all mine. I shouldn’t have told Heide not to follow me; I should have done as you’ve told me over and over again. I’m sorry…” His lips on hers silenced her words as he kissed her gently.

  “Shh, baby, it’s okay. Even if Heide had been right behind you, it would have happened. Your car was tampered with,” he informed her. “In a bizarre way, this gives us a lead because it means whoever is behind this has access to the complex. Whoever did this was able to get to the parking structure in the complex and there’s a good possibility we have that person on surveillance tape. In any case, the only important thing is that you weren’t hurt,” he said soothingly. “If something had happened to you, Paris, if you’d been killed…” Now it was Titus who stopped talking and enfolded her in his arms, kissing her gently but with so much passion and tenderness that even now, two weeks later, she still got breathless remembering it. His words were as comforting as his arms around her.

  “Don’t be so hard on yourself, baby. This is my job. I’m going to take care of you, Paris. Nobody’s going to do anything to you, not while I’m here.” She felt comforted to her very soul and knew at that moment, that nothing could possibly hurt her.

  The rest of the night was a blur, she was admitted to a room and Titus sat next to her bed, holding her hand until she fell asleep. When she woke up she felt the warmth of a strong male hand wrapped around hers and she smiled sleepily, opening her eyes to see Titus’s warm gaze. Instead she stared into Julian’s dark eyes and gasped. Glancing around she realized they were all there, with Lucien sitting at the foot of her bed, Wade and Philippe at the head and Julian sitting in the chair next to her. She grimaced and pulled the sheet over her head, or tried to, but Wade and Philippe were too quick for her and stopped her.

  “None of that, now,” Wade admonished her. Julian, who was holding her hand, agreed.

  “We come in peace, Coco,” he said. Tears sprang to her eyes when she heard the endearment only used by her brothers. It was a diminutive of her middle name, Corinna, and a play on the fact that she’d adored hot chocolate since she was a little girl. “Titus called the Judge last night to let him know what happened. And the Judge finally let us in on what’s been going on with you and we got here as fast as we could.”

  Paris groaned. “Please tell me you didn’t make a scene or start a fight with Titus or something. Did anybody have to post bail last night?”

  Lucien laughed and squeezed Paris’s foot from his post at the end of the bed. “Touché, Coco. But you can be proud of us, we all behaved like perfect gentlemen, believe it or not. We might have been marginally upset that certain information has been withheld from us regarding specific events in your life,” he said in a voice heavy with irony. “And some of us may, in fact, have engaged in a physical demonstration of how little we liked being kept in the dark about our only sister being threatened,” he added in a studiedly casual voice, suddenly turning away from Paris.

  Philippe gave a harsh laugh. “What he means is that he took a swing at your boy and got popped.”

  Lucien raised his lip in derision at his brother. He faced Paris who could now see a slight swelling and redness along Luc’s jaw. “Ignore him, Coco, you know how he lies. It’s why he can’t keep a woman.”

  Philippe quickly offered a repeat of last night’s performance with him playing the Titus role, an offer that Lucien ignored. “Suffice it to say we were persuaded that no purpose would be served by our usual behavior and we managed to hold it down. In fact, we kinda like your boyfriend now,” he added carelessly.

  “Do what?” Paris asked weakly.

  “Your man, that Titus,” Julian said. “He’s a good man, Paris. He’s got a good head on his shoulders and he has an outstanding reputation as well as an excellent credit rating.”

  Despite the pain in her head and the general achiness of her body, Paris rose up on her elbows in indignation. “You investigated him? Good God, what is wrong with you? Why in the world would you go snooping into his background? Are you all clinically insane and no one bothered to tell me about it?” she raged.

  “Coco, calm down, little sis,” Philippe said. “We only did it because he told us to.”

  Paris’s head swiveled around painfully as she looked at each brother with her mouth open in shock. “He told you to investigate him,” she repeated in a voice full of doubt.

  “He did,” Wade assured her. “He said if you were his sister he’d be equally inquisitive about anyone you were involved with and he couldn’t blame us for being concerned. Then he said we could check him out to make sure he was legit and we did. Lucien had his laptop with him as always and we went online and checked him out.”

  Paris couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “Are you telling me you actually went digging in the man’s background, invading his privacy and snooping into his personal business? Are there no depths to which you won’t sink?” Her voice was as hot as her face, which was flaming with anger.

  Her brothers looked at each other, then at her and answered in one voice, “No.” Julian elaborated.

  “Listen, sweet girl, when it comes to you, there’s nothing we won’t do to protect you and Titus feels the same way. That gives us something in common. We may have gotten off to a rough start but he seems to be a pretty good guy. You could do a lot worse,” he added. “He picked us up at the airport and we had a chance to really talk to him. He’s cool with us.”

  This time, her brothers weren’t able to prevent her from pulling the sheet over her head and moaning out loud. Having them despise Titus was bad enough, but having them develop a liking for him was infinitely scarier. With the sheet still protecting her, she asked where the Judge was. “Where’s Daddy? Didn’t he come with you?”

  “Of course he did, Coco. Actually, he had his own ride from the airport. A lady picked him up, believe it or not. He says you introduced them,” Wade said. “Good work, baby sis, she is fine.”

  After spending the night in the hospital she went home. Aunt Ruth and Mac and the boys fussed over her all day and made sure she was comfortable and cosseted. But the thing that stood out in her mind the most was the loving care she’d gotten from Titus in the emergency room. Billy might be right, the way Titus reacted that night was indicative of something, but she was too gun-shy to speculate. Right then all she wanted to do was sleep.

  ***

  Paris wasn’t the only one with mixed emotions about her hospital adventure. Ruth had her share of memories to mull over as well. She replayed the events of those days over and over and she still hadn’t come to any satisfactory conclusions. While Paris was winging her way to sunny California, Ruth was also taking a trip but she was going to Chicago to visit some girlfriends. And she had company all the way because she couldn’t stop thinking about the days she’d spent with Mac Deveraux. She looked out of the plane window and the only thing she could see was his handsome smiling face. She leaned against the headrest and thought about the day they’d gone to visit Paris in the hospital. There were always cars available at Bennie and Clay’s and they had taken one for the ride. With her eyes closed, Ruth could still smell the heavenly aroma of his special cologne and it was like being with him again.

  Mac had looked over at Ruth, who was sitting in the passenger side of the Bentley. Her long legs were crossed, and she was once again thoughtful enough to wear a skirt so he could look at her legs all he wanted, and she smelled wonderful. He told her as much, thanking her again for picking him up at the airport and for accompanying him to see
Paris. She gave him a sideways glance, then smiled and turned to face him.

  “Julian, no thanks are necessary,” she said sweetly. “It was my pleasure as you should be aware.”

  Mac reached over to take Ruth’s hand. “I love the way you say my name. No one has ever said it the way you do.”

  Ruth stroked the back of his hand with her free one. “Julian, if I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were flirting with me.”

  He laughed and squeezed her hand. “That’s what I thought I was doing, if you have to think about it I must be more out of practice than I thought.” As he brought to car to a stop at a traffic light he looked into her captivating green eyes and gave her a sexy smile. “Are you going to help with that?”

  Ruth lowered her lashes slightly and looked at Mac with a slight frown. “No. You flirt just fine, Julian. I’m not conducting a courting tutorial so you can attract even more women,” she warned him.

  He laughed out loud before leaning over to give Ruth a quick kiss. “Honey, there’s no one in the world I want to attract other than you. You’re more than enough woman for me, darlin’.”

  Ruth kissed him back with a smile. “You’re really good at this, Julian. Just perfect, in fact.”

  An impatient horn behind them reminded Mac that they were still in traffic. Without a hint of shame he resumed driving. “You’re a true distraction, Ruth. I’m glad you’re with me because despite Titus’s report, I really am worried about Paris.”

  Ruth sighed. “I am, too, Julian. Whoever this creature is that’s after her isn’t playing. For some reason he has a grudge against our girl and he’s out to get her at any cost. Clay and Benita want her to move into their place for more protection, but she won’t hear of it. She’s really committed to this “Living Without Fear” thing and she’s determined to get through this crisis on her own terms.”

  “Tell me the truth, honey. Is Titus the man I think he is? Can I trust him with the most precious thing in my life, my only daughter?”

  Ruth was touched by Mac’s grave tone and hastened to reassure him. “You can trust Titus to take care of Paris, not because of who he is, but what he is, Julian. He’s one of the best investigators in the country, he really is. When Ceylon Deveraux’s brother stole all her money and left the country he tracked the man down and got every dime back. The man is still in federal prison even as we speak. He has the best investigators, the best resources, the best everything. If he says nothing is going to happen to Paris, he means it. Besides,” she added in a softer voice. “Titus is madly in love with her and he’d give up his own life before he let any harm come to her.”

  Mac pounded the steering wheel. “I knew that young man had feelings for Paris. They looked so crazy about each other at the wedding and then something happened. I may be out of the game, but I’m not blind,” he said dryly.

  Ruth agreed. “They had a misunderstanding, a huge misunderstanding. Paris thinks it’s a done deal, that there’s no hope for them, but I think she’s fooling herself. She’s so in love she doesn’t dare hope for anything, she’s afraid to trust her heart.”

  “And now he’s cast in the role of her protector so he can’t reveal himself to her and maintain any professional integrity,” Mac mused. By now they’d reached the hospital and Mac entered the parking lot. After securing a good spot, he got out of the car and went around to Ruth’s side to open her door. He helped her out, pausing to look down into the face he was beginning to crave. He touched her lightly on the cheek with an unguarded look of longing. “Whoever said youth was wasted on the young was right. That’s why love is lovelier the second time around. We don’t like to waste time,” he told her.

  Ruth looked up at Mac and was momentarily terrified that she looked as open and yearning as he did. She was trying vainly to think of something to say, something light and witty when a booming voice called across the parking lot. “Judge!”

  Thanking the good Lord for the arrival of Marcus Deveraux, she took in a deep breath. Life was about to get complicated again and she wasn’t completely sure she was ready for it. And she still wasn’t sure she was ready for that kind of life change, which is why she was taking refuge with her pals, the women who’d known her for years and who could help her figure everything out. A tremor ran through her as she recalled just how his lips made her feel. This is ridiculous, I’m too old for this nonsense, she thought sadly. A lone tear appeared in her left eye and she swiped it away hastily, trying to force herself to think of something other than that damnably wonderful Julian MacArthur Deveraux.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Now it was two weeks later and Paris still didn’t have an explanation for Titus’s actions, other than to think he was just trying to reassure her. Despite Billy’s teasing and her brothers surprising acceptance of him, Titus was still an enigma. As soon as it was clear that she was going to be fine with no visible damage from the accident, Titus apparently threw himself into the investigation because she saw almost nothing of him. She felt his presence in the increased measures taken to screen her phone calls, in the fact that she wasn’t allowed to drive at all and the fact that two of his people were stationed at her home at all times, but she had almost no contact with him personally. Now, jetting out to California, she still had no real clue as to what was going on in Titus’s head but she doubted seriously he was nurturing feelings for her other than those of a keeper for his charge. She slowly opened her eyes to look at Billy, frowning slightly at the smirk on his face.

  “I’m taking you out of my will, I hope you know that,” she said with a sniff. “For the last time, you don’t know what you’re talking about. Titus is not thinking about me, okay? So let it go. Just stop talking about it so I can get some sleep.”

  Billy had the last word, though. He looked at Perry with a wicked grin and advised him to move while he could. “Don’t let her fall asleep on you, man, she drools and she’s been known to snore like a Harley backfiring. It ain’t pretty.”

  Paris didn’t open her eyes, she merely held up her hand in Billy’s direction. “Pick a finger, Watanabe. And don’t make me tell what you do in your sleep, Mr. Noxious Fumes.”

  ***

  Titus was in no better shape than Paris. He wasn’t getting enough sleep, primarily because his dreams were all the same. They began with Paris, they ended with Paris, and they were all about Paris. Night after night he was plagued with incredibly detailed erotic dreams featuring her; she had truly become the woman of his dreams. Touching her intimately, tasting her, feeling her incredible skin, smelling her uniquely feminine scent, all the images tumbled together in a heated explosion that made him wake up drenched in sweat and aching for her. And it wasn’t just the sex, either; he wanted Paris, period.

  He missed their long conversations, their dates; he missed her company and her laughter. He found himself spending more time working out, not to enhance his already superb condition, but to work off some of his frustration over Paris. The woman was driving him crazy. Since the threats had begun he was more aware of her than ever and his awareness of her heightened to the point where he was dangerously close to losing control. Running hard seemed to help, and that’s what he was doing now, pounding away on the treadmill and thinking, as always, about Paris.

  This assignment was the most difficult he’d ever had because of his feelings for her. Trying to behave normally around her was torture. When he was around her, he tried not to stare at her, but it was almost impossible. When he was in her presence his eyes were on her, drinking in everything about her. There was a tiny little beauty mark near the outer corner of her right eye, for example. It was like a little magnet, drawing attention to her pretty eyes and making him want to caress her face and cover it with kisses. Then there was the way she smiled. He had to stifle a groan remembering that beautiful smile, the way it would light up her face, the way she gave that joyous smile to anyone and everyone, and the way that smile changed a little when she turned it on him. This time he did make a sound, a
low growl of anger and desire. Every time he looked at her it was like he was seeing her for the first time and the view was just amazing.

  The sweat was pouring off his muscled frame freely as he ran mindlessly, trying to outrun the inevitable. He picked up his bottle of water from the holder on the treadmill’s frame and took a deep swallow, smiling wryly as he put it back in place. He’d never thought of drinking water as an erotic act, but the way Paris did it…he had to wipe the sweat from his face as he recalled how she was always drinking twenty ounce bottles of spring water. The brand she preferred came in a cylindrical bottle and while she was reading or talking on the phone her long fingers would stroke its surface, up and down, up and down, innocently mimicking the way a very sexy woman would stroke a very lucky man. Just when he couldn’t take any more of watching her fingers caress the dewy moisture on the bottle she’d pick it up and drink deeply from it. There were times he’d be so aroused from the sight it was all he could do not to rip the bottle out of her hand. And it wasn’t just the bottles of water; Paris always seemed to be eating something and turning the very act of nourishment into a carnal act.

  It started with those damned bananas. Paris usually ate breakfast in the dining room in the office complex and she almost always had the same thing, fat free yogurt, Grape Nuts or Kashi cereal, a cup of coffee and a banana. She liked them because they were sweet and chock full of potassium, something he certainly didn’t begrudge her, but the way she would peel the skin down and put the tip of the fruit into her mouth… Titus felt his stomach muscles clench and his groin tighten at the memory. He had actually considered buying up the dining room’s stock of bananas to keep them away from Paris but he wisely rejected the idea. For one thing, it would have been nuts. And more importantly, it wouldn’t have done much good. There were other things that looked equally enticing when Paris was consuming them. Sugar free popsicles were one of her favorite afternoon treats, for example. He’d sometimes see her licking one when he stopped by her office in the afternoon. The sugar free fudgesicles were the worst; the way she could wrap her lips around one and lick it like it was… This time he picked up the bottle and squirted himself in the face, wiping it off with the towel around his neck.