by Regan Black
Shane shook his head. “Tommy hasn’t recalled anything helpful about his assailant and likely won’t. The chief has all of us working through the list by phone and face-to-face interviews. It will take time, but he didn’t dismiss the alternate theory outright.”
“Good.” She trailed after him as he moved to his computer. The sooner they found a lead on the real killer, the sooner his sister could come home to Red Ridge where she belonged. “What now?” she asked, strangely uncomfortable that she was now effectively his roommate.
“Now we wait and see if they can track down the man who bribed Tyler to leave the gate unlocked,” he said.
“I feel awful for him,” she murmured, turning her gaze to the window. Shane had every right to say I told you so and berate her for her misplaced faith in Tyler.
“You were right,” he said. “He’s a good kid.”
Startled, she whipped around, confused by the sincerity in his gaze. “You mean it.”
“I do.” He shifted forward, catching the tips of her fingers with his. He toyed with her fingers, that small, sweet contact stirring desire low in her belly. “We all make mistakes.”
And like her, Tyler had made a big one. At least he would have help rectifying it. She would never be able to undo the damage she’d inflicted on her grandfather. Or Shane.
With Shane’s gaze on their hands, she couldn’t see his eyes, but the warmth was clear in his touch. How odd that she stood here with a man who’d been wrongfully convicted of murder, yet he was really the only innocent person she knew. No, he wasn’t perfect, but of all the mistakes made through the years, Shane’s being in the wrong place at the wrong time was the most benign.
“I’m sorry.” The words tumbled from her lips, unbidden. She didn’t even know what to do with them now that they were out there.
“For what?”
For being a Gage, she thought. If there were two people with more bad baggage between them, she didn’t know who they were. “My grandfather owed you an apology. It should have been offered sooner.”
“That’s the third time you’ve apologized for him.” He looked up, his eyes earnest. “You can stop now.”
“I only count two,” she said. Over his mother’s amazing red sauce and just now. And both times she’d avoided confessing her part in making closure impossible.
He stood up and stroked a thumb over her unscathed cheek. “At the end of my first day training with Stumps.”
Oh, that. She felt her face flame. “I…well. You, ah, didn’t seem to hear me and I lost my nerve.” Lack of nerve around Shane seemed to be her default.
“It took a whole lot of nerve just to say it at all. I was bitter and resentful that you were our instructor.”
“Is that past tense?” she asked.
“I seem to be getting over myself.” His lopsided smile sent butterflies pinwheeling through her belly. “Slowly.”
“Some things shouldn’t be forgotten,” she agreed. If they could be, she would have found it easy to forgive herself for hurting Grandpa Gage and by default, Shane.
“Why do you look guilty when you think of him?”
“Him?” she asked, buying time.
“Your grandfather.” He drew her along with him as he returned to the couch. Patting her knee, he sat back. “I’m an investigator, remember? You had nothing to do with the bungled murder case and yet you’re the only Gage who’s addressed the situation with me directly in nearly a decade. And you look guilty every time.”
She desperately wanted to turn away from the subject and Shane, but he was right about the guilt. It had been eating her alive for years. “You heard my grandfather died of a heart attack, right?” At his nod, she continued, determined to get it all out this time. “That’s my fault. I killed him.” She pulled back before he could and clutched the quilt he’d draped over her while she napped.
“I’d like the whole story,” Shane said with excruciating calm. “Please.”
Investigator at work, she supposed. “When it got out what he’d done, how he’d manipulated everything about that case, I went over and just unloaded on him. He was my idol, my rock, and what he did to you crushed me.” She swiped the tear from her cheek. Whatever she’d suffered was nothing compared to Shane’s ordeal through the trial, in the court of public opinion and as a prison inmate.
“Oh, I let him have it,” she said. “I said the most dreadful things, the way only a devastated and disillusioned teenager can say them. When he tried to apologize to me, I told him you were the one who deserved those words. He asked me to wait. He was struggling to breathe and rubbing at his arm. I didn’t.”
She braced herself for the worst part. “It was the only time in my life that I left him without giving him a hug and telling him I loved him.” She forced herself to meet Shane’s gaze. “He was dead hours later. My fault.” Tears clogged her throat, but she would get it all out. “You can never have the closure you deserve because of me. I’m so sorry.”
Her entire body itched to get up and run as far from Shane and this shameful moment as she could get. Her cat shoved his head against her fist until she opened her fingers and stroked his ears. At least Oscar didn’t care that she’d been cruel and careless.
“You never told anyone else?”
“No,” she said, voice trembling. She was such a coward.
“I’m the only one who knows?”
He’d clearly found his calling as an investigator. “Yes.” A vise of emotions, old and new, squeezed her chest. She wanted to apologize over and over again for denying him that essential piece of healing when he’d returned to Red Ridge. She could never make it right.
“I tried to talk to Carson once and chickened out.” Well, she was certainly full of confessions today.
“You do realize having an argument is different from actively ending a life, right?”
“If I’d stayed, if I’d been a decent human being and given him an ounce of the respect he’d earned despite his horrible error with your case, he might still be alive today.”
“Danica.” He nudged the cat out of the way and pulled her into his arms. “You don’t know that.”
“Neither do you.” She hiccupped and despite her attempt to maintain control, the dam burst. She cried in earnest, her tears soaking his shirt.
He kissed the top of her head, smoothed her hair back with long, soothing strokes and murmured comforting nonsense until the worst subsided. Stumps laid his chin on her knee in support.
“Is this why you didn’t go into law enforcement?” he asked.
“Yes.” How was she going to get out of this gracefully? “I couldn’t bear the idea of wearing that uniform. It would have been like a slap in your face every day.”
Something that sounded suspiciously like laughter rumbled in his chest beneath her cheek. “You have the sweetest heart.”
She sat up, her palms braced on his rock-hard shoulders as she gaped at him. “What?”
“Of everyone involved in that disaster, you have the least cause to carry around any guilt.” He helped her sit up and handed her a box of tissues.
She surely looked frightful, yet there was something in his gaze that made her warm all over. “Are you saying you’ve forgiven him?”
He sighed. “That may be a lifelong journey, but I’m getting closer. I was furious from the moment he pinned that girl’s death on me. When I was finally released, I was determined to ruin him, to expose him as a fraud and a bad cop.” He pushed a hand through his hair, his expression sheepish. “As you pointed out, none of his other cases were flawed or overturned.”
“I don’t know why he went off the rails with you.” She glanced at Stumps, who had rolled to his back once her tear-fest ended. Bending, she gave the little dog a belly rub, smiling as his rear legs kicked at the air in happiness.
“You didn’t see the crime scene.” Shane’s shutter
ed gaze grew distant. “At the end of the day, why doesn’t really matter,” he said. “It happened. It was rectified. Now we all have to move on.” He poked her shoulder lightly. “Even you.”
“Ha ha.” It was disconcerting to hear him speak so plainly, with none of the bitterness or smoldering temper that often colored in his voice. Maybe her guilty conscience had added those elements to their previous exchanges.
“I admit it has taken me longer than it should have to get to this point,” he said quietly. “What I thought I lost in prison was nothing compared to what I gained.”
She waited, petting Stumps with her toes while Shane searched for the words to explain.
“I lost time, definitely. And I was angry about it.”
Rightfully so, she thought.
“Prison takes more than your freedom,” he said. “It takes all the milestones, your self-respect, and if you’re not careful, it steals your humanity. I went in there a hotheaded kid, knowing I was innocent and knowing my claim sounded like one more guilty man spitting in the wind.
“Losing Mom was the worst because she died thinking I was guilty. I considered it my job to be there for her and I couldn’t be. So yeah, it piled on and I wallowed in that bitterness and self-pity for a long time until the K9 unit turned me around.” He tipped her face to his. “Until you turned me around.”
She shook her head, unwilling to take any of the credit. “You did that on your own. Well, you and Stumps.”
“I couldn’t bring myself to be a cop and wear a uniform either, but checking up on cops worked for me. Investigating scenes the right way and dealing with the result no matter what? That I could manage. Then you whispered that apology to me and it all started to feel manageable, like I had one ally in this town, someone who wasn’t waiting for me to start a crime spree. You gave me that.”
He caught her hands in his and brought them to his lips, kissing her knuckles. “You apologized at the first opportunity and it took me nearly a decade to say thank you. Truly, Danica, your generosity is astounding. It made all the difference.”
She could hardly process what he was saying as his touch sent sparks through her system. He wasn’t judging her or smothering anger under layers of polite decency. His blue eyes, so frequently cold and distant, blazed with passionate heat that mirrored what she felt for him. More, she recognized a deep affection that made her want to dance with joy.
They moved together into a swift kiss full of newfound acceptance and healing. Needy hands sought tantalizing places, wringing out sighs and moans from both of them. She laughed when he swore in an attempt to discard his clothing and hers as fast as possible.
They left a trail all the way to his bedroom, where at last she could get her hands on him and show him the last few things she was afraid to put into words. Every hard plane and ridge of his sculpted body was a wonder. He left her in awe, helping her see the wonder in her body, too. She cried out as his mouth and hands exposed every sweet pleasure point. As a climax left her feeling splintered and sparkling, he caught her quivering body to his and sank deep.
Joined with him, her body, heart and soul were in full agreement. This man was exactly where she was always meant to be.
CHAPTER 15
Shane’s heart pounded against his ribs as he fought for control, determined to be gentle. He needed to make her understand how different this was for him. She was too beautiful, her hair gleaming in the afternoon light pouring through the bedroom window. Her eyes, glazed with passion, held his as tightly as her body embraced him. For once, he was thrilled to be a captive. This woman was his all. Work might take him away, but his heart would be safe, with her, forever.
“Let go,” she urged, a small smile on her lips as her body arched to meet his. “I’ve got you.”
Let go? He was already in free fall, heart, mind and body. He rocked his hips, relishing her soft moan as her eyes closed. “Do you know when I fell in love with you?”
Her eyes flew open and the shock and wonder in those green depths made him want to laugh. “Guess that’s a no.” He rocked again, slowly in and out, torturing them both.
Her inner muscles squeezed tight and her fingers dug into his back, her knees hugging his hips. “Shane.”
The way she said his name, half plea, half demand, shattered his self-control. She felt so good under him, the scent of her skin and their mingled arousal drifting through him with every thrust and sigh. The release ripped through his body and pitched him into a whole new world.
A world that began and ended with Danica.
When he could move again, he rolled so that she was sprawled across him like a blanket. He flipped the bedspread over them so she wouldn’t get chilled. She stacked her palms on his chest to pillow her cheek. He could stay right here for days and not miss anything of the world outside this room.
“When did you fall in love with me?” he asked, curious if she was dazed enough to answer.
“The day you met Stumps,” she murmured, snuggling into him.
He managed to hide his shock over her response. Her back rose and fell on a heavy, contented sigh, as he put the reply into context. With her body so close, he felt the moment she realized what she’d said.
“Hey. That wasn’t fair.” Her smile belied any real aggravation. “You’re sneaky.”
“Sometimes P.I.s do sneaky things,” he said without any remorse. “Why that day?”
“No. Nope. Nuh-uh. That’s all you get.” Though she tried, she couldn’t hold on to a stern expression as he stroked her spine and caressed her hip with his palm.
“Is it?”
Her auburn eyebrows drew together as she frowned. “Are you really in love with me?”
“Color us equally surprised.” He pulled her along his body until her lips were within reach and kissed her soundly. “Yes, Danica. I love you, though it sounds like you have one hell of a head start on me.”
He lost himself to the taste of her kisses for several long minutes. “How much of a head start?” she asked, a little breathless. “Think you’ll ever catch up?”
“I’m on my way.” He rolled so they were lying side by side, facing each other. Her high cheekbones, the sultry mouth and those changing-sea eyes gilded by the soft light fascinated him.
“I’ve tried to ignore you for years,” he admitted. “Training and retraining with you has been a challenge.”
“Understandable. I’m tough.” She tapped his lips, then hers. “Plus redheads are hard to miss. And then the Colton-Gage thing is a real hurdle.”
He kissed her nose. “Good thing I’m an expert at knocking right past hurdles and obstacles.”
Her cheeks went pink and he couldn’t help himself—he kissed her again.
“Just tell me,” she said, laughter dancing in her eyes. “Or are you scared?”
“I’m scared,” he admitted. But it was the good kind of scared. The scared that was full of promises of great things just over the horizon if he only had the guts to climb up and discover them. “Pretty sure I fell hard when we found Nico and you stood up to Noel. At the very least, that was the moment I knew ignoring what I didn’t want to feel for you wasn’t going to work anymore.”
“Hmm.”
“What?”
“As love stories go, that’s less than romantic. A girl has to have standards.” Her hand slid down his torso, teasing and tempting.
“Guess I’ll work on it,” he growled against her throat. He let her push him to his back and make love to him, and he took inspiration from every touch.
* * *
At the sound of a soft whine, Danica was almost afraid to open her eyes and find herself alone again. Then she felt the mattress sag a little. Shane kissed her shoulder before he rolled out of bed to take care of Stumps.
She sat up, startled to discover they’d slept through the afternoon. Twilight had fallen as
the sun sank past the ridge, and the stars would be out soon. Her body felt glorious and satisfied.
“Didn’t mean to wake you.” Shane tugged his jeans over his lean hips. “I closed the dog door so Oscar wouldn’t try to go home.”
It was one more thoughtful gesture. He might look hard on the outside, but the guy was pudding down deep. “Thanks.” She checked the clock. “We should feed them. Us, too.”
“I’ll get started.”
“Mind if I shower? I’ll be quick.”
He stared at her so hard, she thought she’d managed to say the wrong thing. If she was living with him while they searched for the shooter, he had to expect her to bathe occasionally.
“You can be quick this time,” he said, crossing the room to pull her to her feet.
The soft denim of his jeans, the coarse hair on his chest, tickled her bare skin. He nuzzled the sensitive spot just below her ear. “Next time, we’ll test the limits of my hot water heater.”
The words gave her a thrill. Reluctantly, she slipped out of his arms and dashed for the shower, his low, sexy chuckle chasing her.
A few minutes later, she was clean and dressed in jeans and an old T-shirt with the training center logo on the front, her damp hair coiled and secured up off her neck. It was clear she’d need to make a run to her place for more clothing, but Vincent had managed the essentials pretty well.
Stumps munched his dinner, occasionally pausing to trot over and check on Oscar’s progress. Her cat was making snorting and snuffling sounds as he gobbled his dinner. “He’s happy,” she said, stroking his back lightly. “You didn’t have to feed him on the counter.”
Shane shrugged. “He was already there and it seemed easier than starting a new training session with Stumps tonight. I figure it’s love you, love your cat, right?”
Her heart did a happy spin in her chest and she felt the glow rise in her cheeks. Hayley was right—she really shouldn’t ever play poker. “Right. I can fix dinner.”
“I’ve got leftovers started,” Shane said. “Just take it out of the oven if I’m not back in time.”