Maybe even love him.
Her insides coiled tight at that word. Love made her vulnerable. It could be used against her. She didn’t know what real love felt like. But if she was ever going to find out, shouldn’t she take a chance on him? On the man who wouldn’t stop fighting for her?
“In a perfect world?” She rolled the cup in her hands. “The bad guys would get caught and we could...do this right. Date like normal people. No drama. No danger. I like you, Trevor. I didn’t expect, well, I didn’t expect anything and I’m not good with what comes next. I want to try though. And if you don’t, I get it. I come with a lot of baggage. A lot of shit. It’s totally understandable if you’re not interested—”
Trevor reached over and grabbed her hand. He pulled her to her feet and into his arms. The smell of smoke clung to their clothes, a reminder that they’d survived.
He didn’t say anything, but he didn’t have to. He squeezed her tight, one hand buried in her hair, holding onto her like he thought she was going to try and get away again. That was the last thing she wanted to do.
Dina closed her eyes and laid her head on his shoulder.
She didn’t want to be anywhere else. If Trevor wanted her here, she was staying.
They stood like that for several long moments, holding each other in silence.
A tickle in Dina’s throat caused her to cough. Trevor eased his grip and peered down at her.
“Water?” he asked.
“I’m fine.”
He cupped her chin and stared down at her. She resisted the urge to look away. The more their gazes remained locked the more the feeling grew in her chest.
She’d fallen for Trevor. Being with him meant something to her that was new and unknown. When they’d begun to text and talk, she’d been afraid of losing the intimacy and all those warm, fuzzy feelings. Sex hadn’t diminished those feelings, it had deepened them.
Dina slid her hand up around his shoulder and lifted up on tip-toe. He bent his neck, and she kissed him, thankful for this caring man who’d come to her rescue yet again.
He gave her a squeeze then lifted his head.
“You want to get a shower first? Wash the smell off?” he asked.
“Wash my back?” She smiled and butterflies swirled in her throat.
Trevor stared at her for a moment before jerking his head in a nod.
She took his hand and led him into the bathroom. It wasn’t as big as the one at his place, but it had a nice sized shower.
Trevor reached in and turned the water on, never letting go of her hand. She was okay with that. They each needed to be reassured right now.
She used her free hand to grasp the hem of his T-shirt and slide it up his chest. She bent her head and kissed his stomach then his sternum, grateful that today he hadn’t been hurt.
Once he was satisfied with the water he let go of her long enough to toss his shirt on the ground. The hard stare he aimed at her made her swallow. The hurt was deep and needed tending. He needed this time together as much as she did. Or maybe more.
He reached out and grasped the knit material of her sundress in both hands. He dragged it up over her head then dropped it and stood back, watching her. She couldn’t read him. There was hurt and heat in the way he looked at her, but he was also guarded.
She reached back and unhooked her bra, letting it fall to the ground with the rest of her clothes, but he still didn’t move. Or speak.
“I’m sorry, Trevor,” she whispered.
He planted his hands on either side of her shoulders and leaned in. His breath tickled the side of her neck. He kissed her collar bone then the slope of her breast. He sank to a knee and pressed his lips to her belly then her hip. She leaned against the wall, her insides quivering as this strong, amazing man knelt in front of her.
She reached for him, running her fingers through his hair. She didn’t know what came next, but for right now, right here, they were together.
Trevor hooked his fingers in her underwear then yanked them down. She gasped, and a seam ripped. He flattened his hand to her stomach and bent his head, kissing her mound. He slid his hand between her legs and she widened her stance, greedy for him, for whatever he wanted to do to her. She loved him. Everything else didn’t matter so long as she was with him.
His fingers stroked her folds while he kissed the crease of her thigh. Forward and backward. He didn’t press into her, he just touched her.
She closed her eyes and focused on the feel of him. His rougher fingers on her sensitive skin. The desire deep in her belly for him to slide into her, possess her. Ever since striking out on her own she’d avoided permanent entanglements, both because of the danger and because she’d never wanted another man to control her. Trevor didn’t inspire that same aversion in her. Just the opposite.
In one move he hiked her leg over his shoulder and boosted her up the wall, the cool tile against her back a shock. She gasped, then cried out as his mouth settled on her. His fingers slid inside of her. She gripped his hair and blindly reached for something to brace herself against, but there was nothing.
Just Trevor, his tongue stroking her clit, his fingers curling inside of her. She shifted her hips, but he was in control. She couldn’t move without him. He was the one fucking her with his mouth and fingers. Dina was along for the ride. It was so Trevor, taking matters into his own hands, dealing with it, giving, never taking. The man was a damn saint, but she wasn’t going to let him do this alone. Not so long as she was in the picture.
That was what love was, wasn’t it?
Two people in it. Together.
His fingers curled, finding the pleasure spot deep inside of her. Her breathing hitched and then her world shattered. She cried out, gripping his hair as her orgasm spiraled through her. Pleasure and a deeper emotion infused every fiber of her being.
Love.
She loved this man even though she’d tried not to. She’d feared love, but now that she had it she wasn’t about to let go.
17.
TREVOR KISSED DINA’S stomach. Her body quivered and her breathing echoed in the small space. He wasn’t sure why he’d done that, except that he’d seen her standing there, hurting and wanted to ease it. She was lost, and damn it, he wanted to be her anchor. The place she went to in times of trouble. He couldn’t take her running from him.
He eased her leg back to the ground then slid his hands up to her hips, steadying her. Except he was the one still fighting a tremble.
She’d almost left him.
She’d almost died.
Things could have turned out very differently today.
He pushed up, swaying a little on unsteady feet.
Dina’s hands slid around his waist and she pulled him to her. Her lips kissed his chest and sternum while her hands explored his back. He hadn’t forgotten that explosive first night. He’d like a weekend to try to repeat that experience, but not now. They were too raw and tired for more.
“In the shower.” His voice sounded foreign, so tight and rough.
He patted her hip. The sooner she got into the water, the sooner he could go try to get his fucking head on straight.
“You said you’d wash my back.” She arched her spine and trailed her fingers up the side of his neck.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea right now.”
“Why not?”
“Because all I want to do is fuck you right now, and I don’t want to touch you feeling this out of control.” His grip on her hips tightened, but she didn’t protest.
“I’m sorry, Trevor. This is—”
“I already forgave you.”
Dina blinked up at him.
“How could I not?” He cupped her cheek. “I get it. I don’t like what you did, but I get it.”
She reached up, and he bent his head. Her forehead pressed to his, and he stood there a moment, holding onto this small woman that had become his heart. Maybe he was repeating his past, but he didn’t care.
He loved Dina.
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She tipped her chin up and kissed his cheek and the corner of his mouth.
“I want to be what you need right now,” she whispered. “What can I do?”
He slid his hand up her waist to her ribs. His dick was pressed against his zipper so hard he was sure there’d be indentations in his skin.
She cupped his erection through the denim and stroked him.
“Dina.” He growled her name and buried his face in the crook of her neck. “There aren’t any more condoms.”
“We don’t need them, unless it’s not contraception you’re worried about?”
Was she saying what he thought she was saying?
“No,” he said slowly.
“Then we’re good. I’m covered.” Her nimble fingers loosened his belt.
“Wait—”
“No.”
Her hand slid into his jeans and stroked him. He grasped her wrist and grit his teeth, torn between guiding her and pulling away.
He wanted her in a primal way.
“Trevor?” She leaned into him, kissing his jaw. Her breasts pressed against his chest.
Why was he denying himself what he wanted?
Dina was here. She wasn’t running from him and maybe they could have something. A real chance at happiness.
He let go of her wrist and she wrapped her hand around him, soothing the length of skin where the zipper had abused him. She pushed his jeans down, giving her talented hands more area to work.
This was a bathroom. They had a thing with showers and water. But he wanted to do this right.
“The bed?” He nodded at the still cracked door.
“I don’t care.” She tightened her grip on him.
He groaned, well aware of what she could do to him.
Dina bent her head and his balls tightened.
“No,” he snarled.
He gripped her by the hips and lifted, pinning her to the wall. She blinked at him, eyes gone wide, hands on his shoulders. He leaned in, needing to touch and taste her. She pulled him in, meeting him in an open-mouthed kiss. His tongue thrust into her and she curled her limbs around him.
Eventually he’d do this right, in a big bed, maybe with candles or something. But right now he did need her. That piece of his heart that had stowed away in her body, he had to be close to it. Her.
Damn it. Why had he gone and fallen in love so fast?
He rest his forehead to hers, determined to not act like an animal.
“Trevor.” She whispered his name and arched her back, those dusky rose colored nipples of hers tightened into points.
He reached between them and grasped his cock, sliding it between her damp folds. She groaned and shifted her hips.
“Fuck,” he muttered.
“I’ll beg.” She chuckled and kissed his cheek.
“I’d rather you scream.” He nipped her ear and eased his hold.
Gravity worked in his favor. Her slick pussy yielded to his hard cock. Her warmth was more intense, the feel of her skin on his licked his nerves, sending tendrils of pleasure through him.
He wanted to do this for a long time. To have her as his.
Trevor dug a hand into her hair, tipping her head back so she had no choice but to look at him. Her eyes had darkened with lust, the iris expanding.
“Make me scream,” she whispered.
He shifted his hold on her, then moved. She dug her nails in and groaned. He wanted to hear that. To feel her clinging to him. Waking up with her was the best damn thing.
Her heals drove into his ass, her channel drawing him in deeper with every thrust. He felt her shiver and the jolt each time their bodies joined. Her eyes drifted shut and he could just look at her. This beautiful, amazing woman that had strutted into his life. She was amazing. He loved her and he had no idea how to keep her. That was the part he’d never been good at.
Dina’s nails raked down his arms, and she panted, her head swinging from side to side. Goose bumps broke out along the scratches and he shuddered, his mind shutting off until all he could think about was the heat wrapped around him and the soft body in his arms.
He pulled back and thrust, boosting her up the wall each time.
“Oh—Trevor?”
“You have to scream,” he whispered against her ear.
She whimpered into his mouth.
God, she was amazing.
Her muscles tightened around his cock, stealing his breath. His vision blurred, and it was hard to breathe around the vice.
Dina tossed her head back and let out a keening wail.
Close enough to a scream for him.
He buried his face in her hair and thrust in earnest while her hips bucked. He groaned and rocked up on the balls of his feet, his release coming from somewhere deeper inside him.
Fuck, he loved her and that terrified him.
Trevor tightened his hold on her then turned and walked into the shower.
“Your clothes,” Dina muttered.
“They’ll dry.”
The warm spray hit them, washing away the smell of smoke and the sweat.
He pressed her to the wall of the shower and kissed her deeply. Dina smiled against his mouth, her hands stroking him.
They were going to make this work. Somehow.
Eventually he had to put her down. He kicked out of the jeans and boots then joined her in the shower. Neither spoke as they washed, but her hands were rarely not on him. They didn’t waste a lot of time showering since the hot water was already running out. That done, he bundled Dina in a towel then carried her to the bed still rumpled from last night.
Trevor left her long enough to do a walk-through of the house, peering out into the night and flipping off the lights. Dina’s hand beckoned him back to bed, and he joined her.
“I have an idea,” she whispered.
“Oh?” He usually liked her ideas.
“Hear me out.”
He stopped stroking her arm.
“If we’re going to have a chance, you need to use me as bait.”
“No,” he said without even considering it.
“Yes, you do.” She pressed her hand to his chest. “So long as Dominick is free, he’ll try to kill me. The only way to draw him out is to use me.”
“I’m not risking you like that.”
“You won’t be risking me.” She kissed his cheek. “You’ll be watching out for me. Think about it, okay?”
Trevor didn’t want to entertain the idea of putting the woman he loved in danger, but deep down he feared she might be right. If Dominick and his buddies hadn’t been caught so far, the only way to ensure their fate might be to set a trap.
TREVOR KEPT A HOLD on Dina’s hand as they walked into the Ransom police department. It wasn’t for her sake. He needed her touch. Today he would have to explain the events leading up to Parson’s death, and a good deal of the blame lay at Trevor’s feet. But the internal investigation wouldn’t happen until later. There were more pressing matters to deal with.
There were more cars than normal in the parking lot for a Saturday, and he knew why.
A joint team of Fort Worth and Ransom officers were working on the double homicide situation. It was as of yet unknown if the FBI or US Marshalls were involved. Trevor hadn’t called ahead to find out, opting to focus on the problems they knew about rather than ones they couldn’t control.
He swiped his keycard, and they entered the quiet halls of the station.
Trevor led her toward the large room that served many purposes for the department. Casey had texted him the meeting details last night. As the responding officer in both Dina’s break-in and Parson’s homicide, he was key to everything that would happen going forward.
Despite the weight pressing down on Trevor, it wasn’t overwhelming because now he had someone else helping him hold it all up. He glanced down at Dina’s caramel streaked hair. Her dark roots were growing in, showing off the so-dark-it-was-almost-black hair. She was part of him now and he didn’t want to lose her.
There were several familiar faces.
Ransom’s Chief of Police, Sam Taylor.
Officer Casey Smith.
Their SWAT Team Leader, Nigel Morgan.
The other pair of detectives.
Alex Myers was there in his Fort Worth uniform.
As were several other men with badges.
None of them sported a FBI shield.
“Morning.” Trevor nodded at the men.
The Fort Worth contingent introduced themselves.
“I’m running point on our side, given my experience with both departments,” Alex said.
Trevor wasn’t surprised. Alex’s talents as a leader had been appreciated though under-utilized in Ransom. It was good to see him flourishing in a bigger department.
“Let’s get started.” Sam Taylor gestured at the donuts and coffee someone had set out. “Thanks for joining us this morning, Ms. Dina.”
“I heard back from the local FBI field office this morning.” Alex picked up a pad of paper. “They’re offering intel and support, but given that there’s no active investigation into anything pertaining to the Profaci family, they don’t have a bone to pick.”
“Good, it’ll be nice to have their support on this one,” Sam said.
“Has anyone reached out to the US Marshalls?” Trevor asked.
Several people stared at him.
“The FBI agent I spoke to said that since Ms. Profaci is not actively part of WitSec anymore they’re declining to involve themselves,” Alex said.
Dina sighed. Both of her fears were nullified.
“Casey, you want to take us through what we have?” Chief Sam Taylor asked.
“Sure.” Casey stepped up to the dry erase board, pages stuck under his arm and a tape dispenser in hand. “These are our suspects as identified by Ms. Profaci.”
He tacked mug shots of both Phillip and Little Tony to the board, then launched into a recap of the last week. The break-in at her place. Rudy’s murder. Parson’s murder. The fire. Occasionally one of the other officers would ask a question or offer more information, but for the most part Casey had the floor.
Stolen Redemption (Texas SWAT, #2) Page 22