“Did he have anything?” I ask softly, feeling for broken bones.
“Just his fists,” she breathes out, shallow with a gurgling sound in the back of her throat.
The sound makes me sick, makes me wish I could change her life. Help her live one that she deserves. No one deserves what she’s gotten.
“This isn’t gonna stop, we can get you help,” I start my spiel. The one I’ve given her every time we’ve come to their house. There isn’t much hope she’ll accept help, since she hasn’t accepted it any of the other times I’ve offered. I still do it though, not because I have to, but because I want to. “You don’t have to be his punching bag. You don’t deserve this. Say the word and we’ll charge him.”
Her eyes, bloodshot and moist look up at me. She nods. It’s almost imperceptible, so I have to ask. “You wanna us to charge him?”
Her busted lip makes talking difficult, but she pushes out a yes.
As the paramedics come to take over what I’m doing, there’s a feeling in my gut. It’s one I’ve never had so strongly before, and I know I’m doing the right thing when I jog to my patrol car and pull my phone from the console. I need her here. She needs her.
This number I know like the back of my hand now.
Waiting for it to be answered is more patience than have, but I manage. When I hear her voice, I croak out why I’ve called.
“Counselor, I need you…”
Shelby
I’m scared to death as I race to where Sullivan told me he was. Even I recognize the address.
Scared for Sullivan.
Scared for Montana.
And scared for myself.
My hands shake as I grip my steering wheel, the flashers hopefully letting other drivers know to get out of my way. Honking my horn at slower cars, I try and keep myself from letting the tears fall, but they’re there.
Sullivan is hurting, which means I’m hurting too.
Within minutes I’m pulling up in front of the address. My tires screech as I come to a stop. I don’t even turn it off before bailing out and running up to Sullivan.
“What happened?” I question as I get there, noticing a few more cops around and seeing the blood on Sullivan’s uniform.
He points to me. “You need to come here.”
I trip over my feet as I struggle to keep up with his long legs. He brings me to the back of an ambulance, where I see Cutter taking care of a woman. “Is this Montana?”
“It is.” He gets up in the ambulance, bringing me with him. “Montana,” he says to get her attention. “This is Shelby. Let her represent you, he’s going to claim you beat him too,” he whispers.
“Are you fuckin’ kidding me?” I give him a glare.
“No, I’m not. He’s already spoken to Nick. I need the two of you to get ahead of this.”
Quickly I glance at Montana. “Okay, quick. I know most of your story because of Mrs. Haley, but I’m her attorney not yours. Do you have any money on you right now?”
She pulls a quarter out of her jeans pocket. “This is it.”
“Right.” I put it in mine. “I’m your attorney, and we’ll have no comment when the officers come talk to you. There’s no way he’s going to turn this around. Do not speak to them, no matter how much you or I trust them, without me.”
She nods. “We need to get you to the hospital and checked out. Right now you’re my main concern. Cutter, can you get us there?”
“Yup, me and Devante will make sure you get there with no issue. She needs to have a few scans. She was hit in the head. Do you want to ride with us, or follow?”
I glance at Sully. “My car?”
“I’ll make sure it gets home if you want to ride with her.”
This man is the best one I’ve ever known. Lucky doesn’t even begin to describe how I feel at this moment.
“Yeah, I would love to.”
He leans down, kissing me softly before he exits the ambulance. Cutter follows, giving her and I some time on our own. I have to ask her the hard questions. Ones no woman wants to ask another.
“How many times has he done this to you, Montana?”
Her lip is busted and bleeding as she answers. Her words are slightly garbled as she speaks. It takes me a few minutes to understand what she’s saying. “More times than I care to admit.”
Reaching over, I grab a wet nap, helping her to blot at the blood, trying not to hurt her. I’m scared to touch her, there doesn’t seem to be any part on her body that’s not bruised and bloody. “When did it start?”
Tears build in her eyes. She tucks her lip, doubled in size into her mouth. “A month into our relationship. I burned the pizza,” she whispers. “And he never let me forget it. It was a frozen one,” she sobs. “Not even one we’d spent time making together. The oven in my apartment wasn’t that great, and I usually ended up burning at least one thing a week. Just so happened this day, it was that pizza.”
“I’m so sorry,” I whisper, not imagining how this must be for her.
“I am too,” she whispers back.
On impulse I reach out to grab her hand, wanting her to know she’s not alone.
Chapter 23
Shelby
“Are you okay?” I ask Sully as we meet each other in the breezeway between our apartments.
“No, I hated letting you leave with her, knowing I wouldn’t be there to make sure the two of you were safe from that fucker.”
“I’m good, I promise.”
His hands go immediately to my hair, burrowing deep. Before I can say anything, his mouth claims mine. This is different than any of the other kisses we’ve shared.
The hunger.
The possession.
It’s everything I’ve always wanted and never had. He towers over me, encapsulating my body with his. Our fingers fight against each other, and I have no idea where he’s taking us until Sullivan opens a door, and I know by the clean spicy scent we’re in his apartment. He backs me up far enough until we get to his bedroom.
Instead of the passionate coming together we usually have, this is slow. The setting sun shining through the window, bathing us in the glow of the afternoon.
Pulling back, I try to figure out how to get him out of his uniform. “Help me,” I beg, my fingers failing in frustration.
“Give me a minute, I need to store my gear.”
Sixty seconds is much too long, but I release him from my grip, having a seat on his bed while I watch him from across the room. Our eyes meet one another, his gaze traveling over my body mine taking in everything that keeps him alive while he’s away from me. First he removes the gun from the holster, checks the chamber, and puts it in a safe I hadn’t noticed before. The gun belt is next, draped over the chair beside his bed. Then he’s dealing with the buttons of his uniform shirt.
“Come here.” His low, sexy voice beckons me as he pulls the tails from his pants.
As quickly as I can, I’m up and over to where he stands. There’s a bullet-proof vest covering his chest. “How do I get this off?”
“It’s Velcro,” he answers, grasping the back of my neck to pull me in to steal a kiss.
Trembling fingers find the closures, pulling on them and then lifting it up and over his head, causing us to break apart. He breathes deeply.
“You sound like you just took your bra off at the end of the day,” I giggle, burying my face in the indent of his collar bone.
“I suppose it feels that way.” He laughs along with me.
Underneath he wears a shirt and it’s my pleasure to grip it in my fingers, yanking it over his head. He tries to pull my mouth back to him, but I resist, gazing up under my lashes. “You’ve explored my body many times, Sully. It’s my turn now.”
Moving him around, I push him back against the bed, smirking when he bounces slightly. I’m wearing a dress today and it takes a small flick of my wrist at the back to have it in a pool at my feet. Black bra and panties are what I wore today, and had I known I’d be getting nake
d with Sullivan, I couldn’t have picked anything better.
Before he can prop himself up on his elbows, I straddle his hips, putting my hands on his chest. I love the way he has a slight smattering of hair. So many men who have a body like his shave their chests. Mine though? He doesn’t.
Leaning down I kiss from the first ab muscle at the top of his belly to his throat. Nipping, licking, and sucking as I make my way to his lips. He groans in satisfaction when we meet in a melding of passion. His fingers tangle in my hair adjusting me to his liking, although I’m on top. The other hand travels down my body, snaking under the lace of my panties.
“Sully,” I moan as his fingers dip into my body from behind.
“You like that?” He smiles against my mouth.
“Yes! God yes!”
It’s all he needs to flip me over, ripping the edges of my bra down so his lips can contour themselves to my left nipple. His right hand doesn’t stop from where it’s thumbing against my clit, pressing two fingers into my pussy.
I’m riding his fingers, seeking out his hard cock. It’s jutting against me. Ripping his teeth from my peaked breasts, I force his eyes to meet mine. “I want you.”
“We should have the talk.” He presses himself up on his hands, hovering over me.
“The talk?”
“Birth control, Counselor. What do I need to do for you?”
God this man. He’s not asking what I can do for him, but what he can do for me.
“I’m on the pill. I trust you if you feel the same as me.”
He’s up on his feet, stripping his uniform pants and underwear down. I have no idea where or how his shoes are taken off, all I know is when I move to unhook my bra and slip off panties his guttural voice stops me.
“Leave them on, Shelby.”
Dark eyes run up and down my body as I lay on his bed, waiting for him to come to me. Running a finger up my arm, I play with the strap, pulling it slightly off. “What are you waiting on, officer?”
In a flash his body is covering mine. My hand goes between us grabbing his length, sighing excitedly when it kicks against my grip.
“I’ve been thinking about this for too long, Shelby. I wanna make it good for you.”
“It will be.” I guide him to my entrance, pulling the lace to the side. “If you knew how many times I touched myself thinking about you, you wouldn’t have kept me waiting this long.”
He growls as he eases into me. My fingers grip his shoulders, urging him on. “Fuck, Shelby.” He buries his face in my neck. “You fit me like a goddamn glove.”
“I was made for you,” I gasp, moving my hands up to his hair, tugging tightly, pressing him further into my skin. “Don’t take it easy on me, Sullivan. Give me everything.”
He rises on his knees, spreading my thighs further apart, as he plunges and withdraws. If I could, I would clasp my legs around his waist and hold him tightly, but I’m spread too far apart by his legs, and the thumb he’s managed to sneak between us again.
“Oh God,” he grunts as he picks up the pace, causing the headboard to beat a steady rhythm against the wall. “Oh God, oh God, oh God,” he sputters as his movements come to a crescendo.
I’m crazed as I do my best to keep up with him. Right as he goes still, caught in a strong thrust, he presses me over the edge. Together we come in an upheaval of bodies.
“Damn, Sully,” I laugh slightly as I turn into his chest.
“I think you killed me,” he accuses, his chest heaving.
Pressing up onto my shoulder, I give him a grin. “Maybe you should arrest me.”
Chapter 24
Sulllivan
“Dispatch, I’m taking lunch,” I radio in as I pull up to The Café. It’s been a long shift and I’m fucking starving. Rain moved in overnight, and it hasn’t stopped in the last few hours.
“Gotcha, Sully.”
Parking farther down than I’d like to, I get out, sprinting to the entrance, doing my best to stay dry. When I get under the awning, I slow my roll, shaking the water off my rain coat. Looking around to find an empty seat, I see the woman of my dreams at a booth by herself. Shelby’s got her laptop to the side, a plate of food in front of her, and she’s so focused on it, she hasn’t noticed me. A spring in my step, I walk up to her table.
“Is this seat taken?”
Her gaze flies over to me, a smile spreading across her face. It’s intimate, reminding me of the night we had, less than twenty-four hours ago. My thighs are still burning from the energy I expended making love to her.
“Hey,” she whispers, biting her bottom lip, her eyes moving up and down my body.
“Hey,” I answer back, giving her a smile of my own.
She scoots over, closing her laptop. “It’s yours.”
It’s all the invitation I need to slide in next to her, draping my arm along the back of the seat. She turns into my, kissing my jawline. It’s my favorite thing she does.
“You smell good.”
“Rain and you.” I lower my voice so only the two of us can hear.
Those green eyes of her soften. The mask she slides in front of everyone else as the strong woman she is drops for me. I’m lucky to see who she really is, and I’m beginning to understand how much she trusts me. It’s enough to bring me to my knees.
“Sullivan, what can I get for ya?” Leigh asks as she walks up to our table.
“Wish I could say the biggest burger you’ve got, but Ransom and I are cutting right now. Grilled chicken and a whole plate of vegetables. Big, huge glass of water.”
She laughs. “I’ve heard that same tone from my son.”
“Why are you and Ransom cutting?” Shelby asks after she leaves.
“SWAT games in two months.”
“You got something to prove?”
“We’re up against Calvert City and Paradise Lost. My brother is on the PL SWAT team. You could say that. I tried out three times and was never accepted. I’d like to wipe the floor with them.”
She puts her head on my shoulder. “You and your brother aren’t close, are you? You don’t talk about him much.”
For most women, I don’t ever want to talk about this, but with Shelby, I want her to know everything about me. “He and I were close until we both went for the police force. My dad, as good a dad as he is, pitted us against one another. Braylon was always his favorite.”
“I’m sorry.” She reaches over grabbing my chin. “I’d choose you.”
My chest tightens. “You wouldn’t be the first woman not to.”
I didn’t mean to say those words. This wasn’t the time I wanted to bring it up, but another part of me thinks maybe I needed to get it out.
“Sullivan, what do you mean?”
“The woman I was kind of seeing at home, Candice. I worked hard to get her trust. We went round and round with each other for almost a year.” I swallow, before I lick my lips. “She’d had a rough time, and I was okay with it, I was willing to work for her. We had a couple of dates, and I was ready to go all in. I took lunch one night and swung by her house. Only to find my brother there. It was obvious they were together. After that, I knew I had to make some changes. One of those changes was following Ro here.”
“Well, I’m glad.” She reaches up to caress my cheek. “If you hadn’t come with her, I don’t know that I would have met you.”
I give her a smile. “I think we would have, Counselor. Something tells me we would have met, no matter what.” Reaching over, I grab her hand, entwining my fingers with hers. “This is strong, and if it’s this strong, it would’ve happened. Maybe not right now, but I believe it would’ve come back around to the two of us.”
“Sully, you’re not second best for me.” She leans in, kissing me softly. “You’re like the one and only.”
“You’re my one and only too.”
“I hate to break this up.” Leigh comes over to the table. “But your food is hot, and I wanted to make sure you got it that way.”
“No
problem.” Shelby pulls away from me. “He needs a good meal to keep his mind on his work.”
My stomach growls loudly as I smell the food in front of me. “How has your day gone?”
“Good,” she answers. “I got a few new cases to work on, which has been nice. For a while there, I was starting to worry I’d made the wrong decision to come practice law here.”
“As you said, we’re both here for reasons that go beyond our control.”
She giggles. “That’s true.” Reaching in, she grabs her burger, taking another bite. “I guess Mrs. Haley told her friends about me doing her will. I’ve got thirteen scheduled over the next few weeks.”
“Babe, that’s great!”
“I’ll be able to keep the lights on, and then some.” She winks.
Leaning in, I steal a kiss. “I have a question.”
“I might have an answer.”
“Menace is having everyone over for a dinner at his house as a get to know you type of thing for the LSERT. I’m not sure you heard about it.”
“I got the email today. I hope he’s got enough room.”
“Same,” I laugh. “I was wondering if you want to come with me?”
“Like a date?”
“Like a date, and it would be letting everyone know we’re together.”
She snorts. “I’m pretty sure everyone knows we’re together.”
“They may, but I’d love to have you there on my arm.”
“Then I’d love to be there on your arm.” She glances at her phone. “You can’t have much longer on your lunch, you better get busy.”
Looking at my watch, I see she’s right. “I do need to hurry.”
“Don’t let me stop you.”
Knowing I want to talk to her more than I want to eat, I settle with asking her a question. “What else do you have going on today?”
She takes one more fry before she pushes her plate away. “I’m going over a vendor contract for Eden, Mason’s got a few contracts for LSERT stuff he wants me to take a look at, and I’m doing my end-of-month accounting. It’s all very exciting stuff.”
Sullivan (Laurel Springs Emergency Response Team Book 5) Page 13