Truth or Consequences

by Diana Duncan

  She obediently sipped. Wine slid down her raw throat and warmed her chilled insides.

  “Here, nice and ripe.” He brought a strawberry to her mouth.

  Tangy sweetness melted on her tongue. She swallowed the fruit along with another wave of sorrow. “I don’t deserve you. Can’t be with you.”

  He scowled down at her. “What brand of twisted female logic arrived at that conclusion?”

  “What if…” Merely thinking it stabbed her with unspeakable pain. Saying it out aloud twisted the dagger gut-deep. “What happens down the road if…if DiMarco’s genes win, and I turn out…badly? What if I end up hurting you?”

  “What?” Shock sharpened his rugged features. “You’re worried about becoming like him?” he growled. “Impossible. What you are in life isn’t stamped on your birth certificate.” He fed her a cube of tangy cheese, then a cracker. “C’mon, baby, I don’t believe for a second you think people are born bad. Would you condemn Kylie and Emma because their father went on a rant and took them hostage?”

  She jerked upright in his arms. “No.” He was right. Those little girls were completely innocent. If they were innocent of their father’s wrongdoing, surely she… She had always tried to see some good in everyone. Until recently. “I’m…so mixed up.” The summer storm subsided into the rhythmic drumming of rain on the window. Held in Aidan’s steadfast embrace, the gale raging inside her began to abate, as well. “But I feel responsible.”

  “So I see.” He offered her a crisp grape. “We’ll sort it all out. Talk to me, Zoe.”

  His calm strength gave her the courage to confess the terrifying worries that had tortured her since she’d learned the awful truth. “Back there in Satisfaction, I said and did such horrible, cruel things to you. And they seemed…seemed to come naturally to me. I—I threatened a man’s life to get you off the cliff, and I meant it. I always considered myself a decent, moral woman.” She gulped another drink of wine, and let her worst fear tumble out. “But what kind of person does those things? What kind of person am I? Maybe…maybe I take after him more than I want. Maybe I can’t help it. Maybe Tony DiMarco’s daughter did those things.”

  “Did you enjoy it?”

  “What?” It was her turn to express shock. “My God, no!”

  “Of course you didn’t. Because you are a decent, moral woman.” His jaw clenched so tightly, she feared it might snap. “Listen to me.” Again, his burning gaze would not release her. Willed her to believe. “Zoe Zagretti was with me in those woods. And I’m damn grateful, because otherwise, instead of Mom leaving leftovers in my fridge this morning, she would have been choosing my coffin.” He shifted her closer to his hard warmth, and stroked gentle fingertips down her cheek. “I’ll tell you what kind of person you are. Smart and creative. With a lightning-fast mind that comes through in the clutch.” His mouth slanted in a rueful smile. “The kind of person who risks her life for someone else. Give me some credit. I knew you didn’t mean those things you said. I knew you were scamming DiMarco to throw him off guard.”

  Suddenly weak, she leaned against his broad chest and stared into the fire. She trusted Aidan beyond measure. He dealt with the worst elements of society daily. He’d seen and heard everything she’d done. If he believed in her goodness, maybe she wasn’t corrupted. A hidden ember of the hope she’d thought dead ignited a tiny glow in the cold ashes of her soul. “I’d feel less awful if you’d accept my apology.”

  He scooped crab dip onto a cracker, and she couldn’t resist the tempting morsel. “Will you accept mine for making you jump out of a moving car, forcing you to crawl into a hole in the ground and a dark cave, robbing you of your clothes and towing you around in handcuffs?”

  “No, because you were trying to keep us alive.”

  “Ditto.” The afternoon had grown darker, and flickering flames washed light and shadows across the strong angles of his face. “You had the conviction to do what was necessary to survive. The courage to save us both. Just like I protected you, you protected me. You saved my life at incredible risk to your own. Twice.”

  “You did the same for me.” The ember of hope flared, its golden heat dissipating the bone-deep chill as she stared into Aidan’s eyes. She’d been viewing herself in a dirty, abandoned funhouse mirror, her image ugly and warped by the vile words and ruthless deeds of a killer. Aidan had wiped away the filth and turned the mirror upside down. She saw her true reflection in his clear gaze, undistorted by lies. “Also twice. In the woods…” Again on the verge of tears, of relief this time, she took another swallow of wine. “And just now.”

  He closed his eyes. When he opened them, the lingering shadows had fled. “Thank God. I was afraid…” His lips compressed in a hard line. “I was worried that I might not be able to bring you back from the brink.” His tautness eased, and he smiled. “Don’t ever doubt yourself. You’re intelligent, strong and brave.” His voice deepened with emotion. “You’re like your mom all the way, Zoe. It took strong moral conviction and major guts to leave a man like DiMarco. And extreme intelligence to stay one step ahead of him.”

  She couldn’t stop a few tears from escaping. “That’s the greatest compliment I could ever receive.”

  “I didn’t mean to restart the waterworks.” He brushed away the wetness with his thumb. “Speaking of brave women, Dorothy came through for us after all. Inspired by your segment on battered women and your encouragement in the warehouse, she called nine-one-one after DiMarco killed Kent. Your integrity and dedication to the truth brought the cavalry to our rescue, Brenda Starr.”

  “Go, Dorothy.” Zoe’s throat tightened with gratitude at Aidan’s continued faith in her, and she stared at the glittering trails of rain on the windowpanes until she regained control. “Thank you for not giving up on me. For coming after me.”

  “I figured you’d be okay with my brothers until I could reach you.” He fed her a bite of cheese on bread. “I was really torqued at myself when Grady finally found me to deliver your message, and I discovered you’d left on a patrol boat.”

  “I left to protect you.”

  “From what, sweetheart?”

  “From me.”

  He swore softly. “Liam said you were suffering battle shock, but seemed okay otherwise, and that Grady had you under his wing. If I’d realized what was going on in your head, nothing short of Armageddon would have kept me away.”

  “I thought you were avoiding me. Not that I blamed you.”

  He gritted his teeth, clearly frustrated. “I’m sorry I wasn’t able to reach you right after the takedown. I knew Con would assign Liam or Grady to take care of you. Debriefing took longer than I wanted, but I couldn’t afford to omit any details and take a chance DiMarco or his crew will walk on a technicality.” He stroked her hair. “Because we’re both material witnesses, I couldn’t be present when you gave your statement. And after DiMarco tried to rabbit, I made damn sure he was securely in the Feds’ custody before I left to find you.”

  “I…I thought for sure you were going to kill him with the syringe.”

  “That was gut-check time. I came too damn close.” He exhaled fiercely. “But sticking that needle into him would have been revenge for my father under the pretense of ‘saving’ you. DiMarco kills helpless people…the weak, the unarmed, someone who is tied up.” His hands balled into fists. “If I’d killed him, I would have lowered myself to his level, and I couldn’t stand that.”

  His voice hoarse with raw emotion, he jerked his wineglass to his lips. “Ultimately, you would have suffered. My family would have suffered. And so would I.” Calmer, he set the glass on the tabletop. “I’m not a killer. I’m a cop.”

  She touched his face, and the harsh lines of strain softened under her fingertips. “I’m so glad you didn’t. The momentary, fleeting satisfaction of revenge wouldn’t have justified the nightmares.”

  He offered her a succulent strawberry, dripping with aromatic wine. “Do you hear what you’re saying, sweetheart? Though you have eve
ry reason to wish him dead, to want him permanently out of your life, you didn’t want me to kill him.”

  Zoe’s spirit lifted, her hopes revived. Aidan had forced her to see the truth. She was truly nothing like the monster who had haunted her childhood nightmares. Her fears scuttled away like cockroaches exposed to the light. All except for one lingering doubt. It was a biggie, and she needed time to prepare before asking. “He would have relished the ‘satisfaction,’ and it wouldn’t have cost him a moment’s sleep.”

  “There you go.” He feathered a hand through her curls and rubbed the back of her neck, and she relaxed into the sensual massage. “The fact that it gives us nightmares is the difference between him and us. You would take a life if you had to. To truly protect your loved ones. So will I. DiMarco kills for power, money and because it gives him perverted pleasure.”

  Soothed by his quiet understanding, she nodded. “He’ll suffer more in prison, anyway. He’s lost his power, his precious money and what he perceived as people’s respect. It will eat away at him every minute of every day.”

  “He made the choice, sweetheart.” His fingertips traced the shell of her ear, and she shivered. “His moral compass veered off true north a long time ago, and he followed it into hell.”

  Loath to voice the doubt still tormenting her, she closed her eyes. “It’s scary how drastically your life can change in just twenty-four hours. Yesterday morning, all I cared about was nailing the story and putting him away.” Gathering her courage in both hands, she opened her eyes. “Today, I’m…I can’t help but worry that whenever you look at me, you’ll remember grief.” She took a deep breath. “That whenever you see my face, you’ll always be reminded of the man who murdered your father.”

  He brushed her lips with a cool, moist cube of watermelon, and then fed it to her. “Letty’s quite the gardener. We used to help her plant, weed and water when we were kids, and her fruits and vegetables were always on our table.” He fed her another delicious bite. “Did you know it takes a hundred sunny days to grow a watermelon? Without enough sun, their growth is stunted and they stay green and sour. Never mature. They end up on the compost heap, as useless as those piles of trash at the city landfill.”

  She blinked, puzzled. What on earth was he trying to tell her? “Um…all righty then.”

  He smiled at her bewildered expression. “Every time I look at you, I will remember that until I met you, I felt only murky shadows of emotions. Whenever I see your face, I will be reminded that my heart was cold and dead until you brought it back to life. You don’t have any of DiMarco’s darkness inside you, sweetheart. Your light conquered my shadows. Your love conquered my sorrow.” He bent and tenderly touched his lips to hers. “No matter how long and dark the night, the sun always triumphs in the morning,” he breathed. “I’ve been alone in the dark so long. Stunted. Useless. You’re my sunshine, Zoe.”

  Joy soared on bright, shiny wings. She was struck speechless, but any reply she might have made drowned in a tsunami of tears.

  “Hey, now! Crying?” He tapped the tip of her nose. “There’s no crying in baseball,” he teased her with the movie quote.

  She giggled through her tears. “Happy tears this time.”

  “Yeah, I got that.” He grinned. “You know what, Zoe? If we can let go of our hatred for DiMarco and be happy together—cast him out of our lives for good—that will be the sweetest revenge of all. He killed my dad, and he’ll pay for it. But nothing he can do could ever kill my love for you.”

  And he hadn’t killed her future, after all. She couldn’t breathe. Could barely speak. “C-could you maybe just s-say that one more time? For the record?”

  “This just in. Breaking news…” Aidan kissed her again, lingering over her mouth. She tasted juicy watermelon and warm, heady man. “I love you, Zoe. With all my heart. All my soul. Forever and always.”

  The glow spread, filled her from head to toe and spilled over. “I love you, too, Aidan. More than life itself.”

  His grin turned white and wicked, and the delighted sound of his deep laughter cruised along her skin. “Then I’m the luckiest man on the planet.” He selected a chicken wing, stripped tender meat from the bones and fed her the spicy bite with his fingers. Holding her gaze, he licked the sauce from each of his fingertips slowly, thoroughly, savoring every drop.

  She suddenly realized what he’d been doing with the food and wine, and tendrils of warmth unfurled inside her. “Are you seducing me, SWAT?”

  He dipped a fingertip in his wine and moistened her bottom lip. “Damn, I hope so.” His low, fervent murmur sent a giddy, swooping sensation through her.

  She nipped his fingertip, then drew it into her mouth. He sucked in his breath, and she grinned. “It is so working.”

  He captured her mouth and kissed her. All her needs, wants and hopes poured from her into him. His soft, tender kiss restored her with absolution. Enticed her with anticipation. Then he took the kiss deeper and filled her with sweet promise.

  Breaths ragged, they eased apart. She stared into his warm caramel eyes, and smiled. “And I thought I didn’t have an appetite.”

  He held up a cube of bright green melon. “Honeydew?” Instead of feeding it to her, he trailed the cool morsel over her lips, down her chin, her throat, to the ruffled neckline of her blouse. He popped the fruit in his mouth and then followed the path he’d created on her skin with his hot, silky tongue.

  Her nerve endings tingling with pleasure, she tipped her head back, and his lips cruised the sensitive spot where her neck joined her shoulder. “Honeydew that again.”

  He chuckled, and his warm breath feathered over her damp skin. “Anything you want. Everything you ever dreamed. And this time, we’re gonna take it nice and slow.”

  She shivered as he eased down the loose elastic neckline of her peasant blouse and tasted her shoulder. “Mmm,” she purred. “SWAT…slow, wanton and talented.”

  His gorgeous mouth curved into a grin a breath away from the swell of her left breast, and her nipples pebbled beneath the turquoise lace of her bra. “Do the wheels in your brain ever stop turning?”

  “Once.” She smiled at him. “And that was your fault.”

  “Soon to be twice.” He drew her blouse over her head and tossed it aside. “Or a half dozen.” He wiggled his eyebrows at her. “All of which will be my fault.”

  She started to giggle, but caught a glimpse of the predatory male glint in his eyes. Her heart stuttered. “You’re serious!”

  He nuzzled her ear. “Baby, let me show you just how serious I am.”

  Chapter 18

  1:00 p.m.

  Since she was sitting on his lap, Zoe had a pretty darn good idea of how serious Aidan was. “You know what we need?” She walked her fingers up the placket of his shirt and opened it, button by button. She’d reported from enough SWAT team incident sites to pick up the jargon. “An eyes-on assessment.”

  His sexy laugh rumbled. He kneaded her bottom through the gauzy fabric of her skirt. “Good plan.”

  She slid his shirt over his broad shoulders and off his arms. His sculpted chest and ridged abs were more intoxicating than the wine. She skated her fingertips through the fine mat of crisp, dark hair, and his heart jumped under her palms. “Do you recommend a dynamic entry, officer?”

  Carnal chuckles spilled out of him. “Definitely.” He eased her down to the plush carpet in front of the fire, his hard, hot body on top of hers.

  She rolled her hips, reveling in the amazing feeling of his blatant arousal rubbing against her. “You’re packing heat, SWAT.”

  “Locked and loaded.” He groaned and took her mouth in another breath-stealing kiss.

  She tunneled her fingers into his thick, wavy hair and urged him closer. He kissed like a fallen angel. All dark passion and fiery sin, with the sweet taste of heaven on his tongue.

  He pulled back, breaking the kiss, and shook his head. “Hold that thought.”

  “You’re not getting all noble and backing o
ff now, are you?” She scowled. “Don’t make me get out the handcuffs, SWAT.”

  His chest shook in amusement. “I’m not that noble.” His wicked grin flashed. “Though the cuffs idea has merit.” He shoved to his feet. “We need protection.”

  “Ah. Right.” Her cop would always protect her, in every way. Just one of the many things she loved about him. Propped on her elbows, she looked up at him. “Please make me the happiest woman on the planet and tell me you have some on the premises.”

  “An Eagle Scout is always prepared.” He strode toward the hallway.

  She watched him walk away, the powerful muscles in his back rippling with his graceful predator’s stride, his taut, perfect backside hugged by snug denim. Desire streamed through her in a potent flood of liquid flame. “Hey, SWAT?”

  He half turned. “Yeah?”

  “Bring the whole box.”

  He tossed back his head, and laughter exploded out of him. “I love a woman with ambition.”

  “Oh, baby, do I have plans for you.”

  His lightning movements during the firefight paled in comparison to how quickly he completed his errand. True to her request, he brought the entire box.

  “I love a man who takes direction well.”

  He knelt at her side, his body caressed by golden firelight. “Your wish is my command, sweetheart.”

  She rose to her knees, facing him. “Will you take off your jeans?”

  “This will be rather difficult if I don’t.” His lips quirked in a naughty smile, and he indicated the snap at his waistband. “I’m all yours.”

  This had to be a dream. A wonderful, lovely fantasy that would disappear when she awoke, heartbroken and alone in her empty apartment. Her hands shook as she unsnapped his jeans, and she fumbled with the zipper covering the mind-boggling bulge beneath her fingers.

  “Don’t be nervous.” Aidan’s big, warm hands covered hers, and helped her ease down the zipper. “I’ll be careful. I won’t hurt you.”

  “I know you won’t. I’m not nervous. I’m overwhelmed.” She gulped as he stood and skimmed the denim down his powerful thighs, stepped out of his pants. “I can’t believe this is actually happening. I’ve waited all my life for you.”