A Little Harmless Submission 6

by Melissa Schroeder

  He placed his hand on the small of her back and guided her through the club. When they got outside, Maria stopped.

  “What the hell was that about?”

  Several people glanced in their direction as they walked down the sidewalk.

  “Not here.”

  She looked around, turned on her heels, and strode back to his car. The problem was that with her anger, her hips swayed even more. He followed after her, but he couldn’t take his gaze from her ass. She reached his car and turned to face him. When she saw where his attention was, she rolled her eyes. He opened her door, and she slipped in. He walked around the hood of the car, trying to calm himself. He had gotten his temper under control. But then she’d had to speak.

  “Get one thing straight, we will have this out, at my place,” she said.

  He wanted to shout at her, but he looked over at the entrance of the club and saw St John standing there. Shit.

  “Fine. We will have it out.”

  With that, he turned on the car, put it in gear and punched the gas. They were definitely going to have this out.

  · · · · ·

  Maria’s temper was frayed by the time they arrived at Rome’s house. He could have gone to her rental, but of course, he had wanted to be on his turf. The second he put the car in park, she practically jumped out of it and slammed the door shut behind her.

  Rome gave her a dirty look. Oh, now he wanted to pay attention to her. He had no right to be mad. She said nothing, silently fuming until they got inside. As she had become accustomed to, she took off her shoes as they entered. Then, without looking behind her, she marched down the hallway to the kitchen. It was the furthest room from the bedroom. It was too depressing to be there. In the last forty-eight hours, he hadn’t touched her in private. In public, oh, he was all over that, she thought with a sneer. But in private, he acted like she was a leper.

  “I will not allow you to behave the way you did tonight.”

  His eyebrows rose. “I don’t think I need your permission. That’s not how this goes.”

  Frustration pushed a growl out of her before she could contain it. “How what goes? The investigation? Both of us know that I’m playing nice with you, but if I wanted to, I could make sure that I had final say on everything.”

  His face flushed with anger, but when he spoke, his voice was calm. “I’m talking about this relationship.”

  She snorted, trying to cover the pain, and crossed her arms over her chest. “Relationship? We have one?”

  He took a step toward her, his expression forbidding. “Of course we have one. Enough of one to keep you from trying to replace me with St John.”

  Jesus, the man was an idiot. “I thought our relationship ended two days ago.”

  “I never said that.”

  “And you haven’t touched me since then.” She shrugged, feigning nonchalance. “I figured I was a free agent, and it would help with the investigation.”

  The look that moved over his face had her backing up a step. Her rear end hit the counter, but he didn’t stop moving toward her.

  “Was it all about work?” he asked, his voice so serious, so dangerous, she felt a lick of fear coil in her belly.

  She shook her head.

  “I didn’t think so. I mean, when you were screaming out my name when you came all over my cock, you didn’t seem to be trying to earn any brownie points.”

  She swallowed, trying to get ahold of her fear. Worse, there was a sliver of sick excitement that threaded through the alarm. Maria didn’t know which should bother her worse.

  “As my sub, you aren’t supposed to give me your opinions.”

  “In the bedroom,” she said, amazed she got the words out. “You don’t own me, Rome.”

  Heat flared in his hazel eyes, and she felt it churn through her blood. She shouldn’t be turned on, shouldn’t have the dual feelings twisting through her. But for some reason, she did. God help her, she did.

  He grabbed her by the waist and lifted her up, then dropped her on the counter. Before she could protest, he was kissing her. His tongue plunged into her mouth over and over. Even as he assaulted her mouth, he was working the hem of her dress up. She wasn’t wearing anything beneath it. She was already aroused, liquid heat filling her sex, her nipples tightened almost painfully.

  Rome pulled away then, unzipped his pants and cursed. He pulled his wallet out, pulled a condom out, and dropped the billfold on the floor. The need coursing through her now exploded. She needed this, needed him now. He slipped the condom on then entered her, hard, swift, and although she was prepared, she drew in a quick breath. He said nothing as he moved in and out of her. Maria wrapped her legs around him and moaned.

  All of a sudden, he stopped and looked up at her. It was as if he just realized what had happened.

  “Maria,” he said. She hated seeing the regret in his expression, the way it darkened his eyes. She took his face in her hands and kissed him, murmuring against his lips. Then he began to move again, with just as much power, but there was a difference in the way he kissed her. She still felt wanted, felt the wave of her orgasm approaching, but there was something different in the way he touched her. Soon she was coming, her body arching into his as he followed her, her name on his lips.

  Their harsh breaths were the only sound as he wrapped his arms around her as if he were afraid she would leave. He looked up at her. “I’m sorry.”

  She shook her head and opened her mouth.

  “Not for this. For being a pain in the ass.”

  She nodded. “I understand.”

  He kissed her sweetly, his gaze still latched onto hers. Maria couldn’t help the way her heart trembled before falling at his feet. How could she not fall for a man like Rome? He was difficult and moody, but he made her feel like the most beautiful woman in the world.

  He pulled away from her and then lifted her into his arms. He kicked off his pants. “I think I have some apologizing to do.”

  She smiled at him, settling her arms over his shoulders. “I believe you do, Detective Carino.”

  He chuckled, and she ignored the warning in her head. She would follow her heart and live with the consequences later. He set her on the bed, stripped her out of her clothes, and then joined her. As she sighed his name, her worries dissolved, and Maria lost herself in the pleasure he gave her.

  · · · · ·

  Maria had just poured her first cup of Kona for the day when her cell phone went off. She sighed when she saw her supervisor’s number. He hadn’t been happy when she reported the last killing.

  “Callahan.”

  “We got another one.”

  Her heart stuttered. “Here?”

  “No, apparently our boy is on the move. LAPD has reported a killing in Orange County. Same MO, though she was found in a residential area.”

  She saw something out of the corner of her eye and realized Rome had joined her. “Was she a member of a club?”

  “We’re still checking, but it looks like the same thing. You need to get your ass to LA.”

  “But, sir, until we know for sure, shouldn’t I stay here?”

  Desperation was clawing at her insides, her pulse kicking up a notch. She couldn’t leave. She glanced at Rome and noticed he’d stopped working on his tie.

  “No, it’s a short enough flight that you can get there and go back if it isn’t. Masters can’t make it because his wife is in labor right now.”

  “Oh. Okay. I’ll call about a flight, leave tomorrow.”

  “You leave tonight, ten o’clock. I’ll email everything to you.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  He hung up before she finished her agreement. She clicked off her phone and felt Rome shift closer.

  “I have to go to LA. They found a woman there, same MO. He wants me on a flight tonight.”

  The silence lengthened. She glanced at Rome and found him staring at her with the weirdest look on his face.

  “Rome?”

  He sighed. �
��I guess we knew you would have to go back.”

  She blinked back the tears. Why did it feel like this was the worst thing in the world? She had realized last night, even after they made love, that there was nothing here for her. Rome apparently didn’t want long term, and while he liked to have her in his bed, he wasn’t looking for something permanent. The connection they had made the night before had made her heart tremble, her knees go weak, but she knew that in part, it was leading up to the end. They both knew this was going to happen even before it started.

  “Well, I guess I should go pack.”

  She brushed past him, but he circled his fingers around her wrist and pulled her closer. “I gotta go into the office, but I’ll meet you back here this afternoon. We can do an early dinner before you fly.”

  She smiled, although it felt brittle. “Okay. Sounds good.”

  He brushed his mouth over hers and let her go. “I’ve got a meeting with the captain, or I would just call in. He’ll definitely want to know about this. Give me a call if anything else happens.”

  She nodded and watched until the front door shut. The sound of it echoed through the house, and it hurt. Dammit, it hurt so much. The tears she had kept at bay now filled her eyes, and for once in a very long time, she let them flow. A woman who was losing the best man she’d ever known had a right to cry like a baby.

  · · · · ·

  Rome was finishing up some work after his meeting with the captain when he felt someone standing next to his desk. He glanced up and found Jack standing there. Shit, he wasn’t in the mood for another confrontation.

  “Hey, Rome.”

  “Whatya want, Jack?”

  He sighed and sunk down into the chair Rome kept for visitors. “I wanted to apologize for being a jackass the other day.”

  Rome glanced at him, surprised. In the year he had worked with Jack, he never once apologized for anything. “Why?”

  Jack shrugged. “I know I was out of line. The divorce has left me raw. I need to put a muzzle on it.”

  “Then apology accepted.”

  Jack smiled. “Great. I’m on my way off the island since I just got word I landed a job at LAPD, but I wanted to make sure that you weren’t pissed at me. I just wanted to make sure you know I’m not after your lady friend. I was just ticked because my life is going to crap.”

  Knowing that the killer was gone, that the ruse was up, Rome leaned back in his chair. “Not that my life is better.”

  “With a woman like that Maria, can’t be too bad.”

  “She’s on her way back to the mainland. She has a job to do.”

  “I thought maybe you were thinking about making it permanent.”

  His heart jolted at the idea. Keep Maria forever? Or rather, he could go to DC. Sure, he loved Hawaii, but there was part of him that would die if he let her go. His heart already felt like it had been beaten and bruised, and she hadn’t even left yet.

  “Not sure I could live in DC.”

  Jack frowned. “She lives in DC?”

  “Yeah. Truth is, she’s FBI working on the The Dom case. We were working undercover together, but it didn’t seem to work out.”

  A strange expression moved over Jack’s face and then it vanished. “That sucks for you.”

  He nodded. “When you leaving?”

  “Tonight. I have a ten o’clock flight.”

  “Into LA? Maria might be on your flight.”

  “Imagine that.” He rose to stand. “I have some more papers to sign, and then I gotta check out of the hotel I stayed in last night.”

  Rome offered his hand. “Good luck.”

  Jack smiled and shook it. “Thanks, man.”

  He left then and Rome watched him. If anything, it was good to know Jack had his life somewhat back on track. He was a good detective, but the home problems had made it hard for him to concentrate on the job.

  Rome sat back down and decided to blow through the paperwork he had left so he could get back to spend some time with Maria.

  · · · · ·

  Maria shut her suitcase and sniffled. She’d had a good cry while she’d folded and packed her things, but now was the time to get that stiff upper lip her father always told her to have. She felt it tremble, and she put her fingers against it. There would be no regrets. She couldn’t have them. Moving on and doing what she wanted to do was the most important thing. The one thing her time with Rome and on the case taught her was that she was a good FBI agent. She hated it, though. She dreaded the idea of going back to LA and investigating. Life is too short not to do what you want, she told herself.

  Before she could start crying again, the doorbell rang. She dabbed her eyes as she walked to the door. When she looked through the peephole, she was surprised at the visitor.

  She composed herself with a few breaths and opened the door.

  “Hey, Maria,” Jack said. “Thought I would come by and say aloha.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Rome walked through his front door and was sort of surprised at the stillness. Maria could be quiet, but she wasn’t that quiet. If anything, she would still be packing. She was a woman who liked everything just so.

  He walked through the house, the floors squeaking beneath his feet as a sense of wrongness surrounded him.

  “Maria?”

  No answer. Fuck. He walked all the way through the house and found nothing at first. Had she left not wanting to face him? But then he saw her suitcase sitting open on the bed, a few more items still waiting to be packed.

  “Maria!”

  He ran through the house, drawing his weapon. Her laptop was on the desk in his guestroom where she kept it. Panic and fear now twisted his gut. When he heard her phone ringing, he ran to the kitchen.

  He saw the two-zero-two area code and knew it was someone she worked with.

  “Hello.”

  There was a pause. “This is Agent Smith. I’m looking for Maria Callahan.”

  “This is Officer Carino, and I’m also looking for Maria.”

  “Oh, Carino. Is Callahan around?”

  Aggravation marched down his spine. He knew he didn’t have time for this. “No. I can’t find her.”

  Another pause. “Is that normal?”

  “No. Not normal at all.”

  “I’m trying to get ahold of her to tell her that we’re cancelling the flight. The LA killing was an ex.”

  “Just like the one in Dallas and Sara.”

  “What?”

  He didn’t realize he had spoken out loud until the agent spoke. “We had a woman here, ex killed her. At first they thought it might be The Dom, but it didn’t fit.”

  “What I want to know is why you have her phone and where the hell is she?”

  “I’ll ask her that as soon as I find her.”

  He hung up without waiting for an answer. He was heading toward the door when the bell rang. When he opened it, he found Tina, Jack’s wife. Her face was beat all to hell, her lip split, her left eye black, and her nose had definitely been broken.

  “Tina, hun, what happened to you?” he asked.

  “I’m sorry to bother you Rome, but I had nowhere else to go. It’s Jack, he went crazy today.”

  She stepped into the house. When she stood next to him, he was reminded of her petite frame. She didn’t even reach his shoulder.

  “No, don’t worry.” Even as he said it, he had half his mind on Maria and where she might be.

  “Like I said, I didn’t know where to go. I was furious when I found the stuff, and when I confronted Jack, he freaked. I have never seen him like that.”

  He showed her over to his couch, trying his best to keep his patience in check. The poor woman had been worked over.

  Once she was settled, he asked, “Now, why don’t you tell me what you’re talking about?”

  She drew in a deep breath. Rome watched as she physically pulled herself together. “I was going through his stuff, getting it ready for him to pack up this morning. I found this plastic bag,
looked like one of those evidence bags you all use.”

  “What was in the bag?”

  “Panties.”

  “Panties?” The worry he had earlier was now blossoming into full-blown panic.

  “Yeah, there were lots of them. At first I didn’t think anything of it. I mean, it would have been wrong if he had brought them home and they were evidence. He could get in trouble. I know he isn’t a great cop. He lied. He said that you were never doing your job. That he had to pull up the slack.”

  That was interesting since Rome had been the one who had always done the heavy lifting. Jack was always too busy to do the paperwork.

  “So you asked him about the panties?”

  She nodded and squeezed her eyes. A fresh wave of tears came pouring out.

  “He just exploded. I didn’t expect it.”

  “Jack hadn’t hit you before?”

  She drew in another breath. “No, not really. He wanted to…he wanted to do some stuff while we were having sex that I wasn’t comfortable with, but that was it.”

  Rome studied her bent head. “What kind of stuff?”

  She glanced up then looked back down. “He wanted to tie me up. That didn’t bother me that much. God, I can’t believe I have to talk about this with you.”

  “I didn’t think he was into BDSM.”

  “That wouldn’t have been bad, really, but he tried to tie a scarf around my neck.”

  Rome’s heart almost stopped beating. Son of a bitch.

  “And with the panties, the thing that upset me was the scarf that was there. It was the one he’d used on me. I thought maybe he had been cheating on me while we were still together, and when I accused him of it, that was when he went crazy.”

  “Do you know where he is?”

  She shook her head. “He left, and I took myself to the hospital. They wanted to call the cops, but I wanted to come to you. He took the bag with him, Rome.”

  “You did the right thing. Is your new boyfriend here?”

  She shook her head. “And he’s going to be so mad at me for doing this when he wasn’t home, but Jack told me he was leaving tonight, and I wanted to get rid of his things. Mike’s on the Big Island for business.”