by Cathryn Fox
“Ally.”
“Yeah?”
“Here’s something you weren’t forewarned about.”
Her expressive eyes widened, confused. “What’s that?”
Eyes playful, Carter grabbed the handcuffs and slapped them back onto her wrists. “I’m not nearly done with you yet.”
Chapter Five
Allison adjusted her dark sunglasses as she perused Carter, who was currently signing his publicity photo for a group of giggling beach babes. Looking like sex incarnate, the hot afternoon sun glistened on his tanned skin, and Allison’s sex-bruised body tightened with memories of their weekend together. She flushed as she reminisced about their time in bed, reliving every glorious minute she’d spent with Carter between the sheets, reveling in the way that hard body of his felt on top of hers, beneath hers, inside hers.
He glanced up, as if sensing her eyes on him, and a sultry wave of awareness flared between them. His expression was tender, hot and so damn suggestive it did wicked things to her body.
Just then Madison stepped up to her, and Allison commanded herself to redirect her thoughts. Now was not the time to be thinking about her weekend with Carter and what it meant for them relationshipwise. She needed to get her mind on the job because she had work to do.
Madison gestured with a nod. “Your Mr. July sure is drawing a big crowd.”
Allison returned to professional mode. “They love him. It will be great for sales.”
Madison arched a questioning brow and gave her an odd look.
“What?” Allison asked as she adjusted her glasses. Cripes, was she really that transparent?
“Nothing,” Madison said, her glance surfing over the crowd and settling on Sean Adams, Mr. August, as he stepped up to say hello to Carter. Sean was a local firefighter, and while they’d all grown up in the small town, he’d been a few grades ahead of Allison in school so she knew him by reputation only. And boy oh boy, the man had one hell of a reputation.
Allison didn’t miss the way Madison was staring at him and was about to ask Madison if there was something going on between the two of them, but Madison turned her attention to Blaine and waved him over. On duty, Blaine looked warm in his work clothes as he climbed from his vehicle and started toward them.
When Allison spotted Blaine’s gun holstered at his side as he made his way over to Sean Adams, she turned back to face Carter and wondered if he was right. On some subconscious level had she really pushed him away because she was afraid? Then she thought about the promise he’d made.
Was it possible? Did Carter have it in him to be good?
Would he do that for her?
Could he do that for her?
When Blaine approached, she watched the way Carter’s mood blackened, but when she gave him a stern look, he plastered on a smile and continued to charm the crowd. Allison smiled at him. Okay, so maybe he really was trying. Warmth moved through her as she studied him, loving that he was putting an effort into this for her.
Music blared from an approaching car, and all eyes turned. The car squealed into a spot, and when the driver opened the door, the pungent scent of weed and smoke drifted by on a breeze.
The driver climbed from the car and wrestled with his surfboard. A young girl, who looked to be about six months pregnant, climbed from the passenger side. She planted a kiss on surfer boy’s mouth before making her way to a group of girls who were waving to her from the water.
There was something about surfer boy that kept drawing Carter’s attention, and when he shouted to his girlfriend, cursing like a sailor on shore leave, Allison stiffened, her stomach knotting. Oh God, this wasn’t good. Not good at all.
Allison’s glance kept going from drugged-out surfer boy to Carter, and when she saw the anger move over Carter’s face, she could sense the rage rising in him, sense his inner struggle to play by the rules.
Looking doe-eyed and nervous, his girlfriend retraced her steps. Allison couldn’t hear the exchange from her distance, but it was clear that she was trying to placate her boyfriend. When he proceeded to dismiss her by wrapping a palm around her face and shoving her to the ground, a collective gasp could be heard from the crowd.
Allison fisted her hands as fear and anger welled up inside her. Her heart went out to the young girl and her unborn child, who were, undoubtedly, trapped in an abusive relationship. Her firm had done pro bono work for a local women’s shelter, and if Allison could just talk to her, convince her to listen to what the counselors had to say, then maybe she could help.
Just then Carter and Blaine drew her attention. She turned in time to see Blaine grab Carter’s arm.
“Come on, Carter.”
Carter gave Blaine a warning glare, and it was enough to intimidate anyone, including Blaine. Blaine held his hands up and backed off.
“We need to do this the right way,” Blaine insisted.
“I plan to.”
“Carter, you’re unarmed and off duty. Let me handle this. Besides, you don’t want to fuck this campaign up for Allison, do you?”
Carter brushed his hand over his chin and cursed under his breath. “Fine,” he grumbled, and Allison watched him pace, understanding that the old Carter would have dashed in headfirst.
Blaine spoke into his radio, but he made the rookie mistake of diverting his attention as he called the situation in. In that instant, the young girl squirreled across the sand, and surfer boy, looking angrier than ever and so completely drugged out that he was oblivious to the crowd, followed along behind. Allison tensed as the two drew closer and closer to Carter.
The girl screamed and Allison saw the glint of a blade in the sunlight. Before she realized what was happening, Carter rushed forward, disarmed the boy and had him face down in the sand. No one saw it coming, not even Blaine.
As the event unfolded, cell phones started snapping, capturing the event. When Blaine finally realized what was going on, he ran toward Carter. Allison’s jaw dropped as she watched Carter contain the situation, and it occurred to her that she’d never seen him in full-blown action before. Her heart missed a beat as she watched him.
Surfer boy groaned and cursed as Carter secured him. Blaine summoned the other officers who had just pulled up in their patrol car.
The officers rushed forward. Once the situation was under control, the officers spoke quietly then turned their attention to their notepads. As they entered their information, Carter faced her and grimaced. Like Allison, Carter knew just how the media could twist a story to make it more interesting, and right now the last thing either of them wanted was to draw any negative attention. When his glance collided with hers, an apologetic look crossed his face.
Allison moved toward him, and he stood stock-still, watching her. The disconcerted look on his face spoke volumes and had her heart aching for him.
“Let’s go, Carter,” Blaine said. “We have reports to fill out and the captain will want to see us both.”
In that instant as Carter’s eyes moved over her with genuine concern, Allison discovered something very important about Carter, but more importantly, she discovered something about herself.
“You haven’t changed at all,” she said.
“Ally, I’m sorry.” He reached for her.
“So am I.” But before she could tell him what she was sorry for, Blaine came between them.
Chapter Six
Barefoot and dressed only in a pair of jeans, Carter paced his condo, wearing a hole in his wood floor as he raked his fingers through his mussed hair. Jesus H. Christ. Talk about doing a piss-poor job of showing Ally he could change his ways. Fuck, he didn’t even want to think what this meant for her career. Her job was important to her—to him—yet he’d dived in headfirst when he was unarmed and off duty. But hell, how could he have helped himself? Blaine might have been on duty, and while protocol dictated that Carter was to leave the situation to him, the rookie had been too preoccupied with calling the incident in to see the blade coming.
Carter had
n’t heard from Ally since yesterday, since she’d uttered those simple words, You haven’t changed at all. He hadn’t called her and wasn’t about to stop by to talk. Seeing the disappointment on her face would only kill him.
She was never going to forgive him. He’d screwed everything up for their relationship, her career. Blaine was right. Ally really was better off without him.
As he continued to pace, he considered that long and hard. Maybe if he walked out of her life now, and promised to stay out of it, she’d be able to keep her job.
Carter moved to the window and pulled the blinds, but the warm morning sun did little to lighten his dark mood. He stared out but saw nothing as he entertained the idea until he finally let it settle in. It would destroy him, shatter his heart into a million tiny pieces, but deep inside he knew what he had to do.
Just then the doorbell rang. Startled, he twisted around and in three long strides crossed the room. He pulled the door open, and his pulse leapt in his throat as he stood face-to-face with the last person he expected to find on his landing.
“Can I come in?”
Rattled, Carter stepped back and waved his hand. “Yeah. Of course.”
Once inside Allison turned to him. When soulful blue eyes met his, it forced him to draw a breath to center himself.
“I never had the chance to tell you what I was sorry for,” she said.
Longing ripped open Carter’s heart as he swallowed and braced himself. No matter how much he loved her, no matter how much it would tear him up inside to walk away, he knew he had to do it because everything inside him told him she really was better off without him in her life, screwing it up.
He drew a shaky breath. “Look, Ally, I know I fucked up. I’m sorry.” He paused for a brief moment. “Don’t worry. I’ll get out of your life so you can try to get it back on track.”
She gave him an odd look, worry clouding her eyes, and something in her voice hitched when she asked, “Is that what you really want?”
“No. Of course not.” He gave a quick shake of his head and noted the way her face instantly relaxed. “But we both know it’s what’s best for you.”
She pressed her fingers to his lips. “Okay, then let me finish.”
When he nodded, she went on to explain. “What I’m sorry for was the four months we’ve lost together.”
Utterly perplexed, Carter looked at her, not really understanding where she was going with this. Feeling physically and emotionally drained from lack of sleep, he shook his head to clear it and sagged against the wall. He drove his hands deep into his pockets and waited for her to clarify.
“I thought we had no future. I thought we were different people with different goals.” She went quiet for a moment and then, “I thought wrong.”
His heart thudded as a seed of hope bloomed inside him. Was she saying what he thought she was saying?
“While we might approach things differently, deep down we have the same values and beliefs.”
Getting right to the point, he asked, “What are you trying to say, Ally?”
“I’m saying that it wasn’t you who needed to change, it was me.”
She stepped close, and as the room spun before his eyes, he couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
“I spent last night doing some very serious soul-searching, and while I don’t like the risks you take, and I don’t like the way you throw yourself into danger, I know you do it for the greater good. I was so proud of you yesterday, Carter. You didn’t fuck up. You did the right thing.”
His chest puffed with pride, but when she lowered her eyes, shivered and hugged herself, he reached for her. “What is it?”
“I hate to think what would have happened if you hadn’t intervened. What you did was heroic.”
“What I did was risky. And I promised you I wouldn’t take risks.”
“When I watched you take that guy down, the way you quickly disarmed him before he could hurt anyone, including himself, I learned a lot about you, and I learned a lot about me.” She got quiet for a moment. The sadness on her face had his heart clenching and revealed a side of her that she’d always kept buried. Tears flooded her eyes. “You were right, Carter. You were right about everything. I didn’t realize it until you brought it to light. But four months ago I pulled back physically and emotionally because I didn’t want anything to happen to you. Losing you would kill me as effectively as a bullet to the heart.”
The love he felt for her washed over him in a whoosh as he brushed her tears away, knowing she’d finally accepted the truth.
“Thank you for not giving up on me. And thank you for helping me understand my own demons.” She forced a laugh. “Now that I know what they are I can work on vanquishing them.”
“We can work on vanquishing them,” he said.
His protective instincts kicked into high gear, fueled by his need for intimate contact. He pulled her tight into his arms. When she smiled at him, a kaleidoscope of feelings stole through him.
“You’re a good cop, Carter, and we both care about the same things.” Her hands snaked around him, and she rested her face on his chest. “And I thought it would make you happy to know that I’ve taken measures to get that girl counseling.”
He briefly closed his eyes then blew out a long, slow breath. When he opened them again, he said, “Thank you.”
“The streets would be lost without you.” She looked up, her gaze searching his face. “And Carter.”
“Yeah?”
She crinkled her nose and gave a slight shrug of one shoulder. “I know you broke protocol, and I realize that going into a dangerous situation unarmed is considered bad, but maybe sometimes bad is good.”
“Maybe?” When he saw love shining in her eyes, his knees nearly gave way. In an attempt to lighten the mood, he teased, “If you’re not totally convinced, I’d be happy to take you back to the bluff and pound home that point.”
Heat colored her cheeks, and as warm intimacy full of love and acceptance passed between them, Carter knew they were going to be okay. Today. Tomorrow. Forever.
“Let’s just put it this way, Carter. You might make me crazy at times…” she stopped to roll her eyes heavenward, “…but so help me I can’t live without you. Instead of spending my time worrying about your safety, I’d rather spend it loving you.”
Emotions pressed against his heart as he drew her in for a deep, soul-reaching kiss, and in that moment he could have sobbed from happiness. “I love you, Ally Cat.”
Her eyes blazed with desire, and she kissed him back, a soft, sensuous melding of mouths that had him aching to be back inside her. “And I love you.”
He broke the kiss and warned, “The road ahead might be a little rocky, and I suspect we’ll hit a few bumps.”
“Just a few?”
“Okay, a lot,” he said, laughing. “But if you want me to be more than your friend,” he added giving her a wry grin, “then I have a condition.”
She planted one hand on her hip. “Oh, more conditions.”
He pitched his voice low. “Yeah, no matter how much we fight, no matter how many bumps we hit, we always ride them out together and make up in the bedroom.”
She chuckled, and he heard the invitation in her voice when she said, “I think that can be arranged.”
As he thought about what the future held, it brought his mind back around to her job, and how he had undoubtedly fucked up her new lead position.
He inched back. “What about your job?”
“That was one of the other things I considered last night, and I’ve decided I’m going to quit.”
He stared at her, incredulous. “You’re going to do what?”
“Since your face is splattered all over today’s newspaper, upper management wants a meeting with me.”
“Allison, you didn’t do anything wrong.”
“And in my eyes neither did you. But that article dredges up your history and past incidents. Management isn’t going to like the negative publicit
y.”
“Then management can kiss my—”
Allison grinned and pressed her fingers to his lips. “I’ve decided that I’ve been their pawn long enough, and I’m not going to give them a chance to fire me.”
Carter fisted his hands, guilt eating at him. “Jesus Christ, Ally. This is my fault.”
“I don’t want to work for someone who is always going to judge me and those I associate with,” she said, addressing his worries. “I don’t care what anyone says, you did the right thing yesterday.”
“But, Ally.”
“I’ve been saving, and this has given me the perfect opportunity to do what I’ve always wanted.”
“You’re going to start your own firm?” He hugged her tight and spun her around.
She laughed out loud, a new excitement in her eyes.
“You know I’m here to help,” he rushed out. “Anything you need.” He tossed her a sheepish look. “And I’ll really, really try my best to be good.”
“Yeah, right.” She gave a low, throaty chuckle. “Like I said before, Carter, you’re bad to the bone.”
He pushed against her, and as he breathed a kiss over her mouth his blood pounded hot and heavy. “Speaking of bones…”
Ally shook her head, everything about her a sultry seduction. “What am I going to do with you?”
Hungering for her with an intensity that made his hands shake, he gestured toward the hallway leading to his bedroom. “Maybe we should go in there and try to figure it out.”
“Maybe?” she asked, the gleam in her eyes turning wicked. “Well if you’re not totally sure—”
Before she could finish her sentence, Carter scooped her up, packing her tight in his arms. She gave a little yelp but he silenced her with a kiss.
“Oh, believe me, I’m sure, baby. And I have a set of handcuffs to show you just how sure I am.”
About the Author
A multi-published author in the romance genre, Cathryn Fox is a wife, mom, sister, daughter, and friend. She loves dogs, sunny weather, anything chocolate (she never says no to a brownie), pizza and red wine. She has two teenagers who keep her busy with their never-ending activities, and a husband who is convinced he can turn her into a mixed-martial-arts fan. Cathryn can never find balance in her life, is always trying to find time to go to the gym, can never keep up with emails, Facebook or Twitter, and tries to write page-turning books that her readers will love.