Damaged Love

by Sarah J. Brooks

  “You can order something if you like,” she suggested.

  “Naw, I’m good,” he replied.

  She leaned forward. “Please, it’s my treat.”

  It was obvious he was hungry by the way he swallowed as a plate of shrimp pasta settled in front of the man at the next table. He observed her for a minute or two, perhaps contemplating whether he should. Finally, she shrugged, slumping back in the chair.

  “Okay, if you insist,” he said, motioning over the waiter.

  Within a few seconds, the tall young waiter was smiling down at them. With neatly cropped dark hair and soft brown eyes, he looked from one to the other. “What can I get you, sir, ma’am?”

  With a sweet smile, she replied, “Nothing for me, thank you.”

  “I’ll have a club sandwich with a tall glass of ice tea,” Henry told him.

  “Be right back.” The waiter moved quickly through the tables and disappeared inside the double doors, which she assumed was the kitchen.

  Henry leaned his elbows on the table, looking intently at her. “Tell me.”

  “Have you found out anything more about my kidnapping?” she asked, getting straight to the point.

  “I have some leads, yes, but nothing concrete. Why?”

  “I think the woman whom I heard was Carl Benson’s sister.”

  Henry glanced expectantly at the double doors before looking back at her. “Yes, I think the same. The only problem is, she is missing,” he said. “Don’t worry; we’re doing all we can to locate her. That girl your friend mentioned was Colt’s stepsister.”

  “I figured that out.”

  “Have you got something you want to tell me?”

  Chelsea did not intend to give him the information she had. On the contrary, she needed him to give her more info. She wasn’t sure how to get him to tell her; he was the detective, and he would know she was fishing. An idea formed, so she ran with it, hoping it would work.

  “I’m putting together Colt’s memoir … so, I was wondering if I could see the police report on his mother’s case.”

  He leaned back in his seat and searched her eyes. Her breath stopped while she held his gaze as he tapped the table with his fingers. He was taking a long time answering her, so she wasn’t sure he bought it.

  “Well, since there is no longer a case, I don’t see why not.”

  She tried not to let out her breath all at once. “Is it possible to see both? I mean the one you did and the one before when she confessed.”

  “Sure,” he nodded. “And Colt doesn’t know about this?”

  “No, he’ll see it when it’s complete. Can you email them to me when you get in?”

  She shoved a business card across the table. He picked it up, glanced briefly at her and pocketed it.

  “Sure thing.”

  The waiter returned with the order, and Henry dug right in. His sandwich was finished in three minutes with him downing the glass of iced-tea in one long gulp.

  “Thanks for the meal, I was hungry.” He grinned. “But I still have a feeling there’s something more.”

  “Jason, I think he knows Carl Benson’s sister, and I think he was the one to snatch me.”

  “How do you figure this?” The detective raised a bushy brow.

  Chelsea looked at him with an incredulous stare. She did not believe for a second that this didn’t cross his mind at all. He must be pulling her leg, right?

  “It all adds up, Detective,” she replied. “Jason and Carl seem to be close. They follow us around all the time, right across the country. The day I heard the kidnappers, the man said ‘I did this for you’, and she replied, ‘I never asked you to do this. Let her go’.”

  “That doesn’t mean it’s him or her for that matter.”

  She was growing impatient, and it sounded in her tone. “Call it my gut feeling. I was the one kidnapped, remember?”

  “Yes, I know it was you who was kidnapped, but that’s exactly what the problem is. You are emotional and need to pin this on somebody. Look, I know the guy is bad news, but without evidence, I can’t do anything. Plus, the description of the guy you gave, the smell and burliness, doesn’t fit.”

  “Jason is muscular, and what if he was wearing old dirty clothes to throw me off? He did mask his voice with the voice changer. That means he would disguise himself as well.”

  “I get that,” Henry said, keeping his gaze on her. “Okay, I’ll look into it, but I can’t promise anything.”

  She gave him a grateful smile. “Thank you.”

  “I’ll get those reports to you when I get to the office. Thanks for the meal.” He stood, and so did she. He made to move off but halted. “Are you sure you don’t remember anything else? You seem sure your kidnapper was Colt’s stepbrother.”

  “As I said, Detective, it’s just a feeling. Plus, he has been blackmailing Colt. The last time they made him sign a contract of some sort so he can’t get money from his extortion anymore. I think he wanted to use me as ransom, but the girl spoiled the plans.”

  “I’ll look into it,” he said before walking away.

  Chapter 46

  She’d returned to the suite finding that Reid and the others were out, except for Colt. He’d showered. With his hair still damp, he wore a sleeveless vest with no buttons at the front. His jeans hugged his hips close, defining his thigh muscles and the bulge in his crotch. His chest had tiny hairs lying flat on his ripped torso. Her eyes cruised every dip and curve of his muscles, what she could see of them. She swallowed hard as her heart somersaulted and her pulse raced at the sight of him.

  After ogling each other for minutes without saying anything, he took her hand and led her to the balcony.

  “You disappear so often; are you cheating on me?”

  Reaching for her, he pulled her close. A smile played on Chelsea’s lips at Colt’s teasing. His arms wound tightly around her, and she rested her head on his solid shoulder.

  “So what if I have another boyfriend, what will you do about it?” she teased back.

  A low growl rumbled from his throat. “Don’t even joke about that.”

  “Then don’t say stupid things,” she scolded.

  The balcony on which they stood was hardly ever used. Tonight, it was Colt’s idea to get some fresh air and enjoy the cool California summer evening. There was a slight breeze coming off the sea sending a slight chill through the air. She snuggled closer to Colt, her breasts being crushed against his chest.

  She wrapped her arms around his waist, savoring the hardness of his frame against hers. His crotch pressed into her belly was distracting her. She itched to reach down and caress it, but she didn’t. Not that Colt would mind, she just hadn’t built up enough courage to be so forward.

  “How was rehearsal?” she asked, needing something to distract her from the sensations now skittering through her.

  He grunted. “You don’t really want to know about that now, do you?”

  She raised her head and searched his face. His eyes glinted down at her, pulling her into their fiery depths. Soon, his head lowered, closing the gap between their lips. She closed her eyes in anticipation as his hot lips crushed hers.

  Fire and electricity coursed through her as his lips moved over hers, willing them apart. His tongue found hers and enticingly twined around her, caressing and stroking. She pressed into him, her knees becoming weak with all the thrills running through her.

  A groan escaped her as he reached down and squeezed her ass. Something hard pressed into her belly, sending another wave of heat through her. Her hands came up, and she ran her palm across his chest, feeling the smoothness of his skin.

  “Ahem!” someone coughed loudly, resulting in Colt breaking the kiss to see who it was.

  Reid was lounging on the sofa with a newspaper, pretending not to be looking at them. Reluctantly, they pulled apart. Colt’s cock bulged fiercely against his jeans, but he didn’t seem to care as he took her hand and pulled her into the living room.

  �
��Back so soon?” Colt asked, his tone sour.

  “I can leave again if you want,” Reid replied, making no move to get up.

  Chelsea sat beside him on the sofa. “Any progress with getting the press to retract the story?” she asked.

  “Naw, they said they got the story from a good source so they won’t retract it.”

  “What are we to do about it?”

  Reid folded the paper he was pretending to read. “We have to ride this one out,” he said, raising his eyes to Colt who was still standing and scowling down at him. “How was rehearsal with the new boys?”

  Colt snickered and took one of the armchairs. “They’re okay.”

  Reid leaned over to Chelsea and whispered, “He’s mad because I interrupted you two, isn’t it?”

  “Ignore him,” she whispered back. “Shouldn’t we be doing something about the article?” she insisted.

  “There’s nothing more that can be done short of releasing the police report from years ago and having Colt do an interview.”

  “No, let it go,” Colt chimed in. “Chelsea, it will pass. I’ve been through worse.”

  “No, you haven’t. They’ve never called you a murderer before. Your mom was never involved before. Carl Benson made you out to be a monster.”

  She became angry just thinking about it. With a yawn, she stood. Colt’s eyes followed her. His desire was smoldering in them, and she wanted to be with him, but there was something she needed to do; therefore, she bade them a good night.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow,” she said, with another yawn.

  “You don’t have to leave on my account,” Reid said to her.

  She shook her head. “No, I am beat. I need an early night.”

  Colt clearly wasn’t happy about her leaving. He stood, and as she moved towards the door, he was beside her. He took her arm and pulled her up against him.

  “What are you doing?’ she whispered in protest. “Reid’s right there.”

  “So what? We’re adults here.”

  “Colt please,” she protested again as his arm slipped around her waist, and her body rubbed against his.

  “Don’t go, can’t you see … feel how much I need you.”

  “Oh,” she groaned, her stomach fluttering.

  His head dipped, and she thought he was going to kiss her, but his lips brushed her ears, and she jumped. A ripple of excitement ran through her, making her shudder. His lips nibbled her lobe, and then his tongue came out and trailed along her temple.

  “Oh, get a room you two,” Reid snarled, getting up and stalking to his own room.

  Colt grinned, lifting her and moving toward his room. She wanted to protest, but her nipples were hard and her vagina wet. She needed Colt as much as he seemed to need her. What she needed to do had to wait.

  As he kicked the door open, his cell phone began to ring. He ignored it and continued with her in his arms. Heeling the door shut, he sauntered to the bed and laid her down gently, immediately capturing her lips.

  Ravenously, he sought her tongue, giving it a gentle bite. She groaned, arching into him and wrapping her arms around his neck. He broke the kiss and started trailing his lips along her neckline while his hand cupped a breast, giving it a gentle squeeze.

  Chelsea ran her fingers through his hair, finding pleasure in the silkiness against her palms. Even his head felt hot to her. Hungrily, he worked lips down to her cleavage, kissing her nipple through the two layers of clothing.

  Needing to feel his lips on her breast, she gently pushed him away, just enough so she could remove her dress. She sat up, and Colt helped her unzip. She pulled the dress over her head, tossed it across the room, and then freed her breasts from the restraints of her bra.

  Colt wasted no time. As soon as she discarded the undergarment, he devoured her nipples between his lips, sending ripples of pleasure coursing through her. His hand ran over the skin of her belly, causing her to tremble. They then worked their way down to her pubic, gently massaging the area at her junction.

  “Ahh,” she breathed, feeling the heat betwixt her thighs.

  Running her hand down his neck and over his shoulder, she realized he was still dressed. Frantically, she pushed the vest from off his shoulders and trailed her hand across his back, then down to his waist. With a slight nudge, she urged her hand toward the buckle of his belt, fumbling with it due to the tremor in her hands.

  Colt paused his ravaging of her breasts to assist her out of his jeans, which he dropped on the floor once he was able to get his feet loose.

  “Damn, why is it so hard to take my jeans off?” he muttered as one foot caught in the cuff in a tangle.

  “You’re too impatient,” Chelsea teased.

  Finally, after a long minute of fighting the garment, he returned to her, cupping her face and adoring her with his eyes.

  “That’s because you entice me so much,” he murmured, taking her bottom lip and sucking on it.

  She groaned at the pleasure of it all. Her hand was snaking its way down to his boxers when the phone began to ring once more. They ignored it for a while, but the incessant ringing started to grate on her nerves.

  “Answer the phone; it could be important.”

  Colt grudgingly picked the phone up from the nightstand and almost shouted into it. “Yeah!”

  “Colt Montgomery?”

  “Yes?” his voice lowered.

  “I’m calling from the hospital administrator’s office. We have a Zoey Williams who listed you as her emergency contact.”

  He sat up on the bed and switched the phone to his other hand. “Yes, is she alright?”

  “She met with an accident and needs surgery.”

  “I’ll be right there,” he said and hung up the phone before turning to Chelsea. “Zoey met with an accident. We need to go to the hospital.”

  Reluctantly, they both eased up from the bed and dressed in silence. She went back to her room for a few minutes to pick up her handbag and brush her hair. Colt was waiting for her outside her door when she came out.

  Chelsea knew that Colt was upset about being interrupted. Her body was so charged up that she felt she would go into shock any minute. Even after dressing and leaving the suite, she could still feel the waves of current flow through her.

  He didn’t say much on the way, but Chelsea was anxious to find out what happened to Zoey and why her brother was listed as her emergency contact. She and Colt hadn’t seen each other in over ten years; it was strange that she would have him listed for emergency purposes.

  They seemed to have had a good relationship, and Colt was loyal to her, but Chelsea still felt that something was off about her relationship with Jason. Not only the current situation but the fact that she so willingly told her about Jason’s role in what happened before.

  She shrugged it off as Colt sped toward the hospital. His jaw was set as he clenched his teeth together. She knew he was agitated. His bulge was still evident in his jeans, and she got the urge to reach over and release him. They were ten minutes away from the hospital by her calculation. What if … ? No.

  Chapter 47

  Once at the hospital, they rushed through the glass doors at the entrance into the emergency area. Colt stopped at the nurses’ station to make the necessary inquiries. The nurse on duty gaped at him as he approached, her eyes widened in awe.

  “My sister, Zoey Williams, was in an accident; can you tell me where she is?” His voice was calm.

  The nurse, whose pink cheeks flushed red, stared at him with wide baby blue eyes.

  “Nurse, Zoey Williams,” he reiterated.

  She blinked and flushed embarrassingly, her skin becoming a much deeper shade of red. “I-I-I’m sorry,” she stuttered, hurriedly looking at her computer screen. “She’s being prepped for surgery.”

  “Can you tell me what kind of accident it was?”

  “I don’t know all the details, but it seems she fell,” the woman replied.

  “Thank you,” he said with a smile.
>
  The nurse blushed once more, reaching up her palms to rest on her cheeks. Chelsea giggled to herself. She understood being star struck by Colt as she recalled the first time she saw him perform on stage. It was an amazing experience. She believed that was when she started falling in love with him.

  Colt took Chelsea’s hand and led her to the lobby. Three people were sitting separately while one man paced nervously. All the faces seemed anxious as they were obviously awaiting word about their loved ones.

  After about ten minutes, a man in scrubs came out. He was approximately in his late thirties, deep brown eyes and a strong nose. Colt stood expectantly; however, he walked over to one of the men sitting.

  “You have a baby boy, Mr. Clevens. Your wife is asking for you.”

  The relief on the man’s face was unmistakable. Two other doctors came out on separate occasions and spoke with the man who was pacing and a woman who had been quietly sitting.

  It appeared that no one was coming to speak with them. Colt sat, stretched his legs out and leaned his head on the backrest of the seat. She sat beside him and rested her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes. She knew Colt had dozed off by the way he was breathing. The close contact with him was awakening her unsated body.

  “Colt Montgomery?” a man’s voice said.

  She raised her head to see a doctor in scrubs looking at them. Colt stood, waiting for news of Zoey. The doctor gazed over at her, his eyes lingering on her chest for a few seconds before going back to Colt.

  “I’m Doctor Madden. Your sister is out of surgery and is resting in the ICU,” he said. “She should be awake in a little while.”

  Chelsea stepped closer to the surgeon who now turned his silvery gray eyes to her. Somehow, he reminded her of Reid. “Can you tell us what happened to her?”

  “She was brought in by the paramedics who were called to a hostel where she stays. At first glance, it appeared as if she fell, but upon closer inspection, while I operated, it was evident she received a hit on her head, resulting in some hemorrhaging.”