Falling Under

by Lauren Dane

  “We weren’t ignoring you. We had human stuff to handle,” Duke told Ginger. “I have treats for you so maybe you can find it in your heart to forgive my wanting your human all to myself for a few minutes.”

  “The cookies will do it. She’s not that complicated.” Carmella straightened. And then stopped, cocking her head, and then she rushed through the house into the kitchen.

  Duke didn’t know what was up, but he followed her.

  The window over the sink had been pried open.

  “No.” She started to move to her bedroom and he grabbed her arm to stop her. “Someone could be in there!” she exclaimed.

  “I know, which is why I’m going first. You stay back and figure out why your dog isn’t barking.”

  She cursed, which meant she hadn’t even thought of that, which worried him.

  Her bedroom was empty, but it was a mess and he knew immediately someone had been there, looking for something. She’d never leave her house outside of an emergency if it looked this way.

  “Holy shit!” She bumped up against his back where he’d blocked her access.

  “Wait. We need to call the police.”

  “I know who did this.”

  He turned, flipping on the hall light to see her pull something from her pocket. The thing from her front door. Only it clearly wasn’t lawn care or Jesus spam.

  “Damn it.” She crumpled the paper and he held out his hand. She shook her head. “No. It’s nothing.”

  “What the hell is going on? You know who did this?”

  “It’s my goddamn ex-husband. He left a note saying he borrowed some stuff and would get it back to me.”

  Duke plucked the wad of paper from her hand and read it.

  Came by but you were out. Had to borrow a few things from inside. I’ll get them all back to you soon. A big business opportunity has just presented itself. We’re going to be rolling in it. C

  Jealousy warred with offense that this guy would rip her off this way.

  “We’ll go to his house right now if you won’t call the cops. Trust me when I say we’ll get your stuff back,” Duke told her.

  She walked past him into her bedroom and took a look to see what was missing. “I don’t know where he’s at. That ratfaced goatfucker broke into my house!”

  So surprised, Duke couldn’t stop the guffaw at her words. “Can’t you call him? If you won’t call the cops …”

  “Oh, I’m calling the cops all right. I just wanted to look at the note to make sure it was him.”

  Oh. Well, that was good. “How’d he know where you live? You never were here with a guy, not one you saw for more than a few weeks at a time. Okay, so maybe that sounded a little creepy.”

  “You thought I was going to protect that scumbag? My mother told him where I lived. Because she’s … well, I told you what she is. Anyway. In a moment of weakness, one you saw, I might add, I let him inside the house and then, I was”—she sighed—“horny. Lonely. God, I’m so embarrassed. Anyway, we got down. That’s how he knew the layout to my house. He’d never been inside until that day.”

  At first Duke was weirded out that he’d actually seen her ex fucking her, not just some random guy.

  “They’re all my ex-somethings now,” she said as she walked past him into her room, her phone pressed to her ear as she called the cops.

  She’d known he was thinking about that.

  When she got off the phone, he said, “I know. I get that. I can’t regret that time, though. Seeing you in your kitchen. You’re so fucking beautiful. I’d never want to erase that memory. Even if he’s part of it.”

  She hugged him.

  “Damn, you always do that.”

  “What?” He hugged her back, putting his rage away until he could deal with her ex in person.

  “You say exactly the best thing.”

  She had no idea how amazing she was. He wanted to wash away all this shit from her past, replace the bad with all the good he could bring her.

  But that wasn’t how things worked.

  He kissed the top of her head. “Let’s see what he took. Make a note for the police. Save the thing he left on your door too. Maybe they know where he is.”

  “They’ve come here looking for him so I doubt it.” She went back into her room and poked around, making a note here and there.

  It didn’t take long. “He took some jewelry. Nothing expensive. Thank goodness I was wearing my necklace.”

  “Something special?” he asked as they settled on the porch to wait for the police to arrive.

  “My grandma gave it to me. He took my iPod dock. Oh shit.” She stood quickly and headed back inside, straight to her bathroom. The medicine cabinet was open, as were a few drawers. “I moved her pills when I heard Steven was out again.”

  Carmella pulled out a bulk-sized package of tampons and pads and inside that was a lockbox. “He’s one of those dudes who thinks it’s mandatory to run screaming into the night at the mere thought of menstruation. Steven is too. They’d look around in the usual places for pills and hidden stashes of money, but not if they had to touch a pad. Dumbasses.”

  “You’re brilliant, you know that? Wait, do you think this is connected to your mom asking for a loan?”

  “I don’t think so. I think it’s just a stupid coincidence. He and my father don’t know one another, but even if they did, Clifton doesn’t work with anyone else. He’s a solo practitioner. That’s how he says he does his crime alone to make it sound mysterious. He turns up once every year or so, usually to ask for money. But breaking in and stealing from me that way is a new one.”

  “This guy makes me want to punch him more with each moment,” Duke snarled.

  The police arrived shortly after that and took her statement along with the note the ex had left.

  Once that happened, Duke ran to grab some tools and fixed her window. She looked more exhausted by the minute and he wanted her to get some sleep.

  “We haven’t eaten and you need to sleep. I’d really rather you slept at my house after I feed you. I don’t feel very good about how safe this place is now. Tomorrow when it’s light out, I’ll give it a look with Mick, who is fantastic with home security stuff. Then we’ll make this place shipshape. Bring Ginger’s bed and food and some clothes for tomorrow. You’re taking the day off, as am I.”

  She sighed. “Why? You should walk the hell away right now.”

  “If I wanted to walk away, I would have. I’m not going anywhere.”

  “I’ve made some bad choices, Duke. I’m mortified right now. My ex-con dad, my recreational-pill-popping mom with chronic mental health issues, my grifter ex-husband who breaks in but I don’t have much to steal. It’s all so, ugh, tacky.”

  “You are not tacky. You are beautiful and intelligent. You’re great with numbers and ziti. Animals love you. I’m not about to equate you with the personal bullshit of anyone else. Your ex is a piece of shit. But that’s not on you. You are not your parents, Carmella.”

  “I should tell you no,” she said so quietly he wondered if he’d imagined it. And then louder, “I’m not taking tomorrow off. I have things to do.”

  At least she had some of her spark back. He could work with that.

  “You can work from my house. I know your boss, he’s pretty cool.”

  She stood in the middle of her bedroom and the ridiculousness of the day hit her with so much force she couldn’t stop the tears. Her crying was one of those mixes of helpless rage and embarrassment.

  Duke saw it and she hated that. Hated that he saw her at such a low point. But he picked up Ginger’s bed and her purse. “I will be right back.” He called out to the dog and she heard him gather a few things and go out her front door.

  Left alone, she went to her knees and let it all go. He gave her the space to fall apart. Gave it because he knew on some level that she needed it.

  Being seen like that was … humbling. Carmella used a washcloth to wipe her eyes. Her makeup had to look terrible by t
hat point, so she heaved herself up and began to gather stuff.

  Began to organize her thoughts and make a list of everything she had to do. And by the time Duke made a lot of noise coming back inside, she was better.

  “Ready?” he asked, standing in her doorway.

  She could see it in his face and the way he held himself. He’d made a hard choice to leave her those minutes before.

  He’d put her first. Her needs.

  She nodded, taking his hand and letting him lead her away.

  CHAPTER

  Twenty

  Carmella dragged her butt to work that morning because she needed to do it or go crazy every time she thought about Clifton breaking into her house.

  Ginger hadn’t been in a panic the night before when Carmella had come into the house because she knew Clifton most likely. Didn’t like him really, but he’d been the one to bring Carmella the puppy he’d picked up heaven knew where.

  But she sensed Carmella was upset so she’d stuck close, sleeping at the foot of Duke’s bed with her head on Carmella’s feet.

  Carmella had tried to get the dog to sleep in her very nice doggie bed, but Duke wouldn’t hear of it. He seemed to know how much they needed each other and he was the one who picked Ginger up and put her on the bed.

  Wherever he came from, she didn’t deserve him. But it didn’t matter because she wasn’t giving him back.

  Once at work, she had a few cups of coffee and finished the calls she needed to make, and she felt a lot better. Well, enough to call Craig to tell him about the break-in.

  She left a voicemail because he was in class. Cowardly, probably. But relating what happened without being interrupted to be told how awful Clifton was was preferable and she didn’t have the energy.

  By lunchtime, the burst of energy she’d had earlier was beginning to evaporate. And after the phone call she had with her renter’s insurance agent, it was all gone.

  The deductible she’d have to pay was more than the worth of the stuff Clifton stole. And money couldn’t help the feeling of having her privacy and safety violated. It wasn’t like she thought he perved over her panty drawer. After all, it was utilitarian white cotton for the most part. But he’d been in her house. Looking through her things. He knew her. At one time he’d professed to love her and he’d broken into her house to steal a bunch of cheap jewelry and her household money stash, a grand total of fifty-six bucks.

  “You’re still here?” Duke came in. “Shut everything down and go the hell back to my house. Watch movies with me and your dog. You don’t need to be here.”

  “I had work to do. I can’t afford to go falling apart every time something bad happens.”

  He knelt next to her chair, taking her hands in his.

  “This is inappropriate. We’re at work.” The words were flat even to her ears.

  “Your boss says this is cool with him. Shut your stuff down and come home with me. We’ll stop and get lunch. Mick and I did some work at your place so your window is fixed and we put new locks on your front and back door too.” He handed her the keys. “You’ll be much safer now. Here’s a set for you and another for your landlord.”

  “Thank you. Tell me how much I owe you.”

  Duke rolled his eyes. “You can make me baked ziti to thank me. I had the locks anyway. Most of the hardware we needed we had here or in my garage.”

  “I don’t like owing people.”

  “Too bad, Carmella. I wanted to do it for you because I care. I did it. You’re safer and things are fine. Say thank you and let’s go get lunch.”

  “You’re very pushy.”

  “I am. Because I’m worried about you. And because you’re so fucking resistant when people try to help you. Which tells me how often it happens and that when it does, it’s not always people who are out for your best interests. So I’m pissed off at that. Not at your stubbornly beautiful ass. And I want you to give yourself a break, leave work for the day, and let me satisfy myself that you’re okay. Let me spoil you just a little.”

  She put her hands over her face. She was so accustomed to taking care of her shit, no matter how much of it there was, that having someone help her was foreign in a way that made her uncomfortable as well as happy.

  She felt as if she were a very brittle piece of glass. One more bump and she’d shatter into pieces. Carmella didn’t want to fight with him. Not when he was trying to be kind. And she didn’t want to make a scene at her job either.

  “Okay, fine. Thank you.” She turned her computer off and let the receptionist know she was leaving.

  When she finished, he opened the door and led her out. “I’ll follow you home,” he said at her car.

  “I keep waiting for that thing you’re going to do. That thing that makes me say, I knew it. You seem too good to be true and it scares me,” she whispered.

  “Gorgeous.” He kissed her knuckles. “I get that you’ve been let down. But that’s not me. It’s not who I am or what I do. Give me a chance to show you what it means to be cared about by a real man.”

  Carmella told herself she was too tired to argue, but really, she didn’t want to. Instead, she drove home, and true to his word, he met her there.

  “Come on in. Your dog is with me. She misses you, though. Even cookies aren’t enough to make her forget you.”

  She took his hand and they ignored her house and went to his, where she had lunch and they watched movies while she did laundry. It was normal. And relaxing. And by the time late afternoon had come, she knew she had to face her house at some point.

  “I’ll sleep at your house tonight,” he told her as if she’d spoken her fears aloud.

  “I have to deal with it. He wouldn’t hurt me. Even if he came back.”

  Duke stared at her for long, silent moments. “I know you came up rough. I don’t want to freak you out, but if he knows what’s best for him, he’ll stay away. Because if I catch him before they toss him in jail, I’m going to beat his ass.”

  She should have felt guilty that someone threatened violence over her. Clifton was a petty criminal, and Carmella hated that this part of her life had to touch Duke at all.

  But there was no denying how it made her feel that he wanted to protect her. Gave her a place that was safe.

  It wasn’t that Carmella forgot the only person she could count on was herself. It was more that she allowed herself to count on Duke too. Just a little.

  “Come spend the night.” She stood and he followed, locking up and joining her on her front porch.

  The new key was odd. Different. The lock was smooth where her old one was sticky. Ginger ran inside to smell everything and make sure no new dogs had moved in. Duke stepped in next, keeping Carmella behind him until he was sure everything was all right.

  No one had ever done that for her before.

  “Oh, Mick and I made you a window box. I hope that’s okay. I forgot to tell you.”

  Delighted, Carmella went out the back door to find a pretty white wood window box full of red geraniums.

  “This is beautiful.” She hugged him. “Thank you.” She used the excuse to keep her face buried in his chest as she choked back the lump of emotion in her throat.

  “We had the extra wood after fixing your window. That asshole did a number on the sill so we rebuilt it for you. We installed a motion detector light back here too. Don’t worry, we made sure it didn’t point at anyone’s window. But it’s better lit back here now and on the side of the house as well.”

  “Thank you doesn’t seem like enough for all this. I feel better knowing you did this.”

  Duke’s smile softened. “Good.” He turned them around and steered her back inside. “Let me show you the new lock on the bedroom window. The shower was fine, though I lubed it just a little so it opens and closes better.”

  “You are so damned handy.” She paused at her bedroom doorway. “I need to change the sheets and tidy up in here.”

  “Let me help.” He started toward the far side of her be
d. They’d put the mattress back in place the night before after Clifton had tipped it to see if she had anything beneath.

  “I’m good. Really.” She blurted it and he paused to look her over carefully.

  “Right on. I’ll play ball with this other pretty lady to tire her out. She guarded us today while we worked so she deserves some fun.” He called Ginger’s name and she roused herself, casting a glance in Carmella’s direction.

  “Go on. I’m fine,” Carmella said, and after a quick bark, the dog tore after Duke, leaving her alone. What she needed was to get over this break-in. To take back her house and reclaim it.

  So she changed the sheets and cleaned her bedroom up, vacuuming and putting her freshly laundered clothes away.

  An hour later she went outside to find Craig and Duke sharing a beer and still tossing a ball with the dog.

  “Really? A voicemail, Carmella?” Craig asked as he caught sight of her.

  “You were in class but I wanted you to know before you found out some other way.”

  He hugged her and then slugged her arm with big brother strength.

  “Ouch! What was that for?”

  “Not calling me last night. You are such a brat.”

  Duke cleared his throat. “That’s one free shot as I understand your annoyance and she’s your little cousin. But now we’re done.” He crossed his arms over his chest and looked all bulgy and hot.

  There was simply no limit to the ways the man was sexy. How ridiculous was that? If she spent hours doing physical labor in the summer sun, she’d look like a sweaty, sunburned mess. Duke just looked glisteny. A little sweat. A little sunscreen. The setting sun glinting against the strands of gold and white in his hair.

  Despite the memory of the break-in, before that? In his hallway like there was nothing else to do but rut and scratch and fuck? That was so honest and raw she was still reeling from it on some level. Together like that, skin to skin, it was the most truthful she’d ever been with anyone else. It was more than sexy, it was overwhelming and fantastic and she yearned for more.

  Craig interrupted her filthy thoughts about Duke. “Roger that. I told Mom and Dad what happened and that I was coming over here after my last class. You owe me for that,” Craig said, hugging her again, this time without the sock in the arm.