Reluctant Witness
Page 21
“Let’s not talk about it.”
Julia took in the line of his jaw, the furrow in his brow and knew just what he was thinking. “Hey, look at me. Daniel. Please, look at me. You could not have known it was Suzie any more than I did. Never would I have suspected Suzie of being so callously involved in Marcus’ plans. He was the one out of control.” She closed her eyes against the stab of pain in her shoulder. “None of us could have guessed what she had done.”
“You could’ve been killed,” he said, running a gentle finger over her closed lids.
“But I wasn’t.”
She heard the sheets move and the bed lowered slightly under his weight as he sat down beside her. She sighed under the protective comfort of his arm as he placed it across her middle. She wished he could join her in the bed, but supposed that wouldn’t do at all.
“I guess I let down my new employers on the Princess II after all,” she muttered.
“After all?”
“I rang them a few days ago. I’d already decided leaving on that ship was the last thing I wanted to do.”
“It was?”
She smiled to hear the surprised pleasure in his voice. “Of course it was.”
“But after what you said to your Mom...”
She shook her head. “I love you and I was afraid...”
“Pardon?”
“I said, I love you and...”
“At last!”
He leaned forward, his lips warm against hers. And then they were on her jaw, her neck. She squeezed her thighs together to stem the automatic trembling there every time he touched her.
“Mmmm, I love you, Inspector Conway.”
“Pardon? I didn’t quite hear that.”
She giggled as he nipped her. “I said, I love you!”
“I love you too, Miss Kershaw.”
And then he kissed her, long and hard, all the while careful not to lean any weight on her although she yearned to feel his entire body pressed close to hers. Slowly, he drew back. She opened her eyes, to see him watching her.
“What is it?”
“Are you still afraid?”
She inhaled a shaky breath. “I’m worried about what my mother’s going to say about us being together but…” She paused, held his cheek in her hand. “But the truth is before I met you my mother’s grief as well as my own was more than I could cope with.” She smiled tentatively. “But with you, I feel stronger. I’m going to make her see I love her, but she has to move on with her life. Phil will always be here, in our hearts and in our thoughts. She has to understand that.”
“And once you do that, you think she’ll accept you seeing a cop?”
“To me, you’re Daniel—the cop part is your job. I know, if we give her time, she’ll see you in the same way as I do, and love you just as much.”
He pressed a kiss to her forehead. “I’m going to make you so happy.”
Her smile bubbled into a full-fledged grin. “You’d better.”
About the Author…
Reluctant Witness is my second book with the Wild Rose Press and I’m absolutely thrilled! I have gained in confidence and experience since my first release so I really hope my existing readers will enjoy this book even more and any new readers will want to go on to buy Searching for Sophie. I have just completed my first romantic comedy and soon hope to secure an agent. My husband and two children are as supportive as ever and I wouldn’t know what to do without them. Happy reading!
Visit Rachel at www.rachelbrimble.com
Contact Rachel at:
Rachel.brimble@btinternet.com