Heaven With You

by Rebecca Julia Lauren

  “I’m sorry. I don’t want you two worrying about me. It’s just until the morning and then I’ll get this straightened out.”

  I saw Ellie’s eyes snap to her dad.

  “You’re being released into my custody,” Hunter told me, his steady gaze on mine. “They’re not going to worry because you’ll be spending the night in Ellie’s old room.”

  The look in his eyes produced a warmth inside of me that made me want to launch myself in his arms and never let go. Somehow, he’d accomplished the impossible. I was not going to spend the night in jail.

  I could feel Reed’s eyes on me and knew he’d seen the look that had passed between Hunter and I. Ellie seemed aware of it as well, and before I could wonder about what she thought, she smiled at me.

  “It’s been a long night,” Hunter said. “I think everyone should go home. Isabelle has to be in court early tomorrow morning.”

  Reed turned to Hunter and shook his hand. “Thank you again, for everything.”

  Hunter nodded.

  “I’ll take Ellie home, Sir.” Reed looked suddenly uncomfortable. “I mean I’ll make sure she gets home.”

  I saw Hunter’s jaw tighten, but he nodded. “You do that.”

  It was then I noticed that Ellie was wearing one of Reed’s shirts tied tightly at her waist and she wasn’t wearing any make-up. Given the late hour, it was obvious that Reed had been with Ellie when Hunter had called to tell her about me.

  We left the police station and Hunter was silent for most of the ride to his house. I felt the tension in him and tried to think of something to say to ease it, but I was still processing all that had happened.

  By the time I realized that Hunter was probably unhappy with where his daughter would be spending the night, we were already inside his house. Jack greeted both of us, his tail wagging with excitement and then he licked my leg. Smiling, I reached down and rubbed him between the ears.

  I followed Hunter into his bedroom and stood awkwardly in the center of the room while he lit the fireplace. “I know you’re upset about Ellie and Reed. He’s in love with her you know.”

  He unbent, turned and I caught his expression of surprise. “Reed told me. I’m not upset with your brother, Izzy.”

  “Oh.” My stomach twisted. “I know that ‘I’m sorry’ isn’t enough. If there’s anything I can do to repay you, to make you forgive me, I’ll do it.” He tensed, and I inhaled a ragged breath.

  The raw pain reflected in his eyes surely mirrored my own. He closed the distance between us, but made no move to touch me. My heart thundered wildly.

  “I have no idea what to do to make up for this, so you’ll have to help me out,” I told him with a wobbly smile.

  “Baby, it’s not you that has something to make up for.” The words seemed torn from him. “I’m not mad at you.” He raked a hand through his hair. “Reed said you’re claustrophobic.”

  I swallowed hard. “I don’t know why he told you that.”

  “You should have told me.”

  “I’m okay.”

  “You’re white as snow. You’re still shaking, and O’Leary said you got sick in the holding cell.” He lifted a hand but brought it back down, almost as if he was afraid to touch me.

  “Mentioning that would only have made it harder for you to do your job.” I stared at him in disbelief, astonished to realize that he was feeling guilty for locking me in the holding cell. “If it wasn’t for you, I’d still be locked up. I just pretended we were somewhere else.”

  “Where were we?”

  “The beach. Naked.”

  He cocked a brow at that. “I’m sorry, Izzy.”

  “I’m not. You looked amazing naked.”

  The corners of his mouth lifted. “You know I meant locking you in the holding cell.”

  “I know. I’ll forgive you on one condition.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Tell me the truth. Are you going to get in trouble for taking me home?”

  “No. I told the Chief you’re Ellie’s friend.” He sighed. “That’s why I didn’t touch you at the station. If he’d known how I felt about you, he’d never have let you leave with me.”

  My heart skipped a beat, and I wanted to ask how he felt about me. Instead, I said, “I was worried. Officer O’Leary thinks that we had sex in your office.”

  “She told you that?”

  I nodded. “You’re lucky to have such loyal friends. She was only looking out for you.”

  He looked thoughtful, but didn’t reply, and I wondered what he was thinking. I didn’t want him to suffer because of me. “If things don’t go well for me tomorrow, I want you to know that I appreciate everything you’ve done.” Just the thought of going back to jail terrified me, but I held my chin up for his sake and forced myself to smile.

  “Izzy.” My name was a deep velvety rumble that made chill bumps pop on my skin. “You said you trusted me.” His hands touched my face and I shivered. “You’re not going back to jail. I won’t let that happen.”

  “It doesn’t look good. I can’t believe I was stupid enough to think he’d ever give me the title to the car.”

  “I have a friend that’s a lawyer and he’s read your arrest report. He’s sure the case will be dismissed. His name is Brady Coulter. You’ll like him.”

  A mixture of relief and apprehension filled me. “Hunter, I can’t afford a lawyer.”

  “He’s a friend. You’re not going to have to pay him.”

  “He doesn’t think I’ll have to go to jail?”

  His steady gaze held mine. “I told you I wouldn’t let that happen.”

  “How can I ever repay you?”

  “You’re not. Friends help each other out. At the very least, you and I are friends. I’m hoping we’ll be more.”

  “I don’t know what I’ve ever done to deserve you.”

  After I took a hot shower, I wasn’t sure if Hunter expected me to sleep in Ellie’s room or his. Playing it safe, I started for Ellie’s room and was relieved when he stopped me and told me to get into his bed. I wanted to ask him when he thought we’d be more than friends, but I was exhausted. I closed my eyes as soon as my head hit the pillow and I don’t even remember when Hunter came to bed.

  The nightmare’s dark tendrils weaved around me, holding me in its suffocating grasp.

  “He’s gonna find us.”

  I stroked Reed’s hair comforting him. “If he does, you know what to do.”

  “Yeah, I do,” he responded with a maturity that belied his young age.

  Uneasiness slipped through me. “You’ll hide,” I told him firmly.

  “No.”

  “Listen to me,” I insisted. “You’re too little to fight him and I’m not strong enough.”

  “I know that.”

  I saw him glance down and knew he was hiding something. Reaching for his shirt, I pulled it up and was shocked to see the silver butcher knife in my little brother’s fist.

  “Oh my God.” Tears filled my eyes. “What, are you going to kill him?”

  “N-No. I don’t know. All I know is that he ain’t gonna hurt us anymore.”

  “We’ll go to the police,” I told Reed.

  “They’ll split us up. That’s why you didn’t want to tell Amber’s parents.”

  “I was wrong. We can’t go on like this,” I cried.

  “Be quiet, Isabelle. He’s coming.”

  “Come out, come out wherever you are,” came the eerie singsong voice. “Is-a-belle, Ree-eed.”

  My blood went cold.

  Reed’s hand covered mine protectively.

  We’d hid in the shed over a dozen times and Darryl had never found us before, but, somehow, I knew today would be different.

  An instant later the face of pure evil filled the shed. “Well, well, well. Look at what we have here.”

  “Stay away from us or I’ll call the police.”

  His eyes widened, and he smiled malevolently. “I don’t think so. You brats want to stay t
ogether too much to do anything to ruin that. Now be a good little girl and give Daddy the knife.”

  I shivered and met his icy stare, cold, flat, and sober. Mom had always blamed Daddy’s moods on his drinking, but deep down I’d known that there was something wrong with him.

  “Don’t do it, Isabelle.”

  “Don’t do it, Isabelle,” Darryl mocked in a falsetto voice. “Listen here you little bastard, I’ve got something that’ll change your mind.”

  I felt Reed tense as Darryl lifted a furry little bundle in the air, and I recognized the puppy that my brother had found last week and had been feeding.

  “Put her down!” Reed lunged forward.

  With a chilling laugh, he dropped the puppy.

  Reed and I screamed.

  Darryl caught the dog and jerked it against him, his beady eyes glittering maliciously. “Let’s play make a deal! Tell your sister to give me the knife and I’ll give you the mutt,” Darryl’s sinister voice cajoled.

  “No.” Reed’s voice broke on the single word. “You can’t give him the knife.”

  He was right, but then Darryl’s hands encircled the puppy’s neck and squeezed. I saw the big brown eyes looking up at me desperately and I knew I had to stop him. “No!” I screamed. “Take it.”

  “Isabelle, no!”

  Darryl jerked the knife from my hand, looked me in the eyes and swung the blade toward the trembling dog. Blood splattered over my clothes and I screamed and screamed. I wasn’t sure which screams were mine and which were Reed’s. Darryl’s fist shot out and knocked my brother out cold before turning on me.

  Grabbing my arms, he spat, “I’ll teach you not to disobey me again!” He yanked my arm so hard that I cried out, and then he pulled me behind him, shoving me inside the trailer, not stopping until we reached his foul-smelling room. It was dark and spooky, but not nearly as frightening as the man holding me.

  Dragging me towards a large black trunk, I fought wildly when I realized what he meant to do, but it was no use. He shoved me into the trunk and slammed the lid shut. “No! Please!” I panicked. Screaming and pounding my fists on the lid of the trunk, I cried and begged, but it was no use.

  I couldn’t breath.

  Everything turned fuzzy. The spaces closed in on me and I knew I was going to die.

  I couldn’t stand it. Striking out, I hit and kicked and screamed until my throat was raw. I clawed the trunk until my fingers bled and I was exhausted.

  No one could hear, but still I could not stop screaming.

  Chapter Seventeen

  “Isabelle, wake up!”

  “Don’t touch me!” I cried brokenly, tears streaming down my cheeks as I struggled.

  “It’s me. Hunter. I won’t hurt you.”

  The urgency in his voice broke through my panic, tugging at my subconscious and begging me to listen. Choking on a sob, I went limp against him, weeping into his chest until I’d purged the last of my fear.

  “Hunter?”

  “It’s me. You’re safe.”

  He held me against him, tenderly rubbing my back and whispering soothing words against my ear. His gentleness eased the terror brought on by the nightmare, and I recalled that when I’d been fighting him he’d made no effort to restrain me.

  Brushing away my tears, I glanced up at him. “Oh God. Did I hurt you?”

  He shot me a quizzical look.

  Catching the darkening mark around his eye, I was shocked. “You’ve got a black eye!”

  “Do I?” He didn’t appear concerned about this in the least.

  “Yes, you do. Why didn’t you stop me?”

  He shook his head, brushing off the question. “I’m fine.” His gaze landed on mine and held. “Izzy,” he said softly. “What happened here?”

  “I had a bad dream. It seemed so real.” My body was still quivering, and I could tell Hunter was worried.

  “Do you want to talk about it?” His eyes never wavered from mine.

  I was astonished to realize that I wanted to tell him what had happened. “It was Darryl. He locked me in a trunk.” I’d never told anyone, not even Reed knew why small spaces terrified me.

  Something flashed in his eyes, and I felt his body tense. “How long were you there?”

  “Two days.”

  Hunter sucked in a sharp breath and swore. He got up, raked a hand through his hair and paced. I could feel the tightly leashed emotions raging inside of him and knew without a doubt that if Darryl had been alive, he would have had to fear Hunter.

  “At least he remembered to punch holes in it.”

  Hunter’s eyes held an edgy, almost dangerous glint I’d never seen before. “It’s a good thing he’s dead.”

  “It is,” I whispered somberly.

  “That explains why you’re claustrophobic.” His expression was grim. “You had the nightmare because you were locked in that cell.”

  “If you’d had to do it over again, what would you have done differently?” I asked carefully. “You said yourself that the Chief wouldn’t have let me leave with you if he’d known I wasn’t just Ellie’s friend. If you hadn’t locked me up then, I’d have still been in jail now.”

  Rubbing his jaw, Hunter looked troubled. “I know, but I never wanted to cause you pain.”

  He meant every single word and was genuinely upset because of what had happened to me, even though none of it was his fault. I felt as if the coldest parts of me were warming.

  I got up and went to him, wrapping my arms around his bare waist, brushed my lips against his shoulder and leaned in to whisper, “I have a secret.”

  He turned and I saw his lips curl upward. His hair was mussed from a combination of sleep and my hands raking through it, and his chiseled jaw was covered with sexy scruff. My stomach flipped.

  “Most little girls dream of being a princess and finding a hero,” I began, sliding around his body so that I faced him.

  “But not you?”

  “Nah, I was too tough to need rescuing. I had to be strong all the time, because Reed depended on me and I couldn’t let him down. That night I met you I thought you were amazing and hot. I couldn’t stop thinking about you.”

  I stepped closer until our bodies touched.

  “You ruined me for any other man because no one was as strong, as handsome or as wonderful as you were. Whenever things would get bad, I’d think of you and you always gave me the strength to keep going.”

  I heard his breath catch.

  Looking into his eyes and speaking the words that came straight from the heart, I told him, “But you don’t always have to be a hero. I know it seems like I’m messing up a lot, but I can take care of myself. You don’t need to save me, because I’ll still love you no matter what.”

  I hadn’t known what I was going to say until the words were out, and then it was too late to take them back even if I’d wanted to.

  “Izzy.”

  God, how I loved the deep, husky way he said my name. It always sent shivers dancing down my spine. My fingertips moved to his lips. “Don’t say anything. Please. If things go wrong tomorrow, I want to have this night to remember. Make love to me Hunter.”

  His eyes darkened. “I don’t want to do this because you’re afraid of going to jail.” He grasped my chin between his thumb and forefinger and I met his hot blue gaze. “You’re coming home tomorrow,” he insisted.

  He was so confident that I believed him. “Then we can make love tonight and then again tomorrow. Sound like fun?”

  “Isabelle, about what you said—“

  “No. No talking, just touching.”

  His smile made my heart flutter. I was so in love with him. When his head dipped I quivered in anticipation, and then his mouth took mine and I melted into him. Beneath the thin material of my tank top my nipples turned to pebbles and it caused a sharp ache when they brushed against his bare chest. I cried out softly into his mouth.

  As if knowing exactly what I needed, Hunter’s hands covered my breasts, his fingers tugg
ing gently on my nipples until I couldn’t stand it any longer. “Please. I need you—“

  “No talking,” he replied, echoing my earlier command.

  Arching against him, I pressed my legs together to ease the unbearable ache that had begun an insistent throb. When he reached for the hem of my tank, I lifted my arms and he pulled it over my head, tossing it aside.

  I stood before him, naked to the waist and resisted the urge to cover myself. He didn’t say a word, but I knew he was waiting for a sign from me before proceeding. Leaning over, I flicked my tongue over his nipple and was rewarded with his sharp intake of breath just before he dragged me against him.

  I felt how much he wanted me, and my eyes widened. His deep chuckle sent chills along my body. And then he kissed the side of my neck, making me squirm at the delicious torment. His mouth moved to the base of my throat, flicking his tongue over the sensitive spot in the hollow of my neck that pulled a deep moan of pleasure from me.

  His leg slid between mine, and he guided me back to the bed. I fell backward and tried to pull Hunter on top of me, but he shook his head, bent and kissed my stomach. His fingers slipped into my shorts and panties, pulling them down at the same time, making my heart race and a sliver of uncertainty coil within me.

  I writhed with pleasure at the feel of his hands and mouth all over me, everywhere. He kissed, stroked and licked my neck, breasts and stomach before his mouth slid lower. I moaned when his mouth brushed over the damp curls between my thighs.

  His eyes snapped to mine. My legs were trembling, and I could tell he was trying to figure out what was wrong. “No one has ever done that to me.”

  He closed his eyes, his expression pained, and when he opened them I saw a soft look in his eyes that tugged at my heart. Placing his hands on my thighs, his eyes met mine. “Spread your legs for me, Izzy.”

  I was already soaking wet, but that command sent a wave of liquid heat dripping from my core. It embarrassed me. He dipped his finger into my curls and seemed pleased.

  Kneeling between my legs, he lowered his head and began to kiss, lick, and suck my sweet spot while I moaned beneath his mouth. “Hunter, I can’t bear it. Please!”

  He kissed me again, his mouth moving over my quivering flesh. My muscles tensed and pleasure exploded inside of me, sending waves of ecstasy crashing through my body. I cried out his name, my fingers entwined in his hair and I trembled with pleasure.