Blank Slate

Home > Other > Blank Slate > Page 30
Blank Slate Page 30

by Snow, Tiffany


  “I’m with the girl,” Erik said. No need for the cop to know O’Connell was wanted as well.

  The detective raised his eyebrows. “Bad night for you, eh?”

  “I’ve had better,” Erik replied. It looked like the EMT was finishing up with O’Connell. “I’m going to take her someplace else for now.” Best to get her out of here before someone took a closer look.

  “Yeah, sure,” the detective said. “Thanks for your help.”

  “Likewise.”

  A blanket was thrown over the couch and Erik snatched it up as he walked by, using it to wrap around O’Connell. “Let’s go,” he said. To his surprise, she allowed him to lead her out the door without asking any questions.

  His car was parked a few blocks away, and soon they were heading out of the city.

  “Where are we going?” she asked.

  “Home.”

  It was less than an hour later that Erik was parking in the garage set aside for his apartment building. O’Connell had fallen asleep, and Erik took a moment to look at her. She looked very small and vulnerable in his passenger seat, the blanket tucked around her. The bandage on her neck was stark against her skin.

  Erik didn’t know if Danny would have hurt her any more than he had, but Erik didn’t care to repeat the experience. He didn’t want her disappearing again, and he couldn’t handle the thought of not being with her, so he’d brought her here.

  “Wake up,” he said, gently brushing her cheek. “We’re here.”

  Her eyes fluttered open. Erik gave her a small smile and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

  “Thank you,” she said.

  “For what?”

  “Opening my eyes. I don’t know if I ever would have left him if you hadn’t come.”

  “I’m sorry my telling you what he did made him panic like that.” His fingers brushed the bandage on her neck. “I didn’t intend for you to get hurt.”

  “It’s not your fault Danny went bat-shit crazy.”

  “I shot him. Again.”

  “I know. He’ll be all right.” She paused. “He deserved it.”

  Erik relaxed slightly. She wasn’t angry with him. He’d been afraid she would be, and he didn’t think he could bring himself to regret shooting Danny.

  “Come upstairs with me,” he said. He really didn’t want to talk about Danny anymore.

  O’Connell sat up and pushed the blanket off. “You don’t have to ask me twice,” she said.

  Erik took her hand and led her upstairs to his apartment.

  It felt surreal, watching her walk inside. She was finally here, with him, in the flesh. Having her in his space, his domain, made his possessive streak rear its head again. Erik wanted to throw her down on the nearest flat surface and mark her as his. The image in his mind of her legs around his waist as he thrust between her thighs, her sighs and moans filling the room, was intoxicating.

  The sight of an abandoned T-shirt flung over a chair quickly banished those thoughts. Erik hadn’t cleaned up before he left to meet O’Connell, so he started grabbing discarded clothes that were lying around. Erik had been distracted the past few weeks and hadn’t given a shit about the state of his apartment. Now, he was slightly embarrassed.

  “Uh, sorry for the mess,” he said, tossing the clothes behind a chair in the corner. He shoved some dirty dishes into the sink. “I’m usually much cleaner than this.”

  O’Connell shot him an amused glance before resuming her slow tour. “I’m sure,” she said.

  Erik abruptly remembered the state of his office and hurried to intercept her just as she reached the door.

  “Don’t go in there,” he said, jerking the door shut.

  She arched a brow. “Why not?”

  “It’s my office. It’s a disaster.”

  O’Connell just looked at him, waiting.

  Shit. Erik didn’t know how she did that, but he found himself stepping aside.

  She took two steps into the room and froze, her jaw falling open.

  The entire room was dedicated to her. Photos, no matter how obscure, were plastered to the walls. A huge whiteboard took up an entire wall and was littered with scrawl. Clarissa recognized places she’d been, jobs she’d done, people she’d worked with.

  “I, uh, haven’t had time to clean things up,” Langston said.

  Clarissa turned around. He looked like a kid who’d gotten caught with his hand in the proverbial cookie jar. And as strange as it was, it was hard not to be flattered by his obsession with her. After all, without it, they would never have met.

  “So long as you only used this room for work and not for…pleasure…I have no problem with it.” She couldn’t help grinning as his ears turned bright red.

  “Of course not! I would never…do…that,” he spluttered in protest at her insinuation.

  Clarissa laughed lightly and decided to put him out of his misery.

  “I’m here, Langston,” she said, wrapping her arms around his neck. “And I’m not going anywhere. You’re stuck with me now.”

  “That’s all I wanted,” he said. His hands were gentle as he cradled her face, kissing her as though she were made of spun glass.

  When they parted, Langston was looking at her as though he could see into her soul…and that he liked what he saw.

  “You know,” she said, “you told me something once, and I wasn’t ready to hear it, or say it back. But I am now.” She could swear he was holding his breath at her words. “I trust you, with my past, my present, and my future. Our future.” She paused. “I love you, Langston.”

  He lifted her off her feet in a bone-crushing hug, smashing his lips to hers. Langston’s happiness was infectious. He still loved her. He hadn’t forgotten her. He’d searched for her, come for her.

  “Call me Erik.”

  She was suddenly scooped up in his arms, and he was carrying her to his bedroom and placing her carefully on his bed. He stripped off his shirt and joined her, covering her body with his.

  “I can’t believe you’re here,” he said, his voice nearly a whisper.

  Clarissa cupped his jaw, the rough stubble abrading her skin. “I can’t believe you still want me here.”

  Langston took her hand, placing a kiss to the palm. “Always.”

  EPILOGUE

  “O’Connell, I’m home,” Erik called out as he entered the apartment. He dropped his keys and cell on the table before removing his gun and holster.

  “Are you still going to call me that when your mom is here?”

  Erik turned to see her leaning against the doorjamb to the office.

  “She’s only visiting for a few days, just long enough for the wedding.” He took her in his arms for a kiss.

  O’Connell pulled back, “Wait a minute, what wedding?”

  Erik looked at her strangely. “Ours,” he said slowly.

  “I don’t remember saying I’d marry you.” Her brow was creased in confusion.

  Erik just looked at her. How could she not remember? Oh no, not again—

  “Ha! You’re so easy, Langston,” O’Connell said with a grin, her green eyes twinkling with mischief.

  Erik sighed with relief, then his eyes narrowed. “You’re going to pay for that one.”

  “Promises, promises.”

  She kissed him again in such a way that he quickly forgot what they’d been talking about. When he finally pulled back, he scrambled to get his thoughts back in order and asked, “So did you get that code over to the DOD today?”

  “Of course,” she said. “It’s amazing how much they’re willing to pay for me to show them how incompetent they are.”

  “Hey, just be glad they wanted to know how you hacked SWIFT more than they wanted to put you in jail for it.”

  “As if you had nothing to do with that,” O’Connell said.

  Erik started undoing his tie. “I might have helped them…see what was in their best interest.”

  “Let me do that,” she said, pushing his hands aside. The
tie was soon sliding out from under his collar.

  “Heard that Danny had his hearing today,” Erik said.

  “Oh, yeah?”

  “He’s being moved to Chesapeake. Close enough for you to visit.” Erik watched her face, but she gave nothing away.

  “Maybe someday,” she said noncommittally. Erik knew she still hadn’t forgiven Danny for what he’d done. It would take time. “Anything more on Solomon?”

  “No. After you transferred the money back, it disappeared.”

  “I’ll find him,” she said. She’d moved on to the buttons of his shirt.

  “I don’t want you to find him,” Erik said. “I want you to stay far, far away.” It was an ongoing point of contention between them.

  “I could say the same to you,” she said. She pushed his shirt off his shoulders. “Now are you going to keep talking or are you going to ‘make me pay?’”

  The answer to that was patently obvious.

  The End

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  A native of St. Louis, Missouri, Tiffany A. Snow earned degrees in education and history from the University of Missouri–Columbia, before launching a career in information technology. After nearly fifteen years in IT, she switched careers to what she always dreamed of doing — writing.Tiffany is the author of romantic suspense novels such as the Kathleen Turner series, which includes No Turning Back, Turn to Me, and Turning Point. Since she’s drawn to character-driven books herself, that’s what she loves to write, and the guy always gets his girl. She feeds her love of books with avid reading, yet she manages to spare time and considerable affection for trivia, eighties hair bands, the St. Louis Cardinals, and Elvis. She and her husband have two daughters and one dog whose untimely demise Tiffany contemplates on a daily basis.

  This book was originally released in episodes as a Kindle Serial. Kindle Serials launched in 2012 as a new way to experience serialized books. Kindle Serials allow readers to enjoy the story as the author creates it, purchasing once and receiving all existing episodes immediately, followed by future episodes as they are published. To find out more about Kindle Serials and to see the current selection of Serials titles, visit www.amazon.com/kindleserials.

 

 

 


‹ Prev