by Jae
"How can you know that? How can you be sure that there's not something..." Her rough voice trailed off, and she spread her hand over her chest as if to hold back the evil that might lurk there.
Dawn took the tense hand and lifted it away to press a kiss to the warm fabric over Aiden's chest. "I can be sure because I know you. Just look at you: you're standing there, trembling and agonizing over the thought that you might hurt me. Do you think the man who raped your mother gave a single thought to her feelings? You're nothing like him."
Finally, Aiden raised her arms and positioned them around Dawn. She lowered her head to press her cheek against Dawn's. "I think..." Dawn felt her swallow. "I think this relationship might be the healthiest thing that could have happened to me. I swore to myself that I would be there for you and help you through the aftermath of your rape – and now you're the one who's helping me."
"We're helping each other – and that's exactly the kind of relationship I want."
"I want that, too," Aiden whispered.
Dawn hugged her closer, every inch of her body now pressed against Aiden. It was intoxicating – and a little overwhelming. With one final kiss to the collarbone that peeked out from under the blouse and T-shirt combination, she released her. "Can we go back to bed now?"
She dragged the only half-resisting Aiden back into the bedroom and slipped under the covers. When she felt Aiden settle down on the other side of the bed, she turned around, her back to Aiden – or rather to the alarm clock behind her. Since she had been raped while staring at the blinking red numbers of her own alarm clock, she couldn't fall asleep facing a clock.
"Dawn?"
Aiden's voice made her open her eyes again. "Yes?"
"You still haven't answered my question from last night, and I know with our laws it's just not possible, but... if I were to propose, would you accept?"
Instead of an answer, Dawn inched across the bed. She leaned down until she felt Aiden's breath mingle with her own. Aiden's body heat and her intoxicating scent engulfed her. For a moment, she wanted to abandon all reason and throw herself at Aiden, but the fear of experiencing a flashback held her back. She carefully pressed her lips to Aiden's, but when Aiden wrapped her arms around her and returned the kiss, passion threatened to escalate. Dawn drew back with a gasp that was half arousal, half fear.
Aiden withdrew her arms from around Dawn but kept one hand resting on the small of her back. "Was that a yes or a consolation kiss?"
With a laugh and one last, small kiss Dawn rolled back to her side of the bed. "It's definitely a yes. And now settle down and let me sleep in, or you'll have your first marital fight on your hands."
"All right. Sleep tight, Mrs. Carlisle."
"Oh, no, no, no! I said yes to your hypothetical marriage proposal, not to carrying your name, Detective," Dawn protested with a nudge to Aiden's uninjured shoulder.
"What's wrong with Carlisle?"
"Nothing. What's wrong with Kinsley?" Dawn shot back.
Aiden rolled around to stare at the ceiling. "Aiden Kinsley? I don't think so. Dawn Carlisle, now that has a nice ring to it."
"Now that I think about it..." Dawn said, "...maybe it was a consolation kiss."
"Oh, you!" Aiden reached over and began to tickle her.
Dawn was glad that Aiden finally allowed herself to show a little playful aggression, but at the same time, she couldn't stand to be tickled. "Aiden!" she squeaked. "Stop if you don't want me to wet the bed!"
Aiden's hands retreated. She snorted. "God, you're really a romantic at heart, aren't you?"
"But of course. Everything for you, Mrs. Kinsley."
Aiden groaned. "Go to sleep, Dawn."
CHAPTER 31
AIDEN LOOKED UP as Ruben entered the squad room. "You've got Marcinowski's phone records?"
"Yeah." Ruben held up a piece of paper with the list of calls. "He had four outgoing calls from his house on the eighteenth."
Okada paused in his two-fingered report typing. "Were any of them to our victim?"
"Nope."
"What about his cell phone?" Aiden asked.
Ruben waved a second piece of paper. "Another dead end. We should pull the LUDs for his kid's cell."
"Hey, Carlisle!" A uniformed officer called across the squad room. "Did you know that your girlfriend is down at the Central Precinct headquarters?" He pointed downward, indicating the first floor of the Justice Center.
A few other officers hooted and whistled at the word "girlfriend," and Aiden had to shout to be heard over the commotion. "What? Riley, if that's one of your silly jokes, I swear I'm gonna –"
"No, really. I saw her," the officer insisted. "She's the small, hot strawberry blonde, right?"
Aiden nodded, not bothering to reprimand him for calling Dawn "hot." "What was she doing there?" Dawn knew that she worked with the SAD, so she wouldn't search for her on the first floor. Maybe she was accompanying a client?
"Don't know." The street cop shrugged. "She looked pretty upset, though."
With gritted teeth, Aiden clipped on her shield and gun. "Ray..."
"It's all right. I'll take care of Marcinowski. Go on." Ray waved at her to go.
Two frantic minutes later, Aiden jogged through the door of the Central Precinct headquarters. Her gaze flew from face to face until she finally found Dawn, sitting in a plastic chair against one wall of the busy squad room, waiting for someone to take notice of her. Aiden breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that Dawn seemed uninjured. She crossed the room and touched Dawn's shoulder. "Dawn?"
Dawn flinched at the touch, but then relaxed when she recognized Aiden. "Hey, what are you doing here? Aren't you on duty?"
"I came when someone told me you were here. What's going on?"
Dawn's teeth nibbled on her bottom lip. "My car..."
"You were in an accident?" Aiden's gaze flew down the small body again.
"No. When I wanted to go to work this morning, someone had smashed in the window on the passenger side, stolen my car radio, and destroyed everything that was destroyable... the seats, the seat belts, the indicator switch. He even turned on the light so that the battery would be dead by the time I found the car." Dawn sighed. "It was a mess."
Aiden sat down in the uncomfortable seat next to Dawn. "I'm sorry. I know you love that little sardine can."
"It's my first car. I've had it for eleven years now. My dad bought it for me."
Now Aiden understood why the tiny car meant so much to Dawn. She reached for Dawn's hand, not caring who saw it. "I'm sorry. Do you think it can be repaired?"
Dawn bit her lip. "I'm not sure. The spare parts are gonna be hard to find because they don't make the car anymore."
"Why didn't you call me?" Aiden asked.
"Last time I looked, sex crimes detectives didn't lower themselves to investigate larceny offenses."
Aiden squeezed her hand to get Dawn's attention. "This sex crimes detective does – if it's an offense against you. So next time, please call me."
Dawn nodded.
"You already talked to the police?"
"Yes. An officer came to look at the car. He snapped a few photographs but didn't give me much hope that they'll ever arrest someone." Dawn's voice was full of frustration.
"They didn't leave any evidence?" Aiden asked.
Dawn hesitated for a moment. "The officer said it looked almost... personal. Whoever did it didn't just steal the radio; he practically went berserk on my car. The officer suggested it might have been someone who has something against me."
Shit. Aiden fought hard against the anger she felt rising. She could see the effect that being the victim of another crime had on Dawn even if she tried to hide it. Just when Dawn had found her inner balance, someone hurt that trust in her personal security again.
An officer appeared to take Dawn's statement against the unknown thief. As soon as he led Dawn to his desk, Aiden snapped her cell phone open and pressed one of her speed dials. "Ruben? It's Aiden. Listen, I need
you to do me a favor." She stuck a finger into her other ear and listened. "Yes, the 'little doc' is okay. Her car is not, though. Are you still friends with that miracle-working mechanic you told me about? Good... yes, exactly. It's 7 Carlisle Street. Yeah, yeah, yeah, laugh it up. Tell him the costs don't matter. I'll pay whatever it costs to get the car into top condition again. Thanks."
She waited until Dawn returned. "Come on." She led her to the parking lot. "I'll drive you to wherever you want to go."
Dawn stopped in front of Aiden's car. "I'll take a cab. I know you have to work."
"It's okay. I've got enough overtime racked up to take the rest of the year off." Aiden opened the passenger side door for her. "Your chariot awaits, Madame." She waited for Dawn to settle in and closed the door. "Where to? Home?" she asked when she started the car.
Dawn fiddled with the seat belt. She nodded reluctantly. "I need to get back to the car and find someone who is willing to work on it," she said.
"Don't worry about it. I'll take care of it for you. Ruben knows someone who will do a good job," Aiden promised.
"I really shouldn't dump all this on you, but to tell you the truth, I'm not eager to get back home," Dawn admitted. "I think it's gonna take me a few days to feel comfortable there again. Knowing that someone broke into my car, right in front of my home... it just doesn't feel safe anymore."
"Move in with me." Aiden's eyes widened when her brain realized what her mouth had just offered. Hastily, she added, "Just for a few days until you feel safe again."
Dawn leaned against the door to look at her. "I don't know. What about Kia? I don't know any of my neighbors well enough to trust them with my cat and a key to my apartment."
"Just put her in that transport box she loves so much and bring her with you," Aiden said. "She can enjoy a holiday at Casa Carlisle, too."
"Are you sure that you want a cat in your apartment?" Dawn asked.
Aiden wasn't, but she nodded anyway.
"Okay, Detective, you've got yourself two roommates." Dawn shook the hand that wasn't resting on the steering wheel. "I promise that at least one of them won't drink your orange juice straight from the container. You should think about getting a bulletproof vest for your couch, though."
Aiden groaned.
* * *
"Honey, I'm home."
Dawn almost dropped her book at Aiden's sudden entry. "You're late. Did something happen?" She had started to worry when Aiden hadn't been home on time. God, listen to yourself! she reprimanded herself. It's been one day, and you're already calling her apartment "home"!
"No, I just stopped to buy a few things after work." Aiden lifted the large shopping bag in her hand.
"Takeout?" Dawn guessed. "I thought I could cook something for us."
"It's not takeout."
"What is it, then?" Dawn seized the moment when Aiden leaned down to brush her lips against her own to peek into the bag.
Aiden chuckled and quickly stepped back, moving the shopping bag out of her line of sight. "You're not curious at all, are you?"
"Me?" Dawn pointed a finger at herself. "No, I just have an investigative mindset."
Aiden chuckled but still held the bag out of Dawn's reach. "Sorry, it's not for you. You're not the only female in my life, you know."
By now, Dawn felt secure enough in their relationship to laugh about that comment. "Oh, is that a confession, Detective?"
Kia strode in and circled Aiden's legs once, leaving a tuft of hairs behind on her black pants.
"God, is she molting or something?" Aiden inefficiently tried to brush the hairs from her clothes. "Should I have bought something for that, too?"
"Bought? You bought presents for my cat?"
Aiden finally allowed her to open the bag.
Dawn settled down cross-legged on the floor and lifted one thing after another from the bag.
"Just a little something," Aiden said when Dawn had emptied the bag and stared up at her.
"A kitty blanket, a rubber mouse, and some other toys, a scratch board, and a dozen different cat snacks... is that a 'little something' in your book?"
Aiden shrugged. "I want her to feel at home in my apartment."
You want me to feel at home, Dawn translated, and I do. "You're a mushball, Detective."
Kia curiously stalked closer to her pile of presents.
Aiden waited with interest to see which toy the cat would prefer.
The feline extended one paw and nudged the bill from the pet supply store, which Aiden had crumbled into a ball so Dawn wouldn't see it. A few moments later, she was chasing the paper ball through the apartment, ignoring all the fancy cat toys Aiden had bought.
Dawn had to laugh at the expression on Aiden's face.
"Cats." Aiden shook her head.
"Yeah. They never do what you expect or want them to – I like that," Dawn said.
Aiden watched as paper ball and cat disappeared under the couch. "Typical psychologists' pets, huh?"
"Actually, there's this theory that says they're typical lesbians' pets," Dawn said with a smile.
Dark brows rose. "Is that a quantitative theory? The more cats you have, the higher the possibility that you might be gay? I wonder what that says about Judge Linehan and her seven cats."
"She has seven cats?" Dawn couldn't imagine being bossed around by seven feline roommates.
"There's this rumor that says she won them in a poker game," Aiden said.
Dawn chuckled. "Portland's Honorable Judges are betting cats in poker games? Maybe the previous owner is a 'reformed' lesbian?"
"No, Judge Yates is still firmly interested in women." Aiden packed away the cat toys. "He's practically drooling every time Kade walks into his courtroom."
Dawn nudged her with an elbow. "And he's not the only one."
"Me? No, I don't drool over Kade." Aiden shook her head, but then admitted, "Well, I might look a little... just to confirm that she's seriously lacking in comparison to you, of course."
"Has anyone ever told you that lying is a sin?" Dawn seriously doubted that Kade Matheson was lacking in any department.
"I'm not lying. I told you, as far as I'm concerned you don't need to fear any comparison. You're the one I want to be with." Aiden's eyes held no hint of the previous teasing anymore.
The shrill of Aiden's pager interrupted before Dawn could answer. Aiden looked at the display. "Shit. I have to go. I'm sorry."
Dawn had known from the start that being in a relationship with a cop would mean a lot of interrupted moments and canceled dates. With a sigh, she wrapped her arms around Aiden in a half-embrace and reattached the gold shield to her belt. "Be careful and wake me when you get in."
Aiden hesitated. "It could get really late."
"I don't care. Wake me."
"Okay." Aiden wrapped her arms around her and leaned down slowly, giving Dawn every opportunity to withdraw.
Not that Dawn wanted to. She slid her arms more firmly around Aiden and pulled her into a deep kiss. She could feel the pulse in Aiden's neck begin to race along with her own.
Only when her cell phone began to ring did Aiden break away. She left small kisses on Dawn's upper and lower lip as she pulled away. As the door closed behind her, Dawn threw her body down onto the couch. "God, I could learn to hate modern technology."
* * *
Dawn laid down the sketch pad and hastily wiped her stained fingers on a rag when she heard Aiden enter the apartment.
"Hey," Aiden called from the hallway.
Dawn had noticed that she always took care never to walk up behind Dawn unexpectedly, and she appreciated it. "Hi," she called back. "I didn't expect you home so early."
"Well, after the late night yesterday, the lieutenant sent most of us home early." Aiden appeared in the doorway, her gun and badge already gone. She always left them in a safe place by the door, leaving behind her job before she greeted Dawn. "You're drawing," Aiden said with an expression of pleasant surprise on her face.
&n
bsp; "Nothing big, just a few drawings of Kia. I haven't done it in a while, and I need to get the hang of it back," Dawn said, critically appraising her work.
Aiden stepped next to her. Instead of gazing at the drawing, she was staring at Dawn, though.
"What?" Dawn asked, self-consciously rubbing her hands over her cheeks. "Do I have pastel dust on my face?"