She kissed his neck. “We’re pretending, remember?”
“I don’t have to pretend that I’m into you.” He made quick work of ridding her of her top and slacks.
“Perfect.” She sent his shirt to the floor, cruising her palms over hot flesh. “I’ve missed touching you. I never want to stop touching you.”
He closed his eyes, steaming out a long breath.
She trailed her mouth over his pecs as she tugged on his belt, then his snap, pushing his pants past his hips.
“Lie down with me.” He walked her backward to the bed and settled himself on top of her. “I want to make out with you for a while.”
She grinned, relishing his weight pushing her into the mattress. “I can live with that.”
He stared into her eyes as the setting sun played with the light in the room. “I’ve been so afraid this was never going to happen again. I know we have a lot of work to do—issues to find our way through—but I need you to know how much I love you.” He kissed the tip of her nose. “I’m so in love with you, Bella.”
Flutters rushed through her belly as she smiled. “I love you too. So much.” She pulled his face down to hers and kissed him, letting the moment draw out.
He touched her, sliding his fingers along her waist, up her stomach, and finally he took off her bra.
She moaned, shivering as he traced her sensitive peaks with his thumbs, then his tongue. “I want to be with you,” she whispered.
He rose on his knees and pulled off her panties, then made quick work of taking off his boxers. “You’re sure this is what you want?”
She nodded, opening her arms to him, welcoming him back to her.
He settled himself between her legs and captured her mouth as he buried himself inside her.
She whimpered, savoring the way he filled her.
He moved slowly—torturously so. “God, Bella, you feel so good.”
She wrapped her arms around him and then her legs, pushing him deeper, certain she could never be close enough.
He kept his pace steady, staring into her eyes.
“I need you.” She gripped his shoulders, rocking her hips, feeling herself building. “I need you,” she shuddered out.
He took her hands, lacing their fingers and pushing their arms beneath the pillows. “I want to come with you. Wait for me.”
She nodded, moving with him, urging him to follow her to the edge as she listened to his breathing grow unsteady. “I need to—I’m ready. I’m ready,” she said.
He arrowed deeper and she gasped, crying out as he captured her mouth and fell over the cliff with her.
~~~~
Reed fought to catch his breath as he stared into Bella’s eyes, still trying to wrap his mind around the reality that they were actually lying here together again. Finally, he was holding her and touching her the way he’d yearned to since she walked out on him three long weeks ago. “How are you?”
“Great. Excellent, in fact.” She grinned, tracing his ears. “Have I ever mentioned that you’re an amazing lover?”
He smiled back, sliding his fingers through her hair. “Not straight out.”
“You’re very good in bed.” She nipped his chin.
“Thanks, but I think it’s because of my partner. We make a pretty good team.”
“Yes, we do.”
“Plus you’re smokin’ hot, which gets me all worked up…”
She laughed.
Grinning again, he brought her palm to his lips, kissing her—once, twice—before he studied her healing blisters. “Something’s telling me you got these beauties working on the new house—maybe pulling up the ugly bushes out front?”
She chuckled. “Good guess.”
He rolled them so they lay on their sides, facing each other. “Are you going to let me give you a hand with the rest?”
“Yes.”
“Are you going to let me sign my name next to yours on the mortgage?”
She nodded. “Mmm-hmm.”
He hooked his arm around her waist and pulled her closer. “I’ve been so damn miserable without you.”
She pressed her lips to his. “I missed you every day. I woke up reaching for you almost every night.”
He rested his forehead against hers. “I never want— I need for us to work. I can’t imagine spending another minute without you.”
She played her fingers along the back of his neck. “I need for you to let me in. All the way in, Reed. No more secrets.”
He closed his eyes and nodded, knowing she was right—that she deserved all of him, even when what she asked for wasn’t easy. “Today sucked.” He opened his eyes, staring into hers. “Bad.”
She stroked his cheek. “I’m sorry.”
“I hate remembering. I hate having to take it all back out again. More than anything, I hate that they died like that.”
Compassion filled her gaze. “How can I help you? What can I do?”
“Just be here.”
“I’m right here.” She took his hand, settling it against her heart. “I’m not going anywhere.”
He exhaled a quiet breath with a sense of relief he’d never known before. For decades, he’d shouldered the burdens of witnessing violent death and the painful aftermath alone, but Bella was offering to carry some of the load—the way he would for her without a second thought. “I miss my Dad—all of them.”
“Your mom said you were close.”
He nodded. “He saved my life that night. He told me to lie down right before we pulled out of the parking garage. I remember him saying that if I didn’t get some sleep, I’d be too tired for our donut trip and my favorite cartoons the next morning. We always watched Bugs Bunny together.”
She blinked as her eyes grew damp. “Sounds pretty special.”
“I like remembering that part. I could do without the rest.”
“I bet.” She kissed him, clutching his hand tight in hers. “If you remember everything so clearly, why didn’t you mention Alfeo to the police after your initial interview?”
“Because I saw the terror in my mom’s eyes the first time I did.”
“Oh, Reed.” She wrapped her arm around him and held on.
Returning her embrace, he rolled so she lay on top of him and breathed in her shampoo as her hair cascaded around them. “I want this to be over. I don’t want to have to think about it anymore.”
She slid her long locks behind her ears and settled her arms on his chest as they looked in each other’s eyes. “You can put it away tomorrow.”
He shook his head. “Until the trial.”
“And then it’s finished.”
He nodded. “I just want to laugh with you and walk on the beach. I haven’t had ice cream since you left.”
“Aww.” Her eyes went soft and dewy. “Aww,” she repeated, nuzzling his cheek with hers.
He let his fingers trail up and down her spine. “The last three weeks have been hell. I don’t ever want to hurt you again. I will because I’m human and I’ll make mistakes, but not like I did. I’m so sorry I hurt you, Bella.”
“I know you are. We’re going to be okay.”
“The way I see it, we hit a bump in the road—a crater—but we’re strong enough to work through it.”
“Of course.”
“And I’m pretty much the best damn thing that’s ever happened to you.” He rolled on top of her. “And if I haven’t mentioned it lately, I’m absolutely crazy in love with you.” He growled and nipped at her neck.
She laughed, settling her hands on his shoulders. “I want to take things slow for a little while.”
He sent her a wry smile. “We’re naked and I’m hard again. We’re buying a house.”
She grinned. “I mean the other stuff: living together while we’re fixing up the house. I need for us to go slow until we’ve found our footing again.”
“Whatever you want.”
“I just want it to be right.”
“It’s right. You and me are exact
ly right. Let me show you.” He pushed himself into her and took her on a fast-paced journey. Flesh slapped against flesh as he yanked her hips high and pounded, watching stunned pleasure play over her face as he brought her up fast and hard. He covered her mouth with his, swallowing her long, loud scream as he came on a loud moan of his own and collapsed on top of her.
“Oh, my God,” she panted out. “Oh, my God.”
His cell phone rang as he gasped for air. “Man, that’s bad timing,” he heaved out against her neck. “But I should probably get it.” He reached over the edge of the bed and grabbed his phone from his pants pocket. “Hello?”
“I can’t cover you tomorrow morning,” Skylar said.
He rolled off Bella and lay back against the pillows, still trying to catch his breath as he pulled her against his side. “Why?”
“Because they’re taking me off the Caparellis and moving me to some new task force in fucking Los Angeles.”
He frowned. “Since when?”
“Since I got back to the office an hour ago and Special Agent in Charge said we’re meeting in the morning to discuss details.”
“I guess we’re going to be neighbors.”
She spouted off a few inventive expletives about what Special Agent in Charge could do with his dick.
He winced and sat up when Bella’s eyes went wide as she looked from him to the phone and grinned. “All right, then. So it sounds like Joey’s on the hook for tomorrow.”
“I talked to the DA. The room where we waited today is going to be occupied by another witness. We can’t use that space.”
He rubbed at the back of his neck, already knowing where this was going. “We stick together. No exceptions. Bella stays with me.”
“We can keep her at the hotel—”
“Nope.”
“I can get a couple of Marshals—”
He shook his head. “Not good enough.”
“Reed—”
“Not good enough,” he repeated, heating up. “Make something work or we’ll be on the plane back to LA tonight.”
“You’ve been subpoenaed. You don’t have a choice—”
“We all have choices. The DA wants my testimony, so he’ll find a way to make sure Bella can be at the courthouse with me.”
“I’ll call you back.” She hung up.
He tossed the phone down and sat back, scrubbing at his face. “Son of a bitch.”
“I can stay here.”
“No, you can’t.” He had every intention of sitting his ass in the grand jury chair tomorrow and finishing this, but Bella was going to be there too, where he could make sure she was safe. “They’re playing this my way or losing their witness.” His phone rang again. “Hello?”
“The DA says we can put Bella in one of the judges’ chambers while you’re finishing up. Mathison is in Aruba this week, so his room is free.”
“With Joey.”
“You’ll have to talk to him when he brings you your dinner.”
He looked at his watch, realizing Joe would be there in less than fifteen minutes.
“Bella’s going to be fine. She’ll be on the second floor—almost right below the grand jury room. The DA’s thinking he needs you for another hour—two, tops.”
He sighed, wanting Bella in the room right next to his like she had been today, but this was a reasonable concession. “Sounds good.”
“Reed.”
“Yeah?”
“I like her. I like her for you.”
He smiled. “Thanks.”
“Let me know what you and Joe work out. I’ll be there as soon as my meeting’s over. We’ll get you back to the airport together.”
“I’ll call you later.” He hung up and looked at Bella.
“I can stay here.”
He shook his head. “You and Joey are going to hang out in Judge Mathison’s chambers while I testify. It should be an in-and-out, pretty quick deal. We can go home afterward.”
“To Ethan’s?”
“For now—until we get stuff figured out.” Which wasn’t going to be a fast process. This was never going to end for them until they found a way to take care of the Caparellis. All of the Caparellis.
She sighed, plucking at the comforter. “I want to get back to working on my new home—our new home.”
“I know.”
She crawled into his lap and hooked her legs around his waist, framing his face between her hands. “Our new home, Reed.”
He kissed her. “Ours.” He glanced at his watch again. “I really hate to say it, but we should probably get dressed. Joe’s going to be here any minute.”
“I’m going to go take a quick shower.” She kissed him again, trailing her fingers down his chest and stomach. “I’ll be thinking about how I wish you were joining me.”
He groaned as he nibbled her shoulder. “That’s not nice.”
She grinned. “Maybe we can pick up right here later.”
He cupped her breasts. “Are you sure? Because I thought we were taking things slow.”
She whimpered, tracing his lips with her tongue. “Not too slow.”
He gripped her ass, ready to devour her all over again. Joey could wait in the hall. “We’re going to be good, Bella. This is going to be good.”
She nodded. “Yes, it is. Now let’s get dressed.”
Chapter Fifty-Nine
Bella took another bite of her cream cheese-slathered bagel while she sat across from Joey at the small table in Judge Mathison’s second-story chambers. She’d been slightly surprised by the homey atmosphere when they walked into the pretty space over an hour ago—comfy couches, stylish accent lamps, pictures of family, and numerous leafy plants set around the large windows, soaking up the bright morning sunshine. She wiped her fingers on the paper napkin in her lap, then set down the next card in her pile while she and Joey played war.
“Ah, here we go.” Joey smiled his triumph when they both drew a seven. “Set down three and make your fourth lousy.”
She put down her three cards and flipped the fourth, laughing when she won and Joey swore.
“It’s your lucky day.” He gestured to his dwindling pile.
“I guess so.” She looked at her watch, then pulled in her take, adding it to her deck.
“Getting antsy?”
She shrugged. “A little.”
He peeked at his own watch. “I can’t imagine it’ll be all that much longer. Sounds like the DA covered a lot of ground yesterday.”
“I’m just ready to go home. I miss Lucy.”
“I’m sure you do. That’s a hell of a dog you’ve got.” He took a huge bite of his third bagel. “So, tell me more about this house you mentioned last night,” he said over his mouthful. “We didn’t have time for much more than shop talk before I had to go.”
She blinked and looked down, trying to disguise a smile as she grabbed her cell phone from her back pocket. She’d never known anyone quite like Reed’s best friend. He was big, loud, and more than a little rough around the edges, but adorable nonetheless. “It needs a lot of work.” She scrolled through her photos, finding the series of pictures she’d taken, and handed him her phone. “It’s certainly a work in progress.”
Joe frowned as he swiped at the screen several times. “Huh.”
She grinned. “That’s exactly what Reed said when I brought him by to check out the place.”
He scratched at his beard. “Kinda looks like a money pit.”
She threw her head back and laughed, clasping her hands together. “You two definitely think alike.” She took the phone back and studied the last picture she’d snapped on Tuesday night—the one where she’d ripped up another three ugly bushes. Snagging her bottom lip with her teeth, she barely suppressed a giddy sigh. That was theirs—hers and Reed’s. Or it would be very soon. They were together again. They’d spent the night making each other absolutely crazy. “It’s going to be beautiful when we finish it. I can see it so clearly.”
He went after anothe
r bite of his midmorning snack. “I’ll have to take your word for it.”
She slid her phone back in her jeans pocket. “You and Mel will have to come stay with us.”
“Count on it.” Joe set down another card as she did and pushed his losing hand her way. “I’m glad you and Reed were able to work things out. Nobody deserves to be happy more than my buddy.” He pointed to the ceiling. Reed sat somewhere on the third story above them.
“After seeing all of you in my dad’s room…I needed a little time to figure things out.”
“Sounds like it worked out in the end, right?”
She nodded.
“He’s different now, you know. I can hear it when we talk on the phone. I can see it when I look at him.”
She swiped her hair behind her ear, not quite sure she knew what Joey was implying. “He’s just—he’s Reed.”
“No, he’s not,” he said, shaking his head. “Not even close, but it’s a good thing. Mad Dog’s lost his edge.”
She frowned. “I don’t want him to lose his edge. He still has a dangerous job.”
“He’ll be all right.” He narrowed his eyes as he contemplated. “I’m talking about the emotional armor he needed to survive out here. He doesn’t need that anymore, especially now that he has you. Reed’s got himself a brand-new life—a great one.”
“Thank you.”
They played a few more hands, Bella winning most. “Have you ever considered trying something different?”
He laughed, shaking his head. “Being a cop runs in my blood. Four generations. I can’t imagine doing anything other than what I do now.”
“Sounds like you’re happy.”
“I am. I’m gonna propose to Mel next month on her birthday.”
Bella paused with her next card as her heart went soft. “That’s wonderful, Joey.”
He nodded. “When you’ve got a good apple, it’s smart to keep her around.” He winked, then rushed to his feet in a lightening move, drawing his gun and aiming, when the interior door to the judge’s chambers creaked slowly open. He moved to the right, blocking Bella from whatever waited on the other side of the mahogany wood.
DA Moore’s secretary stepped in, gasped, and stumbled back with the tray of bottled waters she held.
Deceiving Bella: Book Eleven In The Bodyguards Of L.A. County Series Page 63