No fucking way was he telling her that. “It doesn’t matter. It isn’t true.”
“You don’t understand. That card is from my stationery.”
Well, that explained the flowers, but Cole failed to see the significance here. They’d already established he’d been in the house. “What am I missing here, Kat? We know he was here.”
“Not this house! The stationery is at my parents’ house, Cole!”
Oh fuck . . .
“It’s in the bottom desk drawer in my bedroom. He’s been in their house! Digging through my room! What does the card say?” she demanded, her voice hitching toward hysterics.
As much as he didn’t want to tell her, he couldn’t keep it from her. Broken glass crunched beneath his feet as he walked over to her. How she was still on her feet, he didn’t know, but he wasn’t about to give her the final shove without at least hanging on to her. Taking care to keep all emotion from his voice, he stated matter-of-factly, “It says . . . ‘Until death do us part.’”
Her knees buckled and he pulled her into his arms, holding her tight as she buried her face into his chest and began to sob. “You have to call my parents. Make sure they’re all right. I can’t . . . I can’t talk to them like this.”
“All right,” he soothed, bending down to place a kiss on top of her head. Tightening his grip on her with one arm, he let go with the other and dug his cell out of his pocket. “What’s their number?”
Katie recited the number between hitching breaths. The phone rang a couple of times and just before someone picked up, she whispered, “Don’t tell them what happened. My dad can’t handle the stress. Just make sure they’re okay.”
“Hello?”
At the sound of her mother’s voice echoing through the phone, Katie sagged against him in relief and whispered, “Oh, thank God.” He tightened his grip, holding her up against him.
“Hi, Carol, umm . . . This is Cole. Katie asked me to give you call to uhh . . . check and see if you need her to bring you any orange juice in the morning before she stops over.”
“Oh, let me check.” There was a moment of silence before she asked, “Where’s Katie?”
He hated lying in general, and he particularly hated lying to Katie’s mother, but she hadn’t given him much of a choice. She needed to come clean with her parents about the nightmare she’d been living these past two years, but it wasn’t his place to out her, as much as he wanted to. In trying to protect them, Katie was making them vulnerable to a very dangerous man. Hopefully after tonight, she’d see that and finally tell them the truth.
“We’re at the store. She’s, umm . . . shopping. Her phone is dead so she asked me to call and see if you were good before we left.”
The lie seemed to satisfy her mother because the note of surprised hesitation was gone from her voice when she said, “Oh, well thank you for checking. That’s very thoughtful. Looks like we’re good on orange juice.”
“You need anything else? Everything good there?”
“Nope, not that I can think of. We’re all good.”
“All right. We’ll see you in the morning, then.”
“Sounds good. Thank you for calling, Cole.”
As he hung up with Carol, a knock sounded on the kitchen door and Katie startled in his arms.
Before he could move to answer it, a voice called from the other side, “This is Officer Wyatt with the Somerset Police Department.”
The next two hours were a blur. Thankfully, the officer who responded was the same one who’d taken her report the other day, so she was spared having to repeat the backstory. Cole did most of the talking now, answering the officer’s questions as they walked through the house, surveying the damage. The place was completely flipped, and of all the rooms, hers was the worst. Her mattress was slashed. The feather pillows she’d gotten from her grandmother’s house before she died were destroyed. A layer of small, fluffy feathers coated the room like dust. Her clothes were strewn around, many of them torn and ruined. It was all just too much to take in.
She nodded appropriately when spoken to directly, but couldn’t seem to find her voice past the lump of dread lodged in her throat. Once she’d discovered her parents were all right, self-preserving numbness had spread through her limbs, dulling her senses, clogging her mind from processing it all. The only thing keeping her grounded right now was the man standing beside her. His towering height sheltered her, his powerful strength protected her, his hand never broke contact, as if in silent avowal he would not leave her. Whether pressed comfortingly against the small of her back, or slipped around her waist as his arm held her tucked against his side, Cole kept in constant connection with her. It was as if he knew the moment the comforting touch left her, she would be lost.
Had she really thought to push him away? That she could do this alone? She needed his calming strength like her lungs needed oxygen. In the span of a few short hours, Cole had become her lifeline—her thread to sanity. The horror of her past had finally caught her in its riptide, and it was threatening to drag her under.
Katie watched, only half-processing what was happening around her as Officer Wyatt lifted the lid on the box and looked inside. The momentary surprise on his face was quickly replaced by a scowl. What was in that box? Cole wouldn’t tell her, so it must be bad. A part of her didn’t want to know. He took out the card and slipped it from the envelope. After quickly looking at it, he shoved it back inside the box. The look he exchanged with Cole didn’t need words. It ratcheted the terror pumping through her veins all the same. When he spoke, the sound was muffled by the chaotic beating of her heart and she had to focus, straining to hear what exactly the officer was telling her.
“I’ve seen enough. I’ll need to take this box in and mark it for evidence. We’ll photograph the rest and I’ll have animal control come out and take care of the cat. There will be a warrant issued for Carter Owen’s arrest. But the problem may be finding him. I don’t usually speak so frankly, Ms. Miller, but in this case I feel it’s warranted. Do you own a gun?”
What? She shook her head.
“I would get one. We will do everything in our power to protect you and to get Mr. Owens into custody as quickly as possible. And we’re only a phone call away. But I’m also a realist, Ms. Miller, and a lot can happen in a very short time.” His gaze shot to Cole. “If I were you, I’d take her some place this asshole can’t find her. At least until we get him picked up.”
“I’m planning on it.”
“I have your number, Ms. Miller. We’ll contact you as soon as it’s safe for you to return. I should get yours as well, Mr. Easton.”
Cole and Officer Wyatt exchanged information, then, with the box tucked under his arm, the officer left.
The next several hours were another blur. If Katie hadn’t been in shock, she might have put up more of a fight, but she was too busy battling her internal demons to wage war against Cole—not that it would have done much good. He was one of the most stubborn, single-mindedly determined men she’d ever met. A force to be reckoned with, and right now, she just didn’t have it in her to resist him.
That was how, in a whirlwind of a few short hours, Katie found herself first in front of her parents, telling them the truth, her bags minimally packed, and currently on a plane bound for Vegas with Cole sitting beside her. His hand held hers tightly, as if he feared she’d bolt the moment he let go. And she might have, if she’d had anywhere to go other than plummeting to her death.
He spoke very little during the three-and-a-half-hour flight. Perhaps giving her the time and space she needed to process it all—which she’d been doing for the last two hours. Digesting what had happened bit by palatable bit.
Although deep down she knew it was the right thing to do, and she’d really had no choice, a part of her resented him for forcing her hand. In the brief time it took her to gather what few belongings Carter hadn’t destroyed, Cole had contacted a locksmith to change out her parents’ locks, and hired a security c
ompany to install a system in their home.
He’d arranged to leave his rental car at the airport, booked her and himself one-way tickets to Vegas, and called Marcus to tell him they were coming in on a late-night flight. Marcus had insisted on picking them up at the airport, even though Cole had suggested several times they take a cab. Their flight wouldn’t even be landing until three a.m. But Uncle Marcus was stubborn, and once he set his mind to something, there wasn’t anything anyone could do to change it.
Katie wanted to see her uncle—really she did. She’d missed him like crazy, though she could have visited him under better circumstances, and she would have preferred a day to rally her nerve and get her head back on straight before seeing him. So many thoughts were racing through her mind right now—the unknowns and what-ifs were overwhelming.
“I didn’t want to tell my parents, Cole. Not like this.”
“I know you didn’t,” he answered, his tone devoid of emotion. “But they needed to understand you’re in danger, why you’re leaving. Besides, it’d look awfully suspicious when both the locksmith and ADT show up on their doorstep tomorrow if they didn’t know what was going on. They love you, Kat. They want to be there for you. Let them.”
“I shouldn’t have left them like that. My father needs me—”
“Your father needs you to stay safe, Kat. I’ll hire someone to go to the house and keep up with his PT while you’re away. Of course, they won’t be as great as you.”
She couldn’t help but smile when he bumped her arm with his shoulder.
“But I’ll make sure they’re good. I promise.”
“I can’t let you do that, Cole. It’s too expensive. You’re already doing so much. The bills—”
“—are none of your concern,” he cut in firmly. “Trust me, Kat, I can afford it.”
Cole’s generosity was just one more layer on her confusion cake. What did this mean? Was he just being nice or was there more to it? Maybe he just felt sorry for her? Where did this leave them?
He’d yet to profess his feelings for her. For all she knew, this was nothing but a fling to pass the time while he was in rehab. He’d told her the previous night this had an expiration date. And yet, like an impulsive fool, she’d given herself to him, anyway. If that didn’t scream mixed signals, then she didn’t know what did. As much as it pained her to think that Cole might not return the same level of affection she felt for him, she couldn’t bring herself to regret what they’d done. Even if he couldn’t love her, Cole had done more to help her, more to heal her, than she’d ever hoped or imagined. It felt good to be taken care of for a change, even if it was out of some misplaced obligation he might feel after a night of mind-blowing sex. She just didn’t think she had it in her to deal with Carter again. She’d already run once. That she was doing it again was enough to crumble the shell she’d worked so hard these past years to rebuild.
“That’s not the point, Cole. You shouldn’t have to do this. I’m so sorry you were dragged into it. I tried . . . I tried to keep you out of it—”
“Kat, stop. Don’t you dare apologize to me. You didn’t do anything wrong.” He squeezed her hand. “I’m just glad Marcus sent me here when he did. Besides, do you have any idea how much you have helped me? I’m on my feet again because of you. Every day you’re making me stronger. Hell, you’ve saved my career. It’s the least I could do for you.”
And there she had it—the truth—the motivation behind Cole’s actions. It wasn’t love that drove him, it was gratitude. Ouch . . . Well that hurt more than she cared to admit. Tears burned behind her eyes. She held her breath, fighting back the inevitable well blurring her vision. She wouldn’t cry, dammit, not here—not in front of Cole—not over this. But her emotions were too raw. She was exhausted and emotional, and trapped here on this fucking plane with a man she was hopelessly in love with who didn’t love her back, while being carted halfway across the United States.
“Excuse me,” she mumbled, shooting to her feet and trying to push past him into the aisle. Even sitting in first class, Cole took up all the extra room and some of hers, making it a scramble of unhelpful arms and tangled legs to get past him before she broke down right here in front of the entire first-class audience.
“Kat, are you all right?”
Cole looked a cross between surprised and concerned as he tried to help her across his lap. She stumbled into the aisle and nearly fell on top of the couple across from them. They, too, looked alarmed, though for an entirely different reason. Thankfully, she didn’t have far to go until she reached the first-class bathroom. Wrenching the door open, she rushed inside, and slammed it shut behind her. The lighted Occupied sign blurred behind a well of tears as she gave herself over to her heartache.
What in the hell was keeping her? Cole glanced behind his shoulder for about the tenth time. Since Katie had bolted for the bathroom, he’d downed one of those little travel-size vodkas in a glass of orange juice, needing to calm his own jacked-up nerves. What a horrible fucking day. He knew Katie had hit her emotional limit, but he couldn’t help but think he’d said something to set her off. What, he had no damn clue. He’d spent the last half hour replaying their conversation in his mind and coming up blank.
“Would you like another screwdriver?” the overly attentive stewardess asked with a meet me behind the first-class curtain smile.
“No, thank you.” Cole held up his hand, stopping her before she broke the seal on the vodka.
“Well, let me know if you change your mind.” Seriously? Did the woman not see Katie sitting here with him? Speaking of which, he was done waiting for her. As the stewardess passed him, Cole slipped out behind her, heading the opposite direction, and took the six steps that put him in front of the bathroom. He knocked. No answer. He knocked again. “Kat, open up. It’s me.”
Hearing the obligatory flush, which he knew was total bullshit, he stood at the door, fingers tapping restlessly against the metal frame as he waited for her to open it. A moment later the door cracked open, but before she could step out, he slipped in, locking it behind him. Damn, it was a tight fit. If they hadn’t been in first class, squeezing in here would have been impossible. As it was, Cole was quickly rethinking the wisdom of his plan with Katie’s body crushed tightly up against his. Holy hell, he hadn’t come in here for anything other than to talk to her, knowing there was no way in hell she would open up to him out there, surrounded by a bunch of strangers. But now that he had her pinned up against him, trapped between his hard body, growing harder by the second, and the small vanity sink, he was having a damn difficult time remembering what he’d wanted to say.
“Cole, what are you doing in here?”
She didn’t sound very happy about it. But the way her body softened against him, nipples hardening to little beaded pearls against his chest, was telling him another story. He could tell by the luminous intensity of her dark green eyes and her flushed blotchy cheeks that she’d been crying. And the knowledge kicked him right in the balls, knocking the wind out of him.
Framing her face with his hands to keep her from looking away, he said, “What’s the matter, Kat?” Wow, was that a stupid fucking question, considering the hell she’d been through today. “How can I make it better, baby?” Bending down, he placed a chaste kiss on her forehead. “Just tell me,” he coaxed, kissing one of her cheeks. “I want to help you.” He brushed his mouth over her other cheek, and then her lips. His heart ached at the taste of her briny kiss. He wanted to make it go away. He wanted to wipe away all her tears, take away all her fear, to bear her burden of grief—if she would just let him in. But he didn’t know what to do, what to say, to get her to take that leap of faith—to make her trust him with her heart.
He wanted to tell her he loved her, but couldn’t risk scaring her away with such a proclamation, especially on the heels of her ex’s latest mindfuck. It wouldn’t be fair to lay that one on her. It was too much for her to handle—too soon.
But what he couldn’t say w
ith words, he could sure as hell say with his body. He could ease her pain, even if only physically—at least it was something. Slipping his hands down her throat, he gently traced her delicate collarbones with his thumbs, moving his hands over her body as if he were the one sculpting her miraculous form. His mouth moved to her jaw and then to that sensitive spot just below her ear. “Tell me, Kat,” he coaxed, his whispered voice growing coarse with his own need.
She closed her eyes, and a pent-up breath he didn’t realize she’d been holding shuddered from her lungs. Her hands slipped into his hair, fingers curling, tightening in his overgrown locks he usually wore shorter, but now swore he’d always wear this long if it meant feeling the erotic tug of her little fingers as they twisted into his rebellious waves. Her head tipped to the side, granting him full access to the graceful arch of her neck.
“Tell me, Kat,” he pleaded on a groan of flagging restraint, his hands covering her breasts, squeezing the soft, ripe flesh as those nipples he ached to savor pebbled into his palms. “Tell me what you need, baby. Let me help you.”
“I want to forget.”
Her whispered plea shredded him.
“Can you do that, Cole? Can you make me forget?”
Katie wasn’t the only one who wanted to forget. Cole’s temper had been a hair’s trigger from going off the moment he’d pulled into that driveway. And then when he’d opened that box . . . the sick, twisted fuck. It’d taken self-control he hadn’t even known he possessed to keep it together. But it wouldn’t have done Katie any good to see him lose his shit. His gut twisted every time he thought of what that bastard had done to her, what he was still putting her through.
Cole lifted his head and hooked his knuckle under her chin, tipping her face up to meet his unwavering stare and growled, “Sweetheart, I can make you forget your own name.” Dipping his head, he took her mouth in a searing, possessive kiss. He licked and nipped the salt of her tears from her lips, erasing the evidence of her grief and taking it into himself. The urge to protect her, to soothe away her fears—her hurts—rode him nearly as hard as his desire. He’d never wanted a woman more than his Kat, and it showed in his hurried, uncoordinated efforts to pull off her sweater. But his frenzy only seemed to excite her. She grabbed at his shirt, her nails dragging up his lats as she pulled it up. The sharp sting arrowing into his groin, the pressure of his much-needed release making his balls ache. The moment she tore it off, those hands were back in his hair, guiding his mouth back to hers. He could taste the urgency in her kiss as she sucked at his tongue, nipping his bottom lip between desperate kisses. Her hands dropped to his waistband, and with the flick of a button and tug of his zipper, his hard, aching flesh sprung into her eager hand. He exhaled on a strangled moan when her small, slender fingers wrapped around his length, gripping him tight, just how he liked it.
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