by K. Langston
“You better.”
After I disconnected with Max, I called my aunt and spent the good part of fifteen minutes trying to evade all of her questions. But she was satisfied I was safe, and while I didn’t disclose to Max where I was, I did tell my aunt I was with Reid.
Once I finished my phone call with her, I went in search of a shower. I wanted to wash the last few days of grime off of me. Standing under the hot spray, I hung my head, allowing the water to pound my tense shoulders. My body ached from lack of sleep and all the stress. But being back in Reid’s arms had been exactly what I needed. I knew seeing him again would resurrect all of my old feelings, but I wasn’t prepared to feel this. This overwhelming sense of peace and security. Something I hadn’t felt in a really long time.
I shut off the water and stepped out to dry off. I hadn’t seen or spoken to Reid since he flew down for my high school graduation, and I could tell when he left he had no intentions of ever coming back. He’d told me he was going to the police academy and had planned on moving to California. After that, I never heard from him again except for the same day every year, when he would send me a birthday card.
I knew he cared about me, but not in the way I’d always longed for. Not the way I’d dreamed about night after night. I’d had a few boyfriends but no one had ever made me feel the way Reid did.
And we’d never even shared a kiss.
But the way he looked at me, he might not have ever said it out loud but his eyes screamed want. The very same want burning inside of me.
After I dressed, I gathered my backpack and walked into the kitchen where I found Reid on the phone, staring out over the ocean. The sun had just begun to rise, casting glorious light out onto the water.
“Thanks, Dad. I’ll keep you posted.” He ended the call and slipped the phone into his front pocket before pressing a hand to the window and dropping his head.
Placing my bag on the table, I walked over to join him, the muscles tensing in his back as I approached but he kept his eyes trained straight ahead. “That was my dad. He’s making some calls for me to find out if Vinny’s been released.”
I nodded, folding my arms over my chest at the sudden chill in his voice. “Beautiful view.”
“Yeah.” That was all he said before walking away.
He opened the refrigerator and pulled out two bottles of water.
I took a moment to look around. The place was homey but not personal. There was nothing besides that photo of Bodie and Reid that made me feel like this was a home he’d made for himself. It felt like it belonged to someone else.
“Nice place.”
“It actually belongs to my former lieutenant. He just rents the place out to me.”
“Where does he live?”
“Retired, living on a houseboat down in the Gulf.”
He moved to the microwave and pulled out a bowl of steaming macaroni and cheese.
I smiled up at him, my stomach rumbling with hunger while my heart twirled in my chest. “You remembered.”
“Hard to forget. That’s all you ever ate.” He placed the bowl in front of me then handed me a fork from the drawer nearby.
Those girly fantasies paled in comparison to what was going through my mind right now. Reid may have been fully dressed but it wasn’t hard to imagine what he looked like underneath that faded gray T-shirt that stretched across his muscular chest and those worn out jeans that hung from his hips. He’d shed his black leather jacket he had on before to reveal the holstered .45 and a badge on his hip. It was kind of intimidating.
And sexy as hell.
He’d let his hair grow out. The dark strands grazed his broad shoulders, teasing the tense muscle with each sharp turn of his head. He was still incredibly handsome but in a rugged, much more grown up way that made my belly flip with each glance he tossed in my direction.
“I meant to ask you before, how’d you get here?”
“I hitchhiked,” I said around the hot bite of noodles and cheese.
“You did what?” His handsome face hardened to stone. “All the way from Florida? Jesus, what the hell were you thinking? Do you know how fucking dangerous that is?” His breathing had picked up, his chest rising and falling with every word.
“Calm down. I made sure to only get in the car with kind strangers.” I smiled my sweetest smile but he wasn’t impressed.
“You think this is a joke?”
His high-handed attitude was beginning to piss me off. “My car is a piece of shit. It would have never made it this far. Besides, he was able to find out where I live, don’t you think he knows what kind of car I drive. That’s why I withdrew all of my savings to avoid using credit cards. I’d say that’s pretty damn smart, wouldn’t you?”
His blue eyes flared with anger, his jaw hardening from the strain of gritting his teeth. “No, it’s pretty fucking stupid. Why the hell didn’t you call me?”
“Would you chill? Geez… I made it in one piece, didn’t I? I haven’t heard from you in years, apart from the annual birthday card you send. I was hesitant about even coming here. But if you’re going to continue to belittle me, then I’m out.” I slid from the stool and grabbed my backpack from the table, heading for the door.
Reid sidestepped, blocking me with his large frame. “You’re not going anywhere.”
I shoved at his hard chest but he didn’t budge. “Get the hell out of my way, Reid.”
“No.” Was his only response.
“What’s your problem? Why are you acting like this?”
“Like what?”
“Like a complete asshole.”
“Newsflash, sweetheart, I wouldn’t have to be an asshole if you didn’t do stupid shit.”
I shoved at his chest. “Ugh, get out of my way.”
“I told you, you’re not fucking going anywhere.”
“Yes, I am.”
His body pressed against mine, caging me to the wall next to the door. “No, you’re not. You came to me for help, now I’m in charge of your safety and you’re not going anywhere without me, understand?”
My breathing became ragged, forced. The conviction in his voice and his closeness were intoxicating, weakening every defense I had. His hungry eyes zoned in on my lips before bringing those deep blue irises back to mine. I found desire there.
Need.
The same that must have shone in my own eyes because I wasn’t trying to hide it like he was. But I could see it staring right back at me all the same.
Licking my lips, I taunted him, daring him to have a taste, but if there was one thing I knew about Reid Cunningham, the man had the restraint of a damn saint.
His gaze shifted down, but it moved beyond my lips this time, landing right on my chest. I could feel my nipples tightening with every breath he took.
“I’m not stupid,” I murmured, lifting my backpack and holding it tight to my chest, in a pathetic attempt to protect what was left of my heart.
Fat chance.
“I didn’t say you were stupid, I said what you did was stupid.”
“Same thing.”
Twisting his wrist, he checked the time then looked back at me, irritated. “You done being a brat? I have to pack. We have to catch a flight first thing tomorrow morning.”
“What? Where?”
“New York.”
“Reid, I don’t want to go back to New York. It’s too close to Jersey. It’ll be like walking into the lion’s den.”
He reached down, wrapping one hand around mine with a gentleness that made my soul weep with relief. “I told you that you’re safe now. Here or there, I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”
His words meant so much to me. They brought me comfort. Reassurance. For the first time since leaving Florida, I believed everything would be okay.
Let’s just hope I could say the same about my heart when it was all over.
“I feel stupid,” she groaned as we made our way out back to the veranda.
I continued my stride, n
ot sparing her a glance. “I thought we weren’t using that word.”
“I can use that word whenever I want. You can’t,” she fired back.
I chuckled, stopping just before we reached the door, and then I couldn’t help but look at her.
Christ, she’s beautiful.
The last twenty-four hours had been a practice in control and patience. This stunning creature was forever testing both. It was bad enough I worried for her safety but now I was constantly concerned about her health.
“You feeling okay, Gidge?”
She gave me a small smile, shaking her head. “I’m fine. You don’t have to worry about me so much. Yesterday was emotional for me. Seeing you again, I was nervous and didn’t have much of an appetite. That’s the only reason I was feeling bad.”
“Well from now on, no skipping meals, got it?”
The strap of her dress slid off her tan shoulder and my breath froze in my lungs. Instinctively, I reached over to put it back in place. The smooth skin beneath the tips of my fingers sparked a current of heat throughout my entire body, centered right at my dick, which had certainly taken notice since she showed up on my damn doorstep.
I’d been trying not to pay attention to how beautiful she was but it was impossible to ignore, especially when she looked at me with those warm brown eyes. Eyes that had a way of penetrating all of my defenses.
“What are you going to tell them?” she asked.
“The truth, what else?” She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth, worrying it back and forth. “You’ve met my family before. Why are you so nervous?”
She shrugged, biting down on her lip even more. I fought every urge to capture it with my own teeth, suck it and lick it until the taste of her burned within my blood.
I’d never wanted anyone as much as I wanted her.
Even back then, the need that coursed through my veins had gone unmatched by anyone. I thought it might have been the forbidden aspect of it.
What man doesn’t want what he can’t have?
But with her it was different. So fucking different. She awakened a need in me I had never known. Back then it had been easier to resist that temptation.
Now, it was proving impossible.
“Listen, you’ll be by my side the entire time. You have nothing to worry about.” Clasping her hand with mine, I lifted the back of it to my mouth, pressing a reassuring kiss there. I don’t know why I did it, but it worked to calm her more, and for some reason, that satisfied me.
I liked that I could put her at ease.
She blew out a long breath and rolled her shoulders back, digging for that steely courage she’d always possessed.
So fucking beautiful.
But then there was something else. Something that tugged harder at my heart when my parents welcomed her into their arms and by the way her nervous smile morphed into an easy one when she slid her eyes up to mine.
The uncompromising sense that she belonged here.
With me.
Shaking the unwanted thought from my mind, I went to join my brothers standing a few feet away. We’d all flown in for my parents’ wedding anniversary. Forty years together. I still wasn’t sure how the hell they’d done it, raising six boys and a girl.
Hell, I couldn’t make a relationship last longer than one night.
“Holy shit,” Benson cursed. “She grew up.”
“A lot,” Asher added with a smirk.
Fuck, the last thing I needed was these assholes circling her.
“That’s a fucking understatement,” I said, giving them each a handshake and a hug before finally making my way to MaryAnn. She’d been our neighbor when we were kids and had recently reconnected with Ryker by some miraculous twist of fate and we were all thankful for it, considering her soon to be ex-husband was a piece of shit who liked to beat on women.
I pulled her in for a hug. “Good to see you again, short stuff.”
“You, too.”
Ryker tucked her back into his side before leaning forward, lowering his voice to almost a whisper. “What’s Cassidy doing here?”
I inhaled a deep breath, folding my arms over my chest before looking over my shoulder. Cassidy was still speaking with my parents but her eyes drifted to mine, silently letting me know she was okay.
My shoulders relaxed, and I turned my attention back to my brothers who were all looking at me with a mix of concern and curiosity. “Bodie’s killer was released on parole a few weeks ago. She’s been on the run ever since. Showed up on my doorstep yesterday morning. She’s been living in state parks, tents… I can’t even stomach some of the places she’s slept in. She thinks he’s after her.”
“Is he?” Denver asked, concerned.
“I’m not sure.”
“She testified in his trial, right?” Justin inquired.
“Yeah, that’s why she’s so scared. He promised before going in he’d take care of her when he got out. That’s why she moved to Florida with her aunt.”
“Fuck,” Asher cursed.
“What’s the plan?”
“Right now she’s staying with me.” I supplied.
“I got a friend with the FBI, Ryder Jameson, I can give him a call, get him to check into things,” Benson offered.
“Yeah, man, I would appreciate that.”
Benson immediately pulled out his phone and began texting.
“You going to be able to control yourself, little brother?” Asher asked, nodding toward Cassidy who was now making her way over. Her eyes had softened as they met mine and my chest clenched in response.
“I got this,” I stated, but the lie slipped off my tongue with very little conviction.
* * *
I’d made good on my promise to keep her close the entire night, even though it had been completely unnecessary. My family all made her feel welcome. She was relaxed, partly due to the two glasses of wine she’d consumed as well. Was it possible she’d gotten prettier since we arrived? I wasn’t sure what it was about her that made my heart twist and my dick twitch.
Even the sound of her laugh had a profound effect on me. I was infatuated with the way the loud rumble erupted from her delicate throat and the effect that it had on everyone around her.
It was infectious. And I could tell by everyone’s knowing gazes being thrown my way that they were just as mesmerized by her as I was. Just being in her presence felt like a gift.
Cassidy tossed her head back, laughing at something Justin had said, the long curve of her neck pleading for my mouth. I’d never paid so much attention to women before. Usually when I slept with a woman, I did it based on how fast I could get her on her back and how easy it would be to walk away after.
Not a doubt in my mind, Cassidy would be the exception.
Fuck, what the hell am I saying?
I was supposed to protect her not fuck her.
I realized then that I had my arm draped over the back of her chair, something I normally wouldn’t think twice about, but now, I wanted to make sure I didn’t send her any mixed signals. I needed to make sure I drew the line between us.
“You’re so fucked,” Benson whispered next to me. “There’s no way you’re going to be able to resist that. No man has that kind of strength.”
“Watch it, asshole. She’s off limits for you too, so don’t get any ideas.”
Benson laughed. “Lucky for you, she’s not my flavor.”
“You have a specific flavor?”
“Depraved.”
“God you’re twisted.”
“Hey, don’t judge, motherfucker. We all have our vice.” He looked at me pointedly, knowing I had my own as well. “Oh, by the way, Jameson got back to me. He’ll be giving you a call soon, so keep your phone handy.”
“Will do.”
After the party ended, Cassidy and I rode the elevator up to our room. I was convinced God was testing me and my restraint to leave us confined to this small space alone. I tried to think of anything else other than the need burning i
nside of me, but only one thought kept running through my mind.
I’d only booked one room, thinking I would be alone on this trip.
One room.
One bed.
Benson was right, I’m so fucked.
My sister, Reese, had kindly offered for Cassidy to stay with her, but I didn’t feel comfortable letting her out of my sight.
Not for a second.
Or maybe that’s just my pathetic excuse so I can have my way with her.
Need burned deep in my chest. The flame that had been lit long ago burning out of control with every subtle lick of those fucking lips.
I wondered what those lips tasted like.
Probably like red wine and a whole lot of regret.
Reid had been acting weird since after dinner, during which he watched me like a hawk and all but ordered me to clean my plate. If it hadn’t been so good, I might have argued.
For the remainder of the evening, it was obvious he was trying to rein himself in. He didn’t want to get too close and give me the wrong impression. I could see him fighting it. But there was no denying the connection between us. The magnetic pull. And there was no denying the way he was looking at me right now. His impressive heat radiated from nearby, luring me in anytime he was within reaching distance, but when those eyes were on me, the intensity behind them made me squirm. I found myself wanting to be completely open with him in ways I never allowed myself to be with anyone else.
As the elevator came to a stop, Reid’s large hand found my lower back and ushered me into the hall, his keen eyes scanning the entire time.
I liked that, too. He did it a lot. He liked touching me. When he kissed my hand earlier, giving that little nudge of reassurance I needed to face his family, I nearly melted right there on the floor. But then at dinner, when I lost his arm on the back of my chair and never got it back, I knew he was retreating. Just like he always had when the pull had been too strong.
“I had a nice time tonight. Your family is really great,” I said as we walked down the hall to our room. I swallowed nervously, remembering that we would be sharing that room together.
Alone.
“And I’m so happy for your parents. Forty years. That’s incredible.”