David

by Lindsay Cross

  Lori let go of the sink and locked her knees. She wasn't some weak willed little girl. She was a full-grown woman who loved her husband. It was about damn time she took back her marriage.

  And she had a little black dress in her closet to seal the deal…

  Two

  The file on David’s desk stared up at him, daring him to finish the last few lines. Like he could concentrate on a Mexican cartel when the wrecking ball of his wife's words shattered his ability to concentrate.

  She wanted him back. But I never left.

  “Ready to celebrate? The whole team wants to buy you a drink.” Greer Wild, his partner and best friend, poked his dark head around the door. His black hair, tan skin, and dark eyes bespoke of his Cajun heritage as much as his accent.

  “Celebrate?” A more pressing matter gnawed on his brain.

  “Your guy filmed the video of Santos Guillera committing murder. The ATF, FBI, and a damn military unit are all closing in on the Lobello’s compound tonight. All thanks to you. Hell yes, we’re gonna celebrate.” Greer eased into one of the DEA-issued pleather chairs in front of the desk. His shoulders were almost too broad to fit the chair’s small confines.

  “Yeah, um, I’m gonna pass.” The energy to stamp the case as closed evaporated. Never in their entire relationship, had Lori spoken to him with such...fury.

  “What the hell’s up, man?” Greer’s dark brown eyes bored into David’s. They’d been friends for most of David’s adult life—four years in college, then the police academy, and now the DEA, Greer knew him better than anyone. Hell, Greer had been the one to first introduce him to his cousin Lori. They’d met at some dive bar called The Wharf, owned by Lori’s cousin Evie Videl, and over a plate of fried catfish they’d fallen hard for each other.

  “Lori. She all but said if I don’t start spending some time at home, she’s done.”

  “Shy, timid Lori? Your wife?” Greer’s incredulous voice filled the office and David jumped up and slammed his office door shut.

  “Yes, my wife. It seems she’s found her voice.” And David had gotten the message loud and clear.

  “Does she not get you’re undercover? Your job requires you to be gone for days, weeks, shit—sometimes months at a time.”

  David cringed. He’d been gone all right. Months didn’t even touch it. His need to scream at Lori, blame her for the distance between them, started to slip. “Yeah, that’s what I said.” But her accusations were true. He hadn’t been to any of the kids’ school or sports events in a year. He hadn’t realized so much time had passed. Not until she’d pointed it out.

  “Shit. Did you make her see reason? She knew what going DEA would mean. You don't get the cozy nine-to-five.” Greer leaned forward in his chair. Lori, Greer and his brother, Rayland Wild, had been best friends. They’d practically grown up together down on Lake Ponchitrain. “Maybe you should take her out on a date. Women like to be spoiled once in a while. Remind her why she loves you.”

  The last time they had actually gone on a date together was...

  Too long.

  David shook his head. “No. We just argued. And I left.” Like always. Shit.

  “How about we all celebrate, just like old times. Me, you, Lori, and Rayland?” Garrett’s brother was in and out of Greenville on odd jobs.

  “How’s Rayland?” David couldn’t remember the last time he’d talked to him.

  “He’s great. Just finished up a gig down south and wanted to come up and get away for while. Figured we’d head over to The Wharf this weekend—see if we couldn't find a sweet thing to pass the time with,” he said with a devilish waggle of his brows.

  “I thought he was in a serious relationship.”

  Greer snorted, hooked his thumbs into his slacks, and leaned back. The small chair groaned under his massive frame but held tight. “Man, you have been gone. Greer dumped Nancy like a year ago. He’s had his eye on this hot little hairdresser in Mercy. I know he’s hoping to see her this weekend.”

  “Oh, yeah. Forgot.” The case file glared at him. Forgot his wife. Forgot his friends. Forgot...everything.

  “Okay. Sounds like you need some alone time with your wife. How about I finish up the file and you call it a day? Talk to Lori, see if she wants to go out this weekend. Her and that hairdresser are good friends. Maybe she can put in a good word for my brother.” Greer, who never offered anything, extended his hand.

  Could he hand over his biggest case for someone else to finish? He’d built excuses to stay at work late for so long, made up reasons why he needed to be gone on so many business trips. If he'd been brutally honest with himself, he would've seen that he was running away from his wife's cold shoulder.

  But after her heated words this morning, he realized she was anything but cold. She was hurting. And it was his fault.

  “No. I got it. Thanks though. But I will talk to Lori about this weekend. I think she’d really like that.”

  Greer stood and pulled open the door. “Okay. Remember. You got the bad guy. He’ll be behind bars by tomorrow. You can relax.”

  Yeah, right after he spent some quality time with Lori. And reminded her how things worked in their relationship. He waved Greer out.

  David had given excuse after excuse about why he couldn't be there, telling Lori that their family was more important than work. But his actions contradicted his wors.

  But nothing meant anything without Lori by his side.

  David snatched the phone off his desk before dialing his secretary’s extension. "Rebecca, get my mother-in-law on the phone."

  He twirled his pen, his mind spinning as he developed a plan. It was summer. The kids were out of school and hadn’t been to visit their grandparents in months. Just two weeks ago, his mother-in-law had scolded him for not bringing her precious babies to visit. He knew how much she missed Tim and Miley. When he was gone for work he missed them just as much.

  "David? Is something wrong?" Melinda Videl's voice came on the line, sounding slightly breathless. David didn’t ever call, he was usually at work. He cringed, realizing his wife and kids weren’t the only ones he’d neglected. "No, nothing’s wrong. I’m calling to ask a favor. How would you like it if Tim and Miley came to visit for a couple of weeks?"

  David yanked the phone from his ear just in time to save himself a burst eardrum. "You mean it? I haven't seen those little rugrats in months! Of course we would love to have them over. When?"

  "How about Saturday? I can drive out to meet you halfway. That'll give me time to pack up and everything. Oh, and will you do me a favor and not tell Lori? I'm planning a big surprise for her."

  "I always told her how lucky she was to find you. I can sense that romantic heart. My lips are sealed."

  David made up his mind, formed a plan, and put it in motion. Now he had to find the patience to wait the rest of the week to execute that plan.

  * * *

  "Hey there, sexy."

  David’s skin instantly crawled and he looked up from the unending stack of papers on his desk, barely able to contain his expression of disappointment when he saw Agent Janice Walker standing in his doorway.

  The woman was aggressive to the point of annoying. Most men found her over the top sex appeal attractive. Most men—not including himself. Every time he saw her too-tight shirts and overly died hair, all he could do was compare her to Lori’s natural beauty. And every time, Janice came up lacking, but not for want of trying.

  David glanced back down at the papers, dismissing her. "What do you want?"

  She sauntered into the room, he didn't have to see her. He could feel her getting closer by the way the hair stood up on the back of his neck. "I think I've made it pretty clear what I want. You and I grew really close on that last assignment...really close." Her voice dropped an octave. She put her arms on his desk and bent forward, obvious in her attempts to display her breasts. His gaze drifted past her and frowned on his almost shut door.

  The woman had a lot of nerve. "We became as c
lose as the mission called for. That's it. Now, as you can see, I'm busy. Leave the door open when you leave."

  The last thing he needed was the office assuming there was something going on between them, something that couldn't be further from the truth. But if Janice had her way, she'd have the whole town think they were fucking. The last thing a woman like her worried about was ruining someone's marriage.

  Her hand slithered across the desk and covered his own. "Now, darling, you know you don't want me to leave. Your wife's not here. You don't have to pretend for anybody. I know the real you. I've seen the worst of you, and it only makes me want more."

  David snatched his hand back, fury pressing his voice down to a harsh whisper. “I've seen your best and your worst, and frankly I'm not interested in either. I'm happily married. To. My. Wife. Now, like I said, get out."

  Janice snapped up, her catty eyes narrowing to give a brief glimpse at her true nature. And then a practiced mile slid into place, and she flicked her hair back over her shoulder. "You're such a flirt. Can't wait to spend more time with you, alone."

  With a practiced spin, Janice sauntered out of the room, leaving the door wide open behind her.

  David dropped his head into his hands, wishing for the thousandth time that his boss would listen and relocate that woman somewhere else. She'd already broken up two marriages in office, and if he had any interest, his would be the third.

  Besides that, something about her sent alarms skittering through his radar.

  David's instincts kicked off a warning, and he looked up, ready to tell the bitch to leave. Only this time his gaze collided with Lori's.

  David staggered to his feet, alarm of a totally different sort jackhammering his heart into his throat. “Lori—”

  Hot tears ran down his wife’s cheeks, melting the thin ice of their relationship. When Lori ran from the office, David watched helplessly as his marriage cracked wide open.

  Three

  That night, David came to Tim’s ball game. He’d obviously come straight from the office. His clothes were rumpled and worn and sexy as hell. Damn him. He sat beside her on the cold steel bench. He made polite conversation. He acted like their relationship was normal.

  Lori barely contained the wild flood of emotions bursting through her body.

  Thank God he didn’t try to touch her, because she would have slapped him, right then and there, in front of the team, the town, and the PTA.

  Her day had passed in a blur of tears. She’d ran home, ripped the dress off and tossed it on the floor. The words that bitch Janice had said to her as she’d left David’s office ringing louder than a police siren in her ears. “Oh, no. I didn’t know you were here.”

  Janice had glanced down, but hadn’t missed the other woman’s look of pure satisfaction and female pride.

  “Please, don’t be mad at us. We spent so much time together on the assignment…”

  Bile rushed up Lori’s throat hot and heavy.

  So much time…

  She’d been envisioning some leggy blonde, not that tall, curvaceous raven-haired agent. Someone David worked with every day.

  Lori curled her hands into tight fists and scooted another inch away from David. Concentrate on the game.

  Tim was pitching tonight. Every few minutes, he’d look to the stands. The first time, David had been absent, and Tim’s features hardened. But in the second inning, when Tim had looked their way, his hurt expression morphed to joy, and Lori couldn’t help the small surge of happiness for her son.

  He pulled back and threw a curve ball. The batter swung and missed. Lori jumped to her feet, cheering with the rest of the crowd. Tim pitched the rest of the game, striking out at least one batter every round.

  “He’s really good,” David said after the game ended.

  If you’d been here at all you would see that. “Yeah, he’s our main pitcher now.”

  “How long has he been on the main one?” David seemed genuinely interested.

  “All season, dad,” Miley chimed in. “You should have seen him in the opening game. He pitched a total blow out.”

  Lori could barely contain her anger. Tim had understood that first game, when Lori told him that David had to work. He’d even understood the second time. After the third, he’d stopped asking why his dad didn’t come to any of his games.

  “I wish I’d seen that.” David answered, looking at Lori full of regret.

  Anger rushed up, crowding her cheeks with warmth, and Lori turned away to get control. She dug in her purse for the keys and said, “It was great.”

  David laid his hand on her arm. When she flinched, he pulled back. “Lori, look, about today…”

  “Dad! Dad! Did you see me strike that seventh grader out? He was as big as you, and I still got one past him.” Tim ran up the bleachers, bouncing on the balls of his feet.

  “I sure did. You must have been pitching at least eighty miles an hour.”

  “Your crazy, I’m not that good.” But Tim’s I-just-won-the-lottery grin didn’t fade one bit.

  David tipped his son’s ball cap up. “You will be in a few years. I’m so proud of you.”

  Lori’s chest clamped tight. This was what they’d needed for so long. This family togetherness.

  “Dad, wait ‘til you come see me in Gymnastics, tomorrow. I can do a full round-off back hand spring.” Miley leapt into his lap and Lori held her breath, waiting on David to tell his daughter he had to work.

  “I can’t wait. You two are amazing.”

  David pulled Miley and Tim into a hug, and the vice around Lori’s chest clamped down on her whole body.

  “Mom, did you hear that? Dad’s coming to gymnastics!” Miley launched from David’s lap and wrapped Spiderman style around Lori.

  “I sure did. Now, how about that pizza?” Lori held Miley extra tight and squeezed her eyes shut.

  “Yay! Dad, can I ride with you? Please?” Tim drew the last word out and slapped his hands together.

  “Of course. Come on, I’ll buckle you in.”

  Tim scrunched up his face, “Dad. I can buckle myself in. I’m nine years old.”

  He’d been buckling himself in for a long time, so had Miley, who at five years old had let that independent streak shine, and made Lori sit in the driveway for over ten minutes while she figured out how to latch the belt.

  “Me, too. Can I ride with you, too?” Miley asked.

  David looked at Lori over the kids’ heads, his expression open, and what Lori saw, she didn’t like. Regret. Love. Pain.

  “Sure you can, baby,” he said, his voice gruff. “But need to get the booster out of the van.”

  Miley and Tim raced down the bleacher stairs. Lori snatched her purse and made to follow, wanting as little alone time with her husband as possible.

  But David grabbed her arm. “We need to talk. Whatever you saw today-“

  “Explains everything.”

  “No. It. Doesn’t. Janice is a liar. She’s been after me for months, but I can’t stand her.”

  “Not what I saw today, and not what she said.” Lori yanked her arm from his grip. “The kids are staring.”

  Tim and Mile stood to the side of the bleachers, their little eyes wide.

  David ran a hand through thick, dark hair. “Dammit, Lori, you know I wouldn’t cheat on you.”

  “Maybe the old David wouldn’t, but you, I don’t even know who you are.” Lori turned her back on his clenched jaw and pasted on a fake bright smile. “Pizza time!”

  The week passed with as much tension as the Cold War. Every day Lori pulled a little bit further away from David. Bitterness took root and grew with the ferocity of Miracle Grow on steroids.

  Friday night rolled around and there wasn't enough room left in the house to contain her growing rage.

  She put a movie on upstairs for the kids and returned to the kitchen to clean up. Lori went to the sink and sunk her hands into the warm dishwater. Honestly, she didn't mind this part. Something about the repetitiv
e movement of washing dishes soothed her.

  This week had been pure hell. The energy it took to act happy when she was miserable left her exhausted. David kept making advances towards her, and it took all of her strength to block him. But the man was relentless.

  So relentless that her walls were starting to crumble. He kept assuring her that he and Janice had nothing to do with each other, and Lori kept thinking about the devious look in the woman's eyes.

  She wanted to cave, but then the horrific image of David and Janice pressed together would form in her mind and the avalanche of pain started all over.

  Lori lifted her arm and wiped away a tear. She’d refused to cry anymore this week, a task that seemed impossible tonight. Lori shoved her hands back into the water and yanked up a dish, scrubbing furiously. Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined herself as one of those women. Those poor pathetic, lonely women whose husbands slunk off to work to fuck the office whore.

  David's arms slid around her waist, and he nuzzled her neck, his musky scent wrapping her up in comfort. "Trying to break the dishes? I don't care I'll buy new ones."

  He kissed the hollow of her throat and goose bumps followed immediately. After being together so long, David knew each and every one of her weak spots. Her neck was one of the most sensitive spots on her entire body, and just like the agent he was, he took her weaknesses and used them against her.

  Lori had to think fast before she caved completely. "Really? Sure you don't want to buy your new girlfriend some perfume or something?"

  David sighed and dropped his chin onto her shoulder, even that small pressure sending tingles of awareness their body.

  "How many times will it take for me to convince you that I never touched her. I never want to touch her. The only woman I want is in my arms right now." David whispered against her skin.

  "I don't know." His words pulled a tremble from her, and Lori spun around in his arms to mask the telling action. Her husband was trained to notice every little detail. "What would it take for you to believe if the situation were reversed?"