Body of Trust: A Romantic Suspense Novel

by Jeannine Colette

  “I want you, Amelia. Please say you want me too.”

  “I need you. Badly.”

  He kicks off his jeans and grabs a condom from his wallet. He holds it up to me, his eyes steadfast as he asks, “Are you sure?”

  I nod and open my legs, showing him just how ready I am. He hisses out a groan from deep in his throat.

  The condom is snug as he rolls it down. He climbs back onto the bed, positioning himself over me. In a surprise move, he brushes the hair off my face and lightly caresses my cheek. The need in me is still as urgent as ever, but my heart bursts at the tender action.

  This man isn’t about to fuck me.

  This man is about to make love to me.

  With a steady gentleness, he enters me. My eyes roll to the back of my head at the fullness. He lifts my knee to his side and buries himself deeper, hissing out his teeth at the feeling.

  His hips grind against me, and I lift mine to meet him. We have a natural rhythm. I feel like we’ve been dancing like this our whole lives.

  “You and me. This could get messy,” he says, stilling for a moment inside me before rolling his hips. “There’s so many reasons why I shouldn’t be with you.”

  I agree. “Turns out, my life’s already messy. Might as well be for something that I actually want to happen.”

  “I’ll always protect you,” he breathes as he moves inside of me. The look in his eyes is genuine and a bit scared.

  I’m panting as my orgasm builds slowly. I lay a hand over his heart, feeling the pounding under his skin.

  The curve of his brow relaxes as he smiles. It’s a gorgeous smile, sexier and more glorious than anything I’ve ever seen.

  I could fall in love with that smile.

  He kisses my lips. We stay connected, kissing and touching as our orgasms grow more intense. I come in his arms, and he, inside of me.

  Our problems haven’t gone away, but for tonight, they’re forgotten.

  Chapter Ten

  I wake up, feeling the most rested I’ve been in a week. My naked body reminds me of last night, and I smile, thinking about it. The bed is empty, but the sound of music from the kitchen and the clanging of pots lets me know that Jesse is still here. At least, I hope it’s him and not some rogue intruder.

  Wrapping the sheet around my body, I pad to the kitchen.

  Jesse is dressed in his clothes from last night. His hair is messy, making him look younger. He’s whisking eggs and humming along to music coming from Alexa. It’s a rap song, which surprises me.

  His back is to the counter, so I get to appreciate him from the side. He really is a good specimen of a man. Tall, built, and ridiculously hot. I always thought he was handsome, beautiful even. After last night, I’m a bona fide groupie when it comes to the Jesse fan club.

  “Enjoying the show?” he asks without physically acknowledging my presence.

  “There’s no sneaking up on you, huh?”

  “Not when you’re in my profession. Plus, you’re like a cloud of white. Hard to miss in my peripheral.” He looks over and winks.

  I tug the sheet closer to my body and smile. “I was eager to see what all the noise was in here.”

  He turns on the burner on the stove and heats up a pan. “I was planning on making my girl breakfast in bed.” He hesitates for a moment, making me wonder if he meant to use the endearing term.

  As he pours the eggs into a pan, I lean against the wall. “You’re sweet for a cop. God, I can’t get used to that. Davenport.” His real name sounds so foreign.

  “That’s me.”

  “So, you’re Officer Jesse Davenport.”

  “Special Agent Jesse Robert Davenport,” he corrects me with a pointed spatula.

  Cops and robbers is the new theme to my life. Which makes me think … “Oh, shit, wait. What if this place is bugged?”

  “It’s not. I swept it.”

  “Oh. Okay.” I bite my lip as I think about how strange that is for me yet commonplace for him. “Are you worried about anyone following you here?”

  “I am, but I’m careful. I never park in the same spot, and I always use the service entrance.”

  “We were friendly when you were undercover. It wouldn’t be crazy if we were dating. I mean, if Jesse Grant and I were dating.”

  “The heiress and the bartender?” he jokes, but I don’t find it amusing.

  “Your status never mattered to me. I would have been honored if you’d asked me out.”

  He turns to me with a softened expression. “I know it didn’t bother you. It’s why I liked you the moment I met you. But it’s not that simple now. With someone working as a traitor to the FBI, we have to tread lightly. My presence in your life or your family’s needs to be minimal, or I’ll be marked.”

  I take a heavy breath as I take in this new way of life. “If you’re sure, then that’s how it needs to be. But if anyone says anything about seeing us together, I’ll guard your secret.”

  “I know you will.” He grins as he resumes cooking.

  “So, Grant was a cover, but Jesse is your real name?” I ask.

  He nods as he adds peppers and tomatoes to the omelet. I smile at the sight.

  “You seem happy about that.”

  I blink at his comment, realizing I am smiling but not about his name. “No, I was just watching you make the eggs, and they’re exactly how I like my omelets.”

  “I know,” he says easily.

  I’ve only had breakfast at Villa Russo a handful of times over the past year. The fact that he remembers how I like my eggs is endearing.

  I lift a hand to my cheek, which I’m sure is red from blushing, and get back to our conversation. “Why not take a fake first name too?”

  The smile that graces his face is a mix of humor and awkwardness as he runs a hand over his eyes for a second. “I can’t believe I’m saying this. Okay, so you know the movie 21 Jump Street with Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum?” He looks at me to see if I’ve seen it. I nod, so he continues, “There’s a scene where one of the undercover cops, Schmidt, is in a store, and he gets recognized by this woman. She calls out his name loudly, making the bad guys he’s with question what’s going on. Anyway, I kept my first name just in case I ever met someone from my real life.”

  “And where is that? You must be local if you think someone from your life would notice you.”

  “Kentucky.”

  I blanch. “That is definitely not where I thought you were gonna say.”

  “I grew up in a small town in Kentucky. Friday Night Lights kinda town yet close enough to a city to not feel like you’re in the middle of nowhere. Never left the state until I moved to Washington, DC, to go to the training academy.”

  “That’s a big move. What was the draw to public service?”

  He folds the omelet over. “When I was in high school, I read a book about an undercover FBI agent. He posed as a drug dealer, contract killer, pedophile, degenerate gambler, international weapons dealer, white-collar criminal. His job sounded terrifying and dangerous. It was exciting. I thought to myself, I’d like that.”

  “Do you like it as much as you thought you would?”

  “Yes, and no. For example, my last assignment was in a strip club. The girls were selling more than a show up front. Drugs and sex were dealt in the back rooms. While it killed me to see these girls get hauled away, separated from their families, I had convinced one to go straight during my time there. And when the club closed down, a main supplier for drugs in the area went down too.”

  “And then you were assigned to my father?”

  With the omelet done, he shuts the heat off and turns to face me fully. His gaze is serious as he levels with me. “Amelia, I’ve compromised myself by telling you this. It’s too late to ask for assurances, but I have to tell you that if the wrong people find out I’m an informant, I will be killed.”

  “My family would never—”

  “There are horrible people out there, and everything is fair game.”
<
br />   The man’s words from my car yesterday ring in my ear. My father’s, mother’s, and sister’s lives are at risk if I don’t do what they say. Nothing surprises me anymore.

  “I understand.” I stare at the floor, curving my brows. “You must miss your family terribly.”

  “I do.”

  He plates the omelet and sets it on the counter. I’m hungry, but I don’t want to break the moment of our conversation. Now that he’s opening up, I don’t want it to end.

  “This is why you don’t speak to your family. I thought it was a fight, but you’re protecting them by staying away,” I say, and he nods. “Is it worth it?”

  “Some days, no. I want to have a beer with my old man or hear my mom sing at church so bad. But other times, like when I rushed you out of Villa Russo or got you away from Rocco, it’s been one hundred percent worth it.”

  “Rocco’s dead,” I say.

  “I know.” He folds his arms across his chest.

  “Was it because of you?”

  He pauses for a beat. “No. I beat him, but he was found with a bullet in his head. Whoever sent him to get you punished him for a poor job. Good news is, no one knows I was there. The surveillance cameras were wiped clean.”

  I swallow as I digest the facts. “Have you ever killed a man before?”

  His jaw tightens in disgust as he raises his chin and takes onus of his actions. “At the club, when I fired, I killed a member of the Lugazzi family.”

  “Are you okay with that?” I can’t fathom how one would be, as I’ve never been in his shoes.

  “No, but I made a vow to protect. And when your life was at risk, I didn’t think twice.” His shoulders fall as he appraises my reaction. “You’re worried.”

  “Two men have died. It’s unsettling.” I pull the sheet tighter on my body.

  He takes swift steps, closing the space between us. His hand cups my head, turning it up until I look into his eyes. “Don’t feel guilty. You didn’t choose any of this. You’re good, Amelia. That’s why I opened up to you last night, why I’m telling you my secrets now.”

  It is not lost on me how valuable these secrets are. I fought for them, and now that they’re mine, I need to value what they mean.

  “My entire life, I’ve been in this bubble. I’m still being kept in the dark by those I love, yet you’re willing to tell me everything. What does that say about my family?”

  “Your father didn’t want you to be part of this life. That’s why he pushed you to have your own job, your own career, and not in the family business. He had no idea he was dragging you into his world tenfold.”

  “When this is over, my father will lose his business, won’t he?” I ask.

  Jesse’s omission of words lets me know I’m correct. It hurts to believe it.

  “My father built that business from the ground up. He’s always talked about being a poor kid from the projects in Long Island City. He swam in the East River and played ball in the alleys because there wasn’t money for anything else. He spent so many years making a name for himself that it’s hard to believe he’d risk it all.”

  “For men like him and Frank Evangelista, it’s a way of life.”

  “I feel like such a fool.”

  “You’re anything but.” He holds me close, bringing me flush against his body. “Do you know that seeing your face every Friday night was the highlight of my year? Our talks, the way you smiled when I slid a Moscow mule your way, or just when I listened to your laugh when you were talking to Sienna or your mother. God, your smile is so fucking perfect. You have everyone’s best interests in mind. I could listen to your stories all day. You’re smart, kind, beautiful, and funny. I’m so crazy about you.”

  I gaze up into his eyes, falling for his words and melting into his embrace. “What are you saying?”

  “I’m saying, I care for you too much to listen to you doubt yourself one more time. I know it’s going to be hard, but we can do this. As long as you stop thinking of yourself as a fool.”

  I nod into his hand. “I’ll try.”

  “You will. My smart, feisty woman is going to come out on top.” He kisses me on the forehead and then hands me my plate. “Now, eat up because you have to get dressed, so I can drive you to work.”

  “You’re driving me?” I’m shocked.

  “Fuck yes … I’m not letting you out of my sight, which is why you’re coming with me to work tonight.”

  “You are so confusing. You say we can’t be seen together, and then you declare that I’m going with you.”

  “After what happened last night, we stay together no matter what. And besides, where I work is a place you go all the time.”

  I give him a concerned stare as I take a seat. “Wait a minute. When you say work, you mean …”

  He laughs, a deep, booming one. “Call your mom and sister and tell them you’re going to dinner at Villa Russo.”

  “The club is open this soon after the shoot-out?”

  His brows lift. “Baby, they were open the next day.”

  Chapter Eleven

  As promised, Jesse is outside my building when I get off work. He’s still in his clothes from last night, which means he never left his post.

  My mother was more than happy to agree to meet for dinner. Now, in any other situation where I was shot at, I would never go back to the scene of the crime, for fear of it happening again. But knowing Jesse will be there and how my mother insisted the members-only social club with its upgraded security is safer for us than anywhere else, I am pretty relaxed about going.

  Mom still wants to talk, and like me, I think she needs some normalcy in her life. Plus, according to Gia, she really needs to get out of her velour jogging suit.

  Jesse brings me home, where I shower and change while he sits on my couch and waits. He doesn’t complain that I’m taking too long or remind me of the time. He also doesn’t try to sneak into my shower and hasn’t stolen a kiss all day. I’m kind of disappointed by that.

  I blow out my hair straight and then slide on a knee-length black chiffon dress, pairing it with heels. I make my eyes dramatic but go light on the lip gloss. I’m putting more effort than usual into my look, and it’s not for my mother. I shake my head at myself at how I’m acting like this is a date with Jesse, not with my family.

  Who am I kidding? I’ve been doing this for the past year. Every Friday, before going to Villa Russo, I’d put on something extra pretty because I knew he’d be there.

  When I’m done, I walk into the living room, and he rises from the couch immediately.

  His eyes roam from my ankles and go up the length of my legs before lingering at my breasts for a beat. Then, he stares at my face, smiling a megawatt smile. “You look amazing.”

  “Thanks.” I blush and let out a deep breath. “Do you keep a uniform at the club?”

  “No. We have to stop at my place, so I can change.” He glances at his watch. “I’m gonna have to be fast, or I’ll be late.”

  “Of course!” I grab my bag and rush to the door. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking—”

  Jesse touches my elbow and turns me to face him, searing my lips with his. His kiss is soft and gentle yet potent. I have to clench my core to contain the urge running through me.

  “Never apologize. If I needed you to rush, I would have politely said so. I can be quick.”

  He takes my hand and walks me to the hallway, taking my keys from my hand and locking the door behind us and then handing them back.

  We drive in separate cars with him walking out the back service entrance and me through the front lobby. I don’t know how he’s able to move about my building without being caught, but he’s very sure he’s not seen.

  I follow him to a wooded area not far from where I live. The road narrows and curves with homes hidden behind overgrown trees. He pulls into a driveway of a one-story home. It’s older yet charming with its wood-paneled siding and brickwork that was popular in the ’70s.

  He gets out of
his car and walks over to me, all the while keeping his eyes up and looking around. With an arm on my back, he ushers me to the front door and lets us in.

  The security alarm beeps, and he enters a series of numbers to turn it off. He walks through the living room and motions around. “Make yourself at home. I’ll just be a few minutes.”

  He disappears down a hallway, and I look around the room. It’s impersonal. A beige couch sits in the center of the room, facing a flat screen television. The walls are bare, except for a painting on one wall. It has vibrant-colored flowers in a red vase. An odd piece for a room stark of personal effects. I assume it came with the place.

  There are long drapes hanging on one side of the room. They’re closed. I open one, and the sunlight peeks through. I open it further to bring some sunshine in and am surprised by the view outside.

  A small lake sits behind the home. It’s surrounded by the backs of other homes, all enjoying the splendor of this secret location kept from the rest of the island. I’ve known of this place. Someone told me there was a lake community with a few homes in them. Until now, I didn’t know anyone who lived here. I close the curtain and go back walking around the room.

  A few copies of UFC Magazine are on the coffee table, and a bottle of Kentucky Bourbon Trail rests on the end table.

  I’m thirsty, so I walk into the kitchen to grab a glass. There are only two in the cabinet. I fill one with water and listen as the water in the other room turns on.

  Finished with my drink, I continue my tour down the hallway. There are two bedrooms, both empty, and a bathroom that’s clean and looks barely used.

  At the end is another room, the door is wide open. I walk inside and see Jesse’s bedroom. There’s a king-size bed and a dresser with a mirror. His wallet, a pocketknife, and breath mints are on top along with some cash and loose change. It’s orderly in here, as is the rest of the house. His bed is made with tucked-in corners. The carpet has been vacuumed, and the place is dust-free. His phone is charging on the nightstand, and his clothes are neatly hanging in the closet.