“We’ll do some research on this guy. See if we can set up a meeting,” Connor announced, his normally cheerful expression surprisingly serious.
“You should check on Marcus Tramonte while you’re at it,” Danny mentioned and Jake exhaled.
“You think he had something to do with this,” Jake stated, worry creasing his expression.
Danny shrugged, “He’s bound to hold a grudge.”
“Who’s Marcus Tramonte?” Carly asked, walking over to Danny and plopping down next to him, so close she was practically in his lap. He wrapped an arm around her, grateful for her faith in him. It hadn’t been so long ago that she had been avoiding him, and her presence now was a comfort he might not deserve, but one he was unwilling to push away.
“The first dealer Danny’s evidence put away,” Addie answered, respect reflected in her eyes. “He was the king.”
“He was. And I watched him topple.” Danny pressed his lips against Carly’s temple. “I kicked his kingdom over.”
“Marcus would have a good reason to want Danny punished,” Jake agreed with a nod, resting his hand on Addie’s shoulder.
“And Jace was loyal to him.”
“Alright, we have two to look at,” Connor confirmed, standing up.
“Two people who are in jail,” Wade reminded them. “And have no incentive to answer our questions.”
“That’s tomorrow’s problem.” Jake stood protectively over Addie, as if he could stop a dangerous question from ever reaching her. She reached for his hand, squeezing it gently as she stood up next to him.
“We’ll get our answers tomorrow,” Addie said, her voice resolute. No one argued against her. One way or another she would find the truth.
Within minutes everyone had left, their moods somber.
“It’s been a hellishly long day,” Wade announced, barely glancing at Danny and Carly on the couch. “I’m going to bed.”
“What’s wrong with him?” Carly whispered as Wade disappeared. “He wasn’t even sarcastic.”
“A few too many revelations today,” Danny replied, tucking one hand behind his head. “For all of us.”
“You aren’t responsible for her death.”
“Aren’t I?”
“No.” Carly sat up and placed her hands on either side of his face. “You did not kill that woman.”
“Even if I didn’t do it, I’m the reason she died.” Danny kept his head down, unable to look at Carly as he admitted the truth out loud. “She died because of me. Because I didn’t care about her, not enough to save her.”
“She died because she hung around the wrong people,” Carly declared vehemently.
“People like me. I was there.”
“No, that’s not what I meant,” Carly backtracked, realizing how it sounded. “You were there to try and stop them. To fulfill a promise.”
“I was there to make sure they didn’t kill my brother. I never thought twice about Dovie.” Danny looked up then, a fierce look on his face. “I was the worst person in the world for her to be around.” He tipped his head forward, their foreheads bumping. “I’m the worst person for you to be around,” he whispered roughly. “What happened to her…it can’t happen to you. I won’t let it.”
“I trust you to keep me safe,” Carly whispered against his cheek. “And you need to trust me to do the same for you.”
She felt his mouth curl up as he said, “We’re a mess.”
“We’re together. That’s what counts.” Carly turned her head, pressing her lips against his, the soft skin yielding but not participating. She pulled back far enough to say, “Danny, trust me to not regret this.”
She pushed her hands through his hair, the short strands tickling her palms as she kneaded her fingers into his scalp and brushed her lips against his once, twice and then finally he came alive. A gasp escaped her as he took control, sealing their mouths together as his tongue demanded entry.
He dragged her into his lap, positioning her legs so she straddled him and she rose up on her knees, gaining the advantage of height as she pressed against him. He let her keep it for a moment, her head above his as her hair fell in a curtain around them, their tongues dueling as his hands slid over her. He was so much larger, his hand could span her back, but he didn’t linger there as one hand dipped to her hip, urging her back down to his lap and his other hand tangled in her hair, tilting her head back so he could place open mouthed kisses against her neck.
She clung to his shoulders as his hand moved under her shirt, his hard palm hot against her skin as it came up to knead her breast.
“Danny,” she gasped and he dragged his hand down and out from underneath her shirt instantly. “What?” She whispered, confused.
“Not here,” he muttered, standing up while he kept hold of her. She wrapped her legs around him as he strode to the bedroom, her head buried against his neck, her nipples taut where they pressed against his chest.
He came to a stop next to his door, bracing her against the wall, his hips rocking against her mound as he forced her chin up to meet his eyes.
“Are you sure? No turning back after this.”
She could see the words cost him. She could feel the evidence of his desire pressing into her.
“I’m positive,” she murmured, jerking his head down to hers and tightening her legs around him. He groaned low in his throat, the sound vibrating through her as their mouths met in desperate need.
He shoved the door open and kicked it closed behind him as he walked them to the bed. He dropped her on the bed, his gaze hooded as she laid sprawled out in front of him.
“Take the shirt off.”
She obeyed, tugging it over her head, and then gazing at him expectantly. He leaned down over her, not touching her as he whispered in her ear, “You have to tell me what you want.”
She shuddered, her eyes dilating as she slid her gaze over him, and opened her mouth to demand he take his shirt off. She hesitated, snapping her mouth shut as she sat up, getting on her knees in front of him.
“I’d rather do it myself,” she informed him, her hands going to his belt buckle. He sucked in a breath as she gave him a satisfied smile, unbuckling his belt and sliding it loose. The sound of it hitting the floor was lost as she flicked the button open on his jeans before pausing once again.
Her fingers traced the edge of the denim as she worked his t-shirt loose, her hands sliding underneath and then working their way up, pushing his shirt up with them. She let her hands slide over every ridge and groove of his abs, running her palms over the flat nipples and soft curls of his chest until she’d pushed his shirt up as high as she could. He ducked his head, helping her pull the shirt the rest of the way off and then it was his turn. He tugged her to his chest, his hand flicking the clasp open on her bra and shoving it down her arms, trapping them.
He held her back from him, staring at her small, perky breasts, one of his hands coming up to palm it, the size of his hand covering it completely.
“You’re gorgeous,” he muttered, as he traced one finger around the dark skin of her nipple, watching it pucker tightly. He brushed his finger against it lightly and she moaned.
“Danny,” the word came out somewhere between a plea and a prayer, and his eyes glinted.
“Tell me what you want,” he repeated, his smile almost predatory.
Her eyes narrowed dangerously, desire flushing her cheeks as he watched her pulse throb in her neck.
“Kiss me.”
He smiled, leaning down when she uttered her next demand.
“Suck me.”
She heard his breath hitch as his mouth hovered between her lips and her nipples.
“Fuck me,” she finished, her voice commanding.
He snapped then, his hands tugging down her jeans as he suckled her breast. She clutched his head as her other hand roamed down his back and then pulled his head to her mouth again. He pulled back long enough to shove their jeans off before settling back over her. His hands skimmed over
her waist, his thumbs coming to rest at the juncture of her thighs and she wiggled, thrusting her hips up.
“Impatient,” he growled, his mouth pressed against her collarbone.
“You have a problem with that?” She gasped as his mouth latched onto one of her nipples and she ran her hands over his back and to his ass, trying to tug him closer. He didn’t budge, his mouth moving against her stomach and then lower. She stilled as he kissed the crease of her thigh, his hands forcing her legs apart.
“Danny,” she gasped, tense against his hands.
“Mmhmmm?” he hummed, the sound causing air to brush against her exposed body.
“What are you doing?”
His mouth was pressed against skin and she felt him smile.
“Kissing you.”
He pressed a kiss against her mound and her hips rocked unconsciously.
“Sucking you.”
Her head fell back as moisture surged between her legs, his breath puffing against her bud right before he suckled it hard. A cry escaped her as pleasure shot through her and then his mouth was gone and he was pressed against her, his cock nudging her as he whispered in her ear.
“Loving you. Always loving you.”
She cried out as he slid inside of her without hesitation, her hips arching up as he filled her, a momentary uncomfortableness gone as he settled inside of her. He rocked his hips once, twice and she felt him settle deeper, then pull out and thrust forward again.
She was slick, drenched as he slipped in and out, and he tilted her hips up, forcing himself to grind against her and she could feel it, the pressure, the aching climb up and she rocked against him, needing more. He sealed his mouth around her nipple, sucking hard and pleasure shot to her core. He thrust harder and she held onto his shoulders, feeling it build, knowing she was close. His hand came between them and he thrust hard as he worked his thumb over her clit and the earth shattered as she felt him come inside of her.
Chapter Twelve
“How long do you keep a guy at arm’s length when you want to jump his bones?” The caustic question caught her by surprise and she jumped, spinning around to see Jules staring at her with a lifted eyebrow.
“Asking for a friend,” Jules added sardonically and Carly pressed her lips together. She knew what they all thought of her. She hadn’t bothered to hide her crush on Danny, but now, well now she didn’t know what to do with him.
“Depends on the guy,” Carly answered shortly, wanting to be mad at Jules, but unable to maintain the feeling for long. She was angrier with herself.
“He’s tall, dark, kind of moody. He actually reminds me of myself,” Jules replied and Carly held back a spurt of laughter. Only Jules could get away with comparing Danny to herself – anyone else would have been killed on the spot for it. “He’s got it bad for this girl, but she won’t give him the time of day.”
“That’s not true,” Carly denied, knowing there actually was some truth to it. She’d done a good job of ignoring Danny or better yet, making herself scarce when he came around. It wasn’t her finest moment. She prided herself for facing a situation head on, but with Danny the best she could manage was a scared rabbit routine.
“Could have fooled me.” Jules didn’t bother pulling her punches like Addie did. She thought Carly’s hot and cold routine was unfair, and Carly could admit to herself that Jules would be right. “Can you at least tell me why? I know he hit you. He hit Addie. It was a shitty thing that happened, but you don’t seem like someone who would hold a grudge so long.”
“It wasn’t the fact that he punched me,” Carly answered slowly. She didn’t like to think about that day, the day Danny had helped kidnap her and Addie to catch a human trafficker. They’d thought the case was solved and had no idea Jake had recruited Danny to check into the shipping yard where they suspected girls were being transported out. “It’s the fact that I thought he’d done it.” The words scraped out of her throat, raw and painful, and she didn’t feel any better for the admission.
Jules tilted her head, studying her.
“You thought he was a bad guy,” she verified and Carly nodded, shame twisting through her. It ate her up inside – knowing how quickly she’d believed he’d do something like that. “That was the point, you know. He needed you to believe it.”
“I should have known. Realized what he was trying to do,” Carly whispered painfully, her voice cracking. “Addie knew.”
“Addie is not like the rest of us. In fact, she didn’t go through the same things as you,” Jules stated, her hands going to her hips as she stared Carly down.
“How can you say that? I sat there with Addie. I propped her up and demanded she stay awake. She was hurt. Far more than I was.” Carly glared at Jules, unable to comprehend why Jules would say that.
“She was hurt. But so were you, Carly.” Jules relaxed her arms, easing out of her belligerent stance. “I’m not downplaying what happened to Addie. She was hurt –”
“She was in a coma!”
“Yes, but that is a little different. It is Addie, after all.” Jules went for a smile but Carly didn’t budge. For her, Addie had made the greater sacrifice. “Look, this isn’t a pissing contest over who had it worse, Carly. What I’m trying to say is that both of you were hurt, but you had different experiences. Yes, Addie was hit in the head and in pain before Danny punched her and she wound up on a coma. But Addie had the advantage of waking up knowing Danny was the good guy.”
“I was told,” Carly said defensively.
“Yes, but when? How long did you have to sit there alone imagining the worst?” Jules gaze was sympathetic and Carly could feel the sting of tears. She was used to Jules’ derision, and for her to look at Carly with any kind of understanding snapped the fragile knot she had around those memories.
“Hours,” Carly admitted, swallowing back her emotions.
“I was wrong to judge you,” Jules apologized, coming to sit next to her. “But I also think you might be looking at this the wrong way.”
Carly choked back a sob, her gaze doubtful as she glanced sideways at Jules.
“Hear me out. I deal with people who’ve been through traumas and you have. And what you’re doing is blaming yourself for something you had no control over.”
“I didn’t have to think the worse of Danny,” Carly said bitterly.
“Sure you did,” Jules stated baldly, and Carly’s eyes met hers in shock. “You’re human. Your best friend is hurt. The guy you like, possibly love, comes in and is cruel to you. Punches you both and leaves. You wake up to find your best friend unconscious, and all you know is that your boyfriend did it.” Jules paused to take a breath and Carly chewed her lip, wanting to argue but so far Jules had summed it up pretty well. “You had hours to go through the events that led up to that moment, Carly. It’s human nature to doubt yourself. You probably blamed yourself for not seeing it sooner. Convinced yourself that you were responsible because you worked so hard to convince Addie he was a good guy and then look what happened.”
Carly sobbed, and Jules wrapped her arm around her shoulder.
“It was okay to be scared, to blame him. You didn’t have all the facts, all you had to go on was what you witnessed. You can’t blame yourself for believing what he was selling you. No one would blame you for that.”
“I blame me.” Carly tugged her lower lip between her teeth, hot tears trickling down her cheeks. “When they came to rescue us, Danny wasn’t there. I didn’t know, but I tried to tell Jake it was Danny and he told me he knew. He was worried about Addie. So worried. I had no idea of the truth. It wasn’t until I saw Danny at the hospital checking on us and even then….” Carly shook her head, self-loathing on her face. “I screamed at him. Horrible accusations. It was so easy to believe he would do it.” Carly looked at Jules desperately. “How could I have believed Danny was the bad guy so easily? I cared about him.” She paused and corrected herself, “I care about him.”
“You went through a traumatic event. You w
ere worried about your best friend, you were hurt. Every scrap of evidence you had told you that Danny had done something horrible.” Jules smoothed her hand over Carly’s hair, tucking back a wild curl. “You had every right to question him.”
“It’s not him though. I don’t question him.” Carly searched for the words to make Jules understand. “It was me. My lack of faith in him. It made me question myself.”
Jules sat back as understanding crossed her face.
“You wonder how he could love someone who could believe he’d do something like that,” she finally stated and Carly nodded, brushing at her tear dampened cheeks.
“I loved him and at the first hint of a horrible deed, I betrayed him, thought the worst of him, turned my back on him as I accused him. I was wrong and every apology in the world can’t forgive what I thought of him in those hours. He acted like I didn’t need to apologize, that it was him who owed me the apology, but how can I ever forgive myself for thinking those things about the man I love?”
***
Addie glanced around to make sure Wade or Danny weren’t about to sneak up on her and pulled open her desk drawer. The picture was still there and she couldn’t help her smile as she saw the beautiful ring. It was pink and nothing she ever would have thought she wanted, but she’d adored it from the second she’d seen it.
She didn’t take it from the drawer, afraid someone would walk in and see her with it. She had a sneaking suspicion of why there were suddenly pictures of engagement rings scattered around her desk and even in her annoyance at Jake for recruiting their friends to do his dirty work, she had to admire his ingenuity.
A cleared throat snapped her head up as she slammed the drawer closed. Wade gave her a sardonic glance, but didn’t comment and she wondered for a brief second what her aura had looked like to him when she gazed at the picture.
“So, Danny is a suspected killer. Didn’t see that one coming.” Sarcasm oozed from him and Addie pursed her lips. “Gonna get stuck that way if you’re not careful,” Wade said with a lazy smile. Addie forced her expression to relax, but didn’t lessen her glare.
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