She would surmise that he’d mentally dissect everything he saw, heard, and experienced when it came to her life, then hate herself for its existence. If she didn’t need his presence to face her past, he would’ve stayed in the truck.
“It won’t be as bad as you think. Let’s get this done, then we can go pick up Damien and Gila.”
He’d seen men on death row with more mental fortification than she now demonstrated. Hatred for any parent who’d instill such shame coursed hot through his veins. If not for her presence, he’d greet the elder Nugle with a fist to the face.
Her confession of borrowing his handgun, now lost to the fire, spoke to her integrity and determination to be self-reliant. Though they’d tabled the discussion for later, he couldn’t be mad that she wanted to protect herself. He had several more, the loss insignificant.
Before she pushed on the gate hanging by one hinge, he took her hand, a gentle squeeze to draw her attention. “I know you’ve lost pretty much everything, but we’ll replace it, okay?”
She opened her mouth to object, but he silenced her with a finger across her lips. “No. I insist.”
The fact she didn’t sass him outright bothered him more than the sudden appearance of the man opening the front door.
“Well, girlie, ‘bout time you showed up here. Things need to be done.”
“I don’t live here anymore, Dad. And I have things of my own that need attention.”
The man in question scratched himself and turned his head to spit on the lawn. The stained wifebeater bore evidence of his last several meals while Christmas boxers expanded to their full width in accommodating his considerable girth.
“Then why’d you come home, and with a boyfriend in tow?”
Katt pulled her hand away but ignored the dig. “I’m here to pick up the last of my things.” On the first step, she made introductions. “Matt, Culver. Culver, Matt.”
Matt acknowledged her father with a nod. It didn’t take keen observational skills to realize the man crawled from a bottle to work on a regular basis. Spider veins across his nose, belly bloat, and a cloud of depression smothered his aura.
Katt’s presence was the single reason a calm façade overrode his inner demons spoiling for a fight. “Your daughter’s home burned down last night. She was lucky to survive.” Regardless of Katt’s warning glare, something inside him had pushed to further understand her origins.
“Leave something cooking on the stove? Figures.”
“No, she didn’t.” He didn’t explain further.
“So, where are you gonna sleep? I didn’t raise you up to be no whore like your mother.”
Matt closed the distance to stand toe-to-toe with the bastard. “First of all, Mister Nugle, your daughter is not a whore. Second of all, since you’ve obviously not stayed in touch, let me spell out some of her accomplishments for you. Not only has Kathryn put herself through college, she’s gainfully self-employed and does a hell of a job in a profession that’s monopolized by men.” Matt wondered if the man knew any of her achievements. The fact she’d put herself through school and persevered in a hostile environment deserved respect.
“Huh, wonder how she works with them...” The sneer in his tone sealed his fate. Katt deserved so much better.
Katt shoved between the two men and latched onto Matt’s rising fist. “No, Matt. It’s not worth it. He’s not worth it. Believe me. I just need to get something and we’ll leave.”
She tugged Matt inside, her shoulders hunched against the state of the place she’d called home. Patches of filthy carpet stuck to his boots, dirty dishes were stacked on the coffee table, and clothes strewn over the couch marked the resident’s lifestyle.
He marveled at the woman Katt was able to become.
Three doors on the short hallway offered avenues of escape. Katt entered the first one on the right.
Aside from the dust and cobwebs, the tiny space was immaculate. No carpet stains, no holes in the walls, no garments masquerading as flooring.
A double bed with a colorful block quilt took up most of the space while the small dresser on the opposite wall left little room to approach the dwarf-sized closet. Stark white defined the circle surrounded by gray where her eight ball alarm clock had sat when she picked it up. A bittersweet smile briefly lit her face before she set it back down. Aside from the dust, the lace cloth covering the second-hand nightstand was spotless.
“Huh, I’d forgotten about this. My mom gave it to me.”
Katt opened the drawer and took out two items: a small wooden box and a diary. Sitting on the bed, she stared at them, her internal debate so loud she didn’t hear him speak after sitting on the bed next to her.
“Do you want me to get your clothes from the closet?”
“I don’t have any more here. This is what I came to retrieve.” Her decision made, she set the diary back in the drawer and closed it.
When she stood, her father loitered in the doorway. “If you want something to drink, there’s beer in the fridge.”
“No, thanks. I’ve got what I wanted.”
When padding out, she twisted sideways, careful not to brush against the man she addressed by his first name.
Things were not always as they appeared. A deeper foray into Culver’s past would give Matt a better picture. Regardless, the lack of respect shown his daughter warranted a meeting of the minds in a more private setting.
Once back in the truck, Katt took a deep breath and turned her face to the window while swiping the tear from her cheek. As soon as they’d liquidated the threat to her, Matt would return for an intense one on one with her sperm donor.
“It’s a Christmas ornament Laredo helped me make when I was nine. It’s the only thing I have left of my old life. I’d forgotten about it until I woke up in the hospital. Don’t know what made me think of it.”
She’d answered the question he couldn’t ask. The grief in the weight bearing her shoulders down suppressed his ability to conjure soothing words.
Anything else he thought to say now would undermine her strength, so, he took her hand and held it through her attempted flinch. A few heartbeats later, she squeezed and held firm.
A small saving grace.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Matt visually tracked Katt’s progress down the steps. Hip-hugging jeans and a fitted cotton shirt did nothing to conceal her curves. Her movements continued to resemble the agile fluency of an athlete who carried a heavy sack on each shoulder. Youth and a strong will had facilitated quick healing during the few days which had passed. At least physically.
“Morning. I’ve got breakfast almost ready.”
His near-silent gasp diverted her attention to his dropped jaw. “Your hair. Why? How? I’m going to miss the stripe.”
“Lexi went shopping for me. I decided it was time for the pink stripe to go. ‘Sides, it’s not very professional. Smells good down here.” Gila hopped from her arms to the stool at the counter. “See? He’s learning to stay off the counter.” The calculating gleam in her eye warranted further investigation.
“Which has nothing to do with the treat he gets every time he remains in place.” He grinned in the face of her smirk. “What else did you buy at the mall?”
“Um, let’s call them feminine necessities, shall we? I already named him. Richard.”
Matt gulped hard, trying to swallow around the knot swelling in his neck. On a regular basis, her subterfuge led him on a merry chase. For some reason, her openness confused him all the more. “Richard? And where is... Richard?”
“Not in the garage, obviously. He’s upstairs, in the bedside drawer. Waiting. For me.” Her smile spoke of utter deviousness, her gaze calculated to make him suffer.
“I’m surprised you don’t call him by the stereotypical nickname.” Choking on his imagination proved more dangerous than facing an assailant with a knife. The women had hinted of toys during their raunchier conversations and once when drunk. He’d thought the mentions were meant to get
a rise out of him. They always did.
“What time are you leaving for work?” She took the seat beside the little horror.
“Noon. I’ve got some paperwork and a meeting with the captain.”
“Is he gonna bust a gasket over us not finding Denny or Larry yet?”
“Doubtful. He knows how it goes. He’ll want frequent updates, though.” Matt set a plate in front of her then poured a glass of juice.”
“I’d rather have milk.”
“Not yet. You still have contaminants to clear from your system. Though your voice sounds much better.”
“I feel normal, and I’m ready to go back to work, too. Hell, I don’t care if it’s finding lost puppies. As much as I love Lexi and Kaylee’s company, I need to work. Plus, I’m used to a certain amount of alone time.”
“Then why don’t you give them a call and beg off for the day. Luc’s gonna be putting up a couple extra security cameras outside and at the end of the lane.” He smiled when she fumbled with her new phone, grumbling about slow technology.
In concert with their former sexual tension, breakfast passed with their usual snark. He’d passed thirty and dirty last year, and figured he’d mastered those pesky hormones. Turns out, they’re alive and well, multiplying like aliens in a Sci-fi movie.
In his heart, he knew it was a matter of time before he weakened and caved. Regardless of her light teasing, she needed more time to heal before partaking in strenuous activity. There was no denying their yin and yang scenario, separate entities bound together for eternity. He could no longer fight it, nor did he wish to try.
When the dust settled, if she left, he’d remain forever broken and alone. It occurred to him a similar situation might have molded her father into the shambles now presented to the world.
“Whatever you’re thinking, it must be deep. Spill.” Katt paused, suspecting her benefactor of devious intentions.
“Not fit for tender ears. Sorry, Nugget.”
“Ah, I see. Well, I’ll spare you the effort and awkwardness. They are not grandma grundies. Think—thin elastic with a tiny triangular patch.” She smiled when crimson spread up his neck.
“Nugget...”
“I knew it! Damn, it’s nice I can make a grown man blush.”
“I’m not concerned with your underwear.”
“Oh, in that case, I didn’t wear any PJs to bed. Love the warm blankets, by the way.”
His skin darkened to a deep plum, but his expression hardened. “Actually, I pictured you in a baby doll, but then figured it too frou-frou and changed it to a camouflage teddy.”
“Never thought of that. I’ll have to look when I hit the mall while you’re working.”
“You cannot go to the mall alone.”
“I need more clothes. I ran out of energy the other day and didn’t finish shopping.”
Full lips mashed between his teeth and eyes shut tight expressed his tension before he turned away to scrape his plate. “No, Katt. Just... no.”
“Oh, I’m going all right. I intend to do some major damage to my credit card. Luc and Caden already said they have some sideline work I can do. Thank god some of my equipment was still in the car. They said they’d let me borrow what I wanted until I’m independent again.”
Before she’d taken two steps toward the living room, Matt snatched her arm and spun her around and into his arms. She was close enough to feel the heat of his breath, see the blood vessel throb in his temple, and understand the meaning in the clench of his jaw.
The combination of anticipation and defiance created a strange tingling beginning in her stomach before spreading to encompass her entire being. His control was complete, and her knees gave way as he pulled her tight.
His mouth crashed down against her own, not asking permission, more of an invasion on every level, every sense.
He took her breath but gave his own in return, the intimacy molding her lust into a sharp thrust against sanity. His heat transcended anything known and transformed her perceptions of any prior encounter. This was Matt unhinged, unleashed, and driven by animal instincts.
The union of their tongues melted any resistance and all doubt. Fate decreed their bodies joining months ago, from the moment he caught her spying on him. When his fingers speared her hair and kneaded her scalp, nothing surpassed the sharp edge of carnal desire spreading through each fiber of her soul.
She clung to him with a desperate need for completion, a need only he could fill. He cupped her ass and pulled her tight before sliding one hand up her spine to mold her against the harder angles of his body. Molten lava heated every inch his grazing touch sought.
“Jesus. I’m going to heaven before I burn in hell.”
His breath fanned over her face when he tilted her head back to search her eyes. Afraid he would see the truth in her gaze, she pulled him back, smothering the words clawing their way through her chest. He wasn’t a man who committed to relationships, but lust, that was another matter. She’d take it for now, hold it close to her heart for as long as she could, taking solace from the comfort of his arms, his touch, his scorching heat.
A whimper escaped when he cupped her intimately through her jeans then smoothed upward to mold her breast. Brushed cotton separated her skin from the sustenance that would sustain her for a lifetime. She needed his hands on her to affirm his hunger as great as her own.
A brief sexual encounter in the past was no preparation for the avalanche of hormones now flooding her system. Her hands fisted against his scalp when the flick of his tongue against her ear induced a shudder.
“Please.” A vague awareness of movement preceded the back of her legs touching the sofa. Between searing kisses and molding her body to his own, their clothes occupied a heap on the floor.
It was on the very sofa that now cushioned her back that he’d declared his home a sanctuary for one—until he met his match. With him lying beside her, his upper body leaning over to let him sample the taste of her flesh, logic and wisdom melted under the onslaught of his skillful fingers tracing the crease of her thigh, seeking out the quivering entrance to her body.
“Damn, I can’t wait.” His murmured confession filled her heart.
A fine sheen of perspiration dampened her skin as her arousal slickened his fingers. His questing exploration arched her back, thrusting her nipples into his waiting mouth. Heat enveloped her entire body, her nails digging into his shoulders. The low rumble of his approval reverberated in her mind.
When his gentle breath stiffened her sensitized nipple, the warmth contrasted the cooling wetness left by his tongue. She cried out.
In answer, solid hips ground his erection against her thigh, the promise of more to come.
“Please, now. I can’t take it.”
“But you will. All of it.” His mouth slanted across hers while his side-to-side motion stroked his silky chest hair across her breasts, driving her insane.
She didn’t understand his murmur until he reached over to the garment heap and retrieved a condom from his wallet. When he’d covered himself and settled his body in the cradle of her thighs, his gaze searched hers, holding her, asking for entrance to her soul.
It was the rawest sexual encounter her mind could conjure and still survive. The pulsing of his heat at the entrance to her sheath matched the overwhelming determination written in his face. It was a claiming, spirit to spirit, body to body.
He watched her while cupping her face with one hand, as if to make certain she didn’t look away from the truth in his gaze.
The wide crest of his pulsing heat stretched her to the point of pain. With a low groan, he stopped the advance and withdrew several inches. Short thrusts kept her on the verge of screaming for more, needing all of him.
Writhing to accommodate him, she’d somehow known he would fulfill her in every way. “Too much.”
“Relax,” he whispered.
She was tight but determined to have him all, wrapping her legs around his waist to use as leverage. He
controlled the pace, the depth, each surge moving a little deeper.
Katt’s soft groan echoed his growl of pleasure, its rich sound spreading through her body. The sensual stretching increased when he rotated his hips, the soft sting transforming into wounding fullness, then ecstasy.
Her legs urged him to move. “More.” The sight of him filling her, demanding everything, yet giving everything in return, spiraled her need to new heights. Her entire body shook with the slow, deep thrusts and grinding motions of his hips coinciding with his gaze burning a path to the protected corners of her heart. He impaled himself, dragging from her the will to withhold any part of her soul.
Each successive plunge propelled her higher, winding her up until she would explode from mindless pleasure. Her scream echoed in the room. Still, he pumped in and out, prolonging her pleasure to the point of near pain.
Blood roared in her ears, overcome by the guttural roar of his climax. They shared panted breaths while his heart pounded under her palm. She couldn’t define what twined with the triumph resonating in his face, then decided it didn’t matter. She belonged to him body and soul.
Minutes passed while he nuzzled her neck and they both struggled to control their breathing. The bulk of his upper body weight rested on his elbows.
“I knew we’d be good, but even my imagination, night after night, couldn’t come close to what I feel right while locked within your body.” It was a declaration, an affirmation of his claim on her heart.
A slight rotation of his hips delivered another shock. “Again? Damn, and you think I have voracious nether regions...”
“Hmm, no. Give me a few minutes. I’ll take you to bed for a thorough lovemaking. And you won’t be needing Bob or Richard anymore, understand?”
“No more Bob or Richard. Got it. Now I’ll find out if you taste like chocolate...”
Katt woke to find herself alone in bed. Sun streaming through the window confirmed she hadn’t slept through the afternoon. She’d never been so sore or felt such peace.
McAllister Justice Series Box Set Page 21
