Deep Dark (The DeLuca Family Book 3)

by Amy Reece

  There was nothing else to do. He and Darius walked with Chris and Finn back to where they’d parked their cars. Chris’s phone rang and she stepped away, returning a moment later.

  “That was APD. They have a suspect in custody for Izzy’s hit-and-run. I’ll head downtown and check it out.”

  “Is that your way of saying it’s my turn to file the report for this shit-fest?” Finn grumbled.

  “Damn straight. I did it last time. See you back at the precinct.” She laughed and walked away.

  “I hate paperwork. See you guys later. Call us if you find out where these fuckers are now.” Finn waved and walked away.

  “How did this happen?” Mac demanded.

  Darius shrugged. “We’ll keep looking. They’re sure to surface soon. In the meantime, maybe we should focus on the upcoming events in the area they might be tempted to disrupt. We can start looking into that angle tomorrow. Go home to Izzy and your daughter.”

  ***

  He decided to stop by his townhouse and pack a bag to take to Izzy’s. He wasn’t sure what Izzy was expecting since she was feeling better, but he thought it might be wise to be prepared. He wasn’t totally comfortable leaving her and Janey on their own yet, but he’d leave it up to her. He firmly shut down the hopeful part of his brain that wondered if she would feel up to more than just sleeping next to him tonight. Don’t be a dick! She was in a serious accident two nights ago. Plus, your daughter sleeps right across the hall from Izzy’s bedroom. He left his bag in the SUV.

  Janey was watching a cartoon when he let himself in. “Mac!” She jumped off the floor, where she’d set up a blanket with about a dozen stuffed animal companions, and ran to him.

  He lifted her up and was thrilled to feel the little arms hug his neck. She smelled like the outdoors and candy, and he loved it.

  “Hi, Daddy.”

  He melted. Oh, God! Izzy’s going to have to clean up a big puddle of what used to be me, right here on her living room carpet. “Hi, Princess. Did you have fun at preschool?”

  “No. Jeremy pulled my ponytail and called me a baby. I hate boys.”

  Mac felt a sudden and intense desire to have five minutes alone with this Jeremy character. “That’s okay, sweetie. You can hate boys as long as you don’t hate me.”

  She giggled and put her small hands on his cheeks. “You’re not a boy! Your cheeks are cold.”

  “It’s pretty cold outside. And I used to be a boy. Where’s your mom?”

  “In the kitchen with Auntie Mel.”

  He left Janey watching her show and went to find Izzy. She was seated at the kitchen table, sipping a mug of something while Melanie stood at the counter, chopping vegetables.

  “Hey, Mac.” Mel turned from her cutting board with a smile. “Hope you like vegetable beef soup.”

  “Sounds great.” He leaned down to kiss Izzy’s upturned lips. “Hey, beautiful.”

  “Hey yourself. How was the afternoon? Did the warrant come through?”

  He’d told them both about the planned raid when he was home for lunch. “It did, and we executed the raid as planned. The house was empty. They’d already moved on. Either they were tipped off, or they habitually change locations.”

  Izzy reached her hand to cover his. “That must be really frustrating.”

  He squeezed her fingers lightly. “You have no idea.”

  “Everyone’s safe, though, right?” Mel had stopped chopping. She and Izzy had known it was to be a joint operation with Finn and Chris and their team.

  “Yeah, of course.” He realized he was witnessing a small cop’s wife moment. “Finn’s absolutely fine.”

  “Good.” She turned back to her cooking.

  Izzy stood and crossed to the refrigerator to get a beer. She opened it and placed it in front of Mac with a quick kiss, then turned to her sister-in-law. “Go home, Mel. I’ll finish up the soup. You’ve been here all day and I know you must be dead on your feet. I remember what early pregnancy was like.”

  Mel tipped the vegetables she’d finished chopping in the stockpot and stirred it briefly. “It’s done. Let it simmer for about an hour and it should be good to go. Are you sure you don’t want me to come tomorrow?”

  Izzy stood and hugged her. “Positive. I’m fine. Let’s get together for lunch next week, okay?”

  Mel smiled and slipped on her coat. “Sounds fun. Call if you need anything.”

  Izzy waited until she had said goodbye to Janey and closed the front door behind her. She led Mac back to the kitchen and pushed him into a chair. “I thought she’d never leave.” She sat sideways on his lap and pulled his head down for a kiss, slipping her tongue between his lips and stroking. She slipped her hand under his shirt and over his ribs to stroke his chest.

  He opened his mouth, welcoming her inside with a groan. He felt like he could devour her right there in the kitchen. He slid his hand around to her wonderfully rounded rear end and pulled her closer, delighted at the feel of her squirming against him, trying to get closer. “Izzy, love.” He rested his forehead against hers, panting slightly. “Janey’s in the other room.”

  She smiled and hugged him. “Yeah, I know. Tonight, Mac. You’re all mine tonight. If you can’t handle that, then you better not stay here. If you sleep with me tonight, we’re not just going to sleep. Fair warning.”

  He gulped and nodded. “But what about Janey?”

  “What about her?” she asked with a frown.

  “We can’t…I mean with her in the house, how do…” He shook his head, unable to form his flailing thoughts into actual sentences.

  She smiled, clearly amused. “We lock the bedroom door, hon. She’s a sound sleeper. Don’t worry.”

  Chapter Eight

  Izzy

  He was nervous. She was amused, but did feel a bit sorry for him throughout the evening as they joined Janey in the living room to watch My Little Pony for half an hour while the soup simmered on the stove. She prepared a quesadilla for Janey, who would undoubtedly complain about the soup, and offered to make one for Mac. He refused, and tried to object to her standing at the stove, but she shushed him with a kiss and directed him to set the table. She also insisted on cleaning up the dishes after dinner while he helped Janey get her bath and into her pajamas.

  “Mac, I’m fine and I need to do something. I’ve done nothing but sit on my ass for two days. Stop worrying about me.”

  He nodded a bit mechanically, and scooped Janey up and over his shoulder.

  She was relieved to be busy and found the mundane chore soothing. If she were perfectly honest with herself, she had to admit to some nervousness as well. It had been a long time since she’d been with him—or anyone—and childbearing had changed her body. It was nerve-wracking to think about him seeing her naked in a few hours. And exciting. She hummed as she filled the sink with soapy water so she could wash the stockpot.

  By the time she had the kitchen clean, Mac and Janey were back in the living room, setting up a board game on the coffee table.

  “And if you land on the black ring, you have to wear it until someone else lands on it and you can’t pick up any of your color stuff until you don’t have it no more.”

  “Any more,” Izzy corrected as she took her place next to Mac. She looked up at him, an unholy grin on her face. “She talked you into Pretty, Pretty Princess, huh? I’m going to enjoy this. Let me grab my cell phone. I may need a picture.” She made to get up.

  He reached out, lightning fast, and pulled her back. “Don’t even think about it. I didn’t know I was going to have to wear the jewelry. Please tell me there’s no makeup involved.”

  She bit her lip and contemplated teasing him longer. “No makeup.” She leaned in to whisper in his ear. “I’ll make it up to you later.”

  He gulped and she could swear he blushed a little.

  “What color do you want to be, Daddy?”

  Izzy hadn’t heard Janey call him that yet and it made her chest ache. She squeezed his hand and suggested he
might want to be blue or green, as they were slightly more masculine.

  He rolled his eyes and chose blue. He was a good sport and she would never forget the sight of him wearing a pair of blue plastic earrings and a sparkly ring on the tip of his pinky finger, since it wouldn’t fit any higher. He ‘accidentally’ dropped the dice when he was within range of landing on the final tiara, making sure he didn’t win, and she fell even deeper in love with him.

  When the game was over, she helped Janey put it away, then sent her to brush her teeth. Once she was tucked in, she took Mac’s hand and led him back to sit on the sofa with her and flipped on the television, not caring what they watched. “We need to give her a little while to fall asleep.”

  He nodded, but said nothing.

  She curled against him, willing herself to be patient. It was one thing to fall drunkenly into bed with a guy; it was another thing entirely to coldly plan it and then have to wait several hours to implement it. Some interminable medical drama finally ended and the late news began. “I couldn’t care less about what’s happening in the world right now. Let’s go to bed, Mac.”

  He nodded, then chuckled. “I’ve never been so nervous in my entire life. This is ridiculous.”

  “Especially considering we’ve already done it, huh? I’m nervous too. It’s been a while for me.”

  “Me too. How long has it been for you?” He turned to face her.

  “Um, nearly six years, actually. You?”

  “Same.”

  “You’re kidding! There hasn’t been anyone since we…”

  “In my defense, I was in Iraq for two years, then in the hospital and rehab for a long time. I dated a few times in the past couple years, but nothing serious. What about you? I can’t believe you haven’t dated in six years.”

  “In my defense,” she smiled as she parroted him. “I spent nine months of it pregnant and have been raising a child and trying to build a career since then.”

  “And doing a fabulous job of both. I’m really proud of you.” He tipped her face up and kissed her. “To bed, then. Neither of us has any reason to be nervous.” He stood and pulled her with him.

  Once in her bedroom, she locked the door and dimmed the lights. She held out her hand to him. “It’s finally our time, Mac. Let’s not wait any longer.”

  He took her in his arms and kissed her deeply as his hands stroked, reacquainting himself with her curves. “Izzy, love, I’m not sure how long I’m going to last this first time. I’m out of practice and you feel incredible.”

  She took his hand and led him to the bed. “I’m about to explode, Mac. Make love to me, please. Hurry. We have all night to take it slow.”

  Clothing became superfluous and hit the floor as they undressed each other and fell to the mattress. After what he’d said, she expected the first time to be quick, but he kissed and tasted every inch of her body before returning to her mouth. She tried to return the favor, but he laughed shakily and shook his head. “Next time. I can’t wait any longer.” He took a moment to roll on a condom, then settled between her thighs and entered her in one smooth stroke. “I love you, Izzy,” he whispered. Then he began to move.

  ***

  “That was intense.” She was sprawled across his bare chest, still panting from her exertions of the last hour.

  “I’m not sure I can speak yet.”

  She laughed and propped herself on her forearms so she could look into his handsome face. “I don’t remember this tattoo from last time.” She traced the design on the right side of his chest, which she could barely make out in the dim light: a rifle, helmet, and initials.

  “I didn’t have it then. It’s a memorial for Ben, the one who was shot the same day I was.”

  “Oh.” She continued to trace it for a moment. “You’ve been through so much, Mac, things I can’t even begin to understand.”

  He brushed her hair back from her face. “I was thinking the same thing about you.” He looked thoughtful for a moment. “Is this okay, Izzy? Me being here with you like this while Janey sleeps across the hall?”

  “Well, it needs to be, because I have no intention of giving it up now that we’ve started.” She leaned down to kiss him. “I don’t know what the protocol is, Mac. I know I would never bring a random boyfriend home to sleep with me while my daughter is here, but I think this is a little different. You’re her father.”

  “Yeah, but…I don’t know, either. I just don’t want to do anything that might hurt you or Janey.” He pulled her face down for a lengthy kiss. “I can leave if you think it would be better.”

  She shook her head and kissed him quickly. “You’ve been here the past two mornings. I think she’d be more upset if she woke up and you weren’t here. But I do need to unlock the door in case she needs something in the middle of the night or has a bad dream, so we need to put on some pajamas.” She started to move away.

  He wrapped his arms around her, imprisoning her against his hard chest. “In a little while. As long as I’m staying, I might as well make love to you again. This time will be nice and slow. I feel like I kind of rushed last time.”

  She grinned and kissed his chest. “Well, since you’re already here.” She moved lower. “Besides, it’s my turn to explore.”

  Slower was a relative term; the long, slow lovemaking Mac promised would have to come later. It had simply been too long for both of them. Nevertheless, it was after midnight before they’d recovered enough for Izzy to don a silky nightgown and Mac to find his boxers. They checked on Janey and found her still sound asleep. Izzy tucked the comforter around her shoulders and then led Mac back to their bed.

  ***

  Mac’s phone alarm woke them at seven. Izzy groaned and rolled over, intent on returning to sleep. She felt a strong arm snake around her waist and pull her against his strong body.

  “Morning, love.” He kissed her bare shoulder. “Don’t get up. I’ll make sure Janey gets breakfast and I’ll take her to preschool on my way to work.”

  She rolled over in his arms and snuggled closer. “I hate mornings.”

  He chuckled and let her burrow against his chest. “Duly noted.” He kissed the top of her head and slid out of bed. “I’m going to make some coffee. Go back to sleep, hon.”

  She was sorely tempted to remain under the covers and do exactly as he suggested; she was still on the doctor’s orders to stay home from work for one more day before the weekend, after all, and Mac had offered to take care of Janey. This must be what it’s like to co-parent: shared responsibility and the rare opportunity to sleep in. She heard Mac in the bathroom, relieving himself, and the mundane sound of the flushing toilet made her smile. She dozed off and woke again to the intoxicating aroma of coffee brewing and something else that smelled delicious. Her stomach growled and she realized she was hungry for the first time since the accident. She crawled from the warmth of the bed and found a pair of sweatpants and a hoodie to wear to the kitchen in place of the silky nightie. “Something smells amazing.”

  “Momma!” Janey greeted her with a hug. “We were trying to be quiet. Mac’s making pancakes.”

  “You were very quiet, sweetie, but the coffee and pancakes smelled so good I couldn’t stay in bed any longer. I’m starving!”

  “That’s good to hear, hon.” Mac handed her a steaming mug of coffee and kissed her on the lips, which made Janey giggle. “Have a seat. Pancakes will be up in five.”

  This was definitely worth getting up for. She sipped her coffee and watched Mac and Janey at the stove. He had pulled a stool in front of it and was teaching her to flip the pancakes.

  “See the bubbles popping on the surface? That’s how you know they’re ready to turn. That’s it! Good job, Janey!”

  Izzy could see the batter dripping off the edge of the griddle from where Janey’s first effort had landed and was glad she had a ceramic stove top; it would clean up easier than the gourmet gas range she’d lusted after when she’d bought the house. She loved how patient Mac was with their
daughter, not seeming to mind that everything took longer when Janey helped.

  “Are you ready to taste the first batch, sweetie?” he asked the little girl.

  “No.” She concentrated as she carried the plate to the table. “These are for Momma.” She waited beside her mother while Izzy slathered them with butter and poured maple syrup on top.

  “Delicious!” she pronounced around a mouthful. “Best pancakes I’ve ever had.” She hugged Janey and winked at Mac over her shoulder.

  She insisted on cleaning up the kitchen while he showered and got Janey ready for school, and in short order found herself alone in the house, something she rarely experienced any more. She made the bed and started a load of laundry, then wandered aimlessly from room to room, wondering what to do. I’m always bemoaning the lack of alone-time in my life, but now that I have a whole day of it, I have no clue what to do. I seriously need to get a hobby. She thought about cleaning, but she had a weekly cleaning woman who was due Monday, and felt it would be silly to do her job for her. When she found herself seriously considering reorganizing her Tupperware cabinet, she took herself firmly in hand and settled in front of the television to binge watch something—anything—on Netflix. Two episodes into the latest drama everyone was raving about, she was bored. Then the doorbell rang, startling her. She was about to answer the door when she had a flash of memory from the night of the accident. You don’t know who’s out there! What if it’s the person who tried to run you over, come back to finish the job? Heart pounding and hands shaking, she tiptoed to the door and carefully peered through the peephole. No one was there. Oh God! What if they’re trying the windows or the back door? She raced around the house to make sure everything was shut and locked, then crept to the front window and peeked through a slit at the side of the curtain. Nothing. She returned to the front door and quietly unlocked and pulled it open a fraction of an inch. When nothing jumped out at her, she slowly pulled it open the rest of the way. She opened the screen and found it partially blocked by the package resting on the doormat, the familiar Amazon logo staring up at her. Well, it’s official: I’ve gone off the deep end. I’m crazy. I’ve been terrified of a bathmat for the last fifteen minutes. She took the package to the kitchen and slit it open with a knife. At least it’s a nice bathmat. She placed it in front of the shower in her bathroom and returned to the boring television program.