Falling Deep Into You Trilogy Box Set

by Terra Kelly

  “Good morning, princess," Miles said and sat down beside Preslie.

  “Sorry if I woke you. I couldn’t resist strumming a few chords." She moved her fingers over each one. "I have no idea how to play but have always wanted to learn.”

  “Well, just so happens I know this guy who plays the guitar.”

  “You do, huh?” She rested her hands on the guitar. “Was it okay I grabbed this one?”

  “Of course. Do you like Led Zeppelin?”

  “Who doesn’t? They’re amazing. Why?”

  He pointed down below her fingers. “Jimmy Page signed this for me.”

  She squeaked. “Oh my God.” Then she handed the guitar to him. “I’m so sorry.”

  “Why? You did nothing wrong.” He handed the guitar back to her and moved her hair away from her face. He leaned in with his head next to hers and showed her how to play a few chords.

  She rested her back against Miles and moved her hands up to his, wanting to feel each movement.

  “Should we have breakfast? Maybe wear clothes like normal people?” He continued to strum the chords but moved his body closer.

  She nuzzled into the crease of his neck and rested her head back on his shoulder. “Do normal people really wear clothes? In the house, I mean?”

  “Hmmm…maybe not.” He stopped playing and moved the guitar away. He pulled her onto his lap. “Would you like to spend the day with me today?” He moved his hands up and down her back. “Or do you have some reality TV show to watch?”

  She punched him. “No." She tried to say with an innocent face. “I don’t watch reality TV.” She tried not to laugh, but was struggling to hold it back.

  “You’re so lying.” He burst out laughing. “Breakfast, then what?”

  “Well, can we swing by my place and grab nightgowns or maybe clothes?” She leaned up and kissed him on his lips. Then she stood and reached for his hand.

  He was surprised when she leaned in to kiss him. As much as they talked in the past weeks and especially last night. He had to get used to physical contact with another woman. After ten years with one woman it was hard to change. Angie was making it easy to move on. He still couldn’t believe he found Julian with her last night. The guys would freak. He reached up and grabbed her hand to pull himself up. He swatted her behind and walked to the kitchen.

  Later, after they both took separate showers. He let her borrow one of his button-down shirts. It was long on her and would be perfect for the drive to her house. When they arrived at her place, she went to hop out first but he made a noise for her to wait. “We still need to be cautious. I know David is in jail but we don’t know about his friends.”

  She nodded “Should I wait here for you?”

  “No, I don’t want you out of my sight.” He grabbed her hand and they walked up to the front door. He was looking everywhere and listening for anything unusual. She unlocked the door, and he entered first. He had her stay put, and he checked every area of her house. “Okay, all clear. Grab enough clothes so you have enough at Vikki’s.” Under his breath he said, “Or my place.”

  “Or your place, huh?” She reached up and touched the side of his face. “Are clothes required during the week at your place?”

  He reached his hand up and placed it on hers. “Never.”

  She smiled and went to pack a few things. As she was grabbing shirts in her closet, she heard the floor creak in her bedroom. She screamed, jumped back, and fell hard against the wall. Miles ran into the room and found her in the closet. “What happened?” He leaned down to help her up. “Are you okay?”

  “I thought I heard my floor creak in the bedroom. Maybe I’m just hearing things, I don’t know?” She walked up closer to him, feeling calmer when near him.

  “Let’s get your stuff and get out of here. I will have one of the guys do a check on your place. It’s possible they have eyes on us, I don’t know.”

  “David maybe bugged my house?” She grabbed the last of what she needed. “I want to leave and now.” She threw on some jeans and tied the bottom of his shirt into two knots.

  She hurried to the front door, but Miles caught her by the elbow. “Hey, I have you and I promise nothing will happen to you again." He reached out his hand. "Here let me carry that for you.” He planned to have a surveillance camera installed, to see if there was someone watching her place. Fuck. What was wrong with this guy?

  He didn’t say anything as they drove back to his place. “Do you want to stay with Vikki?”

  “No.” She turned in her seat. “I’m just trying to figure out why he wants me dead. What I did to him?” She sighed. “I guess maybe I lead him on and then broke it off too quickly.”

  He touched her leg. “Preslie, you did nothing wrong. This man is obviously not well. There’s a possibility he’s involved with the drug raid that killed my partner. We have things I can’t discuss but this is big.”

  “The assistant manager I met at a diner is possibly part of a drug operation? Well, I sure know how to pick’em.”

  “How would you have known? He seemed normal at first, right?”

  “Yeah, completely normal. We had a great time together. It wasn’t until five months into our relationship that things went south. He became abusive. It's odd though, thinking back on the first five months, he never seemed high. But out of the blue he called me names when I would forget to wash a few dishes, or he would get pissed if there was hair in the drain of the shower. I mean, dumb things. Then one day, he seemed off, I'm not sure if he was high or drunk. Probably high. He flipped out when he found my shoes sitting by the couch. He attempted to hit me but I flinched. He stopped and apologized. The next day I packed up and left a note saying goodbye.”

  “Do you remember if he shook or if he had short labored breathing?” He was trying to piece everything together. Maybe get a timeline of when he used. His team was still looking into the link between the drug bust and David’s involvement. If they were correct, he was there from the beginning.

  “Um, yeah, he had shaky hands and his eyes were dilated. I noticed his face have this grayish hue. I remember asking him a few times if he felt okay. If he was in one of his moods, he would get pissed at me for asking. If he was having a good day, he would lean over and hug me. On his good days, he always told me he loved me. I guess you could say his personality became more like Jekyll and Hyde.”

  His team had been investigating the case involving a drug ring for about eight months. “When did you break up with him?” he asked and glanced out the front window, lost in thought.

  “About seven months ago.”

  Miles knew that had to be the link they were looking for. It was about eight months ago she noticed David's odd behavior. Fuck. This could be serious. Now he understood why David wanted to her killed. He thought she knew too much and wanted her deleted from the equation. “We may need to continue having surveillance on you until this case is solved. If David is in as deep as I think, he may put a hit out on you.”

  “Seriously? But I don’t know anything. He would come and go. He was horrible with communicating. I never saw him using. Actually, I feel dumb that I didn’t catch on quicker.”

  Suddenly, the back window behind Preslie shattered. Miles pulled her head down and started the engine. He pulled away so fast, he was hoping he didn’t hit any cars. He leaned up and grabbed his phone to call his team. He glanced over at Preslie, she was leaning on the console in between the two seats. Her hair was covering her face but her body language showed she was crying. He stayed silent and maneuvered in and out of traffic. He was heading to the station in downtown and had to take the highway to get there. About ten minutes later he pulled up to the curb and saw Finley and Erickson waiting for him.

  Miles parked the car and reached for Preslie. “Hey, you’re safe.” He moved her hair away from her face and saw tears running down her cheeks. He brushed them away with his thumb. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what I was thinking sitting in the car talking. I should’ve known
better.” She surprised Miles by climbing over the console and wrapping herself around his body. He glanced back at the guys. “What’s back there?” He continued to hold her so tight, she was shaking from head to toe. “I think they threw it behind her. Probably just wanted to scare her.” He moved his hands up and down her back.

  Finley held up a brick. “There’s a note attached.” He had gloves on to protect from tampering with the evidence. He opened the note and read. “I’m never far.”

  Three little words that sent chills up Miles’ spine. Whoever was watching her house knew of the other places where she stayed. He looked for oncoming traffic and opened his door. “Come on, princess. We need to get you inside.”

  She leaned up enough for him to get out and then she followed. She grabbed hold of his waist and snuggled into him. “How am I supposed to feel safe now?” She was trying not to cry but the tears wouldn’t stop flowing.

  He held her close to his side. “I will take care of that. Let’s go inside.” He looked over at the guys. “I’m taking her upstairs. I will be back down in a minute, okay?”

  “Can I stay with you?” Preslie asked holding back the urge to scream. What the fuck was going on?

  “The lady that works all our calls, she will stay with you. I need to talk to my team about what happened and what you shared with me.” She nodded and walked up to the fourth floor with Miles.

  Nine

  Miles felt pissed as he opened the door of the precinct and headed outside. He walked over to Finley and Erickson. “Seriously, the woman has been through more than many see in their lifetime.” He shook his head and glanced at the window now smashed in and shards of glass spread throughout the back seat. He turned to the guys and shared his conversation with Preslie.

  “You’re telling me that this asshat could be our number one or number two in this operation?" Finley said sounding shocked. "What did that poor woman get herself into?” He turned to Erickson. “David mentioned a file or an item he had been missing for months. Do you remember him saying that?”

  “File?” Miles asked. He realized at that moment they maybe had the reason why David was trying to kill Preslie?

  Erickson nodded. “Yeah, that’s true. The way he mentioned it was so blasé we didn’t think it was anything. Now that we’re hearing Preslie’s side of the story, I bet we have something more to go on. We should ask Preslie about all the items she took when she left him?”

  They all three agreed and headed upstairs to their unit. When Miles entered the Emergency Task Force, he spotted Preslie sitting in the conference room. She had her arms crossed on the table and her head was to the side looking out the window. As he got closer, he whispered. “Hey, princess.”

  She jumped at the sound and put her hand to her chest. “Sorry, I guess I’m a little jumpy," she admitted and leaned back in her chair. “You know, with a brick going through the car window and all.” She had a sarcastic tone in her voice. “Why do you all have the same look? It’s creepy.”

  They all three sat down. Miles sighed. “When they were questioning David, he mentioned a file. Do you know anything about a file? Maybe a thumb drive? Or memory card?”

  “No.” She sat there for a moment, then her eyes went huge. “Are you sure it was just a file?” She stood and walked to the window overlooking the city. “Could there maybe be something on my computer? Or phone?” She turned back to Miles. “I remember him using my computer but I didn’t know why. I asked him but he was vague. Since I’m not smart and didn’t catch on sooner to everything. I didn’t even feel alarmed that he was using my stuff.” She leaned her back against the window. “My computer is at my house in my office. You can grab it.” She reached for her keys in her pocket and tossed them on the table.

  “I’ll get Sanders and head over there now,” Erickson said reaching for the keys.

  “Erickson, be careful," Miles said and stood. "There are people watching at all the locations she has been.” He glanced toward Finley. “I'll work from home and stay with Preslie. If I need to come in, I'll bring her with me.”

  Finley nodded. “Yeah, we need to be with her at all times. Don’t you have your kids tomorrow?”

  “I’ll tell Angie I’m busy." Miles sighed. "She’s had enough free time lately.”

  Preslie sounded confused. “So, I’m staying with you all week?” She was secretly happy with the sleeping arrangement.

  “Yeah, unless you want to stay over at Vikki’s place?" Miles asked. "I can stay in that backroom again.”

  “No, it’s fine. I just feel bad I’m taking you away from time with your kids.”

  Miles loved that in amongst all this chaos she was worried about his kids. “It’s okay," he said and stepped up beside Preslie. "I’ll see them this week sometime. Maybe I’ll take them for ice cream or something. They know my schedule can be tricky.” He reached for her hand. “We will get this figured out. I promise.”

  She interlocked her hand with his. “I know. It’s just scary knowing someone wants you dead and having no clue why.”

  “I will go look back over the notes during the questioning," Finley said standing and stretching. "Maybe we missed something or didn’t flag something as important.” He excused himself and left the room.

  Preslie was still holding Miles’ hand. “So, you have to stay home all week with me?” She winked.

  He shook his head. “Well, yeah," he said stepped closer. “Or should I have Erickson watch you this week?”

  Her eyes went wide. “You wouldn’t dare?” She glanced around and then whispered, “He may not like my sexy nightgowns as much as you do?”

  He laughed. “That’s true. I better take one for the team then and stay with you instead. It will be tough but I can handle it.”

  “Okay, joking aside. Should I contact my work and get my leave of absence extended?”

  “I think that’s for the best. You're not safe at work right now. I’m sure he has someone there watching, too.”

  She shivered at the thought. “Okay, I’ll call work tomorrow. Can we go?” She squeezed his hand. “I would like to lock myself in your house and maybe devour some Ben & Jerry’s Chunky Monkey Ice Cream.”

  He let out a laugh and held onto her hand as they walked out. “Come on.” He glanced down at their clasped hands and realized this week was going to be interesting.

  Miles decided on the way to his house to drop Preslie off and go to the grocery store alone. He knew it would be safer, and he had a security system wired in his house. When he left, he made sure she stayed in the living room and didn’t move much. He could’ve left the motion sensor off, but they agreed that was a bad option. He was gone for only thirty minutes. As he walked into the house carrying six bags on one arm, he paused by the door and disarmed the motion sensor. He kept the alarm set for extra precaution. He made his way into the living room and noticed Preslie nestled under a blanket at the end of the couch. She had her eyes closed but he could see a small smile on her face. “Are you sleeping already?”

  “No, just relaxing. Trying to take all you shared and process it," she said and threw back the blanket to stretch. “Is there ice cream in one of those bags?” She peeked inside. “Did you know sweet treats are the best medicine? Screw the prescription drugs, just eat cookies or ice cream.” She winked and grabbed two of the bags. “What all did you buy? Were you afraid the world would end soon?”

  He still had one hand free, so he swatted her behind as she stepped in front of him. She let out a squeal and increased her pace. He sat the bags down on the kitchen island and paused for a moment. She was unloading the bags and searching for the ice cream. “I’m trying to understand how you stay so calm?" he said and leaned his hip against the counter. "Do you bottle your emotions up or something?”

  “Bottle my emotions?" she said turning her head to the side. "No, I guess I feel calm because I feel safe with you.” She bent her head, unsure how he would react.

  He pushed off the counter and stepped closer to Pres
lie. “Safe with me?” He knew they had talked a lot in the last few weeks and had shared a little about themselves. It still felt odd having another woman feel safe with him. Then a memory tried to overtake this moment. After he had dated Angie for about six weeks, she said those same words. Was it happening all over again? Was another woman telling him what he wanted to hear or was Preslie different from Angie? God, he hoped they were different. “Why?”

  “Why? That's a silly question.” She teased and bent her head. “I'm sorry. That was unfair.” She smiled. “I don't know, you have this way about you. This intense desire to protect me. You’ve put your life on hold for me, especially your time with your kids. I know your number one goal is to get the bad guy, but I would like to think your other goal is to protect the girl." She placed her hand on his chest. "Plus, when I’m near you...” She moved closer. "My body ignites with need.”

  Miles reached his hand forward and lifted her chin. “I've enjoyed my time with you.”

  “Men.”

  “What?”

  “You all have such a simple vocabulary. I pour my heart out and you say one little sentence.” She leaned up on her tip-toes and kissed his sweet lips. “I did forgot to add, I can't stop thinking about how I want to kiss you more.”

  He pulled her closer to his body. “Yeah? Hmmm…I have thought about that, too.” He moved his hands down and cupped her ass. “Why are you still in jeans?”

  She shrugged her shoulders. “I had to stay put on the couch. Some cop’s strict orders, but he was bringing ice cream, so I obeyed.” She moved out of his embrace and grabbed the ice cream. She reached in the utensil drawer for a spoon and hopped up on the counter. She took the lid off the ice cream and dove into the creamy treat. She was taking the ice cream off her spoon with her tongue. When she licked off what was left behind on the spoon, she heard a low growl. “Come get some?” She winked and held up the spoon.