Trust In Lust

by Rhylie Matthews

  I waved his hand away from Sutton’s arm and as the tweezers came out Sutton groaned and I pushed the needle in.

  His entire body stiffened, and he jerked his head up, furious, until he saw it was me. Shock washed across his face.

  I pulled it out and used that moment of surprise to stab him again on the other side and smiled innocently. “See, not so bad.”

  He growled. Literally growled at me.

  “Down, big guy.” I patted him on the chest and leaned forward. “Be mad all you want, but I couldn’t watch that.”

  He let his head fall back to the table and cursed up at the ceiling about women and their bullshit.

  I looked over to the doc, who had the back of his forearm pressed against his mouth to keep from laughing and handed it back over to him.

  “May I?” he asked and pointed at the wound.

  I nodded. He’d no sooner started digging the bullet out and we all heard a commotion out in the corridor.

  “Move!” a high-pitched feminine voice yelled from the hall.

  Sutton tensed again and looked up at me.

  “You’re welcome.” I blew him a kiss just as Lana came running in, her chestnut hair flying everywhere and skidded to a halt, panting.

  She saw him on the bed, with me on top and shrieked, “What happened?”

  Sutton looked at me accusingly and muttered, “you’re so fucking dead.”

  I winked. “Just add that to the list of shit to tattle to Mason next time you call him.”

  Chapter Eight

  “Hello!” She waved frantically and ran over to the head of the bed.

  “What happened?”

  “Sutty-wutty got a boo-boo,” I cooed and flicked his nose, laughing.

  Lana swatted at me. She stroked his hair and bent slowly over his head and kissed him. “Who did this? At least tell me you caught him?”

  “Not so much.” He frowned up at me disapprovingly.

  “Don’t look at me like that. He shot first. Unprovoked. What was I supposed to do, stand there and let him do it again?”

  “Wait, what?”

  “He’s dead,” he said to her solemnly. Not upset about him being dead, just that we’d lost our only lead and we’re now back to square one.

  Lana gasped and looked up at me. “You shot him?”

  I nodded.

  “And he’s dead?” I nodded again.

  “Wait, wasn’t this guy your only lead…”

  “Yeah, Hicks was it.”

  She winced and shuffled her feet. “What now? Will you guys stay or are you leaving?”

  “Fuck if I know.” He rubbed his face and sighed.

  I hadn’t even thought of that yet. If Hicks was dead, would we be moving on to the next related case?

  She ran her hand through his hair again and started murmuring in his ear.

  He shifted uncomfortably on the table but let her do it.

  The numbing shot had obviously started working, allowing him to get distracted by the case, and while the PDA had him beside himself, I checked on the docs progress.

  He’d gotten the bullet out and was cleaning the wound. It was small, so there was a chance he’d only need a stitch or two, if any.

  That meant my job here was done. I slid off his chest and grabbed the chair to give to Lana so she could sit beside him, then found my coffee and ignored the whole group for a moment of silence with the now cold brew.

  By the time I’d finished, the doc was done and Sutton was on his feet, arm in a sling, signing papers.

  “Ready?”

  He handed the clipboard back to the doctor and nodded.

  About damn time. I threw my cup in the trash while Lana hugged him one last time and we headed out the door.

  “Hey.”

  I slowed down and looked over my shoulder.

  It was the doc. He’d come out behind us and was waving us down.

  “Yeah?” Sutton asked as I stopped and looked around the hallway. Seeing all the people, I shoved my hands as far in my pockets as possible. I hated crowds.

  “Actually...” He turned and faced me.

  “I was wondering if I could get your number? Maybe take you out to dinner tonight.” His cheeks turned an adorable shade of red and I couldn’t help but grin as I looked him over.

  Sutton’s arm came into my line of sight and held something out to the doctor.

  Doc held the card up and turned it over then frowned at it. He looked up at Sutton with confusion. “This says FBI?”

  “Yeah, sounds way more professional than Ghostbusters, right?” he asked sarcastically, and I covered my mouth. He’d given the doc a business card for the bureau. I was officially about to die.

  He looked at me. “Does that mean you’re not interested?”

  Oh, I was interested alright. I pulled my hand away and started to answer but Sutton’s big palm landed over my mouth. Fingers pressed into my forehead and wrapped around my face.

  “That’s exactly what it means.”

  I tried pulling on his arm to move his hand away, but lost my balance when he pushed and I ended up stumbling backwards, clinging to his arm as he walked us away.

  A high-pitched laugh sounded, and I knew Lana had seen the whole thing.

  Halfway down the hall his phone rang, and he stopped. Being as his other was in a sling, I figured he had to let go.

  Nope. I was wrong. I heard the rustling of the sling, and a beeping on the phone, followed by “Yes, sir.”

  Rollins was the only person Sutton said ‘sir’ to so I quit struggling and just stood there like an idiot with his hand over my face. Jackass. I wasn’t done with this conversation though.

  “She’s fine, sir.”

  I pulled against his arm and tried to pry my head out of his hand, but his grip just tightened. He stepped around behind me, then pulled back and locked me against his chest. By my face.

  “Yes, sir.”

  Two could play this game. I did the only thing I knew left to do; I elbowed him, as hard as I could, in the stomach.

  He grunted in pain but didn’t let go.

  “Fine, sir, just pulled my stitches. I’ll let her know.”

  His phone beeped, and he pushed me away from his body.

  When his hand released my face I spun on him. “First off, just because you don’t like to get wet,” I pointed at his dick, “doesn’t mean that everyone else doesn’t like to go swimming every now and then!”

  He scowled and rubbed his stomach. “Did you have to elbow me? You know those fuckers hurt.”

  Did I have to? “Yes, I did.”

  “Whatever,” he grumbled and headed down the hall again.

  I caught sight of Lana and the doc just before we exited the ER into the main lobby. “Hey, Lana! Take care of that for me, will ya?”

  She giggled and gave me a thumbs before pulling her phone out and showing the doc. I probably should have gotten his name.

  A hand wrapped around my forearm and pulled me backwards. “Use that and you’ll be surgically reattaching your own face.”

  I laughed and waved bye to the doc as Sutton pulled me down the hall. Would he call? I looked up at Sutton as he barreled through the doors, frowning. Nah, probably not.

  This ridiculousness took his cockblocking to a whole new level. It needed to stop or I’d never get laid.

  My phone beeped. It was a message from Rollins.

  Really Old Dude: How are you handling things?

  Vaughn: I’m fine. Dealing.

  I knew Rollins hated the fact I hadn’t told Sutton I’d known him my entire life, but he understood. It hadn’t been important until we’d both accepted this job working under him. Then, when I figured out Sutton turned into a complete nutcase at even the thought of me talking to him? I wasn’t spilling the beans. It was hilarious watching Sutton dance and race to be the buffer between us to ‘protect my job’.

  I’d felt mildly guilty at first. Now, six whole months of putting up with his shit later? Nope. Not one oun
ce of guilt was felt, and I purposely tortured him in the reports I knew he had to turn into Rollins. He redid every single one.

  Really Old Dude: Call me later?

  Vaughn: Will do.

  I shoved my phone into my pocket as we made it to the truck and followed Sutton around to the passenger side.

  He opened the door and waved for me to jump in.

  I turned sideways to slide by, my chest grazing his stomach as I passed.

  His hand shot out, caught the front of my vest, and pushed me into the open door.

  My hands froze mid air as he bent down and brought his face even with mine. Suppressed anger filled his eyes, as if he were holding himself back, firmly clinging to the edges of his control.

  “You’re not normally this much of a fucking bitch. Bitchy? Yes. Bitch? No. The only time you ever get this fucking defensive is when you feel guilty. And the only time you feel guilty is when you’re purposely not telling me something.”

  A fresh wave of guilt washed over me; I wasn’t sorry for not telling him, but I hadn’t meant to take it out on him. I didn’t know what to say. I dropped my eyes to his chest as the shame heated my face.

  He grasped my chin and raised my head until I met his searching gaze.

  “You’re going to get your ass in that truck and then you’re going to tell me what the hell is going on. Clear?” His breath hit my face as he spoke, and he searched my face before his eyes softened.

  The tight grip he had on my chin eased and his hand fell away as I stared into the only pair of eyes that ever saw right through me. The only man who’d just accepted me for who I was, what I was, without even knowing what that was. He took all the scary, freaky, weird shit my sixes threw at me in stride and stayed right beside me to help me either fight it, or figure it out. Because he wanted to.

  His arms lowered, brushing across my hips as he wrapped them around me and cupped my ass.

  I grabbed his shoulders to steady myself as he lifted me and sat me on the truck’s seat. My chest clenched as he stepped between my legs and gripped the tops of my thighs.

  “Quit looking at me like that.”

  I blinked and tried to clear my throat of the thickness from the emotions that had stolen my voice. He made it so fucking hard to find a balance between us. I wanted to tell him everything, I did. But he reacted so badly sometimes and the impulsive actions he took in response to those weren’t always so well thought out. Skipping the hospital to immediately go see Landon, even when he was physically fine, was only one example. He was an emotional brute and did what he wanted in the moment.

  “Sorry,” I whispered.

  “I’m not asking you to be sorry, I’m asking you to stop keeping shit from me, J.”

  “And just as soon as you stop flying off the handle when you get bad news, I will. I don’t like keeping shit from you just as much as you don’t like it when I do. It feels too damn close to lying. But it is what it is. And that’s why we function. Balance.” Regardless of how much it threw me into a tailspin.

  “Oh, you mean like how I have to reign in your libido?” he asked sarcastically with a grin.

  I smacked him in the chest. “You don’t have to do that, you just enjoy it. There was nothing wrong with him.”

  “What was his name?”

  “What?”

  “His name, Vaughn. The doctor? What was his name?”

  “Uh…”

  He quirked a brow at me and waited.

  “Doc?”

  “See, you weren’t even interested in him, hadn’t even crossed your mind. Until he said something. I may be impulsive, but I got nothing on the little vag monster that lives in your pants woman.”

  “I noticed him!” I wasn’t even going to dignify the rest with a response and I refused to acknowledge he’d called my girly business a monster.

  He nodded sarcastically.

  “I did!” I can’t believe I was defending myself.

  He backed up a step, swung my legs in, and patted my thigh. “Uh huh, sure, kid.”

  That condescending bastard. The door slammed before I could say anything so I just yelled as loud as I fucking could, “Cockblocker!”

  His door opened, and he glared, causing me to grin.

  "Could you be a little louder? I don’t think people four rows over heard you."

  I opened my mouth like I was going to scream again until his eyes widened, but then laughed. “Get in, we have to go.”

  His face became serious once again and his body stiffened. The tension of the unknown visible in his movements as he got in the truck.

  He slammed his door and sat with a death grip on the steering wheel.

  I debated on what to say; I wouldn’t lie, but maybe leave Landon out of it completely? He’d ask though, so that’d just be delaying the inevitable.

  “Vaughn.”

  I jerked out of my thoughts and put my seatbelt on.

  “Stephanie called.”

  The steering column creaked under the pressure and I winced.

  “Landon is fine,” I blurted and held up my hands. “He’s at school.”

  He took a deep breath and slowly released his grip on the wheel, finger by finger.

  That was a good sign, right?

  “Something’s up with Eileen. I told her we’d be there after we got you taken care of.”

  “Define up?” he asked tightly through clenched teeth.

  Okay, maybe not good. I chewed on the inside of my cheek, knowing the next part was going to set him off.

  “No food in the hous—”

  “The fuck you mean no food in the house?” he bellowed angrily.

  “Stop! There could be a perfectly logical explanation for that.”

  “Like fucking what?”

  “I don’t know, she’s tired after work and hasn’t had a chance to go to the grocery store?”

  He looked at me blankly. “What else?”

  “She got home late last night, and it apparently wasn’t the first time.”

  His right eye started twitching as he fought to control his anger. “How late?”

  “Three a.m.?” I asked hesitantly and waited for him to lose his shit.

  Only there was no explosion. No rant. Not even a single curse. He calmly cranked the truck, looked back over his shoulder, and floored it.

  Shit. The momentum flung me forward, and I grabbed the oh shit bar just as the seat belt locked against my chest and he whipped the diesel out of the spot.

  He put it in drive without saying a word and exited the lot. At least he didn’t break anything this time; that was an improvement, right? He was trying.

  Chapter Nine

  He hung a left for the interstate and didn’t speak the entire hour to Eileen’s, only stopping once at the ATM to get cash for Stephie.

  When we pulled into her driveway, he threw it in park and jumped out of the truck.

  “Fuck me.” I sighed and popped the release on the seatbelt so I could lean over and switch the truck off.

  I got out and heard him banging on the front door, so I ran up the graveled walk to intervene.

  “Quit!” I hissed and wedged myself between him and the door.

  He lifted his fist to bang again, and I elbowed him in the stomach just as the door opened.

  We both froze, taken aback by the state of the woman standing in the doorway.

  Her usually smooth strawberry hair was plastered to her head on one side and a ratted nest on the other. Her baby blue eyes bloodshot, day old liner half gone, and mascara smeared halfway to her temple. Stains littered her two sizes too big tee, and there were no shorts in sight.

  Sutton’s chest pressed against my back as he tried to force his way into the house.

  I dug my heels in and pushed back against him while I smiled at Eileen. “Hi.”

  Please don’t let it be drugs. Please. Please. Please, I begged whoever was listening.

  She pushed her hair out of her face and frowned, then looked back and forth between us.
“Agent Sutton, Agent James? What are you doing here?”

  “Move.” Large hands gripped my forearms and lifted me off the ground, then moved us into the house.

  Eileen’s eyes widened, and she jumped to the side just in time to be clear of the freight train barging himself in her front door.

  “Jesus, what is wrong with you two?”

  He put me down beside Eileen and I grabbed his hips to steady myself, thankful he held on long enough for me to get my footing, before stomping off into the back of the house.

  “Do I even want to know?”

  The hints of exhaustion in her voice let me know just how bad it was here.

  I massaged the bridge of my nose and shook my head. “No.”

  If I told her of his worries over Landon, it would just piss her off more than what I was already planning on asking her.

  “You look as bad as me.”

  I laughed derisively. “God, I hope not.”

  A sudden smack rocked my head forward and my finger into my eye. “Fuck.”

  “Do not insult me in my own house, child.”

  I rubbed my eye, then the back of my head, and frowned at her. “Have you lost your damn mind? And no offense, but have you seen a mirror lately? That was fucking respectful.”

  She rolled her eyes and put her hands on her hips before smiling sweetly. “I’d take that back smart butt, unless you just don’t want coffee?”

  I opened my mouth to say something but decided against it and just scowled at her instead. I can’t believe she’d smacked me upside the back of the head. But using coffee against me was just cruel.

  “That’s what I thought. Come on, I’ll make a pot and you can tell me what you’re doing here. What happened to Grumps-a-lot?” she asked as she started towards the kitchen.

  I snorted. He really did get the worst nicknames.

  “Minor incident at work this morning, he’ll be fine.” I tucked my hands in my pockets and followed behind her through the clean but very well used living room. They lived in their house, that’s for sure, but it was never dirty.

  She stopped in the doorway to the dining room and stood there, unmoving. “What the hell is this?”

  I stepped up behind her and peeked over her shoulder.