Hard Justice

by Jessica Coulter Smith

  “Is he going to go through with it?”

  “I don’t think so, but he’s eating up the attention. He has a lot of support in the department, and you aren’t looking so hot right now, as the girlfriend stealer. If you don’t do something, you may not be able to work here when this is all over. Because I have to tell you, it isn’t looking likely that he’ll get any jail time. If he’s convicted at all, which I’m doubting, he might get probation and lose his job. But you and I both know Judge Swanson loves him like a son.”

  Justice cursed. “That’s who drew the case?”

  “Bastard probably asked for it.”

  He thought furiously. There had to be something he could do to protect Bliss from the backlash and guard his own career. He’d have no choice but to tell her what was going on. He wouldn’t keep things from her, for any reason.

  “Thanks, Steinbau. I’ll see you at the station tonight.”

  “Actually, that’s the other reason I’m calling. Since you’re so close to this case, they’ve asked me to put you on administrative leave.”

  Son of a bitch! “For what?”

  “Some bullshit about letting your personal life interfere with your job.”

  “When do I come back?”

  “After the hearing.”

  Justice took a deep breath. “All right. I’ll see you the day after the hearing.”

  Justice hung up the phone. Bliss’s brow furrowed as she looked at him. “Aren’t you going to work tonight?”

  “It seems I’m on administrative leave until the hearing.”

  Her lips thinned. “Because of me?”

  “It’s not your fault,” he assured her. “Besides, it just gives me more time to spend with you. We can hang out at the beach, watch movies…whatever you want to do.”

  “Justice…”

  He silenced her with a finger across her lips. Plush lips that he desperately wanted to kiss.

  “Everything is fine, Bliss.”

  “What else aren’t you telling me?” she asked.

  “Some of the guys are trying to talk Travis into suing you for defamation of character. And I’ve been told I may want to look for another job before this is over.”

  Fire entered her eyes. “No! I won’t let you lose your job over this. Over me!”

  “It isn’t your decision to make, Bliss. I swore I would protect you if you came with me last night, and I meant it. I’m not backing out just because the guys at work want to make things uncomfortable for me.” He took her hand. “Let me take a nap in and then we’ll go do something fun, okay? You should probably rest too. Take the bed and I’ll take the couch.”

  She eyed the couch and then him. “I don’t think you’re going to fit on the couch.”

  He smiled. “I’ve fallen asleep on there many times.”

  Bliss glanced down the short hall to the bedroom and back at him. “We could share the bed. I trust you to stay on your side.”

  The fact that she had so much faith in him, especially after what she’d been through, humbled him. But she was too much of a temptation. She might think he would keep his hands to himself, but he couldn’t guarantee he wouldn’t reach for her in his sleep. It had been a long time since he’d had a woman sleeping beside him, too long.

  “It’s best if you take the bed,” he told her.

  She worried at her lower lip again, and he smoothed it with his thumb before she could make it bleed.

  “I don’t think I can sleep alone,” she admitted. “Exhaustion is the only reason I slept for an hour this morning. Every little noise had me jumping, thinking Travis was after me. And now, knowing that he hates me for tanking his career…Besides, if we’re together, we have a better chance if something does happen.”

  “You haven’t tanked his career. Not yet anyway. He’s just pissed off.”

  “Please. I promise I won’t get in your way.”

  Justice pulled her into his arms. How could he possibly tell her no? He didn’t want her to be too terrified to get the sleep she so desperately needed. Honestly, he was surprised her body hadn’t crashed already. He could see the fatigue in her eyes, the dark circles shadowing them. Her face was pale beneath her tan.

  “All right, honey. I’ll share the bed with you.”

  She squeezed him tight, and he guided her down the hall, after making sure the alarm was reset. He didn’t want any surprises while they slumbered. Not that he thought Travis would be ballsy enough to attack during the day, but when you poked the bear, anything was possible. If Justice was right in thinking Travis was on the take, it wasn’t just his job that was in jeopardy, but his thievery as well. He had a sweet deal that he wouldn’t want anyone screwing up.

  Justice closed the blinds in the bedroom and pulled the curtains closed, bathing the room in darkness. As his eyes adjusted to the dimness, he watched Bliss kick off her shoes and sit on the edge of the bed. She didn’t look very comfortable in her fine clothes, so he went to the dresser and pulled out a pair of boxers and a T-shirt.

  “Here,” he said, handing them to her. “You might be more comfortable in these since we forgot to get pajamas at the store. If you want, you can shower and change after our nap.”

  She smiled her thanks and ducked into the bathroom to change. While she was gone, Justice kicked off his tennis shoes and stretched out on top of the covers, arms folded behind his head. He heard the bathroom door open and couldn’t help but look that way. Bliss looked damned adorable in his clothes, cuter than any woman had a right to be.

  She settled on the bed and curled on her side, facing him. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to shut off his thoughts. Just as he was starting to drift, he felt a curvy body press against his side. He cracked an eye open and looked her way. She’d cuddled into his side with her head resting on his chest. He didn’t have the heart to push her away, even if she was hell on his self-control. Justice curved his arm around her and held her close, hoping that he was giving her whatever comfort she obviously needed.

  After a few minutes, her breathing evened out, and he knew she slept. As he stared up at the ceiling, he wished sleep would come that easily for him.

  Chapter Four

  Bliss woke slowly, trying to look around the darkened interior of the bedroom. The warm body pressed against her gave her comfort, Justice’s woodsy scent clinging to her. She couldn’t remember a time she’d felt safer. It was odd. She’d have thought, having just met him, that she’d be wary of being so close to him. And yet, all she wanted to do was snuggle down in his arms, content as a purring cat.

  A glance at the glowing clock display on the bedside table showed it was nearly six o’clock. They’d been asleep for quite a few hours, and still, Justice dozed. She knew he had to be exhausted, after working a full shift and then running her around all morning. Bliss tried to slip out of bed quietly, but his arm tightened around her, pulling her close once more. It seemed even in sleep he was guarding her.

  As her eyes adjusted, she could make out the sharp line of his nose, the firm curve of his jaw. His dark hair spiked up, having run his fingers through it many times during the day, and she imagined many more during his shift. What kind of man took in a stranger off the streets, pretended to be her boyfriend, and kept the wolf from the door? She’d read fairy tales growing up, but she’d never thought a man like Justice really existed. She’d settled for Travis, thinking he was one of the good guys since he worked for the police department. Bliss hadn’t learned until later, too late, just how wrong she was.

  She placed her hand on his abdomen, feeling the muscles under her fingers, like bands of steel. It was obvious he kept himself in shape, even better shape than Travis. Her boyfriend hadn’t lacked in the looks department, but he wasn’t cover model material either. Justice was too rugged to grace the covers of her romance novels, but he certainly had the body for it. All hard angles, she imagined the dips and curves of his body were beautiful. Her hand rose and fell with each breath he took.

 
; She couldn’t help but lightly caress the tight abs under her fingers. She’d seen men like Justice before at the beach, but she’d never been up close and personal with one before. Bliss had always felt they were out of her league. Not that she was ugly by any means, but she was a little on the pudgy side at a size fourteen. She had to be careful with her pants, choosing things that sat at her waist. If she wore low-rise jeans, she had a muffin top. So unattractive!

  Justice’s hand stilled her questing fingers.

  “What time is it?” he asked his voice husky with sleep.

  “Around six.” When had he woken? She was embarrassed to have been caught fondling his rather impressive muscles. She really had no excuse except for curiosity.

  He squeezed her hand gently. “Why don’t you shower and put on one of your new outfits? I’ll take you out for dinner. I was so concerned with you getting everything you needed earlier that food didn’t even cross my mind. I’ll run to the store tomorrow.”

  “It won’t take me long to get ready.” She tipped her head to look up at him. “You don’t have a hairdryer, do you?”

  He smiled. “There’s one under the sink. I don’t use it, but my sister left it here during her last visit.”

  “Your family doesn’t live nearby?”

  He shook his head. “I’m from Key West.”

  “And you moved here?” She wondered if she sounded as incredulous as she felt. Who in the hell left Key West for Boca Raton? That was like moving from Florida to Minnesota. Okay, maybe not that extreme, but pretty damn close.

  “My family is rather meddlesome,” he said. “Getting out of Key West was the only answer. I could have gone to Miami, but I like the small town atmosphere of Boca. I’d have felt lost in Miami, not to mention their crime rate is way worse.”

  “Well, I’m glad you came here. If you hadn’t, you wouldn’t have been sent out on that call last night, and I would still be running. Or worse, Travis would have found me.”

  Justice tightened his arm around her. “I’m glad I was sent on that call. I don’t know about you, but I believe everything happens for a reason.”

  “You mean like we were supposed to meet?”

  “Maybe.”

  She sighed and snuggled further into him. “I wish I had met you before Travis. He said all the right things and acted appropriately, lulling me into a false sense of security, then when he had me where he wanted me, he changed, and it was too late for me to do anything about it.” Then again, if she hadn’t met Travis, she wouldn’t be in the position to stop him from ruining so many lives.

  “He beat you down emotionally too, didn’t he?” Justice asked.

  “Yeah, he did. Travis is always telling me I should go on a diet, even went so far as to only buy healthy food and take away my debit card for two months so I couldn’t buy anything he didn’t approve of. My friends wanted me to have lunch with them, and I had to decline.”

  “Why didn’t you ask your friends for help?”

  She shrugged. “I guess I’ve slowly pushed them away. Travis made it impossible for me to spend time with them, and then when I could go out with them, they would talk about their perfect relationships, and it would just make me feel worse.”

  “Why didn’t you leave?”

  “He made sure I couldn’t. I had nowhere to live and no job. The car I drive isn’t even in my name. Everything in that house belongs to him, Justice. The money I spend is his.”

  “We’re going to change all that. Once we get through this week, we’re going to make a trip to the florist shop and see about you getting your old job back.” He gave her waist a squeeze before releasing her and sitting up. “I don’t want you to feel powerless ever again, Bliss. You can stay here as long as you need to; borrow my SUV when I’m sleeping during the day if you need a car. I’m not Travis. If you want to stand on your own two feet again, I’ll help you do that.”

  “You’d really let me stay here until I’m able to rent my own place?”

  “I want you here until we know it’s safe for you to be on your own again. Until we know Travis isn’t a ticking time bomb, I want you nearby. Even if the hearing goes in his favor, he’s going to want revenge. You made him look bad in front of the department, and while most people are siding with him, there are those who may doubt him now. He won’t like that.”

  “Maybe I shouldn’t have gone in to file that report.” If it didn’t get him out of the way, all she’d done was poke the bear.

  “He’s built his house on the sand,” Justice said. “It was only a matter of time before the foundation crumbled. And I think more is coming. Based off what you’ve told me, I think he’s on the take, or at the very least he’s re-selling the drugs he’s taking off the streets. He’s pocketing illegal money one way or another, and it’s only a matter of time before he’s caught. You’ve cast doubt on his character now, so once those allegations start coming in, people are going to be more likely to listen than they would have before.”

  “In other words, I’ve painted a bullseye on my forehead.”

  His brow furrowed. “I won’t let anything happen to you. He has to know that if something bad were to happen to you right now, people would look his way first. I think you’re relatively safe, but that doesn’t mean he wouldn’t arrange for an accident to happen. That’s less likely to happen as long as you’re with me.”

  “Is this ever going to be over? Or will I forever be looking over my shoulder?”

  He looked hesitant.

  “What?” If he had bad news, she wanted to know it now.

  “This could drag out a while, and truth be told, he may try to attack your character in the community, if he can’t get at you any other way. But if you’d stayed silent, he would have found you and disposed of you, possibly permanently.”

  “So what do you suggest?”

  “The only way you’re going to be untouchable is if…”

  “If what?”

  He blew out a breath. “You aren’t going to like my suggestion.”

  “Just tell me. Please.”

  “You need to marry someone who has a good reputation in the community, a civil servant of some sort would be best.”

  “You mean like a cop or fireman?”

  He shrugged.

  Her heart raced in her chest. Was he seriously suggesting she marry a stranger? She’d thought Travis was a good guy because he was a police officer and look how that had turned out! Who was to say she wouldn’t end up in the same circumstances, unless…

  “Wait. Are you suggesting I marry you?”

  Justice winced. “You don’t have to sound so enthusiastic about it.”

  Her mouth opened and shut several times, but she was at a complete loss. Waking up next to the sexy-as-sin officer every morning wouldn’t be a hardship, but it was completely insane. He was just doing his job, trying to protect her. All right, so maybe he was going a little overboard in the protection department. But she knew he had good intentions.

  “I can’t let you do that. It wouldn’t be right. I’ll just have to face Travis on my own and hope for the best.”

  “And if the hearing doesn’t go well?”

  She rubbed her hands on her thighs. “Then I’ll have to think of something else. I can’t just live with you forever because I’m scared to move on with my life.”

  Justice came around the edge of the bed and pulled her into his arms. “When I told you I would protect you, I meant it, Bliss. I didn’t just mean while it was convenient for me.”

  “But it shouldn’t have been a lifelong commitment, Justice. That isn’t fair to you.”

  She felt him smile against her hair.

  “Being married to a beautiful woman isn’t fair to me?”

  “You know what I mean.”

  He drew away and looked down at her. “If it’s the whole marriage thing that scares you, it can be in name only. You know I wouldn’t take advantage of you.”

  No. But I might take advantage of you. She blew out
a breath. He looked so serious standing there, his green eyes not giving much away, but she would almost swear there was the tiniest bit of hope shining in their depths. Did he want to marry her? Was he asking for reasons other than just protection? She couldn’t imagine why he’d want to marry a complete stranger, but as her gaze skimmed his toned body, she had to admit she was tempted to say yes.

  “It wouldn’t be right, Justice. Let’s just see how the hearing goes, okay?”

  “If that’s what you want. Just know that the offer stands. If you change your mind, at any time, all you have to do is tell me. It only takes three days to get a license. We could be married before the hearing. My family may not have connections in Boca, but I know they would stand behind us.”

  She gave him a wry smile. “Yeah, I’m sure they would just love you marrying some stranger you found in an abandoned building less than twenty-four hours ago. They’d probably have you confined to a mental hospital. Or me, once they find out I talk to ghosts.”

  His laugh was booming and transformed his face into something breathtaking.

  “Honey, my father proposed to my mother an hour after he met her.” His smile widened. “And she said yes. That was thirty-three years ago, and they’re still married and crazy about each other.”

  She felt her eyes widen and her jaw drop. “One hour?”

  He nodded.

  “But…”

  “Dad said sometimes you just know when you’ve found the right woman. He said the only thing he regrets is waiting an hour to ask her.”

  She’d never heard anything so insane in her life, and so incredibly romantic. Bliss took a step back.

  “I’m going to go shower,” she mumbled, not knowing what else to say to him.

  “I’ll be in the living room if you need anything. Take your time getting ready.”

  Bliss hurried into the bathroom and made sure both the door to the bedroom, and the one in the hall were closed. She started the shower and stripped out of her clothes while the water warmed. There was a plastic sack on the counter, and she realized that, at some point, Justice had placed her bathroom things in here. She pulled out her razor, shampoo, conditioner, and body wash, placing them on the edge of the tub.