“No.” She turned toward him and shook her head.
“What do you want to do?” What could he do to fix this and help her?
“Leave.” She lifted her shoulders.
“Leave?”
“If you get Little Tony and Phillip, they’ll just send someone else. What happens when you get hurt because of me? Or one of your friends? Or a neighbor?” She closed her eyes. “I can’t do that. I can’t be responsible for anyone else.”
Trevor got up and circled the coffee table. He couldn’t begin to fathom what she’d been through or how she’d gotten to this moment. She’d been a kid forced to make a tough choice, and she kept making them even when the people who should have been there for her weren’t.
He placed his hand on her arm. When she didn’t flinch or pull away, he folded his arms around her, holding her close. She buried her face against his shoulder and clung to him.
“I shouldn’t have told you.” Her voice was muffled, but he still heard the strain.
“No, you did the right thing.”
“Promise me you won’t go back to the house?”
“I can’t promise that.”
“Trevor.” She pushed at his shoulder, but he kept a tight hold on her.
“I won’t go tonight.” If a nosy neighbor hadn’t reported anything in the last few hours, he figured they had until the morning.
Dina looked up at him. Tears clung to her lashes. There was a weariness about her, pulling her down. She wouldn’t hold out much longer. She’d been living with this weight and fear for the safety of every person around her. He now understood why she’d reacted the way she did at the market.
Trevor stroked her back. They stood there for several minutes.
What was the right thing to do here? What did he have to do for work? And what did his gut want him to do?
First thing in the morning he’d handle the break-in. After that it was fuzzy.
Procedure dictated he should notify the proper authorities. The US Marshalls had probably closed her case, but the FBI might still be interested in her as a future witness.
He didn’t know how she’d gone about setting up this new life, but he was willing to bet it wasn’t all above board. If he wanted to help her and protect her, he had to think carefully about every move they made.
Trevor leaned away from Dina. Her nose wrinkled a bit.
“You smell me, too?” he asked.
“Yeah. Sorry, that’s kind of awful.” She covered her face with her hand.
“It’s pretty rank.” He let go of her and glanced down at himself. “I’m going to grab a shower. You want something to eat or drink?”
“No.”
“Are you going to be here when I get out?”
“I don’t have anywhere to go.” She wrapped her arms around herself.
“Don’t think about that tonight. Have a seat and I’ll be out in a minute.” He nudged her toward the sofa.
Once Dina was settled, he grabbed his phone and ducked down the hall to the master bedroom at the rear of the house. He left the doors open in the hopes that if Dina made a break for it he’d hear before the alarm chimed.
What the hell was he getting into?
He grabbed a change of clothes, got the shower going then stripped out of his sweaty clothes.
When he’d met Dina at The Hole she’d sounded like someone who had her shit together. A woman that wasn’t like the ones he normally went out with. But then she’d said something while lying in bed and he’d gotten the drift that all wasn’t right. Then she’d disappeared while he slept and he’d known he’d missed something, he just didn’t know how deep things went.
His friend Jenna had been on him about leaving this alone. Forgetting the woman who’d called herself Iris. Obsessing about her was making the same mistake again. The same one he always made, and each time he was the one left holding the pieces and paying the price.
Trevor didn’t know if he could afford to take one for Dina. This was another level of trouble.
He stepped into the shower and prayed the water cleared his head. Maybe an idea for how to fix everything would come to him. He couldn’t turn his back on her. Not when she needed him.
6.
DINA HEARD THE WATER turn on.
This was her chance.
Trevor’s keys were on the kitchen counter. There was probably some cash somewhere she could pinch. If not, the gear in Trevor’s SUV would be worth enough to get her out of the state.
God, she hated that the wrong answer came so easily.
Then what?
If she stole his stuff, what did she think would happen?
Where would she go?
How would she set up a new life?
Did she really think Trevor wouldn’t come looking?
She was tired of this.
At eighteen she’d turned against her parents.
At nineteen she’d testified and helped put them behind bars.
Now, at twenty-six, she was sick of it all. The only two things she’d ever wanted were to be loved by her parents as much as they loved Dominick and to be normal. Completely average and boring. That sounded lovely to her.
Her parents would never care for her in the way they cared for her brother, but she could still find some level of normal. But not if she kept running. She’d done that and each time she thought maybe she was finally safe, someone found her.
It was time to do the one thing she’d never done. Dominick would keep coming after her unless she stood her ground. If she didn’t, it would keep happening until she couldn’t run or fight anymore. She had to handle this, or she’d never get a day of peace.
Facing this meant confronting her brother, their family, friends and everyone connected to them. When she’d been younger, she’d been so naïve. Her biggest mistake was protecting her brother. He’d been set on this path since the day Dad began taking him aside and showing him the business. There was no changing that. Dominick was who he was always going to be. She’d allowed him to grow into the role and become more dangerous by omitting his part in Rosie’s murder.
Not anymore.
Dina loved her brother, but she didn’t love the man he’d become. He was just like Dad. She hadn’t seen it back then, but she did now.
Everyone loved Dominick most. Her parents. Her. Their friends.
She wasn’t going to protect him anymore. He’d been part of Rosie’s murder. Dina couldn’t go back in time and change her story. Going forward she was done thinking of him first. If Dominick wanted to try to kill her, she’d make sure to take a chunk out of him first.
Dina was going to have a life. She wasn’t going to give it up. And she refused to be alone anymore.
The sounds of the shower beckoned her.
Trevor should be running from her given what she’d told him about her, her past and her family. She knew she was bad for him. He was a cop. He had to see that getting involved with her meant navigating a minefield. And yet he was still here.
For all she knew, he’d call the FBI to come and get her or he would wash his hands of her first thing tomorrow. She didn’t know what was going to happen with him, but he made her want to try. To change her routine, to be different. She’d let her brother steal so many things from her. This was one she didn’t want to lose.
If she kept letting Dominick win, she’d always be alone. There would never be a man like Trevor in her life. A man she got to grow old with. Someone she could love.
She braced her hands on the doorway leading into Trevor’s bathroom and stared at the steam billowing out.
Yeah, she remembered that shower. There’d been a bruise on her knee for a week from the stone bench. Every time she’d bumped it she remembered wet, slippery bodies.
Dina swallowed and stepped on the cool tiles.
Things were changing. They weren’t in their safe boxes. She could be dead tomorrow. Tonight she didn’t want to live in fear. She wanted to feel again, to be alive and pretend for a few precio
us moments that she was just an average girl falling for an average guy.
She pulled her T-shirt over her head and let it fall to the ground.
Ever since those first few texts she’d craved getting closer to this man. Right now she didn’t want to think or worry, she wanted to feel.
“Dina?” Trevor called out.
She stepped out of the last of her clothing and pulled the shower door open.
Trevor stood under the big shower head, water running down his face and chest. He watched her enter the shower, his gaze stuck on her face.
Other than the new scar on his brow, the rest of him was how she remembered it. The tan lines across his biceps were more pronounced now. His chest and abs were still lean and muscular. At least his semi-erect cock seemed happy to see her.
She took two steps. The warm spray hit her on both sides and from above. She placed her hand on his chest, grounding herself and peered up at him.
“Iris. Dina.” He covered her hand with his.
“I always liked Iris.”
“I’m done in here. You can—”
“Don’t go.” She slid her hand up and over his shoulder.
“This isn’t a good idea right now.”
“Why not?” Her nipples brushed his chest, and she shivered.
“It’s a stressful night. You don’t have to do this.”
“I know.”
“You should rest and...”
“And?” She leaned against him, the water running over their bodies.
She watched his Adam’s apple bob up and down. His hands came to rest on her hips. He stared down at her, his eyes a little wide.
Dina wasn’t used to good men. Trevor was good. She’d known it the night they met and every interaction with him strengthened that judgment.
“This is selfish,” she said.
She cupped the back of his head and lifted up on tip-toe. His head bent a little bit. She pressed her lips to his. He pulled her to him and licked her bottom lip. Warmth unfurled within her. The strain of the last few hours dropped away. Her knees went a little weak as Trevor made love to her mouth. Her memory hadn’t lied to her. It was just as good as she remembered.
Dina reached between them and wrapped her hand around his cock. She pumped his smooth flesh, running her fingers over the ridges of skin.
He cupped her mound, his fingers curling against her. She gasped as he thrust between her legs.
Trevor wasn’t always gentle.
Dina didn’t mind.
He walked her back until she ran into the chilled glass wall. She shivered, and a thrill went through her. His lips kissed a trail down her neck while his fingers curled inside of her. She let her eyes close and focused on everything she felt.
Hair stuck to her brow and the back of her neck.
The humidity made it hard to breathe.
She could smell his soap. She’d remembered that smell for weeks after their night together and now here it was again.
His cock seemed to grow in her hand. That first time, on the sofa, she’d nearly thought he’d hurt her. But he hadn’t. They’d started slow then. She wasn’t in the mood for easy right now.
Trevor bit her shoulder, not hard, just enough that it brought her back to here and now.
“Condoms are in the bedroom,” he said against her cheek.
“Fuck the condom.” They hadn’t used one for their last shower episode. Why pause now?
“Dina.” He pressed against her, trapping her.
She strained to get closer, but he had her arms tight to her sides. She could see his struggle. Trevor was a gentleman. He probably wanted to have a chat, talk about things, make sure she wasn’t making a rash decision. That was the kind of guy he was.
“Should I beg?” She kissed his shoulder and the base of his neck. “Fuck me now, please? I need you. I haven’t stopped thinking about you. I want you.”
It was true. Every bit of it, and there was something freeing about being able to say it even under the guise of pleading for sex.
Trevor grasped her arms. He took a step back and turned her until she faced the glass. She planted her hands on the wall and peered over her shoulder at him. He had his hand around his cock, his eyes on her ass. She pushed her hips back.
“Damn it, Dina,” he muttered.
She smothered a chuckle. She’d won this round.
He edged closer.
She shut her eyes and bit her lip.
There.
His cock slid through her folds.
Oh, God...
Trevor grasped her hip with his free hand and she held her breath. He pressed into her, easing the head of his cock inside her pussy. She flattened her hands against the wall and thrust her hips back. He slid deeper while she stretched around him.
The hand at her hip tightening until she could feel each and every finger.
“Shit,” he hissed.
Her head swam and her internal muscles flexed, feeling him out, relearning his shape.
He slid his arm around her waist, pulling her back to his chest.
“Easy,” he said into her ear. “You’re so fucking tight. You’re going to make me come before I can pull out.”
His hand slid up to cup her breast while he kissed her neck. She closed her eyes and focused on the feel of him inside her, his lips on the ticklish part of her neck, the hand holding her. His fingers circled the already stiff nipple. She groaned and splayed her hands on the glass.
The hand at her hip slid down, his fingers pressing into her skin, over her pelvis and down to her mound. He stroked her flesh, running his digits along either side of her clit.
He thrust without warning. She cried out as he surged into her. Her toes curled, and she tried to dig her nails into the glass.
“Oh—oh, man,” she panted.
“Yes, I am.” He chuckled, his mouth next to her ear.
“Do that again.” She leaned forward, bracing her forearms on the glass to better steady herself.
Trevor’s left hand slapped on the wall next to her shoulder. Her stomach fluttered.
His fingers stroked her as he pulled out. She laid her forehead against the wall and held her breath. This time she was more prepared for the thrust. She groaned, her voice echoing in the tiled room. He didn’t stop, there was no easing his cock into her. He rocked into her, his fingers working in tandem.
She pushed her hips back to meet him, joining their bodies with a slap of flesh.
Already her arms and knees felt weak.
He thrust harder, forcing her closer to the wall. She gave in and pressed her chest against the cold glass for support.
“You’re so God damn tight.” His voice was strained.
She couldn’t respond. Even her best, sassy reply escaped her.
He pistoned into her, stroking her insides with his cock.
Dina’s moans echoed off the glass. Her mind felt as though it weren’t connected to the rest of her.
All at once her muscles tightened. She let out another mindless cry of passion and her knees gave out. Trevor caught her between the wall and his body, his arm around her waist as the orgasm swept through her.
That was so much better than she remembered.
Dina turned, supported by Trevor’s arms. He loomed over her, his cheeks sunk in and those sharp eyes of his were trained on her. She was willing to bet he’d always been an overachiever.
She reached for him and wrapped her hand around his cock.
“Your turn,” she said.
“You don’t—fuck.” His whole body shuddered as she tightened her grip.
“I don’t, what?” She grinned.
It didn’t matter how strong or badass a guy was, the moment their pleasure took over they weren’t the ones in control.
The tendons on either side of his neck stood out. He braced his hands on the glass and closed his eyes. His body seemed to ripple from his toes all the way up. He groaned and warmth coated her hand. She watched his face, fascinated by the plea
sure-pain response.
Trevor pulled out of her grasp then wrapped his arms around her. He kissed her and walked them both backward into the shower. His hands slid over her body, keeping her close.
Neither spoke as he rushed them through a wash up. She caught him smiling a few times out of the corner of her eye.
What would it be like to wake up with a guy like him around?
She’d been forced into temporary relationships that she didn’t know if she even knew how to be with someone, but she wanted to try. She wanted someone to look at her like that and know she’d wake up with them tomorrow.
Trevor turned off the shower finally and stepped out. He grabbed a towel off the rack and held it out to her. She followed him and he spent a moment swiping her body dry before bundling her up in the terry cloth.
“Are you going to be here when I wake up?” he asked.
“I think so.” She didn’t want to say yes and then have to leave. She didn’t know what could happen in the next few hours. The last thing he wanted was to break her promise.
“Don’t tempt me to handcuff you to the bed.”
“Oh, kinky are we?” She chuckled, and he laughed.
Soon reality would intrude, but for these precious moments she wanted the dream.
TREVOR SAT IN THE driver’s seat of his SUV, his gaze focused on a rock lying in the road. It was a forced effort to not watch the woman sitting next to him. He could sense her nearness, knew when she shifted in her seat and every time she leaned on the console his skin felt like it tightened. He wanted to reach for her, to hold her hand, but he didn’t.
She’d been there when he woke up. And not just that, he knew the truth. Or at least some of it. What he was going to do with what he knew was still uncertain. He knew how this was going to go. She was in trouble, so he’d help her and along the way he’d fall in love with her. Then, when it was all said and done, she’d leave him.
They always left.
Sometimes he was ready to say goodbye and others he’d finally thought things would change.
When he discovered Iris’ identity he’d promised to stay away from her. The writing was on the wall. She was trouble. And for a while he had, but now she was here and it took all of his effort to not act on what he wanted. Which was her.
Stolen Redemption (Texas SWAT, #2) Page 7
