· · · · ·
“We have no idea who he is.”
She stared at her supervisor. “What do you mean?”
“We have taken his prints, his DNA, nothing. But the bastard has no record. Nothing to link him to any other identity.”
She sipped the water he had given her and looked out the window. The sun was just peeking over the mountains, and she sighed.
“So he stole an identity?”
He nodded. “Kid who died of leukemia. He invented a whole life.”
“Not good that we didn’t pick up on that.”
“Us?” Her supervisor crossed his arms over his chest. “No. Three police departments hired him. Hell, he turned down a detective position with Phoenix to come here.”
“Do you know anything else?”
He shook his head. “He wasn’t really fixated on Rome until he came here. It was hard to work with a man who had so much respect. Jack had little from what I have been told. The other officers didn’t like working with him.”
She nodded.
“There’s going to be an investigation at some point, but the fact that you picked up that he was in law enforcement will definitely get you some leverage. I have a feeling you’ll end up with a promotion out of this.”
“What?”
“Oh, don’t look so stunned. You caught a serial killer that has been haunting us for two years. You got caught by him, but by doing that, I’m sure you’ll end up with a promotion. Might mean you have to move. I do know there will be an opening in the Phoenix field office.”
She waited for the joy that should bring, but there was nothing there. Nothing that made her feel good about getting a promotion. It should have made her ecstatic, but it didn’t. In fact, she felt somehow deflated.
“Now, agent, you’ll explain just what the hell you were doing.”
She shook herself out of her thoughts. “Catching a killer.”
“No. Your phone was left at this Detective Carino’s house. What were you doing there?”
“Are you asking me about my personal relationship with Rome?”
“Yes.”
“As my supervisor or as my honorary uncle?”
“As your father’s best friend. Just what the hell is it? I hear you were going to a BDSM club with him, living with him? Was that just part of the job?”
Not for her. She shook her head.
“And just what the hell is going to happen between you two?”
“Are you by chance asking me if his intentions are honorable?”
He looked uncomfortable, but he nodded. “Someone has to.”
“I wasn’t a virgin. I’m close to thirty.”
“And you might be able to fool other people, but I know that none of your relationships were like this.”
She straightened her spine. “Keeping tabs on me?”
His expression softened, and he reached across the table to pat her on the hand. “No, honey. I hear it when you say his name. You’re in love with him.”
The tears started to burn the back of her eyes again, but she would not cry. She would not fall apart again. “Yes.”
“So, what ya going to do about it, little girl?”
“Nothing. Rome isn’t into long-term relationships, and I knew that when I went into the this. Don’t worry about me. I can handle it.”
The look he gave her told her that he thought otherwise.
“I have to talk to you about something else,” she said.
“What would that be?”
“My future at the FBI.”
· · · · ·
“You didn’t have to drive home.”
Rome was grumbling, and he knew he sounded like a little boy. He didn’t care. He hurt. Inside and out. His shoulder was hurting like a bitch because he had refused his last painkillers. Probably a bad idea now that he thought about it, especially since Maria had insisted on driving.
“I’m not sure you would have been up to it. You know I got shot in the shoulder once and found it hard to drive for a few days.”
She unlocked the door and then pushed it open. Stepping back, she took his arm to help him into the house. Like he was an invalid of some sort.
Once they were inside, she closed the door and locked it.
“Micah and Evan made sure to get your prescriptions taken care of.”
“I don’t need painkillers.”
She said nothing, so he turned to see her giving him a wry look. “Yeah, you’re a big, bad He-Man. But one of them is for infection. You want to make sure you take it.”
He nodded and headed toward the couch. Damn, he was tired. Just coming home from the hospital had him feeling like a ninety-year-old man.
She was staring at him and biting on her bottom lip. Then she winced.
“Damn, I keep forgetting about that.”
Rome frowned. Dammit, he thought he was over the anger, but it whipped through his blood. He held it back the best he could. He was still pissed at himself for leaving her in that position, for not picking up on Jack’s issues. He was his partner, and he should have known.
Her spine stiffened, and he knew she misinterpreted it. Her boss had told him that she blamed herself for not checking Jack out, but the problem had been he wasn’t officially part of the HPD anymore. They’d already started his paperwork for the resignation before Maria hit the island. He hadn’t been on their list. That was Rome’s fault.
“Are you sure you’re alright?”
He nodded. “I’ll be fine in a day or two. You heard the doctor.”
She gave him an overly bright smile. “Well that’s good because my flight leaves at ten tonight.”
“What?” he asked, but she was already walking back to the bedroom.
“My flight. I’m going back with Agent Smith.”
She didn’t even slow down. She yelled it out from the room.
Anger and panic swamped him. She was leaving, just like that. He had fucked up big time, and now he was losing her.
The hell he was.
He stood and walked as fast as he could to the bedroom. By the time he got there, he was out of breath and had to lean against the doorjamb.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
She looked up from zipping her bag with wide, innocent eyes. “What do you mean? I have to get back to DC.”
“What about us?”
She blinked. “Us?”
“Yeah, we have a relationship here.”
She chuckled, and it grated on his nerves. “The job is done. I figured you were already moving on a few days ago. You pretty much told me through your actions that you didn’t want any kind of relationship with me.”
“I did not.”
“You did.” She shrugged. “I understand. It’s hard doing what we were doing and keeping the sexual feelings out of it. We both had to let off some steam.”
“Steam?”
She picked up her bag and set it on the floor to roll it out. She walked to the doorway and waited for him to move.
“Maria.”
“You have to move for me to get through.”
He stepped aside, desperately trying to come up with something to stall her. He needed to think. When he told Micah and Evan they would be married, Rome had thought he would have time to ease himself into it.
“I didn’t give you permission to leave.”
She was in the kitchen. She tossed a smile over her shoulder at him. “I didn’t really ask. And that part of our relationship is over, Rome. I enjoyed it, believe me. But you know how serious I am about my career.”
His eyes narrowed as he studied her. “You told me you wanted to write fiction.”
“I do, but I’m not about to give up a big FBI career. Smith says I’ll probably get a promotion out of this.”
He watched her, and he would have never guessed what was going on in her head if he hadn’t seen her fingers shake when she was putting things in her laptop case.
“Really? So you can
just walk away from me, what we had?”
She nodded. “It was all part of the job.”
She didn’t look at him, didn’t even glance in his direction. He walked up behind her. She stilled.
“Aren’t you going to give me a going away kiss?”
She said nothing for a second or two. With his free hand, he brushed her hair over her shoulder, exposing her neck. He bent his head, drawing in the sweet scent of her and then placed his mouth on her pulse point. It beat wildly under his lips.
“You never struck me as a sentimental person, Rome.”
She was trying to be a hardass, but her voice wavered on his name, and he knew he had her.
“I am, though. Especially when it comes to you.”
“Don’t.” The plea almost sounded like a sob. He stepped back then turned her to face him. The tears in her eyes cut at his heart. He couldn’t stand to see her in pain.
He lifted his hand and gently rubbed one tear away with his thumb. “Don’t cry, baby.”
“Please, don’t do this to me. I’m trying to give you what you want. I can’t play these kinds of games.”
He would have laughed from the joy of hearing her misery over leaving him but he knew it would hurt her. He cupped her face and tilted it up to see her. God, she was a mess. Her eyes shimmered with unshed tears, and her nose was already red. He’d never seen a more beautiful sight.
“I won’t as long as you promise me one thing.”
She sniffed. “What?”
“Don’t leave me. It’ll break my heart.”
Her eyes widened, and she shook her head as she tried to step away from him. He just backed her up against the table.
“I said don’t mess with me.”
“You have to give me some time to get things in order and then we can go to DC.”
“What?” she squawked the question.
“I’ll have to hand in my resignation and get everything in order. Plus, you have to meet my folks.”
“Meet your folks?”
“I think you should meet them before we get married. And they are going to want a ceremony there, so you’re just going to have to put up with that.”
“What wedding?” she asked.
“Ours.”
“Forgive me, but I don’t know if I heard you ask the question.”
“I didn’t ask.”
She wrestled herself away from him. “You don’t want to marry me.”
Her voice was now turning a little hysterical.
“What do you know about that?”
“First, I’m not going back to DC.”
He frowned, confused. “But you said you were.”
She drew in a breath, closing her eyes. He got the impression that she was counting backwards from ten. When she opened her eyes, she was spitting mad.
“I resigned from the FBI. There, you have it. I’m not going back there to live. Yes, to finish out all the paperwork, get rid of my apartment, then I’m moving back to Dad’s place.”
“That works. You can just move in here.”
She shook her head. “I haven’t said I was going to marry you.”
“But you are.”
“You don’t love me. I am not going to settle for anything less ever again.”
She said it with such force, he knew she was serious. He knew what she had been through as a child, what she had missed out on. Still, she was a first rate FBI agent, strong, dependable, and the sweetest woman he’d ever met. The fact that she had that hard outer shell made him love her even more.
“I do love you.”
“No, you don’t.”
That wasn’t the reaction he expected. “Yes, I do.”
She was already shaking her head, and now he was getting pissed.
“I do love you. I may not like you right now, but I love you. Jesus.” He shoved his hand through his hair. Women never ceased to amaze him.
“Tell me one thing that tells me you love me.”
“One thing?”
Rome was still trying to come to terms with the fact that he’d told a woman he loved her for the first time in his life, and she was telling him he didn’t.
“See.” She brushed past him. “You don’t love me. You feel guilty, or maybe you’re feeling bad for acting like a jackass. I get it. Don’t worry. I’m not loveable.”
He caught up with her as she opened the front door. He slammed it shut, and she opened her mouth to yell at him.
“Shut up,” he roared. “God, you’re a pain in the ass, you know that? I tell you I love you, and you want proof. I’m willing to move to a city I detest to be with you, and you don’t see it.”
“I don’t like your tone.”
He ground his teeth as he grabbed her suitcase and tossed it across the floor. It thudded against the wall.
“Why of all the nerve—”
“I said, shut up.” He started pacing. “Why do I love you? Prove it? Woman, you know how to push a man’s buttons, don’t you?”
She opened her mouth, and he shot her a look that had her snapping it shut.
“Don’t even start comparing me to other men. Not your father or any of your old lovers. I love you because you’re strong. So strong you think you have to carry all your problems on your own. You don’t ever want a helping hand.”
“I’m not strong.”
She whispered the comment, and he heard the shame. He stopped pacing and walked to her then. She looked so fragile at the moment he was afraid if he touched her, she would shatter.
“I’m not strong,” she repeated, but louder this time. “I was so damned scared every time I was in the field. I hated it. I hate being an agent. I hate that sick rush you get when you know there’s going to be trouble. Other agents get off on it, but I don’t have the backbone to be an agent.”
Damn her father. Damn him for making her feel that the only way she could be complete was by being an FBI agent.
“Baby, that doesn’t make you weak.” He did touch her then. He brushed his fingers down her arm. She seemed to collapse, the tears streaming down her face. He pulled her against him with his one good arm.
“I am. There is part of me that would be happy to live a lie and pretend you love me just to be near you. I love you so much that it’s breaking me.”
“You are strong.” She shook her head and sniffled against his chest. “You are, baby. You are willing to walk away and try something that other people would be afraid to do. No matter what, you did a job you hated because people depended on you. That makes you a good person.”
She still said nothing, so he slipped his finger under her chin.
“But despite that, despite the fact that your father tried to raise you in his image, you are your own woman. You might be tough on the outside, but you have this sweet heart. You hide it from everyone else, but I see it. I like that. From the moment I first touched you, I knew I couldn’t give you up.”
“Then why were you being an ass?”
“You know about what happened in Seattle?”
“The partner, she was dirty.”
“I was sleeping with her. She slept with me to make sure I missed out on it. When they found Amy, I blamed myself. See, since I’d been with you, I couldn’t concentrate. I figured I could put you back in the compartment.”
She still didn’t believe him. He could tell by the expression on her face.
“You know, a guy could get the impression you don’t want to be loved by the way you’re acting.”
“You feel guilty.”
“Yeah, for acting like an ass, and I should have picked up on Jack, but he kept it well hidden. But I’m not telling you I love you because I feel guilty. I love you because of who you are. You’re tough and kind, and there is a part of you I know you’ve not let anyone see but me. A vulnerable part that just wants to be loved for who you are. I do love you for who you are. I want you by my side when I fall asleep, I want to breathe in your scent before I open my eyes in the morning. I want a little Mari
a running around the house with her mother’s laugh and those gorgeous blue eyes. I can’t think of being without you. I love you.”
Tears were now streaming down her face. “Oh, Rome. I love you, too.”
“Say it again.”
“I love you. I love you.” She threw herself against him, hitting his shoulder. He grunted as a twinge of pain filtered out from his shoulder.
She pulled back. “I’m sorry, Rome.”
“I think this is where I’m supposed to pick you up and carry you into the bedroom.”
She laughed. “How about we just walk in together?”
He stopped her. “You will marry me.”
The smile she gave him reached her eyes and had his heart turning over twice. “Yes. Yes, I will.”
He pulled her into the bedroom, but she tried to stop him.
“Rome, the doctor told you to take it easy.”
“Okay,” he said and gave her a hard tug that had her stumbling with him into the room. “I’ll let you do all the hard work.”
She laughed and fell on to the bed with him, the sound of it filling him with joy and lust. And love.
It was his last coherent thought for hours.
The End
About the Author
Born to an Air Force family at an Army hospital Melissa has always been a little bit screwy. She was further warped by her years of watching Monty Python and her strange family. Her love of romance novels developed after accidentally picking up a Linda Howard book. After becoming hooked, she read close to 300 novels in one year, deciding that romance was her true calling instead of the literary short stories and suspenses she had been writing. Since her first release in 2004, Melissa has had over 30 short stories, novellas and novels released with multiple publishers in a variety of genres and time periods. Those releases include the Harmless series, a best-selling erotic romance series set in Hawaii. A Little Harmless Sex, book 1, was one of the top 100 bestselling Nook Books of 2010.
Since she was a military brat, she vowed never to marry military. Alas, fate always has her way with mortals. Her husband is an Air Force major, and together they have their own military brats, two girls, and two adopted dog daughters, and they live wherever the military sticks them. Which she is sure, will always involve heat and bugs only seen on the Animal Discovery Channel. In her spare time, she reads, complains about bugs, travels, cooks, reads some more, watches her DVD collections of Arrested Development and Seinfeld, and tries to convince her family that she truly is a delicate genius. She has yet to achieve her last goal.
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