by Jayne Rylon
Unfortunately, the damage had already been done.
Ian clicked off the screen and dropped the remote onto the couch. He ambled back to them before addressing Jace. “You going to break it to her or will it be better coming from me?”
Casey flicked her stare between the two cops. She didn’t like the sound of that.
“Now that your locksmith got his fifteen minutes of fame, I don’t think it’s wise for you to stay here alone in case one of two things happens.” Jace sighed. “Either the guy who exterminated our resident thief will come to check the place out and hunt for valuables and additional incriminating evidence or—if he’s less dead than we suspect—the original owner could make a reappearance and be none too happy about you exposing his plans.”
She rolled her eyes, unsure it was necessary for her to abandon her new home for who-knew-how-long when all she wanted to do was finish unpacking then fall asleep in her own bed. Then again, she’d never known Jace to be melodramatic…except when it came to her safety.
His overprotective streak had largely caused the rift between them, hadn’t it?
“Do you agree with him, Ian?” she asked, counting on him to be the voice of reason. It was weird having a third person as a sounding board to keep her and Jace in check. When emotions ran as high as they did between the two of them, sparks—of passion or anger—often flew.
Their inability to stay calm around each other had contributed to the demise of their relationship. It was impossible to communicate effectively when you were either screaming or having raunchy make-up sex constantly.
“I do.” He smiled softly at her, making her sure she was going to hate the rest of what he had to say. “I honestly believe there are people who will want insurance against any other damning info coming to light.”
“So either you’re going—which I would prefer—or, at the very least, we’re staying.” Jace crossed his arms and spread his legs. He seemed as immovable as the Statue of Liberty. There was no way she’d budge him. Honestly, she didn’t even want to try.
Mostly because she wasn’t crazy enough to relish the thought of facing a murdering career criminal or a disgruntled burglar on her own. She’d be lying if she said the thought of having an excuse to keep Jace close for a little while, especially under the watchful eye of his partner, didn’t tempt her. Thrill her, really.
“Better have someone pack you guys an overnight bag then.” She shrugged, as if it meant nothing to her to have them invading her brand-new territory.
“Babe, you know I sleep naked.” Jace grinned impishly, then shocked her by sneaking in a quick kiss on her cheek. “Feel free to barge in without knocking.”
Some things never changed.
5
“Can I talk to you outside for a moment?” Casey could have invited Jace into her bedroom for a private chat, but that would have been a colossal mistake. They’d never be able to have a rational discussion within reach of a bed. It might have been years since they’d spoken, but their chemistry was as instant and intense as ever.
“Sure.” He took her hand, entwining their fingers, then led her toward the door. Ian stared at them until they’d disappeared into the main hallway outside her penthouse.
She should have shaken off his hold. But really, was there any point? All this time and space between them hadn’t done anything to sever their bond. What would detaching their hands do? She wasn’t sure if she was more afraid of the danger lurking outside or the man stalking her in plain sight.
Was it wrong to hope he caught her and took her down beneath him?
“God, Casey.” He nuzzled his scruffy chin against her temple, breathing deep, smelling her hair as he backed her against the wall. “It’s so good to see you again.”
Though it was probably a major mistake, she put her arms around him and squeezed. Regardless of how they’d left things, he’d been one of her only friends growing up. The person she had confided in. The one she ran to when things were shittier than usual. The kid she’d comforted when his parents kicked him out at fourteen because they couldn’t afford to support him and they figured he could take care of himself. Jace was the reason she’d survived long enough to escape. Despite how things had ended between them, she hoped he might say the same of her.
“I’m glad you’re doing well for yourself,” Casey said.
“Thanks. Not as good as you, though. This place is incredible.”
She simply nodded, some of that lingering emptiness in her core filling with pride and joy.
“You’re even more beautiful than you were before. All woman. A damn fine woman at that.” He licked his lips as if he might devour her at any moment. “It’s killing me not to kiss you. You know that, right?”
He directed her hand to his crotch so there was no mistaking the effect they had on each other. He was hard and as huge as she remembered. Before she ended up stroking him, right there in the semi-public space, she retracted her fingers. He clasped them in his again.
“Is it the thought of what we had that’s turning you on, or the thought of what might happen tonight?” She didn’t bother with coyness. “Are you planning to spend the night in my bed?”
“I’ve never acted like I want to be anywhere else. You’re the one who left me, remember?”
“Because you weren’t honest with me. Maybe you should be now, though.” She stared directly into his chestnut eyes, although she already knew the answer to her question before she asked, “Are you hoping there’s room for two or three?”
He hesitated, glancing away just long enough that she realized nothing important had changed. Not their feelings, not their attraction, and not his reluctance to share that part of himself with her.
It was pointless to repeat their past, mistakes included.
Casey flicked her hands free of his. She lifted them to his chest and shoved. Hard. Yep, he was every bit as ripped as she’d thought. Fucker. “Just do your job, Jace. Forget about the rest. I guess it’s true what they say…the more things change, the more they stay the same.”
“Shit!” He pounded his fist against the wall above her shoulder. He would never hit her. It wasn’t even a possibility. That didn’t keep her from flinching at the depth of his frustration. “Don’t worry, babe. I’ll keep you safe. Even if you hate that it’s me guarding that smoking body of yours.”
Jace leaned in toward her as if he might steal a kiss, until she angled her chin away.
He chuckled, not in the least offended. “That’s okay. I’m happy to chase you as long as you like. It’ll only make you taste sweeter when you surrender. You remember that, right?”
It took every ounce of her willpower not to whimper. Because she did.
“See you inside, babe.” Jace gave her a lusty once-over before pivoting on his boot heel and heading toward her apartment. “Take a minute to collect yourself before Ian sees you riled up like this. He won’t be able to keep his hands to himself and then I’ll have to shoot him, which will result in a fuck-ton of paperwork. But only a minute or I’m coming to get you. You’re safer inside. I’ll be watching on the security system.”
Casey waited until he closed the door before she grunted and collapsed against the wall, fanning her face. Her heart had stopped racing a bit when the door beside her cracked open. She almost shouted for Jace, until she realized it was the guy she’d learned a little too much about from the papers in the safe.
Gabriel. Her ex-priest neighbor.
“I didn’t mean to eavesdrop. Goliath needs to go out.” He winced. “You’re not afraid of dogs, are you?”
“I guess that depends on if it’s a mean dog or a nice dog.” She hesitated when a chocolate-brown snout poked through the open doorway not much below the door handle. “Whoa.”
“Yeah, he’s incredibly friendly, but enormous and completely unaware of his size. I promise I won’t let him jump on you.”
“Sure, I’d love to meet him.” She couldn’t help but grin when the dog bounded out into the ha
ll, tail wagging like a windshield wiper in a downpour. “Hey, big guy.”
The dog sniffed her outstretched hand before letting her ruffle his ears and pet his sleek coat. She laughed when he licked her.
Gabriel hit the elevator button then relaxed, letting Goliath’s leash go slack. He rested his shoulders against the opposite wall from her. With one foot propped on the damask wallpaper behind him and his arms crossed, he didn’t seem at all saintly. Then again, she was nothing like the person she’d been before either. Who was she to judge?
She returned her attention to him while still petting Goliath, who must have weighed nearly as much as she did. “Nice to meet you. I’m Casey, your new neighbor. Sorry for turning the place to shit so quickly.”
He chuckled. “Is everything okay? I mean, I saw the cops earlier. And that guy…he’s one of them, right?”
“That was Detective Jace West.” She sighed. “I think it’ll be okay. I found some papers in a safe with information about the penthouses and how to access them, who lives in them, valuable items in them, stuff like that. Thought it’d be best to call it in.”
“I’ll keep an eye out then.” He nodded. “Thanks. How about on a personal level? He bothering you? His business with you doesn’t seem all that official. I’d be happy to speak with him if you like.”
The man must have God on his side to even insinuate that he’d challenge Jace. Especially when Jace was in full cop mode. He’d been intimidating before. Now he’d scare anyone straight.
“He also happens to be my long-lost ex-boyfriend.” She still couldn’t believe he was here.
“Ah. Yep, that explains it.” Gabriel chuckled. “You know he’s still into you, right?”
“I hope so, because I plan to make the best of this shitty situation.” She smiled, happy to find that her neighbor was pretty awesome, not at all what she would have expected based on the black and white facts about him that she’d read earlier. Extensive tattoos peeked from beneath the collar of his T-shirt.
“Casey!” Jace shouted from inside her apartment. “Time’s up. Get your pretty little ass in here. Now.”
“Guess I’d better go.” Casey thought it might be more fun to make Jace come get her, but that would push her drama tolerance considering she’d just met Gabriel and had to live next to him from now on.
“Guess so.” Gabriel tilted his head and studied her closely as he said, “If you need a break from him or a cup of sugar or someone to take a confession…whatever, feel free to come knocking on my door. Any time of day, it doesn’t matter. I don’t mean that in a pervy way. Just…uh, yeah…If you need something, ask. Please.”
“You’re the coolest priest I’ve ever met, Gabriel.” She held out her hand and shook his.
“Ex-priest. But thanks.”
“Sometimes the past doesn’t let go of us just because we walk away from it. Ask my ex-boyfriend, huh?” She smiled ruefully.
“Casey!”
She rolled her eyes at Jace’s escalating bellows, though Goliath’s ears stood at attention.
“You may have a point. Nice to meet you.” Gabriel called his dog and they piled into the elevator car that had just arrived.
“Same.” Casey marched into her apartment and slammed the door, prepared to rip Jace a new one for treating her like a disobedient pet. She might have done it, too, if Ian hadn’t intercepted her and distracted her until her temper faded.
6
Casey gritted her teeth as another loud thump came from the living room. She’d had to walk away after Jace and Ian took her photographs off the wall, removed the cushions from the furniture, and flipped it all over, poking and prodding to see if they could find any hidden loot. Generally, they had fucked up every single thing she’d just finished putting in order.
They’re doing their job, she reminded herself.
Very thoroughly.
So far they hadn’t found anything else. They had made one hell of a mess, though. With every item they cast into disarray, her anxiety ballooned. After growing up in an untidy home with little consistency, where she was at the mercy of so many things out of her control, neatness and order helped her combat anxiety.
Another crash.
Her eye twitched.
She gripped the countertop, visually tracing the veining in the solid slab of stone. Oblivious to her near-meltdown, Jace tramped over and asked, “Do you have a flashlight, babe?”
He started opening cabinets at random, letting the doors close harder than she would have liked as he realized most of them were still empty.
“I might, somewhere in this disaster. Are you sure you don’t want to tear apart the boxes I brought with me, too? Maybe you could rummage it out of there before scattering the contents across the entire penthouse for me.”
He paused and looked over his shoulder. “That was sarcasm, wasn’t it?”
“Yes!” She raised her hands and squeezed her head between her palms to keep it from exploding. “You’re driving me nuts. I mean, I know you have to look. But can’t you do it in a more organized and methodical fashion?”
“Hey, calm down. We’re going to put everything back. Promise.” He held his hands out in surrender.
“Not exactly like it was.” She tried hard not to hyperventilate. Truth was, it was freaking her out. Having him here was bad enough. The disruption to her life, the home she’d been barely adjusting to, and now this…it was too much. “Maybe I should book a hotel room until this is over.”
“You could. I would still prefer that. To be honest, though, we don’t know how long the investigation will take or when—or even if—someone will make a move. You might have to get used to having roomies for a while.”
She hadn’t considered that.
She froze.
Jace didn’t. He sidled closer. “There’s no need to panic. I’m going to take care of you, Casey. Did you think I’ve forgotten how badly you need order and control in your life? Or how hard it gets you off when you surrender that power to your lover? To me.”
A flashback to the first time he’d ever tied her up burst into her memory. They’d been fooling around in a mostly rusted abandoned bus near the lake. He’d grabbed his belt and lashed her arms together behind her back. She’d come before he’d even started fucking her, and too many times to count after. He’d had to carry her home that night since she was boneless and wasted on pleasure.
He came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. His hands latched onto her wrists and held tight. “I’ll take every bit of this fear inside you and turn it into something special, something amazing, if you’ll let me. You’re going to let me, aren’t you?”
Casey shivered in his grasp.
Fuck him. “That’s not playing fair.”
“Nope, sure isn’t. I prefer to play dirty.” He kissed her neck then, making her knees weak. She sagged in his hold. He cradled her against his chest easily. “So do you, even if I’m the only one who knows it.”
Casey jerked when Ian hopped over a pile of papers and landed in the kitchen, hunting for who knew what. “Oops. I didn’t realize you two were…whatever you’re doing. Should I go take a walk around the block or something?”
“No,” they both said in unison.
She tried to break free of Jace. He didn’t let her go. Not this time.
“You might as well stay and hear what I have to say,” Jace explained.
“Because it impacts him too, doesn’t it? What you do with me.” Casey looked over her shoulder at Jace. He loosened his hold until she could turn around face him. “You two are more than just partners on the force, aren’t you?”
Ian didn’t make a sound. The intensity of his stare could have cut right through the safe in the library, no locksmith needed. How much did he have riding on how today turned out?
“Yes.” At least Jace didn’t try to deny it this time, like he had when she’d confronted him with rumors she’d picked up while trying to keep her mom from passing out in the bar bathroom
one night. She’d overheard one of the regulars bragging to her friend about how Jace had fucked her along with another, older guy she’d been dating. Casey had recognized the guy’s name as someone who’d offered Jace a place to crash for a while during his couch-surfing days.
At first Casey hadn’t believed it. Then, when that blabbermouth had described—in painstaking detail—the way he fucked and places he liked to be touched, Casey had thought he’d cheated on her. She’d left her mom to drink herself into oblivion so at least one of them would be happy, then stormed home to confront Jace.
When she’d unleashed on him, he hadn’t denied having a threesome, except he’d sworn he’d never cheated on her. Never wanted another person after they’d hooked up. He’d said it was something he’d tried in the past. For god’s sake, when he’d been just fifteen. And that he’d never do it again.
She could see the truth in his eyes, though.
He’d wanted to do it again. Just not with her.
In that moment, she had realized she couldn’t be everything he needed the way he was for her. It devastated her. Doubly so when he refused her suggestion that they try it together.
First he’d raged that no other man would touch her, that he wouldn’t loan her out to anyone like someone who didn’t mean anything to him. Then he started questioning whether she wanted to hook up with other guys. When she convinced him she’d only suggested it so he could be happy, he swung in the other direction, insisting that he wouldn’t let her fuck someone else just so he could get off on it. Nothing she’d said had convinced him otherwise.
From any direction she attacked the problem, it only grew. Their fighting escalated until she knew it was the kind of clash they’d never recover from.
That one secret. That single hidden desire had shattered them.
She couldn’t see any way to satisfy them both.
Casey refused to make Jace miserable. Couldn’t live with his eventual resentment. So she’d given him up. Walked away and left her heart behind, because that was the only honorable thing to do.
