by Mari Carr
Heavy footsteps sounded on the porch and soon the living room was filled with police officers. They cuffed the stranger and took statements from Trey and Ellie. A thorough investigation of the house proved the man had pried open a window in the basement. He’d made a mess of the upstairs—emptying drawers and closets looking for anything of value to sell for drug money. It appeared he’d only just started his destruction downstairs when they’d arrived home. The bag on the porch contained Ellie’s laptop, some jewelry and the small television from her bedroom.
Shawn showed up when he’d heard Ellie’s name blasted over the police scanner. As Ellie checked the house with another officer to confirm that nothing else was missing, Shawn pulled Trey aside.
“The other cops seem to think you helped us nab a man suspected of robbing several houses in town. Description of the suspect definitely fits. Lucky thing you were here, Trey. Guy is fucked up on some serious shit. Put up a hell of a fight when they tried to put him in the police cruiser. They found a switchblade in his pocket.”
Trey felt the breath leave his body when he realized exactly what could have happened if Ellie had returned home alone. The guy’s threatening comment as well as the weapon confirmed exactly how much force he might have used in order to get money from her. The anger Trey had beaten down once the man had been taken into custody reappeared. He wanted to punch someone. Hard.
“The robbery MO only partially fits. Guy we’ve been looking for usually stakes out a house, familiarizes himself with the occupant’s schedule, comings and goings. He finds an obscure way into the house, one someone wouldn’t notice right away. He’s in and out with as much as he can carry on his back before the homeowner returns. This hit seems a bit closer to home for him, though. His last few hits have been in more upscale neighborhoods. I’m wondering if he was desperate for money and knew Ellie was a single woman living alone. Might have made him braver.”
“Jesus.” Trey dropped down onto the couch behind him and Shawn knelt in front of him.
“Fuck, man. I’m sorry.” Shawn stared at him for a long, quiet moment before speaking again. “I have a bad habit of thinking out loud. The guy was obviously just here for money. Chances are good he would have grabbed Ellie’s purse and run off. You said yourself he looked like he was planning to escape when he saw you blocking his path.”
Trey knew Shawn’s words for a lie, meant to comfort him. He wasn’t so sure the robber would have left easily if Ellie had been alone.
Shawn grinned crookedly. “What’s up with you, anyway? You got a thing for the white chick?”
Trey rolled his eyes and started to answer, but Ellie walked into the living room. He rose quickly, walking over to take her hand. “Everything else where it’s supposed to be?”
She looked around absentmindedly. Trey was concerned by her pale complexion. Was she going into shock? Should he take her to the hospital? She’d seemed so calm and clear-headed during the actual attack that he’d failed to consider how deeply frightened she must be.
“You hanging in there, Ellie?” Shawn asked, coming up behind him.
“Yeah,” she answered, though her voice sounded strained, weak.
Trey hated the sound. Ellie was tough, self-confident. No asshole druggie was going to rob her of that confidence, that inner-strength. “Grab some stuff, sweetheart. You’re going to spend the night at my place.”
She looked for a moment like she wanted to protest, but Trey narrowed his eyes. He’d toss her over his shoulder and drag her to his house if he needed to. There was no way in hell she was staying here alone tonight.
“Ellie.” His demeanor must’ve proven resistance was futile.
She nodded and turned toward her bedroom. Glancing over her shoulder, she gave him a determined look. “Only for tonight, Trey.”
He breathed a sigh of relief when she walked away. She might be beaten, but she wasn’t down.
Shawn placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. “Your friend chose a shitty place to live.”
“I know,” Trey said. “I intend to see that she finds somewhere safer. And soon.”
“That’d be a good call. Gotta admit I’m looking forward to watching you chase your own tail trying to impress a woman for once. Landing the ladies has always been too easy for you. Looks to me like this one’s gonna be a little tougher to convince.”
“Very funny,” Trey mumbled, wishing there wasn’t so much truth in Shawn’s words.
There was an uncomfortable, unfamiliar voice inside his head demanding he storm upstairs, pack up every possession she had, and drag her to his place forever, so he could keep her safe, protected, happy.
He shut the voice down. Ellie was hell-bent on a platonic friendship and there was no point in torturing himself, hoping for something he couldn’t have.
Shawn said his goodbyes as Ellie walked into the living room with a small overnight bag.
“A couple of the cops boarded up the window in the basement for you. They said the place should be plenty secure once we lock it behind us. Shawn said he’d make sure a patrol car drives by every hour tonight just to be sure.”
She nodded but didn’t speak. Her silence was unnerving.
Trey led her to the car and they didn’t talk as he drove them to his house. Trey was lost in thought, fighting like mad to forget how badly this night could have turned out. He clenched the steering wheel tighter, trying to still his shaking hands. The adrenaline was quickly giving way to exhaustion.
Ellie broke the quiet as they pulled into his driveway. “I just realized I’ve never seen your home either.”
He grinned. “Lots of firsts tonight.”
She nodded and followed him into his house.
“Nice place,” she said, looking around.
“It’s Jamie’s house,” he confessed. “I took it on as a rental when he moved in with Grace. Beat the hell out of sharing a townhouse with two other guys.”
“It’s very cozy. I like the pictures. My family’s home burned down when I was sixteen. We lost everything. I think I miss the photographs the most.”
“I’m sorry. That must’ve been tough.”
She shrugged. “My family wasn’t home at the time and I guess when all is said and done, the most important thing was we were alive.”
She walked around his living room, studying the pictures of his family and friends. Briefly he told her who everyone was. He could tell she was on edge.
“My bedroom is at the top the stairs. The bathroom adjoins it. Make yourself at home.”
She turned to look at him, wariness in her gaze.
He pointed to the couch. “I’m sleeping here.”
He thought she’d be relieved by his words, but she didn’t respond. She’d been still as a statue since discovering the stranger in her home and he was starting to seriously worry about her. He prayed she hadn’t considered what could have happened beyond the man merely robbing her. He certainly didn’t plan to tell her about the switchblade the cops had discovered.
“Ellie. Are you okay?”
She nodded stiffly. “Fine. I don’t mind sleeping on the couch. I don’t like the idea of you—”
He cut her off. “The couch is mine.”
She shrugged and headed up the stairs. He grabbed a blanket from the end of the couch and unfolded it. As he lay there, he followed Ellie’s progress, listening as she walked from the bathroom to the bedroom, climbing into his bed. For several minutes, the quiet was absolute.
Then he heard it. A soft cry.
His heart raced as he tried to decide what to do. Would she want to cry alone or did she need consolation?
Finally, he gave into his own needs. There was no way he could lay here and listen to the woman he cared about crying.
He climbed the stairs and opened the door slowly. He could barely make out her trembling form on his bed through the darkness.
“Ellie,” he whispered, walking toward the bed.
She sniffled and he listened to her try to hold
back her tears.
“Shit. Don’t do that, baby.” He pulled the covers down and crawled in next to her. She froze for a moment and then she curled into his embrace, freeing the tears she’d been holding back.
He held her tightly, letting her cry out her fears, her anxieties. He tried to whisper soothing things, knowing nothing he could say would change the fact that she’d just dodged one hell of a scary bullet.
“It’s going to be okay. You’re safe here, Ellie. I’ll always protect you. I promise.”
She didn’t respond. Instead, she clung to him tighter. He stroked her soft hair, rubbed her back consolingly.
After several long minutes, her crying grew softer and soon her breathing evened out. He tilted his head until he could see her face. She’d fallen asleep.
He considered heading downstairs to sleep on the couch, but he dismissed the idea as soon as it popped into his mind. Instead, he tightened his hold on her and closed his own eyes, letting the slow rise and fall of her chest lull him into peaceful slumber.
Chapter Four
Second Quarter
Trey watched the last car pull out of the parking lot and released a loud whoop. Ellie laughed at his response.
“You’re insane.”
He shook his head. “Not insane. A winner.” He picked Ellie up and spun her around as she giggled and demanded he put her down. To say their basketball season had gotten off to a rocky start would be an understatement. They’d lost the first three games in a row—miserably.
Tonight—finally—something had clicked for his girls and they’d managed to come back from a twelve-point deficit to win during an away game. He’d known going in to the season, his team wasn’t likely to see the level of success they’d enjoyed in previous years. His players were too young—three of his starters only sophomores—but they had raw talent and drive. With Ellie at his side on the bench, he was starting to think the season wouldn’t be as abysmal as he’d feared. She was a great teacher, but she was an amazing coach.
“Come on,” she said. “It’s getting late.”
Alone in the parking lot, Trey followed Ellie to her car. She didn’t chastise him for the act. In fact, he was fairly certain she’d gotten used to his over protectiveness. It had been a month and a half since the break-in at her house. Since then, Trey had insisted on following her home every single night and escorting her to her door. He’d spent an entire Saturday installing stronger locks on all her windows and doors.
He’d promised to pack her up and move her himself if she’d sign a lease on an apartment in a better neighborhood, but she’d stuck to her excuses for staying put—claiming lack of money and time as her main reasons.
She’d just reached her car when his happiness bubbled over. Unable to resist, he turned her around, before pushing her against the car and kissing her lightly. It was meant to be friendly, quick buss, but once Trey got there, he found himself lingering, her lips too irresistible. “I’m pumped up. Too excited. There’s no way I can go home and go to bed,” he murmured against her lips. “Let’s celebrate somewhere. Go dancing.”
Ellie pushed away and for a moment, he thought she was going to reject him. He hadn’t kissed her in months, not since that night at Bristols at the beginning of the school year.
“It’s a Tuesday night. There’s nowhere in town to dance. Besides, I have an idea. The perfect way to celebrate. Can we go to your house?”
He nodded, shocked by her request. “Sure. What’s the plan?”
She gave him a sultry grin. “It’s a surprise. I’ll follow you there in my car.”
He agreed, breaking every speed limit on his way through town. His cock was rock hard and his mind was wallowing in the gutter. She hadn’t given any indication that her plans involved sex, but that didn’t stop him from hoping.
He’d abided by her damn rule, remaining firmly ensconced in friendship hell, but he wasn’t going to pretend it wasn’t getting harder by the day. He’d deleted his damn booty call list earlier in the week, knowing he’d never call another woman for hook-up as long as Ellie was around. The only woman he wanted in his bed was the one currently pulling into his driveway behind him.
As they walked into the house, Ellie pulled off her coat and hung it on the hook by the door. She’d been to his house several times since the night of the break-in—to watch football on Sundays with the gang or to meet for a quick dinner before a late practice. He liked having her in his home. She fit here.
“Do you have any playing cards?”
He looked at her and wondered for a moment if he’d heard her correctly. “Cards?”
She nodded. “Yeah. You know, ace, king, queen. Cards.”
“Very funny, smartass,” he teased. Trey walked behind the bar in the corner of the room and pulled out a new pack. “I want to celebrate and you want to play rummy.”
She laughed. “Not rummy. Blackjack.”
Trey opened the cards and led her into the living room. “How about strip poker?” He’d expected her to laugh at his joke, so her response caught him by surprise.
“Hmmm. I think you’ll find my idea runs along those lines.”
He gestured for her to take the couch, while he pulled a chair opposite her, putting the coffee table between them. “So maybe you should lay out the game plan.”
She smiled, reaching for the cards and shuffling them like a Vegas dealer. “I like the sound of that.”
“Of what?”
“Me—laying out the game plan. You realize I’ve offered quite a few suggestions to you about things the girls should be doing on the court.”
Trey released a deep breath. He’d been expecting this. Ellie was used to being top dog and deciding exactly what happened with her team at Harper’s Ridge. No doubt it was difficult for her to take direction from him. It had been his main concern about her taking the assistant coaching job. So far, he’d thought things were working out fairly well. She’d made a couple of proposals of different ways to handle things and he’d listened.
Tonight she’d advised they should move from zone to man-to-man defense. He’d made the switch and the tide had turned in the game. He wasn’t arrogant enough to think he always knew the right way. However, she needed to understand that as far as decisions about the team went, the buck stopped with him. “Ellie,” he started.
She raised her hand to halt his words. “You’re the head coach, Trey. I knew that going in and I’ve worked hard not to step on your toes. Not to usurp your authority.”
He nodded. She’d been absolutely professional. Always deferring to him whenever they had a disagreement. “I know that. And I know it’s not easy for you, but—”
“Let me finish. You said you wanted to celebrate and I know exactly how I want to do that. For tonight, I want a chance to be equals. To get my way. No questions asked.”
He swallowed heavily. What the hell was she suggesting? “Um, okay.”
She laughed. “Don’t look so grim. I’m not going to put you before the firing squad. Just a simple game of Blackjack.”
“What’s the wager?”
“Winner gets to do whatever they want to the other person, but the loser can't join in. When I win, you have to sit there and take whatever it is I do to you.”
He frowned. “What exactly are we talking about here? Give me an example of something you might do.”
She rose and Trey’s mouth went dry as she walked around the coffee table to stand in front of him.
“For example,” she said, bending over until he could smell the sweet scent of her shampoo in her hair. “I might do something like this.” She cupped his cheek, turning his face until her lips met his. She kissed him—the touch soft, gentle, and nowhere near enough. Trey reached up to grasp her hair, to deepen the kiss, but Ellie pulled away.
“Tsk, tsk, tsk. Still trying to take control. My kiss, my way. All you can do is sit there and take it.”
She wanted power. Trey tried to wrap his head around that concept. He was used to b
eing in charge—on the court and in the bedroom. “Fine. We’ll play. Just so long as I get the same reward when I win.”
“If you win, you can do whatever you want to me.” She smiled and walked back to reclaim her place on the couch. As she sat, she added the two words that told him while they could play, they wouldn’t finish. “Within reason.”
He wanted to protest the limits, but he didn’t. He wanted Ellie Hunter more than he’d ever wanted another woman. She wasn’t ready for what he was offering. However, this game gave him hope. She was definitely initiating some dirty foreplay and he didn’t intend to turn down the offer. After all, his mother didn’t raise a fool.
She dealt the first hand and he looked at his cards—a three and an ace. “Hit me.”
She handed him another card—a five.
“Dealer’s sticking,” she said.
He nodded. “Me too.”
They flipped over their cards. He had nineteen. She had two face cards—twenty.
“My hand wins.” She rose once more and Trey anticipated another of her too-soft kisses. While there was nothing he enjoyed so much as her lips on his, it was going to be torture not to pull her onto his lap and fully explore the depths of her mouth.
When she got to his chair, she gestured for him to turn it so that he faced her. He followed her command, his curiosity overriding his pride. She was definitely going to push the control card tonight.
As she bent at the waist, he leaned forward slightly, expecting her kiss. He was surprised when she ignored his lips altogether and, instead, reached for the hem of his T-shirt. Before he could consider her actions, she pulled the shirt off completely.
Her eyes devoured his chest and he soaked up her appreciation. She’d never seen his bare chest before. She dropped to her knees, pushing his legs apart so that she could kneel between them. Her gaze never rose above his neck. She ran her hand over his chest to his upper right arm, tracing the barbed wire tattoo there. “I’ve only ever seen glimpses of this tattoo.” She continued to touch him as she spoke. “I wondered what it was.”
