Forever Hers

by E. B. Walters

  They would be useless in any court of law. Eddie’s mind raced as he searched for solutions. “What if we find Reither’s stash of mementos?”

  “That’s the smoking gun in this case, and it must be in his possession. It doesn’t matter whether it is his house, car or garage.” Briggs studied him. “Did you have something in mind?”

  “Yeah, but I need to flesh it out before running it by you.”

  Briggs nodded. “Okay. Take the thumb drive home and show it to Ms. Kincaid. I’m sure she’d be happy to hear the truth.”

  Eddie shook the detective’s hand and hurried to his car. He did a little shopping before heading back to the lake house.

  ***

  The first thing Eddie noticed was the police car, and it wasn’t Sally’s. Something cold settled in his gut. He parked his car and hurried inside the house. Laughter, Amy’s voice and male voices, reached him before he saw her.

  She was on the patio with two uniformed men hanging on her every word. One even sat in his favorite chair. What were they doing here?

  He focused on Amy. Her brilliant blue eyes sparkled with merriment, the men completely under her spell. Her laugh, natural and genuine, showed she was enjoying their company. She had no idea how gorgeous she was and the effect she had on men.

  Her eyes widened when she saw him. She jumped to her feet, a more radiant, sunny smile lighting up her face. The two men followed her gaze and stood as soon as he opened the back door.

  “Detective Fitzgerald,” they said in unison.

  “Officers.” Eddie’s eyes stayed on Amy as he walked toward her.

  “You’re home,” she said, her chin lifting up, inviting. He did what was becoming natural for him. He lowered his head and captured her lips in a kiss.

  Home. Yes, he was home. She was home.

  He eased off the kiss and offered her the dozen roses. “These are for you.”

  Surprised flashed in her eyes.

  “Oh, thank you. They’re gorgeous.” She inhaled their fragrance, closing her eyes.

  He wasn’t a flower person, but the red blooms had reminded him of her lips. He looked over at the two cops. “What’s going on, officers?”

  “We’re just going back to the car, until we hear from Detective Briggs,” the taller one said.

  “Thank you for the drinks and the cookies, Ms. Kincaid,” the short, balding one added.

  “I told you to call me Amy.”

  They glanced at Eddie and answered in unison, “Yes, ma’am.”

  “What’s going on?” Eddie asked as soon as the cops left. “Briggs didn’t tell me anything about leaving sentries here.”

  “Long story.” She reached up and kissed him. “I’ll put these in water. Do you want something to eat?”

  “No.” He caught her hand and walked with her inside the house.

  “Dinner won’t be ready for hours,” she added quickly and laughed. “Actually, I haven’t started it yet.”

  “What aren’t you telling me?” He picked up an apple from the fruit bowl and sat on the stool, his gaze not leaving her face.

  A vase in hand, she arranged the roses, added water and carried them to the middle of dining table. She lowered her head and inhaled their fragrance again, then bit her lower lip and gave him an innocent smile. “I love roses. Thank you.”

  “I’m happy you do, but I’m not buying that smile. Spit it out.”

  She rolled her eyes and sighed dramatically. “Burgess was here.”

  Eddie choked on a piece of the apple and coughed and sputtered, “What?”

  She explained. The more she talked the more pissed he became. He got up without saying a word and went to pick up the tablet. The ice in his stomach didn’t start to thaw until after he watched the footage twice.

  “Nice side kick,” he said calmly when he wanted to call Briggs and demand an explanation, yell at her for taking chances. Why the hell had she left the house and confronted the guy?

  “I chickened out.” She started for the kitchen and, like a moth to a flame, he followed.

  “You handled the situation the only way you could, but still that’s no excuse. You should have called me.”

  “If I had your cell phone number, I would have.” She removed beef patties from the fridge and placed them on the counter. “I called Captain Briggs.”

  “I wonder why he didn’t mention anything to me.”

  “That’s because I told him not to.”

  Eddie scowled. “Why not?”

  “You’d have driven home like a maniac and gotten into an accident or something. If you haven’t noticed, you get all uptight and anal when you shift to your protector mode.”

  He didn’t even bother arguing with her because she was right. “Where’s your phone?”

  “Right there by my computer.”

  He walked back to the living room and picked it up and brought it to her. “I’m going to text you my numbers—office, cell and home.”

  She cocked an eyebrow.

  “So you’ll never have an excuse not to call me during an emergency. Oh, and I’m cooking dinner tonight. Barbecue. Get a glass of wine and put your feet up. Number please?”

  Few minutes later, he started the grill, which was on the patio, while she sliced vegetables then sat back and watched him while sipping wine. Jimmy and Sam joined them, and when the food was ready, Amy went with the three children to invite the two officers. It was a festive group that ate dinner together on the patio.

  The boys grilled the police officers about everything while Raelynn sat on Eddie’s lap, watched them and listened without participating. At least she didn’t insist on going inside the house. As far was Amy was concerned, it was a big step.

  CHAPTER 17

  Amy finished reading the third story for her daughter and closed the book.

  “Just one more, please, Mommy,” Raelynn whispered.

  She pulled the blanket to her daughter’s chin. “No, it’s time for this little princess to close her eyes and dream of fairies and unicorns. Goodnight, sweetheart.” Amy kissed Raelynn’s button nose then her forehead.

  “But Mommy—”

  “Buts are ugly goons who steal dreams. Where’s my kiss?”

  Raelynn gave her a kiss and a hug. “I love you, Mommy.”

  “Love you too, sweetheart.”

  “I want Uncle Eddie to kiss me goodnight too.”

  Her daughter could be so difficult sometimes. Eddie wasn’t in the kitchen, living room or outside. The grill was packed, the table cleared the table and the dishes put in the dishwasher.

  She followed the sounds to his bedroom. She caught him lifting his shirt and her breath caught, watching him as though he was stripping just for her. Beautiful skin, tight abs, he was sheer perfection.

  He stopped and peeked at her. “Amy?”

  “Don’t stop on my account.”

  She expected a chuckle. Instead, he pulled his shirt down and faced her, hands going to his hips in a challenging stance. “Come here and do it yourself.”

  She couldn’t wait to do it, but first things first. “I can’t. Raelynn wants a goodnight kiss.”

  He caught up with her before she reached the living room, pulled her around and kissed her, giving a taste of what was to come. Would it always be like this between them? She hoped so.

  He ripped his mouth from hers and ordered, “Don’t move.”

  She couldn’t if she tried. She leaned against the wall for support and giggled as he raced down the hallway and almost lost his footing as he turned the corner. Wasn’t she supposed to have a shower? Change into something sexy? Yet now all she could think about was him.

  Naked.

  He seemed to be gone forever, then a sound made her look up. Eddie strode toward her, gray eyes gleaming, so sure about what he wanted—a relationship with her. It was exactly what she’d wanted too. Call her greedy and selfish, but she wanted more. She deserved more because she loved him and wanted a lifetime with him.

  He lift
ed her up and carried her to bed, desire darkening his eyes, his heart pounding as hard as hers. His arms held her tight, possessively as though he would never let her go. She pressed her lips to his forehead, his cheekbone, his chin. Then their mouths met, emotions building up from deep inside her core, shudders shaking her body.

  He took cues from her moans and shudders, his touch sometimes gentle, sometimes rough. Her nipples ached for him and he suckled them. The heat between her legs called to him and he pushed her to the brink over and over again with his tongue, teeth and fingers. And when he poised at her entrance, looked into her eyes and eased inside her, his movements infinitely gentle, tears rushed to her eyes.

  He froze. “Sweetheart, I…”

  “I’m okay. Don’t stop.”

  She was still sensitive from all the lovemaking, but instead of pain, she felt complete. Their joining was more intense than usual, more gut-wrenching, more pleasurable. As powerful sensations took over her body and pleasure rippled across her skin.

  “I love you, Eddie,” she whispered.

  ***

  Eddie tried to open his mouth and say something, anything, but his vocals had seized up. Amy didn’t love him. She couldn’t. He hadn’t given her a reason to love him.

  People always needed a reason to give love, but when something or someone better came along, they moved on. His mother had done exactly that without looking back. Amy was only reacting to their lovemaking, which was beyond anything he’d ever experienced before. As for him, love was an emotion he shied from. It led to pain.

  Amy was opposite him in every way. She was love, tenderness and honesty. She had no safeguards against people. That was why her ex had manipulated her, using her to replace his first and only love Penelope. And that was why he was doing exactly the same thing, using her body to get rid of the feelings he couldn’t explain. All he knew was that when he was around her, his chest felt tight, his heart raced and the need to touch her overwhelmed him. So he’d calculated every move he’d made, including tonight.

  Too bad everything backfired on him. He’d tried to control her and his responses the last few days, yet she’d turned the tables on him, pushing him to a place where he ceased to matter, to a place where he was part of a whole. It was as though she became a part of him he’d never known was missing.

  No, it wasn’t possible. This was sex putting ideas in his head. Once they were done with the investigation and Nolan was behind bars, the intensity of their lovemaking would wane. In a week, he’d be back working in L.A. while she continued raising her daughter here in Sandpoint. Weekends he could either fly out to visit or she and Raelynn could visit him. It was a good plan. A good arrangement. No sentiments or talks of love.

  “It’s okay,” she said, kissing his chest then burrowing under his chin as though she hadn’t a care in the world.

  He frowned. “What is?”

  “You are overanalyzing what I said. You shouldn’t. It’s one of those gifts you accept without question.”

  “It’s a burden, not a gift. You said you love me, therefore I’m obligated to say something.”

  She caressed his chest. “I release you from any obligations.”

  That wasn’t right. “Why?”

  “Because you’re not ready to love me or anyone else, and saying it won’t change that.”

  Irritation licked his nerves. “What do you call what I just did? I made love to you, worshipped your body and made you come several times.”

  She chuckled softly, the sound so sexy his body responded, reminding him they were still joined. “Yes you did, and like you said before, you’re good at it. You must be open to the possibility of love, so you can either accept or reject it. So, no, baby. Don’t feel obligated to say what you don’t feel.”

  That wasn’t the problem. He felt too much. “You are amazing.”

  “I know.” Her leg moved up and down his thigh.

  He chuckled, kissed her softly, languidly, savoring her taste. He caressed her soft skin, the curves and the dips. “Do you want to have a shower with me?”

  “Sure.”

  He turned on the lights, scooped her and carried her to the bathroom. He turned on the shower and while they waited for the hot water, he ran his knuckles along her cheek. She was so beautiful and comfortable in her skin. She didn’t even try to fake modesty around him. That was the kind of woman she was. Open. Honest.

  Sex with her was mind-numbing, but she’d opened doors to other places, to her heart without expecting anything in return. That kind of giving and loving was foreign to him. It scared the hell out of him.

  She took his hand and led him into the shower, the gesture so simple, yet it was so symbolic. Or maybe he chose to read more into it than it warranted. They took turns scrubbing each other. She showed him scars from six years ago. He kissed every last one of them as she giggled. She was ticklish. He shared his battle scars from his work and hung on to his dignity as she copied him and kissed every last one of them, including the one on his ass.

  After drying each other, he carried her back to bed, tucked her head under his chin and draped her over him, neither of them wearing anything. She fell asleep.

  Sleep didn’t come easy for him. Eddie thought about the past, his mother, his father all alone since Lori left the nest. Love sucked, especially when it wasn’t returned. He saw what it did to his father. He wouldn’t wish anything like that on Amy. He’d already been honest with her when he’d said he didn’t believe in love. He would repeat it, so there would be no misunderstanding. Their relationship, sexually intense as it was, would not end up with him falling in love with her. His only hope was that whatever hold she seemed to have over him would be gone by the time their relationship ended.

  ***

  It was seven when Amy woke up. Eddie was still asleep, looking so angelic and vulnerable. She still couldn’t believe she’d told him she loved him. Once the words had stumbled out, she hadn’t wanted to take them back. Even now, she wanted to wake him with a kiss, tell him again, so he didn’t misunderstand. She didn’t want him thinking it was a heat of the moment confession.

  She loved everything about Eddie Fitzgerald. Loved the feel and the smell of him. He was the best lover she’d ever had, but beyond the sex, she loved him for the man he was, a protector, loyal, upright and honest.

  But he carried a pain that was so deep and vast, and consuming. His inability to love stemmed from that pain—the rejection by his mother. There was no way he’d love her or feel he deserved to be loved until he found closure. He had to be in control all the time, guarding his heart against those who wanted in. Maybe one day she would make him see the truth.

  Amy lifted his arm from across her waist and shifted gently out of his arms. She gathered her clothes, slipped on his T-shirt and padded back to her room.

  Raelynn was still asleep. Amy kissed her daughter’s forehead then pulled on panties and shorts, keeping the T-shirt on even though she knew she shouldn’t. She loved knowing it had touched his skin. In the kitchen, she started on breakfast.

  With the ear buds on, she got busy whipping a mixture of egg whites and real eggs, flour, and butter for crepes. Bacon baked in the oven for the filling and coffee was brewing in the pot.

  She was finishing with the crepes when hands came from behind her and settled on her waist. Her heart skipped. Eddie. His male scent filled her nostrils, the heat from his body engulfing her. She pulled the ear buds and threw him a saucy grin over her shoulder.

  “Good morning.”

  “Morning.” He held her chin in place, lowered his head and gave her a sweet, gentle kiss that belied the erection pressing against her buttocks. Sensual heat shot through her. “Hmm, coffee,” he added. “How did you sleep?”

  “Great.” A lock of dark hair slipped over his forehead and she found herself reaching up and sweeping it back. He hadn’t shaved, and the shadow added to his rakish good looks. “Want coffee?”

  “I’ll get it.” He caressed her nape as he wal
ked past. He poured himself a cup, turned and leaned against the counter. He grinned, studying her.

  “What?” she asked, turning the stove off.

  “Nice shirt.”

  “Thanks. I borrowed it from this guy I know, a booty call.” He choked on his drink. She moved to his side and thumped his back. “Are you okay?”

  “Booty call?” he asked, not masking his outrage. “Take it back.”

  “Make me.” She took off across the kitchen until the counter was between them. He put his coffee down and came after her with a purposeful stride, a playful twinkle in his eyes. It looked good on him.

  Amy opened the door and ran outside. He caught up with her on the dock, wrapped her in his arms and, together, they watched the sunrise.

  ***

  An hour later, Amy turned off the video and sat back. Eddie tried to read her expression. She looked sad.

  “What do you think?” he asked.

  “I had no idea Nolan had been in love with his best friend’s girl. How sad. No wonder he never talked about his past.”

  Eddie didn’t like her tone. “Don’t tell me you’re feeling sorry for him.”

  “Not really, but his twisted behavior makes sense now.” She chuckled. “You have no idea how happy I am that he’s obsessed with her, not me. No wonder he always dates women who looks like her.”

  “What women?”

  “Me. His present girlfriend. I want to show you something.” She disappeared inside the house.

  Eddie went over the notes he’d written down as he watched Burgess—if that was even his real name. There was a way they could force Nolan to show his true colors, but it would depend on Amy. First, they had to fool Nolan into thinking he was a free man, that he’d gotten rid of Amy. Second, they had to force him to lead them to the box with his mementos.

  The door opened and Amy reappeared with both her laptop. She chewed on her lush lower lip as she rebooted her laptop. She still wore his shirt, which came down to her mid-thighs and covered her gym shorts. Her two-tone hair suited her. He wondered what she looked like with her natural hair. He didn’t think it would matter. Amy was gorgeous regardless of her hair color. His chest grew tight and the urge to lean forward and coax her lower lip from between her teeth rolled through him.