Her Best Friend's Keeper (Finley Creek Book 1)

by Calle J. Brookes

  “What? I’m fine.”

  “You’re staring, remember?” Red tinted her cheeks, and he felt like an ass for embarrassing her. “Do I have something on my face?” She licked her lips again and almost had him grabbing her right then and there.

  He shifted and tried to unobtrusively fix his pants so that she couldn’t see what it was she had done to him. What he had done to himself with the thoughts of her he shouldn’t have had.

  “Elliot?” She wasn’t going to let him brush this aside, was she? “What is it?”

  She leaned closer, licked her lips and looked up at him again. That was all it took for him to lose control. “It’s…it’s….damn it. It’s this…” He pounced. He couldn’t think of a better word for it. He had his hands under her arms and had her off the couch in a quarter of a second flat. The tablet fell to the floor. Elliot lifted, until her chest was flush against his own. Blue eyes widened and her hands landed on his shoulders. But she didn’t pull away. “It’s the perfume you’re wearing…”

  “I don’t wear perfume. Soap. Shampoo, maybe.” She whispered the words. He felt her breath across his face. “I’m sorry, is it bothering you? I usually use a different brand. I mean…I grabbed the wrong bottle at the store last time and I didn’t want to exchange it.”

  “Gabby, just stop talking for a minute, will you?” He’d made her nervous, hadn’t he? Why else was she babbling about shampoo, of all things?

  “What are you doing?” She scrunched her eyes shut then opened them quickly. “I mean, I kind of figured what you are trying to do, but I’m not sure why you are wanting to do it with me. I mean…I’m just me. I know you kissed me before but…I didn’t think you’d want to—”

  Elliot kissed her. It was the only way he knew would stop the babbling.

  And it was what he’d wanted all along.

  ***

  WOW. That was the first thought Gabby had after Elliot pressed his lips against hers. He tasted like coffee again, and it surprised her that she liked it. She never had liked coffee. But maybe it was Elliot she liked instead?

  He was a really good kisser. At least…he was a better kisser than any of the handful of guys she’d kissed in the last ten years. Her fingers dug into his shoulders through the blue cotton and she clung to him. He had really great shoulders.

  It took her a long moment to realize her feet weren’t touching the ground. He’d lifted her off the floor and she could feel every bit of him pressed against her.

  Elliot was absolutely perfect. What was she supposed to think about that?

  Gabby didn’t have a clue. All she could do was kiss him back and hold on for the ride.

  What had caused this shift? Today hadn’t been any different than yesterday, really. They’d both worked, came back to his place, made dinner. Just like the evening before. It hadn’t been awkward at all. She’d liked it. Just as much as when she’d spend the evenings with Jarrod. More. The attraction between her and Jarrod wasn’t nearly as strong as the pull she felt for Elliot. But…she’d thought she’d done a good job of ignoring it.

  It was a really good ride. Much better than the brush of a kiss in the kitchen that morning. That was almost platonic compared to this.

  Elliot kissed her like he meant it. And Gabby wanted him to. She wanted him to mean it, wanted more than just this friendly type of stasis they’d ended up in. She wanted to know he felt what she was.

  Gabby just wasn’t very good at going for what she wanted, especially with men. Especially when the risk was as great as it was right then.

  When he lowered her back down to the floor she didn’t want to step away. But she did.

  He was staring down at her with those eyes of his that made her all gooey inside.

  For once she was at a total loss of words.

  What was she supposed to do now?

  ***

  HE looked down at the woman in front of him and knew this was exactly what he’d been waiting for from the moment he’d realized who the pretty girl in computer forensics was. He wanted her in front of him, vulnerable, sexy, and focused completely on him. Her eyes were wide, her cheeks flushed. She was beautiful, perfect. She made him feel something again—did she realize that? “Gabby. Damn it, baby, you have two seconds to tell me this is not something you want…I can’t guarantee it would be any more than this. I’ve not been serious about someone in over ten years. I don’t think I can be anymore. But…I want to be with you.”

  Why did he feel like he was lying through his teeth? He couldn’t see just one night with her. It would have to be more. Far more than just one night.

  He tangled his fingers in her hair and tilted her head back and stared into blue eyes while he waited for her to make the choice.

  “Elliot…” She licked her lips and he almost died right there. “Elliot…I think I’d like that very much. No matter what happens. We don’t have to promise each other anything. We both know we’re not guaranteed tomorrows, or…or anything else…So yes, I think…I think I’d like to be with you, too.”

  Elliot scooped her off of her feet and carried her toward the bedroom at the end of the hall.

  CAPTER THIRTY.

  ***

  WHAT was she doing? Gabby had never taken such a risk in her entire life. It was crazy. She was crazy. She was going to wake up and realize she was in the middle of a full-scale mushroom-induced delusion, wasn’t she?

  Why else would she be standing in front of Elliot waiting for him to do something—anything—other than stand there staring at her? She thought she had a pretty decent body—they were just breasts, after all. Most women had them—some bigger, some smaller. She was just…not used to standing in front of a man, knowing they were about to take each other’s clothes off and have sex. Make love. Whatever they called it.

  “I’ve never seen anything more beautiful.” He touched her cheek with a single finger. That had her shivering more than if he’d just grabbed at her. His words were soft, almost reverent.

  Heat flamed in her cheeks. She’d always been so shy in the bedroom—maybe the main reason there hadn’t been all that many bedroom scenes in her life. This seemed so much more than all those others, didn’t it? “Elliot—“

  “Don’t say anything. Just let me look at you for a minute. Until I catch my breath—you’re perfect, Gabby.”

  Had he really just said that? Gabby had never heard anything that hot in her entire life. At least—not directed at her. “No, I’m not. I’m just…me. Gabby.”

  “That’s what I said.” He smiled as he leaned down and brushed his lips against hers. Gabby stretched up on tiptoe, her arms going around his neck. Elliot had some seriously broad shoulders, didn’t he? He put his hands around her waist and slid them underneath the edge of her sweater. With a quick move that had her squealing softly he pulled the soft material right over her head.

  His hands went to her hair next. He buried his fingers in it and used it to pull her closer. “Your hair is one of my favorite things about you—at least physically. I’ve dreamed of it spread out over my pillow. Dreamed of you, naked, with this hair around you. Did you know that? I was sitting at my desk, in a meeting with the mayor, and I thought about your hair today.”

  Gabby’s cheeks flamed. “Uh…”

  “I know. That’s how I knew I was never going to escape you.” He laughed softly, then slipped a finger behind the button of her trousers. “Let’s take these off, baby.”

  She pulled in a breath and nodded. Had she ever had a man undress her like this before? She’d had exactly two relationships since she’d graduated high school—not quite tons of experience, was it?—and they’d been with nice, unassuming guys who were as quirky as she was.

  Elliot blew them all out the water. Gabby stood in front of him wearing nothing but her lilac bra and matching panties. He stared down at her with eyes that were faintly burning. She shifted when he didn’t look away or touch her or do anything for the longest time. “Elliot?”

  “Just let me
look at you…” But he wasn’t just looking. His hand traced the edge of her bra, then ghosted over her nipple. Gabby felt her body’s immediate reaction. He smiled. “You are beautiful, sweetheart. I wish you saw what I see when I look at you.”

  Oh, boy. Why did every part of her melt when he looked at her just like that? Gabby tried to hide her nerves by reaching for him. She ran her fingers over the buttons on his shirt, slipping each one free until his undershirt was revealed. She pushed the open shirt off his shoulders; it fell to the floor. He pulled the white undershirt over his head and it followed the other to the floor.

  Elliot’s chest had just gotten better with age. Gabby’s fingers curled with the need to touch. And then she realized she didn’t have to hold herself back anymore. What they were doing kind of gave her an open invitation to touch all that warm muscle, didn’t it?

  He had scars. Jagged ones that told her just how close he had come to dying at some point. She ran one hand over them. He shivered. “What happened here?”

  “Too close to a bullet for comfort.” He leaned down and kissed her right shoulder. “You have freckles here.”

  “A few.” She shivered at the feel of his lips on her skin.

  “I’ve always loved freckles.” His fingers slid the clasp on the front open and lilac silk trailed down her arms. Gabby struggled not to raise her arms to cover herself. This slow exploration was far different from the hurried fumbling in the dark she’d experienced before.

  But she didn’t want to be passive. She wanted to be a part of whatever was going to happen between them. “Elliot? I—”

  What was she supposed to say? That whatever they were about to do meant more to her than any ever had before? That he meant more to her. But for the first time, Gabby couldn’t find any words. Not for this. All she could do was feel.

  Elliot scooped her up and held her for a long moment. Gabby felt her skin pressed against his. His scent surrounded her, warm male and spice. She rested her head against his shoulder, nervous. More nervous than she had ever been before in her life. And wasn’t that saying something?

  He laughed. “Nervous?”

  “Yeah.” She tightened her arm around his neck. “I’ve not exactly done a lot of this, you know.”

  He lowered her to the bed, and slipped out of his pants. “And that’s what makes this matter as much as it does.”

  Gabby reached up for him and then he was there. Everywhere. Kissing her, reassuring her—showing her how to touch him the way it really mattered. Showing her how she loved to be touched, too.

  Elliot was a natural leader, wasn’t he? Why should making love be any different? Gabby was content to follow wherever he guided her.

  And she did. Until something changed between them and she became just as frantic. Her hands pulled at him, stroked him, her lips told him exactly what she felt for him.

  Until they were both wrapped around each other, unable to tell where one began and the other ended.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE.

  ***

  ELLIOT heard the pounding on the door and jerked out of the bed. He didn’t want to wake the woman next to him, but it was too late. Gabby sat up, stark naked, and looked around wildly. He handed her the purple glasses he’d placed on the bedside table earlier.

  “Someone’s at the door. Get dressed.” He was already reaching for his pants.

  “Something’s happened. It has to have.” The fear in her tone had him pausing and looking at her for a moment.

  “No panicking, sweetheart. Not until we know what’s going on.”

  Elliot had been in this world long enough to know that. When someone pounded on the chief of the TSP’s door at six in the morning something was going on that wasn’t going to be all that good. He refused to let fear take hold. But he wasn’t an idiot.

  Whoever was at that door was about to deliver bad news.

  And the only person he could lose—besides the one next to him—was his brother. It was hard not to let his own fear overwhelm him.

  He made it to the front door, weapon in hand—he wasn’t stupid—because he hadn’t forgotten why Gabby was there, in time to hear someone cursing on the other side. He checked who it was.

  Foster.

  With Mel Beck at his side. A pale, frightened Mel Beck.

  He threw the door open quickly. “Mel? What’s happened?”

  “Have you heard from your brother?”

  That was the last thing he’d expected from Mel.

  He stepped back to give her room to get inside the narrow hallway. His porch was damned slippery in the rain. Foster helped her over the step impatiently by lifting her into the entryway. Mel didn’t protest his high-handedness—which told Elliot exactly how upset she was. “No. Why?”

  “I got a message hours ago on my phone, but I’d already gone to bed. Brynna was getting a ride from St. Louis with your brother. They were driving back together tonight.”

  “Seriously?” Thunder and lightning cracked and burned overhead. What the hell had Chance been thinking?

  “Yes. Seriously. And the Oklahoma police called about an hour ago.”

  Elliot tensed. “What’s happened?”

  Gabby had made it to the living room. Mel held out a hand to her. Gabby immediately hugged her friend. “Mel, what’s going on? Why have you been crying? What’s happened? Brynna?”

  Elliot’s attention focused on Mel’s face. It was true—there were tear tracks on her pale cheeks, not rain. “Mel…are they alive? Just tell me.”

  “We don’t know.” Foster’s tone was harsh. Elliot looked at him. There was fear in the man’s eyes, wasn’t there? Any doubts about the depth of his feelings for the three women flew out the window. The guy cared. It was in how he looked at the two women. “Your brother’s rental car was found ran off the road. Passenger side impact. Another truck was abandoned at the same spot. It had been reported stolen two days ago.”

  “Brynna? Jarrod, where’s Brynna? Where is she?”

  Elliot knew his brother well enough to know Chance would have been the one driving. Which meant…Brynna Beck would have been on the side hit. “Foster, tell us what you know. Fast.”

  “Brynna’s bag was found about a hundred feet away. Her laptop was missing, but her phone was there. Her tablet. There was blood on the bag. And on the passenger window—where we think Brynna was pulled from the vehicle.” Mel’s words were harsh. “After that, we don’t know.”

  “So Chance could have pulled her out and taken her to the hospital?” The hope in Gabby’s voice hurt him. Elliot wrapped his fingers in her still tangled hair. She wore only her pajama pants and his t-shirt with Garrity TSP Softball League printed on the front.

  “The nearest hospitals are this side of the Oklahoma/Texas border,” Mel said. She sank into the nearest chair. “The police have checked. Jilly called and checked, as well. Ariella and Lacy are driving her to the hospitals now, with photos of both Chance and Brynna just in case.”

  “Did anyone see the crash?” Elliot asked, refusing to let panic take hold until he knew more.

  “Oklahoma police have checked the four houses within two miles. No one saw or heard a thing. They’re out there somewhere.”

  “The driver of the other vehicle?” A two-car crash involved more than one driver. That was just a damned given. “What about them?”

  “We don’t know. A contact with the Oklahoma police told me there were signs there were more than two people there.” Foster put his hand on Mel’s shoulder. “Said it was possible there was foul play, especially with the truck having been stolen.”

  “Why was Brynna riding back with Chance in the first place?” Gabby asked. “I talked to her online and got a text from her around six. She didn’t say anything about coming home.”

  “I’ve called Carrie. She and Sebastian are driving to Oklahoma now. But it will take them a while—they were closer to here than St. Louis when it happened. Carrie said Brynna had told her that she had something to do that she couldn’t wait o
n. Said she needed the first ride home she could find. Sebastian offered to drive her in the morning, but she said Brynna was upset about something. I don’t even know how she found your brother.”

  “I think I told her. He was up there talking to a grand jury about a kidnapping,” Gabby said slowly. “I told Brynna he had been here and was headed up there.”

  “Brynna could have met up with him near there,” Mel said. “It makes sense.”

  Elliot looked at her questioningly. “How?”

  “We have connections with the FBI in St. Louis. Our sister, Carrie. But we don’t know what happened next.”

  Elliot could hear the fear in her tone. He felt it himself. “Chance is damned good at what he does. He’s capable of keeping them both safe.”

  “Then where is he?” Gabby asked. Elliot looked down at her. “And where’s Brynna?”

  Elliot tightened his arms around her. “I don’t know, baby. But we’ll find them. Somehow.”

  CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO.

  ***

  GABBY stepped away from Elliot and sat down near Mel. “So what do we do next? To find them?” They had to find them, had to.

  Thunder shook the house and Gabby shivered. Storms. That’s what it was. Brynna and Chance were probably in a gas station freezer somewhere waiting out the worst of the storms. That’s probably all it was. Scary, but believable. Logical. Smart. What two intelligent people like Brynna and Chance would do. No doubt about it.

  “We wait.” Jarrod’s words were harsh and Gabby looked at him. He was pale and it was obvious he was worried. “We don’t know that anything more than a traffic accident happened. And with the storms covering the region we can’t get in there. The Oklahoma police are doing what they can, but their focus has to be on keeping on top of the damned weather. They’ve already had reports of a F4 on the scale. Less than a mile from where the rental car was found. And that’s just the first wave. More shit’s headed their way.”