by Kit Rocha
"I'm up for promotion, okay? Is that what you want to know?" Nick slammed himself down in his chair. "It's my chance to get out of town and move to a position with some political clout."
"This...was all about you getting ahead."
"Of course. Like any intelligent person, I'm doing what I can to make sure my career advances in the right direction."
Anna's nails were digging holes in her palms. "By running roughshod over anything or anyone in your way? Oh, you've got all the makings of a great politician, I can tell already."
Nick narrowed his eyes. "Getting involved with Mitch was a stupid move for your career, and there's no way even you didn't know it."
Ice flooded her veins. "Even me? As in 'Anna Coleman who isn't that smart' or is this some kind of 'you're a woman, and you should get your ass back in the kitchen' comment? I'd suggest you consider real hard before you answer if you don't want to find out exactly how well I learned self-defense during training."
Revelation struck. This was why Mitch had insisted they break up. He'd fallen for whatever lies Nick had told him. Mitch had gone and done what he thought best--calling them off--without telling her why. Yes, she'd agreed in the end, but still...
It would take a little more time to work through exactly how she wanted to deal with him.
Right now, Nick was front and center on her shit list.
Her partner continued to prove he wasn't very smart. He wasn't shutting up. "The Thompsons aren't the kind of--"
She'd had more than enough of his bull. "No more, Nick. Don't even try to dig yourself out of this hole. From now on you will keep your nose out of my business and out of the Thompsons' business, you understand? You don't go near them. You don't try to find things to mess up their lives. Consider them your own private kryptonite, or I will report every single thing you did, and not only will your current political aspirations die, but your career will be over."
Actual fear shone in his eyes, as if Nick had finally realized he'd gone too far. "What are you going to do?"
"I need time to think, but my personal life is none of your goddamn business. I've told you that before, but if that's not absolutely crystal clear this time around, we have a major problem."
Nick nodded, then backed off. "The reports are supposed to go through in the next month."
"Reports?" She wasn't giving an inch. Staff Sergeant Max had already told her this, but making Nick squirm was as necessary as breathing.
He turned white, but continued. "Promotion reports. I'm up for one. I...told Mitch you were the one being considered."
She had nothing left inside to burn as the final confirmation of her suspicions was revealed. "Then you'd better hope that for the next month I don't get sick of seeing your face. Get out of here."
Nick shot from the room as if jet propelled.
Anna sat in silence and tried to recalibrate her life. Her career was back within the safety zone. But her career wasn't enough.
It appeared Mitch had planned to end them for her own good before they'd even spoken. Even more, he'd made the temporary break-up about him not being able to keep his hands off her instead of telling her about the potential promotion. He'd taken control of the situation instead of working as a team.
No matter that he'd had good intentions, he didn't get to make those kind of life-altering decisions without her, and the sooner he came to understand that, the happier they would be going into the future.
The future. They had one, and she was looking forward to it with everything in her.
Once Mitch Thompson had finished the crap-ton of explaining and apologizing he had ahead of him.
Chapter Twelve
Mitch zigged instead of zagging, turning away from the large tents that had been set up in the community fairgrounds. The three days of May fair were usually a time for kicking back and relaxing.
Forget relaxing and enjoying himself--the numbness inside refused to go away. And while he'd promised his family he'd come to the grounds for a while, he was getting tired of having to duck around corners to avoid getting beat on by surly Coleman males.
The first time Steve and Trevor tracked him down Mitch had taken the punishment. After that, he wasn't about to simply stand there and let them knock him around, but he figured hurting any of Anna's kin also wasn't on the agenda. Thus the ducking and hiding, and didn't that chafe his ass in a whole new way.
Mitch glanced back at his sister and her boyfriend without really seeing them. While he was glad things seemed to be working out for her, his world remained in limbo.
Every day he and Anna were apart, it seemed more likely they were never going to be together again. He cussed his fucked-up life.
He slowed his pace and wandered aimlessly past the coffee tent. He didn't want to go into the animal yard, didn't want to head back to the main fairgrounds where the crowds were gathering for the arcade games and beer tents.
His feet took him toward the parking lot, and he eyed his bike, debating if he should simply go home. At the moment the last thing on his mind was partying.
He'd left his ride at the opposite side of the lot, and the farther from the fairgrounds, the more peaceful the air became. The quiet song of spring birds escaped from the branches, and Mitch stepped into the cool shade cast by the trees to breathe deeply.
The next second he was on the ground, his hands twisted behind him, the knee strategically pressed into his upper back rendering him immobile.
"Fuck." The Colemans had caught up with him again. "Didn't you get enough of my blood on your hands the last time?" Mitch demanded, struggling to break free.
"Not yet, but I'm considering it really hard."
His brain clicked into gear the same moment cold metal clicked around his wrists.
"Anna?" He twisted his head, cursing the pain that shot through him that made him freeze in position even as hope rose. "Goddamn it, what the hell are you doing?"
"I'll ask the questions. When I'm ready." She let his handcuffed wrists go, a firm hand grasping his cheek as she rearranged herself over his body. Whatever training she'd had, Mitch couldn't believe how tightly she had him controlled. The excruciating jolt of pain that struck when he tensed to buck her off encouraged him to lie very, very still.
"Am I under arrest for something?" He wriggled his wrists, shaking the cuffs. "What is going on?"
"I have three questions. You get three responses. Don't waste them," Anna suggested. "Number one. When you insisted we needed to temporarily call our relationship off, were you basing your decision on a discussion with Nick?"
Oh hell. Mitch scrambled to find an answer that wouldn't get his balls busted. "It wasn't like that--ow. Dammit, stop it."
The instant he'd spoken she'd increased the pressure pinning him in place.
Anna ignored his complaint, just settled harder over him. "Two more tries. Did you really throw away all that time we'd spent together because you had some egotistical male idea you knew what was best for me?"
"Jesus, Anna, let me explain--"
She didn't move. Mitch breathed slowly through his nose before opening his mouth and letting the words escape.
"I'm sorry. God, you can't know how fucking sorry I am."
The weight on his back diminished, even though she kept a tight hold on his neck. Mitch waited until she knelt beside him, her eyes meeting his for the first time in forever, and the pain that had built over the past five months exploded.
"I didn't want to risk fucking up your job any further. When Nick told me you had a chance for a promotion--"
"Nick lied."
Her sharply spoken comment made him recoil as if a knife blow had been aimed at his gut. "What?"
"Nick's the one up for promotion. He thought me being associated with you was putting a blemish on his shine, so he lied to you." She shoved a hand against Mitch's chest and rolled him halfway to his back. "And you damn well believed him."
Black anger rolled through Mitch, blurring his vision. "I'm going to kill him."
"Get in line," Anna snapped. "But this isn't about him. It's about you, and that you made a decision about my life without so much as blinking. Damn you, Mitch. No matter how wrong Nick was, you were just as bad. You were a bastard."
Words poured out of him.
"The hell I didn't blink." Mitch struggled to a sitting position, his arms still trapped behind him. "I missed you so much. Every time I thought about you, it was like I was cutting myself in two. I couldn't sleep. Every time I closed my eyes, you were all I saw. That damn reprimand had to be erased, and if you were up for a career promotion, I wasn't about to ruin your chances. Breaking up with you was the only thing I could think of."
"Fine. So here's a different question for you. We agreed to break up. We said nothing about you walking away from me and straight into another woman's arms." Her eyes flashed at him, the pale blue burning him like dry ice. "You found another woman in less than forty-eight hours and shoved her under my nose? Did you even know her name before you fucked her?"
"I didn't fuck her. It wasn't like that."
"You looked damn cozy that night at Traders."
Mitch broke. "I haven't been with anyone since you," he roared. "And if anything, her twin was the one I had to worry about. Damn guy has grabby hands like no one I've ever met before."
Her expression went blank with shock. "Really?"
"I'm organizing a toys-for-tots bike rally with that group, which is crazy like hell, but I'm serious. That's all we were doing that night."
Anna didn't speak, but she looked far more willing to listen.
"There's been no one but you. No one, because there was no one I wanted more than you." Mitch leaned over so he could stare into her eyes, the intensity of what was inside pouring out with his words. "Every time I wake up, I smell the scent of your shampoo and it makes me hard, and then I remember that you aren't there anymore, and it's my fault. It's like you're in my veins, dammit. Everywhere I look I see things that remind me of you. Every song I hear. It drives me crazy, and yet the reminders are the only things keeping me sane. There were no other women, Anna. Since I couldn't have you, I didn't want anyone else."
Her face was still drawn and tight, but her eyes were far more alive than he'd seen in months. Hope stirred inside--the faintest hint. No matter how stupid he felt at being played by Nick, there was a light ahead of them, and he reached for it with everything he had.
"I was wrong, Anna. I should have talked to you, because my great decision caused us both nothing but pain. I've missed you so fucking much. I've missed your passion and your fire, and your soft side and your sexy smile. Damn, I've missed everything about you." He reached for her, forgetting momentarily about the handcuffs, his arms jerking to a stop before he could take her back in his arms where she belonged. "Do we need the cuffs anymore?"
Anna raised a single brow. "You don't think you're done apologizing, do you?"
"Hell no, but I can apologize a lot better with my hands free."
A reluctant snort escaped her. "I bet you could."
She glanced over her shoulder and reached for his wrists, but instead of letting him go, she helped him to his feet and tugged him toward the parking lot.
"Anna?"
"Trust me."
Mitch stepped quickly at her side. He deserved whatever hell she put him through for falling for Nick's lies. He was going to fucking get revenge on the man no matter what, though.
The only good thing seemed to be that the months of pain were over. "I'm sorry," he repeated.
"You'd better get used to saying that." Anna paused beside a transport trailer, guiding him to the front sleeping quarters. "You have five full months of I'm sorry to catch up on."
"As long as it takes," Mitch vowed. "Whatever it takes."
She jerked the door open and gestured him into the small space.
Mitch glanced around, shuffling his feet on the tiny floor area. "Whose trailer is this?"
"Steve's. Trevor and Steve brought animals for the petting zoo, and the trailer is the biggest we own."
She planted a hand between his shoulders and pushed him toward the corner where a straight-back chair was tucked into the compact space. Mitch jiggled the cuffs again.
"Forget it. Sit down," Anna ordered.
He turned and obeyed, impatience and worry he'd pushed too far, too fast warring inside. "So..."
Anna pulled the elastic from her hair, carefully laying it on the table to the right of the twin-sized mattress. "So, you wait. I'm in uniform, and while I've got plans, they don't involve being kicked off the force for inappropriate behavior. I don't go on shift for another fifty minutes."
Mitch's mouth went dry as her hands went to the top buttons of her khaki-brown shirt. "You're going to torture me, right? As punishment for being an ass."
The top curves of her breasts appeared. Absolute torture, whether she intended it or not. His body tightened as if he'd been on a tight leash and aching for her for months--all true.
The fabric opened, falling aside to reveal flashes of smooth skin and one of her flaming-red bras.
"Sweet Jesus, woman."
Anna's fingers slipped lower to her belt and zipper, pulling the leather open, sliding the metal down. "Five months thinking about what I wanted to do with my life, Mitch. Part of me wants to thank you, because as much as it sucked, it forced me to make some decisions. I've changed in that time."
"And part of you wants to take a very small knife and skin me slowly?"
"Then sprinkle you with salt. Yeah, that about sums it up." Anna pushed her pants to the floor and stepped out of them.
When had she taken off her boots? Mitch must have missed it while fixated on the tiny red patch of fabric covering her mound. "Tell me you forgive me. Tell me you still want me." He'd beg if he had to. Anything to keep her there with him, not just in the trailer stripping off her clothes, but there in his life.
Anna lifted her chin. "I forgave you last night after I tossed a few darts at your picture. Doesn't mean I'm not still pissed. You don't make decisions about my life without me, Mitch. Being without you broke my heart. "
"And mine as well. So take these damn cuffs off me so I can pick up the pieces and start putting them back together again."
She held out a hand to ward him off, even though he was the one restrained. "First we need to get one thing straight. We're here having this conversation because I choose to focus on the fact you made a wrong decision for the right reasons. But if you go around me again, Mitch Thompson, I will use those cuffs on another part of your anatomy and you will sing soprano for the rest of your earthly days."
Mitch could work with that, only... "Don't try to tell me not to protect you."
"I don't need protecting, I need a partner who wants me, all of me." Her eyes flashed. "Which reminds me--no killing Nick."
A growl escaped before he could stop it. "Fine, then I'll just maim him a little."
"No, you will leave him alone. I'm dealing with him in a work-appropriate manner, and you will not go and screw up everything I've put into place."
"I don't know that I can do that." Mitch shook his head. "The bastard lied to us. What the fuck are you defending him for?"
"He'll get his own in a short enough time," Anna promised. "But if you get yourself arrested for beating the crap out of him, I swear I'll leave you in jail to rot, and there will be no coming back. Ever."
He listened to what she was saying, but Nick getting off scot-free burned. "A little retribution is in order."
"I'd prefer to put him out of my head and deal with other more pressing issues." Anna stepped into his personal space, naked limbs and open shirt turning the conversation to a whole new topic. "I'm in charge. Say it, Mitch."
"Anything," he vowed. "Anything you want."
She pulled a condom from her shirt pocket, and a million dirty urges rushed along his spine along with unbelievable joy. "You haven't been with anyone else?" she asked.
He shook his head. "Only you, ever since w
e got tested back in the fall."
Anna dropped the package on the table, then turned him to face the wall, his palms bumping her belly as she unlocked the cuffs. "You know what I want? I want you."
Her words became the key that set him free. He twirled and before the cuffs hit the floor with a resounding clang, he had her lifted in the air. Anna wrapped her arms around him, and he took the single step needed to drop them to the mattress, reaching for a kiss with a desperate hunger.
She wanted him? He was never letting her go again.
Anna's heart raced, but all thoughts of her job and Nick and his lies and their past hurt slipped away as Mitch joined their lips. His long, hard body pressed her to the mattress, but all she could focus on at first was the devastation of him kissing her senseless. Teeth and tongue, breaths mingling until the distance between them faded to a memory, and she knew this was where they both belonged.
Together. United. Frantically touching as if their lives depended on the next caress. The next connection of fingers over skin.
Mitch kissed his way to her throat, sucking lightly as he pushed a hand under her bra, palm resting over her breast. "I ached for you," he whispered. "Every night I was tempted to drive to your house and beg for you to let me come in. Beg on my hands and knees for you to forget everything I'd said about it being better for us to be apart."
Anna curled her fingers through his hair, her throat gone tight at the emotion in his voice. Her tough, bloodthirsty biker was ripping her apart with his sweet words because they were true. So very true--and clear in his every touch. "I probably would have pointed a shot gun at you at first," she confessed. "After that night at the bar."
He pulled back and stared into her eyes. "You already shot me in the heart."
The final knot of anger and pain melted. "Take off your clothes," she whispered.
Mitch's eyes widened as his gaze traveled down the skin exposed by her open shirt. "Your tattoo. Sweet fuck, I need to see it."
"Clothes off first." Anna sat back, clutching the front of her shirt together.
Mitch toed off his boots, grabbed the back of his shirt and whipped it over his head. Anna watched eagerly as he stripped, hard muscles and ink coming back into view. She loved the curving line along his hips, the chains shifting on his torso. Loved the way his biceps flexed as he moved, making the flames come alive.
