Stay with Me [Brook Hollow 2] (Siren Publishing Classic)

by Lee Rose

  He felt his muscles tense up and he knew what was coming. As explosive as it would be he wasn’t ready for this heady feeling to end either. He buried his face in her neck and inhaled her sweet scent. Her once fresh, clean body was sweaty again, but he’d gladly wash every inch of her up again. He could easily shower with Mia, soap her up and—he cleared his mind of any fantasy building up in his mind.

  “Your cock is so big, Abel. I feel you so deep inside of me, like you could break me but I don’t care. I want you to get wild and crazy.” She swore and he wanted to smile. She was so meek until he got her in the bedroom, then she was a little wildcat. He loved that about her. Whoa. Love was a dangerous word. Soon she was digging her nails in his back and screaming out her pleasure.

  He joined her seconds later, feeling dizzy. “It gets better every time.” She placed a soft kiss on his shoulder. Abel moved away from Mia reluctantly. He had never been the type to snuggle, but with her it was an easy addiction. She was like a kitten wrapping herself around him snuggly. He felt her warm breath on his neck. He knew they had to talk before she fell asleep, and him with her. He wanted to hold her all night, which scared the crap out of him. He had to end this before things got dramatic and wild. He needed to focus on hiring new recruits and finding the purse snatcher. They finally had some clues and he planned on spending the next few days focused on this case.

  “Mia.” He shook her slightly.

  She yawned. “Mmm.”

  “I actually came over here to talk,” he said softly, dreading the conversation. His heart screamed at him to stop being a fool and accept what he felt, but his head had other firm ideas.

  “What about? You explained about Jane and I believe you.” Her voice was sleepy and sweet. Damn. His cock twitched under the sheets. He let go of her and sat up, reaching for his boxers and jeans. He felt stronger once he put them on. She sat up, putting the sheet over her nudity. Her hair was a wild mess but he liked the look knowing it was his fault. He loved gripping her curls when he—

  Don’t go there. Focus.

  “Not about that. We have clues about this purse snatcher and we’re close to finding him. I will be spending the next few days looking for him.”

  “That’s great, Abel. I knew you would get him,” she said proudly, making him feel more like a heel.

  Shit, he wasn’t good at this. This was exactly why he was better off as a bachelor. “The timing was wrong on us becoming involved with each other.”

  “Oh.” Now she looked hurt and her eyes looked down at her hands. “Are you trying to tell me politely you don’t want to see me anymore?”

  “I like you a lot Mia but—”

  She put her hand up, interrupting him. Her eyes were shiny with tears and he felt like he just kicked a puppy for no reason. “Don’t give me that meaningless speech, Abel, please. I get it. You were going to say it’s not you it’s me, am I right?”

  He nodded and grabbed his t-shirt off the floor. He put it on. He stood by the bed. His heart was heavy, but he felt like this was the right thing to do. Instead of getting bored with Mia and her lovemaking, he was getting obsessed with her. Not good. A clean break was best. They could both move on and he knew eventually she’d find the right man for her. He ignored the feeling of jealousy and rage he felt at that thought. He had to be strong right now, not weak-willed. “I didn’t mean to have sex with you tonight, but you are so tempting. I just don’t have the time to invest in having a relationship, Mia. You understand, right? We can still be friends?”

  He winced inwardly at the awkward words coming out of his mouth. She was pale and refused to meet his eyes. Finally, she did and they were full of pain. He wanted to hug her but he clenched his fists and put them in his pockets.

  “I’m sorry. I don’t think I want you as a friend or anything else. Please show yourself out.”

  Her words were cold, but he knew hurt was fueling them. She buried her face in the pillow. He slunk away after grabbing his sneakers, feeling just like a snake. Why didn’t he feel relieved or happy right now? He did the right thing. His job was his life.

  Chapter Nine

  Mia put a brave face on for Gwen and Becky, but she suspected they both knew she was hurting greatly inside. They had gone to see a movie after dinner on Thanksgiving. It helped to keep busy. It was the Friday after Thanksgiving and it was back to the normal routine. The Christmas season was officially starting and excitement filled the air. Becky was anxious to decorate the coffee shop and talked excitedly about her ideas. Usually Mia would add to the ideas, but she felt weighed down with melancholy.

  “I heard they finally arrested the purse snatcher last night at Kramer’s. A stranger from the next town over,” Reva remarked as she wiped the counter down with a wet rag. “I can’t believe I missed it all. I was supposed to go to Kramer’s last night with my cousin, but I fell asleep. Too much of Mom’s good cooking.”

  “I heard the news this morning when I opened up. I am glad he is off the streets.” Mia attempted a smile, wondering if Abel had been there and if he was okay. She shouldn’t care but she did. How pathetic was that?

  “It’s about time,” Reva said. “My cousin Hannah, her roommate, got her purse and phone stolen two weeks ago. She was so pissed off. She had to cancel credit cards and get a new driver’s license.”

  “It was a scary experience for sure.” Mia looked outside. It was cloudy and looked like a storm was brewing. She could use a good storm. Maybe then she could take a nap and cry her eyes out. It had been just over a week since Abel ended things with her with his polite yet hurtful speech. The pain had not lessened any. Mia wasn’t sure if it would. With Frank she had felt disappointed and let down that he wasn’t who he claimed to be. A nice guy that cared about her. She had felt like easy prey. What she felt right now was a deep ache in her soul that made her feel weepy.

  Gwen and Becky came out of the back office where Gwen had been talking to her dad on the phone.

  “Everything okay?” Mia smiled at them. Becky nodded. Gwen slipped onto a stool. “I need a vanilla latte, please. My dad’s questions are like a drill sergeant. I am twenty-six years old yet he treats me like I am a dumb kid who has never traveled on her own before. Jesus, he should just send an armed guard to escort me home.”

  Mia giggled and started making Gwen a latte. She decided to make herself one, too, since she had skipped breakfast feeling queasy and stressed out. Maybe one of Becky’s famous muffins would settle her stomach. The bell over the door rang. Mia didn’t bother looking until she heard Gwen curse under her breath. Mia turned around, surprised to see Abel walking in. He looked tired but Mia hardened her heart. She ignored him and went back to what she was doing. Let Becky or Reva wait on him. She refused to be polite and plaster a fake smile on her face. She was filled with equal parts hate and love for the dumb man.

  “What can I do for you?” Becky’s voice was polite, but no longer friendly. Mia hated that both women hated Abel now. Gwen wanted to egg his car, maybe they should have. It was immature but maybe she would have felt slightly better.

  “I need Mia to see if she can come down to the station and sign a formal complaint on what happened to her at Kramer’s. We have the suspect in custody.”

  Mia placed the latte in front of Gwen and gave her a nervous glance. She did not want to admit Wilson was not her real last name. “My purse wasn’t taken, Sheriff. Aren’t the other women’s complaints enough?”

  He nodded, looking at Mia’s coffee. Mia refused to offer him a cup. “Yes, but the more victims we have the better it will be in court. The judge can see how dangerous he is and make sure he gets the appropriate sentence.”

  Mia felt panicky. Becky cleared her throat. “I will drive Mia down there once you have a statement ready and she can sign it. She won’t have to face him, right?”

  “Of course not. She never saw him,” Abel replied.

  Mia avoided looking at him and sipped on her coffee instead. Abel stood there for a second as if waiting
for Mia to speak to him. Well, it would be a cold day in hell before she smiled at him again, she told herself silently. He muttered something under his breath and left.

  Mia sat her cup down, thankful she had not spilled any on her hands. Gwen stood up and smiled at Reva, who watched everything with curiosity. “Oh, Mia, I wanted to show you something in Becky’s office.”

  Mia followed Gwen down the hallway that led to the back office. She felt like she was in a daze. What was she going to do? As soon as Gwen closed the office door, Mia blurted out, “Bloody hell, Gwen. I can’t sign an official statement with a false name. Isn’t that illegal?”

  Gwen smiled. “Bloody hell? You watch too much TV.”

  Gwen threw herself on the small armchair Becky had against the bookshelf where she kept all of her book club books. “I know what you mean though. Thank God Becky was smart enough to stall him.”

  Mia paced up and down the room, her stomach felt twisted with knots. “If I use my real name, Frank’s uncle will see it and give my information to Frank. He might come down here to bother me just because he is an asshole and hates to lose.”

  Gwen picked up the phone on the desk. “I am calling Dad. He may be a retired lawyer, but I bet he knows what we should do.”

  Mia tried to follow the one-sided conversation since she could not hear what Bill Henderson was saying to his daughter. Finally, after a long time, Gwen hung up. She bit her bottom lip. “Dad said we should come clean with the sheriff and explain why you can’t sign anything official. He has plenty of victims that should be enough to throw the asshole in a cell for a long time. Dad says we shouldn’t take any chances of letting Frank know where you are yet.”

  “Wonderful.” Mia sighed. Facing Abel was not on her list of things to do today. She could imagine his reaction to her secret. It wasn’t going to be pretty. “Can we send him an email?”

  Gwen snorted and grabbed Mia’s arm. “Let’s get this over with before you drive yourself nuts with worry. We will be cool and polite, not giving Sheriff Asshole even a crack of a smile okay? Be strong, girlfriend.”

  Mia nodded, feeling her stomach twist with nerves. She followed her friend down the hallway. “I might throw up on him.”

  “That is acceptable.” Gwen lifted her chin up, looking tough as any lawyer on TV. “Let’s ride.”

  “Now who is watching too much TV?” Mia cracked a small smile. It was better than crying.

  * * * *

  It was cowardly, but Mia let Gwen do all the talking. She was stronger than Mia. At least he agreed to talk in his office with the door closed so no one else would hear. His brother, who was assistant head of police, was there. Gwen gave Abel her best lawyer look she learned from her dad. Gwen was a nurse like her mother, but she used to accompany her father to may court trials. “So you understand why my client can’t participate as a witness on this case?”

  Mia almost corrected Gwen and reminded her she wasn’t a lawyer just because her father was, but Gwen was in full attorney mode so Mia let it go. Abel sat behind the desk, looking hard and angry. Mia felt his brown eyes glaring at her but she refused to stare back at him. Just being in the same office with him was breaking her heart. Why she cared so much she didn’t know. Her throat felt swollen with so many emotions. He used her and then dumped her quickly in a cold way. His opinion of her shouldn’t matter.

  “I see.” She heard Abel say in a cold and hard voice that made her shiver. She could feel the thick tension in the room as if it was a real being. She wanted to burst into tears and weep all over him. “And Becky was a willing part of this lie?”

  “We were trying to save Mia’s life, Sheriff Ramirez,” Gwen answered just as coldly. “You may not care if she lives or dies, but rest assured there are people who do, including Becky and myself. Her life depends on Frank DeMarco never discovering where she is. He will do her harm and maybe even kill her. Put your petty feelings aside and hear what I am saying to you.”

  Mia hated being reminded about Frank. Why was she so foolish when it came to men? She had allowed herself to fall for Frank so easily. Because of him, her life was disrupted and she was hiding out in this small town. If that wasn’t enough, she fell for the town sheriff and allowed herself to fall in love thinking he was different. He might not have hurt her physically like Frank, but he hurt her emotionally.

  “I see,” he said again, sounding like he was in court, too.

  Was that all he could say? Mia glanced to the side where Lincoln Ramirez stood. Instead of finding hatred in his eyes she saw sympathy in them. Well, at least one of the Ramirez brothers didn’t hate her. He was the nicer brother she decided in that moment.

  “Are we good to go?” Gwen asked, standing up indicating the meeting was over in her opinion. “If you have any legal questions call Bill Henderson in New York. He helped Mia escape and come here. I assure you this has nothing to do with Mia being in trouble with the law back home. We only did this for her safety.”

  “Yes, you may go,” she heard Abel answer, dismissing them without an ounce of emotion. What was left of Mia’s heart shattered. Not even a crack of sympathy showed on his face. Mia released the breath she had been holding. Now she felt dizzy as she stood up. Lincoln quickly steadied her when she almost toppled over. His voice was filled with sympathy. Abel, however, had not even gotten up from his chair to catch her. It hurt but it was for the best. He was showing his true colors like all men eventually did. “You okay, Mia?”

  Mia looked up at him. He looked so much like Abel that it was painful. His dark hair was short and clean cut, but he had similar features with his brother. “Sorry. Stress makes me feel dizzy.”

  Gwen held on to Mia’s arm. She gave Lincoln a friendly smile then looked at Mia. “Skipping meals doesn’t help, Mia.”

  Mia followed Gwen out of the station as quickly as possible. Now she had no reason to ever see Abel again. Why didn’t she feel happy about that? She wanted to sob in a pain so deep she was sure it would never go away.

  * * * *

  “Poor girl.” Lincoln shook his head sadly as he watched the two women head out of the station through the window. Abel looked at his brother with astonishment. Was his brother honestly feeling sorry for Mia right now? What about him? Mia lied about everything.

  “Poor girl? Really, bro? She lied about her name and her reason for being in Brook Hollow. She is here under false pretenses.”

  Lincoln sat on one of the chairs the women had just vacated. “She had to Abel. You heard her story. She is in danger if this ex of hers comes looking for her. Aren’t you worried?”

  Abel felt a pain clench his heart but he ruthlessly pushed it away. He pushed the image of a fragile-looking Mia that had just left his office looking devastated. He wanted to hold her, comfort her and it pissed him off. Lydia had been good at the tears, too, and look how that turned out. Women put on good acts but their hearts were ice. He may have forgotten for a moment but he was back to thinking clearly. “Our town is not some haven for runaway women, Lincoln. She has no business bringing her problems here. This is a peaceful town and I aim to keep it that way.”

  Lincoln frowned and Abel knew he went too far. Jessy and Lily had been on the run, too. Reminding his brother of that was a low blow but he felt guilty for breaking things off with Mia. Now that he knew her real story, he was clinging to his belief he did the right thing. To admit he was wrong would only pile up the guilt he was feeling deep inside of him.

  “You mean like Jessy and Lily did? You’d better not go there, Abel,” Lincoln said through clenched teeth, his eyes narrowing with fury. He leaned forward. “Get your head out of your ass, brother.”

  Abel leaned back against his chair. He felt like throwing some things around the room and breaking furniture, but he used every ounce of his willpower to sit still. He wanted to run after Mia and swear he’d protect her from her crazy ex, but he didn’t. Women were all liars and he was tired of putting his heart out there for them to break.

  “Did Lydia
truly break your heart so much that you have no sympathy for any woman, Abel?” Now Lincoln looked at him with pity. Abel could deal with his brother’s anger but not pity. He had participated in too many pity parties after Lydia and her boyfriend left town. He heard through the grapevine she did marry the father of her baby and he was glad that child had two parents, but it made him feel sorry for himself. He didn’t even speak to her aunt and uncle who claimed they had no idea what their niece was up to. She had come to visit them when Abel met her. They avoided him, too.

  “This isn’t about Lydia or me,” Abel said firmly. “Mia, if that is even her name, came here purposely knowing trouble could follow her. She lied about herself. Who knows if she is even as sweet as she portrays herself to be. She could be a criminal on the run. Her friend Gwen could also be up to no good. I don’t trust either of them. I have a good mind to call the New York police and see if this story is even real. How stupid would you feel then if it’s all a ploy to deceive us?”

  Abel knew the words coming out of his mouth were false, but he couldn’t stop himself. Lincoln leaned toward him, his eyes going cold. “You better not, Abel. Mia looked scared shitless. I have seen that look in Lily and Jessy’s eyes. Why would she come here to deceive us? You are thinking with your bitterness. Lydia was a cold-hearted bitch and you had a lucky break. You just can’t comprehend how lucky you were to get rid of her now instead of years from now when you loved that baby more than anything.”

  Abel stood up, feeling agitated. The thought of his almost child still sent a pang to his heart. He had bought a closetful of toys that he had donated to a local shelter. “I loved that baby.”

  “No. You loved the idea of being a father and I understand that, Abel,” Lincoln said softly. “Mia is a good woman and maybe you had the chance to find something real and honest with her, but you panicked and hurt her instead. Let the past go. It is eating you up inside and making you cold and cruel. You’re better than that.”