by April Wilson
Because I look like a wreck, the arresting officer takes me to a medical clinic, where a nurse cleans the drying blood off my face and examines the damage. Since they are only superficial injuries, the booking process continues.
After I’m booked, fingerprinted, photographed, and interviewed, the arresting officer directs me into a small, square holding cell and locks the door behind me. Now comes the hard part – waiting. Waiting for my attorney, Troy, to show up. Waiting for Tyler to show his cowardly face – because, yeah, he’ll definitely come, if just to gloat over me.
My holding cell is about 10 by 10, with a concrete slab bench that I suppose functions as both a seat and a bed. There’s a gray vinyl pad on it providing a meager bit of padding. There’s no blanket, no pillow. The only other fixtures in the barren room are a stainless steel toilet and sink combo, and a surveillance camera embedded in the wall.
I take a seat on the padded bench and lean my head back against the cold, cement wall and close my eyes. My head is pounding from the knocks it took back at the townhouse, and it’s bright in here, which doesn’t help my headache any. It’s relatively quiet, though, which is a blessing. There aren’t many holding cells in this small neighborhood precinct.
I keep seeing the stricken look on Beth’s face as she watched the officer frisking me. God, I’d give anything to be with her right now. I’d wrap her in my arms and hold her as long as it took to stop her shaking. I’d carry her to our bed and lie quietly with her, holding her in my arms to reassure her.
Instead, I’m here, and she’s halfway across the city.
* * *
A couple hours later, my head is still throbbing, and I’m frustrated out of my mind and anxious about Beth when I hear two voices arguing loudly down the hall. It’s not difficult to make out the voices of Tyler and my attorney. A third voice, deeper than the other two, jumps into the fray – my brother Jake. It sounds like there’s a party going on down the hall in my honor, but I wasn’t invited.
A few moments later, Troy appears at my holding cell door, looking exasperated and slightly out of breath. His normally well-groomed head of dark hair is a tousled mess. He’s dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt, and holding a black leather briefcase. A moment later, he’s joined by an equally irritated uniformed officer.
I meet Troy at the door to my cell, grabbing hold of the bars like I’m in some second-rate prison flick. “Tell me I’m being released.”
Troy nods. “Be patient. I’m working on getting bond set for you so I can get you released.” His eyes narrow as he looks me over. “You look like shit. Are you okay? Do you need medical attention? I can get you moved to a hospital if need be.”
I reach around to gently examine the lump on the back of my head, glad to see that it’s gone down a little. “I’ll live. Just get me out of here, will you? I need to be home with Beth, not spinning my wheels in here.”
He nods. “I’m on it. Sit tight.”
As soon as Troy and the uniformed officer leave, Tyler appears at my cell door, his expression strained. He looks nothing like the carefully-controlled man I know him to be. I doubt he’s ever lost control like he did tonight. His face is bruised and there’s a bandage across the bridge of his nose. His arms are crossed over his chest and he’s glaring at me. He seems really shaken, and it takes the edge off my anger.
I sigh, keeping my voice low. “She was never in any real danger, Tyler. I would never have let her get hurt. Surely you know that.”
He leans closer and speaks in a low voice, practically gritting his teeth. “She was in the same room with a convicted felon, Shane! One who wanted to hurt her!”
I shake my head. “I had her in a safe location. She was wearing body armor, and there were three of us – armed – in the room with Kline. There was no way in hell he could have gotten to her. I didn’t want her there in the first place, but that’s just how it went down. When Beth realized Kline was on his way to her townhouse, she insisted on coming with me. Keeping her with me was far safer than leaving her behind, hoping she’d obey me and stay put until someone arrived to collect her. Your sister has a stubborn streak, in case you haven’t noticed.”
Tyler’s lips twitch slightly as if he’s fighting a smile. Still, he’s not ready to make nice. “You should never have taken her there in the first place.”
“I know, but she really didn’t give me any choice.” I clench my jaws, losing patience with Tyler’s accusations. “I had the situation under control, Tyler, and she was never in any real danger. By keeping me here, you’re only hurting Beth. Is that really what you want?”
Tyler shifts uncomfortably on his feet. He has to realize what my arrest is doing to Beth. Wordlessly, he turns and walks away.
In frustration, I slam my palms against the bars, then begin pacing the small barren room.
* * *
After half an hour of pacing, I pause when I hear footsteps coming down the hallway toward me. A moment later, Troy Spencer and the arresting officer appear at my cell door. Troy steps back as the officer unlocks the door and lets it swing wide open.
“You’re a free man,” Troy says. “Tyler dropped the charges. Come collect your personal property and I’ll walk you out. Jake’s waiting out front to drive you home.”
I follow the officer to the booking desk and wait for him to hand me a sealed bag containing my personal belongings. I quickly sign for my stuff, anxious to get home.
“Let’s get out of here,” I say to Troy, then head for the exit.
Outside, Jake is seated behind the wheel of his SUV, the engine running. I climb into the front passenger seat and close the door.
Troy stands at my open window. “You think you should stop by the hospital and get your head looked at?” he says.
“No, I’m going home.”
Troy nods. “All right. Go get some rest. Call me if anything else comes up.”
A Free Man
Now that I’m a free man, the only thing on my mind is getting home to Beth. Jake doesn’t even bother to ask me – he just heads for my apartment building after informing me that he’s already had someone collect my Jaguar. I’d call ahead and let Beth know I’m on my way, but it’s the middle of the night, and if she’s sleeping, I don’t want to wake her.
“You okay?” Jake says as he picks up speed on Lake Shore Drive.
I roll down my window to let in the fresh air, needing it to blow away the stink I feel from having spent half the night cooling my heels in a holding cell. I feel numb. Everything happened so quickly this evening... Kline, Tyler’s temper tantrum. Damn it, he and I need to come to an understanding quick. We can’t keep doing this to Beth.
I feel the back of my head, relieved to find the knot is shrinking. “Yeah, I’m okay.”
I check the time. It’s three-thirty am. I just hope Beth was able to sleep.
“I’ve been keeping tabs on Beth,” Jake says as if reading my mind. “She’s okay. She’s sleeping. Sophie and Liam stopped by to check on her. Lia’s been there with her all evening. Cooper, too. She had a lot of support tonight.”
I nod, grateful to my family and Cooper. Once we arrive, Jake parks in the underground garage and we head straight up in the express elevator. Just moments later, I’m walking through the foyer doors into the great room, and my heart is pounding with anticipation of seeing Beth. It’s dark and silent, and there’s a faint glow of embers coming from the hearth. The only other source of light is the ambient city night lights coming through the full-length windows.
Cooper’s sitting in an armchair near the fireplace, facing the arched doorway. He regards me calmly.
I make a beeline for the sofa that faces the fireplace and lean over the back of it to find two blond-haired bodies huddled beneath opposite ends of a blanket. One of those blond heads has to be Beth’s. I figure out which one it is, then I lean down and kiss her gently on the forehead.
Beth stirs and turns to look up at me, her eyes squinting in the dark. “Shane?”
> “Yeah.” I’m surprised at how hoarse my voice is. I lean closer, anxious to get my arms around her. “I’m home, just a little worse for wear.”
She wraps her arms around my neck and pulls me down for a proper kiss.
I attempt to pull back with a laugh. “I’m also a little ripe, honey. I need a shower.”
“Don’t care,” she says, using one of my lines, and then she pulls me close for another kiss.
I pull back the blanket and scoop her up in my arms, lifting her to my chest.
“For crying out loud, can you guys keep it down?” Lia mutters, pulling the blanket over her head. “I’m trying to sleep here. Jesus, it’s like Grand Central Station.”
“Nice to see you, too,” I say to my little sister. I’m glad she was here tonight for Beth. I’m glad they’ve grown so close. They’re good for each other. I reach down to mess up her hair through the blanket – something I know she hates.
She slaps my hand away. “Cut it out, will ya? Princess has been a basket case all night. Take her to bed, pal.”
Lia burrows beneath her blanket, and I figure she’s sleeping here for the night. I turn to look at Cooper, nodding in appreciation. He returns the gesture, then rises to his feet and heads down the hallway to his own suite.
* * *
God, it feels good to be home, good to have Beth in my arms, and good to know that Kline is no longer a threat. Not to Beth, not to anyone. He’s gone. He’s dead. I keep reminding myself of that fact, and each time I feel a surge of satisfaction knowing I was the one to remove this monster from her life. She’s safe from him now. It’s going to take some time before that really sinks in for both of us.
Beth’s only half awake, warm and drowsy in my arms, and a little in shock still, I think. She’s going to need time to process what happened tonight... not just Kline actually breaking into her townhouse with the intention of hurting her, but Tyler’s reaction afterward, seeing the two of us fighting, and then Tyler having me arrested out of spite.
Beth loves her brother – I get that. And I’d never stand between them. But Tyler’s very territorial when it comes to his sister. It’s going to take time for him to loosen the reigns and accept me as Beth’s lover.
Once we’re in our suite, I close the door behind us and lay Beth gently on her side of our big bed. It’s late – or rather it’s very early. We both need sleep, desperately, but I have to have a shower. I reek.
Beth’s already dressed for bed, so I leave her tucked beneath the bedding and head to the bathroom for a quick shower. After a brisk scrub, I towel myself off and head straight to bed, climbing in naked and a little damp beside her.
Sighing, I pull her into my arms and hold her. God, I want her right now – I’d give anything to sink into her sweet, tight warmth – but she needs sleep more than she needs sex.
Beth turns to me and presses her face against my bare chest, and the feel of her lips against my skin sends a tingle down my spine to my balls.
“Tell me,” she says drowsily, her voice little more than a sigh.
“Tyler dropped the charges.” I frown when she flinches. I know she feels responsible for Tyler’s actions, which of course is ridiculous.
“You should never have been charged in the first place. He assaulted you. I’m so sorry, Shane.”
I tighten my hold on her, trying to figure out what to say to lighten her load. “It’s not your fault, sweetheart. Tyler had a right to be pissed at me – I should never have let you come with me last night. But, short of handcuffing you to the table at Sal’s, I really didn’t have much choice.”
She chuckles and relaxes into my arms.
“This is between me and your brother, Beth. He and I need to come to terms with each other. We’re both stubborn, and we both have a claim on you. It’s just that my claim trumps his now, and he hates that.”
“He’s my brother, Shane. I love him.”
“Of course you love him,” I say. I don’t want her to feel like she has to choose between us. It’s not an either-or situation. Tyler and I just need to learn how to work together – how to trust each other – for Beth’s sake. I kiss her forehead. “Don’t worry, sweetheart. Since he and I both love you, and neither one of us appears to be willing to give you up, we’ll just have to learn to get along. It would help, though, if he’d stop trying to strangle me.”
Her body vibrates with quiet laughter, but she quickly sobers. “Is the danger passed, then?” she says. “There won’t be any more charges? Of any kind?”
“There’s an ongoing investigation, but that’s routine. It’s nothing to worry about. What I did was justified self-defense. Now close your eyes and try to relax. I just want to hold you and sleep for a week.”
I coax Beth to turn over, facing away from me, so I can spoon behind her. This is our favorite sleeping position, my arm tucked around her waist, our legs intertwined. I press my face into her hair and breathe in her familiar, delectable scent. As I kiss the back of her head and murmur quietly to her, her muscles loosen and she relaxes into sleep.
But sleep doesn’t come quite so easily for me. There’s still an adrenalin overload in my system, and my pulse is still pretty fast. Every time I close my eyes, I see a replay of the take down in my mind – a typical reaction to any tense operation .... the bedroom door opening, Kline walking in the room, his eyes glued to the bed, pulling his gun and pointing it at someone he thinks is Beth. Mentally, I go through the motions over and over, lifting my own gun, aiming, firing. I relive those few seconds over and over in my head, drawing it out slowly in my memories.
I try hard not to go down the what-if rabbit hole. What if I had missed? What if Kline had managed to get off a shot? What if he’d hit Caroline? Dear God, what if Kline had realized the true object of his obsession was hiding in the closet? I physically shudder at the thought.
Beth whimpers in her sleep, and I wonder if she’s picking up subconsciously on my agitation. My hands start shaking and I’m forced to pull away from her because I don’t want to wake her up. It’s a delayed reaction to violence – something I’m very familiar with from my days in the military. It’ll take a while to subside.
Carefully, I leave our bed and head across the suite to the bar and pour myself a shot of Glen Livet. Sitting on the sofa, I knock back the whisky, savoring the liquor as it burns a path down my throat and settles in my empty belly, warming me. I pour a second shot and sip this one slowly as I watch Beth sleeping across the room. I think it’ll be a while before I can take my eyes off her.
The whisky helps, and I return to bed. With my arm wrapped securely around Beth’s waist, I’m finally able to close my eyes and relax for the first time in nearly twelve hours.
A New Day
Something rouses me from my sleep and I open my eyes to see Beth watching me. Her cheeks are flushed pink and her pupils are dilated. She’s staring at my mouth, and that makes me smile.
“Good morning,” I say, surprised at how rough my voice sounds. I think I could easily use about ten more hours of sleep. I reach out and slide the tips of my fingers across her cheek.
“Good morning,” she says back. “You slept a long time.” Beth reaches up and touches my face, brushing the pad of her thumb along my lower lip.
I can’t resist kissing it. “It was a long night last night. How are you holding up? I was worried about you.” That’s an understatement.
“That should be my line,” she says. “I was worried about you.”
I chuckle. “Honey, I pay Troy good money to keep me out of trouble. There was never anything to worry about. I just had to wait out Tyler’s little temper tantrum.”
She laughs at that, just as I had hoped. “It’s eight-thirty,” she says. “We’ll both be late for work.”
I shake my head. There’s no way in hell I’m letting her out of my sight – not for several days at least. “We’re not going to work today – neither of us. We’re going to play hooky and spend the day together.”
; She gives me a huge smile.
I lean forward and kiss her. “So, what do you want to do today? You name it, we’ll do it.”
Her eyes light up. “Can we go to the lake? I’ve hardly spent any time there all summer.”
I smile. A leisurely day spent at the lake sounds wonderful. “Absolutely.” I kiss her again before sitting up in bed. “Let’s get cleaned up and dressed, then we’ll have some breakfast. After that, we’ll walk down to the beach and play tourist all afternoon.”
I call my executive assistant, Diane, to tell her I won’t be in today and ask her to reschedule my appointments. Beth sends her assistant manager a similar message and asks her to take over as acting general manager for the day. Then she sends text messages to both Lia and Sam telling them they have the day off.
* * *
Not surprisingly, we end up in the shower together. I’ve told myself no sex, to give Beth a little space, but we still end up with our hands all over each other in the shower. It was probably inevitable. There’s something about naked, wet bodies and soapy hands that makes it a foregone conclusion that we have to touch each other.
At first, it’s just fun, but before I know it, we’re kissing beneath the spray of water. My dick is hard as a rock, begging for attention, but when she reaches for it, I grab her hands and distract her with more kisses. No sex!
When we’re both fairly waterlogged, we step out of the shower to dry off. With a towel wrapped around my waist, I sit on a wooden bench in the bathroom and watch Beth go about her morning routine, applying deodorant and lotion and a tiny bit of mascara. I watch her comb her wet hair, then blow it dry. Finally, we both brush our teeth, standing side-by-side at the same sink. There’s something very soothing and reassuring about sharing a bathroom with her... watching her go through her morning routine.
