Finding the Edge

by Debra Webb

  “Say it,” he murmured against her lips.

  She bit his jaw.

  “Say it,” he commanded, nuzzling her cheek with his nose.

  “More,” she argued.

  He thrust harder, deeper. She gasped.

  “Say it.”

  She closed her eyes and lost herself to the new waves building from the inside out, tearing her apart. She arched to meet his powerful thrusts. Cried out with the pleasure-pain of just how deep he was inside her. Orgasm shuddered through her a second time, making her tremble.

  He pressed his forehead against the door beside her head and whispered in her ear, “Say it.”

  She was too weak to argue but somehow she found the strength to cry, “More!”

  He pulled her against his chest, flung open the door and carried her to the bed. They came down on the mattress together. One hand went under her bottom, and he lifted her hips to him, opening her wider as he plowed over and over into her. He squeezed her bottom.

  She planted her heels on the mattress and met his deep thrusts. “More,” she whimpered. Sweat coated their skin, the smell of it comingling with the sweet tang of her orgasms.

  With his free hand he stroked her rib cage, trailed his fingers over her, bone by bone, until he grasped her breast. He squeezed, tempted her nipple. She bit her lip to prevent calling his name. She was too weak to fight anymore...too overwhelmed to beg. Her fingers twitched, her toes curled...almost there.

  He roared with the orgasm finally overtaking him.

  The new waves flowed over her, dragging her into that place of pure sensation a third time while he surrendered to his own.

  He groaned a frantic sound as they collapsed together.

  Eva closed her eyes against the burn of tears. She should have drunk more of the wine. She should have realized that there was no getting this out of the way.

  This part of her still belonged to him...

  Chapter Nine

  Friday, May 11, 8:30 a.m.

  Awkward was the word of the day.

  Todd opened the fridge and put away the orange juice while plates and forks rattled in the sink. Eva had said exactly six words to him. Morning, when she first came into the kitchen. Yes, when he’d asked if pancakes would be okay for breakfast. And I’ll get the dishes when she’d finished eating.

  Last night he’d wanted to talk to her about what happened but she’d rushed away so fast he’d barely had time to get his head back down to reality. She’d wriggled free of his arms and left him spent across the bed. When he’d stumbled from the tangled sheets and dragged on his jeans, he’d knocked on her door but she ignored him. He’d heard the water running in the en suite bath. Apparently she couldn’t wait to wash him off her skin.

  Later he’d wanted to check on her via the security system but the idea had felt completely wrong. Instead, he’d crawled back into his bed and burrowed himself into the scent of her that was all over his sheets, all over his skin. He’d dreamed of their first time together—her first time with any man.

  This morning he had awakened wanting more.

  She clearly had not.

  Their breakfast conversation had consisted of forks scraping against stoneware and coffee mugs settling on the counter. It would be easy to blame what happened on her. She’d come to him after all. But that wouldn’t be fair. He was as responsible as she was and no amount of analyzing would change that cold, hard fact.

  Dissecting what happened wouldn’t alter the bottom line either: he was here to protect her, not take advantage of her vulnerability. Last night she had been vulnerable and he had taken advantage of that vulnerability.

  “No work today, right?” he asked, his voice sounding particularly loud after the long minutes of silence. He knew the answer but it was the only conversation opener he could come up with at the moment.

  “I volunteer at a walk-in clinic once a week.” She dried her hands. “Today’s my day.”

  He leaned against the counter, keeping at least a half dozen feet between them. “I’ll need the address so I can decide on the best route to take and any other relevant info to pass along to Michaels.”

  Ian Michaels was his backup. Todd kept him apprised of their movements. The worst thing a protective detail could do was fail to report its movements. If communications were compromised, backup would have no idea where to start the search or where to send help.

  “Warren Boulevard.” She wrapped her arms around her middle and met his gaze for the first time since she clambered out of his bed last night. “It’s an old church at the intersection of Warren and Western. Anyone who needs medical attention is welcome. There’s no charge. Church donations pay for the needed medical supplies. Several nurses and doctors donate their time. It’s important work,” she tacked on as if she feared he might debate the day’s agenda.

  “Maybe I can help, too.”

  She looked away. “Maybe.”

  It was highly probable that Robles had made it a point to learn her routine. “Have you been to the church since last Friday?”

  “No.” She straightened and tugged at the hem of her blouse.

  “Good. Robles might not be aware you volunteer at that location.”

  Staying aware was key to navigating any area and the level of risk. Anyone looking to commit a crime would always single out a distracted victim over one paying attention.

  Her destination was one with which he was familiar and, hopefully, Robles hadn’t connected to her. “I’m ready when you are.”

  “I need to grab my bag.”

  He watched her walk away. The jeans and gray pullover shirt hugged every sweet curve he had traced with his hands and body last night. He closed his eyes and relived the moment when she interrupted his shower. He’d been done with the shower for a few minutes but he’d stood under the spray of water in hopes it would relieve the tension vibrating in his body. The water hadn’t even come close to releasing his tension when she burst in. Watching her strip off her clothes and then stand before him in offering, he’d almost lost it.

  She was still as beautiful as he remembered. Every inch of her was perfectly toned yet so damned soft. The first time they were together he’d been terrified that he would hurt her. She’d seemed so tender and fragile. She’d set him straight right from the start. Eva Marie Bowman was strong and tough and damned determined. She and her sister hadn’t been shuffled around to foster homes the way he had, but they had experienced their share of tragedy and hard times. Like when their father died, leaving behind a wife who’d never been anything but a homemaker and two young girls who needed a college education. Their mom had worked three minimum-wage jobs to help get them through school. She had died a few years ago while he was still overseas. One of the first things he’d done when he got back to Chicago was take flowers to her grave.

  Stella Bowman had liked him. Maybe she’d changed her mind after he left, leaving her daughter’s heart broken. Learning to live with that prospect had been almost as hard as leaving Eva in the first place. Even if by some stroke of luck he was able to make amends with Eva, he couldn’t change how her mother had gone to her grave feeling about him. Some things couldn’t be undone. Yet another of those things was Eva’s sister. He wasn’t looking forward to running into Lena. Like most big sisters, she preferred to kick the ass of anyone who hurt her baby sister to talking things over.

  “I’m ready,” she announced.

  He cleared his head and led the way to the garage. At the door he grabbed the keys for the Dodge Charger. He liked that it was black with heavily tinted windows and had an engine made for speed if the need arose.

  “We’ll take the Charger,” he said when she stood at the front of the garage surveying the line of automobiles. He hit the fob and unlocked the doors of the sleek black vehicle that sat third from the right. He’d driven it several times. He felt at home behind
the wheel of the Charger more so than the other vehicles.

  While she climbed in he set the safe house security system to away using his phone. Once he was behind the wheel and had started the engine, the proper garage door automatically opened. As soon as he’d backed out, it closed once more. Five seconds later the garage went into the same away lockdown as the house.

  For the first few miles he deferred to her decision to keep the silent treatment going. As a soldier in Special Forces he’d learned to wait out the enemies. Hours or days...whatever it took. He’d honed his patience and his ability to remain calm and steady with years of training and operation execution.

  But he was no longer a soldier. This was a different world and in this world he was in charge. And he was frustrated and annoyed—mostly at himself.

  “About last night—”

  “I don’t want to talk about last night.” She stared out the window at the luxury estates set back amid the lush trees along the road.

  Okay, so maybe his strategizing skills where these sorts of things were concerned were a little rusty. Maybe a lot rusty. The past decade he’d satisfied his baser physical needs with one-night stands and no-strings-attached encounters. He hadn’t been in a relationship since...

  Since he left Eva.

  “We should talk about last night anyway.” He slowed for a turn. A couple more and they would hit Central Avenue.

  “We had sex.” She stared straight ahead, her jawline rigid, her hands clutching the armrest as if she feared he intended to rocket into hyper speed. “What’s to talk about? It was fine. Good...enough.”

  “Good enough?” A jolt of outrage joined his mounting frustration. Was she kidding? The sex had been mind-blowing...fantastic. A second’s hesitation nagged at him. No way. She had been thoroughly satisfied. He knew the sounds Eva made when she was enjoying herself. She had enjoyed last night as much as he had.

  “That’s what I said.” She released her grip on the armrest to bend forward and dig around in that enormous leather bag she carried as a purse. He was fairly certain it was the same one she’d carried in college. She called it her good luck bag. It was her last gift from her mother as she entered college. She jammed sunglasses over her eyes and returned her attention forward.

  He did the same. The sex had been better than good. She was yanking his chain, trying to tick him off. He got it. Fine.

  The truth always came out in the end.

  Good Shepherd Church, 11:00 a.m.

  “YOU’LL BE AS good as new in a couple of days.” Eva smiled at the elderly man whose allergies were giving him a hard time. “Nurse James will give you the meds the doctor prescribed as you leave. Remember to go to the Imaging Center for your appointment for the chest X-ray. Dr. Taggart wants to be sure there’s nothing more going on with that nagging cough.”

  Mr. Hambrick smiled. “Thank you, Eva. You always make my day better.”

  She gave him a wave as he shuffled off to the checkout area. Her duty here was bittersweet. Seeing all the elderly who had no one else at home or nearby to take care of them or the incredibly poor that had no other means of medical care tugged hard at her heartstrings. On the other hand, knowing that she made a difference in their lives was a soothing balm to her soul.

  Certainly made her forget all about her own problems.

  As if her mind wanted to remind her that her problems were close, she glanced over at Todd. He was bandaging Rhea Gleason’s ankle. She’d managed to cut herself pretty deeply puttering in her flower garden. Eva had inspected Todd’s repair work and been duly impressed. With a tetanus shot and an antibiotic just to be sure, Rhea, too, would be fine in a couple of days.

  Todd offered his hand to assist Rhea to her feet and she smiled up at him as if he’d whispered a secret to her that only the two of them would ever know. Eva doubted a man as handsome and charming as Todd had ever provided the woman with medical care. Not that Dr. Taggart wasn’t charming and quite handsome in his own way—he was. He was also more giving than any doctor she knew besides perhaps Dr. Pierce.

  Rhea glanced at Eva and smiled. Todd did the same.

  Pretending she hadn’t noticed the latter, Eva turned her attention to the sign-in sheet. She called the next patient’s name and chatted with the older man as if all were right in her world. Last night should never have happened. She wanted to be glad she’d broken the tension mounting between her and Todd...but she wasn’t. The strategy she now recognized as fatally flawed was supposed to prove that Todd Christian wasn’t as amazing as she remembered. That the lovemaking skill of the man couldn’t possibly be as incredible as the memories. That he would never be able to make this more experienced and mature Eva feel as if her world had tilted on its axis.

  You were so wrong, Eva. So, so very wrong.

  She’d hoped that at barely nineteen and with no experience that what she remembered was nothing more than blind passion driven by the sweet innocence of first love. Not the case at all. She now fully and undeniably grasped the reason no other kiss, much less any other aspect of lovemaking, ever lived up to his. He was the master. A fantastic lover.

  But great sex did not a real relationship make.

  Relationship?

  She wasn’t looking for a relationship.

  “Is the old ticker still beating?”

  Eva blinked away the distraction, realizing she’d had the diaphragm of her stethoscope against her patient’s chest for far longer than it should have taken for her to listen to his heart and lungs.

  She smiled and listened a little longer to cover her slip-up, then she removed the tips from her ears. “Sounds as strong as ever, Mr. Fry. Lungs sound clear, too.”

  Lawrence Fry was seventy and he’d lived in Chicago his whole life. He’d spent most of those years playing a saxophone in various clubs downtown and eventually in the street for donations. He’d told her how the basement of this very church had once been used to hide booze during Prohibition—unbeknownst to the reverend at the time, of course, he always clarified. Fry was one of the most knowledgeable people Eva had ever met when it came to Chicago history, especially the more infamous history.

  Like many of their patients he had no family. This free clinic was the only medical care he received. Yet the kind older man never complained. What he did was consistently promise Eva that he intended to play his sax at her wedding. She didn’t spoil the moment by informing him there were no plans for a wedding in the foreseeable future.

  “That’s always good news.”

  Eva placed the BP cuff around his right arm. “What brings you in today? Are you experiencing any symptoms I need to know about?”

  “Actually, I only came so I could see you.” He glanced around and leaned forward. “I heard through the grapevine that you’re in trouble.”

  Surprise followed by a trickle of fear made its way into her veins. “You don’t need to worry about me, Mr. Fry. I’m doing great, I promise. Where did you hear this?” He kept quiet while she pumped the cuff and took the reading. “One fifteen over seventy. BP looks great.”

  He took her hand when she reached to undo the cuff. “Word is all over the street that Miguel Robles wants to find you. You aren’t safe here or anywhere else, Eva. Don’t stay around here so long today. I know this man. He’s the worst of the worst. I got mixed up with him and his crew years ago—before he was the big cheese he is now. He’s bad, bad news. Watch your back, my friend.”

  Eva removed the cuff and gave him a nod. “I will. I promise.”

  He stood and gave her a pat on the shoulder. “I won’t take up any more of your time, then. I have a gig over on Harrison Street.”

  “You be careful, too,” she said.

  “Always.” Mr. Fry winked and ambled on his way.

  She watched him go, worry gnawing at her. Nothing he’d said should surprise her, and yet, somehow it did. She kept thinking if she jus
t went on with her life the whole thing would go away.

  Not going to be that simple.

  Not only was the problem not going away, the news was spreading. Miguel Robles had no choice. He had to save face or risk a revolution against his reign of terror.

  The cell strapped to her ankle vibrated. Eva decided to take a break and answer the call in the ladies’ room. She moved to the next temporary cubicle to let Betty James know she was taking a break. The exam rooms, so to speak, were made up of all sorts of donated decorative screens from sleek black Asian-inspired wooden ones to metal and fabric shabby chic creations.

  Betty gave her a thumbs-up. Eva weaved her way around the makeshift exam rooms and to the entryway of the sanctuary where the restrooms were located. The small entryway was flanked on the left by the women’s restroom and on the right by the men’s. A double door front entrance was monitored by two uniforms from Chicago’s finest. One of the officers, Kelly O’Reilly, waved at her. Every time she worked in this neighborhood he made it a point to stop by and ask her out. Rather than merely stop by today, he and his partner were hanging around. She decided that either Detective Marsh or Todd had warned him about Eva’s situation. To avoid questions about her current dilemma or that inevitable awkward moment when she would have to come up with another excuse about not going out with him, she ducked into the restroom before he could catch her.

  She’d had more than enough awkwardness today already.

  Eva snagged the phone from her ankle and checked the screen. Lena. Her heart sped into a run. She hit the screen to return the call and tried to slow the pounding in her chest. When she heard her sister’s voice, her knees almost buckled. Thank God. She should have called her already. They lived in the same city and still both of them were bad to let too much time pass between calls and visits.

  “Why haven’t I heard from you since you moved to this secret location?”

  Eva smiled, relieved to hear her sister’s snarkiest tone. “Because I’ve been busy.” Flashes of sleek skin and flexing muscles flickered in her brain. Eva pushed them away.