Keep Me Closer (A Dangerous Tides Novel)

by Rhyannon Byrd

  She felt like a pathetic idiot. And she hated that she’d let him get to her.

  Rolling onto her side, Brit punched one of the stupid pillows on her bed and closed her eyes, trying to put him out of her mind. But all she kept seeing, over and over, was the sight of him pounding his dick into the blonde’s mouth, until a tear actually spilled from the corner of her eye.

  That’s it. That does it, she thought, swiping furiously at her damp face.

  She wasn’t going to cry over him. Instead, she was going to get a grip and stop acting like a crushed-out teen. Which meant she needed to keep her head on straight, and not let her stupid hormones play haywire with her emotions.

  Taking a deep breath, she crawled under the covers and turned out the light, determined to think of anything but the man downstairs. In fact, she was going to devote her mental energy to his meddling brother, who needed to have his ass kicked for doing this to her.

  And who should have known better than to ever ask Alex Hudson to watch over her in the first place.

  5

  ALEX HAD BEEN IN SOME AWKWARD SITUATIONS IN HIS LIFE, BUT THIS morning took the prize. When he finally dragged his tired ass downstairs, just after seven thirty, Brit was already in the kitchen making omelets for breakfast. He cast a wary glance at her back when she told him to grab a cup of coffee and a seat at the table, hoping she wasn’t going to poison him.

  Wondering what the hell he was going to do about her, he slipped into a chair with the mug he’d just filled for himself and tried to keep his gaze focused on the tabletop. But it was pointless when she was standing at his stove in a fucking silky green dress that seemed to flow over her curves like water. And when she came to the table, setting a mouthwatering omelet in front of him, the front shot of her damn near made him drool. It wasn’t just the perfect tits and hips and long legs. It was the goddamn wavy red hair and creamy skin and smoky eyes with eyelashes that looked about a mile long. The silver hoops in her delicate ears and the pulse fluttering like mad at the base of her pale throat.

  “So what’s up with the breakfast?”

  Her shoulders lifted in a careless shrug. “I just like to cook when I’m tense.”

  He noticed there were faint smudges under her eyes, which meant she’d probably slept about as badly as he had. But she didn’t seem so much pissed at him as she did . . . uninterested. And that stung, damn it. The omelet tasted delicious, but he could hardly enjoy it with this sour feeling pumping through his veins. Then he noticed the little hungry, sideways glance she stole at him, and his tension increased for an entirely different reason.

  Jesus, that look had just made him ten times harder than Chloe’s mouth had done last night, and the woman wasn’t even touching him.

  Chloe . . . shit. What the hell had he been thinking? She was nothing but fluff. It sounded cruel, but it was the God’s honest truth. And he’d taken advantage of it. Had come in her mouth because he knew she’d let him, and he’d been feeling desperate. But it’d been a mistake. Hell, he hadn’t even been that into it until he’d looked up and seen Brit standing there in the middle of his living room, watching him with those wide hazel eyes. He’d noticed her flinch, and knew a classy woman like her had been mortified by the situation. Yeah, it’d been awkward, getting caught with his pants down and his cock buried between another woman’s lips. But even with her pissed and embarrassed, having the doc’s eyes on him had been what set him off.

  He looked up at her now, after taking a drink of his coffee, and the fucking air nearly crackled with sparks as their gazes connected. Then hers quickly skittered away.

  Christ, this was screwed up. He might not like it, but there was no denying that the intensity of the attraction between them was unlike anything he’d ever come across in his personal experience. He’d lost his virginity at fifteen, and could honestly say that despite his crap marriage, the years before he’d met Judith had seen him having some damn fine sex. Fun, gritty, raw. He’d more than enjoyed finding a woman who could take his level of intensity and making her come until she was worn out and sated. Had fucking loved it.

  But Alex had never craved another person like he did this one, and it’d been that way for a hell of a lot longer than he wanted to admit. All the doc had to do was walk into the same room as him, and you could feel something simmering in the air. It was that damn chemistry or whatever you wanted to call it that Reese had picked up on, and then run with it, convincing Ben that they needed to figure out a way to get the two of them together.

  But what his brother and sister-in-law didn’t know was that Alex had nothing to give a woman past what he’d shared with Chloe last night. And somehow he didn’t see a gritty sexual affair as being something that the doc would agree to, even if he could have survived one with his sanity intact.

  “I need to be at the office early this morning,” she murmured, after setting down her fork. “I was thinking that I could call Mike and ask him for a lift on his way in to work. That way you can get on with your day.”

  “No. I’ll take you.”

  She gave him a guarded look. “Alex, you don’t need to—”

  “I said I’ll take you,” he ground out.

  And that was the end of the conversation.

  Just as they were getting ready to step out the front door, her cell phone started to ring. She answered it after taking it from her purse, and he immediately knew from her body language that it was Shepherd again.

  “Try to get him to meet you,” he mouthed to her, shutting the door again. “Somewhere in town, if you can.”

  * * *

  BRIT GRIPPED THE PHONE TO HER EAR AS SHE STARED AT ALEX, WONDERING if he’d lost his mind. Or maybe he was just so desperate to get her out of his life that he was willing to put her in a risky situation. Whatever the case, she would be willing to do it to help her patient. Not the asshole watching her with those damn unreadable eyes.

  Turning her attention to the call, she listened to Clay’s choked voice wobble as he said, “I know you’re not at home, Dr. Cramer.”

  “Clay, you sound very troubled. You need someone to talk to, and I’m . . . I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you before. Why don’t we . . . meet somewhere in town today so that we can talk about how you’re feeling?”

  For a moment there was nothing but the erratic sound of his breathing, and then he snapped, “So you can set me up? Pick a time and place so you can sic the cops on me? I don’t think so, Dr. Cramer. That won’t work.”

  “Clay, listen . . .”

  “I just wanted you to know that I know you went somewhere with that man, and I’ll figure it out. You won’t be able to hide from me much longer.”

  The call ended, and she took a deep breath as she slipped the phone back into the inside pocket of her purse.

  “What did he say?”

  Biting her lip, she flicked a worried look up at Alex, who was still standing right in front of her. “Just that he suspects I’m staying with you, and he’s determined to find out where.”

  Some of the cold rigidity seemed to ease from his expression, the look in his eyes almost . . . caring. “Don’t worry, Doc. He won’t. He’s not getting anywhere near you.”

  Seriously? “You wanted me to meet him someplace, Alex.”

  Pulling the door open again, he said, “Only because I would have been there, along with Ryder and the others, to take him down.”

  She gave him a distracted reply as she followed him out the door, glad for the call, if only to be reminded of what the real problem was here. She had a patient who was hurting, who could very well hurt others, and who wanted to hurt her. In light of all that, Alex’s actions the night before meant nothing. She had no business wasting mental energy or emotion on the man. She just needed to stay focused and alert, while working on a way to reach Clay Shepherd before it was too late.

  Unfortunately, they’d learned from
Ryder that his calls were coming from prepaid cell phones, or burn phones, which made tracing his location difficult.

  Still lost in her thoughts, the last thing Brit expected to see when she and Alex arrived at her work and walked into her patient waiting area, other than Clay himself, was the clinic’s founder and director, Ray McNamara, lounging with his hip perched on the corner of her receptionist’s desk, apparently waiting for Brit to arrive. Despite being in his early fifties, he could have easily passed for forty. He kept in shape, had a thick head of sandy-colored hair, and was considered a bit of a heartthrob by most of the nurses at the clinic. But Brit had always felt that his looks were a little too polished. He was probably the kind of guy who had his teeth regularly bleached and visited a spa for his weekly pedicures. Not that she had anything against a man taking care of himself, but there came a point when it was just a bit too much.

  “Ray, it’s good to see you,” she murmured, wondering what had brought him down from his seventh-floor office. They usually only interacted at company events or staff meetings. In fact, she didn’t think she’d seen him for nearly two weeks.

  Ray cut a narrow look toward Alex as he moved to his feet. It was clear from the expression on his face as he shook Brit’s hand that he didn’t like the PI, and she was trying to reason out why when Ray shocked her by leaning down and pressing a kiss to her cheek.

  “Ray?” she croaked, completely confused as he pulled back and gave her a grave look of concern.

  “I’ve been so worried about you since Director Stevens told me what was happening with your patient, Brit. Are you all right? Is there anything I can do to help?”

  He was still clasping her hand, and she stood there with a stupefied look on her face, feeling as if she’d somehow stepped into yet another alternate reality the minute she’d walked into work. McNamara was acting odd. But he’d recently gone through an ugly divorce, and he was probably worried about any negative publicity the Shepherd case could bring the clinic. It didn’t have anything to do with her, she kept telling herself. But the calculating gleam in his ice-blue eyes as he stared down at her was making her extremely uncomfortable.

  “I’m fine,” she murmured, thankful for the chance to take the focus off herself as Alex came to stand by her side. “Ray, I’d like to introduce you to Alex Hudson. He’s a . . . friend of mine.” She flicked a glance at Alex, startled to find him staring at her boss with a cold, measuring gaze. “Um, Alex, this is the clinic’s director, Ray McNamara.”

  Ray finally released her hand as he looked at Alex. “Director Stevens mentioned you when I spoke to him, Mr. Hudson. I wasn’t aware that private investigators were in the business of providing personal security,” he remarked in a condescending tone that made her cringe.

  What on earth was Ray doing?

  She half expected Alex to just come right out and call the guy a jackass. But he didn’t. He simply responded with a crooked, satisfied smile she had a feeling was meant to goad the hell out of the other man. “This is personal, not professional. The doc is a really close friend of mine and my family.”

  “Hmm,” Ray murmured, shifting his attention back to her. “Brit, you know if you ever need a place to stay, I have plenty of room.”

  “Oh, uh . . . thank you. That’s very . . . kind,” she practically choked out, nearly jumping out of her skin when Alex placed his hand on her lower back. He kept it there, softly stroking the silk of her dress with his thumb, and McNamara’s gaze narrowed with annoyance.

  “Call me if you need me,” he told her, taking her hand again and giving it a final squeeze before making his exit without a word to Alex, and she didn’t know whether to laugh at their strange behavior, or pinch herself to see if she needed to wake up from this bizarre dream.

  “So that was your boss?” Alex asked, after they’d walked into her office and he’d shut the door behind him.

  Stopping in front of her desk, Brit set her purse down beside her phone and turned back around to find him propping his shoulders against the door. “In a roundabout way, I suppose. He’s the clinic’s director, as well as the founder.”

  “Have you ever fucked him?” he asked in a low, almost silent voice. But she’d heard him. She just couldn’t believe he’d had the audacity to ask her such a personal question.

  “Excuse me?”

  “You heard me, Doc.”

  She drew herself up to her full height and lifted her chin. “That’s none of your damn business, Alex.”

  Pushing away from the door, he came a few steps closer, crossed his arms over his wide chest, and regarded her with a breathtaking intensity that was causing her pulse to race. “Not true. At the moment, everything you do is my business.”

  “Well, then, since I’m currently living with you, I think it’s safe to say you would know if I was sleeping with him.”

  “I didn’t ask if you screwed him last night. I’m asking if it’s ever happened.”

  “You know, I get that this might come as a shock to you, but believe it or not, I’ve never needed to use sex to advance my career!” she yelled.

  “That still doesn’t answer the question.”

  Exhaling a sharp, bitter breath, she said, “No, Alex. I have never had sex with Ray McNamara. Is that clear enough for you?”

  His expression hardened. “But he’s tried, hasn’t he?”

  “He’s a married man,” she snapped, trying not to flinch under the raw force of his gaze. “Or at least he was, until recently. But that’s a line I never cross.”

  “So then he’s made his move, but you refused. Good.” His eyes gleamed with satisfaction. “I hate the thought of his slimy hands being on you.”

  “I don’t want you thinking of any man’s hands on me!”

  Quietly, he said, “Too late, Doc.”

  She could tell from his wry expression that he’d guessed the exact moment she figured out he was talking about himself, and how it’d affected her. She watched him with a wide, startled gaze as he walked over to the door and flicked the lock. When he turned back to her, he leaned his back against the door again, evidently waiting for her to say something.

  “You must be fucking crazy.” She didn’t use the f-word often. But this was definitely the time to throw that baby out there.

  He lifted his brows. “You telling me you haven’t thought about it?”

  “I haven’t!”

  Giving her a crooked smile, he called her on the lie. “Bullshit. I saw the look on your face last night.”

  “You mean the one of disgust when I found you getting sucked off by the blonde?”

  His smile disappeared, replaced by a steady look of resolve. “You might not have liked the situation, but you got off on the view.”

  She bristled with irritation. “You are so bloody arrogant!”

  “I’ve also had enough of this pointless game we’re playing,” he growled, pushing off from the door and heading right for her. “So lose the fucking dress.”

  She wet her lips and blinked, getting the feeling that he’d just shocked himself as much as her when those particular words had come out of his mouth. When she could finally form a response, her voice was whisper soft, thrumming with emotion. “What did you say?”

  He stopped a few feet in front of her. “I think you heard me just fine.”

  Her mouth started to tremble, her skin tingling with awareness. “Are you . . . are you asking me to get naked for you?”

  He gave a brief, curt shake of his head. “I’m not asking. I’m telling. Big difference.”

  She took a quick, unsteady breath, and knew he could see the confusion roiling through her. The part that wanted to slap his face and keep her distance battling against the part that was ruled by animal lust. They both knew it was a mistake to give in to whatever this crazy, volatile thing was building between them—a mistake that would only lead to trouble—
but they were breaking beneath its inexorable pull. “I see.”

  Her voice was huskier than before, and his mouth kicked up at the corner. “Good.”

  She glared at his smirking lips, then slowly lifted her gaze back to his. “And you think I’m going to make a fool of myself over you why, exactly?”

  Softly now, he told her, “Because you want it as badly as I do.”

  She started to shake her head, but he stopped her with nothing more than a look. “Don’t even try it, Doc. You might not like me all that much, but your body has a mind of its own.” He flicked his gaze down to her breasts, then back up again. “Your nipples are already hard.”

  She fought the urge to cover her chest like a coward. “Yes, well, my body doesn’t make the decisions around here.”

  He stepped closer, and she enjoyed the soft puffs of breath from his mouth as he lowered his face over hers. “I get it,” he said in a raw, gravelly rumble. “I really do. And while we might not like it, we both know how this is going to play out. It’s not going to just go away. I tried to shove it aside last night, and you saw how well that went. So we can either ignore it and be miserable, or deal with it once and for all.”

  So many emotions fired through her, it was difficult to tell which one was going to win out over the others. Shock? Anger? Desire? “You mean get it out of our systems?” she finally whispered, feeling the effects of them all.

  Lifting his hand, he cupped her jaw, his thumb settling against the corner of her mouth. “I don’t want you finding someone else to watch over you. It would drive me bat-shit. And I can’t claim to completely understand why that is. All I know is that I need to know that you’re safe. But you keep me on edge, and that led to what happened last night. Which, believe it or not, I am sorry that you saw. Hell, I’m sorry it even happened in the first place.”