I blushed. “You see all that, huh?”
“Yeah, Bailey, I do,” he smiled. “You put your life on the line for two kids you’ve never met and you’re genuinely nice to people, including me, despite the fact I’m being a class D dickhead.”
I bit back a smile. “Well, you’re not being one right now.”
Brock ran his thumb over my bottom lip and then leaned down and kissed me. I gasped, which gave him access to more of me. His tongue slipped inside, and I tried not to groan in ecstasy. Good God the man could kiss.
I pushed at his shoulders, good sense warring with my libido. “Is this why you’ve been wound up tight over the past week or so?”
“Have I?”
I nodded, and he leaned down to kiss me again. I pushed at his shoulders, although with a little less vigor than before. “I…I don’t think this is a great idea.”
He frowned as he gave me a curt nod. “I’m so sorry.”
I frowned. “Why are you sorry?”
“Because I’m here to protect you. Not fuckin’ accost you.”
I sighed. “Well, there is that.”
He raised his hands as if to surrender, then ran them through his hair. “It won’t happen again.”
Turning on his heel, he headed back outside, and I was left standing in the middle of the room confused and a little horny.
Brock
JUST PAST ELEVEN, Bailey was in bed and Dallas was watching television, so I went to my bedroom and pulled out my phone. Scrolling to Alec’s number, I pressed call and tried to control my anger as it rang.
“Alec Stone.”
“It’s Brock.”
“It’s late. Is Bailey okay?”
I took a deep breath. “She will be.”
“What happened?”
“You gave her your cell.”
He heard Alec sigh. “Yeah, I did. What of it?”
“You’re crossin’ lines, Alec.”
He chuckled, which pissed me the fuck right off. “I’ve never crossed a professional line in my life and you know it.”
“Outside of a patient/doctor relationship, you stay the fuck away from her.”
He sighed. “Hmm. So, that’s how it is?”
“That’s how it is,” I said.
“I’ll back off,” Alec said. “But she has my number, Brock. If she calls me when all this shit’s over, all bets are off.”
“We’ll see.”
“We good?” he asked.
“For now.”
Alec laughed. “’Night.”
I hung up and undressed, pulling on a pair of shorts. Sleep didn’t come quickly, my mind racing with all the lines I’d crossed in the past two days. Fuck, this woman was messin’ with my head.
* * *
Bailey
I woke with a scream, sitting up in an effort to catch my breath just as my door flew open and the light turned on, a shirtless Brock filling the portal. “What’s wrong?”
“Bad dream, Brock. I’m fine.”
“Shit, Bailey.” He shook his head and made his way to my bed. “You’ve got a set of lungs on you.”
I flopped back onto the pillow. “So I’ve heard.”
“You need to talk?”
I shook my head. “I’m okay. Go back to bed.”
He watched me for a few seconds. “You sure?”
“Yep.”
Brock nodded and turned off the light again, pulling my door closed.
For the next hour, I tossed and turned, unable to shake my nightmare. Throwing off the covers, I made a decision that probably wouldn’t prove to be a smart one, but I justified it by telling myself he started it.
I padded down to Brock’s room and knocked quietly on the door, pushing it open and peeking inside. “Brock?” I whispered.
He sat up. “You okay?”
“No. Can I stay in here? I’ll take the floor.”
“You’re not sleepin’ on the floor,” he breathed out, flicking the sheets aside. “Come on. Get in.”
I closed the door and rushed to the bed, suddenly really, really cold. Climbing in, I snuggled under the covers and Brock wrapped his arms around me. “Fuck, you’re freezin’.”
“I’m always cold,” I admitted.
“I’ll warm you up.” He held me tighter. “You sure you don’t need to talk?”
I shook my head. “I just can’t stop the images from flashing through my head. I don’t think it’s really something I can put into words.”
“I get it,” he said.
“How much trouble will you get into if someone finds us like this?”
“Don’t worry about it.”
I rolled to face him. “I should go back to my room.”
“She says while wrapping her arms around me,” Brock retorted.
I giggled quietly. “Oh, I’m not going to… I should… but I’m not gonna.”
He slid his hand to my cheek. “You need to make a choice here, Bailey, because if you stay, I’ll have to make a few changes in the morning.”
“What kind of changes?”
“I’m gonna have to recuse myself from your case.”
“Will that mean I can’t see you while I’m on house arrest?”
“Probably.” He stroked my cheek. “Not my call.”
I bit my lip. “I don’t know if I could survive it if you weren’t here.”
“Then you need to go back to your room.”
“You’re right. And I will…just one more minute,” I begged, burying my face in his neck. “I like this.”
“Me too.”
“Will you hurry up and solve whatever this is, so we can do more of the snuggling without fear of you getting fired, please?”
He chuckled. “I won’t get fired.”
“Reprimanded?”
“Possibly,” he said.
“Spanked?” He laughed, and I covered his mouth with my hand. “Shush, you’re gonna get us caught.”
“Stop bein’ funny, then,” he ordered.
“That’s impossible.”
“Yeah?”
I nodded. “Eye candy and comic relief. It’s my life’s work. Can’t stop it.”
He dropped his face into a pillow and laughed again.
“Brock, you’re not answering your cell phone, over.” Dallas’s voice came over the radio and he sounded more irritated than worried.
“Damn it,” Brock said, grabbing his radio from the side table. “It’s charging,” he lied. “Problem? Over.”
“Is Baby Bird asleep?”
Baby Bird? I mouthed with what I hoped was a horrified expression.
Brock grinned. “Yeah. Baby Bird’s in the nest.”
I rolled my eyes and unwove myself from him, sneaking back into my assigned bedroom. I climbed back in my bed, my head swimming with everything that had just happened.
I had a lot to think about and, with this recent development of a mutual attraction between me and Brock, I was pretty sure I was into something I didn’t think I’d be able to get out of anytime soon.
A knock at my door pulled me from my thoughts. “Come in.”
“Hey,” Brock said, and pushed open the door, but didn’t come in. “You okay?”
“Other than being referred to as ‘Baby Bird,’ yeah, I’m good.”
He smiled. “How’s your pain?”
“Good.”
“But…”
“But nothing.”
He leaned against the doorjamb. “Okay, what’s wrong?”
I shook my head.
Brock raised an eyebrow. “Is it me, the stuff with your parents, or the general state of your situation?”
I grimaced. “All of the above?”
“We’ll sort it out.” He smiled as he sat on the edge of my bed and took my hand. “You okay?”
I smiled. “I am now, yes. Thank you.”
He leaned down to kiss me. “You good with this?”
I nodded. “Insomuch as I’d like to get to know you when I’m not in danger, yes
. I need to know if you have a hero complex out in the real world as well.”
He grinned. “Depends on who you ask.”
I patted his chest. “You’re hot and an exceptional kisser, so exploring this is something I’m interested in. But I don’t want to rush it, okay?”
“Okay, Bailey. I hear ya.”
“Go back to bed,” I whispered. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
He nodded and left my room.
* * *
Brock
The next morning, I woke early and made my way out to the family room. Dallas was in the kitchen pouring a cup of coffee and I gave him a nod.
“Mornin’,” he said.
“Hey. Thinkin’ I might get a run in.”
“Fine by me.”
“Then I need to disclose.”
He raised his eyebrows as he took a sip of coffee. “No, you don’t.”
“Protocol.”
“Brock, this isn’t a good idea.” He set his cup on the island. “Just wait it out.”
“Coverin’ our asses here, brother.”
Dallas shook his head. “You keep it in your pants until this is over, there’s nothin’ to cover.”
I scowled. “I’m gonna go for a run.”
“Whatever you gotta do,” Dallas said, grabbing his coffee again.
I left the house and started out at a sprint. I was pissed. Pissed mostly that my partner would lower my feelings for Bailey to a simple ‘keep it in my pants’ level. It was deeper than that. I’d never met anyone like her and I wasn’t about to let a good thing slip through my fingers.
As I ran, I tried to work through Bailey’s situation without emotion. Easier said than done, but I leaned on my training and what we knew so far…which wasn’t enough, to be honest. What I couldn’t fully wrap my head around, was that Bailey’s parents might have had something to do with all of this. I didn’t know if she could deal with losing her best friend and a betrayal from her family.
Finding myself back at the safe house, I texted Dallas and let him know I was coming in, and then walked through the front door to find Bailey setting fresh-made waffles on the table.
She grinned. “Hey, Brock. You hungry?”
My stomach rumbled. “Starved.”
I glanced at Dallas who was already shoving his face full of food.
“I’ll shower real quick.”
Bailey nodded. “Sounds good.”
She was in a good mood. This was good. She’d obviously got some sleep. I smiled and headed to the shower.
* * *
Bailey
I sat down at the table just as Brock returned wearing dark jeans and a long-sleeved T-shirt. His hair was still slightly damp, and I itched to run my fingers through it…maybe grab it while he ate me out. Closing my eyes briefly, I tried to think of something that would divert my horny thoughts.
“Bailey, you okay?”
I met Brock’s eyes and felt my cheeks heat. “I’m good.”
He sat down and loaded his plate with food.
“How was your run?” I asked.
Brock glanced at Dallas, and then focused back on his plate. “It was good.”
I turned to Dallas who shrugged and went back to eating.
“You weren’t gone long,” I observed.
“Wasn’t feelin’ it today.”
Dallas stood, pushing away from the table. “I’m gonna go wash up.”
“Everything okay?” I asked.
Brock nodded.
I sighed, sitting back in my seat. “What’s going on, Brock? Are you and Dallas having a lover’s tiff?”
He rose from his seat and headed to the kitchen without answering me.
I followed him, my irritation rising with each step. “Brock?”
He set his plate on the counter, turned to face me and grabbed my hand, tugging me down the hallway and into the master bedroom.
“What on earth is going on?” I demanded.
“I need you to be a little less…ah…intimate with me.”
“Excuse me?” I stepped back slightly. “Intimate?”
He sighed, crossing his arms. “Okay, maybe not the right word. Dallas is squirrely about this, so I need you to…ah…help me keep my distance from you.”
I frowned. “No problem.”
“Bail―”
“Nope. Seriously, Brock. It’s all good.” I pushed him toward the doorway.
“This isn’t―”
“Isn’t what?” I challenged.
“Exactly what I meant,” he finished.
“Come with me,” I said, and walked out the room, hoping Brock would follow without too much of an attitude.
“Dallas!” I called, and stopped in the family room.
“Yeah?”
“Can you join us, please?”
Brock raised an eyebrow as Dallas walked into the room and I faced them.
“I need whatever this is to stop.” I waved my hand between the two of them. “You two cannot be arguing over me. We are currently stuck with each other for the foreseeable future, so we need to figure out how to cohabitate without killing one another.”
“Bailey, it’s all good,” Brock said.
“If it’s all good, stop dragging me into the bedroom to tell me everything I’m doing wrong!”
“I never―”
“Coulda fooled me,” I ground out. “Let’s do this… I promise I won’t make out with either of you, so will you stop scowling at each other, please?”
With that, I headed back to my bedroom and slammed the door.
Bailey
ALMOST A MONTH later, Brock and I were alone in the house and I was trying to figure out what to make for dinner. I was still in the house, because there was still no definitive information as to what the hell was going on, and it wasn’t safe to return to my apartment, which made me irritable as hell. “Where’s Dallas?”
“He had some stuff to do, so he left early.” Brock handed me a glass of wine (while he stuck to water).
“Thanks,” I said, and took a sip. I needed this tonight. Even though I’d gotten my cast off yesterday, I’d been in a shitty mood all day. “What about Jaxon?”
“Out front.” He smiled. “Why, you wanna get nasty?”
I rolled my eyes. “Just wondering if I need to make extra.”
“You sure that’s it?”
“Yes, Brock, what else would it be?” I snapped.
He raised his hands in surrender and dropped his head. I sighed. I was (understandably) frustrated. We were still being really careful not to express too many emotions when it came to each other and I was sick of it. I wanted to be with him, even if there was the probability we’d fail. I wanted to at least try.
“Brock, we got movement on the west side of the street, over,” Jaxon radioed.
Brock lifted the walkie from his belt, leaning against the island. “Advise, over.”
I held my breath as he reached out and wrapped his hand around my wrist, his thumb stroking the sensitive spot on my arm.
“Owner walking their dog. No threat, over.”
“Roger that.” He clipped his radio back to his belt and smiled at me. “You okay?”
I nodded.
“Why’s your body locked, then?”
I forced myself to relax and went back to my wine. Brock chuckled, and I glared at him over the rim of my glass.
“Brock. Movement again, over.”
This time I didn’t try to hide my nervousness, stepping closer to him as he grabbed his radio again. “Advise, over.”
“Looks like you got a couple religious folks comin’ up the driveway, over.”
“Roger that. I’m gonna ignore.” Brock smiled at me, sliding his hand around my waist. “I got you, you know that, right?”
I nodded.
“Somethin’s not right, Brock, over.”
Brock pointed at me. “Get to the bathroom.”
I nodded and poured more wine before heading that way. If I was going to the pa
nic room, my wine was coming with me.
I heard the doorbell and stayed close to the bedroom door, ready to run for the panic room if I needed to. I heard Dallas’s voice, and then Brock’s. I bit my lip, but then I heard Brock’s low, sexy chuckle and the door close, and I knew they were discussing me, but they weren’t loud enough for me to make out words.
“Coast is clear, Bailey,” Brock called.
I walked out of the bedroom and down the hall to the great room and stared at the two drop-dead gorgeous men ordered to protect me.
“Everything okay?” I asked.
Brock’s eyes raked over me and I bit my lip to keep from sighing. “Everything’s good,” he said.
“You’re back early,” I said to Dallas.
Dallas nodded. “I got what I needed to do done, so I’m back.”
“Anyone hungry?” I asked. “Do you want dinner?”
“You cook a lot, Bailey,” Dallas pointed out. “You don’t have to.”
“I like cooking, Dallas. It actually calms me and I think you’ll admit, there’s not a lot to be calm about right now.” I settled my hands on my hips. “Do you not like my cooking?”
Dallas raised his hands in surrender. “I love your cooking. I’m just saying you don’t have to do it if you don’t want to.”
“I want to.”
I saw Dallas glance at Brock before he made his way to the sofa, flipped on the television and settled in to watch football.
I stepped back into the kitchen, opened the fridge and pulled out steaks, asparagus, and four large potatoes. Even if Jaxon was forced to sit in the car, he still deserved a decent meal. I washed my hands and then the potatoes, prepping them for the oven, all the while being closely watched by Brock. “What?” I asked, without looking at him.
I felt his hand on my lower back and I looked up at him and melted. His eyes were filled with concern and something deeper, but it was the something deeper I couldn’t focus on.
“You okay?” he asked.
I nodded. “I just want this done.”
He stroked my back. “I know.”
“No, I don’t think you do.” I went back to chopping the asparagus.
He squeezed my hip. “Hey.”
I looked at him again. Wrong choice. I just wanted to wrap my arms around him and cry, so he could hold me and comfort me, but that wasn’t an option, so I had to stuff it.
“I do know,” he said. “We’ll sort it out.”
Witness (Guardians Book 1) Page 5
