by Marie Harte
“Don’t worry, babe. We’ll be done with this in no time.”
Shannon didn’t know if he meant the meeting or the situation they were in, but she smiled anyway.
“Okay, Shannon,” Duncan leaned forward and steepled his hands together in front of his face, “I know this is difficult, and John has filled us in a bit on what happened, but in your own words, could you tell us about Michael Gerbowski? What you did, how you met, all that. And take your time. We’re not going anywhere.”
Shannon nodded, reassured. Taking a deep breath, she launched into her tale. Most of the things she had already told John, but she filled in what she knew of the police and psychiatric reports gathered in the investigation. She told them about the whispers she had heard about her not being the first one he had done this to, but nobody being able to substantiate the rumors. Duncan took notes, and asked questions here and there, but mostly stayed quiet. John rolled over to the window to watch outside.
“So, nobody has a key to your house?” Duncan asked finally.
“My parents do, but they’re several hundred miles away. I have a spare here, taped to the inside drawer of my desk if I need it, and yes, I checked, it’s still there. Hasn’t been moved. Tape hasn’t been broken. And my neighbor Lisa has one, because I have a tendency to lock myself out.”
Duncan nodded his silver head, appreciative she seemed to know what he was going to ask. Shannon could tell him she’d been through these interviews before, but most of the other times nobody could help her. She clasped her arms under her breasts and rubbed at her cool skin. She really hoped it didn’t get to the same point this time.
“Well,” Duncan said finally, “you’ve told us about everything we’ve already discovered. The only bit I have to add is that I talked to the Warden at the Ohio State Pen. He says Gerbowski has very few visitors, and is generally a good inmate.” He turned to John. “He said that they do have metal detectors going in and out.”
John turned his chair with one hand. “So, the can didn’t come from the prison, then?”
Duncan shook his head. “If it did, I don’t know how.”
John scowled and crossed his arms over his expansive chest.
Shannon could tell by the look on his face he had hoped for a lead. A visitor they could investigate. Something.
“Well, we’ll keep the investigation going on the can. They did find something else of interest. There was a rose petal inside the can.”
Shannon actually felt her face pale. “A rose petal?”
“Yes.”
John pivoted until he could reach a hand out to her knee. “Does it mean something to you, Shannon?”
“Well, kind of. Mike used to leave roses in places he knew I was going to be.”
John’s mouth tightened and his gaze shot to Duncan’s across the desk. But Duncan didn’t appear ruffled. “For now I suggest you file a police report, just to get these strange occurrences down on record.” He winked at her. “Just in case somebody breaks into your home and gets shot trespassing.”
Shannon’s gaze shot to John. He had the most threatening grin on his face she had ever seen, and she had to laugh out loud.
“Bloodthirsty?”
He winked at her, out of sight of the other men. Warmth coursed through her. It was the most intimate thing he had ever done in the company of others, and it warmed her heart.
The meeting broke up, and Shannon did as she was instructed and called the police to file a report. The officer arrived within just a few minutes. He was polite and oozed charm, and he noted everything down diligently. John stayed in the meeting room with her, to explain that the evidence had already been turned in and to fill the officer in on the steps LNF had taken in the investigation.
Shannon did not miss the look of pity the officer cast at John when he first walked in and saw John sitting at the end of the table in a wheelchair. Unfortunately, John didn’t miss the look either, and Shannon recognized the signs of an impending blow-up. His square jaw was clenched, and his eyes were squinted.
To make things worse, Officer Wilkins flirted with her, just a bit. Shannon tried to respond unemotionally to his questions, and did not acknowledge in any way his flirting. Maybe if she ignored the advances, he would get the hint. Actually, she was getting angry on John’s behalf. The officer completely ignored him, even going so far as to step into her line of sight to block her view of him. Shannon shifted just a bit to the opposite leg, where she could watch her boss out of the corner of her eye.
But the officer didn’t get the hint. As the interview drew to a close, Officer Wilkins removed a business card from his breast pocket. He scrawled another number on the back of the crisp white card.
“Ms. Murphy, here are my work numbers and email. And I put my personal cell number on the back, you know, just in case something comes up and you need to talk.”
If Shannon had been any other woman, she probably would have taken him up on his advances, because the officer wasn’t bad looking. Dark hair and kind eyes, but he knew he was cute, and that was very off-putting. Her eyes drifted to John. He looked ready to blow up. Shannon actually felt a shiver of fear for the officer.
She smiled and thanked the man for his time, then walked him to the door. The report would be done within a couple of days and she could pick up a copy at her convenience.
John was still in the conference room when she returned.
“Well,” she said, “that was interesting.”
John glowered at her from beneath his brows. She took the chair beside him.
“Don’t they teach tact in police academies?” she asked curiously.
Incredibly, John’s face closed down even more. “You mean when they deal with cripples?” he snapped.
“What?”
John glared at her. “You heard me.”
Hurt ripped through her. Is that what he thought she was talking about?
“Actually, I meant him hitting on me in the middle of an investigation.” Gathering her dignity, she carefully stood and pushed the office chair under the table. “Thank you for sitting in on the meeting, John.”
With as much dignity as she could muster, she walked out.
*
“FUCK!”
John called himself ten kinds of idiot asshole as he watched her walk out the door, head high. She didn’t look back at him, and he couldn’t blame her. He’d behaved like a child. Pouting and belligerent. That guy, standing tall and strong in his uniform, had pushed every one of his buttons. Attractive, cocky. Hell, he’d been just like him not too many years ago. Maybe that was why he had such a problem with him—because he saw so much of himself in the officer.
Shannon hadn’t reacted the way he’d expected, though. Instead of being flattered, she’d been uncomfortable and angry because of the way the officer had acted.
And he thought it was all about him. I’m such an ass.
Shannon avoided him all afternoon, and John felt nauseous to his stomach, which just pissed him off. He felt like he was in trouble. Hell, he knew he was in trouble. And he didn’t like being in the wrong. He watched until the minutes dwindled to five o’clock. Trapped in the car, she had to talk to him.
At five after five she was dressed and waiting for him in the reception area. They didn’t say anything as he followed her onto the elevator, went down the four floors to the lobby and out the front door of the building. Outside, snowflakes swirled, but John didn’t even notice. He scanned the street left and right. His gaze was caught by a man diagonal from them. In the swirling snow, John couldn’t make out many details, but his senses went on edge. Tall. Wearing a dark hooded coat and leaning against the corner of a building. A red, white and blue RTD bus gasped to a stop, and when it pulled away, the man was gone. He’d just been waiting for the bus. He noted the number of the route to check later, and continued to scan.
A car idled at the curb with tinted windows, exhaust fumes curling lazily into the air. He maneuvered himself between Shannon and the c
ar, and also memorized the plate number to check later. A smartly dressed woman in heels walked out of the building behind them and climbed into the car.
John stayed alert all the way to the truck. He unlocked the doors but he waved her back so he could check the vehicle. Nothing looked tampered with. He pressed the button on the remote to lower the lift. Once inside and with the truck started, he looked at her through the windshield.
Shannon waited patiently, arms crossed, at the front of the vehicle. A cream-colored hat covered her chocolate-colored curls, and matched the thigh-length coat she wore. The cold had brought out color in her cheeks, and John was distracted for a moment by how beautiful she was. It was no wonder the cop had hit on her. Even as she stared at him mulishly, he couldn’t help but smile.
That just seemed to make her madder. “Are you done?”
He nodded and she climbed into the passenger side of the truck, setting her lunchbox and purse on the floorboard.
Shannon rubbed her hands together as she settled in. She flicked the heat on. John stopped her hand as she started to pull away.
“Just a minute, please. I need to talk to you.”
Shannon’s gaze turned wary as she sat back in the chair. “Did you hear something?”
“About the case? No. I wanted to tell you I was sorry for the way I acted earlier.”
“Oh. That’s okay. No big deal.”
John watched her out of the corner of his eye. He didn’t like the offhand way she said that.
“It is a big deal. I overreacted, and I apologize. I just”—he turned his head to look at her—“got defensive, because he was hitting on you. Honestly, if I were you, I’d take him up on it. I mean, he was good looking, and healthy. Seemed charming. Your age.”
Shannon held up a hand to cut him off. “Did you check his teeth?”
John frowned at her. “What?”
“If you’re buying a horse, the first thing you check is his teeth.”
John knew he stared, but he had no idea what she was talking about.
Shannon waved a hand in frustration. “You’ve already decided we’d be a perfect couple. You’re trying to sell me a horse I don’t want.”
John reared his head back in realization. “Ah. Okay. Sorry.” Man, could he screw this up anymore than he already had? His relationship inexperience was really showing. “I didn’t mean to sound like that. I just…” He took a deep breath. “I don’t want to hold you back.”
Shannon’s face scrunched up in confusion. “Why would you think you hold me back?”
John clamped his jaw and looked away.
“Ah,” she said softly.
John hated that one small sound, and the wealth of meaning that went with it. Something popped in his jaw.
“Let me tell you something, John.” She leaned back in the chair and took a deep breath.
He didn’t dare look at her, but the breath stalled in his lungs as he waited. He kept his face deliberately turned to the window.
“I want you to listen to what I say, and actually hear. Your disability is more of a hurdle to you than me, and I don’t mean physically. I’ve lived with a paraplegic, so I’m probably a little more cognizant of what you go through every day than anybody else here. As well as the kind of care you may eventually need.”
He caught a glimpse of her hand in the air, and he assumed she had waved at the building. John had to admit, she was probably right. Other than Duncan, none of the other operatives were wheelchair-bound. Several had been in the chair during recovery, but only he and his partner had spent any length of time in one.
She was silent, but she leaned toward him enough to catch his gaze with her own. John couldn’t look away from her gentle smile. “I like you. A lot. I wasn’t flirting with that cop because he didn’t do anything for me. You’re the one that makes my heart race.”
Fear and exhilaration flashed through him, heady in their force. On the one hand, he was man enough to admit he was scared to death that she was interested him. Because interest led to other things, and he didn’t know if he could fulfill her expectations. On the other hand, the fact that she admitted out loud that she was attracted in him floored him and humbled him. What did he have that that cop didn’t? What did she see in him that nobody else ever had?
Unable to help himself, John cupped her head in his hands and brought his mouth to hers. She was surprised for a moment, then her luscious lips softened and she pressed back, clutching at his shirt and jacket with her gloved hands. He teased her lips with his tongue, requesting entrance. With a moan, her mouth opened, and John found himself lost in the sweetness inside. It had been so long since he’d been intimate with anybody, but his body remembered what it was supposed to do, and responded with enthusiasm, which thrilled him even more. The rush of blood heading south made him lightheaded.
Nibbling his way down her neck, John tried to absorb her intoxicating scent into his body. Even when he’d gone home the previous morning, he could still smell her in his clothes.
Shannon pulled away enough to look in his eyes. One hand brushed at the beard growing on his jaw, and he moved away, concerned. “Is my beard too rough?” He rubbed one of his own hands over the hair, but it was too calloused from the chair to feel how rough it was. He scanned her skin for redness, but didn’t see any.
Shannon smiled at him and shook her head gently. “No, it’s fine. I was just looking at you. I’ve never had a kiss like that.”
Immediately, his defenses came up. “Like what?” Maybe he’d been out of the dating game too long and had done something wrong. Some faux pas he knew nothing about.
“I’ve never had a kiss that gentle. It was very nice.”
With one last brush of her hand against his cheek, she faced forward and gripped her hands in her lap. Eventually, she connected the seat belt and sat back.
John gripped the steering wheel, shook. That kiss had knocked him on his ass, and she called it nice. Fuck! He turned to scan their surroundings as they headed for her house.
*
IT WAS EVERYTHING she could do to keep her hands to herself as John drove them home. John had kissed her. Not some peck on the cheek, but a rockin’, wet kiss that made her melt all over. She shifted subtly in the seat and tried to ease the pressure from her pants. Deliberately she kept her eyes facing forward. What she really wanted to do was look at him to see if he was as affected as she was. There had been a slight tremble in his hands, but maybe it had just been her trembling. She certainly was now. Her stomach quivered with nerves and her mind repeated those few seconds over and over. As hard and forbidding as he was, his lips were as soft as down, and gentle as a whisper. Totally the opposite of how he presented himself.
She wanted to taste him again. And more. She could feel how wet she was. Her body wanted to go all the way, and her brain was heading that way as well.
They didn’t speak as she drove them home, which was okay. They were each lost in their own thoughts. When he pulled in the drive, John had her sit in the truck for a few minutes while he observed the surroundings. Then he lowered himself in the chair to the driveway, pushed the button for the door to retract and powered himself up the ramp. Shannon watched, heart pounding, as he let himself into the house and disengaged the alarm. She counted the seconds as she waited for him to reappear and wave her in.
Minutes ticked away, and her tension mounted painfully. She was just about to call Duncan on her cell phone when John appeared at the doorway with Boohini in his lap. Shannon climbed out of the truck, snatched up her purse and lunchbox and jogged up the ramp.
“You scared me,” she told him as she crossed the threshold. “I thought something had happened to you.”
John’s eyes narrowed into a squint, as if he didn’t know what to make of her words. He took her lunchbox from her hand and motioned to the cat on his lap. “I heard something, and the motion detectors had gone off, so I had to sweep the house. This guy was in your bedroom, as far underneath the bed as he could go. He
was a pain in my ass to get.”
The tension in Shannon’s stomach eased. She’d left the cat box inside the kitchen this morning. The little cat was an explorer, and she had found him under her bed once herself. But the lingering taste of fear in her mouth was not pleasant. She had really been worried about John. Was the entire ordeal going to be like this?
She turned to the closet and removed her coat and hat and hung them on one of the hangers. John still wore his, so she wiggled her fingers at him to take it off, then hung it beside her own. Her hand dragged down the sleeve slowly, savoring the warmth.
John was looking at her oddly when she turned from the closet. “You okay?”
Shannon nodded and walked around him. “Yes. I’m going to go change.”
Without waiting for a response, she headed for her bedroom. Heels went into the closet with a thump and the outfit went onto a hanger for the dry-cleaner. She tossed a set of soft pink sweats on the bed and crossed to the bathroom to brush out her hair. If she were home alone, she would strip off the constricting bra too, but she didn’t think that was wise with John in the house. She needed all the support she could get around him. It seemed like her nipples waited for him to notice them, pressing as hard as they could against the cup of the bra. It drove her nuts constantly being aroused.
And certainly tonight would be harder, considering the kiss they’d just shared. He hadn’t said anything about it, of course, but she had felt the weight of his gaze on her face several times on the short trip home, and her lips had tingled every time. Desire beat at her almost constantly now.
What would he do if she made the first move? Would he respond, as she thought maybe he would? Or would he try to be a stand-up kind of guy and keep the situation on an even keel? Things could get difficult if they entered into a relationship that didn’t work out. There would be no escaping each other at the office. Shannon knew in her heart that if a relationship with John didn’t work out, she would leave to find a job elsewhere.
As she looked at herself in the mirror, and saw the dazed, fuzzy look in her eyes from that kiss, she vowed to herself that she would try to make the relationship work. John would have to be the one to take it in that direction, though. He needed to have enough faith in them to try.
