by Jen Talty
She let out a dry laugh. “I just laid there for a few moments. His hands were all over me, making my skin crawl, but I pretended I was into it until I could knee him right where it counts, told him I never wanted to see him again, and then I ran.” Her body shivered as she wrapped her arms around herself.
“Did you report it?”
She held his gaze, raising her chin. “I just wanted him out of my life. The next day, my brother shows up and tells me how upset Kirk was over me breaking up with him. I told my brother what happened, but he didn’t believe me. Liam wanted me to go to Kirk and beg for his forgiveness, but there was no way in hell I’d ever go back. Not after that. It took a year of therapy before I could even go on a date—”
“You really weren’t faking with me?” He hadn’t meant to say it out loud.
“You might not believe this, but I doubt I could have slept with you unless I liked you and trusted you. I’m sorry about the video, and after those guys”—she held her cheek—“beat me up, I’m not sure I could have given it to them.”
“But you could have, before they attacked you?”
“I honestly don’t know. I believed Liam was in trouble, and while he might have been a shit brother, I had no reason not to believe he wasn’t being held hostage.”
Josh paced in a small circle. The need to pull her into his arms and hold her tight was so strong, he wasn’t sure he could keep control around her. He didn’t hold her naïvetés against her when it came to her father, or even her brother. Love did powerful things to a person. So did loyalty, even if it was misplaced.
He respected her for how she handled Kirk. The resolve in her voice when she talked about her ordeal seemed more than genuine. “I believe you didn’t know about your father or your brother’s involvement, or Kirk’s connection to any of it. I know you felt like you had no other choice but to do what Craypo and Getz asked of you.” He closed the gap between them, tilting her chin so he could see her eyes. “Not only am I going to nail Craypo, but I’m going to make sure Kirk spends a long time in prison.”
“And how do you propose we go about doing that?”
“We? There is no ‘we’ when it comes how this is all going to go down.”
“That asshole fucked with my life, and then used me to fuck with yours.” She poked Josh in the chest. “If you think I’m sitting back and doing nothing, you are sorely mistaken,” she said as her face turned red.
He hadn’t predicted this side of her. It took a lot of energy to keep from cracking a smile. Not to mention, he was slightly turned-on by the intensity of her tenacity, though the thought was entirely inappropriate. “You need to let me and the other law enforcement officers handle the situation.”
“Right, because you’ve handled it so well, thus far.” She spun on her heels then headed for the tent.
“No, you don’t.” He grabbed her arm.
“Don’t you dare touch me.” She twisted, yanking her arm free.
“Look.” He held his hands to the sides. “My fellow officers and I put our lives on the line. It’s what we do. But it’s not what you do, and I’m not going to let anything happen to you, which is also my job.”
“I—”
He pressed his fingers against her lips. “I promise that whatever plan my buddies and I come up with, I will keep you informed of every detail.”
“I appreciate that. But understand, my entire life, I’ve ignored the things that bothered me because I wanted to believe in sunshine and roses, and maybe if I hadn’t, my par—”
He took her by the shoulders. “You are not responsible for your parents’ death. None of this is your fault. There is only one man to blame, and that’s Craypo, and I’m going to take him, and everyone in his organization, down.”
She smiled, laughter belting from her mouth.
“I don’t see what’s so funny.”
“Oh, it’s not funny. It’s freaking ridiculous. It’s worse than a bad made-for-TV movie.”
“Like the ones on that girly channel?”
She nodded.
“My mother loved those movies. Her favorites were always the ones where the woman had been played by some guy, and she had to…” He paused to remove the ball cap from Delaney’s head. “I’ve always been a sucker for a damsel in distress, and those movies are probably why.”
“I might be in a little bit of distress, but I’m no damsel. Not anymore.”
“Yeah, but I’m still a sucker.” He wrapped his arms around her thin waist. “Let’s go inside the tent,” he whispered in a deep, throaty growl. He traced his thumb over her lip, across her cheek, then cupped the back her neck, drawing her against his firm chest. “You really are the most beautiful woman I have ever had the privilege to look at.”
She opened her mouth, but she never got the chance to speak as he melded their lips together. Her mouth welcomed his tongue in a fury. He wanted her more than he’d ever wanted any woman.
Beeeep. Beep. Beep. Beeeep.
He jumped, turning his head toward the noise. “We’ve got company.” Josh pointed to a boat slowing down as it approached the island.
“Who is that?”
“That’s Stacey’s boat, and it looks like Jake Prichard is with her.”
“Is that good?”
“I don’t know.” Josh pressed his hand against the small of her back, guiding her toward the picnic table. “Wait here.” He glanced toward the sky, as if the dark gray would tell his lips to stop seeking out hers.
By the time he made it to the dock, Jake had already jumped out of the boat and secured it.
“I don’t think you being in a lip-lock with her is a good idea,” Stacey said as she took his hand then stepped on to the dock, carrying a large bag that smelled like bacon.
“Save the lecture,” Josh said.
“Not a lecture.” Stacey always had an opinion and wasn’t afraid to voice it, and her opinion was generally right on the money. “Until this is over, I’d squelch whatever attraction you have for her because it will cloud your judgment.”
“This, coming from the woman who believed Delaney’s story from the beginning.”
“Believing her and trusting her are two different things. Everything she’s told us checks out, but I’d think twice before going to—”
“Josh is a big boy and capable of making his own mistakes…I mean, decisions,” Jake said.
“Both of you, back off.” Josh headed back up the short, muddy trail.
There was a long, awkward silence around the picnic table as Stacey pulled out a couple of trays with homemade French toast, eggs, sausage, and bacon, along with two mugs of fresh coffee.
Delaney went right for the mugs. “Now, this is coffee.”
“I take it Josh made the coffee this morning.” Jake had perched himself on the far side of the table. “He can’t even boil water.”
“He made me a good cup the other day,” Delaney said.
Josh groaned while Jake and Stacey laughed.
“He gets it from the restaurant below him,” Stacey said.
Delaney tilted her head. “But it was in a regular mug, and you… It was there when I… There was more in the coffee machine.”
“I went downstairs with my coffee thing, and they filled it. As I do every morning.” Josh shrugged, turning his attention to Stacey. “Thanks for bringing breakfast. I was dreading having to cook.”
“We’d all rather eat leather than your food,” Jake said.
“Food can’t be the only reason you two drove all the way up here this morning, when both of you are off duty and could be home with your families.” Josh stuffed half a slice of the French toast, along with a full piece of bacon, into his mouth. He glanced at Delaney, who had sat next to him, but all she did was push the food around on the tray. He nudged her arm with his elbow.
“Don’t mean to be rude,” Jake said, “but I’m not sure this is a conversation we should be having with her at the table”
“I promised her I’d keep he
r informed. Besides, this affects her just as much as it affects me.” Josh glanced between Jake and Stacey, making sure they both understood he wasn’t budging on that point.
“All right,” Stacey said as she sat next to Jake, clasping her hands together. “Jared got a call from your old sergeant at six this morning, informing him that Liam has filed a missing persons report on his sister, Delaney. Last seen in Lake George with—”
Josh interrupted. “Let me guess. Me.”
“Oh, it gets better,” Jake said with an arched brow. “He gave the NYPD an image that supposedly came from Delaney’s phone with a picture of her and you together.”
“That’s impossible,” Delaney said.
Stacey held up her phone. “Someone took this picture of the two of you on the docks at the Heritage Inn.”
“Shit.” Josh took the phone and stared at a picture of him in uniform with his tongue clearly in Delaney’s mouth.
“They were watching me the entire time?” Delaney pushed her food aside. “Oh, my God. Do you think they could somehow have that recording?”
“Not with the device they gave you,” Jake said. “While it had Wi-Fi capabilities, it wasn’t connected, and the file would have been too large to send over a phone.”
“When this is all over, one of you is going to have arrest me, because I’m going to kill my brother.”
“Don’t joke about that.” Josh pushed her plate back in front of her, handing her a fork. “Eat.”
“I’ve lost my appetite.”
By the glare she gave him, he opted not to push. “So, when is someone coming to question me, and who?”
“We believe the paperwork will come through the State Police,” Stacey said, “but not our office, so no idea who will be assigned to question you. Could also be a local. Jared has you on vacation, which the press could have a field day with, but the story hasn’t broken here because thus far, everyone has seen the two of you together and thinks you’ve just gone off to be alone.”
“Why would Josh being on vacation be a problem?” Delaney asked.
“I was awarded the Public Safety Officer Medal of Valor. It’s the highest honor a public servant could ever receive. Any kind of scandal regarding me could become the story of the century, but I suspect it’s less about ruining my career, and more about flushing us out.”
“That, we can agree on,” Jake said, “but Craypo could easily leak false information to the press, like suggesting you’re running because you did something to Delaney.”
“But I could just come forward and tell them they’re all wrong,” Delaney
“And that’s how they’d draw us out of hiding.” Josh couldn’t control his desire to touch Delaney any longer, so he slipped his hand under the table and onto her bare thigh. Stacey noticed the gesture and cocked her head, but said nothing. “Which I don’t want to do yet. Not until I have a solid plan.”
“We can play this any way you want,” Jake said. “You’ve only got two more nights here, but I wouldn’t stay that long. I’ve got a cabin in the Adirondacks that you can crash at for a few days.”
“That should give me enough time to figure some things out.”
“Keep in touch,” Stacey said. “Whatever you need, we’ve got your back.”
“Thanks.” Jake nodded to his friends as they made their way down the dirt path to the dock.
“What are we going to do?” Delaney asked. “I can’t run forever. I’m supposed to go back to work in eight days.”
“Once I’ve got everything in place, we’re going to turn your phone on and confront Craypo and his men, face-to-face.”
Chapter 8
Delaney stood at the front of the tent, staring at the flap, dreading climbing in for the night. The cloud-covered sky hid what little light the moon and stars could have provided.
After Josh’s friends left, he’d spent most of his time in the boat on the phone, texting or searching something on his iPad while he made sure all of his devices were fully charged. They took one quick boat ride over to some island that sold food, but otherwise, he barely spoke to her. He hadn’t been mean, but he certainly hadn’t gone out of his way to spend any time with her or even check to see if she were okay.
A light flickered inside the tent, and she heard the drag of a zipper. Sucking in a deep breath, she kicked off her shoes, forced a smile, and scooted in backward.
Her heart fluttered as she shifted to her side and realized he’d zipped the sleeping bags together. She opted to sit above the covers, for now. Part of her liked the idea, but the other part wanted to throttle him for being so presumptuous that she wouldn’t mind. A cool breeze rippled through the tent, and she shivered.
“You might want to get underneath soon. It’s going to drop to fifty, or even below.”
“Really? It’s summer.”
“It’s the end August, and it can get cold up here at night.”
“Okay.” She paused. “Why’d you zip them together?”
“Body heat. We might need it,” he said casually. He didn’t even look up at her as he tapped on his iPad.
“What are you doing?” She wanted to all him a cold fish for being so standoffish, considering all she’d told him.
He set aside his tablet, then tucked his legs under the sleeping bag, twisting his muscular frame to face her.
She swallowed, staring at his powerful, bare chest with just a trace of blond hair in the center.
“Working on a plan that will put Craypo, Kirk, and all their cronies behind bars, so you can go back to your life.”
“How, exactly, are you going to do that?”
“I’m calling in a bunch of favors.” He palmed her cheek. “Do you trust me?”
She nodded.
He blinked, dropping his hand. “Good. Now, let’s get some sleep.” He shifted his body, putting his back to her as he settled into the sleeping bag before turning the light down to a faint glow.
“Josh?”
“Yes?”
“I really am sorry about what I did and how we met.” Her heartbeat slowed. How could she feel as though she lost him, when she’d never really had him in the first place? “I really do like you.”
“I like you, too.” He fluffed his pillow, but didn’t turn.
The butterflies in her stomach floated to a standstill. She had no right to be disappointed. Their kiss earlier hadn’t meant anything. She settled down between the sleeping bags, tucking her hands under her cheek and staring at the back of his head, determined not to fidget. Keeping her breath steady, she closed her eyes, forcing her body to relax, praying sleep would come quickly.
But it didn’t.
When she felt the sleeping bag slide across her arm, she opened her eyes and saw his profile etched in the faint light glowing in the darkness. She couldn’t tell if his eyes were open, so she continued to lay still, once again hoping sleep wouldn’t elude her too long. She concentrated on the sound of crickets, the water gently lapping against the rocks on the shore, and his rhythmic breathing.
“Still awake?” he whispered.
“Yes.” She relaxed her body and rolled to her back, realizing how sore her muscles had become in her attempt to remain motionless.
“Can I ask you a personal question?”
A throaty laugh escaped her mouth. “Considering the last few days, I don’t think you need ask permission.”
“I can’t stop wondering why, before me, and especially before Kirk, you couldn’t ever have an orgasm.”
She laughed harder. “Sorry, but I don’t understand why this is so important to you.”
“I’m not all that special or necessarily great in bed.”
She giggled, which she hated, because she sounded like a schoolgirl. “I can’t believe you just said that.”
“I’m so glad I amuse you,” he said as he propped his head up, elbow on his pillow. “But you? You’re amazing, and the way you came for me was mind-blowing. I can’t imagine that it’s never happened before.”
>
“Still having trouble believing I’m telling the truth?”
“I believe you, but I don’t understand. You’re the most sensual woman I’ve ever met.”
“I’m not even close to being sensual, and honestly, I’ve never really liked sex.”
“Why?”
“After the incident with Kirk, I went to counseling. Not so much because of what he tried to do, but I really thought there might be something wrong with me.”
“There is nothing wrong with you. Trust me. Everything works the way it’s supposed to, and then some.” His fingers floated like a feather across the sensitive skin on the inside of her elbow.
“That is the worst line you’ve ever given me.”
“I’ve never given you a line.” His fingers curled around her wrist. “Did the counseling help?”
“It helped me understand that my problem was more psychological than physical.”
He laughed. “I’d say we proved that theory correct, but did you ever find out why?”
“My first time wasn’t very pleasant.” She closed her eyes. The memory still caused a sense of embarrassment.
“I’m no girl, but I understand that is true for most women.” He rubbed the sensitive skin on her palm.
She rolled her head, and now that her eyes had adjusted to the darkness inside the tent, she saw the outline of his face perfectly. His normally strong features, softened. “That may be true, but I didn’t know I had a yeast infection, and it felt more like someone rammed a hot curling iron up there.” She anticipated her voice would tremble, revealing this truth about herself. But it hadn’t. Nor had she felt ashamed. The words rolled of her tongue as if this were a normal conversation among friends.
“That sounds painful. What about when the infection was gone?”
“You are persistent, I’ll give you that,” she said, shocked her face wasn’t hot with embarrassment. She never spoke about this with anyone but her therapist, and even then, she’d been mortified. “I thought that was the pain. I was only seventeen, and never had a yeast infection before, so the next time we had sex, same thing. For five consecutive times, it was that bad, so he broke up with me.”
