Finally, Willow spoke up. “She would, like, totally have told you everything earlier, but we have rules about that stuff. I see the ghosts of people who’ve died in horrific ways. That’s why we sometimes know intimate details about a crime. They don’t always talk to me, but the dead girl we mentioned earlier told me where to find her body. She also witnessed Trish’s dad’s murder.”
Carlos just stared at Willow. “I’m beginning to understand why none of you share what you can do.”
“Not everyone does stuff like Trish or Willow,” Ivy said.
“You can manipulate people’s feelings,” Carlos said and smiled when Ivy’s head snapped up. “Did you think I wasn’t paying attention to what you do? Unless I missed my guess, you also read minds sometimes, but it’s hit or miss.”
Ivy nodded. “This day has not gone the way I expected,” she said softly.
Carlos looked at Alek with a raised eyebrow.
“I’m not sharing,” Alek said with a hint of menace in his voice.
Trish was tempted to smack him.
“Yeah, I figured you wouldn’t,” Carlos said with a sneer. “Guess it’s a good thing you don’t need a favor from me today.”
“So, what can we do?” Ivy asked in a blatant attempt to diffuse the tension between Alek and Carlos. Ivy clearly liked confrontations about as much as Trish did.
Carlos broke eye contact with Alek and reached a hand back to massage his neck. Trish saw the tension etched in his face. “Honestly, I don’t know how much we can do. I have zero authority here and no friends on the force in that area. I still have access to my department files, but it would be easier if we could access some other databases. At this point, I’d give my left nut for a good hacker.”
“I’ll pass on the offer, but I’m sure the hacker I know has no interest in your left nut,” Alek said.
Trish frowned. “I’m not sure that’s such a good idea,” she said hesitantly. As much as Trish wanted to find her father’s killer, the idea of bringing Isaiah into this didn’t appeal to her. He was much better than he’d been right after his breakdown, but Isaiah still wasn’t quite right in many ways, and she was worried the tension might set him off. She also didn’t like the idea of bringing him to Carlos’ attention.
“He can get access without even setting foot in the room,” Alek assured her.
“I already know about Isaiah Draksel,” Carlos said in a bored tone. “When I mentioned using a hacker, I was hoping you’d suggest him.”
Alek nodded and pulled out his phone.
Alek was right about Isaiah’s skills. He remotely accessed Alek’s laptop and had them into the necessary databases within ten minutes. After twenty minutes of looking at photos, Trish finally had faces for her father’s killers, and she felt oddly numb when she learned that two were already serving life without parole and one was dead.
“How did you know where to look?” Trish asked.
“After I became a detective, I looked into your father’s death and found out what cases he was working on. With your description of the men, it was a little easier to narrow it down. Although, I’m still not sure what I can do,” he admitted. “Ideally, the ones that are still alive should be tried so they can’t get out of prison, but there isn’t any evidence.”
Trish shrugged. “My mom will want to know she’s right, so maybe this will be enough. They’re already in prison. While it would have been nice if my mom could have collected on the life insurance all those years ago, she’s financially secure now.”
“You need to take care of Ashley’s body,” Willow said in disgust.
“Sorry for sounding so selfish,” Trish said. “I didn’t even think about that.”
Alek glared at Willow. “You aren’t being selfish and have every right to be caught up in what’s going on with you.”
“We’ll figure out a way to make sure her body is found,” Carlos assured Willow.
“Sorry for being bitchy,” Willow said in a sad voice. “I just feel horrible for the girl. She’s been stuck in limbo for a long time, and her poor parents have no clue what happened to her.”
“I’ll help you convince people to look for her body,” Alek offered to Carlos.
Carlos nodded and stood. “Okay. Let me make some calls first and see if I can do it without your special brand of influence.”
“It’s faster my way,” Alek said with a grin.
“It’s also really fucked up,” Carlos stated bitterly before he practically stormed out of the condo.
Chapter Thirteen
Alek hated leaving Trish for the two hours it took to help the detective sort things out. It had taken all of his self-control to keep from calling over and over to make sure she was okay.
When he walked through the front door, he found Trish wrapped in a plush blue blanket on the sofa. While it was warm, she still had moments of feeling chilled, not that he blamed her. Her eyes met his, and he was nearly floored. What was it about this woman that he was so drawn to? There was no denying her beauty, but it was more than that.
“How did it go?” she asked, and he could tell she’d been crying.
Even knowing it was a mistake, he moved across the room and scooped her up in his arms before settling her on his lap. “Everything is being taken care of. Why are you crying?”
“I’m not sure,” she admitted. “I mean, I have a lot going on, but I’m not sure which thing is making me weepy.”
He kissed the top of her head. “It’s probably a combination of everything. You also overdid it today. What you need is to eat dinner and go to bed early.”
Trish looked up and touched the side of his cheek. “Will you sleep with me, Alek?”
Sucking in a sharp breath, he was instantly hard. “That would be a really bad idea.”
“Why?” she asked.
“Why?” he sputtered. “I don’t know where to begin with the reasons why this is a bad idea.”
“Listen, Alek, I haven’t had much experience,” Trish admitted. “That time with you was the only time I’ve ever climaxed with a partner.”
Alek opened his mouth, but all that came out was a strange gurgling sound.
The woman actually laughed at him. “You look ridiculous. Is this all it would have taken to get you to back off a month ago? Are you one of those guys who only want a woman who’s a challenge?”
“I prefer women who aren’t a challenge,” he admitted. “You’re an exception. That has nothing to do with the reason I think this is a bad idea. I’m not going to take advantage of you when you’re recovering from a serious injury. You’ve had some terrible shocks in the last couple of days.”
“Believe it or not, I’m just asking you to sleep,” she said. “I’m freaked out and emotional. I watched my father die today, and I don’t want to be alone.”
Alek was more than a little embarrassed about his assumption. “Of course. I don’t know what I was thinking.”
“You were thinking you’re an attractive man who has women throw themselves at him all the time. Bet not a lot of women invite you to their bed for reasons other than sex.”
“True, but I should have known you weren’t planning to seduce me.”
“I wouldn’t even know where to start,” she admitted. “Seduction isn’t something I have a lot of experience with.”
“You were doing fine when you told me I’m the only man you’d ever climaxed with,” he confessed. “That got me thinking about all sorts of other ways I want to make you climax.”
The shy smile she gave him made him even harder, something she must have noticed while sitting on his lap. “Good, because I do plan to seduce you, just not tonight.”
Alek wanted to say something sensible, but sensible wasn’t really his thing. He was the irresponsible one in the family. Yet here he was, wanting to save Trish from making a huge mistake, because that’s what any involvement with him would be— a mistake.
“You deserve better than me,” he said, stroking her hair back from h
er face.
“I’m not talking about marrying you, or even dating you,” she said. “You’re the first guy I’ve had any sexual interest in for a long time. That’s something I’d like to explore, but tonight, I’m exhausted and scared. So, will you sleep with me?”
Alek nodded, feeling like a tongue-tied fool. He’d never been at a loss for words around a woman before. Somehow, none of his sexy lines seemed appropriate. Then again, they hadn’t seemed appropriate for this woman from the beginning.
Trish slipped off his lap and stretched, giving him a much too perfect view of her sexy breasts.
With great effort, he tore his gaze away from her. “I’ll give you time to get ready for bed.” His voice sounded strained.
After studying him for a moment, Trish asked, “Are you nervous?”
He opened his mouth to answer but closed it before looking down at his feet. “A little,” he admitted. “I have no idea why this is making me nervous, but it is.” Then he met her eyes. “Actually, I know why. Before, you were off-limits. No matter how much I wanted you, I could only let things go so far.”
“You seemed willing to let things go pretty far,” she reminded him.
“I could have let them go much further,” he said, giving in to the temptation to stand and move closer to her. “You wouldn’t have stopped me.”
“You’re right,” she said. “Every time you touched me, I forgot all the reasons I had for avoiding anything physical with you.”
“It isn’t easy remembering the reasons I shouldn’t fuck you until you crave my touch like a drug,” he said in a rough voice. “The problem is, I like you, Trish.”
“That doesn’t usually happen with women, does it?”
“No, it doesn’t happen often. I also know for a fact I’m not your type. Why would you want me?”
“You mean, aside from the fact that you’re one of the hottest guys I’ve ever met?” she asked. “I’m not sure. Things have been bizarre in my life lately, even before the whole dying thing. I thought I had a normal life with some crazy friends. Then I found out I’m surrounded by psychics who somehow ended up involved with vampires. Their lives were moving in a direction mine couldn’t. I was being left behind.”
“So you figured you should sleep with a vampire to make yourself feel involved?” Alek hated the hurt in his voice.
“I don’t think that’s what it was. Maybe I was rebelling a little. You have no idea how annoying it is to have people telling you what to do. Mostly, I was just attracted to you, but I was afraid to let things go further. Now, I’ve decided that I don’t want to live my life ruled by my fears.”
“You’re a passionate woman. You just need to find the right man to bring that passion out in you.”
There was a moment of tense silence where Alek almost felt the need to hold his breath. He had no clue what he was hoping Trish would say. Yeah, he wanted to be invited into her body, but that was beyond messed up. Messed up or not, he didn’t have the willpower to tell her no if she made the offer.
Trish looked like she was about to respond, but Alek stopped her before she could say something she’d regret. “Get ready for bed,” he said. “I’ll change and be in soon.
Alek watched her walk into the bedroom because he couldn’t keep his eyes off of her shapely ass. Trish was curvy in all the right places, and he was dying to strip her naked and explore every one of those tantalizing curves. Putting the brakes on those thoughts, Alek reminded himself of all the reasons he would not strip Trish naked and indulge in his fantasies.
With a sigh, he headed into the other bedroom to change. Somehow, he didn’t think Trish would appreciate having him climb into her bed naked. Looking down at the outline of his erection under his jeans, he wondered if he should try a cold shower, but he figured Trish would worry he’d changed his mind if he took too long. After changing into sweatpants, he noticed that his dick wasn’t being any more cooperative. With any luck, Trish wouldn’t notice his condition.
He padded across the living room to Trish’s bedroom. She was lying on the bed, facing away from him when he entered, and she turned to look at him. He’d been hoping the lights would be dimmed, but no such luck. Her eyes locked onto his erection, and his cheeks heated.
“Sorry,” he murmured. “That thing has a mind of its own.”
She gave him a reassuring smile.
“Don’t you dare say something sweet and comforting,” he warned.
“I was going to thank you for covering it up. You might have knocked something over with that thing.”
Alek laughed and climbed into bed with her. He wrapped his arms around her from behind. Luckily, their height difference allowed him to keep his overly excited dick from rubbing against her too much. “You are something else.”
She yawned. “Thank you for sleeping in here with me.”
After kissing the top of her head, he nuzzled her silky hair. “Sweet dreams.”
Chapter Fourteen
Trish should still be asleep, but at four in the morning, she was wide awake with Alek snoring softly beside her. Normally, she’d read in bed, but she didn’t want to wake Alek. He’d spent the night before last in her hospital room, and no one slept well in a chair. Last night, he’d at least had a comfortable bed, but she’d heard him moving around in the middle of the night. Alek definitely needed more sleep.
Before leaving the room, she took a moment to study Alek. The blankets were down around his hips, giving Trish a perfect view of Alek’s well-muscled torso. When he rolled to his side, the blankets came down even lower, and she felt a pang of disappointment that his sweatpants were preventing her from getting a peek at his bare backside— one she was certain was just as drool-worthy as his chest. Alek was one of the sexiest men she’d ever met, which surprised her. While she’d been attracted to Noah, that attraction had paled in comparison to what she now felt for Alek. Alek tempted her more than any man ever had.
Tearing her gaze away from him, she walked to the front room and powered up her laptop. She didn’t have any photo shoots for the next week, but she had photos to edit from several recent shoots before meeting with the clients. Her boss was great and let her pick her own schedule for the most part. The exception was the holiday season or graduation time, when they all had to put in extra hours. She never shot weddings, so she only had a few family shoots and a couple of buildings she’d photographed for an architect they contracted with to prepare for clients. The building shots needed little in the way of touchups, but the family photos always required more work. That was especially true for the ones she’d taken at the beach. While outdoor shoots were fun and looked more natural, it was harder to control the lighting. It always amused her that people wanted natural looking shots that made everyone look perfect.
Five hours later, her bedroom door opened and Alek walked out. “What are you doing up?” he demanded. Obviously, Alek was not a morning person.
“Working,” she said without looking at him.
“You should be resting. I told your boss you need two weeks off to recover,” he grumbled.
Trish smiled. “Bridget sent me an email about your conversation, and she’d like you to remove your head from your backside before talking to her again. She also said I could take as much time as I need, but it’s up to me, not some overbearing jerk.”
“I should have sent someone over to talk to her in person,” he muttered.
“No,” Trish said, still looking at the photo she was working on. “What you should have done was let me handle it. I’m a grown woman and capable of taking care of myself.”
“You know, your friends told me you have trouble standing up for yourself, but you seem to do it quite often with me.”
Trish looked up and found him studying her with a lopsided grin. “I don’t act like myself around you,” she admitted.
“I like you this way,” he said. “You shouldn’t worry about everyone’s feelings all the time.”
She shrugged, not sure she w
anted to have a deep conversation with Alek, which was funny since she had them all the time with Nathaniel. Still, there was something different about Alek, and some instinct warned her to keep her distance. The buzzing of her phone startled her. When she looked at the name on the screen, she smiled and answered.
“Hey there!” she said happily.
“You sound better,” Nathaniel said.
“And you sound exhausted. Must be a lot going on out there.”
“You’d love it,” he said with more energy. “I wish you could have come with me.”
“Me too,” Trish admitted, looking up to find Alek glaring at her. “So, tell me why you’re really calling.” Having spent a lot of time with Nathaniel, she was getting good at reading him, and this was more than him simply calling to check on her.
“Is it true my uncle is staying with you?” he asked in a disapproving tone.
“Who tattled?” she asked.
“Tattled?” Alek mouthed with a grin.
“Pretty much everyone,” Nathaniel said. “So, I called my father, who said I should mind my own business.”
Now that was something Trish hadn’t expected. Roman was a stickler for the rules and hated upsetting his wife. Then again, Lydia had been surprisingly quiet since Trish’s release from the hospital. Trish made a mental note to text Lyd later and thank her for keeping Roman out of her business.
“I appreciate that you’re worried, but I’m fine,” she said. “Alek has his stuff settled into Lyd’s room, and he’s taking good care of me.”
No reason to let Nathaniel know he hadn’t slept in Lydia’s room last night, since that detail would upset Nathaniel.
“Are you sure you’re okay with Alek staying with you?” Nathaniel asked. “I could hire someone to stay with you.”
“It’s only for a couple of days,” Trish said but had a feeling she was lying to Nathaniel.
“You’re lying,” Nathaniel said. Clearly, he knew her too well.
“Why would you say that?” she asked.
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