Chapter 12
CHAPTER 12
Duke
The sound of her car exploding froze me for a split second, then I jumped out and raced around my Suburban. The corner of her hood had bent skyward, and flames shot out.
“Serena?” I yelled.
She hadn’t gotten out, and I could see panic on her face as she struggled with the door. I tried the door handle, but it was locked. I grabbed my weapon and hit the glass. It didn’t break.
Nothing. Smoke had filled the inside of the small car, and she screamed my name.
“Cover your eyes,” I yelled. Releasing the safety, I aimed behind the seat and shot the edge of the window. It cracked, and after that, two strikes with the butt of my SIG and the window gave way.
Serena coughed terribly as I reached in and wrestled the door open. I holstered my weapon and pulled her out and away. She clung to me, continuing to cough.
“Hands up.”
Turning, I found two marshals advancing with their guns drawn and another talking into his radio.
I kept one arm around my coughing girl and raised the other. “I had to shoot out the window to get her free.”
One of the marshals pulled Serena away while the other took my weapon and frisked me.
Lucas would surely blame me for not checking the car again before letting her—or, in this case, telling her—to get in. It was a rookie mistake to assume that since I’d checked it earlier, it was still clean.
I was not paid to make rookie mistakes.
But none of that mattered. Serena was safe, and that was the important thing. I’d let her push my buttons, and my emotions cloud my judgment. I wouldn’t let that happen again. I couldn’t.
An hour later, the fire crew was cleaning up, the marshals had finished asking me questions, and Serena’s car was being loaded onto a flatbed.
Terry had arrived, and I’d looped Lucas in on the events.
“Wanna tell me why your client had a bomb placed in her car?” LAPD Lieutenant Marcus Wellbourne asked.
I looked up. “You know I can’t.”
Several years ago, when Lucas had specialized in kidnapping cases, he’d located the lieutenant’s wife and neutralized the kidnapper. That had made Marcus our go-to guy at the LAPD and earned us the kind of consideration within the department that money couldn’t buy.
He shrugged. “The bomb squad says it was tiny—basically an M-eighty meant to send a message, not kill her. The fire investigator says the guy placed it too close to the fuel manifold and the battery. Otherwise, it would have only blown the hood off, nothing else.”
“Thanks.” Message fucking received, asshole .
Marcus offered me my weapon. “I’ve smoothed things over with the marshals, but next time, have your accident off of federal property. It’ll make my job easier.”
“Hey, Marcus, one more thing. Don’t let this get back to Serena’s father.”
His brows creased. “Okay, I’ll try, but if he finds out, it’s your ass in the wringer, not mine. Now get outta here.”
I collected Serena from the paramedics.
She snuggled against me. “I can’t thank you enough. Now I owe you too.”
This wasn’t the time nor the place to question her about anything, so I bundled her into my car for the ride home.
Serena
As we drove back, I kept looking over at Duke and thanking my lucky stars that he’d been close. While they were cleaning up, the fire guys had said the explosion was only meant to scare me. Mission accomplished .
To avoid obsessing, I forced myself to shift gears and consider the barbecue coming up at my parents’ place this weekend. Duke clearly did not want to go, but the way I’d felt for just the short few minutes we’d played boyfriend and girlfriend in front of Katelyn convinced me we could pull it off. Bringing him would be perfect.
Would I also feel a little empowered that I got to tell big, grumpy Duke what to do for a change? Yeah, that too.
In spite of his imposing size and gruff exterior, I felt completely comfortable with Duke. No, comfortable wasn’t the right word, maybe excited was better. We all had a first crush, and most of us made a fool of ourselves with them. I certainly had with Duke. But how many of us got a second chance?
We parked on the street two doors down from my house. As we walked up to the door, Duke pointed at the enormous pile of bark in my driveway. “We need to get rid of all that so you can park in your garage. It’s safer.”
“The gardener is supposed to spread it next week.” The pile was the reason I’d been parking on the street for several days, and why I’d thought the note I found was meant for a neighbor and not me.
“Move that up,” he commanded.
When we reached the porch, I unlocked the door, disabled the alarm, and stood aside to let Duke enter.
“Stay behind me until we finish the first floor.”
I gave him a mocking salute and followed several steps behind as he silently moved through the rooms. Reaching the family room, which faced the backyard, he suddenly halted and raised a fist. Being the avid movie watcher I was, I knew that as the military hand gesture to stop, and I did.
Then he continued, and we ended in the kitchen. He tapped the countertop. “First things first. You wait right here while I finish clearing the house.”
“I have an alarm.”
“Your system is shit.” He didn’t say this as a joke. “It would be child’s play for anybody who knows what they’re doing to get in and hide in a closet upstairs.”
I wrapped my arms around myself. That was straight out of a horror movie, complete with big knives, chainsaws, and horrific outcomes. I’d had enough personal horror in my life. Still, as I expected, he returned from upstairs, having found nothing. “Princess, hop up on this island so I can change your bandage.”
“I’ll change it myself.”
“Taking care of you is my job. Now stop arguing.”
Just like that, Mr. Bossypants was back.
When I reached the island, my lack of a bra loomed large. “You’re just trying to undress me. Won’t your girlfriend be jealous?”
His jaw clenched. “I don’t do girlfriends.” There was a definite story in those four words. He didn’t elaborate, merely glared at me. “The damn bandage needs to be changed.”
“You want me to undress, then you undress too,” I teased, thinking that might get me off the hook. I should have known better.
“If you insist.” With one swift motion, he yanked his shirt over his head. It landed on the counter.
“Damn you. My shoulder is sore. I’ll need help?—”
He took my hips and boosted me up. “Lean forward and put your arms out as much as you can.”
When I did, he gently pulled the top over my head. I should have chosen a button down.
I folded my arms to cover up and admired the view before me. Duke wasn’t just big and muscled, he was a chiseled-from-granite god with barely an ounce of fat on him, the complete opposite of soft men like George. Glorious tattoos covered his chest and one shoulder. A snake coiled up the arm that didn’t have his SEAL Creed tattoo.
“You’re staring.”
Busted. An instant blush ran up my chest and cheeks. “I like your tattoos.” I didn’t mention that I also liked his broad shoulders, strong arms, and…
“I like yours too.” He’d noticed the words imprinted on my other side. “That’s a good motto to live by. Now turn. We better get to this bandage before the guys arrive.”
As I adjusted, I noticed a bulge had appeared in his pants. But that probably happened anytime a girl had her boobs covered only by a hand-bra. “Ouch. That hurts.” While my eyes had focused where they shouldn’t have, he’d ripped the bandage off.
“Trust me, quick is better than slow,” he said.
“Typical man. Any girl who agrees with that is a liar,” I shot back.
The laugh he gave me was wonderfully full. “Trust me, Princess, if a woman can’t find enjoyment in both, she hasn’t been with the right man.”
“I am not a princess, and I thought you were going to re-bandage me instead of brag.”
“Darlin’, it’s only bragging if it ain’t true.”
My cheeks flamed hot, and I cast my eyes to the ceiling. Down, girl. He’s feeding you unsafe fantasies.
He touched the tender area on my side. “You’ve been a naughty girl.”
If we were still alluding to sex, I was not participating. I winced when he moved closer to the cut.
“You’ve pulled a section of the wound open, and it bled a little. Did you raise your arm like I told you not to?”
“I had to reach the teabags,” I said. “Sorry.”
He worked quickly, and every time I glanced down, his eyes were on my wound, not the generous helping of side boob in front of him.
I inched my fingers away to show a bit more—no response. What did it say about me that I hated that I couldn’t crack his professionalism?
He moved back. “Done.”
“Thank you. I mean it.”
He picked up my top. “Arms forward.”
I hesitated.
“Come on. I’ve got two sisters, so it’s nothing I haven’t seen before.”
I wasn’t willing to guess exactly how many pairs of breasts he’d seen. As good-looking as he was, I’d bet plenty of women willingly shed their clothes for him.
“Do you want to wait for Constance?” he asked.
“Don’t be silly.” My tattoo reminded me to be bold, so I did as he asked and let my boobs fall free. I closed my eyes as the cool air hit them.
He hesitated, then slowly slid my top up my arms and over my head. Had he checked me out? Had I wanted him to? What had he thought?
Do not ask him. I ticked off another first with Duke. I’d held hands with him, hugged him, kissed him. Oh my, that kiss had been off-the-charts hot and made me regret that we hadn’t connected before. Now, I’d been topless with the man. Saying all that in my head made me realize exactly how much of a man he was—the total package, a sexy badass who pumped out testosterone like nobody’s business. Yes, he was the ultimate panty melter, and I was not immune. Nope, get me a fire extinguisher.
“The gang will be here soon,” he said. “Is it okay if we set up in the family room?”
“Sure. Wherever.”
He walked into the other room, and I touched a finger to my lips, recalling the kiss.
Duke hadn’t said anything about it. Maybe it hadn’t meant anything more to him than a way to get the horny deputy off his case. Or maybe I wasn’t a good kisser. Maybe both.
“What the fuck?”
Duke’s angry yell broke my daydream. “What?” I slid off the island and joined him in the other room.
He’d pulled open the curtains and stood staring out. “Does anyone have a key to your backyard?” he bellowed.
“I don’t lock it.” Given what had happened today, the admission sounded stupid even to me.
“Dammit, the fucker was here,” Duke snarled.
Just when I thought my day couldn’t get any shittier, the blood in my veins turned to ice. My attacker had taped a note to the outside of the glass.
You have one more chance. Place the USB stick under the red bush tonight or else. Next time it will be the real deal. Or, maybe we can enjoy each other’s company and have a nice long chat.