Chapter 10 #2
Cresley dropped her head onto his shoulder. “Thank you for being here.”
“I wish this wasn’t happening, but I’m going to help you get rid of him without having to pay him off. Just give me a little time, okay?”
“How much time?”
“A week?”
“And you won’t do anything to get yourself in trouble?”
“Don’t worry about me. I know what I’m doing.”
“My stomach is in a knot over this entire situation. He’s always been unreliable and narcissistic, but he’s never acted desperate like this before.”
“I’ll do everything I can to help get this resolved for you as fast as we can, okay?”
“Thank you for wanting to help.”
A tap on the door to the patio had Carson getting up to speak to the officers.
“The crime scene detectives are all set. They’ve got the footprint and will take it to the lab. Tell Ms. Dane we’ll be in touch.”
“Will you be keeping patrols in the neighborhood until Mr. Beckett is located?”
“Yes, we’ll have a car nearby. Call us if he comes back.”
“Thank you.”
“Have a good night.”
Carson slid the door closed and locked it. “They’re keeping patrols in the area.”
“That’s good, I guess.”
“I’ll stay. Just in case. If you want to go to bed or do whatever, I’ll be here.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
“Yes, I do. I just need to get something from my car. I’ll be right back.”
As he went outside, Carson scanned the area, noted the presence of one of his guys a few doors down and nodded to him.
In the car, he retrieved his Glock from the glove box and the go bag he had with him at all times for situations such as this.
It contained a change of clothes, a toothbrush and other personal items for when he ended up working overnight.
Not that this counted as work…
This was something else altogether that he’d pick apart tomorrow when he’d seen Cresley and Ty safely through the night.
Did he need to stay?
Technically, he could leave things in the hands of his capable employees, but how would he sleep knowing she was riddled with fear and anxiety?
He wouldn’t. It was easier to stay, or so he told himself, fully aware that with every step he took toward her, he was getting deeper into something he couldn’t easily escape.
And yet, he kept moving in her direction as if propelled by a power bigger than him, or something equally dramatic.
He felt stupid for even thinking such a thing. She was a friend, going through a rough time with an unstable ex, and he was doing his job by staying close.
Sure, you are, his annoying subconscious said. You’re so full of shit, it’s not even funny.
The voice inside his head was sounding a five-alarm warning that he was wandering into dangerous territory and needed to keep his wits about him. Regardless, he continued to put one foot in front of the other, marching toward her like a man who had nothing to lose by spending a night in her home.
He was there to keep her and her son safe. That was it.
After dropping his bag inside the door, he tucked the weapon into the waistband of his pants and returned to the living room, where Cresley was curled up on the sofa with a glass of wine in hand.
She’d changed into gray pajama pants and a tank top and looked madly vulnerable sitting alone in the big room with floor-to-ceiling glass walls that put her on full display to anyone in the backyard who might want to see inside.
“Do you have blinds or something for those windows?” Carson asked.
She shook her head. “I wanted them left uncovered.”
“Maybe you should relocate to a room without a view inside.”
“The floodlights will come on if anyone is in the yard.”
That could be too late if someone took a shot into the house, but she didn’t need to hear that. “I think we should get some blinds for them.”
“I don’t want to turn my house into a fortress.”
“It would be temporary.”
“Would it be? How do you know that? He’ll never give up until he gets what he wants from me. Everyone is telling me not to pay him, but that option is looking pretty good to me right now.”
Carson sat next to her and turned toward her. “In my experience, that’s a short-term solution to a long-term problem. People like him are never satisfied, and they burn through money like it’s water and then come back for more.”
“I know,” she said with a sigh. “That’s been the pattern so far.”
“It has to stop, Cres. You can’t keep giving him your hard-earned money to make him leave you alone. Come here.”
She snuggled into his embrace, bringing that unmistakable scent with her.
“I know it’s hard to believe right now, but it’s going to be okay. You’ve got me and Julian and our entire team working to make him go away.” He stroked her hair and arm, wishing there was more he could do to reassure her.
She rested her hand on his leg, branding him with her heat. “I’m so glad you’re here.”
The simplest touch from her packed the biggest wallop. “You should get some rest. I’ll be right here to make sure you and Ty are safe.”
“I don’t think I could sleep.”
“I’ll tuck you in. Lead the way.”
Sure, Carson, have her show you her bedroom, because that’ll make everything better.
Cresley took his hand and led him down the hallway, past Ty’s room, to her massive suite at the end of the hall.
“Tell me you have blinds for those windows.”
“I do.” She picked up a remote from the bedside table and had the windows covered in a matter of seconds.
“That’s cool.”
“Gets the job done.”
Done in neutral tones with pops of color in pillows and artwork, the room was like her, understated and stylish. Her bedside table was stacked with paperback books, a remote control for the TV, a phone charger, lip balm and tissues. The table on the other side of the bed had only a lamp.
She sat on the edge of the bed and looked up at him with bottomless blue eyes. “Will you stay here with me?”
He should say the sofa was close enough, but she was telling him it wouldn’t be close enough for her. “Sure.”
Carson kicked off his shoes, waited until she was under the covers and then went around to the other side of the bed, put the Glock in the bedside table drawer and stretched out on top of the covers, desperate to maintain whatever distance he could.
He was beginning to understand how things spiraled out of control while you were wide awake and fully cognizant of what was happening right in front of your face.
Was this how Julian had ended up with a shackle around his ankle?
Had Isla looked at him with eyes that seemed to see right through him, hooking him so completely there was no way out once the hook was in?
Cresley slid across the bed and put her head on his chest, her hair tickling his face.
Fuck.
He put an arm around her, biting back a moan as he went hard as a rock in a matter of seconds.
What the hell was he doing in bed with Cresley Dane? And why did it feel like the best thing he’d ever done?
“Carson.”
“Yes, Cresley?”
Her hand slid over his chest and abdomen. “This feels really good.”
It sure as fuck did, and if he didn’t get out of there and away from her in the next thirty seconds, he was definitely going to do something very stupid. Get up. Get the hell out of her bed. Go sit in the chair in the corner. Go be anywhere but where you are right now.
But did he get up and relocate?
No. Instead, he rolled onto his side toward her and placed his hand on her face as he gazed into her beautiful, expressive, soulful eyes and stepped fully into the trap she’d laid for him when he kissed her. The second his lips connected with hers, the battle was lost.
He wasn’t going anywhere.