Chapter 11
The kiss was tender, at first. A soft, sweet goodnight, just as she’d imagined it would be. But when Lexie sighed, parting her lips and timidly touching her tongue to his, something changed. The electricity that had pulsed between them all night crackled, igniting into flame and suddenly Nico wasn’t so gentle. He pressed his body against hers and brought his hands up to tangle in her hair. Hot and hungry, he angled his head, deepening the kiss, taking everything she offered and more.
Lexie clutched his shoulders, bunching her hands in his shirt as burning desire flooded her nervous system. She wound her arms around his neck, pulling him closer. Feverish heat took over as her breasts rubbed against his chest. Her nipples hardened, aching to be touched.
Nico was everywhere. His experienced hands moved down the length of her body in a wild caress that ended at the hem of her sweater, where he regained some control and pulled back. He rested his forehead against hers, fingers wrapped around her hips. Their eyes locked, breath mixing as the frenzy subsided, and once the ringing in her ears fell silent, Lexie could hear crickets chirping through the open window.
Nico stepped back a fraction. “Sorry. I had to do that.”
Lexie felt bereft as the night air seeped between them, extinguishing the heat and slowing her pulse.
“Don’t apologize.” Her hands found their way back to his chest, rested there for a moment before applying the slightest pressure. “You should go.”
“Yeah,” he said. “I should.”
She lifted her eyes and met his gaze. “Is that what you want?”
“Yes,” he said, voice all husky.
She couldn’t help but smile. “Liar.”
His hands slid up underneath her sweater, his warm, calloused palms skimming across the skin of her ribcage. “So are you.”
Her stomach somersaulted. For a few wonderful seconds, he didn’t move, except to touch and stroke and tease. She savored the feel of his muscled body beneath her hands. Then he grasped them in his, brought one up to place a hot kiss in the center of her palm, making her shiver.
“I don’t—”
Nico’s words were cut off by the sound of a cell phone ringing. Hers.
“You’d better get that,” he said, releasing her. “I’ve been warned my life depends on it.”
“What?”
But he was already strolling away to his car parked in the dark. Once she’d relocked the door, she answered the phone.
“Wade?”
“Hey, Lex, sorry to call so late.”
“No problem.” Nico’s headlights illuminated the foyer, and she heard the crunch of his tires on the gravel drive. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah. Just finished closing up. I, uh, wanted to call—you know, to check in.”
Lexie glanced at the clock. “At midnight?”
She heard him exhale on the other end. “Alright, fine. Your cop friend came sniffing around the bar for your address earlier. I told him to piss off, but I guess Vikki couldn’t keep her mouth shut, and I just thought . . .”
The smile that spread across Lexie’s face was pure love. That was so Wade. Sweet, sweet Wade. He’d make a lucky woman very happy someday.
“I appreciate it,” she said. “But I’m fine.”
“You sure?”
“Go home. Get some sleep. Stop worrying.”
“Okay. You call me if you need me. I mean it.”
“I will. Goodnight.”
“Night, Lex.”
After disconnecting from Wade, Lexie double checked the deadbolt and securely shut the window. She leaned against the door—the same door Nico had her pinned against minutes before. She gawked at her reflection in the mirror hanging on the opposite wall. What just happened? All this time she’d had Nico pegged for a nice, sweet guy. Dependable. Maybe a macho mean streak somewhere in there, but still the kind of man you’d be happy bringing home to your parents. But then he’d kissed her like that, and suddenly she’d been forced to reevaluate. Nice boys did not kiss like that. That was a bad boy kiss, and despite her better judgment, Lexie had loved every second of it. She could already hear Annie’s voice in her head—You little tramp!
But she also couldn’t help but feel afraid of it. She had too much to deal with, too much drama, too many scars. She didn’t want to drag Nico into all that. That’s why she’d pushed him away, and it’s why she’d be smart to break things off before they went any further. Yes, that’s exactly what she should do. The logical choice.
But why does it feel so wrong?
She sighed because she didn’t know.
Realizing she was mulling in circles, Lexie gathered herself with a breath and finally pushed away from the door. She made it a few steps before headlights shone through the window again.
Nico.
She waited until she heard his boots on the patio, chewing her lip in anxious anticipation, before flinging the door wide with a grin. “Forget something, Lieut—”
Lexie froze. Her jaw went slack.
No.
Not five minutes had passed since Nico drove away, which meant he’d been waiting for him to leave. Waiting to get her alone. She went over everything in her head in rapid speed, trying to figure out what he knew, what he might have seen from whatever creepy hiding place he’d sat in for god-only-knew how long. If he saw the kiss . . .
The air in her lungs suspended for long moments until her brain finally got the signal through to move. She reached for the door, hoping to slam it shut before he had a chance to speak. Whatever he had to say, she didn’t want to hear it. But she was too slow. Kyle’s hand shot out, blocking the latch and holding the door ajar while his foot slid into the gap at the bottom.
“Just—hold on! Give me a second.”
“What the hell do you want, Kyle?”
“Just to talk.”
“Yeah, right,” she huffed, pushing her full weight against the timber. “In the middle of the night?”
“Come on, Lex. I’m not here to cause trouble.”
“I’ve heard that before too. Let me guess, you haven’t had anything to drink tonight, either?”
He sighed. “I’ve had a few beers. That’s it, I swear.”
“Forget it. I don’t care. You’re not coming in.”
He could have if he wanted to. She knew it. So did he. But for some reason he seemed to be humoring her feeble attempt to out-strength him.
“I swear to god, if you keep this up, I’m getting a restraining order,” she cried, pushing for all she was worth. “I’ll go straight over Chief West’s head, you hear me? I’m sick of your bullshit—”
“I need to talk to you. It’s—it’s about Isabelle.”
Lexie faltered. “What about her?”
“Let me in and I’ll tell you.”
Ha. “Fuck off.”
“Lexie . . .” Another sigh. “I’m coming in.”
“Like hell you are—”
But he was already pushing his way inside, her socked feet sliding easily across the hardwood floor.
Without waiting for whatever explanation he had for barging into her home, Lexie sprinted up the hallway, phone in hand. She’d almost made it to her bedroom—where she intended to lock herself in and call for help—when his hard hands grabbed her from behind and threw her into the wall. Lexie yelped, struggling against his body which pressed into her with force.
“Kyle,” she pleaded. “Please. Let me go.”
“Stop it! I’m not going to hurt you.”
“You are hurting me.”
“Because you’re acting crazy.” He loosened his grip and stepped back, allowing her enough room to turn around and face him. They were both breathing hard.
She looked him over, lips pinched together in anger. “Just a few beers, huh?”
“Don’t start,” he scowled.
Kyle had one of those imperfectly perfect faces, which Lexie had found charming in the beginning. Hazel eyes, blond hair, a crooked smile that turned her knees to mush when wielded right. He was a small build, skinny to the eye, but sinewed muscles from hours spent in the gym roped his frame top to bottom. Gorgeous and loving, he was everything she had ever wanted in a husband, and she’d been so happy to call him hers. But that was a long time ago.
“Kyle, you can’t do this.”
“Do what? We’re just talking.”
Yeah, to a brick wall, was her immediate thought, but she didn’t say it, not when he was like this. Volatile. Unpredictable. Completely ignorant to the wrongness of his actions.
Keep him calm.
She repeated the mantra in her head, just as she’d done so many times before.
Lexie crossed her arms. “Fine. Talk. Then leave.”
Only silence followed. Now that she’d granted him the opportunity, he seemed reluctant to let the words out.
Against her better judgment—and every ounce of self-preservation she possessed—it piqued her curiosity enough for her to frown and soften her tone. “What is it?”
“I, uh . . .” He moved away, rubbing an agitated hand through his hair as he paced around in front of her.
“Is this really something to do with Isabelle?” she asked. “Or did you just say that to—”
“I slept with her.”
She searched his face, looking for any sign that he was lying, working some angle like he always did, but no. He looked torn up. Terrified, even. Had Annie been right?
“What do you mean you slept with her? When?”
He stopped pacing. His arms dropped to his sides. “The night she died I-I was there—at her house.”
Lexie’s stomach lurched, beer and crackers threatening to come up. “What are you telling me right now?”
“Wow—hey.” He came at her again, too close. “No. Come on. I didn’t do it. I just—I don’t even know what happened. I was drunk—I barely remember any of it. She was pissed off at her boyfriend or something, I think. She came onto me. But I—I left after. I left, and she was fine.”
Lexie’s brain wasn’t processing what she was hearing. Between the alcohol and waning adrenaline, she felt fuzzy. Slow.
“Wait,” she said, holding up a hand. “Do the police know you were there?”
“Fuck, no. And it’s gonna stay that way.”
“What are you talking about? Kyle, you have to tell them.”
“The hell, I do. What do you think will happen when they find out I was the last person to see her alive?” He shook his head. “String me up by my balls, is what they’ll do.”
“Not if you’re innocent,” she argued.
“I said no.”
“Then why did you tell me? What am I supposed to do with this, huh? Why are you even here?”
“Because”—he ran his hands down his face—“I had to tell someone. You’re all I got, Lex. The only person I can trust. You’ve got to help me.”
He was manipulating her, toying with her emotions and the small piece of residual love she felt for him. He’d done it too many times before for her to not recognize the signs. He had family. Parents. A brother. Any of them would help him if he asked. But he was also scared. She saw it in his eyes and wondered what it meant. Whether or not he had another shoe to drop this time. A reason for her to be afraid, especially when it came to whatever he saw—or suspected—with Nico. Kyle was a jealous man. He wouldn’t let something like that go.
“Help you how?” she hedged. “You know they’re going to find out eventually, right? And you’ll be in even more trouble when they do, because you didn’t come forward sooner.” She shrugged. “I don’t know what you expect me to do.”
Reaching to clasp her hand, he smiled, all nostalgic. “You know it didn’t mean anything, right? Me and her.”
Lexie tried not to physically recoil from his touch. He always did this. Tried to get close whenever she had a new man in her life. Made out like they were just lovers who’d lost touch instead of the severely damaged yet-to-be-divorced couple that they were. And if that didn’t work—which it never did—trouble soon followed.
“It wouldn’t matter if it did,” she said, snatching her hand back. “We’re not together anymore.”
“Jesus, Lex, when are you going to admit to yourself that you belong with me? Don’t you remember how good those times were?” He looked into her eyes, moving even closer, his energy changing. She could smell the whiskey on his breath as he licked his lips and whispered, “You remember, don’t you? The way I made you laugh. The way I made you moan. Sometimes, you’d come so hard—”
“Enough,” she said, pushing him away. “Don’t.”
His gaze turned hard. “You didn’t say no to him.”
Lexie matched his stare. “Get out of my house. Now. We can talk once you’ve sobered up.”
“Alright,” he said, backing off. “Here’s how this is going to go. You keep what I told you between us. You don’t tell a fucking soul—not Annie, not Wade, not your cop boyfriend, hear me?”
“Fine. Just get out,” she repeated, tears threatening to spill despite her best efforts to stop them.
“And you’re going to find out what he knows about that night. If there’s even the slightest hint of suspicion coming my way, I want to know before it’s too late to blow town. You do that, I promise I’ll back off.”
And there’s the other shoe.
“What?” she exclaimed before he’d even finished speaking. “No way.”
He thumped a hand on the wall behind her. “I’m not going to let them pin me as some crazed lunatic murderer!”
“Well, they’d have the crazed part right, wouldn’t they?” Lexie fumed. She waited a few seconds before calmly saying, “He doesn’t talk about that stuff with me. And even if he did, I wouldn’t tell you a damn thing.”
“You’re going to find out what he knows,” Kyle growled, bracing an arm above her head so he could lean right in and invade her space. “Or that accident you found him in won’t be his last. Don’t forget what happened to that other nice chap. What was his name? Dan? Dave?”
Images of a bloodied and bruised face flooded her mind. He’d never said goodbye, even after six weeks of dating. Just stared at her from a distance, got in his car and left town. She never saw him again.
Lexie swallowed. “Dalton.”
“Right, right. You want another Dalton on your conscience, hmm?”
No, she didn’t. But then again, Nico wasn’t an adorably charming, skinny computer programmer with glasses and chronic asthma. Nico was a cop. He was strong and brave and could—she was sure of it—handle whatever Kyle could dish out.
So, she tipped her chin up in pure defiance. “You’re tripping if you think—”
Kyle’s hand flew to her throat, tight enough to constrict her breathing. Knowing she’d made a mistake, arguing when she should have pretended to go along with what he wanted, Lexie let out a strangled gasp of his name.
“You’re fucking unbelievable, you know that? Expecting me to just sit back and watch while you spread your legs for that asshole. You think I won’t do it? You think I won’t hurt him bad? Because I swear, if you test me . . .”
Dark spots dotted Lexie’s vision. Her head throbbed and she felt herself getting lightheaded. Abruptly, he let go, and she dropped like a sack of potatoes. Somewhere in her remaining consciousness, she registered Kyle reaching down, trying to help her up. She didn’t care. All that mattered at that moment was the oxygen filling her lungs with each greedy breath she took.
“Shit, I’m sorry,” she heard him say. “I just lost it for a second. Come here, let me—”
When the oxygen finally returned to her brain and she came to, she slapped him away. She tried to scream, to shout at him to leave but nothing came out. Instead, she shoved and kicked and grunted, resisting his advances like a wild animal until he got the message. With a look one might give to a misbehaving child, he tucked her mess of hair behind her ear, then stood.
“It’s you and me, Lex. It’s always been you and me. Don’t forget that.” He paused at the front door. “I’ll kill him. If you make me.”
She registered him leave. Heard his boots descending the patio stairs and his car starting. Instead of slamming the door behind him and calling the police, Lexie curled into a ball, right there on the floor of her home, and wept.
Nico had just switched off the light and collapsed into bed when his phone vibrated on the nightstand. Sighing, he sat up and read the message.
I’m sorry but I can’t do this. I’ve loved spending time with you but it has to end here. I wish nothing but the best for you, Nico. Be happy. Lexie.
What the fuck?
Nico’s radar went on full alert. Something was wrong, he could feel it.
Ignoring her words, he hit the call button. No answer. He tried again with the same result, then flew out of bed and stalked across the room to retrieve his clothes.
“Come on,” he mumbled, holding the phone pinched between his cheek and shoulder while shoving a leg into his jeans. “Talk to me.”
On the third try, he left a voicemail. “It’s me. Look, if you want to break things off before they begin, that’s your choice, and I’ll respect it. But not until you look me in the eye and say it to my face.”
He hung up and stood with his hands on his hips, staring at nothing as he contemplated what he should do. He could drive out to her house to find out what was going on, make a scene, possibly risk scaring Lexie away for good. Or . . .
Shit.
Or he could simmer down, wait it out, and go see her tomorrow. As much as it scraped against the grain of his rash tendency to act first and think later, he knew with a small shred of sense that it was the better option.
Whatever the reason for her message, there was no way he’d let her go this easily, not after what had happened between them tonight. That kiss had not been one-sided. He could tell she’d wanted it as much as he had. So, what changed? And why did he care so much? Christ, this wasn’t the plan. Getting emotionally attached was not supposed to happen. If he had half a brain, he’d realize that she was doing him a favor by backing away. All this time, he’d been convincing himself to keep her—keep everyone—at arm’s length. And yet here he was, ready to jump in his car half-naked in the middle of the night to get to her, all because of a silly little text message.
Enough, he told himself. That’s enough.
It was time to get his head back in the game where it belonged. He had a job to do. A killer to catch. A town to protect. And no business sniffing around Lexie Bowen as a potential lover—tempting as the idea might be.
She wanted out. He had no reason to argue the point.
So that would be the end of it.
With a resigned sigh, Nico shucked his jeans once again and tried to go to sleep.
His gut churned all night.