Chapter Thirty-Three
Kaylee
Kaylee fumed in front of the mirror as she washed her hands, scrubbing the soap between her palms more aggressively than necessary.
How dare he keep showing up at the places she loved and trying to talk to her?
If she wanted to talk to him, she could have tracked him down.
Not that she would have, but the man had no qualms at all.
And screw him for smelling so freaking good. When he’d moved in close to take her cup, she’d gotten a whiff of his spicy cologne, and it was uncalled for. She’d already been fantasizing about him, and now his smell was going to haunt her.
She came out of the bathroom and saw Rick standing there waiting for her, and for a split second, her heart jumped excitedly, happily, before she squashed the emotion, pushing it back down into the dark recesses of her stomach where it belonged.
“What do you want?” she asked, ready to duck back into the restroom if she needed to escape him. “Why aren’t you listening to the words that are coming out of my mouth? I do not want to see you or talk to you.”
Rick had the nerve to grin. “See, that’s where we have an issue because I want to see and talk to you.”
“Well, it’s not all about you, King Rick. King Dick, more like it.” She wanted to crow when his smile slipped and his eyes narrowed.
“Maybe I deserve that, but there’s more to all of this, and you need to hear it.”
“I don’t want to.” She tried to step past him, but Rick pushed her back into the bathroom and locked the door. He stood in front of it like a sentinel, crossing his arms over his chest.
“Well, now you have to talk to me because I’m not letting you out of here until you do.”
“For a federal agent, you commit a lot of crimes, do you know that? Trespassing. Kidnapping.”
“I’m not kidnapping you.”
“False imprisonment.”
“This isn’t getting us anywhere.” He took a deep breath, as if centering himself, and continued, “I am sorry that I didn’t disclose I was here on vacation and not in an official capacity.
I am sorry that you thought I was just here for revenge, because that’s not the case.
I came here because once I found out where you were, I was afraid that others would figure it out, too.
Above everything else, even the case, I wanted to keep you safe.
I didn’t tell my captain or anyone else because I didn’t know if someone might leak your location, and I wanted to protect you.
Lastly, I wanted to close this case so I can move on, because I don’t want to spend years hunting the same group of killers I know are guilty but can’t prove it. ”
Kaylee wanted it all to be true, to believe he’d come down here not just to convince her to testify, but so that he could keep her safe. However, there had been several opportunities for him to come clean or even share some of the truth, especially before they’d slept together, and he chose not to.
“Really? Not a single ounce of you had satisfaction in tracking me down in hopes of getting me back for making you shit your pants?”
Rick grimaced. “Was there a moment of satisfaction when I caught you outside the coffee shop? Yes, but I would never hurt you, and I would never let anyone else hurt you.”
“So you keep saying, and yet you lied to me, and then you slept with me.”
“That was not my intention. I honestly didn’t think it was that big a deal, and I had no idea you would take it as me trying to seek revenge against you.”
“You came down here of your own free will once you saw me on that stupid show, and you can say it was to protect me or whatever, but how can I believe that? How can I believe that when the feds don’t even need me, and they are building their own case without my involvement?
You basically came down here and made everything more complicated for me.
You know I have to lie to my friends, I have to lie to the people who have been kind to me— You made me like you. ”
His expression brightened. “I did?”
“Let me out,” she said, trying to push past him, but he side stepped her escape.
“Wait, hang on, go back to the part where you like me.”
“I don’t like you now. I think that you’re a pompous asshat, which is what I thought before, but for a brief, like, day, I liked you.”
“You liked me, or you liked what I did to you?” he whispered, a low growl that wreaked havoc on her nervous system.
Kaylee’s face flushed red, wishing she was more indifferent to him. “Maybe at first it was the second thing, but then when we committed several misdemeanors together, I thought maybe this guy is a good guy, just like I thought the same thing when I first met you.”
“And now?”
“Now I think that you’re ambitious and you will step on anyone to get what you want.”
He winced. “And what if I took myself off your case, what if I walked away?”
Kaylee froze, staring at him with wide eyes. “You wouldn’t do that.”
“Why wouldn’t I? I’ve already compromised this investigation by sleeping with you.”
“Yeah, and I’ll never tell anyone that.”
“But I will. I will tell them that I slept with you and I cannot in good conscience stay on the case.”
Kaylee shook her head vehemently. “You don’t have to do that.”
“That’s what I’m trying to tell you, Kaylee. I want to solve this case and bring Elasia’s killers to justice, but if I tell them that I want you more, I’m off it anyway.” He took a step closer, approaching her like a skittish animal. “And I do want you, Kaylee.”
“How am I supposed to trust you?” she asked softly.
“Take a leap of faith.”
“Do you even know what that means?”
“I will call them right now,” he said, pulling out his phone immediately. “I’m dialing. I am gonna let them know.”
Kaylee snatched his phone, waving it in his face. “You are not going to do that.”
“Why not?”
“Because I don’t want the world to know that I slept with you.”
“Then maybe I can convince you another way.”
He cupped her cheeks and kissed her, his tongue finding purchase against her lips. He expected her to pull away, but instead, she opened her mouth under his, giving him full access. He swept his tongue inside, and she wrapped her arms around his waist, sinking into him.
Why did he have to be such an incredible kisser? It was like the whole world melted away and left just the two of them, his hard body pressed against her, his warm hands on her skin, and the smell of …
Disinfectant.
Kaylee pulled away, pushing at his chest. “We are making out in a bathroom.”
“Yes, we are.”
“That’s disgusting. Do you know how many germs are surrounding us? We are kissing in a plethora of bacteria.”
Rick chuckled, kissing the tip of her nose. “Has anyone ever told you that you get wordy when you’re nervous?”
“I’m not nervous. I’m disgusted.”
He sighed. “I just wanted to show you how sorry I am and how much I want you, since you aren’t listening to me.”
“I’m listening. I’m just not believing you. There is a difference.”
Someone knocked on the door. “Hello?”
“Oh my God,” Kaylee hissed, her hands flying to her cheeks. “We’re gonna walk out of here, and they’re gonna think we were doing things.”
Rick chuckled. “We were doing things.”
“No, they’re gonna think that we were doing other things.”
“Well, we could walk out and set them straight.”
“No, I don’t wanna talk to any of them. I just want to get out of here with my dignity intact.”
“I can help with that,” he said, lifting her up over his shoulder and opening the door.
Kaylee almost screamed, but she heard him say, “Sorry, my friend had a little too much to drink and isn’t feeling well. I’m gonna take her home right now.”
Kaylee glanced up in time to see the reverend’s wife staring after them with her mouth hanging open and her eyes taking up half her face, they were so wide.
“Kill me,” Kaylee muttered, banging her head against the center of his back. “Put me down now.”
“Almost out of sight, and then I’ll let you down.”
“Actually, you probably shouldn’t do that,” she said, her voice tight and dark.
“Why not?”
“Because the minute you do, I am going to kill you.”