The inhabitants of the bed ceased their writhing and groaning, sucking and kissing and looked up at us.
“Bond enforcement,” Luke announced but I could tell even though my eyes were riveted to the bed in frozen horror that Luke was laughing.
Before I knew what was happening, the big, hairy, naked white guy moved. He was fast for a big man and he came off the bed like a shot.
At me.
I didn’t have time to blink. I just lifted up my taser and shot him.
He immediately went down with a thud and I was pretty certain most of the furniture in the room jumped when he landed.
Wow.
I added a taser to my mental Zip’s Gun Emporium shopping list.
Breaking into my mental list-making, one of the naked skanks shouted at me, “What the fuck you doin’? You can’t come in here and taser Warren. Who the fuck you think you are?”
Then she came at me, body parts jiggling, lanky hair flying.
My taser prongs were in Warren so I dropped it. She gave me the same opening as Jermaine had done, ready to scratch my eyes out. I grabbed her wrist, flipped her and she landed on her back. I heard her breath escape in a whoosh when she hit the floor.
“Aiiiiyeeeee!” the other skank screamed, coming at me too.
I hadn’t recovered from the first skank. So I planted my feet, dropped my shoulder when she got close and rolled her over my back. She flew over me, arms and legs pumping and landed on the floor.
I pulled my gun out of my waistband and trained it on them two-handed.
“Don’t move,” I ordered.
They stared, eyes wide, at my gun.
I glared back. “Stupid skanks,” I muttered under my breath.
I felt a presence beside me and I looked over at Luke.
His eyes were on the skanks. Then he looked at me and a slow smile spread on his face.
“Babe,” was all he said.
Ike moved in on my other side. He was looking at the skanks and the prone body of Warren. Then his eyes moved to Luke.
“Lee’s recruitin’. Should we get her an application?”
* * * * *
Luke told the skanks to dress Warren and without a word they did as they were told. Then Ike cuffed and shackled him. They loaded him up in Ike’s Explorer and Ike took him to the station.
Luke and I went to my house. I let us in.
My blood was still pumping at my triple takedown. I wanted to be cool about it but I was pretty fucking pleased with myself.
I switched on a lamp, dumped my blazer on the chaise and smiled at Luke.
“Want a beer?” I asked brightly.
He watched me. “Jazzed?” he asked, one side of his mouth going up in his sexy grin.
I nodded.
His eyes cut to the ratty workout bag that was still where Tex dropped it, incongruous in my fancy-ass living room.
“Tear gas,” I answered his unspoken question.
Luke looked at me again then he shook his head. “The smell?” Luke asked when he was done shaking his head.
“Burned brownies. I’m trying to teach myself to be domesticated.”
“Smells like you’re failing.”
I shrugged, still smiling at him.
He kept looking at me.
“Beer?” I asked again.
Slowly, eyes still on me, Luke’s grin faded.
“I don’t want a beer,” he said.
“Coffee?” I asked, cocking my head to the side.
“No,” he replied.
Something had changed in the room, the air had started crackling. Before I could put my finger on it or do anything to disburse it, Luke was so in my space, he was my space, arms around me, mouth on mine, kissing me.
Instinctively I put my arms around his neck. He walked me back, hands moving up my sides, across my back, over my ass, all this time his tongue in my mouth. I felt my thighs hit the arm of the couch and we both went over and down, Luke controlling the fall with an arm out. Then his body settled on mine.
My heart was pumping with adrenalin and excitement both at the night’s activities and the couch activities.
He was good with his mouth, different than Vance, less intense, more titillating, almost teasing. His lips were always there but his tongue was playing with mine, giving me a taste of something hot then disappearing when I wanted more, making me go after it. Eventually his mouth disengaged from mine and went down my neck and his hands went up my shirt. I shivered and returned the gesture, liking the feel of the skin and muscle of his back.
His tongue was doing things behind my ear that felt good and I liked it, wanted it, wanted him.
And then just as quickly as I realized that, I didn’t want it.
Then I kid you not, I started crying for the first time since Auntie Reba died. I couldn’t have helped it if I tried but I didn’t even try. I was just too tired of holding them back.
I turned my head, put my lips to his neck and said quietly, “Luke.”
At the sound of his name, his tongue stopped and he turned his head to look at me. He watched me for a few seconds while the tears slid down the sides of my eyes.
Then he said, his voice soft and not angry, “Not normally the reaction I get, babe.”
My hands left the inside of his tee and one arm wrapped around his waist, the other hand went to the back of his head.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered.
He didn’t answer. He rolled to the side, back to the couch and pulled us up so we were full-on the couch. He kept his arms around me and I pressed my cheek to his chest. I took deep breaths and after a few minutes controlled the tears.
After I’d done that, I tilted my head back to look at him. “You want a beer?” I asked, voice still quiet.
He used his thumb to wipe the tears from my face and when he was done, he kissed my nose. Then he said, “Yeah.”
I nodded, pulled away, got up and got us both a beer.
When I walked back into the living room, the TV was on, the sound low, some action movie with explosions was playing. I gave him the beer, sat down beside him and yanked off my boots. When I settled back into the couch, he pulled me into his body, arm around my shoulders.
Boo jumped up and I lifted my legs to the couch and curled into Luke’s warmth, head on his shoulder. Boo settled in the space between us and I stroked him.
I wasn’t afraid I was giving mixed messages. Instinctively I understood that Luke knew the score, knew I needed not to be alone and was offering me that and nothing else.
It was kind. It was huge. It was as un-badass as it could get and therefore even more badass than ever.
I’d never forget it and I’d always be thankful for it.
I drank my beer. Luke drank his. I put the empty bottle on the pub set and watched the movie.
Then I fell asleep cuddled into Luke.
* * * * *
“Babe,” Luke said low.
I opened my eyes and looked up.
He’d reclined on the couch and I was tucked into his side, my back against the couch, my head on his chest.
“Bed,” Luke said.
I nodded.
We got up and he walked to the door taking me with him, arm around my shoulders. He stopped at the door, kissed my nose and looked at me a beat. I bit my lip.
“Jules,” he said.
“Yeah?” I asked.
He stared at me a moment before answering. “I was playin’ a game,” he told me.
It was my turn to stare at him. Somehow that hurt and I didn’t need any more of that. I had way, way too much of that.
“Now,” he went on, “I don’t know what the fuck I’m doin’.”
Oh my God.
Neither of us said anything. There wasn’t anything to say.
Then without another word, he was gone.
I locked the door behind him, armed the alarm and got ready for bed in the bathroom.
I settled in bed, Boo curled into the small of my back.
&nbs
p; I felt sadness seep through me, no anticipation, no hope. I knew Vance wasn’t breaking in.
I worried about Luke and me. I liked him, he was cool and he was funny and in an alternate universe I knew something would have happened.
It couldn’t, not now.
I was in love with Vance.
How did that happen?
I lay in bed knowing I was hugely fucked. Somehow my life had gone totally out of control. The Fortnum’s gang of Rock Chicks had adopted me. The Nightingale Investigation Team had accepted me. Luke wanted me. And all of this had Vance tied up in it and that hurt me.
I definitely needed to round up Roam and Sniff and get my ass to Nicaragua.
I pulled a pillow to my stomach, hugged it close and tilted my head to stare at the moonlight.
With effort I forced my mind to still.
Then I fell asleep.
Chapter Nineteen
Hush
I was certain I was awake though I hadn’t opened my eyes and I knew with a sleepy body scan that I couldn’t be.
There was heat at my back and a weight on my hip. It was full-on heat, definitely not Boo. I snuggled backwards into it figuring if I was going to have a good dream, I was going to go for the gusto.
The weight at my hip moved, slid up to my waist then down, curling around my belly. The heat behind me was solid. Both I knew were no dream.
My eyes opened.
Then I turned.
Vance was in bed with me.
He was awake, very awake and staring at me, face blank. I was also now very awake and staring at him, face probably not blank.
My heart had stopped. I felt something crawling through my system, something weird, good mingled with bad.
Fear and hope.
“What are you doing here?” I whispered.
I had turned within his arm. It was still around my waist, hand curled into my hip against the bed. When I asked my question, his fingers bit into my hip as they tightened.
“Had duty in the surveillance room last night,” was Vance’s mysterious answer.
I blinked at him. Then I remembered.
Oh my God.
The cameras.
How in the hell was I always forgetting the cameras?
“Crowe –” I started, my heart beating now, double time.
“I did not like what I saw,” Vance interrupted me, his voice underlining his words and a shiver slithered across my skin at his tone.
“Crowe –” I began again.
“He touches you again, there’s gonna be a problem.” The tone of his voice, if it could be believed, was deteriorating and I got the distinct impression there already was a problem.
Um.
Yikes.
“Crowe –” I tried again.
“I want to know you understand me,” Vance kept going.
“Crowe –”
“Do you understand me?” he asked. He sounded supremely pissed off now and edging toward impatient.
“Please listen to me –” I started.
“None of it. Watchin’ TV together. You curled up to him on the couch and definitely not his tongue in your fuckin’ mouth and his hands up your fuckin’ shirt.” His voice was getting dangerous or, I should say, more dangerous and his face was no longer blank.
“If you’d just –”
“Jules, do you fucking understand me?” He was keeping his control but I could tell just barely. I could tell this because his eyes had gone hard and his mouth had gone tight.
That was it.
I sat up and shouted, “Shut up, Crowe!”
He came up with me, face like thunder, eyes flashing and I knew he was ready to blow.
One look at his face and I thought, fuck it. It was now or never.
I stood next to my barking, snarling Rottweiler, ripped the plastic off a big, huge, juicy steak with a thick, meaty bone in and threw it to him. He nabbed it in mid-air, settled down and started gnawing.
Then I pounced.
And finally I surprised Vance Ouray Crowe.
In the beginning he thought I was going to fight him. Couldn’t really fight someone with your tongue in his mouth.
Well, you could but it wasn’t my style.
I was all over him. My hands were all over him. My mouth was all over him.
He was naked which, if I wasn’t in desperation mode to get him to shut up and pay attention to me, I would have thought was kind of brazen considering the fact that we were over.
Instead I thought it was good. A time saver.
When he realized I wasn’t attacking him, his arms went around me with a force that squeezed my breath out of me and that was it.
It was hot, heavy, lots of everything like we hadn’t seen each other in three years rather than three days. I got astride him and lifted up, pulling my nightie over my head while he watched. When I was done, he rolled me over and tore off my underwear.
Then we went back at it.
Within minutes I was at Grade Nine.
“I want you inside me,” I said breathlessly in his ear.
He started to pull away.
“Where are you going?” I was no longer breathless but sounding loud and a little bit shrill.
“Condom,” was all he said.
Oh.
That.
I yanked him to me and rolled on my back, opening my legs and his hips slid between them. “In a minute,” I said.
“Jules –”
“In a minute.”
His head came up and he looked at me, hair around his shoulders just as beautiful as ever.
Then I could swear I saw a hint of a grin before his face disappeared in my neck.
Then he slid inside.
* * * * *
After we were done and once Vance had come back to me after going to the bathroom and dealing with the condom which he did finally use and showed me how to put it on (which gave a new dimension to birth control that I liked very much and I got the impression that he liked even better), I laid in his arms, we were side-by-side, my face tucked into his throat.
I had no ridiculous thoughts about my wardrobe or summer camp because my Rottweiler had looked up from his bone and had begun to growl.
Hush, I whispered.
My Rottie cocked his head, whined a bit then went back to his bone.
Through my mental turmoil Vance was silent.
I was wondering about his mood. Okay, I was worried about his mood. Okay, I was scared to death about his mood.
“I need to go to work,” I whispered against his throat, the fear and hope were back. The longer he stayed silent the more the fear was winning.
Vance’s arms went loose and he moved a bit away.
The fear took further hold. I couldn’t remember a time when Vance so easily let me go.
I looked at him and couldn’t read his face.
Damn it all to hell.
“You going to work?” I asked in an effort to force him to speak.
“Been up all night. I’ll go to the down room and crash.”
I kept watching him but my throat was beginning to feel funny, like it was going to close up on me.
I knew how important what just happened was to me. I didn’t know what Vance was thinking and from the look of him it wasn’t good. Wasn’t good as in wasn’t anything, which was definitely not good.
“Okay,” I said and it sounded kind of croaky.
I sat up, taking the sheet with me and holding it to my chest. Vance moved, getting ready to exit the bed. I grabbed his hand. Do not ask me why but I did. He stilled and looked at me.
And before I could stop myself I whispered, “You can crash here.”
Vance didn’t speak.
“You can shower here too,” I went on quickly so as not to arouse my Rottie.
He kept looking at me.
My jaw started hurting with the effort to keep the fear and the tears at bay.
“Whenever you want,” I said, “crash, I mean. And… um, shower.”
r /> I thought what I just said was huge.
Vance gave me nothing.
“I’ll give you a key,” I told him, the last ditch effort to get my point across.
That was super-huge.
More nothing from Vance.
Not… one… thing.
That’s when I nodded.
There you had it.
The fear changed from being scared of not getting Vance back to what my life would mean knowing I couldn’t have him back.
Time to move on.
I’d deal with it later. A lot later. When I was making quesadillas like a pro while wearing a sweater I knitted for myself in Nicaragua.
“Okay,” I said, my voice sounded higher and I let go of his hand, “I’m gonna get ready for work.”
I moved toward the end of the bed but his arm came around my belly and he threw me back against the pillows and settled his body on top of mine. My breath went out of me at his movements and I stared at him with wide eyes.
“Was it that hard?” he asked, looking down at me, face still showing me nothing.
I could no longer speak so I shook my head, nonverbally lying. It had been harder than hell.
“I don’t need a key,” he said.
I blinked, not sure how to take that. “You don’t?” I asked, finding my voice.
He shook his head. “Though it’d be easier than breakin’ in all the time,” he told me.
I felt relief start invading, washing away the fear.
“Probably,” I whispered, still a little scared because he was still being blank not intense or a different kind of intense but not giving me anything to go on.
“Do you understand about Luke?” he asked.
I nodded.
He got closer, his face got closer, his body pressing me deeper into the bed. “Then we’ll make sure you understand it all.”
Uh-oh.
I didn’t like the sound of that. I didn’t share this and just watched him and waited.
“You’re mine, Jules. That means no one puts their hands on you and no one puts their mouth on you. I almost came out of my skin watchin’ that last night. You’re with me and that means we’re exclusive. I do not share. Which means no one touches you. Not again. You got me?”
I nodded. I couldn’t imagine what I’d do if I saw him that way with another woman but I was a head crackin’ mamma jamma, I probably would have lost my mind. A macho man, badass was even worse.