Dangerous Embrace (Embrace #1) (13 page)

Mark turned to Shane as he folded up the stepstool. “Can you give Greg a call in the morning, ask him to do the estimate and give him the address?”

Shane nodded as he closed the tool box. “Want me to hang out?”

“Ah...no, but do a cursory of the neighborhood and call me if anything stands out.”

“Will do.” Shane picked up the toolbox and headed out of the kitchen, stopping to say goodbye to Sarah. “It was nice meeting you, Ms. Jennings.”

She halfheartedly smiled at him. “It’s Sarah...thanks for coming.”

Mark followed Shane to the door, and when she realized he intended to leave, she felt a jolt of panic.

“Mark?” She hugged herself, chilled with the knowledge that she’d shot someone in her house—in her bedroom. After all the bullshit she’d spouted about being able to take care of herself, now she couldn’t stand the idea of being alone. “Will you stay?”

“I’m not leaving. I’m just walking Shane out...” He hesitated for a moment, his expression set. “I’ll sleep on the couch tonight, tomorrow, we talk about serious protection.”

She looked up at him and swallowed hard. Pride was a bitter pill, but she knew when to say when.

~

Sarah helped Mark make up a bed on the sofa and took some pain meds. Her entire body ached from the adrenalin rush. She’d medicate herself into a coma if she had to. Sleep wouldn’t come easy without it. She’d been too afraid to use the medication when she was alone, but having Mark there put her at ease.

She took one last peek at Mark on her sofa and wished she had something more comfortable to offer him. She briefly pictured him in her bed, keeping her warm and wrapping his strength around her. Embarrassed by the thought, her cheeks heated. She quickly closed the door on him and on her thoughts, leaving him to sleep and curling into her cold bed alone. The medication slowly lulled her to sleep.

Purple clouds stretched above her.

Her heart pounded and the gravel cut into her back.

A cold hand pawed at her skirt.

Hot, rancid breath scraped her face.

Sarah jerked awake and sat up as a strangled scream came out of her dry throat. When her eyes popped opened, so did her bedroom door with a loud crack.

When the dark figure came at her, she tried to scramble off the bed, but he grabbed her arm.

“It’s okay.” Mark clicked on the bedside lamp.

“Sarah, it’s okay,” he said gentler this time.

She wept, her relief overshadowing the embarrassment as her entire body convulsed into uncontrollable trembles. She lay back down, pulled the thick blanket over her head, and curled her knees to her chest.

“What can I do?” he asked.

Sarah couldn’t stop crying long enough to give a coherent answer.

“Not all men are like him, Sarah.”

The emotional weight pressed down on her chest as she sobbed, making it hard for her to breathe. Somehow this time she didn’t care if Mark watched her fall apart.

She woke up a while later wrapped tightly in her blanket, sweating through her clothes. She poked her head out of the blanket and blinked at the lamp. Then she rolled over and saw Mark sleeping on the floor next to her bed. He was clutching the blanket from the sofa and fully dressed.

She gave his shoulder a little shake.

His eyes blinked open and met hers. He rubbed his face. “Do you need something?”

She nodded and her eyes filled with tears. “Will you lie down with me?”

“You don’t want to be alone?”

She closed her eyes and shook her head. Mark stood and clicked the lamp off, before lying down next to her, leaving the thick blanket between them.

Sarah tried to catch her breath and stop crying, but couldn’t.

“This is hard for you, isn’t it?” Mark whispered.

Sarah nodded and wiped her face under the blanket.

“It’s okay to ask for help, you don’t have to handle everything on your own. You’ve been through hell. Nobody will think you’re weak for needing a shoulder to cry on.”

She nodded again and realized he might be right, no matter how hard it was to admit.

The smell of coffee brought Mark out of his exhaustion-induced coma. He lifted his head and looked around the sunlit bedroom. This was not his bedroom. That was obvious by the sweet scent of vanilla and lavender. He stifled a moan and inhaled deeply while stuffing his nose into her pillow.

Lying next to her, inhaling her sweet scent all night had nearly sent him over the edge. He wanted to be here for her, but being here came with a price.

Anyone would have trouble dealing with what she’d been through. He knew firsthand how hard it was to point a gun at another human being and pull the trigger, no matter who the human was.

Now that he knew for sure she was being targeted, he wasn’t leaving her alone at all.

The omission about the rape at the college weighed heavy on his mind, but at this point, he didn’t think she could take much more.

Where were her loved ones? She had family...why wouldn’t she share this with them? He glanced at the photo on her bedside table of Sarah with Ava, proof that she had someone in her life. There were other pictures around the room, too. Sarah’s big, bright smile stood out amongst the others. It reminded him of how she looked on the beach, happy and lighthearted. She deserved to feel like that all the time, but it was obvious something had darkened her life, something besides the attack at Oakbrook on Friday.

He got up, rubbed the sleep from his eyes, and lumbered into the living room. “Good morning.”

Sarah jumped, spilling coffee down her front. “Oh—hi,” she said, wiping at the coffee spill.

He grimaced. “Sorry, didn’t mean to sneak up on you.”

“It’s okay, I’m a little jumpy. Not used to having people here with me.”

“How did you sleep?” he said over his shoulder, as he walked through the living room into the kitchen.

“Good, how about you? I didn’t wake you, did I?”

“No, I didn’t hear a thing.” He pulled a mug from the cabinet and poured himself a cup of coffee.

“You didn’t have to get up. I don’t mind if you use the bed. It’s the least I could offer after all the trouble I’ve caused you.”

Mark sipped the rich brew and closed his eyes, silently thanking her for having fresh ground coffee instead of grocery store crap.

He waved her off as he walked back into the living room. “I got plenty of sleep.”

He would much rather stay here and take care of her than sit home alone. He hated his house, hated being there. And with that vanilla and lavender scent burned into his brain, he’d never sleep as comfortably again without it. Sarah’s house on the other hand was charming, inviting, and well...full of spirit.

He walked back into the living room and sat across from her. “We need to talk about some full-time protection, Sarah.” He sipped his coffee. “Last night should be enough to convince you that you’re not safe here alone.”

Sarah stared at him, not speaking for a long time. Shifting her weight, she set her mug on the table.

“Mark...I don’t want you feeling obligated to protect me. You have a busy life and a son to take care of.”

He leaned forward. “You think I’m here because I feel obligated?”

Sarah looked down, chewing on her lip. “I don’t know what to think.”

Mark ran his hand over his head, wishing he could make her understand. “I don’t do things because I have to. I do them because I want to.”

“I’m sorry,” she mumbled. “I just don’t understand...”

“Look, Sarah, this is new territory for me. I’ve never dealt with this sort of thing before.” He took a few sips of his coffee again, not sure how to explain his motivation to her, especially since he didn’t completely understand it himself. “I’m not sure how to help...but I want to be here for you.”

“You were a cop, surely you’ve seen this before, probably worse.”

“You’re right.” He nodded. “Working as a police officer I had to deal with crime like this, but when you’re on the job it’s different. It’s not personal, it’s work. I was trained to distance myself from what I had to face.” He closed his eyes for a split second and then trained his gaze on her again. “When I saw that terrified look in your eyes, it caught me off guard. It became personal to me.” He stared at her unblinking for a moment. “And all of that was intensified ten-fold last night when I walked into this house and found you hiding in the corner with a gun. You
cannot
expect me to walk away after that.”

Before Sarah could respond, there was a knock at the door. She bolted upright, the color draining from her face.

Mark walked to the window and looked out. A shiny red convertible with the top down sat haphazardly behind his truck. He turned and looked at Sarah’s pale face. “I guess you’re not expecting anyone.”

She shook her head and got to her feet.

“Stay put, I’ll get it.” He peered through the peephole at a petite woman wearing huge sunglasses, carrying a white bag and a tray of coffee.

He opened the door and had to squint at the bright sun as it blasted through the door.

“Get up, you bum.” The little woman nearly ran him over as she stepped into the house. “Whose big-ass truck is blocking the driveway?”

When she finally looked up, she yelped and ripped the sunglasses off her face. “Who the hell are you?”

Mark smiled. “Hello, Ava.”

She was barely five feet tall with pin straight, blond hair and eyes that got stonier as they stared at him.

Her eyes went from his messy hair, to his bare feet, then to the mass of blankets on the sofa. An amusing smile jerked at the side of her mouth. “I know you,” she said. “You’re Angela Summors’s brother, aren’t you?”

“And that’s my big-ass truck,” Mark said as he closed the door behind her.

Ava turned and got a good look at Sarah. The grin dropped from her face. “Holy shit, Sarah! Look at you.”

Sarah rubbed her face and brushed the hair from her forehead. “I’m fine, Ava. What are you doing here?”

“What am I—you fucking told me you were mugged. This doesn’t look like a mugging.”

“Mugged?” Mark crossed his arms over his chest, looking down at Sarah.

She rested her face in her hands. “I. Am. Fine. I didn’t want you to rush home for nothing.”

“You look like you’ve gone ten rounds with Mike Tyson.” She walked over and set the drinks and bag of pastries down on the table next to the couch.

“If only,” Mark said.

Sarah shot him a dirty look, and he felt bad for ganging up on her. “She’s had a rough week.”

“Why on earth wouldn’t you tell me the truth?”

“Ava...don’t, okay?”

“She was attacked Friday night leaving work. It was late, dark, and...”

Sarah glared at him again.

He waved a hand at Sarah. “You shouldn’t lie to her. How would you feel if the roles were reversed—”

“Attacked. How?” Ava said, ignoring their sidebar. “Tell me everything.”

“She got away from him, but he beat the hell out of her first.”

When he saw the question in Ava’s eyes, he answered before she could ask. “She wasn’t raped.”

Relief flashed in her dark eyes. “She told me her purse was stolen.”

Mark walked over and sat back down on the couch across from them. “Technically, her purse was stolen. He got her house keys and all her identification.”

“Why are you here?”

“I was at the school picking up my mom. When Sarah got away from him, she ran into us. I’ve been helping her out.”

“Sleeping here?” Ava said, looking at the pile of blankets next to him.

“Someone broke in last night. I stayed so Sarah wouldn’t have to be alone.”

Ava’s eyes grew wide. “Last night?”

Mark nodded. “Sarah shot him, tagged his arm. Lucky bastard, another few inches and he’d have a hole in his chest.”

“I can’t freaking believe all this happened last night and you didn’t call me. You knew damn well I got home last night.”

“I was here with her,” Mark said. “There wasn’t any need to call you in the middle of the night.”

Sarah gave him a look of thanks when Ava backed down. “Is that Mocha for me?”

Ava chuckled. “Yeah, but I didn’t know you had a hot guy spending the night or I would’ve brought him one too.”

Mark fought to keep the color out of his face. It was definitely time to retreat. He reached for the bag, pulled out a blueberry scone, and stood. “If you two don’t mind, I’m going to take a shower.”

Sarah began to stand. “Do you need—“

“No, stay put, I’ll find my way.” He stopped short and turned toward Ava. “Maybe you can talk your friend into some full-time protection. She’s not safe staying here alone, and she won’t listen to me.”

~

“Nice.” Ava gave an appreciative nod as she watched Mark leave the room. “He certainly grew into his good looks.”