Full On (6 page)

Unfortunately, Dave was right behind him. Jacks and
O’Connell behind him. They trooped toward the business end of the station and
parted ways once they got there. With Dave here, Russell didn’t need to ride
herd over the detectives to see they released Estavarez in a timely fashion.
Though he was tempted to hang around to hear what other bullshit they could
come up with. Forewarned was forearmed. But if Dave decided to start running
his mouth about Russell and Valerie… He didn’t want her caught off guard.

He went to the waiting room first. No Valerie. But Casey
Sullivan held court with the Estavarez family, just as Valerie had said.
Strikingly beautiful as always, never a single strand of her long dark hair out
of place. Never rattled. Never dressed in less than perfection.
Had to be an
android.

He smiled at that, gave Casey a nod in greeting, which she
returned, and went to the interrogation rooms in search of Valerie. The officer
posted as guard pointed him in the right direction. Russell knocked on the
door, then opened it a crack.

Valerie’s frown deepened when she saw him. He knew she’d
automatically think something had gone wrong with Estavarez’s release.
Estavarez’s tear-ravaged eyes watched him. His hiccups were the only way
Russell knew Estavarez wasn’t holding his breath.

“I need a word,” Russell told her.

She patted her client’s hand. “I’ll be right back. Don’t
worry.” She gathered her things rather than leave them in place. Always
cautious, his Valerie. So was Russell.

“Problems?” she asked when she closed the door behind her.

He cut right to it. “The victim is Teri Trent.”

Confusion flickered in her eyes. She’d be processing
possibilities the way he had. “That’s odd.”

“We can dissect that coincidence later. Deacon saw us
kissing.”

Her shoulders drooped.

“I didn’t confirm or deny,” he said. “I wanted us on the
same page first. He accused me of throwing the case for my girlfriend.”

That brought the fire back to her eyes.

Russell smiled. “I set him straight…with both barrels.”

A grin lifted one corner of her mouth.

“How do you want to handle this one?”

She thought a bit, then slowly shook her head. “We’ve done
nothing wrong. Nothing unethical, really. We each presented our cases and the
court decided. We had no interaction during that time. But…” She pressed her
lips together, sighed and nodded. “I’m not running to my boss like a naughty
little girl to confess all. We let this play out. Deal with it as it comes.”

“They could crucify us,” he pointed out.

“They could
try
.” Valerie chewed the inside of her
cheek and stared at the floor. “All right.” She looked up. “We tell our bosses
on Monday. No sense in them being blindsided.”

“Agreed. I’ll let you get back to your client. I’ll be in
the waiting room.”

“Good god, Russell, they’ll eat you alive in there.”

He grinned. “They could
try
.”

She smothered a giggle behind her hand. “Hopefully I won’t
be much longer. I doubt they’ll want to drag their heels on this one.”

“Agreed.” Russell took a step away as she curled her hand
around the doorknob. “By the way, nice to see the girls in action.” He waved
his finger toward her breasts.

Valerie grinned. “They don’t get to come out and play like
that very often.”

“Weapons of mass destruction are always best used with
discretion. I only regret they weren’t turned on Dave.”

“Ah, but the night is young. The girls are primed for
action.”

He raised his eyebrows. “Good to know.”

She edged close, pressing those beauties against his chest.
If anyone walked by now, the news
would
be all over the station. They
were lucky enough as it was that budget restraints hadn’t allowed for cameras
in this area. “Don’t worry. You’re licensed and trained to use these weapons.”

He glanced into the depths of her cleavage, thinking of how
great it was going to feel later when his cock was between them. “I’ll see if I
can’t hurry things along for you.”

“Thank you.” She walked her fingers up his tie. “My
gratitude would be
undying
.” The whispered word coiled around him.

“You’re killing me. You know that, don’t you?”

Valerie grinned and moved back. “Softly, I hope.”

Now Russell leaned into her space. “Sweetheart, there’s
nothing soft about it.”

“Then my work here is done.” She dropped her gaze to his
crotch. “For now.” After a flirty wink, she squared her shoulders, slipped her
professional mask in place and returned to her client.

Russell adjusted his erection to a more comfortable
position, thanking the clothing gods for the second time tonight for the jacket
that would obscure his predicament from those in the waiting room. He smiled as
he ran the byplay of words through his mind. The woman could make him steel
hard without even trying. Although, evidence of her own
intrigue
peaked
from behind the barriers of bra and dress.

A chill ran through him. His erection wilted. And he’d let
her walk into that room with a suspected rapist.

Fuck, he was no better than Jacks and O’Connell. Estavarez
had been found not guilty.
Not guilty doesn’t mean he’s innocent.

Russell scrubbed his hand over his mouth, fighting the urge
to barge into the room. No, he wouldn’t do it. He had to trust. He did an
about-face and walked away.

Trust. He could do this. But if Estavarez laid one finger on
her he’d—

Russell forced those thoughts out of his head too.

Ricardo Estavarez had the maturity of a thirteen-year-old.
There was more than one time Valerie considered having him examined to see if
there wasn’t something wrong with him. Not that pleading insanity or
incompetence would have mattered to the case. She didn’t need those defenses.
That man, and she always used that term loosely, wasn’t guilty of these crimes.

He sat across from her, bawling his eyes out, head buried in
his hands. A puddle of tears lay on the table beneath him. She’d never known
anyone to cry as much as he did. He wanted his momma. As always. He’d barely
survived the six months in jail while his case was being heard. His family
couldn’t afford bail and there’d been no choice. She’d held her breath the
whole time, praying nothing happened to him while he was there. If something
did, word never got back to her. On the surface it seemed he fared better
behind bars than he would have at home and on the streets. Out less than
twenty-four hours and look what happened. And it wouldn’t end here.

God, this was what her life was going to be like—constantly
babysitting Estavarez. She hoped Casey Sullivan took up the civil suit. It
might scare the cops away and give Valerie some much-needed breathing room.

She let Estavarez cry it out. God only knew why he was
sobbing now. They were letting him go. All the hand-holding in the world wasn’t
going to help. It never did. Still, she refused to leave him alone. She didn’t
trust the detectives as far as she could throw them and wouldn’t put it past
Jacks and O’Connell to drop by in her absence to
chat
. They’d have
Estavarez all twisted up in next to no time, which was how he got into this
whole mess to begin with.

Valerie let her mind skip around to any of the other
hundreds of things dancing a constant circuit in her head. Foremost was
Russell. Tonight hadn’t turned out as she’d expected. Rather than finding
themselves at odds again, it seemed they were finally on the same page. And the
night to come promised…

She shut those thoughts down. No tingling with delight
allowed at work. That left her with dissecting the mystery of how Teri Trent wound
up crossing paths with Estavarez, then finding herself a rape victim in a coma.
Valerie believed in coincidence. This wasn’t it. Someone planned for this
particular woman to do this particular thing. The questions were who and why?
Logical suspect—Bev Renard. Well…logical suspect was herself, followed by
Russell since Teri tried to drive a wedge between them with her gossip about
how fine Russell was with Teri. But since they were together that left Bev.

If that were the case it left the why easy enough to
explain. Bev had a lot to lose by Teri running her mouth. If she’d blabbed to
Valerie about having time with Russell, what else had she talked about and to
whom? Valerie wasn’t privy to Bev’s full list of guests. Not everyone was
comfortable in group play. She and Russell engaged less and less once they’d
become a couple. The fact he’d returned to group play…

Another thought shut down. It’d only dredge upset when
they’d rediscovered their happy place.

The bottom line was that Bev had a lot to lose. So did her
clientele. What would she do to protect them? How far would she go to teach
someone a lesson? And how in the world could Valerie and Russell find out? Or
should they even try? Best-case scenario would be that Teri woke up and told
the police who’d done this to her. Worst-case scenario would be that all hell
would break lose if the assailant was Bev or someone connected to Bev. They’d
all be toast then.

Valerie laughed to herself. She and Russell were going to be
toast come Monday anyway when word got out they were a couple. No win-win
there. They could both be pounding the streets on Tuesday looking for work. Oh
well, at least they’d be doing it together.
There’s your win.

She sighed. No, her win tonight was setting this all aside,
going home and being with the man she loved. She didn’t want to think about the
rest of it. They’d sacrificed enough. No more. Not tonight.

The door opened. One hand on her briefcase, Valerie stood to
greet the uniformed officer. “All done?” she asked.

“Yes ma’am. I’ll escort you out.”

“Let’s go, Ricardo. Your momma’s waiting to take you home.”

He lifted his tear-ravaged face and stumbled to his feet.
She fished another pack of tissue from her purse and passed it his way. It was
empty by the time they reached the waiting room. His mother engulfed him in her
broad arms. The family swarmed around them.

“He can go?” his mother called out.

“Yes, he can go.”

They shuffled toward the door and out, leaving the waiting
room blissfully quiet. Only Valerie, Russell and Casey remained, both were on
their feet, ready to leave.

“Make a decision?” she asked Casey.

Casey pushed out a hard breath. “I don’t know. We’ll see how
they behave.” She jerked her head toward the working end of the station at the
same time Dave Deacon walked out. He took one look at her and ducked back
inside. Casey grinned. “Oh the power.” She snickered. “You two have a good
night. Nice to see you back together.”

Yes, she was one of those in the know. One who knew how to
keep her mouth shut. She had something of her own to lose if word got out about
their after-hours activity. Though God help the soul who crossed Casey
Sullivan. She wondered if that’s what sent Dave skittering for safety. Boy,
she’d love to see that in group play. Dave Deacon, District Attorney, at the mercy
of Casey Sullivan, Advocate for the People.

“Want to share the joke?” Russell pressed his hand against
her lower back.

“Didn’t realize I was giving myself away.” Valerie headed
for the door, stepping through when he opened it for her. “Ever wonder about
those two?”

Russell frowned a little, then grinned. “No, but I’d love to
be a fly on the wall for that one.”

“Fly, hell. I want a ringside seat.”

He squeezed a hug around her shoulders. “Aw, one of the many
things I love about you. Voyeur with a little bit of exhibitionist mixed in for
fun.”

“So we’re back to talking about the girls?”

“I have a lot to say to them.”

Considering the reporters that lay in wait ahead, that was a
conversation that was going to have to wait. The news-grabbers were kept at bay
by uniformed officers. The Estavarezes had gotten away without harassment. Even
Casey had zipped by without pause. Of course, no one would realize at this
point she was eyeing the case for possible civil suit. Valerie and Russell
weren’t going to skate by without some explanation. Reporters shuffled into
position like a deck of crisp new cards when they saw the two of them approach.

“A representative from the police department will be out
shortly to explain this misunderstanding.” Russell shut them down without
pause.

“You and Ms. Oswald arrived together. Why?”

They’d barely taken three steps when the question shot out.
“I’ve got it,” he mumbled to Valerie, then turned and kept walking backward.
“Car accident, remember? I was there. Took her home where most of you lay in
wait.” Nasty but it was the truth. “We opted for a quick bite to eat, only to
be called here.” He gave them his back and kept walking.

“You realize the jab went over their heads,” she said. Most
of the time they were too busy thinking of their next question to hear anything
said to them.

“I do. My place or yours?” He hit the key fob to unlock the
car door.

“Mine. The sooner I can get out of these clothes the
better.”

“My thoughts exactly,” he said as he opened the door for
her.

Warmth rushed her body. “No more business tonight.”

“None, only pleasure. Yours…mine. I even turned my cell
phone off.”

Good idea. She wanted no further interruptions. As she sank
into the seat, she pulled her phone from her purse and turned it off. They
could do this—shut the world out and be together. A clear separation between
business and personal. Although, once word got out they might find themselves
not having to worry about the business part of it anymore. It had to be love if
they were willing to risk their careers. And if they kept their respective
jobs, staying in love was going to be a business all its own.

What did being in love mean? Where did they go from here? So
many questions swarmed through her head that Valerie didn’t realize they’d
reached her house until Russell pulled into the driveway.

“I almost didn’t recognize the place without the news vans
decorating the street,” he said.

“I’ll get the garage door opener.” She fumbled through the
console between them.

“Don’t bother.” He cut the engine. “I don’t have a damn
thing to hide. I don’t care who sees.”

“Russell, if someone—”

He cut off her words with a kiss. “You’re all that matters,”
he said once it ended.

In reality they both knew that wasn’t true. Their jobs
mattered a lot, too much. She let the words stand, wanting to believe them, to
trust they could work beyond the professional demands they placed upon
themselves. Two type-A attorneys, facing off in court? Coming at each other
full-on time and again? They’d implode before long. Explode would be more like
it, destroying all this in the process. Might as well enjoy the hot sex while
they could. Because one thing Valerie did know—sex didn’t get any better than
what she had with Russell.

“I’ve missed you.” She traced her finger along the curve of
his cheek.

“I’ve missed you too.” He dropped his hand to her hip. “I’m
pretty close to seeing if I still have what it takes to have sex in a small
car. I’d prefer to not have my teenage delusions of grandeur blasted to
smithereens.”

Valerie laughed. “Then what are we waiting for?” She reached
for the door handle.

Russell pulled her hand away. “I’ll get that.”

He knew how awkward it made her feel to sit in the car while
he got the door. At least it had in the past. Now her heart raced with every
stride he took around the front. He was coming for her, honoring her, about to
make her his. She’d taken all that for granted before, nothing more than an
annoyance. How could she have missed the obvious foreplay?

The door opened and he extended his palm to her. Smiling up
at her knight, Valerie slipped her fingers into his. Tiny electric shocks
sizzled between them. Russell smiled and drew her into his arms.

“I’ve missed this too,” he said.

“Me too,” she whispered.

He tilted his head to one side. “Have you?”

Valerie cleared her throat. “I have.”

“I missed a lot of things.” Hot hands cupped her ass and
clamped her against his erection. “Opening your door, walking with my hand at
your back, quiet weekend getaways, dinners at home, kissing you in public.”

She laughed at that one. “You’ve never kissed me in public.”
They’d kept their relationship very much under wraps.

“As I said… I missed a lot of things.” He slanted his mouth
over hers, gliding his tongue deep. She clung to him, lost in the magic of
being possessed, of feeling their hearts beat in tandem, of knowing that steel
wedge between them was all hers. She drew her foot over his calf as he
feathered one hand down her thigh. They froze before they both got what they
wanted—her leg locked around his waist, his cock wedged against her crotch.

“We’d better take this inside,” they said together.

They negotiated the narrow, winding sidewalk to her front
door with her barely a step in front. His hand against her back kept them
tethered. She readied her key to open the door. Russell beat her to it,
thrusting his own key into the lock. God, the things that did to her insides.

“Was that little quiver just for me?” He brushed his lips
against her ear.

“It was and there’s more where that came from.”

He pushed the door open and ushered her inside, her body
tucked up nice and close to his. Once they crossed the threshold, she turned in
his arms and peeled his jacket from his broad shoulders. The scent of raw male
engulfed her. No aphrodisiac known to mankind was more potent. She folded the
jacket and draped it over the nearby sofa. Oh how she’d missed seeing it tossed
there at the end of a long day. One of the countless number of things she’d
missed all this time.

The click of the deadbolt made her heartbeat skip. Valerie
felt the heat of his approach. He braced his hands on either side of her,
blocking her against the sofa. His breaths matched hers, hard and ragged. If
she pushed her rear back there was no doubt what she’d find waiting for her.

“We’re wearing entirely too much clothing.”

Russell drew her hair away from her neck. Hot kisses dotted
a path down the back of her neck. He caught the tab of her zipper between his
teeth and pulled it down, skimming the dress from her inch by inch. She stepped
free of heels and dress when the material reached her ankles. Squatting before
her, he turned her around to face him. Fingers feathered up the outsides of her
legs. His breath whispered up the insides. He nudged his face into the cleft of
her thighs, inhaled, then nipped at the crotch of her panties and dragged them
down, down, down. And yeah, those quivers were all for him, and he damn well
knew it. So were her sighs and moans, her body and heart.

Valerie gripped the sofa, pushing her pelvis forward,
spreading her legs a little farther apart. Russell took the invitation without
hesitation. His tongue looped up her thighs, first one and then the other, over
and over until he reached the top and paused much too long for her patience. A
test or a tease? Valerie didn’t care. She combed her fingers through his hair,
holding his head in place but not pushing forward. He slipped his tongue
between her labia, mapping the folds and peaks. She writhed into the caress,
arching farther back onto the sofa with every sweep of his tongue.