Intimate Danger (Empire Blue) (30 page)

Charlie pushed at his shoulders, scraped her nails down the back of his neck and called out his name.

“Trent, please.”

He froze, his hips holding hers to the wall. She asked him to stop and even if it fucking killed him, he’d give her whatever she wanted. His breath came out in ragged, choppy gasps.
What the fuck was he doing?
How had he fallen to such a low? He removed a hand from the globe of her ass and set it next to her head, struggling for control. She was going to end this. He knew it. A fissure cracked through his heart.
Damn, this was going to hurt.

“Trent.” This time softer, a sweet brush of her palm on his neck.

This was wrong, all of it. He missed her so much, had craved her for days only to come to her door and find her and Dwayne together in an embrace that looked anything but platonic. Squeezing his eyes shut, he fought to kill the image. How could he have been so wrong about her? Why did this shit make his lungs ache?

She must have felt his struggles
, and pulled closer. The softest brush of her lips pressed to his temple followed by a silky sigh.

“God, I missed you, Trent.”

His throat grew thick and he kicked at his pants, pushed off his shoes, then wrapped both arms around her. Clear of the jeans, he turned and crossed the few short feet to the couch. They fell in a tumble of limbs to the cushions. His erection, still thick and eager, refused to let up. A testament to how much he wanted her.

“Look at me, please
,” she rasped.

He rose, held
his weight on his forearms and met her eyes. His hips drew out and pushed back in.

Charlie’s mouth parted.

His feet clutched for purchase as he tried to sink deeper. He wanted to be surrounded by her, wanted to claim and possess. God, he just wanted…craved. His gaze locked on hers as he moved in a fluid rhythm, their bodies undulating against each other in perfect synchronization.

The base of his spine tingled and heat kicked, spread from his groin out. The orgasm was as hot as he imagined the sun to be, yet cold from the deepest recess of space. He embraced her stare, held it until the last pulses turned into shudders and then dropped his head to her chest, panting. Beneath his ear, her heart pounded erratically.

Trent pulled away, withdrew from her body and sat up on the couch, dropped his head into his hands as shame rolled through.

“Christ!”

The couch shifted and her leg brushed his.

“You can say that again.”

He didn’t speak. He couldn’t, there wasn’t anything to say.

The chime of a clock rang down the hall, the ticking of his own watch sounded loud in his ears.

“Where have you been, Trent?”

He leaned back on the couch, tossed an arm over his eyes, unable to meet her accusing gaze. Fucking hell, this was so wrong. He needed to go.

“In the city. You knew that.”

An audible swallow, then, “I did, but why didn’t I hear from you?”

He let out a heavy sigh and dropped his arm but didn’t turn to her. “Management struggled with the entire case. I was pulling eighteen-hour days, interviewing Echols over and over again. There were trips to D.C. pushed in at the last minute in order to find previous victims. And then dealing with Echols’ wife was a whole other issue. She was unaware of what kind of man her husband was, and was able to give us keys to another storage locker where he had even more pictures and trophies. She always thought it was a place he held stuff for work, never thought it was a place to store his thefts. Through all of it, I was hardly alone, and when I would get the time to catch sleep, it was too late to call. It doesn’t mean I wasn’t thinking of you.”

“I thought you were blowing me off.”

He snapped his gaze to hers and flinched.

Jesus.
She deserved more than that. And looking back on his time away, he should have made a point to make sure she got it.

“I wasn’t.”

She searched his expression, her bottom lip pulling in between teeth. “I’m glad you weren’t and happy to know, but it’s what I believed. I felt pathetic I let my feelings for you drive and build so far in my mind.”

He frowned. How could she sit here, after her and Dwayne…after what they just…
Before he could form any response, she continued.

“I got so angry, I didn’t know what to think, how to figure out what was wrong with me. Everyone I’ve loved has left, Trent. And that’s exactly what I thought you were doing.”

Something clicked and a match of hope sparked into a tiny flame.

“Wait, what does that mean?”

She wrapped her robe around her bared body, but kept his gaze, a steady focus to light the path.

“When I didn’t hear from you, I thought you
had moved on.”

Trent shook his head. “No, not that. About everyone leaving.” He took a breath. “The love.”

She swallowed hard. “They have,” she whispered.

He wanted to turn that small flame into a torch, but refused to rush it. The path was slippery and it was like he walked on granite in the rain. One wrong move and they would both stumble down the rock. First, he needed to get a few things straight.

“You thought I left you for good?”

She nodded and he sat forward, forced down the threatening excitement.

“What was Dwayne doing here…?” He cleared his throat. “Before?” Trent brushed a stray piece of hair behind her ear.

“He came to check in on me. Gave me a kick to the rear I needed.”

He looked for the truth in her eyes. The cloud of suspicion sat like a piece of cement in his stomach. He couldn’t ignore it. Had to know.

“Do you love him, Charlie?”

She sighed, her eyes turning down with sadness. “Of course I do, Trent. However, not like you think. More like a brother. And don’t tell me you weren’t thinking it. You’ve been showing your thoughts since you walked in the door.”

Fair enough.
“Do you—do you love me, Charlese?”

A brief smile flitted over her lips before tears welled. He palmed her face, his own heart pounding so loud he wondered if she heard.

“So much,” she choked out.

Finally!

His heart gave a solid thump against his ribs, threatened to break through as he tugged her into his arms. She came willingly, her frame wrapping around him, fitting as if they had been made to do such. He tucked her head beneath his chin and held tight, refusing to move from this moment. There would be challenges in their future—he wasn’t so naïve to believe it would be sweet romances, sultry embraces, and poetic words. No, their world would be filled with death, violence, and destruction. Nevertheless, one thing he was sure of, one thing he believed completely down to the core of who he was—they would get through it together. In a world where they saw only the bad and ugly—he and Charlie would fight the battle as one.

Epilogue

In her backyard,
Charlie leaned in the chair and watched her friends and pseudo-family interact. The chief doted over Trent’s mother, his normally gruff stature softening even as his wife sat nearby and chatted with the frail woman. Her heart swelled, watching her family, the ones who had come to mean the world to her, embrace the changes in her life.

Trent had moved in a month earlier, refusing to leave her side for any longer than a night. Traveling to the city had been hard, and the worry over his mother’s health drained him so much they both made the decision to bring her closer.
And that was what mattered to her most of all, that they both had discussed it and came to the conclusion together. Martha seemed to be in a happier place, her skin and mind healthier, now that she saw her son on a constant basis.

She turned toward
Trent and sucked in a sharp breath as she met his vivid blue gaze. The sun shining above had nothing on the heat generated inside her every time she looked at him. Brighter than the clear, cold blue sky, his eyes spoke so much, conveying trust, love, and affection. A wry smile played on his lips and he tracked a slow, languorous path down her body. She felt it as if it were a physical touch and shivered when he lifted his eyes back to her face.

He turned away, passed the grill’s spatula to Peter whose grin spread as if
he’d been handed a winning lottery ticket. Laughter bubbled in her chest as she heard the warning tone of his wife and saw the plump man’s face fall, sullen.

She squirmed in the seat as Trent stalked across the yard. Despite the cooler weather, she suddenly could do without the heavy parka
and scarf. He moved with a fluid grace, all sinewy muscles beneath a black thermal. Dark hair whipped over his forehead, the blustering wind starting to pick up. Hopefully, they’d be able to enjoy a bit more time outside before the weather changed too much.

He reached her chair and held out
a hand. She took it, jumped as an electrical charge sparked between their palms. A quick yank and she rose without a fight when he pulled her into his arms. Her body pressed to the solid chest, fit in perfect synchronization to his. He brushed a hand over the back of her hair and wrapped an arm around her lower back, then bent forward.

With the sweetest touch, Trent’s lips brushed hers. She trembled, shook with a force that astounded her. She wanted him, and was amazed each time the need flourished. With each new touch, passion grew until she felt as if she’d never be able to sate it.

Trent’s lips urged hers apart, grew more demanding. She dug her fingers into his shoulders and gave in to the claim, parting her mouth and allowing him in. His kiss was all she knew.

She didn’t hear the groans and shouts, the brush of tossed napkins hitting
them. No, she was engulfed in the feel of this man in her arms, of the woodsy taste he assailed on her senses. He kissed her so thoroughly she wondered if they would ever disentangle. Wasn’t quite sure if she wanted to.

All too soon he pulled back
and stared at her with wide, dark pupils, eyes hooded with desire.

“Charlese, you better stop looking at me like that or you’re going to miss out on the barbeque.”

She smiled, wrapped her arms around his neck and rested against him, settling in.

“Well, I am hungry.”

He whipped his head around, glanced over at the grill Peter staffed. “Are you? I think the cheeseburgers should be done soon.”

Charlie grinned,
amazed at how when she asked for something, Trent was always willing to get her what she wanted. She was hungry but…

Leaning up, she pressed her mouth
to his ear and whispered, her voice husky and heavy with desire. “Not for food, my handsome agent.”

H
e went still for a beat before he growled and tugged her closer.

“Christ, you’re going to be the death of me, woman.”

A snort sounded off to her right and she turned, laughing at Dwayne.

“I swear to God, I just about threw up in my mouth. Will you two get a room?”

Dwayne flashed a smile as Trent lifted her in his arms. “With pleasure,” Trent tossed over his shoulder and carried her into the house.

She laughed as he rounded the corner, taking them away from the view of their family and friends, then leaned down and kissed her so soundly her head spun
and her toes curled in her boots.

Pulling back, he palmed her face and stared into her eyes. The thread holding them together grew tighter as she saw everything out in the open on his face. No more secrets, no held in promises,
only the simple and complete openness she adored, just as she did the man who held her.

“I love you, Agent Trent Rossi.”

He grinned, a flash of brilliant white teeth.

“To risk throwing up in my mouth,” he
echoed Dwayne’s earlier words, then chuckled. “I love you, too, Detective Charlese Lopez.”

The End

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Other Books by D.C. Stone:

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