Safe With Him (8 page)

He moved in her direction and watched her walk through a side door. By the time he hit the door and went through, he just barely caught sight of her going into another room. When he charged into the room after her, she was sitting on a small sofa with a bottle of water in her hand.

“What the hell are you doing here?” she barked out before he could even make it across the threshold.

“Why didn’t you tell me you weren’t a stripper?” he shot back instead.

“So is that why you’re here? Thought you’d see me in action for yourself, huh? Flashed your badge at the door, didn’t you? Yeah, being a
cop
and all, you’re above any trivial stuff like
paying
.” She scowled, taking an angry drink of her water. With a shrug, she added sarcastically, “Sorry to disappoint, Sergeant Sleaze, but if I decide to change careers, I’ll give you a call.” She stood and only took one step before he was right in front of her, blocking her way.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were a bartender and not a stripper?” His voice was a low growl.

“What’s the difference?”

“There’s a big fuckin’ difference between servin’ drinks and takin’ off your clothes!” He countered.

Bree took a breath and sat back down, motioning for him to sit in the chair near her. “No, it’s not. I would still be me. I’m not an actress. I’m just me, whether I’m pouring a drink, taking off my clothes, or sweeping the floor after closing. It’s a job, it doesn’t define the person.”

When he said nothing and just looked at her, Bree went on. “Did you see the girl on stage?” she asked, thinking of her best friend, Skylar. “She’s a friend of mine. We have a lot of things in common...same taste in music, we like a lot of the same movies, and sometimes after work we both like to pig out on just junk food. But see, the thing with her, she didn’t have one of those happy-happy joy-joy childhoods. In fact, her childhood was for shit. Then she met this guy. He told her he loved her, and being as she’d never had that, she hooked her star on him. She was planning on leaving town with him just as soon as she turned eighteen. On her birthday he picked her up. They were heading out of town when he wanted to make a quick stop, pulled into a convenience store, told her to wait in the car. He would be ‘right back.’ And he was. Right after he robbed the place.” Bree sighed, taking a breath.

“The cops caught up with him and his dumb ass tried to outrun them. He didn’t get very far before he wrecked. Of course, him being the great boyfriend that he was, he took off running while she lay in the car, unconscious. When she came to, days later in the hospital, she found out she had been charged with accessory or some bogus shit like that. Her wonderful boyfriend took a lesser charge by claiming it was
her
idea. She tried to tell
those cops
she didn’t have any idea of what he was up to, or even that he had robbed some place, but being that
those cops
had already heard his sad sappy bullshit story,
those cops
believed his sorry ass. Even though he got time, so did she. Six months. In those months she was locked up, she found out she was pregnant, though she kept that bit of information to herself. When she was released, she had a hard time finding work, what with being pregnant and single,
and
with a criminal record. She worked shit jobs and scraped by just to provide for her kid. Until T-Rex gave her a shot.” She was about to continue when Draco held up a hand. She paused.

“T-Rex?”

“The owner, the guy you talked to. The one who told me you were here.” She explained, and he gave a nod.

“Anyways, T-Rex gave her a job, even with a record and a kid. Now her kid is in a private school getting a damn good education. Yeah, she’s a stripper in here. But as soon as she walks out that door, she’s a mom, and a damn good one. She doesn’t drink, smoke, do drugs, sleep around…hell, she doesn’t even have a boyfriend! Doesn’t want one. Says she doesn’t have the time for a guy. All the time she’s not spending at work is time she gives to her kid.” Bree took a deep breath, blowing it out with frustration for her friend. “But see. Here’s the thing. People like to judge, jump to conclusions about shit they have no idea about.” She looked right at him with a raised eyebrow. “But do they take the time to learn?” Bree shook her head and answered her own question. “Nope. They just see a stripper and think, well, she’s a stripper so she must be slutty, and sleeping with every guy she comes across. She probably gets paid for that too, and you
know
she’s into all kinds of drugs. The list goes on and on. That’s why T-Rex, being the kind of guy he is, knowing this…knowing she’s got a kid, and other kids can be mean as hell…makes accommodations for his workers to maintain their dignity. See, T-Rex has on her employment record ‘dance instructor,’ and she is. Every Wednesday for a couple of hours she teaches dance, right here before we open. That way, when asked or when her kid is asked, ‘what does your mommy do,’ her child won’t be judged.” She shook her head with another sigh, knowing all too well how cruel kids could be.

Draco sat and listened to Bre
e
talk about a girl he barely even noticed on stage. He could see the frustration on her face, hear it in her voice. Frustration, not for herself but for another person. Then she added quietly, “There’s just too damn many high and mighty, narrow minded, judgmental people in this world who don’t have a damn clue what the real world can be like,” she said, but Draco had the feeling she was talking to herself more than to him.

He realized every one of those names she had called him before were true. He had judged, but he had judged by experience from the few strippers he had known. All, or most, of the stereotypical labels
did
apply to them, so he just assumed pretty much all strippers were the same. What had Bree told him before? He should know better than to assume? Hell, he was a cop. That’s one of the first things you learn: never assume anything. “You forgot self-righteous, narcissistic, hypocritical, egotistic, and I believe sanctimonious ass was also used.” He gave a sheepish grin, trying to lighten the mood.

She just narrowed her eyes at him, then stood back up. “Yeah, that’s what I thought, De-tec-tive. I’ve got to get back to work, because
some of us
have to do that kind of thing,” she finished as she moved to the doorway.

“I never judged you.” He managed to get out before she made it out the door.

She whirled around on her mile high heels, and he couldn’t help but wonder how the hell she didn’t fall and break half a dozen bones. “You didn’t judge me?” She stared with a look of disbelief on her face. “Seriously? You’re going to sit there and lie? Is that for my benefit or are you just trying to make yourself feel better?”

“No. I didn’t judge you—” was all he had a chance to say.

She stepped back into the room, up to the chair he was sitting in, and leaned down and glared into his eyes. “I saw the way you looked at me when you thought I was a stripper. You were so
disgusted
you would think I was no better than a common crack whore that you caught on the corner with a john, on my knees. Said I was
acting
because I was sweet, and funny and cute, and whatever other crap you said, because there’s no way a
nasty little stripper
could be any of those things. So don’t sit there and lie and tell me you didn’t judge me.” She stood back up and before he could utter a word she again spun around on those heels and was at the door. Tossing a glance over her shoulder she looked back at him. “The look on your face alone was enough to call bullshit.”

Bree stepped back into the hall toward the main door that led back into the club. She was brought up short by a pair of very large and very strong arms, when they wrapped around her middle, incasing her arms at her sides. “We’re not done.” She heard Draco whisper harshly in her ear right before her feet were lifted off the floor and her body was turned and carried back into the room she had just walked out of.

Draco carried her about midway into the room before he released her. Stunned by his actions, it took her about a half a minute before she could move. When she turned around to face him, he had shut the door and was leaning back against it, arms crossed at his chest.

“What the hell is the matter with you?” she snapped.

“You!” he barked. She watched him take a breath before he started again. “You have a bad habit of spewin’ shit out, then turnin’ and runnin’, before a body has a chance to defend himself, or in this case, call your bullshit.” His eyes were now narrowed at her.

He looked pissed. At her! Why, she had no idea, but dang it, even pissed he still looked sexy as hell. “There should be laws about a body looking that good,” she mumbled, then watched his face relax just a bit, and his lips twitch.
Shit, was that out loud?
She thought, but was not about to ask. Then she realized what he had said. “My bullshit? Oh, that’s rich coming from a
cop,
” she snapped at him and in a flash his face got tight—so tight she saw his jaw clinch.

“Sweetheart, you don’t have a fuckin’ clue,” he snarled, leaning toward her, “Sit!” He snapped out harshly. Before she could even move, he took a deep breath. “Bree, sit down and give me a minute. Please,” he added in a more gentle tone.

Bree walked back over to the sofa and sat and watched him pace back and forth, mumbling under his breath. When he said no more to her, just kept pacing and mumbling, she finally spoke up. “Your minute is ticking away, and if all you’re going to do is pace back and forth and converse with yourself, I don’t need to be here. I’ve got to get back to work.” She stood up, ready to walk out.

He whipped around facing her. “Bree, I swear if you don’t sit your ass down and wait a damn minute, I will handcuff your ass and drag you down to the station, where it will take a helluva lot longer than a minute.”

That was it! She didn’t give a damn how hot he was or how incredible a kisser he was. She would ignore the tingles she got in her belly every time he was near, which was a whole lot easier when he was being a jerk. “On what charges? You think you can just bully me because you have a badge?” She eyed him up and down. “Damn cops think they can do anything they damn well please cause they carry a badge and freakin’ handcuffs,” she mumbled aloud. She looked him right in the eyes and sneered. “You think you can get me in cuffs?”

He stared at her for a beat, then she watched his hand disappear behind his back and a second later he held up a pair of cuffs and took a step toward her.

She stepped to the side. He took another step toward her, and she took another step to the side, then he suddenly lunged for her arm. She slung her shoulder back, swinging her hand behind her, pivoted to the side just out of his reach, at the same time she took a step back and almost lost her balance when her knees hit the sofa. “Damn,” she hissed as she put one hand behind her to catch herself from falling back on the sofa while twisting her body away from him, but he caught her around the waist, bringing her tight to his front as he fell onto the sofa with her landing in his lap.

She was stunned and feeling something else, a something she didn’t want to look at too closely. Her heart was beating fast, but not from fear. She was breathing hard but not from over-exertion. He had both his arms wrapped around her middle but one was just below her breasts, and every time she breathed she could feel her breast rub against his arm. And that caused her heart to speed up and her breath to come faster.

She tried to jerk her body out of his lap, but his arms became tighter around her. Then he was whispering softly in her ear, “Be still and listen to me, baby.”

She froze, sat shock still and held her breath.
Did he just call me baby?
And that soft whisper. It made her just want to lean back into him and never move, but she resisted.

He kissed her temple lightly, leaving his lips resting there. “I didn’t judge you, and I sure as hell wasn’t disgusted by you,” he continued to whisper softly. “What you saw, the disgust you saw, wasn’t at you as a person. I was disgusted at the thought that that’s what you thought you had to do. That you thought you had no other choice and that your brother would be okay with that.” He lightly kissed her temple again before he shifted her so she sat across his lap.

When she turned her head to look at him, he reached up and tucked her hair behind her ear. His eyes moved, following the movements of his hand down her hair to her shoulder. Then he rubbed the back of his fingers across her cheek and when his eyes met hers he continued speaking. “That’s what I was disgusted at. That’s what you saw and that shit about a crack whore? Fuck, baby, I could never think that of you. The rest was bullshit, cuz I was pissed. I should’ve never said you were bein’ anythin’ other than you.”

Bree licked her dry lips and noticed his eyes as they darted to watch her lips and before she could say a word she felt his hand move to the back of her neck. He brought her head closer to him as he moved his head closer to her, until their lips where almost, but not quite, touching. “Gonna’ kiss you now. That okay?” he questioned as his eyes locked with hers.

For a half a beat she was shocked. She wasn’t even sure if she answered him or not before she closed that fraction of a space that kept his lips from hers. She felt her lips on his, his tongue sliding in between hers slowly until his tongue touched hers. He took over, tilted her head and kissed her deep. When he pulled back, eyes once again locked on hers, he laid his forehead on hers. “You taste so damn sweet.” His lips hit hers again and neither of them spoke for a time.

He pulled his head back a second time and moved them so they both stood, him never taking his eyes off of her. “Go back to work, we’ll finish this later,” he stated, sounding calm with his hands to her hips as he moved her backward and away from him.

He turned to the door and walked out without even a glance back.
What have I done
? “Oh crap,” she voiced out loud, for once not caring who heard her.

*  *  *

Bree pulled into the apartment’s parking lot and reached for her phone. She had somehow managed to make it through the rest of the night at work. She instinctively
,
from years of practice, did what needed to be done, while everything kept going through her mind, especially Draco’s parting words, “we’ll finish this later,” which played over and over. What would they ‘finish’ and when was ‘later?’ She wasn’t sure if she even wanted a ‘later’ or at least that was what she kept trying to tell herself.

When last call was finally announced, she hurried to complete her nightly duties so by the time it was closing time she was ready to leave. She was so preoccupied that she didn’t think to take the time to even change her clothes or wash her face like she normally did after closing.

Now pulling into the parking lot at home, she wasn’t sure that was the greatest of ideas. “Maybe I should have stayed with Skyler tonight,” she mumbled as she hit her brother’s number on her phone. “I’m here,” she said into her phone.

“Be right out.” She heard Storm say right before he hung up.

She put the car in park and with her mind in a whirlwind, she didn’t remember that when the car was in park that the doors automatically unlocked. She took her seatbelt off, and then turned to watch through the passenger’s window for her brother to appear from the breezeway.

If she had been looking out her window, or if she had remembered to relock her doors, she may have been prepared. But she was totally taken off guard when her door was yanked open and a hand reached in, grabbed her arm, and forcefully pulled her out of her car.

She came face to face with the same man who had been in her apartment a few nights ago, but before she could say a word the back of his hand slammed into the side of her face. She was hit so hard she would have fallen backward if not for him still holding on to her arm.

When she stumbled backward, he jerked her arm back up. “You lied to me, bitch!” he hissed close to her face, then jerked her arm again. “Seen you with that fuckin’ cop.” He sneered with another jerk of her arm. “Now I got me something that pig’ll want back.” He looked her up and down. “Or maybe not, after I get done with you.” He taunted her with a sleazy smile.

She was so stunned it took a few seconds to respond. “Let me go.” She tried her best to sound demanding as she attempted to yank her arm free, but his grip only tightened—painfully so.

She turned her body to face him, off center, as she grabbed a handful of her coat to pull it up in order to free her knee so she would make perfect contact. She should have taken that time at work to change. At least then she would have had on sweatpants and kneeing an asshole in the balls was a whole lot easier in sweats. But she would work with what she had.

She took a breath, trying to calm her nerves before she spoke. “You know…” she started and as she had hoped, he looked right at her. She nodded her head toward the entrance to the parking lot. “Cops come and go all the time,” she said, hoping she sounded calm to him.

She watched him turn his head toward the entrance at the same time she yanked her coat just above her knees when they both heard, “HEY!” being shouted. They both turned to see Storm come running out of the breezeway toward them.

“I’ll be back for you, bitch.” The man sneered at her before he flung her back against her car.

Her back hit the car hard as the man took off running out of the parking lot. “Ouch!”

Draco stepped out of the tree line from his house just in time to see someone slam Bree back against her car, then take off running. He saw Storm chasing after the guy as he started running to Bree.

“Breezie, baby, are you all right?” He grabbed her in his arms and held her tight to his chest.

“Yes.” He heard her muffled reply.

Stepping back, he moved his hands to her shoulders and looked down at her. “Are you sure? Are you hurt anywhere?” He started running his hands up and down her arms, saw her flinch when his hand rubbed a particular spot. “You are hurt,” he answered matter-of-fact as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her back into him.

“C’mon.” He turned them in the direction of his house about the same time Storm came running back toward them from the back of the parking lot.

Draco looked at him, but Storm was eyeing Bree. “What the hell, Ree?” Storm probed harshly.

“He came out of nowhere and jerked me out of the car,” Bree answered, sounding pissed and still a little shocked.

“You were supposed to be locked in your car until I came to you.” Storm sounded completely pissed.

“I was!” Bree stated.

“How the hell could he jerk you out of your car if you were locked in it?” Storm growled.

“I…I forgot,” Bree stuttered, and Draco felt her body wilt.

“Forgot what, Ree? Forgot how to be smart?” Storm snapped.

“Yes,” she whispered. “I forgot to relock the doors after I put it in park.” She confessed dejectedly. “I’m sorry,” she murmured, full of remorse.

“Sorry? You’re fuckin’ sorry? Ree—” Storm was still growling but was cut off when Draco spoke up.

“She’s hurt,” Draco stated, but he knew it was enough when he watched Storm’s face change, in a heartbeat, from totally pissed to full of concern.

“Ree? Are you okay?” Storm took a step to her, reached up to touch her face. When Draco felt her flinch and saw her jerk her head to the side, he again turned them toward his house.

“Wrong way,” she whispered as she tried to turn them both in the direction of the apartments. He didn’t say anything—for now—and turned with her still in his arms and walked her toward her apartment.

He felt her lean into him and that was all the incentive he needed. He stopped, scooped her up and held her close to his chest. He felt her arms move to wrap around his neck and she laid her head on his shoulder. He gave her a light squeeze as he turned his head to her ear and whispered to her, “You’re okay, baby. I’ve got you.” He kissed her temple lightly.

He caught Storm’s eye, saw they were narrowed at him, but neither of them said another word as they walked down the breezeway to Bree’s apartment.

*  *  *

Bree was stupid, knew she was being stupid, but at the moment she just didn’t care. When Draco picked her up and started carrying her to her apartment, she felt…safe.
I know, right?
How could she ever feel safe around a cop? She couldn’t answer her own unspoken questions and doubts, and for now she wouldn’t look too closely.
Don’t think about it,
she told herself. With her arms wrapped around his neck and her head lying on his shoulder, she closed her eyes and inhaled. He smelled like…“Home,” she mumbled.