Authors: Jennifer Conner
Chapter Four
Luci tried to convince herself everything was all right as she stepped under the showerhead. She’d dealt with abusive men in the past.
Tonight her attacker only touched her; she hadn’t been raped. But it was too much like the years she’d lived with her stepfather. They’d
wanted
more.
I can be strong. I can deal with this on my own. I don’t need my brother—or Devan— to get me through this.
The scalding water sluiced over her shoulders and down her naked body. Luci clutched the washcloth and bar of soap tightly in her hand. Lathering it over and over she scrubbed her skin until it was red and felt raw, but she couldn’t wash away the memory of her attacker’s fingers as they grabbed at her.
The man’s breath smelled like rotting fish. Just because she didn’t understand the language he spoke, didn’t mean she didn’t know what he was saying. She knew he was there to rob and then rape her.
When she’d opened the door, she’d expected the milk delivery man. Terror grasped her when she realized what was happening. When her attacker wedged a fancy cowboy boot in the door opening and pushed his way inside, she knew she wouldn’t be able to run away from him like she had her stepfather.
The Russian had been ‘
there for one thing,’
just like Devan said. She’d tried to run past him, out of the stand, but he’d yanked her arm and overtaken her before she’d taken two steps.
The stitches in her head hurt and there was still blood caked in her hair. Luci squeezed another large dollop from the plastic shampoo bottle. A light apple fragrance wafted to her nose, but the feel of him was still with her.
With Devan it was different. Luci thought maybe it was because he was a cop, but she wondered if it was something more. Maybe it was the man himself. She felt safe whenever he was around. Now he was gone, and she was alone with her memories of the night.
She sank down into the corner of the shower and curled into a ball. The water’s spray washed shampoo into her eyes. Luci wiped the soap with the back of her hand as the first tears brimmed over and streamed down her cheeks. Sobs racked through her and every muscle shook. She grabbed her knees tightly and rocked.
The shower door opened and cold air hit her.
“My God… Luci. What’s going on? Are you okay?”
Devan’s here? He didn’t leave?
She tried to pull in air, but couldn’t. She only wheezed and reached out with her hand. The spray stopped, as his large body blocked the water above her. Hauling her against him with one arm, he hit the water and struggled to push their combined weight off the shower floor. Devan lowered the toilet lid down then sat her across his lap.
“You’re hyperventilating.” The palm of his large hand ran up her spine and pressed against her shoulders. “Lower your head.”
She did as he said and felt her chest ease with each stroke of his hand.
“Come on, you can do it. Just try to breathe normally.” His voice was patient and calm.
Settling against him, she pressed her cheek to his chest and heard the steady beat of his heart. It gave her something to concentrate on as he caressed her back, and her emotions raged.
“I’m sorry,” she said finally. “I feel stupid.”
“For what?” Devan rubbed a hand along the band of muscles in her neck, relieving tension from her shoulders.
“For being a big baby.”
“You were terrorized. It’s normal to have residual fear. A lot of it. Here.” Devan removed her terry cloth robe from a hook by the shower and waited for her to stand. His eyes glided over her naked body, as he held the robe for her to put on. He yanked it closed, and crossed the tie over itself before sitting her back on his lap.
She sniffed and rubbed her nose. “I bet you’ve never been scared of anything in your life.”
His dark brown eyes caught hers when he spoke barely above a whisper, “That’s where you’re wrong, Luci. I’m scared every day.”
He spoke the words with such complete honesty, it broke her heart. “There’s blood and coffee grounds in my hair. I can’t get them out,” Luci mumbled, changing the subject.
Devan brushed his fingers through her short hair and then dropped his hand into view. “It’s gone. See, there’s nothing there.” Linking fingers with hers, he rubbed a thumb over her knuckles and brought it to his lips for a gentle kiss. “You’re going to be fine.”
“I thought you’d left. I told you to leave.”
“I only follow orders from my captain. Besides, it takes me awhile to get my leg moving. I was taking my time.” The corner of his lip quirked up in a smile. “Good thing.”
She would have made it though, she always did, but she was an emotional wreck. She probably would have sat in the corner of the shower all night.
Luci looked at Devan as if it were the first time.
From her perch at the drive-thru window of the espresso stand, she’d thought he was nice, but never noticed how handsome he was… in a gruff, bulldog kind of way.
He looked like he preferred combing his jet-black, unruly hair with his fingers instead of a comb. His short dark sideburns gave him a bad-boy appearance.
He smelled so good— not like the guy who’d attacked her. Devan smelled like fresh air, trees and musk. That was the first thing she’d pieced together after the attack. She’d known it was him before she opened her eyes. No one smelled like the detective.
“I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you tonight.” There was a tremor in his normally strong voice.
“There’s no way you could have known. You ordered your coffee and left like you do every night. If you’d known there was someone waiting, you would have been there.”
“It happened so fast, the guy had to be watching you. I should have
seen
him.”
“Devan.”
He closed his eyes. She could hear his breathing. “I could have…”
Luci placed a hand on either side of his face and covered his mouth with hers. She hoped kissing him would somehow erase the events of the night from both their minds.
She continued the long, slow pressure against his lips.
Devan’s hands were still cupped to her elbows and his fingers flexed against her skin. She felt he wanted to touch her, but didn’t. Now that she’d started the kiss, she didn’t want it to end. Everything melted away but the feel of his mouth.
When she finally broke the kiss, he appeared dazed. “Why’d you do that?” he asked as he rubbed the back of his hand across his lips.
“I need you to stop thinking about all the
what ifs
. I have plenty of experience with what ifs. They never get anyone anywhere.” She placed the palm of her hand on his chest, feeling the muscles jump from her touch. “Listen, I didn’t bring you to my apartment for sex tonight, though that kiss was nice, and having sex with you did cross my mind. I know it’s a good stress reliever.” Luci straightened her robe. “I’m not very good at this. I’m a spontaneous, but in control, kind of girl… which explains what I just did. But tonight, everything’s so completely out of control.”
Darkness flashed across his face. His brows furrowed. “I’m not who or what you need.”
“I know exactly what I need. Even if it’s just for tonight, I need
you
to be strong for both of us. Because for once, I’m not. Please.”
He nodded.
****
Dev glanced at his reflection in her bathroom mirror. He looked like crap. It must have been a momentary lapse in sanity offering to take Luci home and then coming in.
Why was Mac dealing with a bust? Couldn’t he have been there once when Dev needed him? Luci was asking more of him than he was ready to give.
He splashed cold water across his face and then dried off with a hand towel. He reluctantly headed back to the living room.
I’ll say my goodbyes, and be gone.
Luci looked up as he entered the room. “I made you a turkey and Havarti sandwich. I wasn’t sure if you like mayo or mustard,” she said as she arranged the sandwich on the plate. “I can put on more condiments if you want. I put lettuce and tomato on it already. You were on your way home when you got the robbery call, which means you probably missed dinner. It’s the least I can do. Please, sit down. I bet your leg hurts.”
Dev grunted and dropped down onto the couch. Luci had changed into jeans and a sweatshirt with a community college emblem emblazoned on the front. Even that looked good on her.
The lights in the room were dimmed and a fragrant cinnamon-scented candle burned on the mantle. Luci sat beside him and tried to carry on a conversation, but in less than five minutes her eyes drooped and her head lolled against her arm.
He chewed another bite of the sandwich and watched her long dark lashes fan the edges of her closed eyes. Her skin was perfect, flawless.
God, she’s beautiful
.
She woke for a second, opened her eyes and said groggily, “Just tonight. Stay here. Please… don’t leave.” Turning, she settled in and dropped her head on his thigh. She curled her legs beneath her. In seconds, her breathing became heavy. Without disturbing her, Dev leaned forward and placed the empty plate on the table.
When his hand returned, he lifted a lock of hair and tucked it behind her ear. It was so incredibly soft and silky. In her sleep, she frowned. She didn’t deserve to live with the fear she’d experienced tonight. She deserved love—something he wasn’t capable of giving.
Luci had an effect on him he didn’t want, and sure as hell didn’t need. He’d made a huge mistake coming here tonight, and she’d made even a bigger mistake when she’d kissed him. She’d awakened something inside him he thought was dead.
When her lips pressed to his, they tasted like honey. Usually kisses he’d experienced with women in the past were heated and demanding. He and the woman-of-the-night had a shared goal— getting to the next round for sex.
He couldn’t remember the last time he’d shared such a gentle kiss with a woman.
Maybe never.
Luci wasn’t in her right mind. The kiss was a release for the emotional roller coaster she was on. Nothing more.
The pain in his thigh flowed through his body, but with Luci’s head lying gently on him, he didn’t care. He needed sleep, but there would be time for that later.
Stroking his fingers through her blonde hair, Dev listened to the wind outside and the sound of her breathing. She was at peace. She was safe. That was what mattered.
****
The hard slap snapped Ivan’s head back and made his teeth crack shut. He tried not to fall against the wall. His vision swam gray as he tasted his own blood.
“
Chyort voz’mi!
What were you doing? You said that you were going to stop.” His brother’s eyes were rimmed red with fury and his lip quivered with rage. “If father was here, he would kill you!”
Ivan glared at Vlad, and rubbed at the spot still stinging from the slap on his cheek. “Fuck you, for bringing father into this.”
“Me?” The tone of his brother’s voice rose. “You will fuck all of us with your ways.” Vlad pulled his hand back to strike again, but Ivan didn’t give him the satisfaction of flinching as the blow struck him. “We have a business. A
successful
business. I have not fought and killed these past four years to have you ruin it.”
“I don’t understand why you are so angry.” Ivan was still shocked that his brother found out about the robberies. Vlad seemed to know everything and was always watching him.
Their family had been in the country long enough to speak fluent English, but both men had thick accents. “The bitch was no different than anyone else we steal credit from. I just took it from her
personally
.” Smiling thinly, he watched Vlad’s eyes flare.
Ivan partied most of the night with two women. Of course he paid for their company, but after losing the blonde in the espresso bar, his dick had been so hard it was misery.
As the blonde cried and struggled, he’d felt her breath on the front of his pants and been so close to release. That only fueled the dragon inside him. It was worth the three-hundred dollars. Hookers or not, they’d finished the job.
“Did she see you?” His brother’s words were tight.
“No, of course not. How stupid do you think I am?”
A cold glare was his answer.
“You wore a mask then?”
“I wore a mask,” he lied, as he rubbed his chin with his fingers and crossed an alligator skin boot over one knee.
It wasn’t as much fun if you couldn’t see their fear. Masks blocked his vision and cramped his style. That was one thing he had tons of —style.
He’d worn masks before, but not this time. He’d made sure her head had been pushed away from him. He doubted she ever got a clear look at his features after he’d flicked the lights off. This time it had been for more than just the cash.
This was the third espresso bar he’d robbed in the past month. Ivan would need to move on to another part of LA, for fear of being caught.
He wanted the money. It provided him the extra pocket change his brother never allowed. He’d done the other robberies at the drive-thru window, but last night was different. All evening he’d watched the girl with the blonde hair and tight pink bikini from across the street.
He’d bound her wrists, cut off her top and was ready to rip her shorts off. He’d dreamed all evening of pounding himself into all that luscious, helpless flesh when that
oyobuk
in a pick-up banged on the window, ruining everything.
He had a gun. He could have just shot the guy in the head. Then he could have gotten down to business without any interruptions. Ivan reached for the cup of strong black coffee on the table and took a long, slow drink.
“This is the last time.” Vlad twisted his large square hands making the gold rings on his fingers clink like coins. “Do I make myself clear?”
Ivan tried to push down the anger boiling inside him. Did his brother think he was in charge? Ivan was younger by eight years, but he’d paid his dues to the family. Inna, his sister, would help him if he was ever in trouble. He didn’t need Vlad.
It would soon be his turn to rise and take what was his by birth.
He had the blonde’s bag and her wallet which he’d gone through once back at the house. He would have to make a visit to see Luci Lombart at 6445 Peacock Drive, just to make sure things between them stayed clear.
His brother had been right about one thing: Ivan couldn’t take the chance she could identify him. He assumed she’d given a statement and vague description of him to the cops, but without having clearly seen him he was safe.
He would add her credit cards to the system, but what he wanted most had been withheld by that interfering stranger.
He’d take her body… then possibly her life.