I gave him a quick hug in appreciation and clapped James on the back. “Thanks. I owe you both one.”
I walked back to my truck and pressed my lips to Kara’s forehead briefly before closing the door and hurrying around to the driver’s side. Hopping behind the wheel, we left the red and blue cruiser lights in the rearview. Kara had settled into a tense silence, staring out the window. Her hands were clasped together in her lap, knuckles white.
I reached over and lightly tugged at her arm. She relinquished her death grip and let me fold my fingers into hers. I pulled her hand to my mouth and kissed it, then settled it between us.
“Would it be a bad time to tell you who did it?” I asked hesitantly.
Emerald eyes snapped to me. “How could you know something like that? You weren’t there.”
“They left a scent.” I tapped my nose with the hand that held hers.
“Oh. Right.” She nodded distractedly. “Do I know—no, of course, I do, or you wouldn’t have asked. Who was it, Rico? Who did that?” Her voice carried an edge of retribution. It was hot.
I glanced over and found her watching me intently. “Tye, and one other scent I wasn’t sure about. Maybe one of his buddies from the bar that night.”
Her eyebrows pulled together in a frown. “But, why? Why is he bothering me now?”
The question sounded rhetorical, so I tightened my grip on her hand and let her mull it over. My theory, and it was the most likely scenario, was that jealousy played a big hand in it. After that night at the bar, the way he’d been pressed against her, the bruise he’d left on her, it took everything I had not to go after him. Now, though, he’d kicked himself several notches up on my priority list, right after I saw to my woman.
Claim her. Make her ours.
“Ow.” Kara hissed, jerking her hand away and shaking it.
“Shit, I’m sorry,” I quickly apologized. I slowly loosened my grip on the protesting steering wheel before I accidentally ripped it off the column. “Just thinking about that bastard—”
She shook her head and grabbed my arm. “No, it’s fine, I get it. If I knew where he was now, I’d love to go and pop him right in the skull, too.” Definitely hot.
I cracked a smile at the ferocity in her voice. Obviously, I kept it hidden—I wasn’t suicidal. When we got to her place, I went straight for the bathroom and flipped the water on. Under the sink, I found bubble bath and threw a splash or two in the tub, then let it fill.
When I walked out, she was curled into a ball in the corner of the couch, her arms wrapped around her legs as if she was trying to keep them from running out the door. I grabbed a couple of candles from the kitchen counter and set them in the bathroom. I rifled through a few of the cabinets and drawers, then moved for the bedroom.
“What are you looking for?” she asked.
“More candles.” I grinned at her reassuringly.
Kara lifted her head, tilting it slightly. “What for?” I guess she couldn’t hear the water running out here as I could.
Grinning, I replied, “You’re supposed to have candles with bubble baths, right?”
I ducked into her bedroom, snagged the candles I’d seen on her dresser, and then found her staring at my handiwork in progress in the bathroom. Setting them out as neatly as I could, I lit them with a lighter I’d found in the kitchen and flipped the light switch, letting the orange glow dominate the small space.
I slipped my phone from my pocket and opened up my favorite music app, scrolling through until I found something she liked. Setting it on the edge of the sink, I turned back to her.
She grabbed my shirt and pulled me into her, our lips crashing together like waves on the shore. I slid my hand to the back of her head, tugging as gently as I could at the hair tie until her silky brown tresses tumbled loosely around her shoulders. I loved it when it was down. Soft, pliant lips parted, and her teeth grazed my jaw, nipped at my ear. Her fingers explored beneath my shirt, so I removed it for her.
“Why are you so good to me?” she whispered against my skin.
I curled my finger under her chin, bringing her gaze up to mine. “Because I love you.” The words came easily without even a second thought, and instead of feeling nervous like I thought I might have, I felt secure in my own feelings, for once.
Blinking tears back, she caught my mouth again. Fingers traced the sensitive skin at my waistband, and then she was tossing my belt on the floor. I tugged her shirt off and kissed a line from the corner of her mouth to her earlobe, where I set my teeth to the delicate flesh. She gasped, arms snaking around my neck. “I love you, too,” she said in a sure voice. “But I’m so glad you said it first.”
Laughing and groaning, I pressed my forehead to hers. “Then I’ll say it again. I love you.” As she continued exploring my body, I looked at the bubble bath and sighed. “I had every intention of setting this up for you so you could relax and destress.”
She loosened my jeans and shoved her hand inside, grabbing my already stiffened length. “This destresses me better,” she said, stroking once, twice. “Get in the tub.”
My pants fell to the floor, but I held onto her hand around me, making both of us pump again. “Whatever you want.”
Her gaze dropped to her hand, watching intensely, but then swept back up to mine. “Only you, Rico. I only want you.”
The wall was cold on my skin when she
