Atonement (Master's Protege 2)

“In me,” I beg. “I want to feel you in me. But you’re half-asleep,” I whisper.

“Doesn’t matter. Dreamt of this when I slept.”

I lose myself to our lovemaking. I push aside all thoughts of my mother… his passwords… us… and just enjoy what we have right here, right now.

We’re in the shower together, and I’m lathering up his back—one of my favorite parts of his body—reveling in the way his muscles turn me on, when his phone rings.

He leans out of the shower and hits a speaker that connects his phone to Bluetooth.

“Sir?” Henri.

“Yeah. I’m here with Violet.”

I freeze, my hand still covered in lather, staring at his back. Since when does he tell anyone he’s with me? They know who I am and why I’m here. I listen in on every conversation, especially as the details to our current investigation involve my parents.

“Sir, we found the owner of the car that followed you yesterday. You were correct, sir.”

“Armand?”

“Yessir.”

Cain curses, turns around, and I lather his chest and arms, half-distracted. The man’s an exquisite masterpiece of male perfection, and that’s hard not to notice when you’ve just made love and he’s covered in steam and lather. I kiss one perfect bicep.

“What else?”

“He hasn’t moved. Still living in an apartment in downtown Salem. Looks like he’s out of work, but that can’t be true because his bank account says otherwise.”

I don’t always like that Cain has such easy access to private details, but I’ve come to expect nothing short of a full investigation.

“Why was he following us?”

Henri doesn’t answer at first. Cain’s jaw is clenched, his eyes not meeting mine as he glares at the wall behind me.

“I’m not sure, sir.”

“Find out.”

“Yessir.”

I lather up his legs, enjoying the feel of the soap and water on our skin. He takes a fresh washcloth and squirts my light green body wash on it, then makes the swivel motion with his finger. His glare cuts like a laser. I know he’s not angry with me, but at whatever’s on his mind.

I spin around and let the water caress me as he washes my body.

“I want a full report by lunch. Going to debrief everyone in about ten minutes.”

“Yessir.”

Cain reaches out and hangs up the call.

“You just give them orders and they all ‘yessir’ you.”

“Mhm.” He brings the showerhead down and rinses my body.

“I always think that’s so hot.”

He smiles. Is it my imagination, or is the smile a bit sad?

“You’re fucking gorgeous,” is all he says. He still sounds angry.

“Thank you?”

“Why the question?”

“You sound really angry. Furious. It’s just distracting me.”

He shuts the water off and reaches for a towel, hands it to me, then grabs one of his own. I wrap myself in the fluffy terrycloth and step onto the thick bathmat. Like everything about Cain, the shower’s huge, with plenty enough room for both of us.

I weirdly feel we need that distance right now.

I can’t put my finger on why things are off or what’s going on here at all, but I know that something isn’t right.

We dress in silence, and I watch him suit up with his weapons, again, in silence. I tug on a pair of jeans and a fitted tee, then my boots, but don’t feel fully dressed until the knife’s in my sheath and my Wilson’s secured in a harness.

“We’re gonna find shit out today, Violet.”

I nod. We’d better. We have to move forward on our investigation. Descamps was involved, he knew things, and the people he was involved with knew more.

“Cain…”

His eyes shoot to mine. “Yeah?”

Why does he look panicked?

I stare at him a moment, not sure how to respond. “What the hell is wrong?” I finally ask. That’s not what I intended at all.

He doesn’t deny there’s anything wrong but doesn’t speak for long minutes. I watch him tug on his boots and secure his holster. When he doesn’t speak, I do.

“That’s not what I was going to say. I know you get distracted sometimes.”

“I don’t want to lose you, Violet.”

I freeze. I didn’t expect his response to hit me so hard. I turn and give him a curious look. My heart beats rapidly, and my palms are sweaty. A sudden feeling of nausea fills my belly.

“Why would you lose me?” My voice sounds distant, as if it isn’t my own.

“Shit’s about to hit the fan. We’re going to find the people responsible for your parents’ death. And after that…”

The same thought’s occurred to me. What happens when the purpose of my being here’s resolved?

“You’ve never killed anyone, Violet.”

I look at him in shock, cold fear trickling down my spine. “You don’t know that.”

I watch him slide his hands on his hips and fix me with a curious stare. “Have you?”

“I… haven’t killed a human.”

A small smile spreads across his face. “You’ve killed… what, aliens? Sea creatures? Ghosts?”