“You pulled your weapon on me.” He couldn’t get over that one. Wasn’t sure he ever would.
“That’s right.” She shoved his hand away from her chin. “You think I’m stupid enough to jump physically between two crazy men trying to break each other’s faces? I had it on stun.”
“Oh, well then, what am I whining about? You had it on stun.” He had to laugh. “Christ, Eve.”
“I wouldn’t have used it on you. Probably. And if I had, I’d’ve been really sorry.” She tried a smile, thought she saw the hint of one in return. It made her decide to give him the rest of it.
“Then you were standing there, sweaty and messed up and mad as hell. And so fucking sexy. I wanted to jump you, bite you right . . . there,” she said, tracing a finger on the side of his neck. “It wasn’t a reaction I was expecting. Before I could work it out, you had me against the wall.”
“Slugging you seemed like the less enjoyable of the two options.”
“Why weren’t you there this morning? Why have you only touched me twice since I’ve been here?”
“I said I wouldn’t apologize for what happened between us last night. I won’t. I can’t. Still . . . Still,” he repeated and touched her now, just a brush of his fingers on the ends of her hair. “I took your choice away. If not physically,” he said before she could argue, “then emotionally. I meant to. It’s given me some bad moments since, some concern that it might have reminded you of your childhood.”
“My childhood?”
She could have no idea what her confused expression did to him. How it cooled and smoothed every hot and ragged edge inside him. “Your father, Eve.”
Now confusion turned to shock. “No. How could you think that? I wanted you. You knew I wanted you. There’s nothing between us that would make me . . .” It stirred hideous images to think of it, but she faced them. “There was no love there, no passion, not even need. He raped me because he could. He raped a child, his own child, because he was a monster. He can’t hurt me when I’m with you. Don’t let him hurt you.”
“I won’t say I’m sorry.” He lifted his hand, skimmed his fingers over her cheek. “I wouldn’t mean it. But I will say I love you. I’ve never meant anything more.”
He drew her into his arms. She pressed her face to his shoulder and held on. “I’ve been so messed up.”
“So have I.” He brushed his lips over her hair, felt his world balance again. “I’ve missed you, Eve.”
“I won’t let the job screw this up.”
“It doesn’t. We manage that on our own.” He drew her back, touched his lips gently to hers. “But it keeps things lively, doesn’t it?”
She sighed, stepped back. “It’s gone.”
“What is?”
“I’ve had this low-grade headache for a couple of days. It’s gone. I guess you were my headache.”
“Darling. That’s so sweet.”
“Yeah, I’m sugar. Did I queer this Green Space deal for you?”
“Well now, what’s a few hundred million in the grand scheme of things?” He’d have played with that awhile, but she looked so appalled. “Just kidding. It’s fine.”
“Glad you found your sense of humor. Anyway, I’ve got a lot going on. Maybe, unless you want to talk more about that broccoli, we could go into it later.”
“I think we’ve said all there is to say about broccoli already.”
“Good. You know, even though we’re all mushy again, it’s hard to say this. But I could use some help. Your kind of help on this case.”
“Why, Lieutenant, you’ve made my day.”
“I thought it would, though it doesn’t do a lot for mine.”
Her communicator sounded. She pulled it out, listened to Whitney’s aide order her immediately to The Towers. “Acknowledged. There’s the bell for the next round,” she told Roarke.
?
?My money’s on you.”