Mike studied her a moment, seemingly searching his memory. Finally his eyes lit up with recognition, “You’re that Katie Philips,” he breathed, and she nodded, her expression unreadable. “I remember reading about that. I am sorry. That was…a tragedy,” he finished with a grim shake of his head.
Katherine gave him the obligatory smile, although it didn’t even come close to reaching her eyes. She only hoped that he wouldn’t tell Cole to run for the hills. Tell him that she was as crazy as a loon and needed to get as far from her as possible…and quickly.
Mike sighed raggedly, squeezing the bridge of his nose. Damn if his gut wasn’t telling him that this woman was telling the truth, and that she wasn’t just imagining this whole freaking fiasco.
“Listen, Miss Chastain. I trust Cole implicitly. He’s the best damned detective that I’ve got. Unfortunately, protocol isn’t going to be very accommodating here. Without some sort of proof, the department’s hands are basically tied. For all intents and purposes, your case has been closed and your stalker is in prison. We just don’t have the resources to do anything without something solid to go on.” He looked her in the eye and saw an amazing amount of strength there; a strength that he couldn’t help but to admire. He could suddenly understand why Cole seemed to be so taken with her. It would be so easy to do with this woman. Her entire being radiated warmth and honesty. Shit!
Katherine nodded, knowing all too well how little help a police department could be. She knew that this was a difficult situation, but she was really hoping that with all the new stalker laws, things would be different somehow. Just wishful thinking she supposed.
Mike looked back to Cole and studied him silently a moment, as if he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. “Cole, you have quite a bit of vacation time built up. Perhaps you’re burned out, and need to take some time off,” he said softly. “You know you have access to whatever you need, but until you can bring me something solid, there’s really nothing I can do right now.” Cole knew what he was suggesting and could have jumped over Mike’s desk and hugged him.
***
Katherine looked between the two men, completely confused. “Thanks Mike.” Cole gave him a genuine grin. “As of right now, consider me off the clock.”
Mike gave him a quick nod and stood, holding his hand out to Katherine. She stood and took it, still not quite understanding what was going on. “Miss Chastain, it’s been a pleasure. I promise to do everything that I can.”
With that, Cole took Katherine by the elbow and started walking towards the door. “I’ll be in touch, Mike,” he said as he ushered her out of the office.
“Don’t make me regret this, McKenzie,” she heard him call as Cole closed the door behind them.
***
Katherine remained silent until they had walked out of the station. As they were heading towards Cole’s car, she stopped, glaring up at him. “Just what in the hell was all that about?” she demanded, her eyes spitting fire, and Cole’s heart did a painful thump in his chest. She was absolutely adorable when she was pissed. Those green eyes of hers practically glowed like a cats, and he was hard pressed not to pull her into his arms and kiss those damned lips.
“I’m sure I don’t know what you mean,” Cole responded, his lips curling ever so slightly as he feigned confusion; which only made Katherine all the madder.
“You can’t just leave your job because of me,” she ground out, those glorious eyes of hers narrowing in anger. “You don’t even know me!” She turned and started walking off, but his hand on her arm stopped her. She glared up into his face, her mouth set in a tight line. She couldn’t let him do this. She wouldn’t let him put his life on hold for her. Damn it! All she had wanted was some help. Now, everything was spinning completely out of control.
“I want to,” he whispered, and Katherine’s mouth fell open in surprise. She wasn’t sure if he meant taking leave from his job or getting to know her, but either option left her with a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. Her heart was beating so fast in her chest that she was finding it hard to breathe. No! He didn’t need to get tangled up in her messed up life. All she had wanted was some help, not for this man to disrupt his entire life for her. It just wasn’t fair to him. She was a complete stranger to him! He didn’t need to be drawn into her craziness.
“You can’t,” she whispered, her voice holding no conviction whatsoever. She bit back the tears threatening to spill over and shook her head. “Cole, I…I’m not what you need to get tangled up with right now. Believe me. My life is…complicated. I don’t stay in one place for very long,” she finished, her heart aching. The last thing she wanted at the moment was to even toy with the idea of having to pack up and disappear once again. She was so tired of doing that.
Cole’s jaw clenched as he looked down at her, struggling so valiantly with her tears. How could he make her understand what he was feeling when he didn’t even understand it himself? All he knew was that this woman had become important to him in a very short span of time. He wanted to protect her, to keep her safe. Keep her with me.
That realization rocked him to his core. Cole had never been one to do relationships. He was a player, plain and simple. He didn’t do tenderness, or sleeping with his arms wrapped around whichever woman just happened to be warming whichever bed he happened to be in for the night. He did sex. He took what he needed and moved on. But, with this woman standing here if front of him, he found that he had never wanted anything more. He needed it, craved it. He didn’t know what is was about her that had broken down his defenses so fucking fast…but she had. She had him wanting to be a better man. To be her man.
He took her hand and pulled her toward his car, and was slightly relieved when she didn’t fight him on it. “Let’s get you to your house and grab some stuff. Then we can talk.”
***
Katherine remained silent as Cole led her back to his car and opened the door for her. She slid in, her mind a jumbled mess. She wasn’t prepared for this when she had wandered into the police station three days before. She was a loner. She had kept herself guarded for so long from any type of entanglements that it had become her way of life. It wasn’t second nature to her…it was her first instinct. Her survival mode. So why then, had this man blown all of that right out of the water in an instant? Why did she feel as if a part of her would be lost without him by her side?
She watched as he walked around the car and slid in beside her, his mere presence sending that damned heat right through her body. He threw the car into gear and took off, heading towards her house.
***
Katherine felt those all too familiar butterflies hit her stomach as they pulled up in front of her house. It seemed so quiet, so…normal. She took a deep breath and grabbed the door handle in a grip that trembled, trying hard to garner the strength to get out. She took another shaky breath and slid from the car, standing on legs that were beginning to shake. She closed her eyes and concentrated on breathing as she heard Cole’s door slam behind her. Soon, his hand was at her waist, giving her a gentle squeeze, his fingers so strong and comforting. She could do this.
“You’re safe, Katherine,” he whispered in her ear, his breath tickling that sensitive area of her neck, just behind her ear. She shivered, realizing that that was part of her problem with Cole. He made her feel safe. He made her feel a lot of things she had never felt before, and it was disconcerting. It was spinning her out of control and she was finding it exceedingly hard to regain her footing where Detective Cole McKenzie was concerned. She needed now more than ever to keep her wits about her. She couldn’t allow herself to entertain silly, romantic hopes that could never possibly come true.
She nodded slightly and started up the walk, her eyes misting with the realization that her home didn’t feel safe to her anymore, and she highly doubted that it ever would again. She had sealed herself in tight, yet He had still managed to get in. She knew what this meant; a new town and another new life. All because of that si
ck twisted bastard.
She shuddered at the thought of him being in the house…being near her as she had slept. The vision of him standing over her flitted across her mind, and she shivered. No, she would never feel safe here again, she admitted with a painful stab to her heart.
She unlocked her door and started to walk in, but Cole stopped her, moving in ahead of her. My knight in shining armor, she thought sadly, and fought back the tears that were threatening to form on her lashes. This was all so new, yet the thought of having to leave him when the inevitable happened and she had to move on, brought a painful tug to her heart.
Katherine watched as Cole swept the room with his eyes, seemingly checking every possible space with an intense glare and tight set of his jaw. When he seemed to be satisfied, he stepped up in front of her and gave her a quick smile, his features softening instantly as his eyes met hers. “Let’s get you packed up and out of here,” his voice was so soft and husky that Katherine felt her knees begin to tremble. He knew how she felt being back here. Oh, crap! She couldn’t let him get too close, but he was making that harder and harder to do. This was all disturbingly easy and natural.
“I…I can get a hotel room tonight,” she whispered as she followed him up the stairs, trying extremely hard not to stare at his perfect backside in the process.
Cole stopped mid-way up and turned towards her, his mouth set in a determined, stubborn line that ripped the breath right from her lungs. “Like hell,” he stated softly, that strength of his flowing out of every pore of his body. It was fierce, and primal…and so damn comforting. His mouth turned up slightly at the corners before he turned and continued up. So damned confident and sure of himself.
“I’ll need my car,” she said quietly, resignation in her voice, and Cole grinned; score one for me.
“I’ll arrange to have it brought to the house.” He wasn’t planning on letting her go anywhere without him, but at least she hadn’t insisted on going to a hotel. You picked your battles.
They walked through her bedroom doorway and Katherine felt a wave of nausea hit her full force. The lily still lay on her pillow, wilting from the heat of the room and lack of water; it’s once heady fragrance now filling the space with the smell of sickly sweet decay.
Cole saw her eyes widen as she stopped and stared at the bed, her hands beginning to shake, and he cursed under his breath, knowing that the guys who had shown up last night had done a piss-poor job at best. His anger bubbled up at the thought of them not taking the call as seriously as they should have. Fucking idiots!
He stormed over to the bed and snatched the flower up, tossing it into the nearby trash can. He walked back over to her and curled his hands over her shoulders, his eyes boring into hers. “He’s not here, Katherine. There’s nobody here except you and me.”
***
Katherine nodded slowly, wanting nothing more at that moment than to get out of there as quickly as possible. She took a deep breath and stepped away from his hold with a straightening of her spine. Just concentrate on the matters at hand. The sooner she did…the sooner they could get out of here. She turned and walked over to her closet, opened it, and grabbed a small overnight case. She packed silently; aware of Cole’s eyes on her every move.
When she had finished, she looked up to find that he was indeed watching her, his jaw tense as he studied her. Normally, someone’s close scrutiny of her would have set her alarm bells off, made her body seize up in fear, but with Cole, it just made her flush with a deep need as the memory of his hands on her body overwhelmed her
His eyes seemed to burn her flesh wherever they happened to glance as he stood there, quietly watching her. And, she couldn’t miss that undeniable heat in his expression. It was hot and direct, and had her stomach fluttering. Dear Lord, she thought with a shudder, how could you want someone so badly?
“Ready,” she whispered, noting the tremor in her voice with a grimace.
Cole nodded and stepped over to where she stood, taking the bag from her hand; his fingers grazing hers. He held her gaze a moment longer before leaning in and brushing his mouth across her lips. The kiss was so soft and gentle that Katherine felt her throat constrict painfully. This man was breaking down those damn walls faster than she could have ever imagined. He was a frigging bulldozer!
***
“Come on, Sweetheart, let’s go…” He stopped himself short. He was about to say let’s go home–but she was freaked out enough already and he didn’t need to add to it, not to mention what the hell it did to him. Christ! He wanted her to call his house home! What in the hell was wrong with him? He cleared his throat and quickly kissed her again, unable to get enough of her. “Let’s go to my place and get you something to eat. I’ll call and have your car brought over.”
***
Cole put Katherine’s bag in the master bedroom before she could even think to protest, and she felt the tiniest pang of apprehension hit her. This all seemed too right. She felt much too comfortable here; more so than she had ever felt in any of the places that she had lived before. She should protest; stop him…but she found that she just couldn’t. She wanted to sleep in his arms. He took her nightmares away. She wanted to feel safe. And…she felt like the biggest coward on the planet because of it. She needed to rein these feelings in… and so far was doing a pretty shitty job of it.
Cole turned and caught her expression, knowing that she was as confused as he as to what was happening between them. This had all hit them both like a bolt of lightning. But all he knew at that moment in time was that he was damned well going to keep her safe…and here with him. They could figure out the rest as they went along.
“Are you hungry?” he asked, hoping to ease the tension in the room. It seemed to snap and crackle around them like a force of nature. His body was well aware of her standing there; looking so damned beautiful, so vulnerable…and he needed to get his libido under control.
She shook her head, nervously shifting from foot to foot. “What do we do now?” she asked softly, meeting his gaze.
Now that was a damn loaded question, Cole thought with a small grin. He could think of quite a lot that they could do, especially considering his bed was not three feet from where they stood. He ground his teeth together as he tried to concentrate on what he needed to do next…that didn’t include ripping off her clothes and throwing her down onto the mattress.
“I’d like to go and talk to Stewart Camden.”
He saw the blood drain from her face instantly and pulled her into his arms. He had not been expecting that reaction from her at all. He could feel her body beginning to quake against his, and hugged her a little more tightly, placing a soft kiss against her temple.
Katherine looked up into his face and he saw it then, as plain as day–the guilt in her eyes. It nearly knocked the air from his lungs. It was a strong, oppressing force that clung to her like a shroud. Shit! She blamed herself. She blamed herself for every damn thing that this bastard had ever done to her and the people around her.
Good God! This wasn’t her fault, he silently raged. She had tried to tell them. “Baby,” he murmured, pressing his lips to her forehead, “you tried.” The statement was simple, but the depth of the conviction in which he said the words spoke volumes, and Katherine felt the sob that she had been trying to hold back all afternoon suddenly break free. It was as if a flood gate had been opened. A flood gate that she had always kept tightly sealed. She didn’t cry. She had never allowed herself that weakness, but with Cole, it was as if her emotions were finally allowed to be known. And…it scared the ever-loving shit out of her. She was an emotional mess, crying at the drop of a hat. She didn’t bare herself to anyone like this.
Cole pulled her head against his chest and placed a gentle kiss in her hair, wanting nothing more than to take her pain away. It was in that moment that he knew that he would do whatever it took to keep her safe…to make her happy. He wanted more than anything to make her smile, and actually mean it.
“Six yea
rs,” he heard her mumble pitifully against him. “He’s been locked up like an animal for almost six years…all because of me.”
Cole pulled back and looked at her, his gaze clashing with hers and holding. “Not because of you,” he ground out, his voice low, firm. “It’s because of this sick fuck who decided to fixate on you. Katherine, you didn’t ask for any of this. It wasn’t anything that you did.”
“Tell Stewart that,” she choked out. “God knows what’s happened to him in there. I’ve wanted to tell him that I’m sorry so many times, but…I just can’t bring myself to face him. I’ve wanted to…but I can’t. I’m such a coward.”
“You are not a coward, Katherine,” he bit out vehemently. “You are one of the strongest women that I have ever met. Even with all this shit going on around you, you haven’t broken. Christ, I admire your perseverance and stubbornness more than you could ever know. You don’t have to see him if you don’t want. I just want you with me. I need to know that you’re safe.” His softly spoken confession broke what little resolve that she had left and she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him, starving for his taste…his touch. She was so desperate to let him know that she was grateful for everything that he was doing for her. That she was grateful for him. He had come into her crazy world by chance, like a whirlwind, and she needed him to know that.
Cole’s arms tightened around her as he returned her kiss, his tongue instantly dueling with hers. He swept her up and carried her over to the bed, not leaving her mouth for a moment. He couldn’t if he tried. He needed her too damned much.
His hand skimmed across her hip to the button of her jeans and he deftly unfastened it, sliding the zipper down and pushing them off of her hips in one smooth, fluid motion. He felt her kick them away and smiled against her lips.
His fingers gripped the waistband of her panties, and a second later, the thin material gave way and was quickly being tossed across the room. His hand skillfully went to the juncture of her thighs and he groaned deep in his throat when he found her wet, hot… slick. “Christ,” he murmured against her mouth, their breaths puffing out in jerky bursts against the others. “You’re so ready. Jesus, Baby, I need to taste you.” With that, he tore his lips from hers and traveled down to where his hand now cupped her; the place where he found paradise.