Forever Yours, Sir (17 page)

Hunter nodded. She’d been far more patient than he’d have managed
, if the tables had been turned.

“E
ver since she died, I’ve been trying to tie Angie’s death to Worthington. I knew there was something suspicious about her car accident. Her blood alcohol level was really high. Only thing is Angie never drank. Then there was the phone call and the fact that her apartment was torched, it was all too much of a coincidence. Only, I kept coming up against dead ends.”

He ran his hand over the back of his head. “Then last week I got this call to say that the storage
unit she’d prepaid for was overdue for the next payment. I never knew she had one.”

“Wait, was that the phone call you got while you were with me?”

“Yeah.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

Hunter let out a sigh. “The reason I missed the call from Angie is because I was in bed with a woman. I let it go to voicemail because I was busy having a good time. I swore on Angie’s grave that I would find out the truth. I felt guilty for not living up to my promise.”

“So you pushed me away becau
se you made a promise to your sister and I was a distraction, I was in your way.”

“No, well, maybe when I first got that phone call. But I would have come to my senses
right away if it hadn’t been for what I found in the locker.”

“What? These books?”

“No, a key to a safe deposit box.” He explained about finding the thumb drive and photos.

“So you were staking th
at place out when you got the call from my landlord to say I’d been hurt, how did he know to call you anyway?” she asked.

“I bribed him to call me if you were ever in any trouble.” No way was he going to apologize for that.

“It’s my fault you were hurt,” he said. “I didn’t think any of this through. I was concentrating on figuring out what these photos meant and I didn’t want any of this to touch you, so I put distance between us, not even thinking how that might hurt you. I don’t deserve it, but do you think you can forgive me?”

“So you’ve been keeping away to protect me, not because you’re sick of me or because you decided you didn’t want anything more than a few good fucks.”

“Hey, a few amazing fucks thank you very much. And no, I did this because I stupidly thought that it was what was best for you. If this was related to Angie’s death then I didn’t want to drag you into it. I forgot that without me around to watch over you, you tend to get yourself into trouble.”

She snorted. “Arrogant asshole.” She was silent for a long moment.

“Cady? What are you thinking?”

“That you really hurt me.” She glanced up at him and he was struck by the sadness in her gaze. “I was starting to trust you and you pushed me away without an explanation. I thought I wasn’t good enough for you. I thought you rejected me. I don’t need you to protect me, I need you to keep your promises. I need you to talk to me.”

He knelt down at her feet, moving her legs apart gently to he rested between her thighs. “You’re right. I fucked up, majorly. Gray’s been giving me grief all week. I’m overprotective. Sometimes I can be overbearing. But I failed to save Angie, I didn’t want to fail you.”

“I know it doesn’t
seem like it but I can look after myself.”

Yeah
, but she was a tiny little thing. It wouldn’t take much for a grown man to take her down, no matter how good her skills. Just look at what had happened to her last night. He ran his hands up her thighs.

“I know I can be
an idiot and there will be times you’ll have to tell me to pull my head out of my ass, but do you think you can give me another chance? I promise that from now on I’ll talk to you. I’ve missed you so much, I know this distance between us has been my own fault, but it doesn’t mean I haven’t missed you like crazy.”

“You pull this sort of shit again and I don’t care what reason you have, we’re over, understand?”

He nodded.

“All right,” she replied. “
I guess I can understand why you did it. But from now on, you talk to me. I know I’m not the best communicator, either, so I guess it’s something we both have to work on.”

“Thank you, baby.” He rose up and leaning over, kissed her gently, aware of the bruise on her face. Si
tting next to her, he drew her against his side, kissing the top of her head.

She moved closer and he heard her hiss of pain. “Time for your pain pills.”

Cady grabbed his arm as he reached for the pills. “Tell me about the rest of your family, you never talk about your parents.”

He hesitated, but then grabbed the pills and glass of water. “After you take the pills and lie down. Then I’ll t
ell you.”

Sending him a disgruntled look, she nevertheless took the pill he gave her then he helped her lie down with her head on his lap, looking up at him. Hunter gently massaged her temples. Cady closed her eyes with a sigh.

“I was eight when my mother died. Angie was just two. Life wasn’t perfect up until then, but no matter how bad things were mom always had a way of making things seem better. She was one of those people who just lit up a room when she walked into it. She even managed to make our dad relax and laugh.”

Cady opened her eyes. “What happened to her?”

“Close your eyes, I’m getting there. Dad got laid off when I was about seven and we lost our health insurance. He started drinking and Mom took more shifts at the diner where she worked. She was tired, working long hours, looking after two kids and my father. But she never grew angry or impatient. It was Halloween and I wanted to go trick-or-treating. I threw a fit because I wanted some stupid costume, I can’t even remember what it was now. It was late at night, but the mall was open late, so after her long shift at work, Mom got back in the car and drove to the mall. She fell asleep at the wheel and drifted off the road down an embankment. When they finally found her she was dead.”

Cady struggled to
sit up, but he held her down. “Shh, lie still.”

“I want to hold you.”

He helped her sit, holding her on his lap. In truth, he needed to feel her arms around him.

“I’m so sorry, so sorry.” She leaned back, cupping his face between her hands. “You have to know that it wasn’t your fault.”

“Wasn’t it?” he replied. “My father certainly blamed me. He reminded me of that fact almost every day.”

“He
probably blamed himself.”

“What?” he asked.

“He blamed himself and he took it out on you. He should have been helping out more, not drinking and wallowing in self-pity. Did he keep drinking?”

“Y
eah, but he cut down, got a new job.” And made his son’s life a living hell.

“He should have been there for you, not blaming you for something that wasn’t your fault.”

“If I hadn’t begged for that stupid outfit—”

“You were eight. You did
what every other child would have done. You weren’t to blame, Hunter. She could have gone in the morning, your father could have gotten off his ass and gone. It wasn’t your fault.”

He sent her a small smile. “Have I told you how glad I am that I met you?”

“No.”

“Well, I am. And I’m so grateful that you can see past my stupidity and give me another chance. I promise I won’t let you down.”

“Just remember, we’re both in this relationship. Both of us will mistakes. I don’t need you to hide things from me to protect me.”

He frowned. “Maybe not, but it
’s hard for me to step back, especially with this habit you have of getting into trouble.”

“I don’t go looking for it,” she complained with a yawn.

“Come on.” He stood, holding her in his arms. “You need a nap.”

“Stupid painkillers,” she muttered. “At least I’m not completely out of it this time.
”

Pushing back the covers he placed her on the bed and tucked her in. Kissing her on the forehead, he watched her until she fell asleep.

***

“I need some more clothes,” Cady said. “I really need some of my stuff.”

“Write a list and I’ll call Gray. He can go and grab them for you,” Hunter said as he tucked a blanket around her on the sofa.

She
didn’t really need the blanket, she was warm enough. He’d turned the heat up, knowing she felt the cold more than he did. Still, it was kind of nice to have someone fussing over her and she knew it made him feel better.

“
No way is Gray going through my underwear,” Cady told him firmly. “Hunter, I’m fine. Bruised and a little sore, but I’m capable of going and grabbing some stuff. I can get there and back within a couple of hours.”

“Like hell. Not without me, anyway.”

She hid a grin. She hadn’t planned on going without him, but this way he thought he was winning the argument.

“All right,” she said with pretend reluctance. “You can come with me.
But you’re going back to work tomorrow so you’re going to have to start trusting that I can take care of myself.”

“No, I’m not.”

“What?” she asked in confusion

“I’m going to work from here for a few days.”

“Hunter—”

“Don’t even argue with me,” he interrupted, his voice harsh. “I’m working from home and that’s final.” It was the fear in his eyes that had her nodding in agreement. She’d do anything to erase his panic. He obviously needed some more time to get over
how close she’d come to being seriously injured.

“Okay,” she said soothingly. “What abou
t the surveillance on that building in all those photos? Who’s going to do that?”

“I’ll brief everyone tomorrow and they can work out a schedule.”

“But you’d rather be there yourself.”

“I would rather be here,” he insisted.

Cady held back a sigh of frustration. “You know, we could do the surveillance together.”

Hunter was shaking his head before she finished.

She sat forward, trying to ignore the pull on her ribs, although the way his gaze narrowed told her that he’d caught her grimace of pain. “You can’t hover over me forever, Hunter. I have a job to do as well. Plus, you’ll be there with me.”

He
grabbed hold of her hands as he sat on the coffee table in front of her. “I couldn’t live if something happened to you, not to someone else I love.”

Her breath caught. “You love me?”

He looked a bit shocked by what he’d said. Then his face cleared and it shone through his eyes. “Yes, I love you.”

“Thank
God, because I love you too.”

H
unter pulled her up, settling back on the sofa with her in his arms. Leaning down, he took her mouth in a deep kiss. “I love you so much, sugar. So much that I know I’m going to act like a caveman sometimes.”

“Sometimes?” She grinned up at him, running a hand over his chest, reaching under his t-shirt, she toyed with his nipple. His eyes darkened as he gazed down at her.

“Don’t start what we can’t finish.”

“Who said I can’t finish it?” she murmured, running her hand down his muscular chest. She undid the top button of his jeans. He snatched her hand away with a growl.

“You’re too sore for that,” he told her firmly.

“But I need you. A declaration of love should come with sex, it’s like a rule or something.”

“Is it?” He chuckled and clasped her head between his hands. He took her mouth in a ravaging kiss that soon had her falling limp against him. He laid her back on the sofa and she whimpered as he moved away.

“Shh, babe, I’m not going anywhere,” he told her as he reached for her pants, pulling them off. She wasn’t wearing any panties. She only had one pair and they were curr
ently in the dryer. He threw her pants away before spreading her thighs carefully.

“Y
ou’re all wet for me already, aren’t you?”

She groaned. “Please, Hunter, don’t tease me.”

“You’re going to stay very, very still, understand me? I’m going to take care of you, but if you do anything to hurt yourself I’m going to shut this down so fast your head will spin.”

“I understand.”

“Hands at your sides. Don’t move them.”

She loved when he got that commanding tone to his voice.

He took a long lick of her pussy, from bottom to top, over and over, each time his tongue swept briefly over her clit, making her groan. Then he dipped a finger deep inside her, using his tongue to tap her clit. His finger was soon joined by another, thrusting deep, twirling inside her.

“Hunter, ohh,” she cried out.

“Come for me, baby girl,” he told her. “I want you to come all around my fingers.”

She shuddered, her need rising. Hunter placed his other hand over her stomach as he returned his tongue to her clit. He moved his hand up to pinch her nipple. Hard.

Orgasm washed over her, screaming through her. She gasped with the force of her release. Hunter continued to lazily lap at her juices.