Mosquito Chase (13 page)

The sheriff nodded. “I think with the force surrounding the house, we’ll know if one of the Lucas’ slips away. We need to keep an eye on this, boys. The possibility of Miguel Santos being back in the area…,” he trailed off, shaking his head.

“Sir,” Parker filled the silence, “Caleb and I have been talking, and I’m beginning to wonder if the ‘Mateo’ Angela talked about is Mateo Vargas.”

“Anything is possible at this point. Parker, you start gathering all the information you can on Mateo Vargas and Simon O’Reilly. We’re not too far from Atlanta, so who knows what might be going on. We need to find out immediately. Caleb, your shift is done. Go home.”

I looked at the clock and back to the sheriff. “It’s only 8:30.”

He looked directly at me. “Since she’s in no condition to meet with me, I need you to question Angela and get as much info as possible about Simon O’Reilly’s murder. Relay all info back to Parker.” His eyes shifted to Parker as he continued, “Parker, I have a feeling that you’ll need to dig deep into the history of this O’Reilly guy: when he came to the U.S., who his family is, when his club opened, what his favorite drink was … anything and everything you can. As far as Mateo Vargas, good luck. I’ll be making some calls to the Atlanta PD to see what information they can give us.” He caught my eye. “Don’t worry, Harris, we won’t disclose Angela’s whereabouts. There are only seven people in the world that know she’s here, and I’d like to keep it that way while we try to figure this all out. If we are dealing with Mateo Vargas, I don’t want to think about what happens if they find her.”

I didn’t want to think about it either. Without a word, I left the room. Devon hollered something at me as I stormed through the lobby, but I ignored him. I needed to get to her. Now. I reached to my cruiser and sank down in the seat, breathing heavily. I was afraid to lose her, but I was also afraid of smothering her. How could I step away though? I couldn’t.

I wouldn’t.

I drove safely through the streets of Olde Town, despite my desire to run every stop sign. I didn’t understand what was going on between my head and my heart. I wanted to be upfront with her, but I knew she didn’t need that right now. My brain told my heart to be cool, but my heart just wanted me to grab her and kiss her the way I did a few days ago.

What would happen once we solved Simon’s murder? What would happen after the baby was born?

I couldn’t lose her. Not to a dead man.

I came to a stop on the gravel and shifted the gear into park. No cars were here, which meant she was alone, probably reading in our room.
Our room
. I shook the thought from my head. When I loved, I loved hard.

I guess I could admit that I loved her, even if nothing good would come of it.

I stepped out of the car and made it through the cold up to the door. The heat welcomed me as I entered the living room. The door to our room was cracked open. I walked down the hall, dodging a truck lying in the middle of the floor, and peeked into the room. She was on her back, her head resting against a pillow with her eyes closed. An open book rested face down on her belly. She’d woken up with me only few hours ago, but I guess she needed more sleep. I crept into the room and quietly took off my belt to avoid waking her. I walked around to the opposite side of the bed and kicked off my shoes. I picked up the book and placed it on the nightstand before I slid into the bed beside her. Her cheeks glowed in the morning light, illuminating the hair around her face. She really was beautiful in a way I couldn’t get over. I regretted staying away from her in high school just because of what one stupid little man said about her.

I was officially obsessed. I would end up losing her if I didn’t chill the fuck out. I glanced away and closed my eyes. With an exhale, I laid back on the pillow.

“Hey, what are you doing home?”

I turned my face to her and looked into those deep blue eyes. They changed colors throughout the day, graying as the day went on, but every morning when she woke up, they were a deep blue.

“The sheriff sent me home to question you.”

She took a deep breath and began to sit up. I shook my head and said, “We’re going to rest awhile first. I’m not going to drill you. We just need more information about Simon. That’s all.”

She nodded and looked away.

“Angie, I’m going to need you to be really honest about everything. I know you don’t want to think of him as a drug dealer, I get that you’re protecting his name, but we need to catch these guys.” I took a breath and whispered, “You need to get on with your life.”

She blinked.

“You said you didn’t want to stay here. There’s nothing for you here. You need to make a life for you and the little guy.” I sighed and looked up at the ceiling. “Everyone needs a fresh start.”

I pressed my eyes shut. I needed to do this. This was for the best. The bed shifted beside me. A moment later, I heard the bathroom door shut. I opened my eyes and stared at the ceiling.

I had to start letting her go.

Four adults sat around a quiet table with only the sound of cartoons playing on the TV. I nudged the grilled chicken on my plate. I wasn’t hungry. The tension in the house was growing. If it weren’t for Paul, I doubted anyone would talk to me. Ellie rarely acknowledged me, only smiled at me if she saw me waddling out of the guest room. Caleb had grown distant over the past few days. But when we went to sleep, he still wanted to snuggle. And I let him. I may have pushed him away emotionally, but I still craved his warmth. This strange distance between us seemed to make me need him even more.

I glanced over at him eating his salad. His eyes met mine and his chewing slowed. They didn’t move and remained focused on me. Looking at him, I couldn’t separate hormones from emotions. I couldn’t tell if my need for him was physical or emotional. The only thing I knew was that the more he pulled away, the more I wanted him. He looked back down at his plate and speared a piece of chicken.

“So … Angie,” Paul broke the silence, the way he always did. “Ellie has a small line of maternity clothes. Maybe she can bring a few items home for you.”

I glanced over at Ellie as her eyes shifted uncomfortably from Paul to me. She nodded slowly as Paul continued, “She has dresses that are shades of sunray, cobalt, and … what was it? Perry something?”

Ellie stifled a laugh and answered, “Periwinkle.”

“Perry what?” Caleb chimed in.

Ellie’s eyes met mine and widened playfully. I couldn’t hold back a laugh. Were we bonding over our shared exasperation at male ignorance?

She turned to Caleb, raising her voice as if speaking to someone with hearing loss.

“Peri
winkle
.”

“What kind of color is that?” Caleb asked.

“I think it’s the color of my bedroom,” Paul answered, a discontented eyebrow raised at his wife.

“Oh, hush. You love it.”

“Mmhmm,” was Paul’s only reply as he stared at her and forked a tomato.

She giggled, reaching over to rub his arm. I studied them and their annoying adorableness for a moment before my eyes shifted to Caleb’s. He was staring at me. Up until now, it had been hard to read the thoughts lurking behind those eyes, but I could read them clearly now, full of sadness and longing.

Ellie rose and cleared her plate from the table. Paul did the same. Caleb motioned to my full plate. “You didn’t eat anything.”

I shrugged.

“You need to eat something.”

“No cartoons until you clean your plate,” Paul interjected from the sink.

“I cleaned it!” Teague hollered from the living room.

I closed my eyes, laughing quietly.

“Good job, buddy!” Paul hollered back.

I opened my eyes. Caleb smiled. He shook his head and stood, grabbing his plate and mine. “I’m making you a peanut butter sandwich later and you’re eating it.”

I nodded and smiled. “Yes, sir.”

His eyes narrowed on me as he smirked and turned away. I exhaled a shaky breath. I needed his lips on me again, I just didn’t know if it was for the right reasons. I rested my hands on my belly and tried to focus on the little guy, but my eyes kept roaming back to Caleb standing at the sink with his back to me. His back muscles flexed as he leaned down to open the dishwasher, and I didn’t know if there was anything sexier than a view of a man doing the dishes.

“Teague, do you want to go see Mary and Pearl?” Paul asked, heading for the living room. Ellie followed him.

Caleb turned back at the question and caught me staring. He stared back, his lips parting as he slowly stepped toward me. He lifted his hand to my face, his thumb grazing my bottom lip and gently tugging it from my teeth. His fingers traced my cheek as he leaned down and whispered, “Stop biting that damn lip.”

His eyes focused on me. Instinctually, my tongue swiped my bottom lip, and my teeth bit down on it again. He cocked his eyebrow and shook his head. His cheek deepened with the dimple; a sexy smile only for me.

Little feet ran around the sofa and down the hall. Teague really wanted to go see the girls, which wasn’t shocking since he was a Harris boy after all. Paul and Ellie put on their coats as Teague came running up the hall with a football in his hand. Ellie picked him up and carried him to the door.

“Don’t wait up,” Paul said. He winked at his brother and my face heated up in slight embarrassment.

“Come on, Paul,” Ellie said, yanking him out of the door.

I stood up, brushing past Caleb as I headed down the hall to our room. I stood at the foot of the bed, just staring at it, waiting for him. His footsteps echoed closer down the hardwood. I closed my eyes and exhaled a shaky breath. I needed this. I needed him. The door clicked shut and locked. I inhaled, holding my breath. He drew closer to me. The breath caught in my throat. The hair brushed away from my neck. The gentle touch of his lips ignited a spark, the flames scorching my skin.

“Tell me you need me, Angie. Put me out of this agony.”

My breath shook as I exhaled. I needed him, but I needed boundaries.

“I need you to fuck me, Caleb.”

His hands glided slowly down my arms as his tongue flickered out in between the kisses he planted on my neck.

“Baby, I can’t fuck you. There’s too much in my heart to just fuck you.”

I stepped away from his touch. I felt his eyes on me, but I didn’t turn around. I reached down for the hem of my t-shirt and peeled it off my body. I hung my thumbs inside my pants and my panties and shimmied slowly out of them. He sucked in a breath as I reached around my back, unclasping my bra. I held it out by the strap and let the white lace fall to the floor. I slipped off my socks and kneeled onto the bed, facing the wall. I licked my lips and exhaled slowly. I knew this needed to be as emotionless as possible, but I didn’t know if that was possible for me. I knew it certainly wouldn’t be possible for him.

“Angie…” he breathed out. In that one breathy utterance of my name, I knew he was begging me to stop, to not let it happen this way. But this was the only way. I placed my palms flat against the bed lifting to a kneel. I slowly spread one knee away from the other.

“Fuck, Angie.”

As the sun dipped below the mountains, the violet twilight filled the room. His belt jangled and rattled, his pants hit the floor. I didn’t turn around. I couldn’t turn around. The bed shifted behind me. His hands splayed across my lower back, grazing slowly up to my shoulders. He pressed against me, and I breathed out a moan. He pulled my hair back, nuzzling his lips against my ear.

“I’m not fucking you. You can think of this any way you want to, but it’s not just fucking to me.” He paused. His warm breath caressed my skin. “And I don’t think it’s just fucking for you either.”

He gently eased himself inside. I gasped. He stilled behind me, shifting slightly. His hands rested on my hips, holding me tighter as he pushed himself fully inside. I screamed out and clamped around him instantly.

“Are you okay?”

I nodded and eased back. He didn’t move, but held my hips tight as I rocked back into him. I cried out again.

“Baby, I’m not wearing a condom. Is that okay?”