One Touch More (23 page)

Like that night in the hotel room when he first tried to earn her trust, Damien spoke low against her ear in an effort to win her patience before the warm glow of her orgasm dissipated. “My name is Parker Damien Evans. I'm a deputy marshal with the U.S. Marshals' Special Operations Group. I've been working undercover on and off for the past four years and before I met you, I didn't think I could ever be anything but the part I'd taught myself to play.”

Her breath hitched, too quietly for him to determine her reaction, so he pressed on. “Keep your eyes closed, baby, and please hear me out. I've never played a part with you, Tabitha. Ever. What I gave you was who I really am. And I wanted to tell you who I was, especially after last night. I was prepared to come clean, but then I got your message about Joey, and keeping you safe was more important than explaining myself to you. I meant everything I said to you. I kept the truth from you but I never lied. I know that doesn't make sense, but you can't just turn your back on me.”

Damien wrapped his arms around her, held her close as though the simple act would guarantee she'd stay by his side forever. “I love you, Tabitha. I'm in love with you. And I swear, I will never lie, never keep anything from you, ever again.”

Damien had never felt so emotionally or physically spent. Even in that godforsaken desert, surrounded by death and endless miles of cold and heat, sand and unyielding mountain terrain, hiding behind rocks, in caves, and convinced he'd never see home again, he hadn't been as totally wrecked as he was in this moment. Tabitha Martin had laid him low. Broken him down until he was nothing more than a blubbering pussy, begging her not to turn her back on him. Not to leave him. And damn it, he'd continue to beg, to plead, to do whatever the fuck she asked of him if that's what it took. He was so goddamned in love with this woman that he didn't think he'd be able to live through another day that didn't have her in it.

Damien rolled to his side so he wouldn't crush Tabitha beneath his weight. When he pulled out, separating their bodies, he fought the urge to go back to her. But if he expected her to give him a chance, he had to give her some space. And though their bodies seemed to crave each other, he needed to allow her to think with a clear head that wasn't influenced by lust.

Long moments passed. Damien kept his face buried against Tabitha's throat, breathing in her sweet floral scent. He let his fingers explore her body, memorize every soft curve. If this was the first and last time they made love, Damien wanted to be sure that he never forgot the way her hips flared from her narrow waist, or the freckles that dotted her shoulder. The supple curve of her breasts and the dusky nipples that stood out proud and erect, puckering as her body cooled. He brushed his thumb across her lips, petal soft and full. How he loved that mouth. Loved her taste, the methodical way her lips moved over his.

There wasn't any part of her that he didn't love.

His gut twisted into an unyielding knot as the silence stretched out between them. Her breathing was no longer heavy, but rhythmic and quiet as she feathered her fingers through his hair, her nails scraping lightly against his scalp with every pass. Tabitha's arms came around him and she cradled Damien against her body as though to offer him comfort.

“I think you should leave.”

Her words were nothing more than a ragged whisper, thick with emotion. Panic welled in Damien's chest, burning like acid. He'd heard her wrong. She wasn't kicking him out. “Tabitha—”

“Please, Damien.” She couldn't hide the tears in her voice as she continued to stroke his hair, her touch so gentle. “If you care about me at all, you'll do as I ask. If you stay I'll—” Her words ended on a sob. “I need you to go.”

Damien's heart might as well have exploded in his chest. The ache was so deep, the damage so severe, it was a wound no man could survive. Her fingers left his hair, and her arms as well, taking with them any comfort he might have felt. Tabitha rolled away from him, the soft sound of her tears spearing every major organ in his body.

He rolled toward her and placed a light kiss to her temple before forcing his body off the bed. Each step felt like a thousand, his body rebelling the farther he took himself away from her. Damien eased her bedroom door closed behind him, determined to give her whatever solitude she needed.

Was it too soon to pray that she wouldn't keep him at arm's length forever?

Chapter Twenty-Four

Tabitha's body ached for him.
Ached
. A bone-deep pain that she feared would never go away. She curled into a ball on her mattress, her heart broken into so many pieces that she doubted it would ever be whole again. How could one man make her feel so complete and so absolutely wrecked, all at the same time?

The sound of Damien washing up in her bathroom had been comforting. The muted rustle of him moving around her living room as he got dressed, reassuring. But then he'd left, the front door of her apartment closing with a finality that stole the breath from Tabitha's lungs and hollowed her out until she was nothing more than a useless, empty shell.

He'd said that he loved her. And despite the things he'd kept from her, the lies he'd told, she knew in her heart that those words, spoken softly in her ear, had been the truth.

“I love you, too.”

In the lonely quiet of her room, the words weighed heavily on her. As though once spoken aloud, they could never be taken back. Did she want to take them back? And seriously, how could she possibly fall in love with someone after a few sporadic weeks together? Still, there was something about being with Damien . . . Parker . . . whatever . . . that felt so
right
it was scary. Was fate making up for the crappy hand she'd been dealt by dropping the perfect man right in her lap?

No. Not perfect. But really, who was? If she tried to see the situation from his perspective, she might be able to acknowledge that he'd done what he had to do. He was an undercover cop, in town to bring down a criminal. And for all he knew, Tabitha was as much a part of the entire operation as Joey was. She hadn't simply proved her involvement by setting Joey up at the hotel, she'd admitted to knowing the very fugitive Damien was searching for. Pretty damning evidence, to be sure. And though she'd given him glimpses into her life bit by bit, it wasn't until last night that she'd truly opened up to him. Trusted him. She supposed it had been a lot to process. Maybe she was being unfair in her anger. Wouldn't anyone need a little time after being hit with a bombshell like that? Especially when Damien realized that Tabitha had firsthand knowledge—not to mention a rocky history—with the man he was trying to arrest.

Afternoon faded into evening, and gray twilight swallowed the last of the light filtering into her bedroom. Worry settled on Tabitha's chest like a boulder, the weight unrelenting as she wondered if Seth was okay. Praying that Damien was with him. Protecting him.

Tabitha pushed herself off the bed, reluctant to part with the comforter that bore traces of Damien's clean, musky scent. It wouldn't do her a damn bit of good to lie there in the dark, second-guessing her decision to ask him to leave. She'd needed time to think, away from his magnetic presence and honest words that tugged at her heartstrings. Besides, Seth's safety was what was important, and Damien wasn't going to keep an eye on her brother while he was lounging in her bed. She'd made the right decision. There would be time later—when all of this business with Joey and Gerald was said and done—to work out the kinks of her personal life.

Thirty minutes later, someone knocked at her door. Tabitha muted the television, hoping that someone with the Marshals Service or Boise PD was there to give her an update. This time, she had the good sense to check the peephole before throwing the door wide but all she got was a close-up view of the logo of a Pizza Hut delivery shirt and the back of the guy's head. A tremor of anxiety rushed through her and Tabitha's heart began to race. She definitely hadn't ordered a pizza. It wasn't the first time something had been delivered to her unit by accident, though. All of the buildings looked the same and weren't clearly marked. It was easy to get lost. She let out a nervous chuff of breath.
Paranoid much, Tabs?
She eased the door open a crack only to have it shoved forcefully open. The nervous tremor transformed into panic as once again someone she didn't want to see barged through the threshold.

A sneer pulled at Joey's lip as he brought a gun up to Tabitha's face. “You make a sound, and I'll put a bullet in your head.”

Tabitha took a step back. And another. How in the hell had he found her apartment? She'd been so careful, so sure that he didn't know where she lived. If he'd been watching the hotel, he would have seen the Boise PD guys escorting her to their cruiser this afternoon.
Shit
. How much did he already know? And what part of that knowledge was going to get her killed?

“Did you beat some poor guy up for that T-shirt, Joey?”

Joey snickered and Tabitha wanted to kick him. He advanced, stepping fully inside the apartment and letting the door close quietly behind him.

“I know you're upset, but you're obviously not thinking clearly. Don't do anything stupid, Joey.”

Wrong choice of words. Joey lunged, pressing the cold metal of the barrel into Tabitha's forehead. “You think you can talk to me like that, you fucking bitch?” His pupils were blown and sweat beaded his brow. Wow. Joey was an idiot if he thought getting high would improve his situation. “Where is my shit? I want every last ounce of it right fucking now.”

Where were the marshals who were supposed to be watching her apartment? The cops parked around the block and along the street? How had Joey managed to get past them? This was bad. He was obviously still operating under the assumption that Tabitha had stolen from him and was looking for someone to take the fall with Gerald so he'd be off the hook. If Gerald hadn't contacted him yet, he had to know that he was running out of time. Tabitha tried to swallow the lump that rose in her throat, willed enough saliva into her mouth to speak. “Joey, I don't have your stuff. Neither does Damien. I tried to tell you earlier today. Tony stole those drugs. Not me. He attacked me, and Damien beat the shit out of him. But your drugs were long gone before any of that went down.”

Joey pressed the barrel tighter into Tabitha's forehead and she winced. If he kept it up he was going to draw blood.

“That's bullshit. You're fucking lying. And you're going to give every single motherfucking ounce back to me before Lightfoot shows up. Do you understand me?”

A tentative wave of relief rippled over Tabitha's flushed skin. Okay, so all she had to do was convince him to go to the meet. They didn't need him there to bust Gerald, but if he did show up, Damien could kill two birds with one stone. At least, that's what she was hoping for. “You need to talk to Tony.” Tabitha's mind raced as she tried to think of anything that might shift Joey's focus from putting a bullet in her head. It would have helped to know if Gerald had gotten in touch with Seth yet.
Shit
. “Joey, if Gerald is coming to town to straighten things out, you know he's going to call Seth if he can't get ahold of you. That's not going to look good. You can't dodge him and expect it to make this situation better.”

Joey grabbed her just above her left elbow, his fingertips biting painfully into her skin. “I'm not planning to dodge him.” He sneered. “But since I can't find that piece of shit you're currently fucking, I'm going to bring Lightfoot the next best thing. There's no way in hell I'm going down for this, Tabitha.”

Well, hell. If she hadn't been nervous before, this new development was sure getting it done. “Joey, let's talk about this.”

He wrenched her arm behind her back with enough force that Tabitha thought it might snap. She cried out from the pain, doubled over and helpless. “Joey, the police are watching me.” It might have been a stupid move to show her hand so quickly, but unless Tabitha wanted to be stuck in the middle of a potential shoot-out, she needed to do something to defuse the situation. “They're parked outside and around the block. If you try to take me out of here, we're both screwed.”

“For someone so concerned about walking the straight and narrow, you sure stepped in it, didn't you, Tabs?”

Boy, wasn't that the understatement of the year. She wondered what Joey would think if she told him that the guy she was “currently fucking” happened to be a deputy U.S. marshal. “Yeah, well, I think I have you to thank for that.”

Joey wrenched her arm again and Tabitha swallowed down a scream. If he kept it up, he'd dislocate her shoulder. “I think you have your fuck-up of a brother to thank for it.” Joey's text alert went off and he released Tabitha's arm, keeping the gun trained on her forehead. “Time to go, sweetheart. Lightfoot's plane touched down twenty minutes ago and we're going to get this shit settled once and for all.”

“Did you not hear me?” Tabitha rubbed her injured arm. She was going to have some class-A bruises. “The cops are watching my apartment. Really, it's a wonder you even got to the front door, Joey.”

“Not really. The cops are fucking stupid. They don't think twice about whose name they say over the radio. Anyone with a scanner can keep an eye on where they are and what they're doing.” He gave an arrogant snort. “Or who they've got in custody. We're going to sneak out of here the way I snuck in. Do you think I'm a fucking idiot, Tabitha?” Did he really want her to answer that? “Those assholes think they're all stealthy and shit hanging out in their cars. Like that isn't as lame as fuck. Let's go. We're outta here.”

A surge of fear-driven adrenaline coursed through Tabitha's veins. Her only consolation to being dragged out of her apartment at gunpoint was the thought that wherever Joey was taking her, Damien would likely be. Would he protect her like he'd promised to, despite the fact that she'd kicked him out of her apartment only minutes after the most intense sexual experience of her life? Who knew. There wouldn't be time for her to explain herself, to tell him that she'd been scared and confused and hurt. That her feelings for him ran far deeper than any crush or simple attraction, and she worried that he'd burrowed so deeply into her soul that she couldn't live without him. All of that would have to wait. She just prayed that her faith in him wasn't misplaced. Because he was going to have more than just Seth to protect at this point.

Joey bent down and snatched Tabitha's tennis shoes up from the floor. He chucked them at her feet. “Get your shoes on and let's go.”

She obeyed without another squeak of protest. It didn't do much good to argue with someone who was not only high as a kite, but armed. Joey dragged Tabitha through the door and directly into her neighbor's apartment which was situated at the far corner of her building. The jamb was splintered and the lock broken. She said a small prayer of thanks that no one was home. She didn't know her neighbor well, but Tabitha did know she was a single mom with two young kids. Joey pulled her through the apartment to the balcony, where he'd slung a knotted rope made from a bedsheet. Looked like they were fleeing the scene like a couple of ten-year-olds running away from home. Good God.

“You first.” Joey poked her in the ribs with the barrel of the gun.
Ouch!
“When you get to the ground, don't even think about running or I'll put a bullet in you. Got it?”

Tabitha nodded. She slung one leg over the balcony, gripped the first knot in the sheet, and then slung her other leg over. In choosing to escape from the balcony that was shielded from the view of the parking lot and the street, Joey had demonstrated that he wasn't as clueless as she'd given him credit for. God, she hoped Damien was good at his job. Because right now, he was the only thing standing between her and death.

 

 

“I've gotten into some shit in my life, but this takes the fuckin' cake.”

Damien gave Seth a sidelong glance. The kid was bouncing around like he was about to take the court in the NBA playoffs or some shit. It was sad to think that he was so young and already had such illustrious criminal connections. Damien could only imagine what Seth and Tabitha's childhood must have been like. And he admired Tabitha all the more for the way she fought to distance herself from that life. “Just calm down, Seth. You don't want to give Lightfoot any reason to be nervous. This is just business as usual, got it?”

“Sorry.” Seth stuffed his hands in his pockets and his shoulders slumped. He even sounded like a dejected kid. “So, how's the whole witness protection thing, anyway? Am I going to have to get plastic surgery or wear dark glasses everywhere I go?”

Damien laughed. “Hardly.” He hadn't worked a rotation with WITSEC in a long time, but he knew that the Marshals Service would make sure Seth was well taken care of. “It'll be nice and chill. You'll get to be a normal twenty-one-year-old kid and live your life. And it won't be permanent. I'm sure once the dust settles, you'll be able to come back here if you want.”

“Cool.” Seth craned his head out of the window of Damien's car like a squirrel poking its head from a hole. “But Tabs will probably be better off if I stayed away. For a while anyway. At least until I get my shit together.”

Damien opted not to respond. Seth's relationship with Tabitha was none of his business. Hell, at this point he doubted that Tabitha was his business. He'd gone to her apartment this afternoon, prepared to explain himself and at least reach some sort of understanding. Instead of a simple understanding, he'd gotten everything he'd ever wanted and more.

Tabitha was heaven.

There would never be another woman for him. Every encounter he'd had with Tabitha before today had been nothing more than play. A tantalizing peek at what being with her would truly be like. Damien could never have prepared himself for the intensity—the intimacy—of making love to her. It had never been that good with any other woman and would never be better. She was
it
.