Sweet Surrender (7 page)

F
aith drove by Cattleman’s after work, looking to see if Micah and Gray were there. She knew Nathan and Connor were still out on jobs, so they wouldn’t be around. She’d talked to Micah earlier, and he made it sound like he had a date after work. Which meant that Gray might be here alone. Or he could have just gone home to his apartment.

Still, she pulled into the parking lot and scanned the area for Gray’s silver Chevrolet pickup. When she spotted it, her stomach lurched, and she whipped into an empty parking space.

She got out, ran a hand through her long hair, tucking the strands behind her ears as she headed for the entrance. A nervous thrill tickled down her neck when she saw Gray sitting at the bar, his back to her. For a moment, she simply stared, trying to work up the courage to walk over and pretend this was yet another chance meeting.

But then why should she pretend? Direct. She was supposed to have a pact with herself to be more direct. That didn’t mean playing stupid games reminiscent of high school girly ploys.

Finally she started forward, and when she got to the bar, she slid onto the stool next to Gray and smiled when he looked up at her.

“Hey,” he said, a genuine-looking smile lighting his face. “Fancy seeing you here again.”

She’d had more practice trying to control her mad blushing since meeting him than she ever had before.

“I wanted to see you,” she said simply, mentally applauding how cool and casual she sounded. And direct. No pussyfooting around for her.

One of his eyebrows lifted, and he cocked his head to the side. “Is that so?” he said softly.

She hid her hands in her lap to control the trembling of her fingers. When the bartender stopped in front of her, she ordered a Coke.

“So how was your day?” she asked as she turned once more to face him.

“It just got a lot better.”

This time she did blush, and he grinned. His fingers reached out and touched her cheek. “I love that you blush so easily. It’s very feminine.”

His finger trailed to the corner of her mouth, and her lips parted the barest of centimeters in response. He rubbed his index finger over her bottom lip before slowly pulling it away.

“I’ve been wondering all day what you taste like,” he murmured.

She swallowed then licked her lips. What to say to that? Invite him to see? Damn, but why did they have to be in a public place and double damn, why did she have to be at a hair appointment in an hour?

“Maybe I could arrange a sample sometime,” she said lightly.

“I’d like that. I’d like that a lot.”

The bartender shoved her Coke across the bar at her, and she took it, grateful to have something to cool her rising temperature.

“So what’s the deal with Micah and the governor’s daughter?” Gray asked in a swift change of subject.

Faith grinned and chuckled lightly. “Nathan didn’t get around to telling you?”

“Nah, not yet.”

She shook her head. “Those two, I swear. Ever since Micah came to work with us, he and Nathan have been pulling prank after prank on one another. Micah moved here from out of state, so he had no idea who the governor’s daughter was. Pop had the job of providing security for the governor’s ball he held here in Houston. Only his daughter needed a date after hers stood her up. It came down to Connor, Micah or Nathan. Connor, of course, was over the entire security so he couldn’t, not that he would have anyway. Nathan immediately started in on how gorgeous the governor’s daughter was and how the only fair thing was for them to flip a coin, but he sure hoped he’d win because he’d heard that in addition to being drop-dead gorgeous, she was also a complete nymphomaniac. Now knowing what you know about Micah, you can imagine he was chomping at the bit. He wheedled and cajoled until finally Nathan gave in graciously and allowed Micah the honor of escorting the daughter for the evening.”

“Ah shit,” Gray said as he dissolved into laughter. “I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall.”

“It was pretty funny,” Faith admitted. “She was velcroed to Micah the entire evening. They spent most of it on the dance floor with her hands glued to his ass and her lips wherever she could plant them. I thought Micah was going to kill Nathan the next morning.”

Gray chuckled and shook his head. “Those two are pretty funny.”

“Yeah, they’re great.”

“So you think bald is sexy, huh.”

She raised her head in surprise. “Uh, well, on him it looks good.”

His eyes twinkled. “Do I need to shave my head so you’ll drool over me that way?”

To her never-ending irritation, she blushed again. “So uh…” She scrambled to direct the focus from her bemusement. “We’ve talked enough about me. What about you?”

“What about me?” he asked.

“Got a girlfriend? Someone back in Dallas you see?”

He shook his head. “Nope.”

She frowned. “I find that hard to believe.”

“Oh? Why is that?”

“You’re too damn good-looking not to have at least one woman in the wings,” she muttered.

He grinned. “Well, I’m glad you think so, but there’s no woman. Scout’s honor. Truth is, I haven’t really gotten around to looking for a woman yet.”

“And what are you going to be looking for when you do?” Faith asked softly.

He looked surprised by her forward approach. He shifted forward in his chair and rested his elbow on the bar. Then he turned to look at her, his expression pensive, as if deciding whether or not he wanted to tell her.

“Soft and feminine. Not
too
soft, but not harsh.” His lips curled upward in a rueful smile. “Someone who doesn’t feel her femininity is a strike against her.”

She cupped her cheek in her palm and leaned her elbow on the bar as she stared at him. “Given this a lot of thought, haven’t you?”

He shrugged. “Not really. I just know what I want.”

That makes two of us.
She wanted someone strong, unyielding, someone who could take care of her, someone not afraid to make decisions. Could he be that person?

She looked down at the napkin under her drink and played with the ends. Natural power radiated from Gray. Like a second skin he was comfortable wearing.

“Want to hear my other deep, dark secret?” he asked.

She grinned. “Of course.”

“I want a woman willing to let me call the shots.”

She stared at him in shock, unable to formulate a response. The seconds ticked by as silence settled between them.

Gray cleared his throat. “I’ve shocked you. It’s hard to make a statement like that and not come across as a knuckles-dragging-the-ground Neanderthal.” He shrugged again. “I don’t see a lot of women lining up for a guy like me.”

“That depends.” Her fingers gripped her drink, pressing into the damp glass until her fingertips were white.

“On what?”

“On what you’re willing to give a woman in return.”

Their gazes locked. She could see the flickers of interest in his eyes. If she gave him any sort of encouragement, they’d no doubt go back to her apartment and have sex. She licked her lips again.

“And what do you think a woman would want in return?” he asked silkily.

“More women wouldn’t mind a man being the proverbial man of the house if he didn’t abdicate his responsibility. If he took that responsibility seriously,” she said and immediately cringed at how preachy she sounded.

He nodded slowly. “That makes sense.”

Unable to stop herself, she continued on. “When a man isn’t willing to accept responsibility, a woman has no choice but to step up to the plate. Many times she has children to think about. Herself. Her family. As a result, women have figured out that they are not only capable, but oftentimes more adept at running the household than a man.”

“You make it sound like men as a species have dropped the ball entirely,” Gray said dryly.

“Women have done their fair share of fucking up,” Faith muttered.

God, she needed to just shut up before Gray tucked tail and ran as fast and as far away as he could. She sounded like a starchy man hater. Nothing could be further from the truth. But she was only just now sorting out her feelings when it came to relationships. She was on the cusp of a strange new world where she was trying to reach out and grab what she wanted. She felt edgy and impatient, and worse, she felt doomed to failure.

“I’m making a mess of this,” she muttered. “I should have just kept my mouth shut. I sound like a preachy, man-hating piranha, when in fact what I really want—” She broke off, mortified that she’d almost blurted out just what it was she did want.

He gave her a probing look. “What
do
you want, Faith?”

“Hey, you two!”

Both Faith and Gray whirled around to see Micah heading across the bar toward them. She couldn’t be sure, but she thought she heard Gray utter a curse under his breath.

Micah dropped a kiss on Faith’s cheek then stood between her and Gray as he motioned to the bartender for a drink.

“What are you doing here?” Faith asked. “I thought you had a hot date.”

Micah grinned. “I do. Later, though. We’re meeting somewhere.”

“Sounds positively mysterious,” Faith said.

Gray cleared his throat. “I was just about to ask Faith if she wanted something to eat. You want to join us, or are you eating later?”

Faith checked her watch and grimaced. “Sorry, but I have a hair appointment I have to get to.” She’d leave off the fact that she was getting waxed and pampered for her Friday appointment. “I should be going if I want to to make it on time.”

Gray caught her hand as she stood. She looked over at him and was surprised to see something that looked like regret simmering in his eyes.

“I’d like a rain check on this conversation,” he said.

She blushed and caught Micah’s curious stare out of the corner of her eye.

“Sure. Some other time maybe.”

She reluctantly pulled her hand from his then flashed a smile in Micah’s direction before shoving past him to walk out of the bar.

“G
ot those surveillance cameras set up?” Pop asked from behind Gray.

Gray stood from his crouched position and turned to face the other man. “Yeah, just got the last one operational. I’ll give Connor a call right quick and make sure they’re all online.”

Pop nodded and put his own cell phone to his ear to make a call.

Gray punched in Connor’s number. “Everything’s set up on my end,” he said when Connor answered. “See if you get a visual from each one.”

Connor was upstairs in the surveillance room where the computerized system for monitoring all the cameras had been installed. He was the computer expert. A real geek when it came to technology. Gray was more of a grunt worker. He understood enough to install cameras and bugs, but the more sophisticated measures he left to those who understood all that shit.

“Yeah, looks like I’ve got a clear bead from all corners. Though it looks like camera B needs to be angled up maybe an inch. If you did that, I’d not only get a clear shot of the hallway, but I’d be able to monitor the doorway at the end.”

“Will do,” Gray said.

“Tell Pop I’m going to be a while up here, so I’ll catch up to y’all later,” Connor said.

Gray agreed and rang off. Shoving the phone back into his pocket, he strode out of the room and across the building to where camera B was installed. After adjusting the angle, he gave Connor another call back to confirm the position. Then he went in search of Pop.

“I’m all done,” he said as he walked back to where Pop stood. “Connor said he’d be a while with the computer system and not to wait on him.”

Pop nodded. “Let’s grab some lunch then.”

Twenty minutes later, the two sat in a small diner drinking coffee while they waited for their food. Gray wanted to ask about Faith and her relationship with her mom, but he didn’t know how to lead into such an unlikely topic without arousing Pop’s suspicions.

Pop may be outgoing and generous but Connor didn’t get his closemouthed ways by chance. Still, Gray needed to find out as much about Celia Martin and any potential connection to Faith as he could.

“Do you like the job so far?” Pop asked, breaking the silence.

Gray nodded. “I do.” He did. Far more than he’d expected. “I was doubtful when Mick suggested the change of scenery, but in retrospect, getting away from Dallas has been a relief.”

“Mick’s your partner’s father, right?”

Again Gray nodded, swallowing around the sudden lump in his throat.

Pop made a sound of sympathy. “I know it has to be hard losing a partner. I was a cop myself a lifetime ago. Losing one of your own…Well, it’s like losing a brother.”

“He
was
my brother,” Gray said bleakly. “In every sense except actual blood.”

Flashes of his childhood raced through his mind. Alex laughing. Them racing down the street. Throwing a baseball. Nights over at Alex’s house and his mother’s home cooking. Wrestling matches with Mick in the backyard. All the things Gray never had with his own family. Alex and Mick were his family. His only family.

Pop nodded his understanding. “Sometimes blood’s not all it’s cracked up to be. Faith couldn’t be more of a daughter to me if she was my own flesh like Connor. I love them both just as deeply.”

Gray searched his memory for whether anyone had told him that Pop had adopted Faith. He’d learned it from Mick’s investigation, but it wasn’t knowledge he’d be expected to have.

Pop must have taken his silence for confusion, because he went on to explain.

“I adopted Faith. Three years ago.”

Gray raised a brow. “But she was an adult.”

“True. But I wanted her to have my name. I wanted her to have that love and acceptance she’d missed in her life.”

“It doesn’t sound like she had a great childhood,” Gray said in a low voice. One thing they seemed to have in common.

“I was married to her mother years ago.” Pop waved his hand in a dismissive gesture as if wiping away that part of his life.

“What happened to her mom?” Gray asked casually. “No one mentions her. I assumed she was dead.”

Pop’s face darkened, and a scowl pinched his eyebrows together. “Her mother is a leech plain and simple. She uses people, including her own daughter, and when she’s gotten what she wants, she’s on to someone else.”

“So Faith has nothing to do with her?” Gray asked.

“No, and that’s a damn good thing in my book. Faith is too kindhearted for her own good. She spent a lot of years taking care of Celia. Years she should have spent being a normal kid with a parent who looked after her, not the other way around.”

Anger boiled from Pop’s voice. He swallowed and took a long drink of his coffee.

“I married Celia when Faith was fourteen. She was such a sweet kid. Quiet. It took her a while to warm up to me. Connor had just gotten out of the service. It was obvious it wasn’t going to work out between me and Celia, but I wouldn’t end things because I was concerned for Faith. I wanted her to have a good home. But then her mother up and left in the middle of the night and took Faith with her. I went crazy trying to find her. It wasn’t until five years later that I got a call in the middle of the night. Celia had overdosed. Connor and I went to collect Faith. She’d spent the last years working her tail off to support herself as well as Celia. I brought her back home with me, and she’s been here ever since.”

“That’s tough,” Gray murmured.

“Yeah,” Pop muttered. He took a deep breath and ran a hand through his graying hair. “I shouldn’t be boring you with all this. It’s just that I’ve been worried about Faith lately. I want her to be happy.”

“Would she tell you if something was bothering her?” Gray asked carefully.

Pop narrowed his eyes. “Of course she would. She tells me everything. It took a while to gain that little girl’s trust when Connor and I first brought her home, but she’s come a long way since then.”

“So her mom just disappeared after that and never contacted her? That seems pretty low.”

Gray found himself holding his breath. He hoped Faith had confided in Pop. Then it wouldn’t look so much like she was trying to hide something.

“Last time her mother called was over a year ago.” Pop leaned forward, fixing Gray with a hard stare. “Faith doesn’t know this, so don’t go telling her.”

It was on the tip of Gray’s tongue to ask why he was telling Gray, a veritable stranger, if he didn’t want Faith to know. But Pop seemed upset, and maybe it made him feel better to get it off his chest.

“When I learned Celia was calling Faith and bugging her for money, I tracked her down and paid her off. Told her not to come anywhere near Faith again.” Pop rubbed a hand wearily over his face. “Not my proudest moment, I’ll grant you, but I wasn’t about to let her step in and ruin Faith’s life after Faith finally started living for herself.”

“So she took the money and agreed to back off?”

Pop nodded. “Hell of a note when you view your only daughter as a meal ticket and nothing else.”

Gray grimaced. If Mom had gotten money from Pop before, no way she’d back off now. Which could be good for him and Mick, because with Samuels pulling Celia’s strings, her desperation would only increase with each passing day. Desperation made people sloppy.

Mick’s report of Samuels being seen in Huntsville came back. In all likelihood they were on their way to Houston. If Celia had been successful in getting money through Faith’s connection to Pop, then she’d be quick to exploit that angle. There was also a possibility she’d forgo Faith and go straight to Pop.

“I don’t want her hurt,” Pop continued. “She’s had enough hurt in her young life.” His voice took on a more purposeful tone, and he leaned back, surveying Gray with keen eyes. “You seem interested in Faith.”

Ah, here it came, and now Gray understood that the long spiel was all a lead-up to the “warning.” Don’t fuck with his daughter. Gray didn’t rise to the bait. He merely sat and waited for Pop to say his piece.

“You’ll go back to your job at the end of your leave. I’ve seen guys like you. I admire you. You make a damn fine cop. I have no doubt about that. But I don’t want you messing around with my daughter or using her as a diversion then leaving town to go back to Dallas.”

Pop’s way of putting it irked Gray. “You make her sound like a damn toy. I like Faith. She’s a sweet girl.”

Pop nodded. “That she is. She’ll make some man a damned fine wife. Have a passel of kids. A nice home and security.” His emphasis on security drove home to Gray what Pop wanted for his daughter. And to his credit, it was what most fathers wanted for their daughters.

“I understand,” Gray said calmly.

Pop’s expression softened. “I like you, son. I like you a damn lot. I don’t want you to take it the wrong way. Faith could certainly do a lot worse than a man like you. I just don’t see your pathways paralleling each other. That’s all.”

“Not a problem,” Gray said, not wanting to point out that he’d never expressed the desire for a relationship with Faith. No sense pissing the old guy off.