“I royally fucked up.” He finally looked at Nicole, and was shocked to see the trail of tears down her cheek. She felt his pain, and Katie’s, and it made him realize that he’d made the right choice by confiding in her. “I should have protected her better, and instead she was murdered in cold blood. She’s dead, and Paulo was acquitted. The bastard walked. The injustice of it was enough to send me into a downhill spiral of self-destruction.”
Those dark, depressing days after Katie’s death had nearly destroyed him. “I couldn’t handle the guilt, and my fiancée at the time, Jill, couldn’t deal with my dark moods. I drank to dull the pain.”
Or rather, she hadn’t even tried to understand. She’d never offered him the comfort and support he’d so badly needed, which had made his downfall even worse. Looking back, he knew her leaving was for the best, that she wasn’t the kind of woman he required in his life for the long haul. But at the time, her walking out on him when he’d needed her the most had only added to his pain.
He shifted restlessly beside Nicole, feeling her gaze on him, and sensing her patience and compassion. “I quit the force, because I felt as though the system had let me, and Katie, down. I finally got my shit together and cleaned up my act, and when Caleb hired me on as a surveillance supervisor for The Onyx, I was grateful for a second chance, and a job that didn’t put people’s lives in danger. Then Caleb recruited me for The Reliance Group because of my skills as a vice cop, and I actually enjoyed the occasional cases that came my way.”
“Until now?” she guessed.
“Yeah, until now.” He shook his head. “I never wanted to be responsible for another person’s life ever again. And now here I am, about to head right back into a similar situation that has the potential of being life-threatening. Caleb knew exactly what he was doing when he assigned me this case. The connection between Katie and Sloane, and the similarities to Angela’s situation, are crystal clear.”
Nicole smiled, her earlier sadness over Katie’s story diminishing. “Caleb’s a good man, and he wouldn’t give you something he didn’t think you couldn’t handle.”
He hoped to God she was right, because there was no way he could live with another black mark on his conscience. This was his chance at redemption, and he desperately needed something good to come of this case so he could finally put the past behind him and move on.
Coming up on her knees beside him, she framed his face between her cool hands, her eyes locking on his. “Life is rarely perfect, and it’s certainly not scripted, which makes things difficult at times. But we’re going to get Angela safely out of there,” she said, her voice filled with conviction. “She deserves a second chance, and we’re going to give it to her.”
He believed her. How could he not?
Goddamn. He loved her -this woman who wore a tough exterior, but was so soft and vulnerable inside. This woman who gave so much of herself, yet kept her emotions guarded and protected so she, too, wouldn’t have her heart trampled all over again. But causing her any kind of pain was the very last thing he ever wanted to do to her.
Love her, yes.
Hurt her, never.
Leaning forward, he settled his lips over hers and kissed her with softness and gratitude for everything she’d given him tonight. Her mouth was warm and sweet and so generous, pulling him in, offering him everything he’d ever wanted. Everything he needed. And in return, he ached to give her a slow, soft seduction that promised to last a lifetime. If she was willing to give them a chance.
He skimmed his hands beneath the loose T-shirt she was wearing and broke their kiss just long enough to draw the top over her head and toss it to the floor before his mouth found hers again. In between lush, soul-deep kisses, he removed her silky panties, along with his sweatpants. Then he gently pressed her back into the plush sofa cushions, his hands reverent as they traced her sweet curves, his fingers devoted to her pleasure as they caressed her sensitive breasts and, farther down, teased and stroked between her smooth, sleek thighs until she was begging him to take her, to ease the slow burning need building inside her.
She sighed blissfully when he finally shifted between her legs, and in a leisurely thrust filled her up. A low, ragged moan escaped her when he pulled her legs high around his waist and sank deeper, losing himself in her heat, the tight clasp of her sex, and the very essence of what made her so sweet and feminine.
In time, he felt her body quicken beneath his, heard the telltale hitch in her breathing, and recognized the arousing signs he’d learned so quickly, and so well. Lifting his head, he stared into her smoky blue eyes and held her gaze, watching as the wild desire softened with genuine emotion just before her lashes fluttered closed and she whispered his name like a litany, over and over, as she lost herself in a shuddering orgasm.
Exhilarated and hopeful, he gave himself over to his own climax-the hot rush of release, and the knowledge that this woman owned his heart and the deepest part of his soul.
Chapter Fifteen
The pressure was on.
As Nathan drove his newly acquired, slate-gray Hummer H2 past the massive iron gates protecting Sloane’s estate, he could feel the tension in the car heighten. A quick glance at Nicole sitting in the passenger seat told him she was feeling just as anxious. She’d been quiet on the ride out to Summerlin, and her pensive expression wasn’t how he wanted her to greet Preston.
“Take a deep breath and relax, sweetheart,” he said just as a long, sprawling mansion came into view. “We’re almost there and you need to shake off the nerves.”
Right before his eyes, that serious frown on her face disappeared and the rigid set to her shoulders eased. “What nerves?” she asked, flashing him a bright, believable smile.
“Good girl,” he murmured, satisfied that she once again looked like the young, carefree girl Sloane expected to see when they arrived.
Outwardly, she’d done an excellent job of hiding any trace of apprehension she might have been feeling. But past experience as an undercover cop had taught him that deep in your gut, there was no way to completely escape the stress that was your constant companion. Knowing you were playing a very risky game with equally dangerous criminals, you were constantly on guard, your level of awareness increased tenfold. All it took was one false move and suspicions were raised, and weeks of building a credible pretense were flushed down the toilet.
They both knew how much was at stake, and like actors getting ready to put on a performance, they’d discussed their roles and spent the day preparing for the weekend and all the possible scenarios that could come up in their attempt to find and rescue Angela. The good, the bad, and the ugly.
Nathan pulled around the circular drive, and as soon as they stopped, a valet opened Nicole’s door and offered his hand to help her out of the high vehicle. Then he retrieved their overnight bags from the back and promised to deliver them to whatever room they’d been assigned.
Knowing he needed a sturdy vehicle with more space than the Ferrari in order to get Angela out undetected when the time came, Nathan had traded the sports car for the high-dollar Hummer. It wouldn’t come as a surprise to Sloane that the wealthy entrepreneur Alex Keller had more than one vehicle, and the SUV, with its spacious backseats and black-tinted windows, was the perfect distraction.
“Make sure you don’t block the Hummer in any way when you park it.” Nathan handed the young man a twenty-dollar bill along with the keys. He wanted to make sure he had easy access to the vehicle at all times, and even had a spare key in his wallet just in case the need arose.
The guy pocketed the cash and grinned. “Sure thing.”