“His heart?”
“Didn’t you understand what we were telling you? We love you.
Both of us. We’re in love with you. What did you think he meant?”
“He’s in love with me, too?”
He slowly nodded. “You didn’t realize that?”
Clarisse’s thoughts reeled. She didn’t realize it, too caught up in the fact that Mac had confessed his feelings to her. She’d totally missed the true meaning in Sully’s quiet confession.
“I thought me meant he…loved me. Not that he was in love with me.”
He smiled. “He loves you as much as I do.” He stood. “Wear sweats, honey. No need to dress up.” She realized he wore jeans and a button-up shirt, the ID bracelet on his wrist. He never took that off.
“Can I bring Bart?”
“Might as well.”
Twenty minutes later, they headed for the airport. Mac made her wait for him to open her door again, and she cuddled Bart under her jacket as they walked into the terminal. Protectively, possessively, Mac kept his hand on the small of her back as he had at the police station. He consulted the arrival boards and found the gate number and where they could wait outside the security checkpoint. Ten minutes after Sully’s flight arrived, they spotted him. He used his cane and had his laptop case slung over his shoulder.
Clarisse’s heart thumped. He loved her. Mac’s clarification had changed her world.
Still, that niggling doubt remained. Trust him? He hadn’t asked her for her love, only her trust. In some ways, that was an even bigger request.
Sully spotted them. They stepped off to the side as Mac greeted him. Sully cupped his hand around the back of Mac’s neck as Mac’s forehead rested against Sully’s shoulder. Sully whispered something and Mac nodded. Then Sully pulled him in for a tight hug.
Her heart thumped even harder. Something about the gesture, both tender and authoritative at the same time, drew her in. She wished he’d greeted her like that.
When the men stepped apart, Sully handed his laptop to Mac and turned to her. He looked tired, but he smiled. “Are you okay, sweetheart?”
Her throat felt dry. She nodded. She had Bart cuddled under her jacket, and he picked that moment to poke his head out.
Sully’s eyes widened. “What is that?”
Mac laughed. “That’s Bart.”
“That’s your dog?”
She nodded again, very nervous.
“Oh,” Mac added, “guess what? He’s litter trained.”
“You’re kidding.”
“Damnedest thing you ever saw.”
Sully stared at the little dog. Clarisse felt his tail wagging under her jacket. She unzipped it a little so she could pull him out and show him to Sully. She couldn’t be lucky twice, could she?
“Be careful. He usually bites men,” she warned.
Sully arched an eyebrow at her. “Usually?”
Mac laughed again. “I’m apparently the first guy he’s never bitten. He loves me.”
Sully held up his hand, palm open, in front of the dog. Bart sniffed him as his tail increased in speed. When Sully reached for him, he willingly went and licked his chin.
Clarisse shook her head. “I don’t believe it.”
Sully lifted the dog to eye level. “You like to protect your lady, don’t you, buddy? You only trust her with guys she trusts.”
He said it playfully. Bart’s stubby little tail wiggled so fast it was barely visible. But his words slammed into her. Trust. Honestly?
Since she’d gotten Bart, she didn’t trust any men.
Except these two.
Yes, she did trust Sully.
Sully scratched the dog on the head and returned him to her. As they walked toward baggage claim, Sully kept his arm around Clarisse’s waist while Mac filled Sully in. She couldn’t resist leaning into his warm embrace while they walked.
When Mac finished, Sully said, “Well, if they aren’t the most sophisticated of agencies, it’s possibly a glitch, though I doubt it.
Case files can get mislaid, accidentally stuck inside other files. To also lose the digital version at the same time is bullshit. Especially considering Bryan’s job duties.” He turned to Clarisse. “We’ll get this taken care of. Didn’t you say Raquel took pictures of you, too?”
“Yeah. I stored them online.”
“Digital pictures aren’t as good as film, defense can claim Photoshopping went on. I brought the pictures and copies of the negatives of the ones I took when you arrived. Those were a few days old, but they will be consistent enough with what Raquel took to lend credence. And she can testify. Jason will swear an affidavit and come testify if we need him. We might have to hire an attorney in Columbus to pursue this if we can’t get it resolved through the state attorney’s office.”
She gasped. “I can’t afford that!” When both men looked at her, she realized what their looks meant. “I can’t let you do that, spend that kind of money on me.”
“There’s no ‘let’ involved here, Clarisse,” Sully said. He pointed at his bag as it emerged onto the luggage carrousel. Mac grabbed it, then shouldered the laptop case and led the way to the parking garage.
Sully helped her into the backseat. Mac opened and held the passenger door for Sully before he slid behind the wheel. Bart sat on her lap, his tail still wiggling, vainly trying to see over the seats to look at the men. Two new friends for him.
“I’m sorry you’re going to miss your conference,” Clarisse said.
“Thank you for coming.”
“I’m not missing it,” he said. “I sent another bag to New York already. It’ll be waiting for me at the hotel. That’ll give me at least two days here if I need it. You guys will drive home, and I’ll stay in touch with the detectives. If it’s not resolved by then, I’ll fly back here next week from New York and work on it with an attorney.”
She tried to absorb that. He’d said it in a calm, matter-of-fact tone, as if planning arrangements for a small dinner party.
“But…I can’t ask you to do that!”
Sully turned to look at her over the seat. “Bryan is not going to skate on this if I have anything to say about it.” The dark, dangerous tone of his voice didn’t scare her. It made her want to lean forward and kiss him. He settled back in his seat, breaking the spell. “As I told you, all I ask is you do what we say when it comes to this. I don’t want you spending the rest of your life looking over your shoulder.”
At the hotel she thought she might not be able to get back to sleep, but she found herself drifting. Sully lay next to Mac, on his side, his arm draped possessively over Mac the way Mac’s had been draped over her. She’d never seen them exactly like this before.
What would it feel like to be the one cuddled with Sully? Or better, between the men? Like the night of her nightmare, to sleep feeling safe and protected?
The next morning, Clarisse’s nerves had stretched to the breaking point before they even left the room. She set Bart’s crate on the bed.
After they’d all had showers and dressed, Mac hung the Do Not Disturb card on the doorknob before they walked across the street to a restaurant.
When she insisted she wasn’t hungry, Sully ordered for her anyway. Sully talked with Mac about what had happened and how he planned to approach things. When their order arrived, hers a small meal of scrambled eggs and toast, Sully looked across the table at her.
“Eat,” he softly, firmly commanded. “I don’t expect you to finish it, but pick at it, at least. You’ll get sick if you don’t.”
She thought she wouldn’t be able to get through more than two or three bites, but by the time the men had finished eating, she was surprised to realize she’d finished most of hers, too.