Bound to Her by Deborah Pin (popular books to read .txt) đ
- Author: Deborah Pin
Book online «Bound to Her by Deborah Pin (popular books to read .txt) đ». Author Deborah Pin
craziness.â
âFirst of all I deal with this type of stress all the time. Second of all it doesnât explain why I wanted to fuck you until youâd stop berating me at
parent-teacher conferences.â He chuckled warmly, still holding his fork midair.
âSo it really has nothing to do with all of this?â
âIf some adrenaline-fueled lust is why you are here with me, then we
need to talk. This is the biggest interruption to what I want to be doing
with you.â His face was suddenly quite serious.
âWhich is what?â
âGetting to know you better. Figuring you out, I suppose. Making you fall in love with me.â His words and his eyes trailed off at this last
statement and Katrinaâs heart was suddenly pounding.
âDo you love me?â She thought it sounded like a logical question in
her head but the second she uttered the words she was mortified. Her voice was quiet, she couldnât swallow and for the life of her, she couldnât
look at his eyes that were suddenly back on her.
âYes.â He sounded as quiet as she did and when the waitress
appeared out of nowhere asking how their food was, they just stared at
each other, saying nothingânot even to the poor confused waitress
standing by patiently.
âYes.â She was whispering again. Sheâd never whispered so much in
her life.
âIâm sorry, maâam, âyesâ? I asked how the eggplant was?â
âNo, I mean, yes. I mean yes to him and the eggplant. Itâs good too but, uhâŠâ Shit, she was losing it but Dillon was smiling. He was amused
and his hand found hers on the tabletop, giving it a gentle squeeze.
âItâs nothing. Sheâs in love with me, thatâs all. The foodâs delicious too.â The waitress gave them an odd nod before leaving. They didnât see
much of her after that but then they werenât paying much attention to anyone but each other.
* * * * *
His admission had shocked the hell out of him about as much as it seemed to shock her. When she told him she loved him too, well that took shock to a whole new level. Then to top it off, she climbed into his
lap the moment heâd turned his Tahoe off and hit the garage door opener, closing it. Shock number three and while the first two melted his
heart, this one sent a different kind of heat through his body.
She was undoing the buttons of his shirt while he attacked her mouth.
She parted the fabric of his shirt with a ravenous jerk and her mouth moved down to his neck. He was too old for hickeys but he wasnât going
to be stopping her mouth as she sucked on his skin. When she scooted back toward the steering wheel, it was so she could trail her mouth down
to his nipple. She nipped gently with her teeth and he groaned.
He pulled her shirt over her head and took in her black bra. She had incredible breastsâperky with the softest skin heâd ever felt. He pulled
the cups down below her breasts, pushing the perkiness up even more.
She had only small partial lines of scabbing at this point from where sheâd been cut and most of the cuts were nothing more than thin scars.
He ran his fingers across the slightly raised pink lines and she leaned
back, watching him. When he leaned down and sucked her nipple into his mouth, his fingers kneaded the plump mound of her breast as his mouth worked. He squeezed, careful not to be too rough around the last
remaining healing lines and he pulled. He let his front teeth clamp down
gently and she moaned as she slid her pelvis back to meet his.
She was wearing pants and as his arousal continued to mount and her
hips pushed down to his desperately, he stilled her body gently with his
hands on her hips. âWhy didnât you wear crotchless pants today?â His voice was husky as he spoke in her ear.
âSorry. What was I thinking?â
He smacked her ass playfully and she flinched, pulling her body even
closer to his. He kissed her, careful not to let things get too heated again before pulling his mouth from her and shaking his head in mock
disapproval. When he pulled the door handle, she dropped her head to
his shoulder.
âHang on, sweetie.â He stood with her straddling his hips and her legs gripped him tightly while her arms hugged him.
He wasted no time carrying her into the house and planting her on the couch but then his cell phone started ringing. He contemplated letting it ring but her eyebrows shot up when it rang for the third time and he sat up between her legs, snatching it from the coffee table where
heâd abandoned it. She lounged back on the couch, watching him.
âYour girlâs house is on fire. What do you wanna bet itâs not
accidental?â Dillon was silent, fighting to control his reaction to Stephensâ words as Katrina watched him. âFuck, sheâs with you, isnât she? Thatâs why youâve got nothing to say and why Terrell was bitching
about her not telling them where sheâs been staying.â
âIâll have to talk to you later.â
âYou stupid fuck.â
Katrinaâs phone started ringing but she had a hard time pulling her eyes from Dillon to see who was calling. She was suspicious. She was right to be. He couldnât seem to hide the shock from her.
âIâll call you later.â
âWait.â Stephens snapped at him.
Katrina answered her phone as he was waiting for Stephens to say
something more and when he saw her face fall, he knew sheâd just been
given the news. Her eyes instantly filled with tears and she turned her face from him, reaching her hand up to cover her eyes as she started to
cry.
âIâll stop by to pick her up. Theyâll need to talk to her and Iâm guessing itâll be better if she shows up with me than you. No one thinks
Iâm fucking her.â Stephens disconnected and Dillon reached for her.
âIâm sorry, sweetie. That was Stephens. He just told me.â
âWhy? Why would someone do this?â She was sobbing as he pulled
her into his lap. She sank against him.
âI donât know, sweetie. Iâm so sorry. Stephens is going to come pick
you up and take you to the precinct. Heâll be here in about fifteen minutes. Can I get you anything?â
âNo.â And he went back to holding her. There was nothing more he
could do for her and it was a helpless feeling.
âWill they let me see the house?â She kept shaking her head in
disbelief and she couldnât stop the tears.
âNot tonight. Not until SFD and forensics have cleared the scene.â He
kept his voice low, soothing. It was the same voice he used when he spoke to pretty much any female witness and he hated the sound of it right now. There was nothing about her that he could allow to be anything like them but she responded to his voice and she snuggled in closer to him, relaxing against his body. This was definitely not how he
handled his witnesses.
When Stephens knocked on the door she stood and he followed her.
Stephens stepped through the door and regarded them both. He glared
at Dillon and tried for a sympathetic expression with her. Niceties just werenât his thingâwhich was why Dillon was the front man in their team.
âYouâll be able to see the house sometime over the next couple days to see if thereâs anything salvageable but I wouldnât expect much.â She nodded but her tears were sitting precariously on her lower lids, just waiting for an excuse to fall again.
When Stephens reached a hand out to her shoulder, he spoke. âIâm
sorry, Katrina.â Hell, he didnât even address her formally. Dillon was starting to suspect he knew why his partner was trying to protect him and it was far less to do with him and more to do with her. He liked her.
Not the like that would make Dillon want to knock his teeth outâhe just
liked her, respected her.
Her tears started to fall and Stephens pulled his hand back, shaking his head in frustration. It wasnât frustration at Katrina. It was frustration at this case, at the jeopardy her life was in, the threat that lingered over her head regardless of what they did to try to stop it. He and Stephens were on the same page for once and it was all about protecting Katrina.
He likely shouldnât touch Katrina in front of Stephens but there was
no way he could stand idly by while she endured this and when he pulled her into his arms, she didnât object nor did Stephens. âYou have
your key?â She nodded as she pulled from him. âIâll talk to you when you get home. Iâm sorry Iâm not going with you.â
She shook her head. âItâs okay. Iâll be fine.â She was trying to reassure
him. Odd. That was his job. He threw caution to the wind entirely when
he leaned to her mouth and kissed her. It was just one gentle sweet kiss,
though admittedly finishing it off by telling her he loved her was pushing things. Stephens harrumphed but said nothing.
âI love you too.â
He watched as Stephens walked her out to his car and he watched as
they backed from his driveway. Helplessness was beginning to take over
his life and he hated it.
Chapter Twenty-Two
By the time they reached the precinct it was nearly ten and by the time she waited a couple of hours for Smith and Terrell to arrive back from the scene it was after midnight. They asked her endless questionsâ
the same ones theyâd asked her a hundred times before. They gave her status updates on just how destroyed her home was.
The fire department took the better portion of the night putting it out
and once it was safe, Detectives Smith and Terrell drove her by her home
so she could sob until she sank into a stupor. They wouldnât let her get
out and she wasnât sure she really wanted to. Her neighborsâpeople who sheâd said hi to, waved to, chatted withâall stood around, staring at
her still-smoking pile of burned-out house.
When they brought her back to the precinct Stephens was still there waiting for her, looking annoyed and perhaps a bit exhausted. It was now the ass crack of dawn and for all the emotion coursing through her
like a raging river of confusion, she was still worn out and ready to slip
away to something more peaceful than real life.
As she sat and waited she tried her damndest to figure out what the
hell was going on in her head. She was numb one minute and then in a
nanosecond she was livid and wanted to scream.
Her rage was short-lived as the memories of the home sheâd made for
herself started circling in her head. Then her sadness turned to outright
terror at just how truly fucked she might be. Relief she was at least alive
for the time being crept in after that and then the numbness took over again as she fought to wrap her head around it all.
âCan I take Ms. Page home now, boys?â Stephens seemed to be
friends with Detective Terrell, given their slightly more personable regard for each other but Detective Smith was another matter.
âWhat? You her escort now, that it?â
Stephens chuckled humorlessly. âFuck no. Ms. Page and I run in the
same circles. Sheâs an educator and Iâm just smart as fuck.â Stephens had
an odd way of defusing the situation and refusing to give a straight
answer. âWeâre cerebral types, Ms. Page and I and we ainât got time for your bullshit. Now can I get her outta here or do you two want to waste
more of her time?â
They were on the road less than ten minutes later. It was far too early
for Katrinaâs taste and when she put it in the context of having not even
slept yet, it was just far too damn late. Stephens pulled through a Starbucks drive-through, ordering himself a grande dark roast with three
extra shots of espresso. Damn. âWhatcha want, Ms. Page?â
âKatrina. Please. I expect all my chauffeurs to call me by my first name.â He smiled. Sheâd never seen him smile before. âIâll just have a sugar-free vanilla steamer.â
âA whater?â
Now it was her turn to smile. It was weak, likely unconvincing, but it
was a start. The light pink that was brightening the sky by the minute was much-needed medicine to her mood. Kitty was safe. She was too and
not a damn bit of what that lunatic had taken away from her had a heartbeat. She was lucky really. She was also homeless.
âItâs steamed milk with vanilla flavor. I intend to sleep when I get home, not stay awake for a week straight like you apparently intend to
do.â
Once they had their drinks in hand, he headed toward Dillonâs house
and she stared out at the slowly lightening sky.
âCan I ask what your first name is, Detective?â
âMarcus. Or Marc.â
âWhy donât you and Dillon get along? Itâs not just me is it?â
âHumphâŠâ She was getting used to his humphs. She seldom had any
idea what exactly they meant but she knew they werenât malicious.
Nothing about Stephens wasânot that it was easy to tell.
âGettinâ along with people hasnât always been my strong suit. Donât
mean I donât like the man. Like him just fine. And frankly I get along with him as good as anyone.â
âYouâreâŠhelping him with this situation. I guess I was just
wondering why.â
âBy situation I assume you mean the fact youâre fucking him.â
âNow is that how us cerebral folk talk?â
Another humph. âWhat you two are doinâ is risky. Itâs a good thing heâs not on your case anymore. And not âcause I think heâs not a capable
detective. Heâs one of the best I ever known. Weâre good at what we do
but he was losing his perspective with you.â
She nodded. She understood that much.
âNow itâs his career heâs gotta worry about. This case wonât always stand in the way. And he ainât the first detective to fall for a witness. It happens. But discretion is the name of the game and this fucking perp put your relationship front and center with his photographic talents.â
She was being silent listening to him. He wasnât a man of many words and if he was ready to talk she was going to listen.
âTruth of the matter is I get it. He canât stay away from you. And frankly Iâd rather see you living with him than anywhere else but itâs gonna be a risk to his career until this thing is over. The rules about conflict of interest are gray. What is and what isnât considered a conflict
isnât as cut-and-dry as you might think. He was told to stay away from
you and heâs not. Now that donât mean heâs out a job. What it means is
he could be if the chief decides to make a big deal out of it. He could be if your relationship ever becomes an issue in court. Itâs just a hell of a lot of could-bes he has hanging over his head.â
âYou think I should stop seeing him?â It hurt to even consider and she wasnât sure she could even do it.
âNo.â And then he pulled over abruptly and turned to her. âNo.â He
stared at the floor of the car at her feet with a perplexed look on his face.
He shook his head subtly and it was a ridiculously long time before he finally looked up to her again. âI like you. I like you with him. Youâre good for him. The kind of good that makes this risk worth it. You asked
why I was stepping in and helping to take some of the heat off him.
Thatâs your answer.â
He put the car back in drive but before he pulled back into traffic he
turned to her once more. âYou can keep that bit of information to yourself. Donât need him thinkinâ Iâve gone all mushy and shit.â
âYou got it, Detective Stephens.â She threw him an exaggerated wink
and clicked her tongue in her cheek for effect.
âItâs Marc.â
He walked her to the door when they got back to Dillonâs and Dillon
met them. He looked as exhausted as she felt and he was still dressed from the night before. He thanked Stephens and then he led her up to his
bedroom, pulling the curtains closed and crawling in next to her. She was
asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow with his arms tightly around her.
* * * * *
She woke him as she sat bolt upright in bed next him, screaming.
Heâd had a few nightmares in his day. Seth went through a period of them after Jake and Molly were in a car accident that woke him nearly every night for a month. But this one took the cake. She was shrieking in
terror and it quickly turned to sobs as she realized the nightmare was her
reality.
âYouâre okay, baby.â He murmured against her ear as she let him pull
her closer.
She turned to him, her eyes glistening in the afternoon sunlight that
was peeking in around the closed curtains. âHeâs going to kill me.â There
wasnât an ounce of inflection in her voice.
âNo heâs not. Thatâs not going to happen.â He stroked the skin of her
back and she slowly stopped trembling and snuggled into him again.
âIâm going to call the officer who teaches the self-defense class I was talking about in a little while. Her class is on Tuesday nights at the Y. Iâm going to see if she can either get you in tomorrow or make time for you
individually.â
âCanât you just show me?â
âWe seem to get sidetracked.â He tried to lighten her mood with a smile. âBesides, she has volunteers who wear protective gear so you actually get to practice hands on.â He smirked and she finally smiled.
âBecause youâre afraid Iâm going to hurt you?â
âI guarantee if I let you put your knee in my groin, youâll put me on
the ground.â He kissed her. âHow about we take a shower, make dinner
and I call Selena to see about her class?â She nodded and followed him to
the bathroom.
They stood under the hot jets and he held her against him, fighting with his body about whether to be aroused or not. It was impossible not
to. She was naked, after all, and he worshipped her incredible figure, for another. Flipping the off switch for his dick was just impossible in her presence but she didnât mind his raging hard-on that was tight between
their bodies.
When he finally released her and turned to face the shower, she
reached around his waist and she pulled herself close to his back. She kissed along his skin as her fingers gently caressed his stomach and down farther to his hips and thighs. She was very intentionally ignoring
his erection but he wasnât.
Her hands trailing so gently over his skin was not something his cock
could ignore and he stroked his length as her hands moved feather light
against his skin. When she finally let one hand work its way to his testicles and the other found his hand gripping his shaft, he groaned.
She laced her fingers with his against his dick as her other hand squeezed and worked his balls gently in her palm. They moved their fingers up and down his erection, taunting and torturing his arousal until
he was sucking in breaths of air, rapidly nearing his threshold. He came
as he braced himself against the shower wall with his free hand. She continued to stroke and palm him as he spasmed and pulsed through his
release.
She escaped quietly when he was recovering in the shower and he
found her downstairs raiding his kitchen shortly thereafter. He
discovered quickly that teaching wasnât her only talent. She was quite an
impressive cook and after he let her have her way with his cupboards and fridge, she knocked out an incredible meal of white chili and soda bread.
âI want to talk to Seth about whatâs going on.â He realized a bit too
late he wasnât taking his own good advice by forgetting the statement should really be a question.
âHe doesnât need to know about all this.â
âNo he doesnât, but he does. He already knows something is going on
with you and he knows I am somehow involved. Iâm not suggesting he
knows all the details or even most of them but I want to be able to have
you closeâhave you here and not have to make excuses.â
He could tell he wasnât going to like her response even before she opened her mouth to say it. âWhen he gets back from spring break, IâŠâ
She looked nearly nervous. âI donât think I should stay here. Iâm not even sure I should stay with Imogen.â
âWhat are you talking about?â He wasnât appreciating a damn word
of what she was saying.
âI think I should stay in a hotel or find an apartment orâŠâ
âNo!â He didnât mean to sound angry but heâd be damned if that
wasnât exactly how he sounded.
âIâm afraid anyone around me could end up being in danger because
of me and I canâtâŠI canât be responsible for that. I wonât have Seth in danger because of me, or Imogen for that matter. Itâs bad enough Iâm here running the risk that he figures out Iâm here too, putting you in danger. What happens if he figures out who you are? What if he already
knows? Heâs already seen you. Iâve already put you and Seth in danger.â
âYou havenât put anyone at risk. He has. This is his fault, Kat and you
canât make yourself responsible.â
âNo but I can sure as hell do what I can to protect the people I care
about! It doesnât really matter whose fault it is. It would kill me if something happened to you or Imogen or God! Seth? No! How could I deal with that?â
âYou canât deal with this alone, Katrina!â
âI donât see that I have a choice. I donât have any other choice I can live with.â
âSo what does that mean for us?â
She stared at him, swallowing harshly over a lump in her throat. He
really hadnât intended on the conversation getting to this point. He wanted her to agree to move in but here she was threatening to pull them
apart because of this damn thing.
âI donât know.â She suddenly couldnât look at him. Their food was forgottenâtheir rather nice shower before dinner was gone now too.
This fucking head case wackjob was going to tear them apart and Dillon
wasnât willing to accept that.
When there was suddenly a knock on the door, they both jumped.
Stephens strolled in the moment Dillon opened the door for him.
âWhereâs your girlfriend?â
âDining room. Whatâs up?â
âWell Iâm a fucking messenger boy, donât ya know?â
Stephens followed him to the dining room where Katrina was sitting
staring out the window. He hated the way things were between them at
the moment. It was starting to feel like a habit. They were riding some damn yo-yo thanks to the lunatic who was making it impossible for them
to just be a normal couple. Every aspect of this case somehow touched on
their relationship and tried to fuck it up.
Katrina finally looked up to Stephens. âDonât you ever sleep, Marc?â
Marc? What the fuck is that about? Her voice sounded tired and exasperated.
âNah. Who needs sleep? Tomorrow Iâm going to take you over to
your house. The fire inspector and forensics are going through the scene
today and youâll be able to see the damage tomorrow. I drove by earlier
and Iâm warning you itâs a total loss. Smith and Terrell want you to meet
them there so I told them Iâd bring you.â
âYou canât possibly have time to drive me around.â
He chuckled quietly as they looked at each other. She looked guilty and he looked oddly sympathetic. Dillon was just jealous. âI have all the
time in the world this week. Iâm not on rotation until Adlerâs back on the
clock Sunday night so Iâm just following up on loose ends this week.â
âAnd what of Smith and Terrell? Youâre taking a risk by shuttling Katrina around.â Dillon knew Stephens had mastered the art of either being rude enough to someone they gave up asking or simply refused to
answer questions that would incriminate him but it didnât mean he
wasnât endangering his own career by being involved.
Terrell might be his friend but Smith hardly was and if the chief found out, thereâd be questions. Stephensâ dickhead approach would
only make things worse with Greenwood.
âKatrina and I have already talked about this and you donât need to
worry about it.â Dillonâs eyes flashed to Kat, who was now sheepishly avoiding him. Dillonâs jealousy was ratcheting up with every passing word. What the fuck was Stephens doing talking to Kat instead of him about what was going on?
Dillon stood and walked to kitchen, grabbing a beer from the fridge.
He stood at the bar separating the kitchen from the dining room and he
watched them. Stephens sat at the end of the table and Katrina was
beside him. There was something odd about the casual and comfortable way they regarded each other and it left Dillonâs heart racing.
âIâm going to have to get to Imogenâs at least a couple times this week
to feed and water Kitty. And my car is in a parking garage. Maybe we should just get my car out. Then you wouldnât have to worry about driving me. I could keep it in Dillonâs garage.â
âNo.â Dillon snarled from his place at the same time Stephens
responded to her. Katâs gaze caught on his quickly before returning to Stephens.
âNo, Kat. You need to be seen as little as possible. Heâs seen Dillon and that means itâs possible he knows who Dillon is, perhaps even where
he lives. Itâs also possible he knows about Imogen and where her home is
as well. You donât want to take the risk that heâs watching this house and
sees you leaving in your car. It makes it far too easy for him to follow you. He without doubt knows your car too and we donât want him able
to follow you to Imogenâs. Even my driving you comes with risk. Thereâs
no perfect answer. Adler or I could meet you downtown and drive you
back from a parking garage. That way he couldnât easily follow you back
here. We donât want to give him any easy ways to follow you around. Itâs
just a game to make it as difficult as possible for him to follow you or figure out where youâre at at any given moment.â
Dillonâs jaw was clenched tight as he listened. It wasnât as if Stephens
wasnât saying anything he didnât already know but he was struggling.
He was angry at Kat for diminishing her importance to him.
He felt as though she were two seconds from walking out the door because she thought she was a danger to the people around her. He understood that but it also meant she was willing to walk out on him to
protect him and he couldnât stomach that. Her easy regard for Stephens
wasnât helping the situation and Dillon felt like a damn juvenile jealous
prick. He was an outsider at the moment and he didnât like itânot with
her.
When his cell phone rang, he saw it was Selena. Heâd left her a message earlier about the self-defense class and she was without doubt getting back to him about it.
âHey Adler, so youâve got someone you want in my class tomorrow
night?â
âYeah, sheâs a victim in an ongoing stalking case and Iâd feel better if she was as prepared as she can be.â He had left the kitchen and was sitting on the stairs in the foyer with his beer in one hand and his phone
in the other.
He could hear Kat and Stephens talking easily in the dining room and
he had to force himself to focus on his conversation.
âSure, but letâs do this. She can join the class tomorrow night. The class actually runs one night a week for an hour and a half for a month.
Tomorrow night is the second in our series but I could stay after and give
her a good condensed version of the whole series. Iâll see if Jeremy can stay as well to help. Maybe an extra two, two-and-half hours and we could cover the content one-on-one? Sound like a plan?â
âThatâs great, Selena. I really appreciate it. Five oâclock tomorrow night, right?â
âYeah and Iâll try to be done by nine.â
âGreat. Sheâll be there. Her name is Katrina Page.â
He disconnected quickly as he
Comments (0)