Page 54 of The Agent
“Remember when you told me it’s okay to talk about things that hurt you? Well, for me, it’s never been okay. Do you think I liked telling you about the day I found my mother overdosed on the floor? That it was all part of some sick game? I’ve never toldanyone about that before.” Caleb made a frustrated sound in the back of his throat. “I didn’t plan on opening up to you, Marley. It just happened.”
“Yeah, it conveniently happened.”
He flinched at her harsh retort, but the determination on his face never wavered. “I won’t leave you. Grier will try to get to you, but I refuse to let him. Did Hernandez tell you what happened to the last woman who got involved with Grier?”
She nodded, unable to speak.
“Well, I won’t let that happen to you. You can be angry with me all you like—you can hate me if you want—but I’m not leaving this house. If I left and something happened to you…” Agony clung to his husky voice. “I’d never forgive myself. No matter what you believe, I care about you, and I’m staying right here to protect you.”
She tried to ignore the rush of warmth that heated her belly. There wasn’t a single false note in his heart-felt words. Was Gwen right? Was it possible Caleb truly did care for her? Patrick had covered up the fact that he was a criminal, had lied about his very nature. But Caleb was a cop, a man who’d sworn an oath to protect others, and now he was determined to protect her. If anything, that made him honorable, but did it excuse the lie he’d told her?
She sucked in a slow breath. “Caleb—”
“I’m not going anywhere,” he interrupted, jutting out his chin. “Even if I have to sit on the front porch all night, even if I have to stand on a ladder outside your bedroom window, I won’t leave.”
As if a higher power were eavesdropping on their discussion, a loud crack of thunder sounded from outside. Seconds later, rain poured from the sky, pounding against the house. Marley turned to the window in disbelief, watching as raindrops streaked down the glass.
“I swear, you planned this,” she grumbled, shaking her head at him. “Now I’ll spend the whole night picturing you getting soaked on the porch, or struck by lightning while standing on a ladder.”
His lips twitched, but he didn’t say a word.
“Fine,” she said. “You can stay. But this doesn’t mean I forgive you, Caleb.”
“I know.”
They stared at each other for one long moment, and a kaleidoscope of emotions spun around in her body. A part of her wanted to break the distance between them and find solace in his strong arms. She wanted to feel his firm lips pressed against hers, his dark stubble scraping her cheek. But then there was the other part of her—the angry part—that looked at him and remembered the cameras next door.
The sound of the front door opening interrupted her thoughts. Her pulse quickened, as a feeling of foreboding shot up her spine. She’d been on edge ever since the incident with her locker, and she found herself jumping at shadows, startling at the merest sound. She kept expecting Patrick to pop out of a closet or blaze into the house with a gun.
Her heartbeat slowed when Caleb’s partner appeared in the doorway, shaking out his clothing and sending water droplets onto her parquet floor.
“Hernandez left for the hospital to get Mrs. White’s statement,” AJ said. “The other officers from the SDPD are continuing the patrols, and our guys are setting up posts around the neighboring houses. Are we heading next door?”
Caleb shook his head. “I’m staying here.”
His partner’s eyes flickered with surprise. “All right.”
“Keep your radio on, and your eyes on the monitors,” Caleb said brusquely. “If Grier decides to come back tonight, we’re going to see him.”
With a nod, AJ bid an awkward goodbye and left the room. Caleb walked him out, and she heard the metallic scrape of the lock sliding into place. He returned a few seconds later and said, “You should go up to bed. It’s past midnight.”
Marley was quite aware of the fact that they were now completely alone. The same way they’d been alone last night, when they’d made love for hours in her bedroom. A traitorous flame of desire licked at her skin.
No. No way. She couldn’t let herself be tempted by this man. No matter how gorgeous he looked in his all-black get-up, with his dark hair falling onto his proud forehead.
She stumbled to her feet. “Yeah, I should go upstairs.”
To her dismay, he followed, trailing after her as she climbed the stairs to the second floor. “I guess you can sleep in the guest room,” she offered, gesturing to the doorway across from hers.
He shook his head. “I’ll stay outside your door.”
Annoyance tickled her throat. “For the love of—”
“I’ll be right here if you need me,” Caleb cut in. “Now stop arguing and go to bed.”
She rolled her eyes. Fine, if he wanted to be all macho about this, she would let him. So what if he chose to sit on an uncomfortable hardwood floor all night? That was his problem.
The first thing she did after she walked into her bedroom and shut the door was make a beeline for the window. She closed the drapes, her lips thinning as she pictured Caleb’s scary partner next door, watching her on the monitor. She fought the urge to give him a big fat scowl. Instead, she took the higher road and turned away from the window, heading to the bathroom to get ready for bed.
