Page 60 of Dark Terror
“Thank you,” she softly said. “I’m sorry you had to—”
“Don’t be.” Max opened his eyes, his gaze flicking to Gabe before resting on her. “He didn’t leave me any choice. It was either him or one of you. All that counts is that you both are standing here, talking to me.”
Gabe had been a hair’s breadth away from pulling the trigger, but Max had saved him from having to live with killing a man for the first time in his career as a police officer. When Max glanced back at him, he nodded, silently giving the man his own thanks.
Four hours later they’d been helicoptered back to Dark Falls, leaving Max behind. Because he’d fired the fatal shot, Captain Scanlon had sent two Internal Affairs investigators to interview him and escort him home. It had been a righteous kill. Everyone knew that, but the Sherman family was influential. She wanted everything done by the book so that there would be no questions later.
Gabe stopped at Harry’s long enough to drop her off and pick up Cara’s things and the dog. There was no way he was letting her out of his sight. He pulled into his garage and glanced over at her. She was sound asleep with her head resting against the window. Cricket was curled up on her lap, and when he opened his door, the dog hopped over the console. He took the ugly thing he was growing fond of and Cara’s small suitcase into the house, and then he came back for Cara. Lifting her into his arms, he took her to his bedroom.
“Where are we?” she murmured, waking up and blinking sleepy eyes at him when he set her on the bed.
He knelt in front of her and slipped off her sandals, then put his hands on her knees. “My house. Are you hungry? Rather go to sleep?” And she would be sleeping in his bed, even if all he did was hold her.
“No.” She put her hands over his. “I feel so dirty after everything. A shower would feel wonderful.”
“Even better, a nice warm bath. Wait here a minute.” He went into his closet and grabbed a package of bath oils and candles. They were for Doni’s birthday next week, but he’d bought six different scents of the oils. She’d never know one was missing. He read the labels, choosing the warm vanilla sugar one. That sounded relaxing. He also took two vanilla-scented candles with him to the bathroom. After running a bath and pouring in the scented oil, he lit the candles, placing them on the rim of the tub.
He eyed his work, then decided a glass of crisp and cool pinot grigio would be the perfect last touch. As he headed to the kitchen, he smiled when he passed Cara. She’d fallen over and was sound asleep again. Back with the wine, he set it on the bathroom counter and then went to wake her up.
“Hey, sweetheart, your bath is ready.” When she mumbled something and tried to bury her face into the covers, he considered letting her sleep. But she’d said she felt dirty, and he wanted her to feel clean again. Even now, with the man dead, a rage simmered inside him for what TJ had done to her.
“Wake up, Sleeping Beauty.” He kissed her, smiling against her lips when she murmured something that sounded like, “Yummy.” Before he did more than just kiss her, he scooped her up in his arms and carried her to the bathroom.
With sleepy eyes, she glanced at the water already in the tub and the candles. “Anyone ever tell you that you’re sweet?”
“Never.” If there was sweetness in him, she brought it out. He leaned against the counter and turned her to face him. “I’ll leave and give you privacy if you want, but I have this need to take care of you.”
“You mean like undress me and all?”
“That’s exactly what I mean.” Pink stained her cheeks, his favorite color on her. “Please let me.”
“Okay.”
“Thank you.” She didn’t have on much. Shorts, a T-shirt, and whatever she had on under them. “Let’s start with your shirt. Lift your arms.”
When he had her down to her panties and bra—both a pale blue—he wondered if this was a good idea. Tonight was about taking care of her, not his desire for her, which had intensified with each piece of clothing he’d removed. Christ, he wanted her more than he’d ever wanted another woman.
“This is very pretty, but it needs to come off.” He reached around her, unhooked her bra, and slipped the straps down her arms. Unable to resist, he flicked his thumbs over her nipples. She shivered and her brown eyes darkened, the gold flecks in them shimmering. Before he took her right down to the bathroom floor, he slipped off her panties.
He blew out a breath. “You’re beautiful, Cara. You have no idea how much I want you. I want to taste every part of you, and it’s taking every bit of my control to keep my mouth off you.”
“I wouldn’t say no.”
“Thank God for that. But in the tub with you.” He liked that she wasn’t shy in front of him about her body. Once she was in the water, he handed her the glass of wine.
“This feels wonderful,” she said, letting out a soft sigh. “Thank you.”
“My pleasure, believe me. Relax for a little while. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
He took a quick shower in the guest room bath and then put on a pair of sweats and a T-shirt. Barefoot, he returned to the master bath. Cara was leaning her head back on the tub and had her eyes closed. He glanced at the glass of wine, noting that half was gone.
“You’re not asleep, are you?” He hefted himself onto the counter.
She smiled as she shook her head. “No, but I could easily drift off.”
“We’ll have you in bed soon. Do you want to talk about what happened tonight?” He was worried that she’d have nightmares and hoped that if she talked about it, she would be able to wrap her mind around having a gun pointed at her. When she’d given her statement, they’d learned about TJ’s plan to frame his father. They probably would have been able to figure it out, but there was always the chance he could have gotten away with it.
“I think we have a lot to talk about.” She took a sip from her wine, then grinned at him. “I don’t understand why the first time I’m naked in front of you, I’m not embarrassed.”
