Текст книги "Exposed"

Автор книги: Ivy Stone

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Текущая страница: 9 (всего у книги 16 страниц)

I lift the hem of my top, bringing it up to rest just under my bra. The redness of fresh bruising glows on my flesh. “I’ll be fine. Copped worse before.”

“Here, let me help you with that.” Mason reaches for my top.

I stop him, blocking his advance because I know exactly where he’s going with this and if I let him continue, he’ll shred me of more than just my clothing.

“No need. I’ve got it.”

He glares at me, brows bunched in, lips pinched together. “You’re a grown-ass woman, Lindsey. I know you can undress yourself. Just trying to help you out because those ribs look like they’d be hurting like a bitch right now.” He points to my body before reaching behind me to turn on the taps to the bath.

“They are.” I groan. He’s being kind. He’s letting me into his home after dropping whatever it was he was doing to come to me when I needed help, and now I’m throwing it back in his face by being difficult for my own selfish reasons. This is exactly why I didn’t want to come here.

“Well, now we’ve established that, lift your arms up, sweetheart. Promise I won’t peek.”

The glint in his eyes tells me otherwise and it lifts my spirits even though it shouldn’t.

“You’re a bad liar, Mase.”

He rids me of my top, discarding it on the floor. My long hair skims against my bare back and Mason’s gaze never leaves mine as he reaches for my hips, hooking his thumbs inside both my pants and underwear. Every muscle in my body tenses with anticipation, desire. His expression changes and it’s as if he’s waiting for my approval, a yes, go ahead, rip off the last scrap of hope I have from concealing my truths. I slightly nod, giving him the okay. I’m not ashamed of my body. I’m ashamed of how my body became blemished with an ugliness that runs deeper than my flawed skin. Sucking in a shaky breath, I wait for the inevitable questioning to slip off his tongue.

Mason

Her milky thighs feel so smooth, a perfect contrast under my calloused hands. Bending at my knees, I glide her pants down her toned legs. My throat thickens at the sight of her bare pussy and my cock all but punches out, ready to dive into sexual oblivion.

I move slowly, appreciating every second I get to feel her. She’s bound to shut me out any moment now and as much as I’d love to spin her around and fuck her over the tub, my daughter’s in the other room waiting for me. Standing back up, I slip the straps of Lindsey’s bra off her delicate shoulders. Unclasping the back, she lets the black lace fall loosely away, along with the last of my willpower. Fuck it, this will only take a minute.

I close the distance between us and grab the sides of her face in my hands. Pulling her in, I claim her lips in a devastatingly life-ruining kiss. She destroys me, knocks the wind out of my lungs with one fucking kiss.

I break away from her sinful mouth and lean my forehead against hers. “Fuck, Lindsey. You’ve got the face of an angel, but the lips of the goddamn devil.”

Breathing labored, her chest rises up and down just as fast as my own. I trail my hands down softly, passing her collarbone, and stopping when I get to the swell of her tits. Palming both of them, I squeeze them in my hands, and a grumble sounds in the base of my throat. I rub my thumbs over her pebbled nipples, back and forth, so teasingly light.

“Fuck. I’m gonna blow just from touching your tits if I don’t stop now,” I breathe out and pull away. Running a hand through my hair, I pull myself together and adjust my rock hard dick raging in my pants.

Lindsey just stares at me, head tilted to the side, cheeks flushed pink. She still doesn’t speak; instead, she looks away shaking her head.

“I don’t get you.”

I cross my arms, confused. What the hell is she talking about?

She looks back at me. “Why didn’t you ask?”

“I’m sorry?” I ask, wondering where the hell she’s going with this.

She points down to the shiny, pale scar on the inside of her right thigh. “This. You didn’t stare, you didn’t ask. You just said nothing.”

“Still not sure where you’re going with this.” I fold my arms and widen my stance.

“My scar, it’s huge, horrible to look at. You don’t wonder what happened for me to get that?” She reaches for the towel on the rack and wraps it around herself.

I shrug, not really understanding why she brought it up. “It’s a scar. Most people have at least one. As for it being ugly, don’t know why you’d think that.” I lift her chin so she has no choice but to look me dead in the eyes. “I wish you could see what I see, Lindsey.”

She pulls out of my grasp, turning her gaze to the floor, and I know I’ve lost her for now. “You keep putting those walls up, sweetheart, I’m just going to keep knocking them down.”

***

Bubbles appear in the boiling water, the smell of tomato and herbs carry through the apartment. I listen to Charlotte talk about her day at school while thinking about Lindsey in the bathroom. I did notice her scar. It was hard not to. It’s not huge, doesn’t look old, but it’s certainly not new. The wound is nasty and wasn’t treated properly, that much I could tell when I glanced over it.

When I undressed her, I didn’t see an ugly scar though. I saw a woman, perfectly imperfect, wearing a piece of her story on her body with pride. Although she seemed anxious, she never made an attempt to hide her body from me when those clothes were coming off. I can’t deny I’m not curious about where it came from or the reason behind her meeting with Enzo Baccarelli. But if I push her, she’ll push back. With her, I have to pick and choose my battles wisely.

Lindsey

Painkillers dull the ache for a few hours. The constant chatter of a talkative Charlotte serves as a distraction, giving me no chance to sit and wallow over my destroyed home. My stomach bloats from an overabundance of well-cooked food, because apparently, Mason has skills outside of being a sexually teasing, all-round badass.

“Thank you for dinner, and for bringing me here to stay. I was being a pain in the ass before. I know staying at my own place wasn’t the smartest idea. I just don’t think being here with you and Charlotte is any smarter,” I say quietly to Mase as he walks back out from tucking Charlotte into bed for the night.

He refills our wine glasses and brings them over to the table, setting one in front of me. “Why, because you might actually enjoy it?”

I suck in a breath, because once again, he’s right on the mark. “Yes.”

“Lindsey,” he whispers, looking at me with such despair I instantly regret letting the word slip. My heart slices open with that look. I can’t handle it.

Retreating into myself, I change the subject. “She’s a cute kid. You must be proud.”

His lips curve up into a smile as he swivels the stem of his glass in his hand. “Yeah, I am, but I can’t take all the credit. She’s exactly like her mother, I have her to thank for raising a good girl for five years.”

My interest piques at the mention of Charlotte’s mother. She isn’t around and he’s never mentioned her until now. “What’s the story there?”

“Victoria died four years ago. Didn’t even know I had a daughter until the day she and Charlotte were in a car accident. Somehow Charlotte survived the crash, but Victoria didn’t. Child services turned up with Charlotte and the rest is history.”

“Wow.” I sit shell-shocked, eyebrows raised so high in surprise they’re probably reaching my hairline.

“I just wish she wasn’t growing up without a mother. It’s hard trying to take on both parenting roles. I try my best, but I can’t replace the love her mother can give her.”

I take a sip of my wine and shake my head. “No one else ever can, trust me on that. Take it from a girl who had a mother, then lost her at an age when she was old enough to remember everything. Charlotte’s lucky that she can grow up without remembering what the heartache feels like to remind her she lost an amazing woman.”

My throat grows thick and I take a sip of my wine to wash it down.

“Yeah, that’s one way to look at it.” Mason becomes quieter, rubbing the side of his cheek. “You’ve never talked about your family before.”

I shrug. “Neither have you really.”

“My family is my squad. We have dinner every Sunday night at one of our houses. Roamyn’s the smartass, if you hadn’t already noticed. He’s also my best friend, has been since we met in the Police Academy. Cassidy and Elias Kane are partners and they happen to be cousins. If they aren’t shooting shit up, they’re probably arguing about some petty bullshit neither of them really gives a damn about, but it’s just how they roll. My parents live in Arizona where I grew up. I moved to New York after college. I don’t get to see them as much as I’d like, but it is what it is. Life gets busy, time passes before you know it. Charlotte Skype’s them all the time though, and thank fuck, or I’d never hear the end of it from my mother.” His eyes brighten at the talk of his family.

I swallow a sigh. Where did this man come from? “You, Mason Cole, are a good man.”

Pushing his chair backwards, he steps out from the table and comes over to my side. His hands come out and he lifts me from under my arms before I know it’s happening. I’m pulled up, my body flush against his. My hands wrap around his neck and my legs naturally grip around his hips so I can steady us. Mason’s hands slide down to my ass and he walks with me in his arms, while piercing me with a perplexed stare I’ve seen before. He’s trying to do what others have attempted and failed. He’s trying to work me out. What he doesn’t realize is he already has me trapped in a fantasy where I can do nothing but imagine a different life, a different me, one where the heat burning within never disintegrates to ash. How does he do this to me? I can’t control it and it agitates me to no end that I can’t do a thing about it. I hear a lock click into place and he closes the door behind us.

“You don’t give much up, do you?” Mason’s voice trails off and his eyes narrow at me as he lays me down, my back hitting the soft cushioning of a bed.

“What do you mean?” I feign ignorance as my heart begins to thump rapidly in my chest. He grinds his hips forward and my body temperature shoots through the roof. How much longer can I hold out before giving into one temptation there may be no coming back from?

Mason shakes his head. “You’re a mystery, Lindsey Jenkins.”

My tongue darts out and I lick my lips, my mouth now drier than a desert because it craves a thirst only Mason can satisfy. “The best kind always are, Detective.”

I watch him search my face as heat pours off him in waves of desire.

“You’re not making this easy for me, you know.” I sigh.

“Life’s not easy. Relationships sure as shit aren’t either. You’re not the kind of woman to let anything or anyone get in her way, so why are you letting the shit in your own head mess you up so much you’ll let it keep you from something that could bring you happiness?”

I look away, not able to look him in the eye anymore. I don’t want to lie to him. “Because of you.”

Mason gently cups my face, bringing it back so he can see me. “I don’t understand.”

“It’s because you’re a good man, because deep down on some level I do trust you. It’s because of those reasons I can’t let myself fall for you.”

“It’s too late for that, sweetheart. You’ve already fallen, just like I have. Now let me catch you.”

My heart soars.

I lie. “Okay.”

I’m going to hell.

Mason

Fucking finally.

I smash my mouth to hers, bruising her lips with a kiss fueled by so much more than lust. I break away temporarily, my fingers itching to rip her clothes off her. I want nothing between us. I reach behind my head to the hem of my shirt with one arm and rip it over my head. I throw it somewhere in the room, not caring where the fuck it lands. My heart races, thudding in my chest because all I care about is this moment with her, where she finally lets me in and I have my chance to fuck her, worship her, unravel her.

My hands fumble on my belt buckle until they’re tugged away by small hands with an electrifying touch. Lindsey looks up at me, sliding her tongue over her soft lips and my cock throbs as I imagine it between those lips, inside that warm, wet mouth. She splays a hand across my stomach and my balls tingle. The other works my belt and in a flash, it’s undone. The material of my pants and underwear rub against my skin as they’re pulled down, pooling around my ankles. I push them away while Lindsey shifts backward to the top of the bed, undressing herself seductively as she moves. She never unglues her gaze from my body, her eyes gleaming with greed and wicked desire as she zones in on my hard cock. A drop of pre-cum drips from the tip when I squeeze my shaft. Using my other hand, I catch the liquid and rub it over the head. A quiet moan rasps from Lindsey and I lift my head, gazing up in her direction and fuck if I don’t almost come right on the spot. She sits with her back against the headboard, eye glossing over with desire, fingers pinching her small, pink nipples. Her mouth is parted, cheeks flushed pink and I can’t take it any more. My patience has reached the end of the road. My cock sinking into her pussy is the only route from here.

My body moves on its own accord to the nightstand and before Lindsey has a chance to drift those little fingers south, I’ve got a condom on my dick and I’m hovering over her, ready to drill into temptation. No more waiting. I won’t give her a chance to back out now. With my arms either side of her head, I capture her mouth in another fierce kiss. My tongue dances with hers. Our kiss becomes deeper, longer. Lindsey pulls back for a second, and I take the chance to catch my breath. Sitting back, I palm my cock and line it up at her entrance.

“Jesus, you’re soaking.”

“Mmhmm,” slips from Lindsey’s lips as she lays there, eyes closed, hands clutching the sheets so hard her knuckles are turning white.

I tap her clit a few times with my cock, to work her up more. She shoves her hips upward, grinding her drenched pussy against me. She’s ready. We’ve had weeks of goddamn foreplay, none of it is needed now. In one swift move, I thrust into her, all the way to the hilt. Throwing my upper body over her again, this time I grip her shoulders as lightly as I can without causing her wounded body any pain. Her pussy convulses at my intrusion and I close my eyes, soaking up the moment; the way her soft skin feels on mine, the tingling urge shooting up my spine, it all has me aching for more. I pull back and slide in again, now watching her face writhe in ecstasy. I can’t help but grin. “Told you it’d be worth it if you gave in.”

Lindsey’s eyes flicker to mine and her hands fly up to my chest. Pushing against me with her weight, she squeezes her thighs around me and rolls us over, putting me on my back. I catch the grimace on her face as she moves. She tries to hide it, so I let it go. If she didn’t want to be doing what we’re doing right now, she’d have already put a stop to it. Still buried deep inside her, she straddles my waist while her fingers run over the outline of my abs. She tilts her head to the side, a mischievous look plastered on her face.

“I believe you did. So go ahead, Mase. Show me what you’re made of, baby.”

My cock fucking cheers.

“Better grab the headboard, sweetheart. You’ll need to. But promise me, if it’s too much, if you’re too sore with those ribs, tell me and we’ll stop,” I grit out, my tone low and serious. She leans forward, doing as I said and her long hair grazes my stomach, the whispery feeling sending a shiver of pleasure through me.

“Mason, stop worrying,” she demands. “Fuck me like you mean it.”

I squeeze her hips tight and move again. Thrusting harder, faster, deeper, I aim for the one spot to make her see her fireworks. My balls begin to tighten. I can’t hold out much longer; she feels too fucking good.

Lindsey moans and keeps her eyes closed tightly. “Oh, fuck.” She gasps, and there it is, fireworks.

“Open those eyes, sweetheart. I want to see you when you come all over my dick.”

Her eyes open, locking onto mine as I pound into her once more. Her pussy contracts around my cock and I’m done for.

A guttural groan falls from my lips and I explode inside of her. “Ah. Fuck.”

I come hard, fucking harder than I ever remember, while she milks me for all I’ve got. Letting go of the headboard, Lindsey collapses beside me in bed. My breathing slowly returns to normal, so I get up and head into the bathroom to clean myself up. When I look in the mirror, I see Lindsey behind me, leaning on the doorframe staring back at me. Her hair’s a sexed-up mess, those blue eyes shining contently, still completely naked. My cock throbs, hardening again already.

“You’re beautiful, you know that?” I tell her, because bruises and all, she’d never looked more at ease than how she did right now. Whether she accepts it with pride, or draws back putting her mask in place, I have to say it. I won’t hide like she does. Finally, I’ve found a woman I want and I’m not prepared to let her go. I’ll fight every obstacle she puts in my way because I know she wants me too.

She smiles brightly and it lightens my chest, knocking it open for her love. Her smile feels real. It’s not fake; she’s not pretending. She’s showing joy in the fact I’ve told her she’s beautiful and she’s not trying to hide it.

Her mouth widens and a yawn escapes as she replies, “Thank you.”

It’s all I get, but at least she didn’t recoil into her shell like I was expecting her to. I pass her the washcloth and leave the bathroom to give her some privacy. Slipping on some underwear I pick up the clothes strewn on the floor and put them in the closet.

Settling underneath the warmth of the comforter, I rest my hands behind my head and wait for Lindsey. I’m nowhere near done with her, but her eyes are glazing over with tiredness, and her banged-up ribs are no doubt aching after the sex. The covers are pulled back, the chill in the air hits my skin. Sliding into the bed, Lindsey curls in next to me, rolling slowly onto her non-bruised side. She rests her cheek on my chest while her other hand caresses my side, warming it up. She sighs loudly and I kiss the top of her hair before closing my eyes, drinking in the feeling of her breath on my skin, the way her body molds into mine.

My shoulders feel lighter, the weight on them sliding off bit by bit as Lindsey gives me a little more of herself. Being with her pushes the demons away and I feel stronger, in control of myself. The usual force overpowering my mind is in the distance, and now, it can’t get closer; it’s blocked. Blocked by the tenacity of this woman. To everyone, she is clothed in strength, while underneath, I know she’s naked and fractured, just like myself. I hate that she hides, but I understand it.

There is so much dividing us, but after tonight, I have a reason to fight. Not only for us, but to fight for myself. The plague haunting me now has a cure. She would be my resurrection.

Lindsey

Reality awakens me, consciousness reminding me of feelings I can’t comprehend but refuse to ignore further. My first thought before opening my eyes is I’ve never slept so well. What is it about being in the arms of a man that makes a woman feel more secure? The feeling of Mason’s heavy limbs over mine, carves security into me, which I’d only ever felt when in my father’s arms. The thought scares me and brings me back to my senses. What the hell am I doing? I need time to think. Using ninja skills I didn’t realize I possessed, I somehow manage to escape from Mason’s clutches without so much as a murmur from his direction. Quickly, I dress, wincing as I pull my top over my head. I tiptoe out of the apartment as quietly as possible in an effort not to wake Charlotte who is also still sleeping. Closing the door behind me, I breathe out the air I was holding in, in my attempt to escape undetected. I lean back against the door, closing my eyes and agonizing over my decision to leave. A sinking feeling twists my insides into knots. I know he’ll wonder why I left, probably be mad, but I need time to process last night my way. I need to unload on the only person in this world who truly understands me.

The quietness of my office brings me comfort until Oliver walks in, disrupting the silence. “Morning, beautiful.” The silvery tone of Olly’s voice along with the aroma of coffee hitting my nostrils calms me immediately. I put down my pen and stop what I’m doing. This man knows me well.

“Morning.” I stare at an obscenely happy Oliver Davenport, whose lips are actually parted in a full, teeth-showing smile while he stands there with two takeaway coffee cups in his hand.

I raise a brow at him. The man is never this happy. “You’re rather cheery this morning. Have a morning romp with Peyton, did we?” I tease, keeping the mood light.

He sets one of the coffees in front of me and rolls his eyes. “Twice, Lindsey, it happened twice.”

“Two times too many, and two times I can’t erase from my memory. Your office is not a sex dungeon, Olly. Please keep the screaming to a minimum. What’s up anyway? You brought me coffee, which means you’re sucking up. What did you do?” I narrow my eyes at him and take a sip of the delicious liquid gold.

He shakes his head, pulls out the chair on the other side of my desk and sits down. “Always so suspicious, babe. I didn’t do anything. Other than decide I’m over women. I’m done with the hard shit. I’m going to keep it simple and easy. In and out. None of their fucking drama.”

“Well, while you’re shitting on womankind over there, I’m going to just wait here until you’re done because then I’m going to need you to listen to me whine also. But I know you didn’t bring me coffee to tell me you’re becoming a manwhore. So what did you really come in here for?”

Olly shrugs, his lips lifting up into a mischievous grin. Here we go. “Just curious to know why you’re wearing your ‘just fucked’ look today. It’s not your usual style.”

I put the cup down, and clasp my hands together, leaning them on my desk. I eye him with a look he’s seen his fair share of. “Don’t be an asshole.”

He tilts his head and leans back into the chair. “Oh, come on, Linds. You could wear a sack and still look beautiful, you know I’m playing. But, babe, the hair, and weren’t you wearing those clothes yesterday?”

I bring my face to my hands, taking a second to get my shit together before sitting back up. “I’m sorry. Ignore my inner bitch this morning. I didn’t have time to go back home to shower and get ready so I had to bring my shit here and clean up, and clearly”—I gesture to my body—“I haven’t done a very good job of that.”

“You saw the cop again,” he states, his tone sharp.

I nod hesitantly, my heart plummeting at the mention of Mason. My emotional state over the man is a goddamn mess. Since when did I let my emotions get the better of me? They had last night, and it reminded me exactly why I don’t let my heart rule my life.

“I hadn’t planned on it, just so you know. I came home from seeing Ali, and found my place broken into, and I was attacked by whoever the hell broke in. I called Mason and he came over to help me and ended up taking me back to stay at his apartment.”

Olly jumps out of his seat and runs to my side, cutting me off at the same time. “What the fuck, Lindsey, why didn’t you start with that? Shit, are you okay? Where are you hurt?” He turns my head from side to side and looks me up and down. “I can see it now. Although the makeup is hiding that bruise pretty good.”

“Yeah, well, my chest and ribs hurt like hell, but at least those are hidden.” I sit up straighter in my seat, attempting to make myself more presentable, but as I use my hands to straighten out the creases in my top, I huff and give up. It’s a lost cause.

“Was it a Marino hit? Does Mason know anything? Is Alison okay?” Olly throws questions at me I don’t have answers to.

“I don’t know, but I’m going to take a wild guess and say yeah, it probably was. He can’t do his own dirty work from his prison cell, but the men at his every beck and call can. Mason doesn’t know anything he shouldn’t and Alison’s fine. I rang the clinic last night on the way to Mason’s apartment. My only concern was the police finding my gun but apparently, nothing suspicious turned up. Whoever attacked me must have found it when they were tossing the place and taken it.”

Olly shifts back, getting comfortable again in the guest chair of my office. “I’m kind of hurt, Linds. You called the cop and not me.”

It was my turn to roll my eyes.

“Olly, I adore you and all, but you spend more money at Armani than I do, and your closet is double the size of mine. Meaning, you’d rather go an extra week without getting your hair cut than getting blood on those shoes or a rip in your suit from saving my ass. You do the clean jobs, not the messy ones.”

His expression slackens as he puts his hand over his heart. “I’d do anything for you, babe. You know this. I could have comforted you. Stayed with you to make sure they didn’t come back.”

He could have. But for the first time in a long time, he wasn’t the man I instantly wanted to dial. That realization is so terrifyingly true I block it out and shove it to the back of my mind where I can face it later.

“Mason made me stay at his place anyway, so I was safe and that’s the main thing, right?” I add, opting to point out the pros of a situation I can’t and—if I’m honest with myself—wouldn’t change. I search Olly’s face for agreement while I try my hardest to be convincing.

He sighs, rubbing the back of his neck. “Yeah, of course. As long as you’re okay.”

“I am, just a little sore.”

Olly coughs, shifting uncomfortably. “So, sleepovers now, it’s getting serious then. Lindsey Jenkins does not do sleepovers.” A smile plays at his lips.

“Oh, shut up.” I half-laugh, half-groan. “Finally. We’re getting to what I need to talk to you about. Despite you never being in a ‘real’ relationship with a woman over the time span of our friendship, I need you now to listen to me, be a good best friend, and give me advice. Even if you’re the worst person to ask, I can’t ask anyone but you.”

He frowns, brows knitting together. “And why is that?”

“Because no one understands me the way you do.”

It’s that simple. There is no other person who can work out what’s going on in my mind without me saying a single word. Over the years, he’s learned more about me than anyone else ever has. He’ll take my secrets to the grave, just as I’ll take his. When we met, there was a likeness between us which caused us to drift together. Our circumstances were different, but we were carbon copies of one another, lost souls searching for something we never actually needed, but the childhood versions of us believed we did.

Olly reaches across the desk, covering my hand with his. His eyes search mine and they pierce my heart. The look one forever reminding me of where we started, how pitiful my life was, how weak I had chosen to be. “Well, go ahead, let’s have at it.”

“I had the most amazing sex of my life and if I die today, I would be okay with that. That’s how satisfyingly, fucking incredible it was, Olly,” I burst out. “I thought about it, and I know why it was so damn good, and that knowledge confuses the shit out of me. It’s because it was with him.” I stare off into space, losing myself in the realization that Mason means more to me than I choose to admit aloud until this moment. I didn’t want to want him. I didn’t want to admit my feelings were more than just the desire to have him once and then be done with him. He could ruin me, ruin everything I’ve built and worked hard for, and I can’t let him take that from me. I won’t. I’ve fought to become the woman I am, I battled a war I was condemned to lose. I may not have succeeded by following the rules, making the wisest choices, but I survived and that is good enough for me.

What will become of me if I let him into my heart? I’d only ever loved three men, and two of them left me with irreparable wounds, none visible on my body, but they were deeper, more painful than any that bled from my skin. Mason deserves more than I can ever give him and I despise that hidden somewhere, a small insecure fragment of my mind is screaming louder than the rest, letting me know I’ll never be good enough for him. I did the worst thing I could have done for both of us last night. I gave in, giving us the last push we needed to succumb to what we both craved. At first, I believed I was giving in to him just to get what I wanted, but I fell into my own trap. With his very first kiss, I was captured by him, confined by his passion.

“Linds.” Olly’s low voice calms me, bringing me out of my stupor. I stare at him, my eyes voicing all the questions swirling around in my head. His expression softens. He gets it, just like I knew he would.

“I don’t know him well, Olly. And with Charlotte, it’s a whole other playing field, and I don’t know the rules of the game.”

“Hold up a sec, who’s Charlotte?” I realize I haven’t mentioned her before.

“His daughter.”

His eyebrows rise, eyes bulging. “The guy has a child?”

I smile, remembering Charlotte’s cute little face and her adorable personality. “Yeah, a nine-year-old girl. She’s sweet,” I murmur.

“Is that a real smile, Lindsey?” His face breaks out into a smirk, encouraging my own lips to smile wide.

“Ugh, stop, leave me alone. I’m injured and sexually tormented, best not take me on too many times today.”

“You like him a lot, don’t you?” Olly stares at me. His form pinched, he scrutinizes my every move as I walk over to my floor-to-ceiling window, whispering out, “No.” Lie.

“Babe, you can fake your ass off with everyone else but this is me you’re talking to so cut the bullshit. It’s offensive.”

I rub my hands through my messed-up hair. “Okay, so maybe I do. It sucks you know. First time in my life I meet a guy worth it all, and he turns out to be a cop. One person who could turn my world upside down. I can never tell him what I do and expect him to understand. If he ever found out, he’d have to choose between turning me in or keeping my secret. Either way, what kind of person would I be if I put him through that? It’s not fair to him.”