Conned (15 page)

"You coming?" she called.

If only
.

I took a deep breath and got my thoughts under control
before I strolled down the hall as casually as I could and stopped in the
doorway.

She looked up from my kit and after seeing my face, started
chuckling.

"You look terrified." She faced me with the
scissors in her hand and smirked. "Just sit down, Con. I know what I'm
doing."

"That's not what I'm worried about," I muttered
under my breath and plopped down in the chair.

"Well whatever it is, you'll just have to deal with it.
I've watched you tug at your hair for weeks now and every time you huff and
puff about it, my head nearly explodes."

Her cheeks flushed as she spoke, displaying the clear
frustration she had about my hair and that fire I knew was just below the
surface. She was so damn beautiful when she let that fire out. My chest
tightened when she rolled her eyes at me and I absently rubbed my hand over my
sternum. That was happening a lot lately.

She used a spray bottle to wet my hair after asking how
short I wanted it.

"Whatever you think, Emily. I don't care as long as it
isn't in my face."

She smiled at me in the mirror and went to work. Everything
was fine, normal with a slight rise in tension at the feel of her fingers on my
scalp and I took deep, slow breaths to keep my mind clear. I watched her
through the mirror and studied the way she bit her lip when she was
concentrating and the way her long eyelashes brushed her cheeks every time she
blinked. Her hair had been pulled back into a braid, but strands fell out of it
and framed her face.

It was satisfying, being able to watch her without having to
worry about getting caught. Then she moved in front of me and I about choked as
her scent swarmed me and her chest was the only thing I could see.

I held my breath as she started cutting the hair from my
face and I had to close my eyes.
Please hurry, please please
please
hurry!
I shouted in my head.

"You okay?" Her voice was slightly deeper and
scratchy and it made the tightness in my jeans down below even more
uncomfortable. I opened my eyes to see her staring down at me with concern
written all over her face, but a flicker of heat that I could swear was just
for me.

I cleared my throat, "Yeah, I'm good."

"Am I hurting you? You look like you're in pain."

That's because I am!

"No, I'm good. Just wish you would hurry."

She huffed and folded her arms across her chest, making her
breasts lift even more and immediately drawing my gaze there. "Unless you
want to look like a freak, I suggest you be patient," she stated firmly.

I groaned as the fire in her voice washed over me. Damn if
this girl wasn't everything I needed.

I looked away from her chest and up into her now dark forest
green eyes. Her knees were barely touching mine and her back was only inches
away from the counter. I could easily lift her up there and settle myself
between those legs to relieve the aching in my groin.

I forced myself to stay seated and closed my eyes again,
waiting for her to continue.
Off limits.

"Am I that repulsive to you, Conall?" she asked
quietly, that fire I loved so much completely absent.

My eyes popped open and I waited for her to laugh and say
'just kidding', but she didn't. She stared back, her shoulders tense.

"Is that what you think?"

She shifted nervously and her eyes darted around the
bathroom. "Well, it's the only thing I can come up with to explain why
you've been so distant with me since I… since we… I mean, I know you have a job
to do… you know what? I shouldn't have said anything. I guess I just still feel
awkward about what I did and thought maybe you were upset about it still."

I couldn't take it anymore. The idea of her thinking she
repulsed me made me nauseous and no way in hell I was upset about her kissing
me. If anything, I was upset that I haven't had the guts to do it since.

I spread my knees apart and reached out in front of me,
gripping her hips and pulling her between them. She gasped and stumbled
forward, gripping my shoulders to keep her balance. My head was screaming at me
to back off, let her think I wasn't attracted to her at all, but everywhere
else on and inside me needed her to know the truth.

"God, Emily. You don't repulse me. You drive me fucking
crazy."

Her brows knitted in confusion as she looked down at me, but
her lips parted and I gripped her hips harder, dipping my thumbs under the hem
of her shirt and feeling the soft skin just above her jeans. She shivered and
goose bumps broke out where I touched her.

"It's taken everything I have to stay away from you. To
not throw you against the wall and touch you, kiss you everywhere."

The feel of her in my hands was overwhelming. I needed to
stop pulling her closer and start pushing her away from me, but I couldn't. She
felt too good, too right. Her fingers gripped my shoulders tighter, digging
into them. I needed to get closer.

"Conall," she whispered.

We were both practically panting at the charge between us. I
could see her racing pulse at the base of her neck and I licked my lips,
knowing how good her lips tasted and wondering what that spot would taste like,
too. Her scent engulfed me and my fingers curled, gripping her hips a little
tighter and pulling her even closer as I inhaled deeply.

"You're beautiful, you're smart, and you're so damn
brave."

This is exactly what Luke had been talking about. The more I
fought it, the more it fought back and I didn't want to keep my distance
anymore. It was too painful.

Her eyes suddenly filled with tears and made my stomach
drop. My need for her didn't dampen, but the vulnerable look in her eyes was
enough to snap me out of it. What the hell was I doing? This wasn't right. I
was getting too attached and it was messing with my head. If I screwed this up,
she would get transferred, and that was more painful to think about than my
need for her.

I cleared my throat and started to push her away from me.
"You don't repulse me, okay? It's just better if I keep things
professional and I'm trying
really hard
to be professional."

She nodded and rolled her lips between her teeth, pulling
them out of my sight, which helped. She stepped back when I released her and we
both took a moment to catch our breath, the tension in the bathroom slowly
draining away.

I grinned at her and winked, "Now finish my hair so I
don't look like a freak."

That earned a smile and a short giggle. Her cheeks were
flushed red and much to my dismay, she ran her teeth over her plump bottom lip.
I groaned and looked down at my lap and cleared my throat.

"Almost done," she whispered.

Conall

"I'm taking off, Em. Lock the door behind me."

I grabbed my wallet and gun from the kitchen counter and she
looked up from the pan of chicken she had been seasoning and gave me a quick
smile. "Is Luke here already?"

"He should be any minute, I'll wait in the parking lot
until he shows, but I gotta get my ass down to the station."

"Okay."

I frowned when she turned back to the food, as if it was the
most interesting thing she had ever seen. It had almost been a week since our
moment in the bathroom and even though the sexual tension was closer to
snapping, it was more comfortable to be around her. We still avoided each other
except when it was necessary, but it was different. Not as awkward, I guess.

I had taken some of Ash's advice and decided to get Emily
out of the apartment one night. I never thought going out to dinner would be so
damn stressful, but it was. She had walked out of her bedroom wearing the
tightest pair of jeans I had ever seen and a tank top that could have been a
second skin. For a minute there, I had forgotten how to breathe. She'd been
stunning in that dress at the party, but her casual look was definitely
something to gawk at. It was all her. She wasn't the kind of woman to
constantly look in the mirror or not go anywhere unless she was done up
perfectly. Half the time, she was in yoga pants and a sweatshirt whenever she
wasn't spending the day at the school, and she was still gorgeous.

She hadn't taken more than twenty minutes to get ready and
she looked better than all the women I had ever spent my time with.

It took some effort to get her to the truck without reaching
out and touching her and the ride to the restaurant was torment. She smelled
like lemons and sugar and every time she pushed her hair behind her ears, I
caught a short glimpse of the soft skin on the side of her neck that I wanted
to bury my nose in. Needless to say, when we finally got to the restaurant, I
was close to breaking out in a sweat.

She asked me once if I was okay and I had replied with a
quick nod and a 'Mmhm'.

She was used to my personality by now. In fact, I think she
actually liked that I didn't have much to say. She didn't have much to say
either, but her body language was enough to let me know how she was feeling.
And somehow, she could tell how I was feeling just by the expression on my
face. I thought I'd mastered my expressions over the years, but she saw through
everything.

"Thanks for bringing me here, Con. I know we get out of
the apartment more often than not, but it's nice to just… I don't know, relax,
I guess."

I smiled and felt the waves of anxiety roll off of me with
her smiling across the booth at me and her scent drowned out by the smell of
food. She went back to studying the menu and tapped her fingers on the table.

"What are you going to get? I'm not sure what's
good," she asked.

"Well, since it's a steakhouse, I suggest the steak.
You would like the filet. Why don't you order that?"

Her eyes widened as she zeroed in on the section for steaks.
"Holy shit! That's expensive!"

"Don't worry about it. It's really good."

She sighed, "Maybe I'll just get a salad or-"

"No. Please don't do that. I know for a fact you aren't
one of those girls that only eat rabbit food. Get the filet."

She laughed, "Rabbit food? I've never heard that before
and you're right. I'm not one of those girls." She closed her menu and
folded her arms on the top of the table, tapping her fingers nervously.
"Can I ask you something?" her eyes darted back and forth between my
menu and my face.

"Go ahead."

"Are you always so serious? I mean, no offense, but it
seems like you rarely let yourself have a good time. I know it's not really
ideal at the moment, but still… you need a break, too."

I stared at her, blinking slowly until I could come up with
an answer for that.

Nothing.

I had no idea I came off so serious to everyone. It
certainly wasn't the first time I had heard that and I guess I always seemed
mysterious to people who didn't know me well, but I knew how to have fun. I
grew up with Fergus for a brother. How the hell could I not?

"We've spent a lot of time together and I have to say,
when you smile or laugh, it's like you're a different person."

She was having a hard time looking me in the eyes and I was
very aware that she hated that. She liked people to think she was confident and
it frustrated her when she couldn't meet their eyes.

"I'm not sure what to say to that."

She shook her head and raked her fingers through her hair,
"Never mind. I just… I don't know, I guess I was just wondering what you
do for fun."

She sipped her water and looked around the restaurant. There
weren't many people out that night which is part of the reason why I brought
her there.

The waiter came by and took our order, giving me time to
think of something to tell her. I was staring at the table trying to come up
with something,
anything
that I did for fun these days. When I couldn't
think of anything, I couldn't stop the smile.
God, I
am
too serious.

"I guess I don't really do much for fun. Too busy with
work."

"Hmm," her brow furrowed and her lips turned up
into a smile. "Maybe we'll have to change that."

I sat back in the booth and relaxed a little more. "And
what would you suggest, Ms. Moore."

She flinched only a little at the name and I could tell that
for just a minute, she had forgotten her situation. Then I felt like a complete
asshole. I was trying to flirt and doing a terrible job of it.

God, why do I suck at this?

"Tell me some of the things you, Gus, and Luke did when
you were younger. And don't censor it this time. I know you boys caused more
trouble than you let on." She glared, daring me to lie to her, but that
was something I could never do, even if it was something stupid about my past.

"There was this one time, senior year in high school,
when we had to call Dad to get us out of a bind."

She raised her eyebrows and licked her lips. She couldn't
know what her enthusiasm was doing to me, even if I did spend the next five
seconds silently staring at those lips before she said, "Go on."

I shook my head and focused on the story. "The three of
us got caught sneaking into the practice room the cheerleaders used and were
about to superglue all their pom poms to the floor. It was homecoming week and
the girls were frantic about all the stupid crap they were planning. They would
need those pom poms fast when the time came. Dad had to come into the school
and promise to find a way to teach us a lesson so we wouldn't get expelled. We
ended up having to follow the girls around all week, carrying their shit for
them like a bunch of bell hops and basically becoming their slaves."

She burst out laughing and I couldn't help but do the same.

"Let me guess, that idea must have belonged to
Gus."

I shook my head. "Nope, it was mine. Paid them each
twenty bucks to help me and we didn't even get it done."

She was still laughing and I was still watching her, with a
smile on my face.

"You think it's funny, but do you realize how needy
some cheerleaders are? Ash got a kick out of it," I said, remembering how
much she made fun of us. We had super-glued a number of her things to the floor
in our lives, so it must have felt like revenge for her.

We spent the next three hours talking about the stupid stuff
we did when we were kids. Once our food was gone, my stomach was aching from
laughing so much and my heart was bursting from watching
her
laugh so
much.

We were so caught up in our conversation that the waiter had
to ask us to leave so they could close. Emily had been embarrassed and
apologized a number of times. I hadn't been sorry about it at all. It was one
of the best nights of my life.

When we came back to the apartment, the awkwardness wasn't
there anymore. She smiled at me as I led her up the stairs with my hand on the
small of her back and she kept smiling when we walked in and said goodnight.

I don't think I slept more than a couple of hours that
night. I thought about her, dreamed about her. In the middle of the night, I
went out into the living room and watched mindless TV so it would stop. She'd
come out of her room in nothing but a long nightshirt and had gotten a glass of
water.

I watched her the entire time and had to adjust myself
whenever I caught a glimpse of her long legs. When she walked back into her
bedroom, she shot me a teasing smile and I was wishing I was that glass of
water all wrapped up in her warm hands. When she turned to shut the door, our
eyes locked and for just a moment, I saw it.

She wasn't sleeping much either and I was the reason.

I don't think I had ever smiled so big in my entire life and
after that, the TV didn't help anymore.

The sound of the kitchen faucet turning on pulled me from my
thoughts and I realized I had been standing there thinking about that night for
the millionth time and staring at her like some weirdo creep.

I needed to leave and I prayed to God Luke was already here
so I could.

Luke and Ash had gotten back from vacation a couple days
earlier and he had insisted on helping me out when I needed to report back to
Miller. The officers that had gotten the job done were trustworthy, but they
started asking questions. I was able to steer them away from the subject
easily, but it was starting to get suspicious and I didn't need any of them
talking about my girlfriend around the station.

After everything that had happened with Luke's ex-partner, I
couldn't risk another leak. We only had a few weeks left until the trial and I
wasn't going to let anything happen to jeopardize Emily. Everything had gone
smoothly so far and the people we ran into on occasion only asked how we met.
They didn't question anything else.

I was William Brannock's son. They had no need to question
anything.

When she went back to staring at the chicken, I was tempted
to ask if she was okay. Instead, I just walked to the door and waited as she
washed her hands. I only shut the door when she came to lock it behind me, then
I just stood there for several seconds after hearing the deadbolt slide in
place and kept telling myself that her silence was for the best. Avoiding her
was a pain in the ass, but her avoidance of
me
had been pure torture.
Especially after that night.

It's for the best
.

I checked my phone, the time telling me that I needed to get
moving and that I didn't need to go back in there and kiss the living daylights
out of her to make her feel better. As I made my way to the metal stairs, I
glanced up and down the lot, not seeing Luke's car anywhere.

"Shit, Luke. Hurry the hell up."

At the bottom of the stairs, I turned toward my truck,
keeping my eyes peeled for the sight of Luke's car. I needed to hurry, but
there was no way I was leaving the apartment without ensuring Emily was being
watched over.

The captain wanted to talk to me about what the last few
weeks had brought back while watching Emily's brother. From the sound of it, he
wasn't happy with what was found and I wasn't going to risk talking to him
about it with Emily around.

I looked up and saw a man slowly walking toward me and I
immediately went on alert. I hadn't seen him around in the weeks since we had
been here, but that didn't mean he didn't live here. The thump in my chest and
the urge to run back up the stairs to Emily was overpowering and I took that as
a sign.

"How's it goin'?" the guy mumbled with a jerk of
his head.

I just nodded back and kept walking. When I sensed his eyes
at my back after passing him, my shoulders tensed and my adrenaline kicked in.

Red flag.

I walked passed my truck and turned the corner at the edge
of our building and waited. The heavy pound of his footsteps on the metal
stairs was loud. When he made it to the first landing and turned, I counted his
steps, praying he was just a neighbor. Innocent. Clueless. And I was suddenly
grateful that every pathway at this place was grated metal.

Six, seven, eight, nine…

My heart was pounding in my chest the closer he got to the
apartment and I reached inside my pocket and pulled out my phone, ready to make
the call.

Thirteen, fourteen, fifteen…

Keep going, fucker. Don't you dare…

Sixteen, seventeen, eighteen…

Silence.

Son of a bitch.

***

Emily

Emily locked the deadbolt behind Conall and leaned her
forehead on the door as she waited to hear his footsteps walk away from her. It
was several long and agonizing seconds before he did and she took a deep,
cleansing breath.

She couldn't take it anymore. The man was under her skin and
driving her insane. Now that she knew he was attracted to her, the urge to jump
him was even worse. She wouldn't be able to handle it much longer. A man like
Conall Brannock was a man who would rip her heart right out of her chest and
run with it.

She felt him staring at her when she cooked, when she was
reading, when she was watching television. She felt the little brushes of his
hand when he squeezed passed her in the kitchen or in a doorway and her
traitorous heart fluttered every time he smiled.

That damn smile.

So rare.

It was difficult to avoid him over the last week, especially
after he had taken her to dinner and she had spent the best night of her life
laughing and talking to him, but he had done his part and the two found
themselves in, surprisingly, comfortable silence more often than not. There was
one morning that they had collided when she was rushing into the bathroom and
he had just finished showering. The memory made Emily flush.