Past Will Haunt (26 page)

She started crying. “I’m sorry. Elizabeth was right. I shouldn’t have eaten lunch. I was so damn nervous about this. I couldn’t stop myself.”

He understood.

Standing, he turned on the shower. Then, he stripped out of his boxers. “We’ll shower, and then I’ll tuck you into bed.”

She whimpered as he picked her up.

“Just don’t puke on me,” he teased.

She cried even more.

“Oh, Livy, it’s okay. I was kidding. Let’s take a cool shower.” She felt feverish to his touch. “It’ll be okay. I promise. Once you get it all out of your system, you’ll feel better.”

She held on to him, her head on his shoulder. When he stepped them under the water, she felt a little better.

It wasn’t the water.

It was him.

Gabe was a miracle.

“About what I said,” he began.

“I love you too,” she said, figuring why not go for it. She jumped him, and then puked. This was about as bad as it could get. This was the pinnacle of shittiness.

He didn't speak. “Are you just saying that because I put it out there?” he asked.

She held on to him. “No. I’ve loved you for a while. I was stalking you. If that doesn’t say love…”

“Actually, it says crazy and most courts would agree.”

She tried to laugh. “I only took a few photographs. Don’t look in my closet.”

Now he laughed even more. This woman undid the knots in his soul. “What am I going to do with you, Olivia?” he asked.

“I suggest put me down, because I’m going to be horribly sick.”

He moved them out of the shower.

Gabe had just got her to the toilet when she began purging everything in her body. He held her hair.

Funny, before her, he would have left. Gabe probably would have tucked her in and ran for it.

Now…

Something had happened to him. When they came together, something changed.

“I think I’ll just die here,” she muttered.

Gabe handed her a cup of water. “Don’t swallow. I never thought I’d be saying that on a date.”

Tears filled her eyes.

He wasn’t sure if it was from laughter or if she was that upset.

“Shhhh, honey, it’s all good. Let’s get you into bed. We can have dinner another night.”

He knew there’d be so many more. Already, he could tell.

When he placed her there, Gabe gently tucked her in. She looked better. He was pretty sure she got it all out of her system. Leaning down, he kissed her on the forehead.

“I’ll be downstairs. I’ll clean up and then be up, okay?”

She barely nodded.

“Gabe?” she said, when he walked away.

“What?”

“I meant what I said to you.”

“Me too.” He must be crazy, but he did mean every word of it. He’d never felt like this.

“What are we going to do about it?” she asked, almost afraid to get his answer.

He didn't have an answer. “I don’t know.” And that was the total truth. She’d blindsided him. For now, he needed to think.

“Don’t run,” she whispered. “Please don’t run.”

For the first time, in a long time, he didn't want to turn his back and leave. Livy made him want to chase, not escape.

“It’s not going to happen, Olivia. I already told you that. For now, just rest, okay?”

She closed her eyes.

On his way down the stairs, he heard the doorbell.

Gabe looked down at his boxer clad body, and shook his head. “I swear this night couldn’t get any worse. It’s probably the media.”

When he opened the door, no one was there.

Then he looked down.

He nearly puked. On the top step was a cat, and someone had cut it open. Inside, there was a medallion. It was very familiar, because he’d seen it before.

It was the same one the ME had found.

On the door there was a message.

It chilled him to the bone.

           ‘You’re mine. I’m coming.’

He didn't have to wonder who left it.

Gabe was well aware. It looked like the director got his wish. Livy was marked.

And now they were really screwed.

       
 
* * *
  B l a c k h a w k - W h i t e f o x   * * *

Boston

At the knock on her door, she knew who it was. Elizabeth took the liberty to order a pizza, because they weren’t going out to eat.

It would give Chris the wrong idea, and until they had this talk, she wasn’t taking any chances.

The last thing she wanted to do was lead him on or hurt him. She had genuine feelings for them man, but just not romantic ones.

Building relationships sucked. The more people you let in, the messier it became. She was more than happy with just Livy and Gabe. They completed her circle.

They were enough.

Then she had to fall for her ME. No, she wasn’t in love, but she was attached. His dopy grin, those glasses and blue eyes, tripped her up. He watched her with wonder, and Elizabeth couldn’t let him get that beat out of him.

In their jobs, it would dissipate soon enough. Until that day, someone had to protect him.

It might as well be her.

What the hell was wrong with her?

It was obvious that she’d lost her damn mind. She was collecting people like some crazy cat lady collected cats. She needed her head checked by the shrink.

“Lyzee, it’s me.”

Oh, she was aware.

When she opened the door, he was standing there all smiles and cologne. It reminded her of Gabe’s little episode back at the office. He was trying to smell nice just for her.

Crap!

Yeah, they had to talk.

“Sit.”

Chris stared at her. “Aren’t we getting dinner? I know this seafood place by the harbor. You’ll love it. They play music and there’s candlelight.”

“We need to have a discussion.”

“Is it about work? Can’t it wait? We can discuss the autopsies later. I want to have dinner with you.”

She wished it was that easy. “No, Chris. It’s about us. We have to talk about what’s going on here.” Elizabeth pointed between the two of them. “You know…between you and me. Us. We.”

He grinned. “Okay. Maybe you’re right. We should lay it all out on the table.”

Elizabeth sat beside him. “I like you.”

“I like you too. A lot.”

She didn't comment, because she had to stay focused. While Elizabeth could hop into bed with him, she wouldn’t be doing either of them any favors.

She had to keep saying that to herself since Chris Leonard was a sexy guy.

“You’re funny, sweet, and a really good person.”

“Go out with me, Elizabeth. I want to take you on a date,” he blurted. “Together. Us. You know, out—as a couple.”

Well, there it was.

That was EXACTLY what she didn't want to happen. What the hell was going on in the universe? Gabe was loopy, Livy was in love, and her ME was hitting on her.

When had it all gotten so damn complicated?

“We don’t have time for a date. We need to work. Maybe we can watch a movie if we wrap it up early enough, but then we have to get to sleep.”

He smiled.

Jesus!

What had she done?

She realized how that sounded.

“No, wait. This is going all wrong. I’m trying to be someone I’m not. I’m blunt. I say things off the top of my head. I can’t pussy foot around this one.”

“Then just say it.”

“We can’t be more than friends.”

“I was wrong. Take it back. I think I’d prefer if you pussy footed around this one. Please.”

She laughed. “See? That’s the problem. I really like you. I spend time with you, and you make me smile. I find you amusing, entertaining, and when you’re around, I genuinely dig your company.”

“That doesn’t sound bad. In fact, I feel the same about you. That’s a really good thing.”

“It’s not bad. It’s great. Only, you’re thinking that we should have sex. I’m thinking more…let’s grab a beer and hang out.”

“Oh.” That deflated his hopes.

“I can’t date you, Christopher.”

“You can’t?”

“No.”

“I see.”

He went to get up.

She grabbed his arm and tugged him back down. “No, you don’t. I suck at this. I think you’re sexy. I could take you to my bed, and we’d have one hell of a night. It would be wild, crazy, and I’m betting we’d never forget it.”

“Again, that doesn’t sound bad.”

“It would be horrible. It would be awkward. We wouldn’t work. Tomorrow morning, we’d stare at each other like we’d fucked up. Right now, we have something between us that’s special. The minute I saw you, I knew that we were meant to be friends. I feel a bond with you, and I don’t know why.”

“How do you know I’d regret it? How do you know you would?” he asked, checking her out. There was something about her that made him feel at ease. It was probably the southern twang or the icy blue eyes.

She felt…
safe
.

When he screwed up, she didn't ride him. She took the time to be gentle.

Elizabeth was special to him. Chris knew it.

She saw the look on his face, and if she didn't get this fixed, she’d lose him as her friend too.

So, she had to go with what she knew worked.

She was impulsive, brash, and hard to love. So, instead of words, she grabbed the ME by the shirt, pulled him into her body, and laid one right on his mouth.

She held nothing back.

Her mouth took, plundered, and refused to let him free. As Chris’s arms circled her body, he kissed her back for all he was worth.

It was like he was trying to crawl into her body by way of her mouth, and she offered the same thing back.

His heart skipped at the way she was invading his space. No one had ever kissed him like that. When she pulled off his glasses and tossed them on the table, he realized something.

It was huge.

Something was missing.

When she set him free, he was breathing heavily and staring at her.

“See?”

She felt it too.

“Shit! No! You have to be wrong. I’m sexually attracted to you. When I stare at you, I think about us in bed. I know that I want to be with you in the most primal sense of the word!”

She took his hand in hers. “Yeah, me too. On paper, we would work but something isn’t there to complete the sex puzzle. That chemistry for longevity isn’t there.”

He sighed. “You’re right. In practical application, we wouldn’t work.”

Now he was getting it.

“I’m sorry, Christopher. I wish it was there. Trust me. I really do. You’re a great guy.”

He laughed, leaning back on the couch. “This really sucks. That was really hot, but it didn't feel right.”

“You and I were meant to have a relationship, Chris. It’s just not supposed to be a naked one. I want to be your friend. I want happy hours, and you over to my place for beers while we watch the game. Hell! You can stay over anytime you want, but I can’t have sex with you. It’ll complicate the good thing we found beyond both of our lives. I can’t help but feel like it’ll be ripples in the pond. It’ll affect everything from here on out.”

“I’m a man. I definitely could have sex with you, but I get it. I see what you mean. That kiss was great, but it felt forced.”

Elizabeth was glad he was smart. He was getting it. She may not be explaining it well, but he understood her. That alone made him important.

She leaned in again, but this time she softly kissed him on the lips. It was chaste. “Now, how did that one feel?”

He grinned. “Sweet. It felt genuine and I can feel the connection to you.”

“See? That’s the problem. We have something powerful, but it’s not going to be sex. It’s friendship. That kiss was genuine because I felt it. That was me sharing what I feel with you. You’re a special guy, Doctor Christopher Leonard.”

He watched her eyes. They were the windows to the soul, and she wasn’t lying. There was no sign of her just trying not to hurt him. Elizabeth meant every word she had said.

There was a knock on the door.

“It’s the pizza I ordered.”

Chris got up and headed toward the door. He whipped out money and paid for their dinner. When he came back, he placed it on the table.