Sunday (Timeless Series #7) (4 page)

Kyle eyed them before he turned back to me. “It’s time.”

My body ached to comfort his, and I wanted to make this better. He was invested in this case, probably more invested than any other case he’d worked on. I appreciated everything he did, even if he didn’t get the conviction. I rose on my tiptoes and gave him a quick kiss on the lips.

He flinched at the touch initially, but then he kissed me back.

I pulled away and felt my cheeks blush in embarrassment. My actions were automatic and I should have controlled myself better.

He didn’t smile with his lips but he smiled with his eyes.

I sat down and bunched my hands together in my lap, prepared for the worst.

Kyle adjusted his tie then took a seat. His massive back was in my view, and it looked like the side of a mountain. His breathing was deep and even, controlled and slow.

Everyone was dead silent, waiting to hear the decision.

The first jury member stood and handed the note to the bailiff, who handed it to the judge. The judge opened the paper and read the decision.

I eyed Peter, hoping he was scared shitless at that very moment. If he were convicted he’d spend the rest of his life behind bars. He might be able to get out early on parole, but that still wouldn’t be for at least twenty years.

A lot could happen in twenty years.

The judge cleared his throat before he spoke. “Peter Gamble, based on the charges of rape, sex trafficking, and assault, a jury of your peers has condemned you—guilty.”

Kyle didn’t react at all, his body not moving an inch. He didn’t even flinch.

Audrey covered her mouth and gasped, tears springing into her eyes.

Peter retained the same indifferent look. It was like he hadn’t heard the judge’s pronouncement at all.

“You’re sentenced to life in prison without parole.” The judge struck his mallet. “This meeting is adjourned.”

Instead of turning to me Kyle moved his focus to Audrey. He placed his hand on her shoulder, comforting her silently.

She cried into her hands, sobbing.

“He can’t hurt you again, Audrey,” he said gently.

“Thank you so much.” She wiped her tears away and tried to remain calm. “I couldn’t have gotten through this without you.”

He pulled her in for a hug and allowed her to weep against his chest. The emotions were hitting her all at once, shaking the ground she stood on. Her hair obscured her face, giving her the privilege of crying without being seen.

Kyle rubbed her back gently while his chin rested on her head. He was patient, giving her everything she needed in that moment.

After several moments she pulled way. “I’m sorry…I got make up on your jacket.”

“It’s okay. That’s what dry-cleaning is for.” He gave her a friendly smile. “Now that this is over you should go home and get some rest. You can sleep easy tonight.”

“You’re right…” She gathered her purse and gave him a final look. “I’ll never thank you enough for your kindness.”

“I’m just doing my job.”

She wiped her eyes before she walked out of the courtroom. Peter was being escorted through the side door in police custody. His parents sat in the front row, and his mom cried into a tissue. I wasn’t sure if she was crying because she was disappointed in her son. Or if it was because she thought he was innocent.

Kyle rose to his feet and gathered his papers. He shoved everything inside his satchel then pulled it over his shoulder. His eyes drifted to Peter just as he walked out and disappeared altogether.

I approached the table, my hand resting on the corner.

When he looked at me the relief was in his eyes. Now he could get some sleep tonight knowing he won the trial. Peter was off the streets, and now there wouldn’t be any more victims at his hands. He took a deep breath that showed just how exhausted he was. “I feel like a weight has been lifted off me…”

“You did an amazing job, Kyle.”

“Seeing Audrey finally breathe easy…made everything worthwhile.”

He was the most compassionate man in the world. I’d never seen anyone expend so much effort for someone he hardly knew. “You’re a hero.”

“And getting justice for what he did to you, even if it was four years too late, heals me a little bit. I know it can’t erase the past. I know it can’t undo the things that have already been done. But…I hope it helps.”

“It does.”

“Good. I’m glad.” He looked at me with a mixture of affection and longing. “He deserves to pay for what he’s done, and not just to you. I’m sure there are so many other women out there who never spoke up.”

“I know…” It was terrible to think about.

He put his hands in his pockets as everyone filed out of the courtroom. The judge gathered his papers and left, still wearing his long, black robes. The jury disappeared through their private exit. His eyes remained glued to mine. “Since I won the case, can I have something?”

He could have anything he wanted
. “What is it?”

“I haven’t slept in weeks. And I’d do anything to finally rest.” His insomnia didn’t step from the trial and all the stress that came with it. It came from the loss of me—his empty bed.

I got decent sleep the night before because he called. But if he hadn’t, I probably would have been up all night as well. Getting back together wasn’t an option but I didn’t want to push him away. After everything we’d both been through we needed some comfort. “Your place or mine?”

***

Kyle passed his living room and kitchen and immediately headed straight for the bedroom. He didn’t even bothering turning on the lights. Once he was inside, he stripped off his suit and tossed it on the ground. His shoes and socks were gone, and all that was left was his boxers.

I suddenly felt self-conscious getting naked in front of him. That would give him the wrong message, and I didn’t want this sleepover to lead to something else.

Without asking me about it, Kyle detected my worry. He pulled a t-shirt and a pair of shorts from his drawer then tossed it at me. “They’re big—but clean.”

I held them in my hands immediately noticed the smell. They felt clean like they just came out of the dryer. The fabric softener entered my nose, but I also detected his natural scent. I didn’t realize I could be so excited just to smell him.

Kyle got under the covers and lay on his back, his eyes already closed. The curtain over his window was drawn shut, and visibility was poor in his room. Instead of bothering with the bathroom I just changed where I was.

Kyle didn’t open his eyes once.

When I was finished I got into bed beside him. The second I felt the sheets and the warmth I realized how much I missed his mattress. It was softer than mine and bigger too. I had a queen size bed whereas he had a king. But I guess it didn’t matter since we were usually wrapped up in each other anyway.

Kyle didn’t open his eyes, but his arms reached out and snagged me like a fish on a hook-line. He pulled me across the sheets until I was pressed tightly into his side, his hard chest acted as an anchor. One arm was wrapped around my shoulders and his hand was inserted into my hair. A quiet sigh escaped his lips, one full of peace and exhaustion. “This feels so good. I forgot, actually.”

When I listened to his breathing over the phone, it was enough to make it seem like he was really there. But feeling him in real life was so much better. I could feel his strong heart beating under my fingertips. I could feel his breathing become slower and slower with every passing minute. And I could feel him sleep away into a land of dreams.

***

When I woke up the following morning Kyle was gone. He’d vacated the bed sometime earlier since his side of the bed was cold. The sheets were lifeless, like he took all the energy with him.

I sat up in alarm because waking up to his absence was actually painful. Without him there, I was just alone. I’d gotten a great night of sleep but had an uncomfortable waking.  “Kyle?”

The bedroom door was shut, and when I blinked the sleep from my eyes I realized the noticed the sound of moving pots in the kitchen. I slivered out of bed and walked out.

Kyle flipped a pancake high into the air and caught it with the pan. The concentration on his face made it look like he was playing a game with himself. He ground his teeth together slightly until the pancake was safe in the pan.

“Are you going to go for the gold?”

He flinched when he realized he’d been spotted. “Maybe I will. I think I have what it takes.”

I’d rolled his boxers five times so they would fit around my waist. The shirt reached to the area just below my knees. I was being swallowed up into a sea of clothes. “It smells good in here.”

“Because I’m making breakfast.” He slid the pancake onto a plate before he turned the pan to the stove. “Hope you’re hungry.”

“I’m always conveniently hungry when food is around.”

He chuckled then handed me a plate. “Well, I hope you’re conveniently hungry for eggs, bacon, and pancakes.”

“I am, actually.”

He set the plates on the table then took a seat. “Coffee is okay?” The mugs were already sitting there.

“They are perfect.” I sat down and ate beside him, feeling the crunch of the bacon between my teeth. “What made you decide to make breakfast?”

He shrugged. “I woke up with a good mood.”

“I’m glad I get to benefit from it.”

“I haven’t slept like that in weeks. When I opened my eyes today I could actually think clearly. Everything has been a blur lately, the trial…us.” His eyes were glued to his plate.

My life had been a blur too. I didn’t know what to say to his comment so I held my silence. In our time apart, I’d been doing a good job of steering clear of him. But when he called, I broke down. “I know.”

“I’ve suffered a lot in my life, but that was a new level of pain.” He held his fork without taking a bite. “When Francesca left I was devastated. It was difficult to get on with my life. But these past two weeks have been so much worse than that…by a landside.”

I eyed the steam erupting from my coffee, drifting high to the ceiling. The silence of the apartment was even more deafening now that Kyle had stopped talking. Moments like this made me care about the past. Maybe he knew the truth of what happened to me and didn’t tell me even after we slept together, but he was a good man.

I could forgive him, right?

Kyle set down his fork then turned his gaze on me. “With everything that’s happened between us, can’t we just move on? Can we forget about the past? We love each other and that’s all that matters.”

I wanted to say yes because my heart was still painfully attached to him. I wanted to sleep with him every night and kiss him before he left for work. But then I remembered our relationship. That entire time I was learning to trust him, and he knew everything about me when I wasn’t ready to reveal it. That changed everything. It made me feel naïve.

“Sweetheart, I know it’s hard. But you can give me another chance, right?”

I wanted to
. “It’s different…”

“What is?”

“Our relationship. Everything that happened between us is void—because it was all a lie.”

“That’s not true.”

“But it is. Now I don’t know what was real and what wasn’t real. When you said things to me, were they genuine? Or were you just staying that because you knew what happened to me? How can I ever tell?”

He stared at the table while he compiled his answer. When he was ready he turned back to me. “I guess I did say and do certain things when I knew the truth. But it was never to manipulate you. It was always to help you.”

“But how could you want me anyway?” My deepest fears were coming to the surface. “How could any man want me after what happened? You read my file. You know exactly what they did to me…” That night still tarnished me, but I did feel a little better knowing Peter was in jail. But the rest of them got away.

“Because I don’t think about it. And when I do think about it, it doesn’t change the way I look at you. You were a victim in all of that, and it’s wrong for anyone to hold that against you. You aren’t damaged goods.  You aren’t broken. You aren’t impure.  You’re just as beautiful and whole as you were before it happened.”

I lowered my gaze when I listened to all those sweet things.

“If you gave me a chance we could really move on. You could learn to forget about the past and look at yourself in a different way. You and I could have an intense physical relationship that would make you feel amazing things. But you have to give me another chance.”

Despite everything he said, I just couldn’t do it. “I don’t think we can just pick up where we left off.”

He quickly turned away, like he didn’t want me to see his expression. “What if we started a new relationship? Started over?”

“Can we start over?” I asked. “Is that possible after everything that’s come to pass?”

“I think so—if we want it enough.”

Would I ever be able to look at him in a different way? He had sex with me without telling me what he knew. If I’d known, it would have changed the events of that night. I certainly wouldn’t have been ready. And that made me extremely uncomfortable. “I’m sorry, Kyle.”