Jacked (Trent Brothers #1)(115)

I knew I’d have to stop by my place and change before driving to the station, but the thought of leaving Erin had me dragging my feet. Throwing an extra change of clothes in my truck would definitely be in order.

“You want some dinner?” Erin asked, slipping a pair of pale blue panties up her legs and under the towel she had wrapped around her.

What I really wanted was to crawl back in bed and make a blanket out of her naked body. Since that wasn’t an option, I supposed nourishment was in order.

“Sounds good. What time you have to be at the hospital?” We both looked at her alarm clock.

“I’ve got almost two hours.”

I rubbed the sore spot blooming on my elbow. Her f*cking tub shower was so narrow it wasn’t even funny. I’d really whacked it good, catching the corner of the interior towel bar. Trying to f*ck her properly in there wasn’t easy, and after I almost busted the damn glass in its track, we gave up, finished showering, and I took her back on her bed.

I could still taste her flavor on my tongue, which was something I hoped would last a few hours, at least, to get me through the night. “You find out about your fellowship?”

The astonished look on her face surprised me. “Yeah, I did.”

I really wanted Erin to stop going through her laundry basket as seeing her in nothing but a bra and matching undies was turning me on. I lost my heavenly vision when she pulled a tight blue top up over her head.

When she didn’t go on, I tugged on her hand until I had her standing in front of me. I nudged her thighs until she was straddled up over my lap, right where I wanted her. “Now then.” I held her hips, making sure I had her complete attention. “Tell me.”

Erin held my shoulders and then moved them up my neck. I wanted her to feel comfortable with me and I found myself craving it, leaning into her touch.

“You were right. It was bullshit.”

Thank God. “Good. And the woman who started it? You confront her?”

“No,” she sighed. “She wasn’t in. Probably a good thing too because I was really mad. I can’t risk getting into trouble at work. I’m trying to convince myself that she’s not worth it.”

I didn’t like the idea of people upsetting her. It pissed me off. “That kind of frustration is good to take out at the range.” My cell pinged, probably reminding me of my conference call later tonight with John Turk from the NYPD. I had a lot of shit to do between now and then, but the incredible woman spanning my lap was my top priority. I could tell just by the way her breath was uneven to know there was more to her story. I held her gaze. It was my best interrogation technique. Most females would continue talking if you just gave them your full attention or stared at them until they cracked.

“I should have known better not to believe her,” she admitted.

My patience paid off. “You didn’t know. It’s something that’s very important to you.”

“My boss keeps trying to convince me to stay in the ER. It would be a huge pay cut to take the fellowship.”

“Huge?” I asked.

Her nod was quite confirming.

“What are you going to do?”

Erin shrugged. “Sometimes I’m not sure.”

My hands tightened on her hips, wishing I could give her the answer. “Back when I was in college I debated going to law school. I had the grades.”

“You wanted to be a lawyer?”

I adjusted her on my lap, rubbing her bare legs resting next to mine. “Considered it for a long time but then when I graduated I had to decide, do I pursue a career capturing them in the act and putting them in jail or do I study my ass off with the hopes of making sure they stay in jail?”

“Well, at least you wouldn’t have had the risk of getting wounded.”

I felt my stitches tug. “Yeah, but I could have gotten paper cuts.”

I loved hearing her laugh.

“They hurt!”

“And they’re not covered by most insurances either.” She snickered.

I combed her hair back over her shoulder. “My point is that I realized I needed to be where the action is, not sitting behind some desk. I can’t stop them sitting on my ass.”

I saw her eyes become distant while the contemplation took her attention.

“What’s more important to you? You never did tell me why toxicology is a goal.”

She tried to climb off my lap.

Evasion. Avoidance. I’d seen all the non-verbal cues before—many times.

Not so fast, sweetheart. I held her hips and yanked her back. “Talk to me.”

I saw the mask cover her features.

“Not much to talk about.” She shrugged. “It fascinates me.”

I’d interrogated hardened criminals who broke easier than this. I also recognized half truths when I heard them. I thought about pushing for more; it would be easy to play her and get her to confess.

I tried not to get pissed that she was holding back from me. I had to talk myself down before I let the anger invade, because despite what I was feeling, this was new to both of us. In some ways, it made me respect her more. She was so independent, self-contained. I let her climb off of me, but this conversation was far from over. I’d give her time, but eventually I’d break her.

She was quick to want to rip my Band-Aids off. Watching her finish dressing, I silently vowed I’d return the favor and rip all of hers off just the same.