Forsaken Duty (Red Team #9)(14)

She looked at his bare legs, then her gaze parked at his crotch, which grew beneath her heated stare. He smiled at her, then took the towels she clutched to herself and set them on a nearby side table. If his body was fair game, then so was hers. She didn’t try to cover herself up, but it seemed she wanted to. Her blue eyes went big as she held his gaze.

He gave himself the gift of slowly enjoying her nearly naked body, but then a darker thought slipped into his mind. He stepped forward, forcing her to either let him come into her space or back her to the wall. “You can’t go downstairs like that. I’m not the only male here.”

The tip of her tongue slipped between her lips, moistening them. “It’s a bathing suit. There’s more of me covered than there is of you.”

Owen braced his arms on the wall behind her. Though perhaps of average height, she was still little compared to him. She’d always been small. He leaned in, bending close to her lips, hungry for a taste of her as he’d never been for anything in his life. His mouth hovered above hers. Her lips parted. Her breath was warm.

And then he remembered she wasn’t single…or old enough yet.

“Addy…” His voice was gruff. A sure tell, if she were paying attention to such things. He hated being so obvious, but when it came to her, he couldn’t help it. “When you’re finished toying with little boys, call me.”

Her hands flattened against his ribs. Her fingers were cold and he was hot. He sucked in a sharp breath. She smiled up at him. “I didn’t think you saw me like this. Like a woman.”

“I didn’t want to. Yet. But the truth is, you’ve always been mine. I’ve waited a long time for you.”

Sorrow, regret, and something else, washed through her eyes. “You tell me this now… I’m going to college. You’re always off on assignments. It would never work.”

Owen closed his eyes and bent his face down to the crook of her neck, stopping just short of burying his face in her skin. It was easier than looking at her in that moment, and he was a fucking coward. He sucked in the warm air haloing her skin. Gooseflesh rose along her shoulder. When he got to her ear, he whispered, “Wait for me. Please, Addy. When you finish college, we’ll be together. I swear it.”

She slipped her arms over his shoulders, hooking them behind his neck. “Will you wait for me?”

“Yes. I will wait for you forever.”

A tear slipped down her cheek. He brushed it away with his thumb. “I’m going to miss you. We can write to each other,” she whispered.

He gave her a half-smile. “Like we promised to be pen pals when I went to West Point? Or when I went into the Army?”

She shook her head. “I was little then.”

“Yeah, you were. You still are.”

“I will write this time. Will you?”

“Yes.” But he knew they wouldn’t.

Owen heard sounds coming from Jax’s room. He wondered if the bastard had been eavesdropping. He straightened, putting a little distance between him and Addy, though nothing short of an EMP could neutralize the charged air surrounding them.

Jax came into the hall, sending a look from his sister to Owen. Addy grabbed the towels, kissed her brother, and told them both to hurry down. When she was gone, Jax gave him a dark look and waved at his Speedo.

“Jesus, O. Point that somewhere else.”

Owen sighed. “I hope the water’s cold, though it may not matter if your sister is anywhere within sight.”

“You must be very proud.”

Owen laughed. “If I were proud, I’d swim nude. I’m more concerned about keeping my suit on, unlike you. Don’t the girls call those baggy things you’re wearing culottes?”

“How the fuck would I know?”

Owen sent a look down at himself, glad Addy had gone on ahead of them so he could cool down. He went into his room and grabbed the shirt he’d been wearing before, a white Oxford. He had no doubt his body would keep reacting the way it did every time he saw Addy; the shirt would at least give him some coverage.





6





Addy slowly came awake. She felt as if she’d slept a day and a half. The thought made her frown. She was worried she’d missed her playtime with Troy. She leaned up to look at the clock. It read 3:30 p.m. She’d slept for nearly two and a half hours. Something on her nightstand caught her attention. A folded piece of paper. She smiled, thinking her son had drawn her a picture…but what she saw was horrifying. The outline of a body. A chill slipped down her spine. Was it a threat? She sat up, then noticed the side chair had been moved closer to her bed. She gasped and sent a look around the shadows of her room. Was someone here?

She ran barefoot over to the drapes and threw them open, then frowned down at the paper. There was more than just the body outline…there were dots on it. And lines drawn between the dots. The writing said, Do you remember?

No. She did not remember. Remember what? What did this mean? Had Owen taken Troy? Were these wounds he was going to inflict on Troy or her?

She ran down the hall to Troy’s class. It was empty. She hurried down to the kitchen. No one there had seen him. She never let her son be alone in the house. Never. He knew he was supposed to come to her room if Ms. Denton had to do something. But then, Addy rarely slept so late in the afternoon. Maybe he’d gone out to the playground.