Be With Me(56)

She wrapped her arms around his middle and laid her head over his heart. “I’m sorry, Hutch.” He took hold of her shoulders and gently pried her away from him.

“What are you sorry for, baby?”

She glanced over at Cam and Sawyer, who were stil sitting at the bar watching with undisguised interest.

“For not having more courage. For being afraid.

For not trusting you al .”

“Does this mean you’l stay?” he asked softly.

“Beyond the immediate future, after the danger to you is past, wil you stay? Wil you be with me? Us?” She swal owed hard and again looked to Cam and Sawyer. There was hope . . . and fear in their gazes.

“I’l stay,” she whispered. “I can’t make any promises—”

“Shhh,” he said, putting a finger over her lips. “Al we want is a chance, Reggie. Just a chance. Nothing more.”

He fol owed his finger down to her lips and slid it out of the way just in time for his mouth to press gently against hers.

There was a reverence in his touch, such exquisite tenderness, almost as if he were afraid to hope, to believe that she had agreed.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, and for the first time was able to shut out the fact that two other men were in the room, one of whom she’d made love to last night. She didn’t feel guilty for pouring her love into this kiss, nor did she worry over the possibility that Cam or Sawyer would feel excluded. There were only so many things she could control, and that wasn’t one of them.

So she relaxed and let go. Put al the longing and emotion that had boiled beneath the surface over the last long year into returning his kiss.

He wrapped his arms tighter around her, final y hoisting her up so that their mouths were even. Her feet dangled inches above the floor, and the pressure on her ribs started an ache in her chest, but she didn’t care.

“I need you, Reggie,” he whispered hoarsely against her lips. “God, I need you.”

“I need you too,” she said in return.

She closed her eyes and rested her forehead against his as their ragged breathing whispered between them.

Final y he eased her down his body until her feet hit the floor again. She winced as the pressure against her chest released, and Hutch swore.

She shook her head before he could say anything.

“Stop treating me like I’m breakable, Hutch.” He hooked a finger under her chin and nudged it upward. “Not breakable, baby. Just very precious.” What could she possibly say to that?

Sawyer cleared his throat. “I hate to break this up, but if we’re going to go, we need to head out pretty quick.”

“I need to cal in and let my department know where I’l be,” she said as she moved away from Hutch.

There was a lot more she needed to cal and arrange before she left, and she needed privacy in order to do it.

“Then let’s get our shit together and get on the road,” Cam said as he got up from the bar.

One by one, they got up and headed for the stairs.

Regina lagged behind and headed for Cam’s office.

She needed quiet. And she didn’t need to be overheard.

She closed the door behind her and walked over to sit behind his desk, reaching for the phone as she did so. She dialed Michael Harvey’s number and prayed he’d be in.

A few moments later, he answered, and she breathed a sigh of relief.

“Michael, it’s Regina Fal on.”

“Regina. Glad to hear from you. I heard you’ve got a lot of excitement going on up there in Cypress.”

“Yeah, no doubt. Look, I need a favor, and I don’t have a lot of time to get into the whys and wherefores.”

“I’m listening.”

“I need a ful on surveil ance system set up at a residence outside Cypress. There’s a grove of trees set off from the house a bit that I’d like some trail cameras put in. And the house, I need al angles covered. If someone so much as sets foot on this property, I want to know about it.”

“I see. And when do you need this done?” She winced. “Today. Tomorrow. No later than tomorrow.”

She heard him blow out his breath.

“Man, you know I’d help you out any way I could, Regina, but that’s a mighty tal order.”

“I know,” she said quietly. “But it’s important, Michael. These people are important to me. I’ve got some crazed lunatic trying to kil me and threatening people close to me. I can’t let him get close again. I want to shut him down.”

“Okay, tel me where. I’l get a couple of men on it.

We’l get you squared away.”

She sighed in relief. “Thanks, Michael. Be sure and send me the bil .”

“Oh, I wil , and trust me, sweetheart, it won’t be a cheap one.”

She tried not to cringe. But whatever amount it cost her, it would be worth it if she could nail this bastard before he harmed Birdie or one of the guys.

As she hung up, another thought occurred to her.

One she hadn’t considered. She closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead. If the lunatic wasn’t targeting her because of her father, and if he wasn’t targeting her because of Hutch (that was stil her number one scenario), and he was in fact going after her because he was some pissed-off moron she’d arrested in the past, then not only were Birdie and the guys potential targets, but her parents could be as wel .