Raw Redemption (Crossing the Line #4)(66)

His mouth moved in her hair, his arousal pressing against her hip. Need to touch. But when she tried to cup his erection, he jerked his hips back with a warning sound. “No, no, Lish,” he rasped. “You’ll give it up again later when I’m not watching for the police or worrying for your life. Remember this. I’m getting you off now, but later? When you take my hard-on deep, I’m going to make sure you feel the payback in your stomach.”

Her nod was jerky against his shoulder, her thighs moving restlessly on either side of his hand. “Okay, yes, please, oh God.”

“Couldn’t even make it a couple days, could you?” His fingers were relentless on her clit, rubbing without gentleness one minute, plucking the nub of flesh between thick knuckles the next. Two fingers dipped into her clenching center, Henrik groaning in her ear at the tightening and releasing of her female flesh. He must have sensed she was closing in on her orgasm, because the pleasuring touch at her breasts vanished and a hand clamped over her mouth. “Sweet, sexy, selfish girl, all for me. I’m going to get back inside this * soon, Ailish. Soon.”

“Soon. Yes. Please.” She didn’t recognize her own voice, the words she released into his palm as her body went through a dizzying round of spasms.

Moments later, his fingers slipped out of her satisfied flesh, trailing dampness up and down her thigh. “You better?”

“Yes,” Ailish managed, collapsing against his chest.

“Good,” he breathed out, planted a kiss in her hair. One, then another. “Now we’re going to have a conversation.”

...

Henrik needed every minute that Ailish spent in the drugstore to calm himself down. After he’d driven around to the main entrance, he’d escorted Ailish into the store, bought a disposable phone for the call he needed to make, then left her in the store alone, as a sign of trust. He planned to talk to her when she emerged. Only. Talk. God, if he got his hands on her again, they would scandalize an entire parking lot full of customers.

More pressing than his mounting male urges, he’d witnessed Ailish’s apprehension at the word “conversation” and thought he knew why. Getting them back on the same page was imperative, because time was running short. Caine’s threat to Ailish this morning meant they moved tonight, and it meant they moved as a team, whether he liked it or not. She had just as much skin in the game as he did. Could make her own decisions. If he wanted another chance with Ailish, he’d have to accept that. Remember it for the future.

He leaned against he front bumper of his stolen, more-than-likely bugged car and called Derek. The captain answered on the second ring.

“Captain Tyler.”

“It’s Vance. I’ve only got a few minutes.”

A chair creaked in the background. “Better talk, then.”

Henrik’s crack of laughter held no humor. “You have nerve, I’ll give you that. Unfortunately, I don’t have time to remind you why this is my last case with the squad.” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “We need to move tonight.”

Scratching sounded down the line. A pen moving on paper. “What do you need from me?”

“Backup. Ready to come in locked and loaded, if we need it. If me and Ailish manage to get out without alerting anyone, we’ll need transport waiting along the south side of the property. I want medical outside, waiting. Just in case.” It got more difficult to inhale, the more he talked about the danger Ailish would be in. “Caine is volatile. Especially when it comes to Ailish. I don’t think he plans to…” He held the phone away from his face as he breathed through his nose. “He doesn’t plan for her to see past tomorrow morning.”

Silence. “She assured me that wasn’t the case. That he was protective. I wouldn’t have sent her in there otherwise.”

“Yeah? Well, she sees good things in people. Sometimes when it’s not really there.” Frustration burned in his sternum. “Why do you think she gave me a chance?”

The sound of a plastic bag dropping to the ground had Henrik whirling around, reaching for his gun. Ailish stood between two parked cars, watching him with wide eyes, her mouth parted. As if she’d heard him. But he couldn’t find the wherewithal to care, because God, she was so beautiful against such a mundane backdrop. Sun shone down on her head, making the red glow like gold dipped in wine. The universe kept conspiring to take her away, and he resented it. Hated it for introducing him to the embodiment of happiness and then trying to snatch it back.

With a serious effort, Henrik turned away and braced his hands on the car’s roof. “There’s a safe in the basement office. Ailish has the combination. She’s in it.” He dropped his voice. “Just make sure she gets out. No matter what it takes.”

“Consider it done.” Derek said nothing for a few beats. “It might be impossible for you to trust my word right now, but I’ll say this anyway. When she walked into the squad room, she became one of our own. I don’t take that responsibility lightly.”

Henrik’s spine went rigid. “She’s my responsibility.”

“Yes, she is.” Even through the phone, Henrik sensed Derek wanted to say something more, but the captain cleared his throat instead. “Let’s end this tonight.”

Henrik disconnected the line. “We have to get ba—”