Rock Hard (Rock Kiss #2)(62)

“I’ll sit on the floor,” he said easily. “Put my back against the sofa.” Heading over, he grabbed the remote. “Let me check when the game’s on.”

Leaving him to it, she forced herself to go into her bedroom. It was hard to do that knowing someone else was in the house, but she kept reminding herself that it wasn’t someone. It was Gabriel. Big, gorgeous Gabriel who hadn’t consciously done a single thing to make her afraid. Hanging up her handbag behind the bedroom door, she put her phone into a pocket of her dress.

When she walked out, it was to find him seated on the floor, his arm on the sofa seat as he flicked through the channels. “Game’s on in an hour,” he said, looking over. “Aw, I’m so disappointed.”

Her heart dipped. “What? Why?”

“I was hoping you went to slip into something more comfortable.”

Wrinkling her nose at him, she said, “Do you find flannel pants sexy?”

His grin creased his cheeks. “Oh yeah. Especially if that’s all you’re thinking of wearing.”

She blushed, threw a cushion at his head. Catching it, he laughed and stayed in place while she went into the kitchen to see what she had that she could put together for dinner later on. Though they’d spent most of the day together already, she couldn’t wait for more.

“Ms. Baird, I’m getting lonely.”

Walking back into the living area, she came down to the floor and tucked herself against him. That was how they stayed for a long time, his fingers playing desultorily over her shoulder and his body sexy and warm against her own. He teased more than one long, wet, luscious kiss out of her but didn’t push for anything further, and when he said good night and left her, it was after another kiss that had her questioning her sanity in allowing him to leave.

It was the best day of her life.




CHARLOTTE FLOATED INTO THE office the next day, giddily eager to see Gabriel. He was just…

She laughed at herself, knowing she was acting like a love-struck teenager, something she’d never been at that age. It hadn’t just been her shyness that had kept her from being carefree—her mom’s fight with cancer had forever changed Charlotte’s priorities.

Putting on the coffee in the break room since she was the first one in, she hoped her mom could see her now, see her happiness. They’d been so close, Charlotte often doing her homework sitting in her mother’s treatment room during Pippa Baird’s chemotherapy sessions. Her mother had also encouraged her and Molly’s friendship with fierce maternal love.

“I won’t let this disease steal your chance to live your life, Charlotte. To make friends and have fun.”

Pippa Baird had always had so much love and generosity in her heart, even during the final stages of her disease when she’d been in such terrible pain. Charlotte knew her mother had fought to stay alive that last year only for Charlotte and her father. Pippa had been the center of their small family, the glue that held them all together.

But her father, he’d been so brave too. Three days before her mother passed away, Charlotte had accidentally witnessed a moment of heartbreaking tenderness between her parents. Her father had been holding her fragile mother in his arms, tears wet on his face. Then he’d kissed her on the forehead and said, “It’s okay, Pip. You can go. We’ll be all right.”

Her mother had wrapped her arms around his neck, whispered, “I don’t want to go.”

Unable to bear any more, Charlotte had left them and walked outside to sit on the old tire swing in the garden, crying where it wouldn’t hurt either one of them. Now though, she smiled through the ache of old grief—because she knew her parents would’ve loved Gabriel. Her dad would’ve been in raptures at having another rugby fan in the family, never mind the fact that it was the Bishop, and her mom would’ve loved him for how he treated Charlotte.

Triiiiiing!

Almost spilling the coffee she’d been about to pour, Charlotte returned the carafe to the stand and dug out her cell phone. The number was unfamiliar but local. “Hello,” she said, having trained herself never to answer a personal call with her name.

“Charlotte?”

Her knees trembled. Stumbling to a seat at the break room table, she tried to suck in air. “Detective Lee.” She’d never forget that voice. Detective Mei Lee’s was the first one she’d heard after the hours of terror, the other woman’s hands gentle and kind as she released Charlotte from her bonds while telling her she was safe and that Richard was in custody.

A patrol officer then, Mei Lee was now an experienced homicide detective who’d made sure Charlotte was kept updated on Richard’s parole hearings. “Is it time for another hearing?” she asked, having testified at two so far.

“No.” A pause that made the hairs rise on the back of Charlotte’s neck. “Charlotte, I’m sorry to tell you this, but Richard is being released next Monday. I’d have given you more of a warning, but there was a screwup and I only just got the report.”

Her heart was ice. “How can they let him go? He’s got time left to serve.”

“According to sentencing guidelines, he’s served the maximum time possible under his sentence.” Detective Lee’s voice was clipped as she added, “You know what I think of the judge who sentenced him.”