She was staring at her purple and yellow striped socks, her hair an untameable halo around her head and hanging in her face. But he saw her nod, and he exhaled. The baby was okay.
Swallowing past the hard lump of dread in his throat, he nodded with her and stepped up, leaving his bag at the top of the stairs and pulling her around and into the living room where they could sit down. “What’s wrong?” That’s when he noticed that her nose and around her eyes was a mottled blue and purple. What the fuck?
Her slight body trembled and breath hitched as she fought the sobs, still unable to look at him.
Moving his hands up to her shoulders, he shook her again. “I can’t help you if I don’t know what’s wrong. Who did this to you? Is the baby okay?”
It was several agonizing seconds later before she finally lifted her head, her beautiful blue eyes glassy and red-rimmed from all the tears. “You were right,” she whispered. “I need to switch to light duty.”
Brock’s eyes went wide, and emotions he wasn’t even able to label hit him like a dam breaking. “What happened?”
Averting her gaze, she studied the floor just behind his shoulder. “There was an incident at work with a man we had in custody. He attacked Slade and then me when I tried to help. I could have lost the baby with how hard he hit me. I went to the ER after work and double-checked everything was okay, and it is. The baby is fine. And then yesterday I had to go to court for that domestic assault, the one where she did lose the baby … ” Her bottom lip jutted out, but she quickly tucked it behind her teeth to keep her composure. Her gaze shifted, and she met his eyes once again. “I’m sorry. You were right. You win. I’m going to go in today and request light duty. I don’t want to endanger our baby any longer. I’m sorry I’ve been so stubborn.” Then she crumpled against him, and the tears were back.
He carried her over to the couch and plopped her onto his lap, doing the only thing he could think of, and that was hold her.
It seemed to be enough.
Roughly forty-five minutes later, Brock watched Krista head to work. She’d rattled him this morning. More than any woman, possibly anypersonever had. He’d begun to admire and enjoy her stubbornness—for the most part. It showed her strength, and damn if his woman wasn’t as strong as they came. But it also pissed him off that she still hadn’t switched to light duty at work. He’d thought about putting Rex on her detail and having him follow Krista while she was on shift just in case she got into any trouble. But his brother didn’t know about the pregnancy yet, and he didn’t want Rex to think he was some psycho stalker guywho didn’t trust the woman he was currently sleeping with.
But to see her so broken, so defeated and deflated, hadn’t made him feel good. He hadn’twonanything, as she’d said, besides maybe peace of mind. Even that didn’t do much to ease the turmoil and confusion roiling inside him. He wanted her and the baby safe. Their safety, their lives were his number one priority.
What had it cost her? The spark was gone from her eyes. The fight and feistiness seemed to have vanished in those two days he was gone. She’d barely been able to get herself ready for work once she’d stopped crying and all but choked back the smoothie he made her for breakfast. And it’d all been done with sullen eyes and robotic movements. Had he broken her? Had Slade? He’d never be able to forgive himself if it was the former, and Slade wouldn’t be breathing much longer if it turned out to be the latter.
Chapter 7
“You coming to the Christmas party on Saturday, Matthews?” Myles asked, causing Krista to jump out of her skin. She was raw and exhausted from her morning cry-fest on Brock’s shoulder. Not to mention embarrassed. So far, he’d seen her barf her guts out, but he hadn’t seen her cry.
She’d remained strong, tough, resilient.
But she couldn’t stop herself, couldn’t control the flood of emotions, good and bad, that had assailed her the moment he’d walked through the door. And without even thinking, she collapsed against him and let every feeling from the last few days fall out onto his hard chest in the form of warm, salty tears.
Even though she’d slept through the night, not even having to get up to pee, she didn’t feel rested at all. Her eyes hurt, her head felt full of cotton, and the realization that she was no longer going to be doing “real” cop stuff and saving the world from the bad guys hurt more than when she’d had pepper spray shot into her eyes during training at the academy. She finished filling her water bottle at the sink in the staff kitchen before turning to face Myles. His tone seemed much more civil than the last time they’d spoken. Had he forgiven her for not coming to his rescue again with that drunk guy in the holding cell?
No matter what, Myles was a manipulative bastard. He had to be working some angle. Her gaze drifted to the open door behind him. “I don’t know. I haven’t decided yet.”
“We should go together.”
She swallowed and tried to give him a small smile, but it was a struggle. The thought of dating this man, even going to a work function together, made her skin crawl. “No, thank you.”
“It’s going to happen, you and I,” he said smugly, trying to come across as flirty and playful, but instead he was just creepy and off-putting. “And what better time than the Christmas party? A dark corner, too much rum and eggnog, mistletoe … ”
Grinding her molars together until her jaw ached, she looked him square on. “Myles,” she started, “I want to apologize for the other day. I’m really very sorry that I didn’t jump back in to help you. The guy knocked the wind out of me. I thought he’d broken my nose. There was so much blood.” She glanced down at her feet. The man’s eyes were too disconcerting to maintain contact with. Toeing at a scuff on the floor, she continued, “There’s no excuse, though. I’m very sorry. I’m glad Marlise and Allie were able to get there in time. I’m glad you weren’t seriously hurt. I wouldn’t have been able to forgive myself. If you need to report me to Wicks, I completely understand. But it will never happen between us. I’m not interested in you that way. I don’t want to date anyone I work with, especially not a superior. I’m flattered, but I’m sorry. I’m going to have to say no.”
She motioned to push past him, but he stuck out an arm and stopped her, his grip on her forearm painful. Of course, she’d inherited her mother’s pale skin tone and bruised like a freaking peach.
“Let go of me.” She hardened her eyes, refusing to let him see her fear. He couldn’t know he scared her, because if he did, he’d use that power. She swallowed again and then finally lifted her head to catch his gaze. “Please.”
He released his grip, and the terror slowly began to drain from her, only to be replaced by even more when instead of leaving, he walked to the door, shut it and locked it, stalking back toward her, smirking triumphantly.
“I’m all for the chase, Matthews. But I’m getting sick and tired of this littlecat-and-mouse game. You know you’re the only rookie that hasn’t given it up to me? I’d like to change that. Or would you prefer I tell Wicks about the other day?”
She lifted one shoulder. “I told you that you can. I deserve to be reported.” Fuck, shereallydidn’t want him to report her, but he had every right. She secretly hoped calling his bluff might have the reverse effect and he’d just let it go.
“I won’t … for aprice.” His free hand came up, and his index finger grazed her collarbone.
Fury and disgust ran neck and neck inside her. “You make me sick,” she spat out, trying to move away from him, but he grabbed her again, this time by the bicep. “There are plenty of women here whowantto sleep with you. Why do you have to go after the one whodoesn’t?We’re supposed to be the good guys. You can’t blackmail me, and I won’t sleep with you to keep you quiet. Go ahead, tell whoever about what I did. I’ll take my punishment.”
He lifted one shoulder casually. “I want to break you. And I’ll do it.”
