The entire day had been trying, to say the least. And the conversations with Parker had stirred up memories that I wanted to keep buried deep. I kept waiting for relief to set in at the knowledge that my brother wasn’t involved in this, but it never came. I was just as on edge as I had been this morning. Maybe simply because I knew my hiding spot might not stay hidden for much longer.
Parker was a good man, an empathetic one. Someone who’d moved into his career because he truly wanted to help people and keep them safe. He’d said that he would do everything he could to keep my name out of the reports, leaving me anonymous for now. But when and if this case went to court, my days of anonymity would be over. There was no way around it.
All of a sudden, I felt as if there were an invisible countdown clock hanging over my head. I wanted nothing more than for this killer to be caught and brought to justice. But what would I do when that happened? Would I have to leave? Find somewhere else to tuck myself away? It was the last thing I wanted.
Brody tugged at me, taking us down so that we were flat on the couch, my body on top of his. “You doing okay?”
“This has been a no good, very bad day.”
He brushed the hair away from my face. “I want you to think about something for me.”
I searched his face, looking for any hint about what might be to come. “I can think.”
His mouth curved the barest amount, but it didn’t stay put. “Think about leaving with me. We can go anywhere you want. Italy, Australia, the UK. Let’s get out of here until the dust settles.”
I stiffened against him. “You want to leave?”
His roughened fingertips skated along my skin. “I want to keep you safe. I want you to be able to live freely, not looking over your shoulder every second.”
“I don’t want to run away.” I didn’t want to leave these islands. As much as I’d used Harbor and Anchor for a hideout, they’d also become my home. I’d built a life here. One I’d be giving up if I took off for somewhere halfway around the globe. “This is my home.”
Warring expressions flashed across Brody’s face. Ones that spoke of pride, frustration, and a hint of fear. “You’re ready to fight.”
“I’m not going to give this place up.” It had given me too much. It was where I had truly healed, where I had begun to live again for the first time in decades. Something in the sound of the water, the scent of the air, brought me immeasurable peace. And now that I thought about it, I couldn’t imagine making my home anywhere else.
Brody pressed his lips to my temple. “Then we stay. But we stick together. And that includes all the chores you’ve got going on every day. I don’t want you alone.”
I arched a brow. “That means you, too. No sneaking off to the studio alone if you can’t sleep.” More than once over the past couple of months, I’d woken to an empty bed when I turned over. The next morning, there was always a new canvas in the works.
Brody’s lips brushed the side of my face, moving closer to my ear. “It’s no hardship staying in bed with you.”
His tone had all my nerve endings waking up, as if he were calling to each and every one. My hand slipped under the hem of his t-shirt, exploring the ridges of muscle. I wanted to commit each dip and curve to memory, how it felt to be pressed against him.
Brody’s hand curled around my neck, tilting my head back to give him better access to my mouth. His tongue tangled with mine, deep and searching and just a little bit desperate. And when he pulled back, he was breathless. “Need you, Shay.”
“You have me.” And he did. Mind, body, and soul. I’d never thought I would be able to give myself fully to someone. To show them all of me—the scars and dark corners. But Brody had come along, and from the moment I’d laid eyes on him, the pull had begun. This invisible tether that seemed to unravel all the walls and barriers I’d erected over the years.
It was a slow and steady tug, one that I hadn’t recognized right away. And when I had noticed it and had one of my freak-outs, that unwavering pull just continued. It kept right on going until Brody had it all, every last piece of me.
My thumb swept across his lips. I couldn’t imagine a greater gift. To have someone see all the things that you were terrified to show the world and still love you. And not just in spite of them, but because they were a part of you. “Love you,” I whispered.
With a growl, I was suddenly flipped over, Brody hovering over me. “You know what it does to me when you say that.”
A giggle escaped me. “It’s a hell of a reaction.”
Brody’s mouth was on mine again, desperate and feral. He only broke away as we tugged clothes free, both of us needing to be skin to skin. I’d lost any inhibition with regards to Brody seeing my scars. They were simply a part of the canvas of my skin.
One hand cupped my breast as Brody pushed inside me. A small mewl slipped from my lips, and my eyes fluttered closed. Nothing could compare to this feeling. So full. Not complete. But as if I were me yet…more.
My eyes opened to find Brody staring down at me, his gaze full of reverence. “You’re so damn beautiful. The way your eyes flutter and your cheeks turn pink when I’m inside you. The way your back arches to bring you closer to me.” He began to thrust deeper. “Never want to forget it.”
I knew it was only a matter of time before some erotic painting showed up on one of Brody’s canvases. My mouth curved at the thought. Just as long as it didn’t end up on an auction block. I sucked in a sharp breath as Brody hit that spot deep inside me, the one that sent shudders echoing through every muscle.
“There it is,” Brody rumbled, driving deeper.
My fingers dug into his broad shoulders. The frenzied need in me to have him fully would surely leave marks on his skin, but I couldn’t find it in me to care. The only thing that existed in that moment was Brody and me and the frenetic energy between us. My legs hooked around his hips, heels digging into his ass. My back arched. Everything in me searched for release.
“Come with me.” It was both an order and a plea. And I obeyed. Brody let out a muffled curse as he thrust one more time. But I was already gone, spinning out into spirals of light and explosions of color.
Brody collapsed, turning us so that I was lying on top of him again. We slowly came back to ourselves, Brody trailing his fingers down the ridges of my spine. My breaths began to even out, my lungs no longer desperate for oxygen. “I’m pretty sure I passed out for a second there.”
Brody chuckled, and the sensation sent little shocks through me. When my walls tightened around him, he groaned. “Don’t do that. You might actually kill me.”
I grinned down at him. “Wouldn’t want to do that. I kind of like having you around.”
His lips ghosted across my temple. “You should know by now, you’re stuck with me forever.”
A warm hum of energy spread through me. Because nothing in this world sounded better than that.
40
Brody
A clump of weeds and dirt hit me in the chest. “Hey, what was that for?” I barked.
Shay picked up another ball of detritus from her bucket and chucked it at me. “That’s what you get for making fun of me.”