Crosby’s thumbs stroked over my cheeks as he kept hold of my face. The pads of those thumbs were rough with calluses, likely from all of his many adrenaline-fueled hobbies. But the feel of them was hypnotic, calming in a way that shouldn’t be possible, not from this man. “You might think I’m a slacker, but I’m a damn good lawyer. I’m not going to let Clark and his family take your home.”
Crosby’s words startled a laugh out of me. “I know you’re a good lawyer. Probably the best in the islands.” I’d heard people talking about Crosby before, how he’d won them what they thought was a hopeless case. I’d also heard that he helped in cases where the client couldn’t pay his normal rates. God, I’d held so tightly to my view of this man, even when the evidence laid before me clearly pointed to a different picture, a more complex one. “I trust you.”
The words surprised even me. But as I searched inside myself, I found that they were true. I may not have completely let down my guard, but I trusted Crosby to give his all to save my home, my safe place. “I do.”
Crosby rose, grabbing my hands and lifting me with him. “Let’s get inside. I’ll make you some tea.”
“You hate tea.”
“I didn’t say I was going to drink the stuff.” He moved around my space as if he belonged there, opening cabinets, pulling out a mug and my kettle, going in search of tea bags.
I slipped onto one of the three stools at the counter and watched the man move. He was tending. And something about that knowledge caused warmth to spread through my chest. “You know your way around a kettle.”
His lips tipped. “One of my nannies, the one who was there longest, she loved tea. I’d always watch her make it.”
“Were your parents not around much?”
Crosby chuckled but it had a hint of bitterness to it. “Rarely. I mostly spent time with them when they needed a child as an accessory.”
The knowledge burned something inside me. Crosby and I had more in common than I’d thought. It didn’t matter if a child had every toy in the world or just three. It didn’t change the pain of being ignored. “I’m sorry, Crosby.”
He shrugged, moving the kettle off the stove just as it began to whistle. “I was safe, warm, cared for. There are so many children out there who would kill for that.”
He was right, of course, and it was good…healthy to have that perspective. But it didn’t change the fact that the absence of parents hurt, no matter the circumstances. “That’s why you volunteer with the Alliance. It puts things in perspective for you.”
Crosby poured the water into the cup with ease, dunking the tea bag three times before it fully submerged in the water. “It’s a good reminder, sure. But I also wanted to use my skills for good for once.”
I took the mug from Crosby, placing it down on the counter. “What do you mean?”
He continued to move about my kitchen with some uncanny knowledge of where everything was placed, grabbing a sugar bowl, a small spoon, then moving to the refrigerator for the milk. “For so long after law school, after meeting Alicia, I had this insatiable hunger for more. More money. More power. Nothing was ever enough. I blamed Alicia, and sure her need to be at the top of the food chain—for me to be at the top—didn’t help, but it triggered something in me. Nothing was ever enough. And the cases I worked…I was rarely making a positive difference in the world.”
Crosby set the sugar and milk in front of me. “Don’t get me wrong, it’s not like I’m some bleeding heart now. I take all kinds of cases. But I like that some of them change people’s lives for the better.”
I spooned some sugar into my tea. “I know you’re making Zoe’s life better.” Crosby flinched, and I straightened on my stool, my fingers tightening on the handle of the mug. “What’s wrong? Is she okay?”
Crosby’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed. “She’s going to be fine, but she was removed from her foster home.”
“What? Why?”
He rounded the counter and pulled out the stool next to mine, sinking down onto it. “I didn’t have the best feeling about her foster parents. The way she talked about them just didn’t sit right. So, this afternoon, I made a surprise visit.” Crosby’s knuckles bleached white as he settled his hands on the countertop. “They had her in a closet. They made her stay there after school until bedtime so she was out of the way.”
The rage that lit in me blazed bright and fierce. I stood, nearly knocking my stool over before Crosby caught it. “Where is she? What is wrong with social services that they approved people who have the potential of doing something like that?”
I was moving before Crosby could answer, heading for my bedroom. Pulling open a drawer in my dresser, I grabbed a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt. I didn’t even think about the fact that the door was wide open, I simply shucked my spandex shorts, leaving me in nothing but my thong and workout tank.
“Whoa. Not that I don’t love the show, but what are you doing?”
I whirled to face Crosby, who leaned against the door, his gaze trained on where my ass had been a second before. “You’re going to take me to wherever Zoe is right now. I need to see her. I want to make sure she’s all right.”
Crosby crossed to me in three long strides, his hand slipping under my hair, tugging at it so that I was forced to meet his gaze. “That fierce exterior, it’s guarding the most tender heart, isn’t it?”
Air constricted in my lungs. “I care about her.”
“I know you do. Love that Zoe has that in you. But we can’t go see her right now.”
I stepped out of his hold. “Why the hell not?”
“Her social worker and I just got her settled before I came here. This place…I got nothing but good vibes. The parents are caring, attentive, but they don’t push. They’re doing everything they can to make Zoe feel safe. You showing up, ready to set fire to the world, is only going to freak Zoe out.”
I took a deep, steadying breath. Crosby had a point. But desperation clawed at my insides, a need to see Zoe, to make sure she was okay. “Do you think I could see her tomorrow?”
Crosby’s expression softened, and he pulled his phone from his pocket, typing out a text. Within a few seconds, there was a ding that said there had been a return reply. “The Wilsons would love for us to join them for breakfast tomorrow morning. We can see Zoe before she heads to school.”
My shoulders relaxed a fraction. “Okay.”
Crosby stepped closer, and I let my head fall to his chest. “She’s going to be okay. We’ll make sure of it.” I nodded against his sternum. Crosby trailed a hand up and down my spine. “You okay?”
“Yes.” The vital warmth that radiated off Crosby seeped into me now, heating the places I’d never thought could feel warm again. It should’ve terrified me, but I only wanted more. I pressed myself closer to him, my arms going around his waist.
Crosby’s hands dipped lower, ghosting over the curve of my ass, sending the most delicious sparks of sensation across my skin. “Do you need me?”
“Yes.” My answer came out breathy, but I didn’t care one bit. I was beyond the point of pride. I needed to feel alive again, to forget all of the bad things that were swirling around me, and lose myself in sensation, in the buzz of energy that only Crosby could provide.