Karen Rose - Silent Scream

“You did. You said another woman’s name when I was giving you a great orgasm.”

He lifted his face, his eyes tense. “Other than that.”

“That was enough. But to set your mind at ease, no, you didn’t push me or try to force me to do anything I didn’t want to do.”

His shoulders sagged. “Good.” He turned from her, pouring the eggs into a pan.

He was still nervous, she realized. Unbelievable, but apparently true. She made coffee, then turned to watch him cook. “Why didn’t you call?”

He shrugged. “I’d go from fear of what I’d done to fear that you had someone else back home to fear that what I had done hadn’t been… good enough.”

“You’re kidding,” she said and thought she saw a glimmer of a smile curve his lips.

“Okay, maybe not that last part. But I did worry.” He did something with his wrist and the omelet in the pan slid and flipped. “And I did try to forget about you.”

“You did?”

“You were here, I was there. Then Evie called, asking for help with her leaky roof.”

Seven months ago. “She said you dropped everything and came to help.”

“She thinks I’m some white knight, so don’t tarnish my armor. The truth is, I dropped everything and came right away because it was what I’d been waiting for.”

She frowned slightly. “What you’d been waiting for? What does that mean?”

He wasn’t looking at her and she suddenly wished he would, that she could see his eyes. “Do you believe in signs, Olivia? Fate? Miracles?”

“Once, I’d have said no. But now, yes, I do.”

His glance was sharp. “What changed your mind?”

Olivia’s answer took no thought at all. She knew the moment she’d begun believing in miracles. “Meeting Mia when I did. I needed her and she needed me. I’d just come out of a bad relationship and a week later found out that our father, the father I’d never known, was dead. Mia was already in love with Reed. I was so jealous. She asked me if I was involved with anyone and I told her no. I didn’t want to admit I was a failure.”

“I can understand that feeling,” he said ruefully.

She thought of the name he’d groaned, knew that Dana was happily married to someone else. If there had ever been a relationship between Dana and David, there wasn’t now. “I guess you can. Anyway, you remember when Mia was shot by that guy?”

“He was an arsonist,” David said, slanting her another glance. “Ironic, huh?”

Or fate. “Yes, very. The guy shot her just a few days after I met her, took out her kidney. She’d only had one.”

“And nobody was a match. I remember. We all got tested.” David turned to stare at her, his eyes narrowed. “Then all of the sudden, Mia got a mystery donor. She never told us who it was. We all thought it was anonymous.” He leaned closer until he was inches from her face. “It was you, wasn’t it? You saved her life.”

Olivia’s cheeks warmed. “Your omelet’s burning.”

He turned back to the stove. “It was a damn nice thing to do, Olivia. You should be proud of yourself.”

“I didn’t do it to be proud. I did it because she needed me. Nobody ever really had before. So to answer your question, yes, I believe in fate.”

He shut off the burner. “Evie needed me, too. I wanted to help her, of course, but I’d been looking for some kind of sign. I’d told myself it was just one weekend, that you’d probably found someone else, but I couldn’t get you out of my mind. Evie’s leaky roof was the sign I’d been hoping for. ‘Go to Minnesota,’ in blinking neon. I wanted to see you again, and find out if you did have someone else. And to find out what I’d done.”

“And then you got in a killer’s way and ended up in the hospital.” She put plates on the table and looked back to find him staring at her, his eyes no longer unreadable. They were hungry and hot and for a moment she had to concentrate on breathing.

“I knew it was you the moment you walked into my hospital room,” he said fiercely. “I could barely see a thing, but I could smell you, just like I’d smelled you on my pillow, and I wanted you then. But it was the wrong time.”

She swallowed hard. “And?”

“And… after that it never seemed like the right time. Evie got taken and everything was crazy. Then you and Noah found her.”

“And the body pit,” she murmured.

“Then you were busy, stressed. Pulling bones out of that damn pit. I didn’t want to make it worse, but I guess I did.” He brushed the backs of his fingers across her cheek, a fleeting touch that made her want more. “I couldn’t let another day go by with you thinking I didn’t want you, that you didn’t matter. That you were just a substitute for someone else. I’m sorry I hurt you.”

She held his eyes, hoping she wasn’t a total fool for believing him. “I could have called, too. I should have.”

He smiled and her heart rolled over in her chest. “Sit down. You need to eat.”

She did, not realizing how hungry she’d been. She thought about what Paige had said the morning before, about taking a risk. What’s the worst that could happen? Dana. He’d said her name. There had to be a reason. There had to be some feelings still. A man didn’t love for that long and just turn it off because he met someone else.

You did. It was true, she admitted. When she met David, all thoughts of Doug had fled, as if he’d never been. But I said David’s name. He said Dana’s. And if at some point his lost love was free? Been there, done that. She was gullible, but she hoped she wasn’t a fool.

She looked up to find him staring at her expectantly. He looked like he wanted to say something but didn’t, rising to clear the table. Mojo stuck to his heels, hoping for a handout, but all David gave him was a scratch behind the ears. “He’s a nice dog.”

“Not as smart as the average bear, but he’s mine. He keeps this place from getting too lonely.” She wanted to look away, but wouldn’t let herself. “So. Now what?”

“Now, I believe you said you were going to sleep.” His words were mild, but his eyes were still hot. Shivers danced across her skin.

“That had been my plan, yes.”

“Then come on.” He led her to her sofa and pulled her down in his lap. “Go to sleep. I’ll wake you up in time for your meeting.”

It was surreal, sitting there cradled in his arms, but it felt natural to rest her head on his shoulder, so she did. “I have to leave early, take Mojo to day care,” she mumbled.

“I’ll take him.”

“Okay. I need to be downtown at oh-nine. Was oh-eight, but CSU needed more time to process Tomlinson’s office.” She yawned. “It was a nasty scene.”

“I know,” he said quietly and she knew that he did.

“Maybe Tomlinson was the target all along. Maybe the condo fire was just a red herring, to distract us from Tomlinson’s murder.”

“Maybe. Except they weren’t trying to hide his murder.” His fingers gently unwound her braid, combing through her hair.

She pulled back to see his face. “They weren’t?”

“No. Barlow and I went back in to look at the office again. There were no signs of gas around or on the walls of the office. If they’d meant the fire to hide Tomlinson’s murder, they’d have destroyed his body to destroy the evidence of his gunshot, right?”

“Right.”

“They should have dumped gas on his body, his desk, his papers. But they didn’t.”

“You’re right. Why didn’t they?”

He pulled her head to his shoulder. “You’ll figure it out after you’ve had some rest.”

“You’re tired, too. How will you wake up?”

“I set my cell phone alarm.”

“When did you do that?”