Page 21 of Innocent Target

Ian grinned. “No wonder. Why did you leave?”

“The constant adrenaline was great, but it lacked purpose. I wandered for a while after that until I met Shane Rhodes. We worked together on an unorthodox mission, and I must’ve impressed him because when he founded his security agency, he rang me. I found what had been missing, at least part of it, since NOLA.”

“So, you’re in charge of protecting that young man and his baby?”

“James is part of the team. Abbie is his niece, and we’re trying to work out why his sister vanished, leaving her baby behind. We know an MC is involved, but we’re still digging.”

Ian leaned back, nodding. “It clarifies a few things, most particularly the tension between you and that young man.”

Mercy opened her mouth and closed it. “Tension? Of course there’s tension, with everything that is going on, and the constant threats…”

Ian swiped his hand to cut her off. “Kid, I know you better than you know yourself. If the man didn’t reach that place deep in your heart, you’d have smashed his head on Marnie’s new marble countertop. What is he to you? And don’t tell me your usual bullshit, Broussard.”

Not knowing what to say, Mercy grabbed her bottle and took a swig. “I know I’ve never been easy, Ian. But after the shootout, everything got more complicated.”

With an awkward tap on her knee, Ian leaned forward. “Kid, life is complicated. I know that firsthand. When I understood that my life would never be the same, I pushed everyone aside and did everything to push Marnie away. Hell, I made her life a misery at the beginning, but you know my Marnie, she’s not one to cower down. She remained sweet and supportive in the beginning, but she soon gave me some hard truths, some I badly needed to hear.”

His voice changed a little, becoming grittier. “We both had to mourn the past, who we were and accept the reality of our situation. That could’ve broken us, our marriage, our family, but somehow, it shone a brighter light on the love we share, and how much stronger we are together. The biggest work has been me opening my eyes. If she wanted me as an absentee cop father and a crippled husband searching for a purpose, how could I not believe in us too? I don’t know your story with that man, Merc. But if he means something to you, and I suspect you mean something to him, it may be worth stepping over your hurt, fear, and pride. Just be honest, honey. And I know you can’t lie. Your big mouth is a great asset. You just lack courage when it comes to matters of the heart.”

Clutching her beer, Mercy looked at her former colleague and friend, unable to say a word. Maybe because what he’d said rang true, and most probably because, deep down, she’d known it all along.

With one last pat on her knee, Ian rolled away. “I’ll go and make sure everything is in order before I turn in. I’ll show you the alarm system too. It will be a novelty to have a baby in the house.” Just as he put his hand on the knob, Ian stopped and turned his head. “I almost forgot about the report. I’m sorry you didn’t read it. It was long and dreary, but there’s one point you need to know, besides the fact that you saved my life. The bullet that put me in this chair didn’t come from the kidnapper, but the SWAT Team. Friendly fire. You didn’t come too late, kid. And none of what happened is your fault.”

Chapter Eleven

James felt it the second she walked into the room. He’d avoided her, going to the room he’d shared with Abbie while she spoke with Ian. The obvious affection and history between the two of them almost made him jealous. Why could Ian get through that impenetrable shell and he couldn’t? He instantly felt like a stupid kid pining over a girl who didn’t like him back.

He’d tried to be careful with her, give her space, support, but he wasn’t a fool, and if she didn’t want him, and her reluctance to let him in said she didn’t, then he wouldn’t push it any further. They both had good jobs with Alliance, and he wouldn’t jeopardize that by forcing something that clearly wasn’t there for her.

Reaching into the fridge, he took the water jug and poured himself a drink, lifting it and downing the cool liquid as his skin tingled with the awareness of her behind him. He’d just got Abbie back to sleep after her two am feed and found himself wide awake and thirsty, so had come out the kitchen looking for a drink. What he really needed was a whiskey, but he had no intention of indulging while his niece was under his sole care.

The muscles in his back tensed as he felt the feather-light brush of her fingertips against his back. Goosebumps broke out on his skin as the electricity sizzled between them, and he felt her lips on his back. He clenched his fists, looking to the ceiling, not wanting to fuck this up like he had everything else in his life.

“Mercy?” The desire in his voice gave the word a gravelly sound.

He spun and reached out to steady her as she swayed from his sudden movement. Her eyes dropped to the floor as he gazed at her, realizing he was out of his depth with this woman. She’d made him care for her without trying, and he didn’t know if she really wanted him or a quick fuck. But he couldn’t care at that moment as her head tipped back to look at him, her warm eyes darkening with passion, her lips wet and pouty.

He watched the pulse in her neck hammer with nerves as he kept himself rigidly in check. He wouldn’t touch her until she gave him permission, not prepared to make a fool of himself again. “Tell me what you need.”

“I want you, James, just you.”

In one swift motion, he lifted her, grasping her ass as she wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck. His lips were on hers, the taste of cherry, the feel of pure silk as they fought for dominance, neither prepared to concede to the other. James squeezed her ass, and she whimpered into his mouth, making his cock harden to the point of pain.

He broke the kiss. “Where’s your room?”

“Left at the end of the hallway.”

Her breathy, innocent words were enough to have him moving faster. Shoving through the door, he closed it quietly not wanting to wake anyone, most especially Abbie.

Tumbling to the double bed with her, he kept his weight from her as he devoured her mouth, tangling his tongue with hers until they were both breathless. James smoothed his hand up the taught, silky skin of her thigh, his hand diving under the cotton pajama shorts and gripping the sexy curve of her ass.

She whimpered into his mouth, and he ground his erection against the wet heat of her center, the motion inflaming arousal in his blood.

Pulling away from her mouth, he trailed wet kisses down her neck, over the sensitive skin of her collarbone until he found the perfect mounds of her breasts. James pulled the top over her head, revealing her toned body to his eyes in the dim light.

Lowering his head, he sucked a nipple into his mouth, laving the tender nub as she writhed against him, making him ache to be inside her. He gave the same attention to the other nipple, as she grasped his head, holding him in place.

The thin barrier of her pajamas and his gym shorts did nothing to hide the arousal they felt; he knew she wanted him, but he also knew Mercy better than she realized. He didn’t want to push this by making love to her here if it resulted in her feeling uncomfortable afterwards.