Page 29 of Hooked on Trouble

“No. Just looked…and touched himself. Now I feel bad, though. He probably didn’t realize I was scared.”

I cringe and scratch my jaw. “He’s never done that before. Not that I’ve seen, at least. For the most part he’s harmless, but exposure isn’t cool. You sure you’re okay?”

Unable to keep away, I move in front of her and run a hand down her arm. She nods and shivers at the touch, but I can’t tell if it’s from me or the shock. I never should have suggested this. I should have taken her to dinner instead of a slum. Somewhere with candles on the table and white napkins. I’d order the red wine she likes and hold her hand and have her to myself for a while. I’d treat her so damn nice.

I still want to do that for her, with her. Build on our new foundation. But I can’t get past Alessi’s call. Every second together, it’s harder to maintain my cool. When she flirts, holding back is agony. Even now my arms itch to circle her again, pull her against me. Instead I release her arm. “We should probably leave.”

She rolls her camera from hand to hand. “Can we stay a bit longer? There are a few shots I’d like to catch. But only if you keep close.”

I may be messed in the head where she’s concerned, but she’d have to pry me away with a crowbar. “Yeah. I’ll keep close.”

Nodding, she touches my waist, a gesture of reassurance maybe, but the sensation travels to my groin. I’ve had dry spells before. Unlike Sawyer in his day, I don’t get off on meaningless flings. But this is the longest I’ve ever gone, and shady past or not, this is the most desperate I’ve been for a woman. I even love how tough Raven is. How she can hold her own with a man like Joe. Not branding her with a kiss is the worst kind of torture.

For the next half hour, I stand where she stands—legs wide, arms crossed—like her personal bouncer. The blue sky fades to navy, evening encroaching. A couple more fires are lit, people returning from begging on the street. It’s easy to point fingers and assume these folks made their beds. Some have. But Betty didn’t ask for her husband to die, leaving her with a mountain of debt. Joe, who’s got one chance left with me, can’t always make sense of the world around him. And Raven gets it. I’d never have brought a woman here before, never have shared this part of my life. It’s all easy with her.

“You ready?” I ask as she lowers her camera.

“Sure. I just want to make sure I got these last frames.” She glances at me. “You want to see?”

She lifts the camera, and I lean over her shoulder. The digital images flip across her viewfinder, some detailed close-ups, others wide-angles. I’m no photography buff, but she’s captured something, all right. The grittiness of the street. The heart, too. All with her charcoal eyes. By the time she lowers the camera, I’m so close my chest touches her back, her ass flush with my thighs. Before I know what I’m doing, I wrap my hands around her hips, so small in my grasp. I lower my mouth to her ear. “This is what you’re meant to do.”

Her breath catches, but she doesn’t speak. Then, “You really like them?”

“They’re remarkable.” I don’t tell her how remarkable she is, but I need to talk to her about her past soon. Ask outright if anything could come back to haunt her, find its way to my doorstep. My family’s. This is what I do, though. Internalize. My mother gives me shit about it. Broody, she calls me. Always letting things fester. I just don’t like to speak until my mind’s clear. Not say regretful things like I did to Josh the night he took off. And Raven could get pissed, defensive. If my words come out wrong, if I’m making more of this than I should, I could lose her trust again.

Thoughts tangled, I step back.

She lets her camera hang loose from her neck. “Thanks for bringing me here, even with that whole Joe thing.”

I grind my molars, still pissed I wasn’t there for her when it counted. “Sorry about that, but I’m glad you got some good shots.”

She glides her fingers down my forearm. “Me, too.”

And damn, the look she gives me? One glance from her sultry eyes is like sixty thousand cheering football fans, and I don’t want to give that up. I want another kiss, deeper, wilder, nothing but need and lust in her breathy sounds.

Frustrated, I nod toward the fence and spread my hand on her lower back, guiding her. It’s my favorite place to touch. In Aspen I kissed my way down her spine, explored all that sexy ink, pausing at the top of her ass and tracing the lines of the pirate ship sailing across her tailbone. I never asked what it symbolizes, what most of her ink represents. Only her rose and feather tattoos. She shared those with me. She also offered up another vulnerable piece of herself at the beach, and here I am, tossing in an anchor, halting our progress.

She breathes deeper, as if trying to press into me. “Have you made any headway, looking for Rose?” Her voice is as soft as the breeze, but there’s a nervous undercurrent.

I pause, unsure how much to share. I don’t want to get her hopes up, only to have them dashed. “Nothing concrete, but there’s a chance she’s living in Fraser Valley.”

Her shoulders shoot toward her ears. “That was fast.”

I stop at the gap in the fence. “She hasn’t lived at the address on her license for five years, but one of the women there said she’d moved to an apartment downtown. That led to two more places and a guy who thinks she lives on a farm in the valley. Some sort of communal agriculture thing. Might be a long shot, but worth checking out.”

“That must have taken hours.”

I nod. “My partner owed me a favor.”

I pull back the metal chain link and help Raven through to the other side. Once I join her, she grabs my wrist. “I know it’s a lot to ask, but will you come with me? When I look for her? If not, it’s no big deal. I can ask Shay or Lily or go on my own. It’s just—”

“We’re doing this together.” My tone is more vehement than intended. I’ve barely recovered from what could have happened with Joe. She doesn’t know what she’s walking into. It could be dangerous. Physically. Emotionally. I plan to be there for her, regardless of this other crap screwing with my head. “I have night shifts starting tomorrow, which means it’ll be a bit before we can go. Probably five days. We should plan to stay overnight, in case we need to follow leads.”

She exhales a slow breath. “Thank you.”

We walk on, and she interlaces our fingers. I let her. Crave the feel of her smooth skin. Her hand is so tiny in mine. So soft. It feels so good. A few steps later, she swings our hands like we’re in grade school. “Although I’ll be so nervous I might puke, this trip could be fun. I mean, now that I know you’ll be coming, there’s lots to look forward to.”

I’m not sure what happened to the Raven who wanted to take things slow, but her teasing voice drips with innuendo, and I can’t resist playing along. “What if I decide I don’t want to come?”