around her upper arm. Even through the thick cotton of her sleeve, she could feel the heat of that touch. Racing through her veins, sparking reactions in every nerve cell, generating sensations she had no business feeling on a night like this.
With a man like him.
“Unless there’s something else you need from me, Detective,” she said, tilting her chin up to glare at him.
Big mistake. Because the frown tightening his mouth and the sincere concern in his dark, heavy-lidded eyes nearly sent her to her knees. The way he said, “I’m sorry to hear about your brother, Megan,” in that low, raspy voice that made her want to fling herself into his arms and cry on his big, brawny shoulder. Then drag him back to her apartment, beg him to strip her naked, pin her to the bed, and make her forget for a week, a month, a year, the black hole of despair her life had become.
Instead she seized on that despair, used it to fuel her anger at Cole. That he had the balls to apologize, to actually try to comfort her in all of this, was unbelievable. “Yeah, I’ll just bet you are.” She jerked her arm from his hold, then grabbed her shell and shrugged it on.
Tears clogged her throat and she knew that in about thirty seconds she was going to break down and cry. The last thing she wanted was for Cole to see her so weak.
Again.
She managed a good-bye and a promise to call Dev in the morning and hurled herself out the door.
Cole followed her to her car. With her blurry eyes and shaking hands, she couldn’t get the door open before he reached her.
His hand closed over her shoulder and he spun her to face him. “Megan, dammit, I am sorry.”
“Spare me. You put Sean in jail yourself. You believe he’s guilty. You are not sorry that he’s going to die.”
He closed his eyes. “I’m sorry for what you’ve had to go through. I never wanted to see you hurt.”
She let out a watery laugh. “And yet you didn’t do anything to keep it from happening.” She took off her glasses and scrubbed her eyes with the heels of her hands. “You didn’t even bother to return my calls, because you were afraid it would make you look bad to be in contact with me—” She snapped her lips closed. Now was so not the time to let on how badly his abandonment of her after Sean’s arrest had crushed her. She spoke again, her tone calmer. “I don’t need you to feel sorry for me. I don’t need you to believe Sean.” She put her glasses back on. “But I do want to know something about what happened here tonight.”
He stuffed his hands in his pockets and rocked slightly back on his heels. In the faint glow of the streetlight, she saw one thick brow arch. “I’ll tell you what I can.”
“Do you think this is the same guy who killed the woman outside of Renton last month?”
“We won’t know anything until we get the medical examiner’s report. And even then you know I can’t give out those kinds of details yet.”
“Right. Always by the book. No matter what.” She shook her head and turned to unlock her car, wondering why she’d bothered to ask.
Cole watched Megan’s taillights disappear, still reeling from the gut punch that had hit him the moment he’d recognized her. ep it frolt poleaxed, same as the first time he’d laid eyes on her nearly three years ago when she’d crashed—literally—into his life by backing her little Honda into his unmarked squad car in a parking lot near the courthouse.
“Oh my God, I’m so sorry. I’m running late for family court. I’m an advocate and one of my kids is about to be sent back to his aunt’s house, which is a totally bad idea since I know for a fact that her boyfriend is running a meth lab in a trailer on the property. I totally didn’t see you backing out.”
Normally he wouldn’t have responded with anything but irritation at her breathless excuses. But something about her dark, wind-whipped, wavy hair; glossy, pink mouth; and sparking green eyes washed his irritation
With a man like him.
“Unless there’s something else you need from me, Detective,” she said, tilting her chin up to glare at him.
Big mistake. Because the frown tightening his mouth and the sincere concern in his dark, heavy-lidded eyes nearly sent her to her knees. The way he said, “I’m sorry to hear about your brother, Megan,” in that low, raspy voice that made her want to fling herself into his arms and cry on his big, brawny shoulder. Then drag him back to her apartment, beg him to strip her naked, pin her to the bed, and make her forget for a week, a month, a year, the black hole of despair her life had become.
Instead she seized on that despair, used it to fuel her anger at Cole. That he had the balls to apologize, to actually try to comfort her in all of this, was unbelievable. “Yeah, I’ll just bet you are.” She jerked her arm from his hold, then grabbed her shell and shrugged it on.
Tears clogged her throat and she knew that in about thirty seconds she was going to break down and cry. The last thing she wanted was for Cole to see her so weak.
Again.
She managed a good-bye and a promise to call Dev in the morning and hurled herself out the door.
Cole followed her to her car. With her blurry eyes and shaking hands, she couldn’t get the door open before he reached her.
His hand closed over her shoulder and he spun her to face him. “Megan, dammit, I am sorry.”
“Spare me. You put Sean in jail yourself. You believe he’s guilty. You are not sorry that he’s going to die.”
He closed his eyes. “I’m sorry for what you’ve had to go through. I never wanted to see you hurt.”
She let out a watery laugh. “And yet you didn’t do anything to keep it from happening.” She took off her glasses and scrubbed her eyes with the heels of her hands. “You didn’t even bother to return my calls, because you were afraid it would make you look bad to be in contact with me—” She snapped her lips closed. Now was so not the time to let on how badly his abandonment of her after Sean’s arrest had crushed her. She spoke again, her tone calmer. “I don’t need you to feel sorry for me. I don’t need you to believe Sean.” She put her glasses back on. “But I do want to know something about what happened here tonight.”
He stuffed his hands in his pockets and rocked slightly back on his heels. In the faint glow of the streetlight, she saw one thick brow arch. “I’ll tell you what I can.”
“Do you think this is the same guy who killed the woman outside of Renton last month?”
“We won’t know anything until we get the medical examiner’s report. And even then you know I can’t give out those kinds of details yet.”
“Right. Always by the book. No matter what.” She shook her head and turned to unlock her car, wondering why she’d bothered to ask.
Cole watched Megan’s taillights disappear, still reeling from the gut punch that had hit him the moment he’d recognized her. ep it frolt poleaxed, same as the first time he’d laid eyes on her nearly three years ago when she’d crashed—literally—into his life by backing her little Honda into his unmarked squad car in a parking lot near the courthouse.
“Oh my God, I’m so sorry. I’m running late for family court. I’m an advocate and one of my kids is about to be sent back to his aunt’s house, which is a totally bad idea since I know for a fact that her boyfriend is running a meth lab in a trailer on the property. I totally didn’t see you backing out.”
Normally he wouldn’t have responded with anything but irritation at her breathless excuses. But something about her dark, wind-whipped, wavy hair; glossy, pink mouth; and sparking green eyes washed his irritation
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