Read Online Killer Moves by Mary Eason - Free Book Online Page B

in front of my child. Help me stay strong.
    “Baby, you and Gran are going on a short trip. It’ll be fun.”
    Ava clung to her mother, her tears soaking through Kara’s shirt. She almost didn’t hear her daughter’s childlike answer. “I don’t wanna go, Mommie. Please. I want to stay with you.”
    Kara brushed her daughter’s silken hair from her wet face. “I know, baby, but it won’t be for long, I promise, and you’ll have fun. You and Gran will have a wonderful adventure together.” She kissed her daughter’s head. “I promise, it won’t be for long. I need you to be strong, punkin, and I need you to take care of Gran for me, okay.”
    Ava nodded against her mother. It took all of Kara’s strength to let her daughter go. In the end, the Angel made it possible. She could sense him growing excited. More confident. If they didn’t catch him soon, he would be unstoppable.
     
     
    With Ava gone, the silence between himself and Kara became hard to take. They’d always been able to talk to each other about anything. But then, he couldn’t really blame her for this strain. The things he’d seen over the past six years, and her absence from his life, had made him hard. He knew how to be a detective; he didn’t know how to be with her anymore or even if they might have a future together.
    “What?” she asked when she spotted him staring at her.
    “Nothing, I’m only thinking how different you are from the young girl I knew in DC.”
    When her gaze met his again, he fought to release air from his lungs. Something he imagined lost forever passed between them. Desire. Passion. Love. All there. And she felt it too, but she was still too angry with him to accept it.
    She resented having someone else dictating what happened to Ava. As much as he didn’t want to break the spell of the moment, some things needed to be said between them.
    He sighed heavily. “Kara, I know this is hard, and I know you blame me for what happened between us in DC, and the way the Bureau took advantage of your talents, but Ava is my daughter as well, I have a right to help make decisions regarding her safety.”
    “No…” All of her old resentments returned. She started to move away, but he reached for her hand, keeping her there.
    “Yes, Kara. Dammit, you should have told me I was a father. Didn’t you think I’d want to be part of my daughter’s life?” When she didn’t answer, he went on, “Whatever happened between us, however much you hate me, I had the right to know and you kept that from me. No more. Ava’s my child and I don’t intend to ever let her go.”
    Davis stepped closer and watched as all her anger left her. Kara closed her eyes, fighting it. Oh yes, she still felt something. She’d just hidden it under a wall of resentment. His fingers brushed across her cheek and she trembled. Their bodies were close enough to touch but they weren’t touching.
    His lips touched the corner of her mouth. She softened against him for a moment then pushed him away.
    “No! No, Davis.”
    “Kara, stop fighting it. You know you feel it too.” He touched her arm and felt her pull away.
    “You’re wrong. That part of our relationship is over. We can’t bring it back. It’s too late.”
    He swore softly beneath his breath but moved away from her. Kara’s gaze found his once more. The space between them seemed to shrink along with the air in the room. Everything but the woman before him ceased to matter.
    “You know that’s not true.” He took another deep breath and tried to steady his voice. “You think I don’t feel how your body responds whenever I’m close?” She could no longer look at him.
    “No. That’s not true.”
    “It is, Kara.”
    “Well, it doesn’t matter. I’m helping you for Ava’s sake, Davis—nothing more. Once this is over, you and I will work out a schedule that’s agreeable to us so that you can see Ava once she grows more comfortable with you, but that’s it.” She didn’t look