My Tye (24 page)

Laine croaked out a deflated, “Oh God.”

“She told us that he let her go so she could deliver a message.” Mac spoke directly to Laine again. “To you.”

Tye tightened his grip on her waist, trying like hell to let a little of his strength flow through to her. He was failing at it miserably, simply because after hearing that, he wasn’t so sure he had all that much left over to give.

“Me?” Tye didn’t miss the quiver in her voice.

“Fuck,” he murmured at the same time.

Mac glanced at Tye. “My thoughts exactly.”

“What was the message?” Laine asked.

Mac didn’t hesitate. “That no matter where you try to hide, he’ll find you.”

Laine fisted her hands on the counter in front of her and blew out a long breath. Goose bumps swept up her arms on a faint shiver. “I shouldn’t be surprised.”

Tye wasn’t. He wasn’t remotely shocked. He was, however, quickly recovering from Mac’s verbal sucker-punch. What he was becoming, as a result, was pissed.

“Did this new victim get a look at him?” he asked.

“No. Same as with Laine, he covered his face and head. All she said was that he was big, and not in an athletic way. More like in a triple cheeseburger kind of way.”

“He was,” Laine said. “But it wasn’t so much that he was overweight. He was just big all over. Tall. Wide. His fingers were beefy. His hands were, too.”

Tye stroked up and down Laine’s arms, but he doubted he was helping her. And if he were being honest with himself, he’d have to admit that he was touching her more for his own sanity. The recurring images running through his head of the perp’s hands on her, of him tying her up, of him messing with her mind and her body…

Tye clenched his jaw so hard he thought his teeth might crack just as Mac pushed himself off the couch.

“All of this brings me to a question, one that I unfortunately have to ask.” He flashed Tye a look that said he wasn’t going to like what he was going to throw out on the table. When Mac softened his expression toward Laine, Tye wanted nothing more than to punch his old friend right in the face. “We picked up a man not long after on suspicion of drunken driving. He has a scar, one similar to what you’d mentioned. I’d like you to come to the station and see if you can identify him as our guy in a lineup.”

It was Tye’s turn to dispense with any sort of hesitation. “No.”

Laine pushed off the counter and spun on him with a surprised, “What?” just as Mac tossed out a louder, “Hold on a minute—”

But Tye was adamant. “There’s nothing to hold on for. She didn’t see him. It was dark, Mac. Too dark for her to make anything out. Not to mention the hat and scarf and—”

“What about body type? Maybe she can recognize the set of his shoulders? The thickness of his neck. The scar over his eye she mentioned. Something. We’ve got shit to go on here. Don’t be a horse’s ass about this, Tye. Anything that might give us a lead will help. You damn well know that.”

Sure, it was Mac’s job to explore every avenue, to try anything and everything in order to get his answers. Tye understood that. Hell doing all that was his job too. The argument was a valid one and Tye was prepared for it. But what he wasn’t expecting, what blew him out of the water, was Laine stepping up and taking Mac’s side.

“He’s right, and you know it,” she said. “You’re not thinking like a sheriff right now. You’re thinking more like…”

She glanced over her shoulder at Mac before turning back and placing her hands on Tye’s chest. He thought he might explode right then and there, and for more reasons than one.

“You’re protecting me,” she went on. “And I love that. I need that. But if I can help? I have to do this, Tye. You know I do. Before someone else gets hurt.”

Damn it.

Yes, he knew she had to. And yes, he fucking hated it.

He looked to Mac. “I’m going with her.”

Mac nodded once. “I wouldn’t expect anything else.” To Laine, he said, “I also need to sit down with you so you can tell me exactly what happened after you left the club that night.” He held up his hand when she started to protest. “I know you’ve already given your statement to Tye, but now that your name has been mentioned in another attack, my department needs one from you as well.”

Tye could’ve sworn a vein inside his head just burst. But he also knew all of this was procedure, and frankly, he was surprised that Mac had been satisfied with the statement Tye had given him and hadn’t pushed for his own interview with her sooner.

“Okay,” was all she said.

Mac glanced at his watch. “Good. I’ve got some loose ends to tie up from last night, but if it works for the two of you, you could head on over to the station now. I’ll let Jen know what’s going on. She can have everything set up and ready for you by the time you get there. I’ll be in not too long after that.”

Tye covered Laine’s hand, the one over his heart, with one of his own. “Yeah. Sure. That’s fine. We’ll be there soon.”

By the door, Mac retrieved his hat and situated it on top of his head just so before glancing back at them. “Thanks. To the both of you.” And with nothing more than another slight nod, he turned and walked out the door.

“Damn him,” Tye muttered.

Laine flexed her fingers against his chest. “He’s doing his job, Tye.”

He huffed and gripped her hand tighter. “Doesn’t make me want to hurt him any less.”

She smiled a little, but he wasn’t kidding.

“I’ll be fine. You’ll be there with me, and I’ll be fine.”

He cupped the back of her neck with his free hand and held her close. “I’ll make absolute sure of it,” he said.

She glanced away from his stare, concentrating on her hands resting on his chest instead. The quiet and contemplative vibes she gave off screamed that something more was bothering her.

“What is it?” he asked.

She swallowed before tilting her head to look up at him. “You asked me last night if I trusted you.”

“Yes.”

“But now I have to throw that question back on you. Do you trust me?”

“Laine…”

“I may not be a cop, Tye. I may not have any formal training like you do. But what I do have is common sense. I need you to trust me to do the right thing.”

He saw where this was going. When he didn’t say anything right away, she went on, lowering her voice to a whisper.

“How you were with me last night, the way you were with me that night at my house… Your control is perfect. Your domination is too. It’s what I’ve always dreamed about.
You’re
what I’ve always dreamed about. But…”

“Only in the bedroom,” he finished when she paused.

Her eyebrows bunched together. “It’s like I told you before, I’m not used to someone else making decisions for me. I’ve never given up the driver’s seat, not to anyone. And up until last week, doing that worked for me. I can’t let being in the wrong place at the wrong time once change the way I’ve lived my entire life, just as I can’t let you take it over, either.”

“I’m not looking to take over. I’m looking to keep you safe.”

“By answering for me and not discussing anything first?”

He wasn’t going to mince words, not when it came to her safety. “If that’s what I have to do to keep you alive.”

“What if I told you that you don’t have to? Whenever my life has turned into complete chaos, all I’ve ever had is my own strength to count on. My
own
control.” She took a step back, out of his arms. “I’m not saying I’m so stubborn I can’t see when I need help. But I am saying that I need somebody who is willing to work with me. Who is willing to discuss options.”

“You want a Dom in the bedroom, but not out of it?” There was no spite to his voice. There didn’t need to be.

“I want a partner. I want…”

He closed the gap between them. “You want me.” He wasn’t being arrogant, he was being truthful. Everything about her—the way she looked at him, the way her body melted against his when he held her, the way she so readily submitted to him—told him that he was right about that.

“I do. More than anything. But there’s more to it, Tye.”

“I told you before that my control is what defines me. It’s who I am. It runs through my veins. It forces my reactions. To give it up would mean—”

“I don’t want you to give it up. All I’m asking is for you to trust me. To consider that I might know what’s best, too. For us to talk.”

Intellectually, he got it. Even as an uncomfortable tingle ran up his spine, he could see her point. What it came down to was could he do it? Could he rein in his ferocity? That instinct that dictated all his actions, both conscious and subconscious?

Could he do that for her?

“I’m not going to do anything stupid,” she said. “When it comes to finding the man who attacked me, I’m willing to do whatever it takes to bring him to justice and stay safe at the same time. Yes, I’ll take your advice. I came here, didn’t I?”

“Because it was the right thing to do.”

“Yes it was.” She sighed. “This isn’t easy for me, you know. I’m not a weak person. But I’m doing it. I’m giving up bits and pieces of my control and handing them over to you. I’m not talking about sex,” she said as he pulled her closer. “That part is different. That part is…perfect. But you have to know how hard it is to give up the rest. All I’m asking is for you to not ramrod me. Don’t make this more difficult than it already is. Don’t make me regret giving you that part of me.”

It was then he realized what a gift she was truly offering him. Letting go of so much, both in the bedroom and out, couldn’t be as simple as flicking some kind of switch, not for her or for anybody. It took strength to do that, an inner courage that many didn’t possess. He wasn’t sure if he had it. He wasn’t sure if he’d ever be able to give up that part of himself.

But she was. And she was willingly giving it to him.

“I swear you won’t regret it, Laine. Not any part of it. I do trust you. And I’ll do everything I can to show you just how much.”

The edge of her mouth lifted as her shoulders relaxed some. “That’s all I ask, is that you try.”

He pledged to make good on his promise with the slow way he slipped his hand over her cheek. With the tender way he drew her body in to his. In the passionate way he kissed her.

He loved the ease with which she softened against him, how she so generously opened her mouth to his. He dipped his tongue inside—tasting, teasing—while pinning her gently against the edge of counter. Memories from last night and from the night in her bathroom flashed through his mind. Christ, he’d do just about anything to love her like that again, to have a chance to take her back to bed right now. To learn more about her, to put his hands on her, his mouth on her. He knew she’d taste sweet—so sweet he’d never get enough of her. He wanted to make her come like that, with his mouth, his lips and his tongue. Over and over. Again and, God, again.

Why he ever told Mac they’d be there soon, he’d never know. The bastard could wait all day as far as Tye was concerned. At this rate, he could wait all goddamned week and it wouldn’t faze Tye in the least.

He’d been so freaked when he’d woken and she wasn’t there beside him. As he held her last night and she’d fallen asleep, all he could think about before drifting off himself were the slow and sexy ways he’d rouse her come morning.

And as she rocked against him now, as she lifted her free hand and spiked her fingers through his hair at the back of his head, as she held him just as tightly as he was holding her, only two words popped in his head—fuck it.

A half an hour wasn’t going to kill anyone. The Samson County Sheriff’s office would still be open. The suspect would still be there. Nobody was going anywhere. After her honesty, and after the promise he offered, he needed this time with her. He was desperate for it. He thought he might go insane if he didn’t get it.

Just like last night, he swooped her up into his arms, but his destination now wasn’t as far away as his bedroom. As he set her on the couch nearby, she didn’t question him or his motives or murmur any kind of objection because they might be late. Instead, she lay back against the pillows and pulled him down on top of her. She was damn near breathless, and he hadn’t done anything more than kiss her.

Yet.

She fisted his shirt at his back and tugged. He helped her out by rearing back as she pulled it the rest of the way off, then lunged for the hem on hers. He had her shirt and bra stripped off within a breath, yet he didn’t dive right back in to kiss her. He stayed there, on his knees between her thighs, dying a little as she cupped her own breasts. And a little more as she swept her thumbs over her nipples. And even more as she arched up toward him.

Damn.

Any notion he might’ve entertained about going slow with her, about taking his time and savoring every inch of her, flew straight out the fucking window. He flicked the button on her jeans and yanked down the zipper, slipping from the couch to land on his knees on the floor in front of her. He grabbed her jeans and panties, jerking at them as she lifted her ass off the couch to make his job a little easier. She chanted breathy
yesses
and
hurrys
as he tossed her jeans to the side.